The Spirit of Competition – Episode 37 Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast

April 16, 2019
by Moe T.

This is the 37th episode of the Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast, an edited version of our live show recorded on April 10th 2019. Join us as we stream live every week on Wednesdays at 9:30 Eastern on Twitch. If you like some video with your audio, you can also watch/listen to an unedited version of the show over on YouTube.

Ep 37 – The Spirit Of Competition, an unscripted discussion on competition and competitiveness at the game table. Also, a review of Demon Lord’s Companion and a look at 8 different games played by the hosts this past week.

Disclosure: Some links below are affiliate links. Using these links costs you nothing extra and we earn a small amount from qualifying purchases, which helps us offset the cost of producing this show.

This episode includes:

—Viewer/Listener Feedback—

We read off and respond to listener feedback.
Send feedback to moe@tabletopbellhop.com or sean@tabletopbellhop.com.

Games mentioned and other links:

Race for the Galaxy
Board Games at a Wedding, Why Not? Blog Post

—Ask The Bellhop—

This week we are discussion a question from Tabletop Bellhop Patron Brian Kurtz:

“Hi Moe and Sean,

As you know I’m a Tabletop Bellhop megafan – I’ve loved your show from the very first episode. From your patient explanations of different mechanics in games to reviews and recommendations, I have gotten a lot out of the show and the website, and I’ve bought some fantastic games on your recommendation. Thank you so much.

My question today is a little different than some other questions you’ve had which look for specific suggestions of games that meet certain criteria.. Mine is a bit more…. philosophical. I want to know what you think about competition, and gaming.

While I encourage you to go wherever that vague prompt takes you in your discussion, the source of the question comes from some experiences I’ve had watching friends or acquaintances get nasty in competitive situations. Dating back from my childhood playing Monopoly or Atari games and observing the “sore loser” phenomenon in family members or peers, to the first time I played Settlers of Catan in the late 1990s, to trying to weather the mood storms of children (and sometimes grownups) who struggle with competition, I’ve been struck by just how bad this can get.

As two people who game with family, friends, acquaintances, and strangers all the time, what insights do you have into this phenomenon? How do you anticipate when competitiveness can go awry and head it off at the pass? How do you handle people who want to game but aren’t good at checking their zest for winning when the situation requires it? Do you have any rules – explicit or implicit – that set the tone for gaming at your house or your events? Apart from sticking to strictly cooperative games, any tips for choosing games based on what you know about your fellow gamers and their ability to handle competition?

Thanks guys!

Brian”

Links:
Teaching New Gamers vs. Experience Gamers
How Do you Approach Teaching Board Games?
Francis Plays Magic the Gathering NSFW
Breakout Con 2019 Safety Tools
Five Geek Social Fallacies
Sunk Cost Fallacy

—Announcements—

Newsletter:
Sign up for our newsletter. Get weekly updates about everything going on at The Bellhop in your mail.

On Board Games:
The Bellhop was a guest on the On Board Games Podcast. That episode should go live on April the 15th.

—Review – Demon Lord’s Companion—

As part of #RPGaMonth the Bellhop takes a look at the Demon Lord’s Companion supplement for Shadow of the Demon Lord.

Shadow of the Demon Lord Review
Shadow of the Demon Lord
Demon Lord’s Companion

The Review: Demon Lord’s Companion Detailed RPG Review

—Weekly Gloomhaven Update—

This week we played scenario 20, Necromancer’s Sanctum, finally catching up with the big baddie from the start of the campaign. Jekserah. It did not go well.

Check out the video on YouTube