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Raiko Puust
Estonia
Keila
Harju Maakond
Raiko & Agnes Forever! Feel the Love and Feel the Warmth. Happiness is 2 hugs plus 3 kisses every hour...:D (http://mrboardgames.wordpress.com/)
Addicted Estonian gamer with big heart and direct winning attitude. Need any help with something, just ask. Need some GG for something, just ask. Need something to be translated, just ask. Meanwhile, behave! :D (http://mrboardgames.wordpress.com/)
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PS! This is my direct translation from the Estonian newspaper article, so there is a lot of grammar mistakes.
Estonias biggest board gamer - 23 year old 1065 board game owner Raiko Puust - doesn't belong to any local gaming groups. "I don't want to be seen as arrogant, but quoting one of my virtual board gaming buddies: as long as other in Estonia are building model planes, I'm flying Boeing," tells man, who might be first internationally known Estonian board gamer and designer.
It is a year 2007. Raiko and his friend are getting ready to celebrate Raiko's birthday. Since he doesn't have any board games at his home, they go out to the local hometown mall Keila Rõõmukaubamaja and buy some board games. They play the games, for a second it is a fun, but from that moment on the games just stand there for nothing and collect dust.
The same year for Christmas Raiko's sisters Merit and Mairi gave him more board games. Slowly, without noticing, the piles of games started to appear on top of the cupboards. And then friends who visited Raiko started to demand to play board games. Then the interest into board games slowly grew and grew until one day young man discovered, that there are no more board games in Estonia to buy or games that are worth of getting at all. Then, owning about 30-40 board games, Raiko started to look about games from the internet. While doing that, he thought to himself - how many board games can there be?
Raiko then makes an account to the international and biggest board game related site called boardgamegeek.com and since there were no games in the database around this part of the world, he started adding those into the database and collecting virtual money, which he used to get more board games. And the new games started coming faster than anyone could ever had expected.
Being very active user on the site, Raiko in short time got some fame around the site and owning 300 games, some people started asking about his collection and how did he get them while living in Estonia. At the moment Raiko's collection is about 1065 games (1308 while translating) and it is growing.
Aren't afraid of children games
He is played about 70-75% of his games. "There are games what we keep playing over and over again. It kinda shows you how great the game is when they keep on getting played on the size of the collection I have."
The most time consuming part about actual gaming is the game learning process (reading manuals)..They are very often like small foreign language books. There are different games, as well as so called coffin games (called like that because of the game box size) what we lean with friends at the same time to save time. "After you have learned the game you realize that the rules are actually really easy. Game is logical and have a nice flow."
The game collectors home has in one room a shelves built from wood, where he keeps all that treasure. But already the fanatic collector has a room shortage. "I have taken measures and I can build two more shelves into the center of the room. I don't know what then. This is a nightmare to all game collectors when they need to start getting rid of games because of the room shortage," speaks Raiko.
The most bottom shelves in his and Agnes's home they have placed a lot of children games. Those game are attacked when in Keila living fanatic collectors sisters (Mairi and Merit) are visiting him with their children.
In Estonia a collector like Raiko cannot buy any games from stores. About a year after he started collecting Ludo board game store is opened. Nice surprise! But the prices seems to Raiko, already a hardcore collector, ridiculously high. The local taxes are so high that they make the game prizes 3-4 times more expensive than other countries. "At the beginning I bought from them quite a lot of games, but it started to chew threw my wallet. After that I started buying through internet and I found a lot of great places where even with shipping I could get so much better deals. For now the Ludo store is all over the Baltic states so the prices have been getting better and better, but still quite high for a person like me. Board games are very expansive lifestyle. This "Labyrinth: The War on Terror, 2001-?" here costs about 60 euros. For a collector like me it seems reasonable price to pay, but a non-gamer in Estonia wouldn't pay a weeks salary on a board game.
Designs games himself as well
A lot of games are found from local second hand stores. "I myself visit quite often different second hand and thrift stores. Sometimes they have some serious rare game what could be sold for serious money. Thrift stores won't care about board games and basically give these games away."
Raiko is not very fond of games where dice decides too much. "I like games that are well balanced, where dice is needed in placed where you actually would need luck - like in real life. Worst part about roll and move games or other games that are built to dice is when the game is going to stand still because you just cannot get the right amount on the dice. There are so so many games like that."
