I have been recently thinking about the games I usually say are my favourite, as in my "top 5 RPGs" or whatever, and thinking about how this list overlaps with the games that I have played again and again.

What I have noticed is the lists don't really overlap.

So, my favourite game and RPG is probably FFVII, but in actual fact, I actually haven't played this game through in maybe 15 years now. Is it really the game that I should say is the "greatest"? Is that really what I think, or am I really saying "the game I have the greatest nostalgia for is FFVII"?

I don't think it is all about nostalgia though, because I only played MGS through for the first time 5 years ago, and I honestly think that that game ranks right up there in my top list of games, and in fact, I have only played it through once.

Is this honest? Do we need to have played a game many times for it to be in our top list? When it comes to films, all the films I like the most will be films I have chosen to watch quite a number of times... but with games, maybe it isn't the case.

Perhaps this is down to the amount of time it takes to complete a game, the investment, compared to a film. But even with my favourite books, I have read them a number of times, though probably not all of them....

And then there is the really weird case of games that sucked hours and hours away from my life, but don't even appear on my tops lists. RPGs that I put way down the list but which I played every last bit of juice from them, and at the time must have really enjoyed them or got something from them.... FFVIII for example- I played that to death over a full year, or Age of Empires, or Street Fighter Alpha 3, or Fifa 97, or Altered Beast, all of these I played loads, more certainly than MGS yet MGS ranks above them for sure in my estimation.

A Note On "Standard" Player Powers

In a few recent TMG games I've worked on (Harvest, Pioneer Days, and Old West Empresario) I thought a lot about how to do player powers in the game.

In Harvest, the "standard" side of each player board (recommended for first time players) is Wil Plantsomdil, who starts with a basic spread of resources, and gets a big VP bonus at game end. The intent was to allow a new player to play in a game with experienced players, not have to wrestle with a player power while also learning the game, and still get a competitive score. In that game, I wouldn't blame "experienced games" for skipping Wil Plantsomdil and going straight for the "real" player powers. However, I thought we could do better...

In Pioneer Days and Old West Empresario, the Standard Pioneer / Standard Empresario abilities are not just a dumbed down power meant for newbie players. Rather we took one of the more well-rounded or straightforward of the powers we were developing, one which we thought would make for a good first experience, and made that the "standard" power.

The rules for both of those games say to deal 2 characters to each player and let them choose between one unique ability, the other, or the standard ability on the back side. While we recommend that first time players choose the standard ability, we worked hard to balance them all so that the standard power is on par with the unique ones, giving each player 3 solid options.

I fear that players will assume that "standard" implies "boring," automatically skip the "standard" ability as if it didn't exist, and therefore miss out on one of the fun player powers.

Hopefully we can break them of this habit. I played a game of Old West Empresario the other day and intentionally chose the Standard Empresario ability, and I did better than I've done in a long time!

TL;DR: In Pioneer Days, Old West Empresario, and any future TMG title I work on, don't look at the standard player power as "lesser" -- it's designed to be on par with the rest of the player powers!

First In Battle (FiB) Re-Affiliates To MSSA.

FiB's latest elite team.
Having first affiliated to Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) in 2007, First in Battle (FiB) ceased to be a member in 2015. However, First in Battle (FiB) has started a revival aiming to take the club back to the top. The club is determined to get there and are here to win.

In the past the club has proved its worth time-and-time again having earned the following:
 Team SA - National Colours BF2 2007 
 Team SA - National Colours 2012 BF3
 Provincial Colours BF2142 2007 BF2
 Provincial Colours 2008 COD4 
 1st CoD4 MSSA Champions 2008
 BF2 MSSA National Team
 1st BF3 National Team 2012
2nd BF2142 MSSA National Championships 2007
3rd CoD4 MSSA Leg 2 2008
Amanda Pakade, MSSA President, stated, "A.J. Herbst, founder of FiB is without doubt one of the leading figures in South African esports. His vision and dedication has ensured that the club has survived over  the years, and his commitment to esports will see FiB continue from strength-to-strength." 

Amanda then added, " FiB is proof that all clubs are welcome in MSSA and thateven after a respite, all clubs know that MSSA has an open-door policy."

MSSA is hopeful that FiB will continue to have a long, prosperous, and fruitful association with South Africa's official controlling body for esports.
Also read:
Why schools and universities should invest in esports.
Entry fees for Provincial and National Championships
How school clubs affiliate for the 2020 season.
2020 Calendar of Events
The various events held by Mind Sports South Africa.
Why schools and universities should invest in esports
New National Team Selection Criteria
Selecting the national Protea teams for Mind Sports South Africa.
The road to Eilat

Day 2 Of Welcome Week For Our Games Design Freshers

It's great to finally meet our new class of freshers for 2019-20 this week. They haven't wasted any time getting to know each other and having fun.
This morning was a spontaneous session of marble madness!
Students built wooden block constructions and challenged each other to get their marble through the pathways they created.
Gaming morning to follow tomorrow :)