As gamers determined to proselytize the unwashed masses of non-gaming folk we need to take it upon ourselves to provide a welcoming atmosphere. In any hobby, a vernacular arises around important people, actions, and other subjects. Walk into a bowling alley on league bowling night and try to hang out with the crowd present. You will quickly see the need to know the difference between a spare, a split, and a turkey. We have some of our own in the boardgaming world: grognard, eurogame, and meeples. While it is great to have some terms that describe useful ideas and concepts within our hobby, we have to try to remember to remain as friendly as possible to newcomers if the hobby is going to continue to grow (at least I would like to see that).
In general, I find boardgamers to be some of the friendliest people I know. We’re generally not cliquish (well, aside from invitation-only conventions, but even there the folks are friendly to new faces) and are typically glad to see newcomers arrive at our gaming evenings. However, there are a few habits that sometimes arise in the online boardgame community that can be frustrating to new boardgamers. One of the common ones, and the subject of this brief post, is the boardgame simile.
In many of the reviews posted online on the Boardgamegeek and other sites, the reviewer will use one or more games to explain aspects of another. This game is like Goa’s auctions with a bit of Caylus-like worker placement and Puerto Rico’s role selection. A single game is like Goa, like Caylus, and like Puerto Rico. (Yes, its not a true modern simile, but work with me here… ) If a new gamer wanders over to a recent review, they may get very little out of it. Using some games to describe others is a great shorthand for those who have played and are familiar with a wide range of games, but it isn’t so useful for the newcomer. Like the poor soul who finds two words in the dictionary that are used to define each other, a new gamer can be awash in game comparisons before they even get a chance to become familiar with a few of them. So, lets remember out there to keep the comparisons to a minimum whenever possible, or at least be sure to follow up comparisons with a bit of further explanation.
This whole mini-rant came about during a facetious comment while I was explaining Reef Encounter to folks in my local gaming group. Known for somewhat difficult instructions, I consider the polyp tile scoring mechanism to be partially at fault. It is a difficult concept to grasp without actually playing through the game. Having to play through a game to understand the intricacies of the scoring is typically not a good sign. Regardless, I enjoy the game due to its theme (yes, it is pasted on but I like the cool pieces and the thought to trying to be the best coral reef I can be is just too enticing to a science teacher like myself.) As I tried to explain the manipulation and control of the coral ranking/scoring tiles, one player piped up: “It’s like the leader board in Die Macher!” We proceeded to tear up the game making as many Die Macher comparisons as possible. There is conflict on four different boards at a time. Your opponents are always trying to reduce your prime scoring areas. Eating your polyps could be like taking a little “vote” to score points, and so on… Since I had already mentioned the scoring is a bit strange until experienced, we decided to describe the game to anyone who asked us playing using words one might rarely expect to hear: “Reef Encounter? Oh, it’s like an advanced game of Die Macher”.
Showing posts with label humor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label humor. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
New Gamers: Don't Worry; That's Normal
Occasionally, I’ll see a post on BGG saying something like, “Help, I’m addicted!”, or “I can’t stop buying games”; or at the other end of the spectrum, “What’s wrong with me? I don’t feel like buying a new game”, “This hasn’t been a good year for new games” or “Just need a couple games to round out my collection”. The last one often includes a list of 15-20 games they own and induces fits of laughter from the knowledgeable. Actually, the last type of gamer is seriously deluded and will, hopefully, return to normal at some point in the future.
~~~~~~~
Mary
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
A Eurogame Review
Everything on the Internet seems to come in waves. Even before reading Shannon’s recent post about reawakening his interest in role playing games, I had been preparing this post on a game I have that I have become reacquainted with in the past month or two. While it has a lot of American boardgame tendencies, there are a few strong Euro attributes that contribute to making it a gripping title that has eaten into gaming time I might have spent on other boardgames. What game am I referring to? None other than the new edition of that classic Euro-American hybrid game, Dungeons and Dragons (referred to as D&D for the rest of this article.) For those unfamiliar with the game (and there isn’t an entry for it over on BoardGameGeek), it is like a longer, more complex version of Dungeoneer, Return of the Heroes, or Descent. While different than many Eurogames that it predates, there are still a number of mechanics found in popular Euro titles, making it a game that many gamers just might want to check out. If that piques your interest, read on to find a more thorough review.
