Weekend Gaming

I unwrapped Wildlife and it looks really good. Looking forward to playing it.

Rachel insisted on two games of Puerto Rico, so I'm sorry that I beat her both times. We played with what I consider the absolute minimum changes necessary for two player:

- Aqueduct instead of Small Market
- Small Fashion District instead of Construction Hut
- a small change to Hospice
- Discretionary Hold instead of Large Warehouse
- Large General Workhouse instead of University
- Large Business instead of Harbor
- Cathedral instead of Guild Hall
- Fairgrounds instead of Residence.

And we play two player with:

- 50 VP
- 37 colonists
- 4, 5, 6 ships
- 1 each indigo building
- 2 less each barrel and plantation
- 3 less quarry
- 1 starting doubloon
- 6 roles (no Prospector)
- Gov-Opp-Gov, place doubloons, switch

In the first game, Rachel started and I pulled a sugar, followed by corn, tobacco, and then coffee. I didn't buy any buildings at all until Large General Workhouse. Meanwhile, Rachel had 4 goods going, all except coffee. We both got tobacco going at the same time.

My "strategy" then paid off, as I was first to trade tobacco, and then coffee, also blocking boats for both of each. We were about even on shipping, and we simply stayed that way until the end of the game. My coffee power trumped her Factory, and I beat her by ten points, 67 to 57.

In the second game, I used a strategy that I never used before: buying low and fast. I started off, and I took a corn, but my next pick was a quarry. Whenever I wasn't sacrificing too much money, I built, thus utilizing both builder privilege and quarry to their maximum extent.

Although I was producing three goods, I passed over Factory and chose Large Business instead, knowing that the game was going to end quickly on building, and simply wanting to keep parity with shipping. Again this worked, and we ended 39 to 33. Both of us had one big building, but neither was manned.

Take a look at the PR buildings on my site for info on special buildings.

Other than that it was a quiet shabbat. Hanukkah is over, sad but true. On to another week.

Yehuda

Bottoms Up: The Drinking and Smoking Board Game

How could I have left this off of my Holiday Gift Guide? Bottom's Up was a board game produced by Colt 45 Malt Liquor, and required the players to down shots of liquor, smoke two cigarettes simultaneously, and so on. (via Teamsugar, via Seat of the Revolution)

I get some interesting questions by phone or email regarding games. I just got one from someone who wanted to help him find out if a certain European game manufacturer had any ties to Nazi Germany before he decides whether to do business with them. Interesting question!

Research didn't reveal any connections, but I did discover this lovely site of historical paper, playing cards, and card games.

Nodwick presents a variation on the game of Monopoly that looks interesting.

And the Washington Post presents a retrospective of mainstream board games and religion. They missed The Menorah Game, sadly.

I don't have any game plans for shabbat, other than to open up Wildlife and read the rules. My sec san gift hasn't yet arrived :-(, and Hanukkah is over tonight.

Yehuda

The Difference Between Games and Toys

I'm not actually going to tell you the difference between games and toys in this post, despite the title.

I'm going to tell you the difference between board games that are "games" and board games that are "toys".

It is unfortunate that we use the same word for both, just as it is unfortunate that we use the same word 'wine' for crap you get for $2 a bottle at the supermarket and wine you taste at a wine tasting club. The former is a soft drink that tastes wine-like. The latter is wine.

Ask anyone what a board game is, and they will tell you it's something for children. Why not? The board games they know are Monopoly and Sorry. Oh, yes, they do like Scrabble, I suppose.

If that's the case, then what's Chess? Is that "for children"? How about The Game of Go? Or Bridge?

Why are these not the games that pop into your head when you hear the words "board game"? Everyone knows that Chess is not "for children" (although children play Chess).

It's because we have painted our games in bold colors, slapped them with movie licensing, simplified the rules to idiocy, and changed them to be able to be won by anyone, so that they will be interesting only to children. Then we stuck them in the toy stores alongside the Barbie dolls and Tickle-Me-Elmos.

We have destroyed games. We have stunted them to look like and act like toys, so that's what they are. Look at Amazon.com. Or any other big retailer. "Toys and Games", as if there's no real difference between their target audiences. Because the only games they carry are toys. That's their target audience.

