An Old Year, a New Year

I really hate filling out my yearly Employee Review survey, especially the part about listing your goals for the next year.  I don't know if its the wording, or that I just don't like coming up with arbitrary goals, but I always have trouble with that part.  And yet here I am, thinking about how this blog has gone so far, and looking ahead to the future.

While I'm well aware that this blog has not been around for a year, the official New Year always seems like a good time to look back on the past year, see where you've come and what you've accomplished, and then look forward and make some goals for the upcoming year.

It's been only a few months, but so far I'm pretty satisfied with the way things are going.  Honestly I expected like maybe 8-10 views per post, but I'm getting around 60.  For the first few months of a blog, that's not bad, and I hope to see this thing grow continually over the next year.  Even better, writing this blog has reconnected me with old friends that I haven't talked to in a while, and that makes it all worth it.  I feel like I've gotten a few decent posts in here, and sparked a little bit of discussion in the small group of people that comes here for a read.

And I think I can do better.  I have a lot of ideas, but I've been known to throw out a ton of ideas and then fail to accomplish any of them.  So I'm going to pace myself, but not be afraid to try some things.  Here are some of my goals as far as what I'd like to accomplish for myself related to this Blog, and gaming, over the next year.

1. Keep Posting Regularly
This may seem like an obvious one, but it's really a foundational aspect of what i'm trying to do.  I'm on a good run now, but I've started blogs before and quickly run aground.  Not only do I not want that to happen, but I'd like to post more regularly than I have been.  Preferably 3 times a week.  It's tough to fit in my schedule what with a full time job, a wife and house to take care of, and games to play, but it can happen. There're certainly no shortage of posts to write.


2. Play A Ton of Games
Perhaps another "duh!" idea, but this is a gaming blog.  I don't really want to keep running posts rehashing how excellent Dominion is, or describing the qualities of Catan.  I love gaming, and I want to play as many games as possible, so i can explore the world of gaming, see what ideas are out there, sort out the good and bad, and then pass that on to you.


3. Open up the conversation more
I love getting comments from people, even if they totally disagree with what my post is all about.  That being said, I don't want to simply write my opinion or my thoughts, but leave subjects open for discussion, so you all can feel free to share your thoughts... freely.  No one should be afraid to voice their opinion, and though I may disagree with what you have to say, I defend your right to say it.

4. Guest Posts
Kind of in the same vein as 3, I think it'd be great to get some other people writing posts on this blog. I enjoy gaming, and writing, but I have just one perspective among thousands.  If you have some idea you want to write out, or a game you want to review, or anything like that, fer seriously - let me know.  I'd be happy to run some guest posts.

5. Giveaways!
Now we're getting into the quantifiable stuff.  I love games, and I love giveaways, even though I never win them.  Sure, it's a bid to expand readership, sure it's a marketing ploy, but hey, are you really going to argue with the chance to win a free game or something like that?


6. Video Reviews
This may be something that happens farther in the future, but it's definitely something I want to get into.  I haven't seen too many Board Game video reviews out there.  Though not as obvious as video reviews of, say... movies, or video games, sometimes it's just easier to comprehend what a board game is like when you get a visual overview of it.  If you're wavering on a purchase and you just want to see some clips of it being played or something like that, I'd love to hook you up, especially since I have a bit of background in video-ing.

And last but not least...

7. Finish Armyland
Armyland is a goard game design I have been working on for years.  It started in high school (back then it was called Thrones of War) and I recently re-opened it after successfully working out the main gameplay mechanic.   At this point I'm closer to a playable prototype than I ever was even when I wrote out the rules in high school, and I want to keep going and finish it.  After that, there may be opportunities for readers of this blog to play test the game with their very own (really crappily assembled) prototypes.  Awesome!

Why tell you all this?  Well, in a large part it just helps me to write out my thoughts and have a clear sense of direction for this thing.  It's almost, in a sense, like a Pensieve (from the Harry Potter series) - an external vessel through which I can clarify my muddled bemusings.  But I also think it helps as far as accountability.  If in 6 months you haven't seen a guest post or I haven't been posting regularly, you as a caring, invested reader can leave a comment saying "Hey, bro, you promised us this but you haven't delivered!"

So there it is, there you have it, there we are.  Let 2011 commence!