My son Eitan only used to play strategic computer games (although he would often used cheat codes, apparently playing it more for the destruction than the strategy). I bought Battle Cry for him, but aside from liking the pieces, he didn't seem to take to the game, wanting a lot more complicated rules.
Then I found him an ASL player (Ran), and he took to it, playing with our game group now once every few weeks when Ran is available. Interestingly, he is now starting to play with Battle Cry a bit more, with my other son Saarya, and introducing it to his friends. I think ASL awakened something in him, the desire to play with others, and not just with the computer. As he feels that ASL is too complicated for his friends, he is looking at BC in a new light, as something he and his friends can do together (most of the time he is with his friends they hang out wondering what to do).
Yehuda
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Monday, May 30, 2005
More Tidbits
Still no time. Likely won't have much this week.
This game design thing came out of nowhere, and while I don't expect any money from it any time soon, it is still a Great Thing to be asked to design games with the possibility that they may go to print.
I am finding that exposure to Sid Sackson books, Knizia's designs, reading and playing lots of games, and a creative brain, are more than enough to get started designing games. Let's hope the designs work.
Saw Star Wars III last night. I won't say that I feel cheated, because the plot worked and I wanted to see how it turned out, but I can't say I recommend it to anyone looking for a good movie. I'm happy that GL is not making any more.
Yehuda
This game design thing came out of nowhere, and while I don't expect any money from it any time soon, it is still a Great Thing to be asked to design games with the possibility that they may go to print.
I am finding that exposure to Sid Sackson books, Knizia's designs, reading and playing lots of games, and a creative brain, are more than enough to get started designing games. Let's hope the designs work.
Saw Star Wars III last night. I won't say that I feel cheated, because the plot worked and I wanted to see how it turned out, but I can't say I recommend it to anyone looking for a good movie. I'm happy that GL is not making any more.
Yehuda
Saturday, May 28, 2005
Tidbits
When my head is on straight again, I will try to flesh out the details. To summarize:
- A game company called me and asked me to design numerous games for them - simple games for kids to be handed out by large companies as advertising. Yowza.
- Chris Brooks says he may be coming to Israel and would like to drop by. Looking forward to it.
- I played several games over the weekend, including: a game I invented in a few minutes, to give to this company, based on the Can't Stop genre; Casino (the card game) with my daughter; Paks, a card game from A Gamut of Games, with my son; Taj Mahal with both of them; and Puerto Rico with Rachel (61), Nadine (48), and Saarya (64) (which I lost miserably (41)).
Jon
- A game company called me and asked me to design numerous games for them - simple games for kids to be handed out by large companies as advertising. Yowza.
- Chris Brooks says he may be coming to Israel and would like to drop by. Looking forward to it.
- I played several games over the weekend, including: a game I invented in a few minutes, to give to this company, based on the Can't Stop genre; Casino (the card game) with my daughter; Paks, a card game from A Gamut of Games, with my son; Taj Mahal with both of them; and Puerto Rico with Rachel (61), Nadine (48), and Saarya (64) (which I lost miserably (41)).
Jon
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Session Report Up
At the site. Games played: Geschenkt, Starfarers of Catan, El Grande + King and Intriguant, Magic: the Gathering.
Yehuda
Yehuda
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
More PR
I'm happy to report an insignificant piece of news: I am climbing the ranks on www.puertoricogame.net. I'm now number 1 accoring to the "Harkness" rating (I don't know what that means, but it sounds nice). Number 5 or 6 otherwise.
In the meantime, game with Rachel last night playing almost a complete set of normal buildings, but University at 7 and comes with a colonist proved too much of a temptation to Rachel. In the past, this adjustment has given her a good game, but she focussed too much on getting it rather than on making points and cash; she let me buy Small Market, and she let me trade coffee. In the end, I won by one point.
Yehuda
In the meantime, game with Rachel last night playing almost a complete set of normal buildings, but University at 7 and comes with a colonist proved too much of a temptation to Rachel. In the past, this adjustment has given her a good game, but she focussed too much on getting it rather than on making points and cash; she let me buy Small Market, and she let me trade coffee. In the end, I won by one point.
Yehuda
Monday, May 23, 2005
When Children Play
I have two sons, Eitan and Saarya. Eitan is the rebel, and pretty much doesn't like to do anything, but he always loves violent but strategic computer games (Red Alert, Caeser, etc...).
Saarya is the consonant gamer who likes all types of games, like me. Our tastes differ, but no more than any other two gamers. He doesn't play Bridge or Magic, and doesn't like Puerto Rico too much, but he loves Goa, Prince of Florence, El Grande, etc... Saarya has been a regular at the game club.
Saarya and Eitan share a room, but almost never talk. Yes, they both play computer games, but they are otherwise very different. Saarya is the quiet one who does all of his homework at the beginning of the year. Eitan also does well in school, but does as little homework (and school) as possible.
Recently, I was contacted by an ASL player in Jerusalem who heard about the group, and even though ASL isn't my thing, I put him in touch with Eitan. Now the two of them come to the game group just to play ASL with each other, which is good.
