October is a fantastic month – mostly because it contains my birthday, and also Halloween, which I’ve loved since I was a kid.
As usual, it’s been a busy old month, which didn’t leave a lot of time for gaming. But I managed to squeeze in my first megagame since February 2020, plus a couple of board games I’ve not touched in a while.
Note: I’ve been a bit quiet so far this month, thanks to the other thing taking up my time in November… MegaCon 2022! More on that in the megagames section.
What happened in October
But how did October keep me so busy? Well, right at the start of the month I took a trip up to Leeds to take part in some filming for work.
It was a really fun experience and reminded me how comfortable I feel in front of the camera these days. Great practice for getting back to my megagame live streaming!
I also took a trip to Oxford to visit my friend Matty. I haven’t been to Oxford since I applied there for uni, but it is a really lovely city – especially cuz I got to go up a tall building for the view!
And before I knew it, it was Birthapalooza time! For those who don’t know what it is, a Birthapalooza is the period of time from the Friday before my birthday to the Sunday after it (unless my birthday falls on a weekend, in which case I normally spread it out over the full two weeks).
A few highlights from the birthapalooza included a trip into London to Hyde Park, Oxford Street and Hamleys, followed by dinner and cocktails…
wandering around Leamington Spa with my best friend Keeleigh on my actual birthday, including a visit to the medical-themed art exhibit at the Royal Pump Rooms, followed by an ice cream sundae…
getting to see tons of my friends and family including my parents, Tim’s family, a bunch of my megagaming friends, and my friend Fish from uni…
and my first post-pandemic megagame!
Megagames and immersive games
As mentioned, October brought with it my first megagame in 21 months. The game was By Other Means by Ed Silverstone and Reading Megagames. I’ve already done a write-up of the game here.
I’ve also been hard at work on MegaCon 2022. After the success of our first online con and MegaCon Mini series, we are back in February for another weekend of online megagames, seminars, workshops, panels and playtests. Tickets are now available for the con and the four games we are running: Watch The Skies, Aftermath, The Generalissimo is Dead and Nijmegen Assault!
In other immersive gaming, I spent my Halloween dressed up as a vampire, taking part in one of Ed McDaniel’s amazing murder mystery parties. We used to do them pre-lockdown, and managed a couple of Discord, but it was great to be back in the room. I did not manage to ascend to my rightful throne as the daughter of Dracula. Instead, the High Regent killed all my allies and my sister demoted me to the rank of Duchess. Outrageous.
But at least my costume was on point.
Finally, it’s not really an immersive game but I heard about it through the Puzzle People Facebook group and wasn’t sure where else to mention it… I signed up for Neil Patrick Harris’ Wondercade weekly newsletter. It features a puzzle in every issue, as well as lots more random stuff. I still have NPH’s Box One sat on my shelf waiting for the right occasion to play it.
Board games
We finally FINALLY got back to Arkham Horror with Ellie and Callum, even if we only managed half a scenario in October. We started this campaign in 2020…
While up in Leeds staying with Tim’s family, we played a few hands of Bridge. I haven’t played much of it before, but it was quick to pick up and good fun.
And during my birthapalooza trip to London, we visited the police station in Hyde Park…
which inspired us to play some more Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective. We are pacing ourselves with this box as it’s the last one currently released, but we’re already up to Case Six. I think this one was my favourite case so far though!
TV and film
Naturally I binged the hottest show on Netflix, Squid Game. I went for subbed not dubbed (I usually watch shows with subtitles, and the difference between the subtitles and dubbing is really off-putting). It was a fascinating if brutal show, and I can see why it’s such a hit.
Tim and I started watching The Pacific on Amazon Prime. It’s about Marines on the Pacific front during WW2 and is created by the same people as Band of Brothers, although I don’t think it’s as good.
I discovered that my favourite show as a kid, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, has been added to Amazon Prime. This is the original series, not the remake which I couldn’t really get into. Honestly, watching it is bringing back so many memories of my youth. I really identified with Sabrina, mostly because she wasn’t very “cool” and loved science!
And it’s back! Doctor Who is back for series 13! The first episode was a bit scattershot but I really enjoyed episode two and quite liked three. I haven’t enjoyed Thirteen quite as much as Ten and Eleven, but I think this is the best Jodie Whittaker season to date. (Read my opinions about all of NuWho).
Next month
Well we’re most of the way through November (sorry) so I already mostly know how it’s going to turn out! But with two more megagames and some very busy weekends planned, I’m excited to continue living it!