In pursuit of excellence
Starting this week's newsletter with a bit of personal reflection. You wouldn't know it to look at me now, but I spent the better part of 14 years training in a martial art called Tang Soo Do. It's Korean karate, basically. I did alright, I was training for my third Dan when real life got the better of me. The club I trained at is called In Sung Kwan, which translates as 'School of personal development', and the club motto is 'In pursuit of excellence.
That motto has always resonated with me and sticks with me even today. I hate not trying to be better at something. I don't like long periods of not learning something new, not trying to get better at _something_. The same goes for writing for Punchboard. I would never describe myself as a creative type, but it's a situation I imagine probably rings true with those of you who are. It's very hard to feel 100% satisfied with what you make, what you do, and where you are in your journey as a something.
Never settle
I rewrite sections of my reviews so many times. I get ready to hit 'Publish', do one last read for sanity, and decide to change whole paragraphs. Words get changed, sentences are removed, and adjectives are thrown away. It drives me batty.
That said, I think of it as a good thing. When I started out writing reviews I had a very rigid structure. I had headings and sections I reused every time. While I was okay with it, it always niggled at me. I was struggling with wanting to make something readable (with no definition of what that actually is), while still making it feel like it was me coming across in my words.
My first time with the Tabletop Mentorship Program paired me with Iain from The Giant Brain (go and check it out, they make a great tabletop news podcast), and he gave me the feedback I always needed, a critical eye, which helped me scrap so much of what I was writing, and feel happier with what I make. Thanks, Iain.
If you do something, don't just settle where you are. Always strive to do more, and be the best you can at that thing you do. It's satisfying, and you learn so much about yourself, and your self-imposed limitations. More importantly, you'll learn that they're often nonsense, and belong in the bin, like so many culled paragraphs.
Where the heck are you headed with this?
Honestly, I have no idea. I've felt that same frustration more recently, where I can't always get my reviews to feel the way I want them to. I may have to make some changes to the way I write in order to make that happen.
I actually reached out to Dan Thurot this week (go and read his SpaceBiff reviews, right now), as I can think of no one I'd rather get advice from at this point, and the things he replied with were both thoughtful and extremely useful. I've already acted upon some of it, which is why when you read my latest review (below), you might notice what seems like a closing paragraph, right at the top.
What do you think? Does it feel out of place there? Did you feel more engaged by having that kind of highlight thrown in at the top?
If you're ever wondering, I'm always open to feedback, whether that's good or bad, so if you've ever got something to say, say it.
Games
I've played quite a few games over the last week. I worked through The Detective Society's new Family Adventures with my son, finished a learning game of Lanzerath Ridge, taught Everdell, and played Atiwa at my local games group. It's been good.
Review-wise, however, I've been slack. Still, today I published my review of Cuba Libre, and I'm pretty pleased with how it came out.
Cuba Libre Review - Punchboard — punchboard.co.uk Cuba Libre is considered by many to be the COIN series gateway game. Does it deserve that accolade, and will the hardcore still enjoy it?
As always, thank you all for your continued support.
Until next time, happy gaming.
Adam