I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and are about to embark on a spectacular New Year. 2017 was amazing in both video and board games, and markedly less so in so many other ways. For that reason, I thought we could end 2017 on a really positive note, and tomorrow (yeah, I know, I know, it's gonna be late!) I'll post our final TCbH Interviews episode of the year, ft. Jamey Stegmaier of Stonemaier Games, Andrew Birkett of Atheris Games, Chris & Lindsey of Behind the Box, Jerry Hawthorne of Mice & Mystics and Stuffed Fables, Chris & December of C&D Discuss, Carla Kopp of Weird Giraffe Games, and Bruno Cathala of... well... everything. Each of these people have supported TCbH in some way over the past year, and I consider them friends of the show. They have each contributed a story of a favorite gaming memory, and so that will be our closure for the year. You can find it on the interviews tab, itunes or stitcher.
Oh, you just can't bare to wait for it? Fine, tide yourself over with our very special Christmas episode of Rook & Record!
Take care everyone. And please, please, please... Let's make 2018 a much more civil and reasoned year. Encourage your friends, family, heck, even yourselves, to empathize with the people on the other side of an issue. Think about WHY they view something they way they do, and encourage them to reason with compassion and sympathy. Try to find the humanity in these polarizing issues and relate to one another. You may find that you have more in common with "the opposition" than you may expect. This doesn't mean that you need to compromise your values, it means that for us to stop this pendulum from swinging, we need to think about how rational people on both sides of an aisle can reach an understanding, and work toward mutual prosperity. Yes, there are idiot extremists out there, deplorable idiots inciting violence in support of their ideology. They don't represent you, they don't represent me, and they don't represent the majority of humanity that is kind, decent, and just wants a better world for our children. Let's work together, not as republicans and democrats, not as liberals and conservatives, not as atheists and theists; let's work together as kind, decent, and creative people.
Love you all and thank you for your amazing support in 2017.
Sincerely,
Jack