Somehow, a few great ones managed to escape this: Chess, Bridge, and so on. These are still acceptable for grown-ups.

Of course board games that are toys are not acceptable for grown ups. They don't challenge your brain. They don't add anything to your life, the way work, exercise, or reading does. We both agree on that. (*)

So I'm hear to shout, as loudly as I can: I don't play with toys! I play games!

The board games I play are games like Chess and Bridge. They may look a little more like Monopoly, because they come in boxes and have themes, have pieces and cards.

They may not take a lifetime to learn how to play, or make you feel stupid when you play. They may not be boring, and you may sometimes even win by luck.

But they are not toys. If you came here looking for toys, I'm sorry to disappoint you. When I link you to Board Game Geek and FunAgainGames, I'm not linking you to a site about toys or a toy store. I'm linking you to thousands of games, games that are not carried in toy stores, because toy stores carry toys.

Oh, you may find a few games in a toy store, here or there. You may also find a few good bottles of wine in a random supermarket. But it's not often.

I'm writing this blog to share it with you. There is a whole world of board games out there that you have never heard of. Thousands of games that are not toys, and a better use of your time than watching television or surfing the Internet.

Games that will connect you with your family and friends, stave off aging, expand your mind. It's a whole world that you never knew existed.

Prepare to change your life.

Yehuda

(*) Of course, toys have their place: for children, and to enjoy with children.

Image by dare.

Hanukkah Session Report, in which we review new games

The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is here. Games played: Saboteur, Children of Fire: board game, Power Grid, Tichu.

First plays and reviews for Saboteur and Children of Fire: board games. Both good.

As I write, Nadine is hopefully picking up two other games of mine in Teaneck, NJ, to bring back to Israel.

It is my duty to report that Foxtrot is ending its weekly strips and moving to a Sunday only format. Since FT was among the comic greats for a while, but then started recycling all of its jokes for the past few years, this doesn't distress me too much.

Mt Kilajava is a serious board game that might be interesting. It's serious part is to teach about the difficulties faced by crop farmers. It is made in New Zealand. By something called Monsoon Games.

Identity Games put out a few interesting inter-faith board games this year, one called Foto-Religie and one called Geloo't of niet. There's no information about these games on their English website. Anyone?

Many more news articles about "increasing sales" in board games, "small recovery" for board games industry, the value of traditional games, etc.

Yehuda

40 Strangest Board Games Released in 2006

Every year, a whole lot of strange games are released, too many for everyone to notice them all. That's what I'm here for.

This year's list of strange games, like last year's, include a whole lot of games that may or may not be worth anything, but at the very least have some rather ... unusual themes or components.

Descriptions are from Board Game Geek.

"Oh My God! There's An Axe In My Head." The Game of International Diplomacy

GENEVA, 1920.
The League of Nations convenes for the first time. Proud to be the host for this august world body, Switzerland invites their champion axe-juggling troupe, Les Bella Lieben Jolie De Von Giorno, to entertain the assembled delegates.

Unfortunately, halfway through the demonstration, the Troupe goes insane, and begins hurling axes into the audience, splitting head after head. The Secretary General calls for calm, but before he can order a recess, his cranium is split as well.

The remaining Great Powers use the confusion to pass the gavel between themselves, conduct international business amidst the chaos, and generally try to shift the balance of world power while escaping a bunch of armed psychopaths.

(There's a) Fly in My Soup

Fast paced game of action and skill, where the goal is to be the first player to fill out your game card by "flicking" your flies into everyone else's soup. Outsmart the Crazy Chef while he attempts to block your flies with his ladle. Or aim for a bonus shot by flicking your flies into the Chef's soup!

Age of Steam Expansion - Disco Inferno / Soul Train

Age of Steam Expansion: Disco Inferno: This Age of Steam expansion takes place in a Disco Inferno, where “satisfaction comes in a chain reaction” and everyone keeps shouting “Burn, baby, burn” as you set up routes for disco dancers (goods cubes) to be shuttled between various discothèques (colored cities) on a map covered with flames. Unique features for this map include empty cities that “burn to the ground” when goods are emptied out of them, as well as the ability to “chain” deliveries together from one city to the next up to your total Locomotive strength.