The Bits:
The first thing a boardgamer will see when opening up a new game are all the fun little bits to play with. Unfortunately, this game has none. What, you say? NO BITS? That’s right, no little wooden cubes, no meeples, nothing is included in the basic package, just three thick rulebooks. THREE! And you thought paging through the rules for BattleLore was a bit much – at least in that case it was a rulebook and a scenario booklet. The last game I played with three rulebooks was Avalon Hill’s Horror at House on the Hill. With no bits to play with, one might expect the game to score a nice fat zero for its components. Thankfully, there are options to solve the component problem. There are so many options, that players are typically expected to provide their own components (similar to the pawns and dice in some of the Cheapass Games productions…) For those willing to spend a little bit of money, players can obtain nice plastic figurines, expandable cardboard maps, and even little cubes to roll. I’ve seen photos of players going all out on designing their own game boards, making model terrain to rival the Deluxe Chest Version of Settlers of Catan. So while the lack of components is initially a big strike against the game, players who like to tinker and customize their own gameboard and pieces will find plenty of things to play with. Die hard Eurogamers can even use little colored wooden cubes along with Meeples to represent the various creatures and figures within the game. Some players use hand painted metal figurines – talk about dedicated game component fans! The last game I played with metal playing pieces was an old game of Monopoly. While many Eurogamers eschew dice, this game has plenty of them. Taking a cue from the French Formula De, there are even many nonstandard dice available. However, in this particular game (unlike Formula De) the dice have a different number on each side. This does make the results more random than a typical Formula De game, but it also easier for new players to estimate the expected outcomes since only one series of numbers have to be averaged. In fact, a good portion of the strategy of this game involves making the decisions so that you can modify die rolls in your favor.
Bits Score: 0 out of 10(there aren’t any in the standard game), however, there is a Basic Game available that provides you with several plastic figures, shortened rules, and a set of funny dice like you might find in Formula De. Using these bits (or your own acquired elsewhere) increases the score dramatically.
Gameplay: 7 out of 10 (primarily due to game length)
Even a quick glance through the rules shows how this game is similar to other popular Euro titles. Like many wargames, there are two sides to the game. All but one player create an alternate persona to represent themselves within the game. These alternate personas are called Player Characters (or PCs). There is a lot of flexibility here, but players should take care not to overlap their specialties too much, because the remaining player (referred to as the “Dungeon Master”) gets to control almost everything else within the game. At first glance, this seems very unfair for the PCs. There is very little within the game to make up for the DM’s strong initial starting position. However, after much play testing it seems that the PCs win the game more often than not, so perhaps their superior numbers are enough to win the day. In some respects it is like Shadows over Camelot, where most of the players conspire to defeat the game while one player works against them. However, in D&D, the “traitor” (the DM) is known at the outset, and is given a number of advantages to make up for that fact.
The theme of the game revolves around a fantasy setting (like Lord of the Rings) with the players typically playing the forces of good and the DM playing the bad guys. The DM plays a sort of “defense”, setting up traps and obstacles for the players while the players go on “offense” trying to find and overcome these challenges. Over time, the players get more powerful, providing a nice sense of accomplishment. Unfortunately, so do the obstacles used by the DM player. In fact, in a glaring oversight, not only do the rules fail to provide proper victory conditions, they don’t even provide game-ending conditions! As a result, many games of D&D can drag on and on. Players typically agree to a set time limit and play until it is reached. Often, a group will then meet again a week or two later and pick up where they left off, making sure the game length of D&D easily exceeds even a highly negotiated game of Die Macher. With such a long playing time, the game severely limits other games making it to the table. As a result, it gets a solid couple of strikes against it in the scoring.
To help Eurogamers decide if it might be something they want to try, I thought I’d make a short list of all the pros and cons of the game.
The Bad
The rulebook(s) – when was the last time you had three hardbound rulebooks for a single game? In an interesting twist, only the DM player has to read up on two of them, so gamers who don’t like to read rules should stick to the PC team.
The bits – as mentioned, there are no bits included in the standard game. There isn’t even a game board! The general availability of quality substitutes (even metal bits!) keeps the game from flopping.
No Auctions! – can you even have a boardgame without some form of an auction in it? (There aren’t any trains either, but PCs can simulate them by starting up trading caravans)
Analysis paralysis – typically, each player gets two action points in a turn keeping things very constrained. However, there are a plethora of options to spend your action points on (like moving, fighting, casting spells, etc…), causing some AP prone players to simply shut down.
Unbalanced Teams – Despite the very good record of the PC team, the GM team simply has too many advantages to make a fair game.
The Traitor Factor – In addition to the DM team, sometimes there is a secret traitor within the PC team as well. While that works great in Shadows over Camelot, as there is already an opposing team in D&D, adding in a secret traitor creates a third team in the mix and can quickly complicate the entire situation.
