2021 Board Game Calendar. BoardGameTables.Com, 2020.
(Full disclosure: One of Em’s photos is featured in this calendar, and she does receive a small royalty from sales of the calendar.)
At the time of this writing, there are a lot of reasons to look forward to 2021: the possible return of gathering to play board games in groups and at conventions, a possible relief from…*points around at everything*, and the release of all those great games that funded on Kickstarter this year.
One thing that we at Our Meeple Overlords are excited about is the 2021 Board Game Calendar from BoardGameTables.Com.
There are a lot of reasons to be excited about the calendar, not the least of which is the fact that one of Em’s photos is featured. But that isn’t the only reason to talk about this more-than-board-game-adjacent product, so let’s dive in!
So what’s going on here?
When I first learned about this calendar, I assumed it would be just that: a calendar. However, this is more of a notebook-sized weekly planer. It has each week of 2021 broken down with enough room to write each day’s activities, a space for notes, and a full-page photo of a board game, taken by members of the board gaming community. The website says there are “53 stunning photos,” but I actually count 59, so hey, bonus pics!
Each week also features a challenge, such as “Play a marathon of at least 5 games in a row” or “This week, play a game set in a country you have visited.” That means that this isn’t just a calendar featuring games–it IS a game! Holy metagaming, Batman! There is also a gamer profile page, page to record a 10×10 challenge, a habit-tracker page, a a full age for notes.
What’s so good about it?
Well, first of all, the photos a great! (Especially week 17, though I may be biased!) The pics are all artistically-composed photos of a variety of board games. If you follow #Boardgamephotos or related hashtags on instagram, you probably have seen many of these photos, I’ve found more than a few accounts to follow on IG by flipping through this planner.
The gaming challenges are a cool feature, too. Honestly, I’m not usually one to participate in gaming challenges; I just play what I’m in the mood to play. That said, many of our friends are perpetually in the middle of a 10×10 or a “play each of our games at least once this year” challenge, so I could see them incorporating this into their lives.
The most surprising thing about this calendar is the quality of the materials. Again, when I learned of this calendar, I expected one of those floppy wall calendars like you find at most stores. The 2021 Board Games Calendar is printed on sturdy card stock, with a glossy cover and metal coil binding. Obviously, only time will tell how this will hold up, but it feels pretty rugged, and should hold up over a year with no problem.
What’s not so good?
Honestly, I really have to stretch to find any criticisms of this thing. I would say that at 8.5″ by 5.5″, some may find it a little inconvenient to carry around. Personally, this is my favorite size of notebook, so I’m used to it, but it’s too big to carry in your pocket. and heavy enough that I probably wouldn’t hang it on my wall. It’s great for a desk calendar, though, and it fits in a messenger bag with no problem, so this isn’t too much of an issue.
Another issue is the metal coil binging. If you do put this in a bag with your games or role-playing books, it could damage them. So, like, don’t do that, and you’ll be fine.
What do I think?
Honestly, this is the perfect planner for my purposes, but your mileage may vary. It’s got pictures of a hobby I love, enough room on its pages to be useful, and at $14 US, it’s not too expensive for something I’ll use year round.
Because Em has a photo in this, I’ll refrain from giving it a “Victory Points” rating, but I will say that even if Em’s photo didn’t appear in it, I would definitely buy one of these.
The 2021 Board Game Calendar can be purchased on the BoardGameTables.Com website.