Betrayal Legacy is the Greatest Game Ever Published (No Spoilers)

On By Erik ArnesonIn Board Games, Rob DaviauLeave a comment

Betrayal Legacy is the greatest game ever published. You’re free to disagree, of course, but you would be wrong. And please note that I’m not limiting the discussion to board games. Card games, video games, lawn games, whatever games – Betrayal Legacy is the greatest of them all.

I recognize the fact that (though on some deep level I do not understand why) not everyone will enjoy Betrayal Legacy. Not everyone enjoys Citizen Kane, Don Quixote and Daredevil, either. That doesn’t mean they’re not the greatest film, novel and comic book series of all time.

No other game has so perfectly combined luck and strategy, theme and mechanics, agency and narrative. From the first time the components are spread out on the table, players take themselves on a wild ride through the history of one very haunted house. Generations of families will return to this place decade after decade, century after century, and they will discover mostly terrible things.

Read my complete review of Betrayal Legacy at The Opinionated Gamers.

Noir at the Bar – Hillsborough, NC – July 25

On By Erik ArnesonIn Angel Colón, Eryk Pruitt, J.G. Hetherton, Jeanne Scoggins Arneson, Jen Conley, Judy Marie, Noir at the Bar, North Carolina, S.A. Cosby, Suzanne Crain Miller, Tracey ReynoldsLeave a comment

Noir at the Bar makes its debut at Yonder Bar in Hillsborough, North Carolina, on July 25, 2019, and I’m thrilled to be one of the authors reading.

Hillsborough is about 3.5 hours east of Barnardsville, NC, where my mom grew up, and less than an hour east of Greensboro, NC, where we lived for a year or two around the time I was in kindergarten (we were in Greensboro between South Carolina and Pennsylvania, where I’ve lived since first grade).

The lineup of readers is amazing:

Angel Colón
Jen Conley
S.A. Cosby
J.G. Hetherton
Judy Marie
Suzanne Crain Miller
Eryk Pruitt (creator of the fantastic true crime podcast The Long Dance and, with his wife Lana Pierce, owner of Yonder Bar)

And, to top off that amazing list of talent, the whole event will be hosted by actress Tracey Reynolds.

Books, booze, and broken promises. What more could you hope for? Join us!

Letter to Amtrak’s CEO

On By Erik ArnesonIn Amtrak, Solari, Split-FlapLeave a comment

Earlier this week I mailed this letter to Richard H. Anderson, the CEO of Amtrak. More background on the issue I wrote about is available here.

December 17, 2018

Richard H. Anderson
Chief Executive Officer, Amtrak
60 Massachusetts Ave NE
Washington, DC 20002-4285

Dear Mr. Anderson,

Thank you for your service to the United States as Amtrak’s CEO. My father worked for Amtrak for many years, and I’m a loyal customer. I ride Amtrak whenever possible. I very much appreciate what you do.

Dad worked as an accountant in Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station. There is no building I love more than 30th Street Station. The building has a soul, and its soul is the split-flap timetable that has served more than 100 million travelers since it was installed in the 1970s.

In January, according to media reports, the existing split-flap board will be replaced it with video monitors. That breaks my heart, but it also sounds like there might be hope for a reprieve.

Anyone who has seen 30th Street’s split-flap timetable in person knows that it’s far more than a message board. It’s magic and beauty and hope and wonder and everything that’s good in the world. I vividly remember the feeling of awe I had when I first saw the Solari board as a young boy. Now, as a 47-year-old man, my eyes get more than a little dusty every time I think about the possibility that it will be replaced by video monitors.

Please do everything you can to keep a split-flap timetable in 30th Street Station.

We all need more magic.

Sincerely,
Erik Arneson

Noir at the Bar in Philadelphia – This Sunday! (Oct. 28)

On By Erik ArnesonIn Bernard Schaffer, Dennis Tafoya, Don Lafferty, Gregory Frost, Jon McGoran, Merry Jones, Noir at the Bar, Robb Cadigan, William Lashner, William Myers Jr.Leave a comment

Noir at the Bar Chilled to the MarrowI’ll be joining a crew of great writers in Philadelphia this Sunday night (Oct. 28) for another Noir at the Bar!

