Used to just book whatever was cheapest and hope for the best, but now I get it. One bad experience with stained sheets totally flipped my approach to picking hostels.

Hate that it takes getting burned to finally listen.

yeah get ready for that moment when you realize co-op games actually make you talk to each other instead of just sitting there quietly waiting for your turn. i've seen people who swore by cutthroat games end up loving stuff like Spirit Island or Forbidden Desert just because the problem solving gets everyone rowdy together. trust me, if you want to keep that feeling going, grab something with a bit more weight like Arkham Horror or Eldritch Horror, they scratch that same itch but take it to another level.

Push back a little on the Dominion shared hand thing because that's actually an official variant in the rulebook, not just a house rule. But yeah, Mike sounds exhausting and it's never fun when one person tries to force their preferences on the whole table.

Wait, did your aunt actually think claiming you knew Excel macros was a small lie or did she know how risky that was?