I want to play! - Year of Play

We have not gamed seriously since June. Our previous game, They Walk Among Us, just kind of fell apart, I guess. The gaming group has not been in contact with us for some time now. To be fair, our attendance was erratic at best and I am sure they have moved on to other games.

I miss gaming. I have run a few D&D-style sessions with my young son, but those are more for his enjoyment than mine. Now, I very much enjoy watching my son get into the little stories I tell and he navigates through, but it is not a replacement for the satisfaction I feel after having played a more mature game. By 'mature', I mean a game with a more meaningful scenario than 'slay the monster endangering the village.'

So, in an effort to game more, I have announced to my wife that 2009 is the Year of Play.

What is the 'Year of Play'?

The Year of Play is a resolution of sorts (of my own design) to get some of the RPGs off my bookshelf and onto the gaming table. Of all the games in my collection, we have played only a handful. The Year of Play is here to change that. Hopefully.

The Year of Play resolution is this:

Play a new game (one that we have never played previously) every month.

I hope to get at least two sessions a month so we can get a least a passing familiarity with the system and play style of the chosen game. While playing one game, I will be preparing for the next month's game.

Year of Play Season 1 Collection

Since the plan is to play one new game a month, I must select twelve games. In order to be ready for the first game in January, I want to begin preparing in December. So, I need to generate a list of games we intend to play. Here is what I have so far:

• Hollow Earth Expedition
• Trail of Cthulhu
• Monsters and Other Childish Things
• Burning Wheel
• Dogs In The Vineyard
• In A Wicked Age
• Hero's Banner
• Primetime Adventures
• Cthulhutech
• Don't Rest Your Head
• Sorcerer

The list is in no particular order. I will put them in an order of play at a later date. So far I have chosen eleven games and am still considering the twelfth.

Thoughts

Since the Year of Play encompasses only myself and my wife, and I will be GMing, I am a little concerned at the playability of a few of my selections. For instance, I am not sure if Primetime Adventures is very conducive to a play environment consisting of one GM/Producer and one player. We'll see I guess. Perhaps someone over at The Forge or Story Games has something to say on the matter. I will have to investigate further.

What do you think of the Year of Play? Would you be willing to start your own Year of Play resolution? If so, which games would you incude in your season one collection?