Age of Steam Expansion: Soul Train: Souls are in jeopardy, and only you can save them! Build a train to carry souls (goods cubes) from Hell to Earth, and then deliver them to their final resting spot in Heaven. This Age of Steam expansion uses the bottom of the “Disco Inferno” board for the first part of the game as you deliver cubes from Hell to Earth. Then you flip over the Hell part of the board to show Heaven, which is placed above Earth, resulting in a linear delivery system that provides a strategic challenge to Age of Steam players.

Alaska Dyke

The object of the game is to "collect as many girlfriends as you can!". "Girlfriends" = points, which are traded among players as they move onto different spaces.

Animales de la Muerte

Each player tries to earn points by killing evil zombie animals.

Annoying Thing Game, The

Roll the Die...It's a 5. How quickly can you name 5 sticky things? Well, try it with the annoying thing bellowing in your ear! You just can't hear yourself think. Before you know it, you're out of time!

Comes with a real live loud annoying thing.

Banküberfall

The bank directors want to have more alternation and excitement in their life. So they decide to rob their own banks. As one of those bank directors the player can speculate with money transfers, distract policemen with a beautiful women, spy and intrigue against each other.

Bellhop

Each player controls seven bellhops in the hotel and attempts to earn the most tips by helping guests with their luggage as they arrive in the lobby. You can backstab your friends' bellhops and reduce his/her tips by stopping their elevator. Be careful, though, as you might not be able to get your guests to the lobby without help! The player who has received the most tips at the end of the game wins.

Check, Please!!

Your objective is to order and receive three dishes on a fine restaurant. The problem is a chef that cooks the meals in an order of his free will and a butler delivering them in as he sees fit. If you receive your dishes and the check before any other player, you have won the game.

Cleopatra's Caboose

Cleopatra's Caboose: The train game based...in Ancient Egypt?!?

Cleopatra's Caboose is a train game for 3 to 5 players that's based in Ancient Egypt. Each turn, players bid for the right to utilize a game designer of their choosing which denotes both the turn order and a special ability that can be used that turn.

Den stora kassaskåpsjakten

Players are moving around the streets of the city picking up tools they need for blowing up a bank safe. When all tools have been found, the search for the safe is on. The first player to find it is the winner.

Der magische Finger

In Der magische Finger (The magic finger), a life sized green hand crawls around the table. It rotates around the thumb planted in the middle of the table, until it stops and points at a person.

The game is otherwise like Truth or Dare.

Devil's Deeds

There is a job open in hell for a nasty devil like you. But you has grown to like working on earth and desperately wants to avoid going down to hell again. You must be bad enough to keep your job, but not bad enough to get a new job. A devilish challenge.

Die Kullerbande

Farmer Marble ball has set out to the fields to harvest turnips. As soon as he is out of sight, there is great turmoil on the farm! The cows play whilst the pigs surf on the internet. The rooster stays on the lookout for the master's return. He uses binoculars the help see Farmer Marble bail from far away.

Suddenly the dog has a brilliant idea for a game! The animals stand all around the courtyard and in a flash there is a little mouse rolling through their legs. What fun! Suddenly there is a loud "cock-a-doodle-doo" form the manure heap. Farmer Marble ball comes homes from the harvest with huge turnips and the animals quickly stop playing and pretend nothing has happened.

Evil Ted

Horror has come to the happy town of Cotton Falls! The peaceful teddy bears have become... zombears! A few lucky survivors have barricaded themselves in the remaining buildings. Can they escape from... the Evil Ted?

Extreme!

An "injury management" game about Extreme! sports.

Feeeeed Meeeee

Feeeeed Meeeee is the most popular game among the Big Trolls. The rules are simple: Big Trolls sit around a table loaded with food.. but they are not allowed to eat! As time passes, they get hungrier and hungrier. The first Big Troll that can´t control his hunger and starts to eat the food is the loser.

Feel Safe

Welcome to the Department of Homeland Security shell game. Hand over your Rights and the DHS will protect you from the bad guys. Although the Department of Homeland Security cannot actually protect you from terrorists and random acts of violence, they sure can make it look like they’re doing something (or, in the face of hurricane Katrina, maybe not). A facade of security so you can feel safe (without actually being safe).

Feel Safe, The Game of Homeland Security is a satirical board game in which players start off with ten Rights (as per the Bill of Rights) and must exchange those Rights for perceived security and safety, the first player to lose or give away all of their Rights (in the name of national security) wins the game.

