If your mother was anything like mine, you may have heard the phrase: "Don't worry about what they are doing. Worry about what you're doing!" We tend to over think and overreach towards the things outside our control instead of focusing on what we CAN control.

Looking back helps one look forward and prepare for exciting things. I always enjoy retrospective pieces, so here we are. 2012 was a big year for my board game hobby. I really hope 2013 is even bigger, with a second game being licensed (hopefully!) and more unforeseen excellence.

Guest Column by: Jay Treat A friend of mine has been thinking about a game for years that lets your group play as the crew of a starship bridge. Each player would play his own mini-game that determines his station’s performance and the group’s individual successes would add up to determine how successful the mission is for the whole team.

Please keep in mind that the below piece, largely based on a single game, is NOT a review. I've played it only twice. As a designer I was inspired by our experience last night and I've spent the past few hours thinking about how I can attempt to bake that experience into my own designs.