The Good
Expansions – some players love to have options in their games (witness the variety of ways to play Settlers of Catan). There are multiple ways to expand the D&D game including new rulebooks as well as many new game boards. For game tinkerers, it is probably the game best able to handle additional house rules. In fact, most gamers have at least one or two house rules they prefer to play by…
Cooperation – the game screams for good cooperation with the PC team. As the DM team has most of the advantages, the PC team has to work hard together to make sure they survive
Heavy Player Interaction – Goa haters take note, there aren’t any auctions and player interaction is high. Despite a high degree of cooperation, players are also competing for limited resources, constantly being forced to find ways to evenly distribute advantages and rewards so that they can improve their teams effectiveness.
Role Selection – As in Cosmic Encounter (or to a lesser extent, Puerto Rico) players each take on a role selection that will tend to dictate their strengths and weaknesses. This makes the game different every time and can often keep players interested as they can all focus on their strengths without getting in each other’s way.
No Player Elimination – While player elimination can occur, the rules have provisions to reverse said elimination, or the player who lost their character can simply take on a new position within the team and keep on playing.
Snowball Effect – as in some of the best Eurogames, D&D has a snowball effect so that players gain more and more power and abilities as the game progresses. Fans of empire building and snowball effect games (like Puerto Rico, Settlers of Catan, Through the Ages, and the like) will find many similarities here.
Multiple Victory Conditions – Actually, there are no set victory conditions, players are free to decide for themselves what victory conditions they want to strive for. Players can try to gain the most influence in the palace (like Succession or El Grande), try to rack up the most money (like Modern Art) or even try their hand at more unique victory conditions like building their own castle (a la Caylus).
Final Analysis:
Overall, I can only recommend the game to fans of more American style boardgames, or at least Euro-American hybrids rather than straight up Eurogamers. With their love of a 90 minute cap on a game, D&D just won’t be brought to the table that often. Sure, there are a lot of popular Euro mechanisms present (money management, role selection, cooperative team play, multiple victory paths, a modified action point system, I’ve even seen goods delivery occur) but those are probably not enough to pull in the Euro-snoot crowd. For those who welcome a little variety in their gaming and are not adverse to trying something a bit more detailed and long-term, the rewards can be great. After all, it is the only kingdom-building game that I’ve seen that starts a player out with a single, unskilled worker.
The Bits:
The first thing a boardgamer will see when opening up a new game are all the fun little bits to play with. Unfortunately, this game has none. What, you say? NO BITS? That’s right, no little wooden cubes, no meeples, nothing is included in the basic package, just three thick rulebooks. THREE! And you thought paging through the rules for BattleLore was a bit much – at least in that case it was a rulebook and a scenario booklet. The last game I played with three rulebooks was Avalon Hill’s Horror at House on the Hill. With no bits to play with, one might expect the game to score a nice fat zero for its components. Thankfully, there are options to solve the component problem. There are so many options, that players are typically expected to provide their own components (similar to the pawns and dice in some of the Cheapass Games productions…) For those willing to spend a little bit of money, players can obtain nice plastic figurines, expandable cardboard maps, and even little cubes to roll. I’ve seen photos of players going all out on designing their own game boards, making model terrain to rival the Deluxe Chest Version of Settlers of Catan. So while the lack of components is initially a big strike against the game, players who like to tinker and customize their own gameboard and pieces will find plenty of things to play with. Die hard Eurogamers can even use little colored wooden cubes along with Meeples to represent the various creatures and figures within the game. Some players use hand painted metal figurines – talk about dedicated game component fans! The last game I played with metal playing pieces was an old game of Monopoly. While many Eurogamers eschew dice, this game has plenty of them. Taking a cue from the French Formula De, there are even many nonstandard dice available. However, in this particular game (unlike Formula De) the dice have a different number on each side. This does make the results more random than a typical Formula De game, but it also easier for new players to estimate the expected outcomes since only one series of numbers have to be averaged. In fact, a good portion of the strategy of this game involves making the decisions so that you can modify die rolls in your favor.
Bits Score: 0 out of 10(there aren’t any in the standard game), however, there is a Basic Game available that provides you with several plastic figures, shortened rules, and a set of funny dice like you might find in Formula De. Using these bits (or your own acquired elsewhere) increases the score dramatically.
Gameplay: 7 out of 10 (primarily due to game length)
Even a quick glance through the rules shows how this game is similar to other popular Euro titles. Like many wargames, there are two sides to the game. All but one player create an alternate persona to represent themselves within the game. These alternate personas are called Player Characters (or PCs). There is a lot of flexibility here, but players should take care not to overlap their specialties too much, because the remaining player (referred to as the “Dungeon Master”) gets to control almost everything else within the game. At first glance, this seems very unfair for the PCs. There is very little within the game to make up for the DM’s strong initial starting position. However, after much play testing it seems that the PCs win the game more often than not, so perhaps their superior numbers are enough to win the day. In some respects it is like Shadows over Camelot, where most of the players conspire to defeat the game while one player works against them. However, in D&D, the “traitor” (the DM) is known at the outset, and is given a number of advantages to make up for that fact.