Galebari

It's summertime at Adriatic coast. Beautiful girls from all over the world came to enjoy sea, sun and good fun. And here they are... who will have more success? Local guys Roko, Stipe, Ante, Borna, Sale... or maybe you?

When a Lady comes into play, each GALEBAR plays one of his available Approaches. Depending on Lady's Interests (Romance, Sex, Fun and Money), active Place and Event, each player counts his score. The player with the highest positive score wins over the Lady. The end winner is the player with the most Ladies won during the game.

Gezanke auf der Planke

Pirates are afraid of water but today is bath day and they all have to go into the ocean. But nobody wants to. Because for pirates, the rules is: he who washes and saves, loses. Nobody wants to go into the water, and so there's a lot of pushing and shoving on the plank. Each tries to stay as far back on the plank as possible and push the others overboard. Finally, a large shark was also spotted happily circling the ship in anticipation.

Gong Fermer

The year is 1348 AD. Workers and servants are dropping like flies. Instead of working 12 hour days, Gong is working 18 hour days. His small plot of land is overgrown with weeds and rotten vegetables because Gong has not had the time to tend to his measly, yet only plot of land. If that isn't enough, this lowly servant, the lowest of all peasants, is sick and tired of being spat on, ridiculed, despised, scourged, and literally "crapped on" while he worked. Has Gong Fermer finally had enough! What in the world can a person of his stature do? All this peasant has is his shovel, his bucket, his similarly lowly friends, and his “PRIDE”. On the other hand, the king has his many knights, chariots, horsemen, weapons of destruction, allies along with a huge treasury to support his every endeavor.

Is revolt conceivable? Is insurrection possible? Can and will Gong Fermer get his revenge? Or will the Black Plague do the dirty work for Gong?

Hart an der Grenze

In Hart an der Grenze (Close to the Border), players are people trying to cross a border with luggage full of legal and also illegal goods. Each one declares what he is carrying, but of course he only declares what the law allows (even if it means to lie).

Each turn one of the players take the roll of sheriff. The sheriff must choose who to spot check. In case the sheriff picks someone whose luggage does not have exactly what was declared, the person must open the luggage and show his goods. The not-declared goods are lost and a fine is paid.

However, before opening the luggage, the person may always suggest that the sheriff take some of his dollars so as to be kind and let him pass. If they come to an agreement, good for them!

Julchen und die Monster

When Juliet is at home alone at night, the monsters awake and creep up from behind wardrobes and beds. They are keen on a tasty midnight snack. With flashlight and fly swatter Juliet sets out to defend herself. Will she survive until dawn?

There are two ways to win: Save Juliet or eat her!

Mamma

A family dinner is arranged and you are one of the members: however, this family has trust issues, and no one's certain who will spoil the pot! Dinner is served in this game of bluffing, cruelty and fun.

Melt Some Plastic

A tactical wargame using plastic toy soldiers and some home-made maps.

That's all the description, and I think that I don't want to know more.

Mongolian Goat Rodeo

Mongolian Goat Rodeo - 2 to 8 players tussle over possession of a goat and ride it around a goal.

Paparazzi

On a beach in St Tropez, some celebrities are having a nude midnight swim. But the paparazzi are here! It's a mad scramble to find your clothes in the dark before the flashes of the cameras.

In the dark, the icons in the corner of the cards glow. You can tell its a pair of underpants, but whose shoes are they? You can switch around the cards to try to confuse the other players. At any moment, anyone could switch on the lights and then it's "freeze!" as the celebrities' pictures are splashed across the front page of every gossip magazine.

You get "embarrassment" points for being naked, or for wearing someone else's clothes.

PerkyGoth

In PerkyGoth, you play cards to accumulate stuff and be seen at events that increase your Perkiness and Gothiness while having the smallest difference between the two.

Puppy Lake

The basic Puppy Lake game is a solitaire game involving puppies, a lake, Mean Old Man Hubbard, a truck, a canoe and still more puppies. Players must attempt to maneuver their canoe to save as many puppies as possible before they drown.

Mean Old Man Hubbard drives his truck back and forth across a bridge, tossing puppies into the lake. Puppies float downstream towards certain death. The player has limited control over how far he or she can paddle the canoe each turn.

