While rumor swirls in hushed voices and tale-tellers turn cautious glances to one another in back-ally bars, none can truly claim to know the origins of the League. Shrouded in secrecy, myth, and a thousand-and-one tall tales, this band of gamers roam the mean streets of Baltimore in search of that one perfect game. Hear now, the truth behind one featured member and his quest.
How long have you been gaming (in your favorite unit of time measurement)?
“3,285 Viral Replication Cycles.
I’ve always enjoyed family game nights as a kid, but when it comes to this hobby board gaming world, it’s recent. Around 5-6 years ago my wife dragged me along to her friend’s boyfriend’s house for a board game night, the rest is history (pssst… her friend is Kelly B, the boyfriend being Matt). We played a lot of Settlers of Catan back in those days, some Munchkin too. That birthday, my wife bought me my first real board game, Pandemic, which will never leave my collection. My journey into board gaming just kept growing from there.”
What color are your meeples when you play?
“Blue! Unless Kelly steals it from me, in which case I’ll gladly take hot pink/magenta”
What… is your favorite STYLE of game?
“While I like to all kinds of games, I tend to prefer games that avoid downtime and AP. I want to be immersed in the experience and engaged throughout the game. Fast paced, tactical or highly thematic games can be favorites.”
Break it down: What is your favorite game mechanic?
“I really love cooperative games. Those that implement the traitor mechanic are a lot of fun for me too. A lot of coops become these huge puzzles that you are all trying to work out together. For this reason, games with a deduction element are a close second (e.g. Alchemists and Mysterium).”
What… is currently your FAVORITE GAME?
“Pandemic Legacy has been my absolute favorite game these past few months. It’s really been an experience of its own, and I loved the ever changing state of the game. Due to the nature of the game though, I may never play it again (even though I’d be willing to). Therefore, I’m still tossing in a mention of my long term favorite, Dead of Winter.”
What… is your style of play (i.e. social gamer, aggressive, casual – for the fun, etc.)?
“I’m a casual gamer that’s just trying to relax and have some fun. While I do like to be competitive and really try to play my best in every game, fun comes first. That’s why I love thematic, experience games like Pandemic Legacy and Dead of Winter.”
What do you look for in a great game?
“I think you can guess the answer to this by now, but I’m looking for fun. For me, that means thematic games that offer up an experience. When I want to play a Euro, I’m looking for something that doesn’t try to be too complex and offers choices that are fluid and keep the game moving (The Voyages of Marco Polo did this well). My Top 10 games of 2015 list really gives a great overview of the types of games I like.”
What are your favorite things about board gaming?
“Board gaming truly is a great way to hang out with friends. The variety of styles of board games out there also allows for choices depending on the mood for the night. You can have ridiculous, stupid fun with some party or thematic games (Tales of the Arabian Nights did this for us one night) or get competitive with a good Euro or race game. I also like the conversations we sometimes have after a game offering up critiques (both pros and cons).”
What other things do you like (or is board gaming just your entire life)?
“Outside of board gaming (yea it’s a big part of my life, but not 100% of it), one of my other passions is science. I work at Medimmune as an Associate Scientist focused on early assay development of our potential oncolytic virus products. My wife and I are coming up on our 6 year anniversary and we just recently adopted a lab mix, Rey (yeah, we really liked the new Star Wars), who has become a big part of our lives as well. I’m a scifi/fantasy fan and I have the Funko Pop collection to prove it. I love to watch Doctor Who, Supernatural, and all of the Marvel shows, among others. Some weekends I just relax with a good Netflix binge.”
LIGHTNING ROUND!
Best Doctor? You just say Tennant, it’s cool.
“Tennant really is the best Doctor for me. Even though I love some storylines with Matt Smith, and his goofiness is great.”
Top 3 Desert Island Board Game Opponents (Only 3 people you’ll play with for the rest of your life; real of fictional!)
“The Doctor (probably 11 for board games), Rey (from Star Wars, not my dog, she seems goofy and chill when she’s not trying to take down Kylo Ren), and Matt (if the others don’t wanna play something, I know he’ll always be up for any gaming. Sorry Matt, you’re stuck on a desert island now)”
Star Wars or Star Trek?
“Star Wars”
On a scale from 1 to All of the Science, how much science can you do?
“All of the Virology”
Dice or Cards or Zombies?
“Uh…Zombies, duh!”
Best movie from the last 5 years?
“Based on the amount of times I saw it within a week, Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
Favorite thematic genre?
“Sci-fi space zombies”
Best Call of Duty teammate? Matt, Buns or SinUhMuhnBuhns?
“Matt”
Ben on Social Media
Twitter: @bayern_rush
Instagram: bsrush16
