Penny Arcade - Comic - Cleansing Fire

Dog

Penny Arcade - Comic - Cleansing Fire

Videogaming-related online strip by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins. Includes news and commentary.

Read the full story here

Rhesus Positive

I feel like this comic coming out the day after I buy another RPG for a group that does not yet exist is some kind of cosmic judgement

Showsni

Is he watching Rex Ready in panel two?

Rottonapple

Showsni wrote: »

Is he watching Rex Ready in panel two?

yes, yes he is.

Skull2185

I don't get it...

but hey, Rex Ready :^:

Lucascraft

I think the joke is that they buy tabletop games and stack them up and never find time to play them. In panel 2 we are peering through a stack of games, and there are more games piled up behind the TV.

Tofystedeth

It took me a couple passes to notice the blurred out wang in panel 3.

Rius

I want to print big copies of this and frame them and distribute them to essentially all of my modern friends because it represents an undeniable truth

TheSchaef

The struggle is real.

I literally bought Cosmic Encounter and three or four expansions, and the Broken Token organizer for it, sat on it for like three years, and then math-traded it away for... I wanna say The Ares Project. Which also I have not gotten to the table.

PucSpifo

Playing games and buying games are two different hobbies.

Kagera

Seriously I buy games I never even play

RatherDashing89

I spent weeks of work and probably $50-$100 writing a coop deckbuilding dungeon crawler miniatures game. I'm super proud of it and think it turned out pretty well.

We have playtested once, and we made it through one of five rounds before running out of time and promising to pick it up later.

joshofalltrades

and and

Rius

Tycho's boardgame collection this year is somewhat scatological, including such titles as Go Poop and Zomby Shit

Ravelle

I too have a whole wall of board games I rarely play.

Lucascraft

Games are way more complex these days than they were back in the day. It takes a big effort for a group of people to learn a new ruleset. Even if the game is super fun and interesting, the learning curve these days usually means you spend 1-2 hours even figuring out how to play before the game even begins.

It's easy for game groups to just pick a few favorites and always play the same thing. Learning new games is time consuming.

swaylow

I generally at least get to the "removing the shrinkwrap and setting up/punching out the cardboard pieces" phase before it goes back on the shelf to taunt me, waiting to be played.

I am going to use this comic as inspiration to try and break out a new game tonight...wish me luck.

Hevach

I have a galaxy crushing fleet of Star Trek and Star Wars ships spanning five different games on a series of hallway shelves. If you asked me to play any of these games I could not help you.

(Also still buy Marvel figures from Disney Infinity when I come accross ones I don't have, which occupy a shelf above the bedroom TV).

Anon von Zilch

I feel personally attacked.

Commander Zoom

*stands in front of Steam library in such a way as to VERY CASUALLY conceal most of it from view*

Hevach

I filter my Steam library by "recent" and close the "Previously" section. Cuts me from about 140 games down to 14.

Sorce

Yeah, my Steam Library is bad enough, I can't imagine that being translated to an equivalent in tabletop/card/etc. games.

dennis

Lucascraft wrote: »

Games are way more complex these days than they were back in the day. It takes a big effort for a group of people to learn a new ruleset. Even if the game is super fun and interesting, the learning curve these days usually means you spend 1-2 hours even figuring out how to play before the game even begins.

It's easy for game groups to just pick a few favorites and always play the same thing. Learning new games is time consuming.

I guess I'm lucky in that I have a group that really loves playing new stuff. We have more of the inverse problem - you only get your shiny new game out once or twice before everyone has moved on.

dennis

PucSpifo wrote: »

Playing games and buying games are two different hobbies.

I'm just in it for punching cardboard.

Lucascraft

I have owned Thornwatch now for about a month or more. I got it whenever the North America backer shipments went out. I opened it, punched out all my little cardboard tokens, read the entire rulebook (twice). Have not played it.

rembrandtqeinstein

getting together in meatspace is hard but tabletop simulator and steam voice chat makes for decent experience

takes a bit to set up and get working but lets you play without having to drive somewhere

and it avoids one of the major tediums of physical games...shuffling cards

Virgil_Leads_You

Yeah, the group I'ved played with have burned through my collection

shadowysea07

Ah the ever growing backlog.