I played Pandemic Legacy Season 1 with friends of mine who I haven’t seen regularly in five-plus years, and even still when I think about those friends — and I’ve known one of them for 20 years — I think about that campaign. I think about how, at one pivotal plot point, an in-game event occurred that shook my friend for days.
It’s not that the dialogue was masterfully written or the story was captivating to an outside party, but being a player in the cast heightened the feelings of surprise and despair. It serves as a reminder to me that board games have an unusual power, and that magic circle can unlock an emotional weight.
I’m also reminded of a non-campaign RPG I played with friends across the country, Alice is Missing. We played just once, but the story we told together had a heaviness to it that I’m not keen to revisit. That is an entirely different feeling than I have toward dramatic, upsetting film and literature, which rarely affects me as deeply. (Save the funeral scene in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Waterworks every time.)
I, too, haven’t played many campaign games, despite the emotional impact I’ve felt from a few — and, of course, the excitement of unlocking new concepts and mechanics with which I can play. Sometimes, I’d still just rather play something new.
And I guess that's something I didn't take into consideration here - the added emotion and memories that a good campaign can create. Food for thought, thanks for the insights :)
I played Pandemic Legacy Season 1 with friends of mine who I haven’t seen regularly in five-plus years, and even still when I think about those friends — and I’ve known one of them for 20 years — I think about that campaign. I think about how, at one pivotal plot point, an in-game event occurred that shook my friend for days.
It’s not that the dialogue was masterfully written or the story was captivating to an outside party, but being a player in the cast heightened the feelings of surprise and despair. It serves as a reminder to me that board games have an unusual power, and that magic circle can unlock an emotional weight.
I’m also reminded of a non-campaign RPG I played with friends across the country, Alice is Missing. We played just once, but the story we told together had a heaviness to it that I’m not keen to revisit. That is an entirely different feeling than I have toward dramatic, upsetting film and literature, which rarely affects me as deeply. (Save the funeral scene in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Waterworks every time.)
I, too, haven’t played many campaign games, despite the emotional impact I’ve felt from a few — and, of course, the excitement of unlocking new concepts and mechanics with which I can play. Sometimes, I’d still just rather play something new.
And I guess that's something I didn't take into consideration here - the added emotion and memories that a good campaign can create. Food for thought, thanks for the insights :)