Keyflower. The core game play mechanic is very simple in that essentially everything is just bidding meeples that it is very easy to teach, but there is so much to consider, a ton of interaction, meaningful cost/benefit decisions, and so many ways to build up without being too much of a point salad. The game itself is very attractive on the table without being garish, and it can be kind of ruthless. It also scales beautifully, I have played it with 2 players and I have played it with 6 and its great everywhere in between. The iconography is clear and simple, the expansions are both great (although I prefer the Merchants for low player count and the Farmers for high).

A few things, how empty and clean it was in comparison (I lived in a city at the time, which could show you how dense Beijing is, like everywhere you go is the most crowded place you have ever been). I also remember waking up from jet lag and my brother was watching that puppet comedy guy on tv and thinking what the fuck is going on here. I was pretty unplugged while I was over there (fall of 2004) so I essentially missed that whole election cycle which was honestly really nice, it sucked that Bush got reelected, but it was good to not be steeped in it while it happened. Since I had a very rudimentary grasp of mandarin at the time I wasn’t really engaging which Chinese pop culture either so I was basically just hanging out and talking to people which was really nice. Chinese social interactions are a lot more structured as well, which I found very refreshing at the time, I didn’t have enough of a grasp of the language to be awkward so that was also really fun.

It is also nice to be able to leave when you want, and get off the road to take a break or stop to eat where you want. It is also nice to have the flexibility to move around as you please at your destination.

I really wish that the US had a functional rail system, let along high speed rail. I fell in love with sleeper trains when I was living abroad in college, it was so nice to get dinner somewhere near the centrally located train station, hop on the train, hang out a bit then get rocked to sleep and wake up at your destination.

Fuck using a car to commute, I am more than happy to take the train for that, and generally when transit is convenient I prefer to not have to drive.

I lived in China for a year after college, and that was basically fine since I was already pretty knowledgeable about the country and I went into it expecting to be off balance and that there would be a lot of new things. What was a surprise was the culture shock when I came back to the US. I don’t think that the jet lag helped, but I remember feeling really really out of sorts for about a week and just generally in a bit of shock about how different life was here having largely not been exposed to it for a year.

I am big fan of the digital version of Race for the Galaxy (and the in person version) mainly due to the speed at which it can be played and not having to shuffle constantly.

It does not mean they are stupid, but it does indicate a poor education, or that they are ESL. Either way, not a value judgement on that individual, but there isn’t really a good way to differentiate if someone is dumb or ignorant when they send you something that looks like it was written by a 5th grader.

I ordered one once and the waiter didn’t know what I was talking about so I just got a beer. He comes back later with a big smile on his face holding a glass with some liquid in it saying he brought me a pickleback. It was premixed. I shot it, it was a lot of liquid, and only once it was in my mouth did I realize they had used bread and butter pickle juice.

I love the depths, I always find them to be replenishing in a way. I go down there, I get to explore and find new things, I usually come out of them with a lot of resources (weapons, zoneite, crystals, muddlebuds, bombs) and sometimes a neat piece of equipment wondering why I dont spend more time down there.

I think that Keyflower scales really well if you like Euro’s. I have played it at all counts and I tend to prefer it with more people. It can be a really mean game in some ways (everything is an auction essentially), but there is a nice spacial element, and a lot of strategy. It also doesn’t take too long, and the rules are very straightforward and well presented in the manual.

If you have the time for it and prefer the opposite then Dune (the reprint of the 1978 game) is best with 6. It is a very social game, nice strategy, and not too fiddly, also can be very mean.

Ultra Pro’s matte sleeves are really good for shuffling and not sticking. I know that people also like a few other brands, but that is what I used when I was actively playing a A:NR in tournaments that required a lot of shuffling. I would think any decent quality matte sleeve would work well, they also avoid the issue with cheap sleeves where the decks do not have enough friction to stay put.