October 1, 2023: Halloween Is Coming!

For fans of Halloween, noting that this holiday's arrival is (from a temporal standpoint) just around the corner is probably the most obvious statement in the cosmos. But if you're like me, it's too easy to get distracted, only to look at the calendar and realize, "Oh, right . . . that's coming up soon."

It's good to have a firm understanding of how much time you have to plan if you want to do anything unusual or special for an upcoming event. During the height of the pandemic, I spiced up the occasion for our household by having "The 13 Games of Halloween," where we scheduled 13 spooky-themed games throughout October, games on our shelves that had either been unplayed or underplayed, including Chez Cthulhu, Give Me the Brain, The Stars Are Right, Mystery House, the original Ghostbusters RPG from West End Games, and more. I even made T-shirts for us! (Hey, we were all stir-crazy during the pandemic . . .)

So, if you're considering any elaborate plans yourself during this forthcoming season of frights, it's not too early to think about the details. As for myself, it's been a few years, and my personal shelves have gotten restocked with games I haven't had a chance to experience fully yet, such as Gelatinous, Nanogames: Dragons and Jack-o'-Lanterns, Quick Quest 8: The Maddening Song for The Fantasy Trip, maybe some Munchkin with Munchkin Witches and Munchkin Deathly Pail . . . hmmm . . .

-- Steven Marsh