Gaming during the Annus Horribilis

2020 has been a year to forget, but there have been a few gaming highlights. Here are my top gaming experiences of the annus horribilis…

Dungeons and Dragons (5e)

Our D&D group started the ‘Tomb of Annihilation’ campaign on Roll20 in 2019. With lockdowns and players spread over two countries, Roll20 has been a great way to unwind and keep gaming in 2020. Roll20 has steadily improved and I enjoy DM’ing on this platform.

If you have never tried D&D, then 5th Edition is well worth trying. It has all the feel of earlier editions, but is fairly relaxed with character generation. This allows players to make the character they want without the need for too much house ruling by the DM.

My favourite on-line resources include:

• Roll20 (For obvious reasons).

• DM’s Guild – Lots of great content for a reasonable price. Great for planning a last minute encounter or some DM inspiration. My favourite find for 2020 was the Ancestral Weapons guide by Matt Vaughan.

I am still searching for a good podcast. Whilst watching others play can be interesting, I don’t find it can hold my attention…

Infinity

I have been playing Infinity for a while and the release of the latest update to the rules (N4) in late 2020 coincided with a relaxing of restrictions on indoor gatherings. It was great to finally play a few face-to-face games!

The N4 rules are streamlined but still challenging. This is a game that is guaranteed to work the brain cells and give some great cinematic moments.

There is so much great on-line content for this game, but you cannot go past VaulSC’s and Infinity Gamers Youtube channels and the Mayacast and White Noise podcasts.

Wingspan

If you enjoy board games, then you will probably already know about Wingspan by Stonemaier Games. This popular card based ‘engine-building’ game has a great theme and the second expansion (Oceania) has just been released.

This game is special. It falls into the ‘goldilocks zone’ for so many reasons. It is quick to learn but not an overly simple game. The theme and mechanics mean that almost any age group or level of gaming experience will enjoy it. It does not take hours to setup and play, but it is not over too quickly either. There is even a solo player mode.

I do believe it is the only board game I played this year despite being spoiled for choice.

Whilst gaming has been limited, hobby activities have continued (more on that later). Like many, I look forward to getting back to my usual gaming groups in 2021 and playing games with the good friends I have missed this year…