Re-Route: The Marching Season Game

The crux of the game is in judicious playing of the cards: The Loyalists play a March card in Armagh - will you, as the RUC player, allow it to go ahead and risk a Republican Riot; or do you Re-Route that March and risk a Loyalist reaction that may itself provoke a worse Republican reaction? Should have kept that Tear-Gas card...

Really Wild Bug Eating Party

A series of challenges are used to decide who will ultimately have to suffer the fate of eating a handful of bugs. At the start of the game players are split in to two teams and a leader for each team is nominated. Next a series of ‘bug’ cards are dealt out to each of the players. Lastly a spinner is spun to select a bug and if you’re the unfortunate person holding the most cards with that bug then you’ll have to eat it, that is unless your team can complete a challenge card…

Note: this game comes with honest-to-goodness real dead bugs, worms, scorpions (devenomed), etc. that must be eaten.

Recess!

Players each start with two boy figures and two girl figures on opposite sides of the grid-marked modular board, which is dotted with playground-themed obstacles. A child that lands on a space occupied by another child starts a fight and takes a coin from him. Other children can break up a fight by landing on that same space, or tattle by landing on a nun's space. If a nun moves onto the fight space, the attacker is sent back to the entrance for detention. Finishing thirty of the minute-long turns marks the end of the game, or it ends immediately when one player's boy and girl figures meet on the same space while out of sight of the nuns. The resulting kiss earns two coins from each player, but to win you still have to end up with the most coins.

Red Dragon Inn

In Red Dragon Inn, you and your friends are a party of heroic, fantasy adventurers. You've raided the dungeon, killed the monsters, and taken their treasure. Now you're back, and what better way to celebrate your most recent victory than to spend an evening at the Red Dragon Inn. You and your adventuring companions will spend the night drinking, gambling, and roughhousing. The last person who is both sober enough to remain conscious and shrewd enough to hold onto his Gold Coins wins the game.

Schillerstraße - Das Spiel

Convince your fellow players of the advantages of Italian men. Get a case of beer from somewhere, anywhere. Or get everyone together to practice a Canon.

Uncle Fritz tries his hand at being a sports reporter. Sister Lucy puts on her famous cucumber facial. Using the director's instructions, each player must improvise a short scene that incorporates all of the directions.

The Hamster That Eat The World

Some mad scientist, somewhere, for some mad reason has injected a small hamster, Mr. Chip, with who knows what. Now the hamster has escape, grown and gotten hungry. It seems that only the cities of the world can feed the ravenous hamster now and he's heading this way.

Trüffel-Schnüffel

Players take turns wearing the fun pig nose and hunting for truffles (those prized mushroom that grow in the earth).

Yes, it comes with a pink pig nose to wear.

Whipped!

In the game of Whipped!, you're a regular guy trying to hold onto your friends and the lady in your life. Your garage band may breakup when she throws out your guitar, or you may never hear from good old Chuck again after he sees you carrying her purse at the mall! Boost your male pride with an Iron John weekend, or flagellate yourself silly at the Relationship Counselor.

Wolf in Disguise

In Wolf in Disguise, players seek to wreck havoc at the peaceful ranch. Each player is a Shepherd who tries to gain the most profit on the ranch. Player can hire wolf to attack other player's sheep or raise shepherd dog to protect his own sheep. However, to make the game interesting, all the wolves are disguised as sheep.

Zizanie beach

Two players, each representing a male, compete on an evolving archipelago (which they build in the beginning of the game) and aim to end up isolated with the only girl on the set of islands.

Zombie Cafe

Players are owners of delicatessens selling brains to zombies.

And you thought gamers were all boring ...

Yehuda

Linkety Link

Chris Brooks has written his own parallel session report to mine about his visit to Israel and dinner and games at our house.

Someone made a rather amazing diorama in which to play Puerto Rico. With pictures.

Chris Bates compares the rise of Poker to the decline of Bridge.

The Toronto Star talks Eurogames. (via Ryan)

The Globe and Mail talks about an Israeli company using virtual reality to train people to reuse their physical limbs. (via Serious Games)

MAJAX! is a serious board game that aims to recreate the pressure and chaos of an emergency situation, and is aimed at health services to "provide an inexpensive way of testing major incident control procedures and promote team building".

