I know that the board game has two camps, those who like it and those who think it was a waste (of time and energy that could have gone into advancing the story a different way).
I liked the board game for a few reasons, including:
Nika steps further out of his shell when he gets Nadia to talk to Sonya's parents, acting like a professor, and tells them that Sonya needs to attend an all-female session later that week (the game).
The board game introduces a different version of Nadia - someone with sex fantasies - and the game is a way for her to safely explore them.
Sonya also opens up a bit more, between her romantic idea of her figure and Nika's figure (what Nadia created for their characters in game) dancing and holding hands to Sonya killing alien bad guys and Nika telling her he is proud of her, she gets to show a bit of independence and become more her own person versus her parents controlled daughter.
Nika is there when Cindy Mueller (math prof) stops by to see if she can join the game and learns that they are already finished. It is here that we learn that the game is one of the 'safe' places for students and professors to interact socially.
We learn about the barn and the parties there, so a future session at the barn will include not just the game but drinking and, IMO, chances for sexy time (and more save game alternatives for those of us who want to sample all the possibilities, including a few of the female teachers...
)
Could Ocean have done all this differently - Of Course!
He did not, the game is now canon, and we get all the story benefits I listed above as well as others I did not list or missed.
I am looking forward to a party at the barn and I doubt Ocean is going to have another part of the role-playing game dominate that experience.
The barn also feels like a weekend experience so the soonest it would land would be in another 6 in AVN days.
We will have a number of hours of content to enjoy well before the barn party could happen.
(For those with the snarky comments about this happening sometime after 2030 - so what! I'm here for the duration, looking forward to enjoying Summers Gone for as long as Ocean wants to share his creativity with us.)
I view Summers Gone much like I do
A Song Of Fire And Ice by George R.R. Martin, first book published almost 29 years ago with TWO more books planned. I don't know how long it will take him to deliver his next two books but that does not reduce my enjoyment of the books he has already given us. I feel the same way about S1 of Summers Gone.
Cheers!!