The show begins at 6:30 p.m. at Misconduct Tavern, 1511 Locust St, Philadelphia. Admission is free, and the restaurant serves great food and drinks, so join us!

This is part of a series of Noir at the Bar events called CHILLED TO THE MARROW. Authors around the world are participating in Noir at the Bar events to help raise funds to cover medical expenses for Evie Swierczynski, who was recently diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Evie is awesome, and she’s the daughter of Duane Swierczynski, author of a lot of amazing novels and comic books.

For more information about supporting #TeamEvie, visit this GoFundMe page.

Hosted by the inimitable Jon McGoran, the Philadelphia lineup includes these amazing authors:

There will be a raffle to help raise funds, and probably a few surprises…

Hope to see you there!

Noir at the Bar – A Great Night in Baltimore!

On By Erik ArnesonIn Andrew Novak, Damien Angelica Walters, Duane Swierczynski, Jessica McHugh, Kim Alexander, Nik Korpon, Noir at the Bar, S.A. CosbyLeave a comment

Noir at the Bar - Baltimore, Oct. 21, 2018Last night’s Noir at the Bar in Baltimore, part of the CHILLED TO THE MARROW N@B series, was fantastic.

Host Nik Korpon put together a great lineup of authors to to help raise funds to cover medical expenses for Evie Swierczynski, who was recently diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Evie is awesome, and she’s the daughter of Duane Swierczynski, author of a lot of amazing novels and comic books.

For more information about supporting #TeamEvie, visit this GoFundMe page.

The lineup of authors included:

The show was held at Zella’s Pizzeria, and I can personally (and heartily) recommend the calzone.

Noir at the Bar in Baltimore – Tonight! (Oct. 21)

On By Erik ArnesonIn Andrew Novak, Damien Angelica Walters, Duane Swierczynski, Jessica McHugh, Kim Alexander, Nik Korpon, Noir at the Bar, S.A. CosbyLeave a comment

Noir at the Bar Baltimore Oct 2018I’ll be joining a crew of great writers in Baltimore tonight for another Noir at the Bar!

The show begins at 6:30 p.m. at Zella’s Pizzeria, 1145 Hollins St., Baltimore. Admission is free, and the restaurant serves great food, so join us!

This is part of a series of Noir at the Bar events called CHILLED TO THE MARROW. Authors around the world are participating in Noir at the Bar events to help raise funds to cover medical expenses for Evie Swierczynski, who was recently diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Evie is awesome, and she’s the daughter of Duane Swierczynski, author of a lot of amazing novels and comic books.

For more information about supporting #TeamEvie, visit this GoFundMe page.

The lineup of authors includes:

And the whole thing is hosted by the great Nik Korpon.

I hope to see you tonight in Baltimore!

Noir at the Bar – A Great Night in Harrisburg

On By Erik ArnesonIn Beth Fantaskey, Cathy Jordan, David Nemeth, Gabriella Gill, John Austin, John Micek, Jon McGoran, Merry Jones, Nathan Froehlich, Noir at the Bar, Owen LaukkanenLeave a comment

Noir at the Bar in Harrisburg, PA, on May 20, 2018.

A stellar crew made the most recent Harrisburg Noir at the Bar one to remember. We took over the second floor at Sturges Speakeasy in Harrisburg, PA, on Sunday night, May 20, and had a blast.

Everyone read great stories. So many great stories! I want to thank all of the authors who came out for the event:

And last but certainly not least, singer-songwriter John Austin and trumpeter Nathan Froehlich, who helped end the night with the surreal experience of me performing a (mostly spoken-word) song (the very romantic “We’re Still in Love”).

If you want to know more about the authors, check out their full bios here.