Front Row Crew talks about "good" and "fun" in board games on their latest podcast. Just skip the first 30 minutes or so.

Yehuda

Top Ten Board Game News 2006

Top events in the world of mainstream board and card games, as I see it:

1. Monopoly's new standard and Here and Now editions

Hasbro continues to beat this game into the world's collective brains through a combination of savvy marketing, licensing, PR, and national pride.

They released a new "standard" edition, preceded by months of voting for landmarks to be included, and followed by months of complaints from citizens of the least expensive properties to the municipality of Atlantic City.

They also put out their no-cash credit card edition, so that another generation can learn to trust the infallible computer.

(See my list of 1000+ Monopoly versions.)


2. Dominoes on ESPN?

After the success of Texas Hold'em, the next big discussion this year was how sedentary can we make the activity and still broadcast it on a sports network? The discussion centered around Dominoes which requires even less from a player than Poker, astoundingly enough.


3. Games That Made the News

War on Terror: The right game at the right time to cause controversy. The genral public was aghast at the idea of actually playing suicide bombers (but Nazis are ok?), while opponents of the governments handling the so-called war on terror were thrilled. For my part, I objected not to the theme, but to the attitude of moral equivalency on behalf of the designers on their web site.

Apparently, the game is not half bad.

Da Vinci Code (several games): Following the publicity of the book and the movie, several board games attempted to cash in on their success.

Sudoku (several games): This is a carryover from last year, but 2006 saw several new games for this popular craze.

Deal or No Deal: Yet another series of games based on a popular culture phenomenon, none of which are any good.

Your Best Life Now: A self-actualization game based on a popular book. Apparently, the game does not reflect the values of the book too closely.

GiftTRAP: A meta party game about giving and getting the right gifts.

Wits and Wagers: A trivia game where the object is not to know the most, but to bet on the answers given by all the players.

4. Headz Games in Nova Scotia

Headz Games, creator of numerous sports related board games, announced a new manufacturing plant in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, which was to provide 1500 new jobs. The plans sent the tiny town into a tizzy, but by the end of the year, the CEO had quit and the plans went on hold.

5. Chess shenanigans

In the wild and wacky world of Chess, grand master players fell to their death, committed suicide over their abusive fathers, punched opponents on the dance floor over a woman (who left with a third party), and leveled accusations of consulting chess computers in the facilities while on bathroom break.

Way to keep the sport noble, guys and gals.

6. Crowdsourcing board gaming

Around the world, and especially the U.S., thousands of people took to the streets to take the part of live pawns, playing board games using GPS systems and mobile devices.

7. World's largest Uno game

Mattel organized 330 players in West Virginia to simultaneously play UNO, in the world's largest gathering of UNO players. I'm not sure why that's important, but it got news coverage.

8. World's highest Scrabble score

As did two guys in a basement who played the world's highest single score (830) in a game of Scrabble, as well as the world's highest combined scoring game (1320), and most points for a single play (365, for QUIXOTRY).

9. Trivial Pursuit lawsuit

The old "some guy ripped off my game" controvery reared it's ugly head when the makers of Trivial Pursuit were served a lawsuit by some guy who said that they stole the idea from him after sharing a cab ride in the late 70's. This conveniently comes after the developers took all the risk, time, playtesting, and marketing required to actually produce and sell the game, as well as another 25 years.


10. Pink Scrabble Tiles

I don't know about you, but this makes my heart go boom. A completely pink game of Scrabble was developed, the proceeds of which are aimed at fighting breast cancer.

Surely that's more newsworthy than the various accounts of people killed as a result of Scrabble games over the last year.

11. Microsoft porting Eurogames to XBox

This may not mean much to mainstream gamers right now, but Microsoft announced plans to port three groundbreaking Eurogames to the XBox, including Settlers of Catan. The day will come when mainstream gamers are assimilated onto the true path. Resistance is futile.

WHAT DID NOT HAPPEN

Despite some great press reviews and lots of eager anticipation, Phillip's Entertaible, which is supposed to marry a touch sensitive electronic gaming table to physical components such as glass cubes, got some press, but hasn't made it to the public yet. We're still waiting and hoping.

Yehuda

P.S. Check out my 2006 Holiday Gift Guide!