Round and Round We Go

I've lived through enough calendars - 66 to be exact - to have discovered some of life's patterns. One is the recurring themes in my life - sports, trains, writing, music, art, sports, trains, writing, etc., to name a few. Some leave and return, others ebb and flow. My interest in railroads is one that ebbs and flows, while my interest in games is one that goes away for awhile and then returns unexpectedly.

I had completely forgotten until recently about the dice and card games I created over 50 years ago as an adolescent. Mostly they were about sports. My friend and I used our bubble gum cards to select team rosters; then we played schedules and kept reams of records. I never had any railroad cards - though I have since found some at train shows - so I never created any railroad games. I DID have a big stack of airplane cards and managed to develop a Monopoly-like board game whereby the planes were purchased for flying transport missions, which in turn earned money for buying more planes. I won't try to credit myself with anticipating the Tycoon games of the '90s, but but they did have transport and finances in common.

My interest in games was renewed when Microsoft released Train Simulator in 2001. Although train simmers, especially MSTS fans, abhor the term "game," train sims are guilty by association, and some - like the Tycoon-type sims - ARE games.

The recurring themes in my life can take the form of themes within a theme. Within the train sim theme are the various train sims that take turn coming to the fore. I've gone through long stretches of focusing on BVE, Rail3D, MSTS, Trainz, and Locomotion, while having more than a passing glance at a number of others. In the process I've learned to appreciate the special qualities that each represents. If I want to drive a rapid transit or commuter train schedule from the driver's seat, I choose BVE. If I want to build a rail network with lots of signaled control, I look to Rail3D. If I want to have some fun with train sim photography, I choose MSTS. If I want to simulate train operations using more than one train, Trainz is my choice. If I want to build an empire with trains and other forms of transport, I choose Locomotion.

My interests along each of these lines cycle with some frequency, thus I am glad to have all these sims at my command. I even cast a wistful glance now and then at my unfinished modeling efforts in O- and HO-scale, but that's a story for another round.

- Al