The theme of the game revolves around a fantasy setting (like Lord of the Rings) with the players typically playing the forces of good and the DM playing the bad guys. The DM plays a sort of “defense”, setting up traps and obstacles for the players while the players go on “offense” trying to find and overcome these challenges. Over time, the players get more powerful, providing a nice sense of accomplishment. Unfortunately, so do the obstacles used by the DM player. In fact, in a glaring oversight, not only do the rules fail to provide proper victory conditions, they don’t even provide game-ending conditions! As a result, many games of D&D can drag on and on. Players typically agree to a set time limit and play until it is reached. Often, a group will then meet again a week or two later and pick up where they left off, making sure the game length of D&D easily exceeds even a highly negotiated game of Die Macher. With such a long playing time, the game severely limits other games making it to the table. As a result, it gets a solid couple of strikes against it in the scoring.
To help Eurogamers decide if it might be something they want to try, I thought I’d make a short list of all the pros and cons of the game.
The Bad
The rulebook(s) – when was the last time you had three hardbound rulebooks for a single game? In an interesting twist, only the DM player has to read up on two of them, so gamers who don’t like to read rules should stick to the PC team.
The bits – as mentioned, there are no bits included in the standard game. There isn’t even a game board! The general availability of quality substitutes (even metal bits!) keeps the game from flopping.
No Auctions! – can you even have a boardgame without some form of an auction in it? (There aren’t any trains either, but PCs can simulate them by starting up trading caravans)
Analysis paralysis – typically, each player gets two action points in a turn keeping things very constrained. However, there are a plethora of options to spend your action points on (like moving, fighting, casting spells, etc…), causing some AP prone players to simply shut down.
Unbalanced Teams – Despite the very good record of the PC team, the GM team simply has too many advantages to make a fair game.
The Traitor Factor – In addition to the DM team, sometimes there is a secret traitor within the PC team as well. While that works great in Shadows over Camelot, as there is already an opposing team in D&D, adding in a secret traitor creates a third team in the mix and can quickly complicate the entire situation.
The Good
Expansions – some players love to have options in their games (witness the variety of ways to play Settlers of Catan). There are multiple ways to expand the D&D game including new rulebooks as well as many new game boards. For game tinkerers, it is probably the game best able to handle additional house rules. In fact, most gamers have at least one or two house rules they prefer to play by…
Cooperation – the game screams for good cooperation with the PC team. As the DM team has most of the advantages, the PC team has to work hard together to make sure they survive
Heavy Player Interaction – Goa haters take note, there aren’t any auctions and player interaction is high. Despite a high degree of cooperation, players are also competing for limited resources, constantly being forced to find ways to evenly distribute advantages and rewards so that they can improve their teams effectiveness.
Role Selection – As in Cosmic Encounter (or to a lesser extent, Puerto Rico) players each take on a role selection that will tend to dictate their strengths and weaknesses. This makes the game different every time and can often keep players interested as they can all focus on their strengths without getting in each other’s way.
No Player Elimination – While player elimination can occur, the rules have provisions to reverse said elimination, or the player who lost their character can simply take on a new position within the team and keep on playing.
Snowball Effect – as in some of the best Eurogames, D&D has a snowball effect so that players gain more and more power and abilities as the game progresses. Fans of empire building and snowball effect games (like Puerto Rico, Settlers of Catan, Through the Ages, and the like) will find many similarities here.
Multiple Victory Conditions – Actually, there are no set victory conditions, players are free to decide for themselves what victory conditions they want to strive for. Players can try to gain the most influence in the palace (like Succession or El Grande), try to rack up the most money (like Modern Art) or even try their hand at more unique victory conditions like building their own castle (a la Caylus).
Final Analysis:
Overall, I can only recommend the game to fans of more American style boardgames, or at least Euro-American hybrids rather than straight up Eurogamers. With their love of a 90 minute cap on a game, D&D just won’t be brought to the table that often. Sure, there are a lot of popular Euro mechanisms present (money management, role selection, cooperative team play, multiple victory paths, a modified action point system, I’ve even seen goods delivery occur) but those are probably not enough to pull in the Euro-snoot crowd. For those who welcome a little variety in their gaming and are not adverse to trying something a bit more detailed and long-term, the rewards can be great. After all, it is the only kingdom-building game that I’ve seen that starts a player out with a single, unskilled worker.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Some Old Sayings...For Board Gamers
- If a meeple falls in the forest, does it still score 2 points?
