Game store nights versus living room groups - which actually makes for better gaming? I hit up Mox Boarding House in Seattle last Saturday

Played three rounds of Dune Imperium at a packed store event with strangers, then came home and ran the same game with my usual 4 person friend group. The store crowd had sharper moves and faster play, but my buddies at home brought way more banter and inside jokes. Does the competitive edge of a public setting beat out the relaxed vibe of a private game night, or am I overthinking this?

3 comments

3 Comments

sammartinez13d ago

That's just how everything works these days, you get polished surface results in public but the real meat happens in private with people you trust. Same reason I'd rather ask a buddy for career advice over a LinkedIn connection even if they're less successful.

miller.diana13d ago

Mox Boarding House is actually a solid spot, I've been there a few times myself. But the thing about store games being "cleaner" isn't always true. I watched a guy at Mox try to cheat by sliding a card under the table during a round of Dune Imperium last month. People at home don't pull that stuff because they'd get roasted for life. Your home group developing tells and habits sounds like the opposite of cleaner strategy to me. It sounds like you guys are playing a different, more personal game that's way harder to replicate with strangers.

jason_stone5913d ago

Does anyone else feel like the real difference comes down to how often you play the same people... I've noticed my home group developed this weird metagame where we know each other's tells and habits so well it changes how we play entirely. Store games are cleaner but home games get deeper over time, that's where the real strategy hides.