Playing with a new group of gamers

Last weekend we had a great opportunity to play some games with a new group of people.  I’m struck by how interesting it can be to play with new people rather than the same group you’re used to.  We played a great game of Shadows over Camelot that everyone thoroughly enjoyed.  Half of the people playing were familiar with the game, but half of them were new.  I’m always a bit nervous about playing with new people because there’s so much to keep track of in the game and it really does help to know what cards are in the deck.

There were a few times when people did something that we normally would never do.  For instance, playing cards early on that we usually save for when the need is more dire.  Special white cards were played by everyone much more frequently than normal.  We were getting more life points left and right from that, and it showed me that it really does pay to use those cards early on, let them get shuffled back in, and then use them again when the situation calls for it.  Divine favor was another one that was played early, which we usually save for the very end of the game.  In this case it didn’t matter because divine favor ended up not even being relevant at any point and was never used.

Not only did the experience teach me to be open to playing with new people (who turned out to be a ton of fun!), it also let me look at a game we’ve played many times from a different angle.  When we play at the future, I may experiment with some new strategies, such as using more special white cards.

Oh, and the enthusiasm of this group was great.  Perhaps it was because they were experiencing it for the first time, perhaps it was the alcohol, but they were really into it and played really well.  So the moral of the story is: don’t be afraid to branch out and play with new people every once in awhile!