Prof. Amy Lupin

True Likes castles?

Hmmm... what about 'R'?

I slap Iverian for helping organise Exploding Snap :P

Under African Skies - Paul Simon What inspires you?

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tea

Lego House - Ed Sheeran What is your ideal holiday destination?

My token is a purple wooden book. In addition to being an avid reader, to me, games are also great learning opportunities (whether about a particular theme, concept, mechanic or the people around one), which is further symbolised by the book. I chose purple due to it being my favourite colour, as well as it being a less common colour included in boardgame pieces (symbolising my tendency to be less conventional).

This might be the designer in me speaking, but one thing I've come to appreciate with boardgames (or any other form of play for that matter), is that you're working to achieve a particular outcome within a set of defined constraints. Yet in spite of having those constraints, there's still a whole world of possibility in which to do so. Also, each time you play a game or sport, there's still varying outcomes in terms of the final result and how the players arrived there. The other thing I enjoy about games is that they're simulations to an extent (or rather give a taste of what something might be like). Though I'll probably never set foot in space, there's plenty of games that give a feel for different elements of space travel, whether it's trying to launch rockets and probes into space (Leaving Earth; boardgame) or working towards galactic peace (Mass Effect; videogame). Though I personally love variety and would generally opt for playing a new boardgame as against a more familiar one, what often brings me back to the latter is one of several reasons. Sometimes it could be a case of positive memories from previous playthroughs and wanting to replicate them. Or it could be the opportunity to improve on strategies or even try out new ones. Other times, it might be wanting to share that game with someone new to it. Also after a long day, it can be nice to unwind with something familiar rather than trying to learn new rules or styles of playing. Again this is probably the designer in me, but I enjoy seeing how different variables impact on a particular game, whether it's the number of players, focusing on this element instead of that, and so on.

Some of my current favourite series include Parks & Recreation, Downton Abbey, Blue Bloods, Madam Secretary and The Musketeers. Honorable mentions are Castle, Lewis, Homeland, Designated Survivor and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. I find I enjoy series that have an element of mystery, humour, history and/or political intrigue. I used to love fantasy series like Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Shannara Chronicles, but in the last few years I've been moving more towards the other genres I mentioned. It is interesting reflecting back on how my tastes have changed over time.

I slap Sky for always being encouraging.

Rule 5: Always get a second opinion (preferably from someone who isn't a Death Eater)

False, though it definitely sounds tempting! Has been secretly relieved when someone cancelled an arrangement.

Hot chocolate! I'm thinking of something that has writing on it and is one of many.

Innocent. Has made a fresh cup of tea/coffee only to realise you forgot to boil the kettle first before pouring the water in?

Syrup

Goose!

A 'T' maybe?

Letter A?

Rainbow

Yep! Enjoys travelling?

With some of them, guilty as charged. Has stayed up all night reading a book?

Catch the train (especially if it's in Europe). Would you rather read or watch something?

I slap Sky for being so wonderful.

Adventure