While not entirely related to the card game, I polled this month how much people interact with the game during the pandemic. My hypothesis was that people had more time to spend on the game now that many were working at home, but with some players also having their kids stuck at home and with local playgroups no longer able to come together, the results could turn out to be very different. So during the entire month of May, I put up this simple question, giving everyone just one vote to describe their current situation. Let’s see the results!
In total, the poll received a total of 135 votes, all from individual players. They had the selection of having more time to spend on the game, about the same time, less time, or the option where they started playing the game during quarantine. The last group was pretty interesting to me, as I have seen a lot of new-player-post popping up online, and I wanted to see how many new players had already found their way to the blog during the crisis. Lastly, I also added an option where people could fill in their own answer. This only received 2 entries. One that can be boiled down to having more time, and one that signals having less time due to not having access to their local gaming group because of the pandemic. The rest of the votes were cast as such:
So it looks like my hypothesis was correct, as just over half of the respondents said that they have more time to play now that they are in quarantine. Whether this is playing true solo, or trying to reel in your fellow housemates into the game, it seems that the game has gotten some more use for many of you. And that is just the physical game! I have seen a ton of messages pop up during the past few months for people looking to play multiplayer games online, and initiatives like the various Epic Multiplayer games that have been streamed over the past few months are a sign that people have more time for more games, and for longer games as well (Epic Multiplayer isn’t something you win in half an hour…). Combine this rate of extra plays of the game with more interaction with the community, and you have the answer as to why the game has been doing so well during the past few months, despite FFG not officially announcing much, and events like Fellowship 2020 and GenCon being cancelled.
The second group of 20% of votes was for having about as much time for the game as usual. I feel like I fall into this catagory, as I have also started my job during this quarantine, and have found that I have less time for the game because of work. But getting to work from home counter-balances that, so I end up with about as many plays per month as I normally have. I think this is the case with many of the people that voted for this option as well. This also includes the people who stick to their gaming schedule and use their spare time for other hobbies. Other games and activities with the family has also been a factor to this.
Not far behind is the group that has gotten less time to play the game. Whether this is because their job has required them to work harder, like in healthcare, or if it is just because they aren’t able to go to their gamestore and play with their friends, the amount of games for them has decreased somewhat. For those of you that are currently unable to play the game because a friend owns most of the cards, feel free to join the online community and see if you can play online! And to those that are just getting distracted because of the rest of the family being bored at home, try to involve them in the game too, if they want to. Kids are never too young to learn a great game like this!
As for how many people joined this game during the quarantine, I was surprised to see 12 votes in just a month’s time. This exceeds my expectations on how many new players have joined the game so late into its life. But I welcome all of the newer players, this game is a great way to pass the time without having to go outside, and the community is very supportive, especially during these times.
Next month’s poll will be less grounded in the bitter reality we are faced with this year. I will once again be asking about ranking the scenarios of a single cycle, giving everyone 2 votes for their favourite quests of that cycle. For the month of June, that cycle will be the Ringmaker cycle. It is notorious for the Time keyword and the Dunlending enemies that live off of you drawing cards. But there are some fun quests in that cycle that I often go back to, so I am curious to see how the community will rank the cycle’s scenarios at the end of next month. You are able to find the new poll in the side-bar of the blog on browser, or at the bottom of the page for mobile users. Looking forward to see the results and whether or not Nin-in-Eilph will receive any votes xD
Vision Of The Palantir 
I actually work at an Amazon warehouse, so I have about the same amount of time with the game, which is minimal. I work on site, not remotely.
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