Little time passes on BGG. Then Raiko gets few mails from game designers (some replies, some on their own) who some offer games, some just show support. "It was great feeling to speak to some designers. I guess i got their attention with stuff I did on BGG"
It is year 2011. Raiko is now making his own games. He has some offers for co-designing and few smaller ones as well. Also there has been few mail exchanges with Namco (creator of Tekken series) about a card game related to the series. "Since I am one of the best Tekken players in the world (thanks to the online community) I got an weird offer to make a card game about it. We are testing the game right now, but I'm not sure what will come out of it, if it will get to production or not."
After saying that Raiko starts to move to work. He needs to show his men what to do and then the construction project manager will be driving to Tallinn.
When Raiko was doing his army duty, every time he went back to the barracks he carried board games with him with several backs. Playing cards and gambling is forbidden in the army, but board games are not.
"First of all, board games are silly fun. For second, random nights and random times men were picked for odd jobs around the perimeter, throwing snow for example, then they always chose men who did nothing. Playing board games counted as doing something, but reading a book was just sitting around, so all book readers were sent out. Once we played one easy but addictive dexterity game called "PitchCar", were you flick small wooden cars around the wooden track. Game went on for some time, so this was the only time in the service when they actually forbid us to go to sleep, because all wanted to see who will win the championship (17 races). "
Raiko had enough free time in the service to make a board game of the same topic as well. "Since I had a lot of time and even more test players, I got the game ready fast and with impressive work force I found all the mistakes with ease," then Raiko pulls out his own paper made board game prototype. "Month ago lieutenant called and said that this game will be done and published soon."
What are the armies plan for his game, Raiko cannot tell. "Since the game is very closely tied to the army service then all people who have not been in service might not get all the inside jokes"
About our games in army, you can read this list: Geeklist Project: 100 days left to serve in the army!
Raiko Puust' speaks about random games drawn from shelves.
"Kelgukoerad"
"Estonian game. At first it looks beautiful, with cards and everything. But you can play the game only once for 400 EEK (26€), because the game is just that bad."
"Mees, kes teadis ussisõnu"
"Another Estonian game. Published by Revaler alias Priit Isok and Asko Künnap. You can play that game for 10 people all by yourself, it doesn't matter at all. Game has 0 skill and only dice luck with certain only places to move. I call these kind of games 10-minute-designs, which is scribbled on a toilet paper while you take a dump. Good theme, bad game."
"Farlander"
"The first and only design by Priit Isok and Asko Künnap that is actually a good one. This game I can play without feeling embarrassed."
"Geopol"
"When that game was released, the designers – spouses Raudmäed – said in a TV-show "Terevisiooni", that this is an original idea. I sent them a long list of games that had already been done. And worst thing is that exact games have been published even in Estonian before. I have them on my shelf. They took offence. Game once again costs 400 EEK (26€). I would like to see a person who played that game a second time!"
"The Settlers of Catan"
"The gateway game that started the so called designer game era. There is even an Estonian version of that game. You basically just build colonies. This is my girlfriends Agnes's favorite game. It costs about 560 EEK (36€)."
"Dominion"
"Super good pure card game that started the so called deck building madness. There are very few rules and game play is fast, and you want to play it again and again. Also there are so so many expansions out there."
"Ticket to Ride"
"Very easy game for the whole family about building railsways between cities. It is a great alternative for "Alias" and "Monopoly". Greatest thing is that whole family understands the game all enjoy it. Also great replay ability"
"Labyrinth: The War on Terror, 2001-?"
"This is more serious game that reminds a lot of the super famous political wargame "Twilight Struggle". The last game is also my favorite and a current number 1 game in the world according to BGG database. Both of these games need serious skill and are based on actual events. They are super intense games for 2 players (or solo variant with Labyrinth). I have one video gaming friend who is not into board games, so I used Labyrinth to catch him into the board gaming net. At the same night he asked me where to get a game like that. Sadly, in Estonia, you can't."
"Dixit"
"Easy party game with abstract pictures where you need to give hints to other players about your chosen picture. Very fun, playable and even available in Ludo board game store in Tallinn and Tartu."
"Monopoly"
And all the countless versions. "This game is simply over produced. I feel pitty to people when I see "Hello Kitty" or "Spiderman" version of this stupid game. Old board game that is simply just outdated. Game is way too long with broken design where dice has way too much role. When you have a bad dice day, try to play it like 3+ hours..."
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Raiko & Agnes Forever! Feel the Love and Feel the Warmth. Happiness is 2 hugs plus 3 kisses every hour...:D (http://mrboardgames.wordpress.com/)