I had bought Battle Cry to play with Eitan, before the ASL player came along, because I wanted to engage Eitan in some game, and I was hoping we could at least play this.
Last night we found that it is a good middle ground for Saarya and Eitan to meet. While I was helping my daughter with a project, both of them came to me bored, and I sent them to play Battle Cry with each other. You would think they would have played together at some other point in the last eight years they have been living together, but it has never happened.
So they played Battle Cry, and from what I hear, they had a close, enjoyable game. Saarya was up 5 to 4 flags at one point, but Eitan managed to get the last two he needed before the game ended. I hope they continue to play together, as this would be a good contact point for both of them. Good for Eitan to have something to do other than hang out in the center of town. Good for Saarya to have someone else to play with.
Yehuda
Saarya is the consonant gamer who likes all types of games, like me. Our tastes differ, but no more than any other two gamers. He doesn't play Bridge or Magic, and doesn't like Puerto Rico too much, but he loves Goa, Prince of Florence, El Grande, etc... Saarya has been a regular at the game club.
Saarya and Eitan share a room, but almost never talk. Yes, they both play computer games, but they are otherwise very different. Saarya is the quiet one who does all of his homework at the beginning of the year. Eitan also does well in school, but does as little homework (and school) as possible.
Recently, I was contacted by an ASL player in Jerusalem who heard about the group, and even though ASL isn't my thing, I put him in touch with Eitan. Now the two of them come to the game group just to play ASL with each other, which is good.
I had bought Battle Cry to play with Eitan, before the ASL player came along, because I wanted to engage Eitan in some game, and I was hoping we could at least play this.
Last night we found that it is a good middle ground for Saarya and Eitan to meet. While I was helping my daughter with a project, both of them came to me bored, and I sent them to play Battle Cry with each other. You would think they would have played together at some other point in the last eight years they have been living together, but it has never happened.
So they played Battle Cry, and from what I hear, they had a close, enjoyable game. Saarya was up 5 to 4 flags at one point, but Eitan managed to get the last two he needed before the game ended. I hope they continue to play together, as this would be a good contact point for both of them. Good for Eitan to have something to do other than hang out in the center of town. Good for Saarya to have someone else to play with.
Yehuda
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Weekend Gaming
Fri night we were invited to a friend: single mom with a boy my son's age.
I considered bringing Traumfabrik, which this friend had played and seemed to enjoy, but I was sure that we wouldn't be the only guests, and Traumfabrik is limited to five people.
So I brought Set. I was also ready to play Zendo, which can be played with any items you have lying around (such as knife, spoon, and fork). I would have like to have tried it, since I haven't really had a chance yet, but as it turns out I only ended up playing Set with her son. It's still hard to convince normal people to play games.
Set is a problematic game in that you really, really need two people with equal abilities, or it gets embarrassing. Her son was not bad, but not good enough to make a challenge, so I just sat there without calling Set while waiting for him to find the sets. I guess you can try to get better at the game, but it basically hits one space in your brain, and if you happen to be good at that sort of thing, there you go.
Otherwise, two games of PR with Rachel. In the first one, I bought buildings badly, played badly - my brain stopped working. Rachel also played very well, and she won by something like 63 to 54. In the second game, I started off with a poor play (Builder/Small Indigo - there was no Small Market), and of course she took Mayor, and then I took Settler anyway, taking a corn. I thought I was already toast, but this time I played exceptionally in the zone, always taking Mayor before she built, Builder before she could buy it. Basically, the game was as confrontational as you could get in a non-confrontational game. Final scores were high, with me winning 69 to 64.
The "official" Tel Aviv group by Gilad seems to have burnt out temporarily; they haven't had any sessions for a while. Hopefully they will get back on track.
Yehuda
I considered bringing Traumfabrik, which this friend had played and seemed to enjoy, but I was sure that we wouldn't be the only guests, and Traumfabrik is limited to five people.
So I brought Set. I was also ready to play Zendo, which can be played with any items you have lying around (such as knife, spoon, and fork). I would have like to have tried it, since I haven't really had a chance yet, but as it turns out I only ended up playing Set with her son. It's still hard to convince normal people to play games.
Set is a problematic game in that you really, really need two people with equal abilities, or it gets embarrassing. Her son was not bad, but not good enough to make a challenge, so I just sat there without calling Set while waiting for him to find the sets. I guess you can try to get better at the game, but it basically hits one space in your brain, and if you happen to be good at that sort of thing, there you go.
Otherwise, two games of PR with Rachel. In the first one, I bought buildings badly, played badly - my brain stopped working. Rachel also played very well, and she won by something like 63 to 54. In the second game, I started off with a poor play (Builder/Small Indigo - there was no Small Market), and of course she took Mayor, and then I took Settler anyway, taking a corn. I thought I was already toast, but this time I played exceptionally in the zone, always taking Mayor before she built, Builder before she could buy it. Basically, the game was as confrontational as you could get in a non-confrontational game. Final scores were high, with me winning 69 to 64.
The "official" Tel Aviv group by Gilad seems to have burnt out temporarily; they haven't had any sessions for a while. Hopefully they will get back on track.
Yehuda
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)