My 10×10 2020 Challenge

My 10×10 2020 Challenge

2020 marks a new decade and as mentioned in my New Year’s post, I wanted to challenge myself. I have a disappointingly large shelf of shame and I seriously need to combat it! As such, I thought I would try and complete a 10×10 challenge this year and see how I get on!

What is the 10×10 Challenge

I came across the 10×10 challenge at the beginning of last year, seeing people mention it across the forums and Facebook groups that I regularly visit, and it seemed like a fantastic idea. It was a great way of sizing down that shelf of shame and trying something new. There are plenty of games that I have either never played or played briefly and not got out again. I am guilty of always looking for something new, even when I have plenty of games that I enjoy and could play instead.

In terms of setting up my 10×10 Challenge, this was a breeze thanks to the BG Stats app. For a small fee, you can unlock the challenges feature that gives you access to pre-set challenges that just need games adding to them. Set the dates and what you want to include as a “play” and you’re then all set to put down what games you want to challenge yourself with.

Part of me wanted to go hardcore and put games on that I either have never played at all and weren’t that appealing to me and also games that I had tried, not liked, but was yet to sell, to see if I could rekindle some love for them. While this would be a challenge, I wanted to ensure that I would enjoy it, and actually want to complete so I took a different strategy. I have tried to include games that I have had for a good few months that are yet to be played but are either classics or very highly-rated as well as a couple from my first days of board gaming. With that in mind, I came up with the following list, and it is safe to say, I am pretty damn excited!

My list of games

  1. Brass Birmingham – Never played but wanted to get to the table since getting it a while back
  2. Dead of Winter – This has sat on my shelf for over a year and we have never got round to playing this classic
  3. Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game – We really enjoyed the both the demo and 1st case however after failing miserably on the 2nd case, this has remained on my shelf gathering dust
  4. Fog Of Love – Another one that was enjoyed once and hasn’t seen the light of day since. This is one that I will certainly get out on date night!
  5. The LOTR: Journeys in Middle Earth – I LOVE this game! It is much like Mansions but it never gets as much table-time as MoM so I thought it was time to switch it up
  6. Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 – We played the first month of the campaign and we have left it for a few months so what a great time to start again
  7. Small Islands – This was a little gem that I had the pleasure to try out earlier this year. It plays really nicely but certainly needs more love
  8. Viticulture – this was a game I played relentlessly when I started out in the hobby a few years ago but I rarely play it now
  9. Gloomhaven – This behemoth has remained unplayed for a year and a half and I have finally said enough is enough! We are going to embark on this and hopefully try and get 10 plays in this year!
  10. Splendor – The game that started it all! This game ignited my love for board gaming and due to its lighter weight, I tend not to get it out to play. Well, 2020 is going to be different!

I’ve tried hard to balance the list and I think I have achieved a good mix of games. I certainly am looking forward to embarking on the challenge, managing to get in two plays of LOTR already and we are only just into the second week of January!

Updates

There will be regular updates throughout the year on my progress, sharing the challenge page with you all so you can check up on my progress. If you are like me, with a lot of unplayed games or feel like you don’t get to play as much as you would like, I would highly recommend looking at doing the challenge. It will persuade you to play more but be sure not to make it a chore or a burden. Keep the fun in there!

If you have a challenge running already, I would love to know what games you are hoping to play this year! Let me know by commenting on this post.

Tom Gorner

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