Getting the Most Out of Your Collection

    It's very easy to acquire titles of varying quality and genre, but it's not always easy to get them to the table.  Case in point, I recently dove headfirst back into my hobby of board gaming in all forms, with an emphasis on exploring what I originally liked about the world of tabletop games, and an even larger emphasis on branching out and learning more about titles that are more alien to me.  I'm trying to hit several marks with my current involvement, as listed below:
         A) Explore genres and subgenera's that you've never touched. My goal is to explore popular euro games (common themes and mechanics) and open up to things that may only "seem" less interesting on the surface.  I'm very interested in games that adopt western themes and apply heavy euro inspired mechanics.
         B) Invite more social opportunities into the hobby.  While boardgames have and always will be social in form, the point of this note is to invite even more interaction into the experience of the hobby.  I want to go out of the way for my collection to spread enjoyment to others, this includes going to meet ups and local FLGS game nights.  I will be attending a Frostgrave game shortly, and have it marked on my calendar.
         C) Do more solo gaming.  While this entry kind of goes against point B, it includes painting miniatures and learning rules which is essential.  Playing solo is a far cry from playing with friends, as the interaction is with the game and not the good company, but as someone who is interested in design and game theory, there's no better time to focus on how mechanics, components and theme interact than when you can really take your time to involve yourself in those things.  Games like Comancheria ask you to fully commit to its intricasies simply by being designed as a solo game.  It's fun to explore solo variants for multiplayer games, as there is a community who will often offer thoughts on how fan made mechanics will interact with the game engine itself.
         D) Don't purchase so many games.  My collection recently hit a point where I can consider who is attending the game night and tailer what I take off the shelf before they arrive.  Once a collection encompasses that criteria, where you can accommodate guest tastes and your own, then I don't see the point in scaling up the collection for the collection's sake.  I recently had played a medium to heavy game (Salt Lands) with my cousin who was visiting for a few days, and as it was getting late he said he would like to play something light, but still engaging, playtime no longer than 30m - 1hr.  As I looked in the closet I ran down the options to myself - several good choices in FF silver line games, and even lighter fare like Machi Koro, but in the end my eye landed on One Deck Dungeon, perfect match.  So perfect, in fact, we played for 2 full hours, and another 4 the next day.  Past that collection criteria, which is different for people as it's based on personal taste, then culling and replacing is necessary.

These are 4 quick thoughts.
     

Collection: April 2016

April collection update. New adds include The Castles of Burgundy, Comancheria and Portal of Morth.  I'm trying to branch out with my collection to include more euro inspired titles, and Portal of Morth has just been on my radar for far too long.  I was able to sell off three titles, bringing my collection back down to 60, but this acquisition doesn't help the space issue.  I'm going to continue to cull some of the stuff that does not make it to the table.

Collection, 63 titles in no particular order:
Aeon's End (2016)
The Undercity (2015)
Tiny Epic Galaxies (2015)
Mistfall (2015)
Shadowrun: Crossfire (2014)
Xenoshyft: Onslaught (2015)
One Deck Dungeon (2016)
Sentinels of the Multiverse (2011)
Millennium Blades (2016)
Warhammer Quest: The Adventure Card Game (2015)
The Networks (2016)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Board Game (2016)
Star Realms, Base Set (2014)
Flash Point: Fire Rescue (2011)
Escape: Curse of the Temple (2012)
Saltlands (2016)
Pandemic (2008)
Grimslingers (2015)
Portal of Morth (2015)
The Castles of Burgundy (2011)
Comancheria: The Rise and Fall of the Comanche Empire (2016)
Battletech Introductory Box (2002)
Apocalypse Chaos (2015)
Galaxy Defenders (2014)
Machi Koro (2012)
Machi Koro: Bright Lights, Big City (2016)
Sushi Go Party (2016)
Tsuro (2004)
Castle Panic (2009)
The Adventurers: The Temple of Chac (2009)
Last Night on Earth: The Zombie Game (2007)
Dungeoneer: Tomb of the Lich Lord (2003)
Dungeoneer: Realm of the Ice Witch (2005)
Munchkin + Unnatural Axe Expansion (2001)
Zombie Fluxx (2007)
Through the Desert (1998)
Colossal Arena (1997)
Red November (2008)
Space Hulk: Death Angel (2010)
Mag Blast (2006)
Dork Tower (2003)
Arkham Horror (2005)
Order of the Stick: Adventure Game (2006)
Monsters Menace America (2005)
Roborally (1994)
Nexus Ops (2005)
Vegas Showdown (2005)
Aye, Dark Overlord (2005)
Betrayal at House on the Hill (2004)
Battlestations (2004)
Killer Bunnies & The Quest for the Magic Carrot, Blue - Green (2002)
Codenames (2015)
Schmovie  (2013)
Chez Geek & Chez Geek Slack Attack (1999)
The Oregon Trail Card Game (2016)
Zombies!!! (2001)
Diamonsters (2013)
Timeline: Music & Cinema (2013)
Doom (2004)
Chaos Isle: Zombi Deck with Expansions (2008)
Wreckage (2003)
Memoir '44 (2004)
Pocket Battles: Celts vs. Romans (2009)