- A penny saved is a penny put aside for your next game order.
- Let a smile be your strategy.
- Don’t put off until tomorrow the game you can play today.
- Idle hands means it’s not your turn.
- Look before you leap or you’ll soon fall behind in VPs.
- Fish and visitors stink in three days but some games stink right away.
- He who lives in a glass house has a house-sized display case for his games.
- A fool and his money are soon out of the game.
- Don’t look a gift meeple in the mouth.
- A rolling stone will be chased by the cat and batted under the refrigerator before you can grab it and put it back on the table.
~~~~~~~
O.k., that’s enough of that silly stuff. What’s been on my mind lately?
Quite unexpectedly I find myself curious about other types of war games besides the C&C system. I read the rules for Combat Commander: Europe and followed some threads on BGG. This left me interested but still hesitant. A lot of people are enjoying it very much but when I asked myself what I was really looking for, here’s what I came up with:
1. Freedom. I want the freedom to move whatever units I feel the need to move and attack wherever I feel the urge to attack.
2. Short. I think 2-2 ½ hours is a good length for me and my husband.
3. Rules. I need rules that make sense so that I can remember them instead of constantly looking things up. And preferably without dozens of steps/phases in each turn.
Everything else is up for grabs: minis or counters, hexes or point-to-point, card-driven or not.
Someone pointed out the video of Tide of Iron, which I watched and found interesting enough to follow up on the Geek. A day later, the rules were posted (thank you very much, Fantasy Flight) and I’m totally intrigued by this one. It sounds like it has everything I want and more. Tanks, troop transport, specialized units, three levels of elevation, squad building and transferring men between units. And rules that, for the most part, make sense. Yep, I’m very interested!
So what happens next? The release date gets postponed, of course! Oh, well; that gives me more time to devour the rules and make sure it’s what I really want. You know the old saying: Purchase in haste; repent at leisure.
Mary
- A penny saved is a penny put aside for your next game order.
- Let a smile be your strategy.
- Don’t put off until tomorrow the game you can play today.
- Idle hands means it’s not your turn.
- Look before you leap or you’ll soon fall behind in VPs.
- Fish and visitors stink in three days but some games stink right away.
- He who lives in a glass house has a house-sized display case for his games.
- A fool and his money are soon out of the game.
- Don’t look a gift meeple in the mouth.
- A rolling stone will be chased by the cat and batted under the refrigerator before you can grab it and put it back on the table.
~~~~~~~
O.k., that’s enough of that silly stuff. What’s been on my mind lately?
Quite unexpectedly I find myself curious about other types of war games besides the C&C system. I read the rules for Combat Commander: Europe and followed some threads on BGG. This left me interested but still hesitant. A lot of people are enjoying it very much but when I asked myself what I was really looking for, here’s what I came up with:
1. Freedom. I want the freedom to move whatever units I feel the need to move and attack wherever I feel the urge to attack.
2. Short. I think 2-2 ½ hours is a good length for me and my husband.
3. Rules. I need rules that make sense so that I can remember them instead of constantly looking things up. And preferably without dozens of steps/phases in each turn.
Everything else is up for grabs: minis or counters, hexes or point-to-point, card-driven or not.
Someone pointed out the video of Tide of Iron, which I watched and found interesting enough to follow up on the Geek. A day later, the rules were posted (thank you very much, Fantasy Flight) and I’m totally intrigued by this one. It sounds like it has everything I want and more. Tanks, troop transport, specialized units, three levels of elevation, squad building and transferring men between units. And rules that, for the most part, make sense. Yep, I’m very interested!
So what happens next? The release date gets postponed, of course! Oh, well; that gives me more time to devour the rules and make sure it’s what I really want. You know the old saying: Purchase in haste; repent at leisure.
Mary
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Special Guest Blogger--R.E.D.
I was searching blogs when I happened upon one written by a young Meeple and he was kind enough to give me permission to publish his first entry here at Gone Gaming. I hope you enjoy this peek into his life as much as I did.
~~~~~
My name is Reginald Eugene Daniel but my friends and family call me Red. My father’s a farmer and I help him a lot by keeping watch over his fields. Not much happens around here usually but it’s a good place to watch what’s going on in the city and surrounding area.
Last week someone finally bought the farm near us. His name is Beauregard Lionel Ulysses Eddrick (we just call him Blue) and he wanted us to share our field with him. Pop got so mad he turned maroon! It didn’t take long for him to call our cousin, Richard Elliot David, to come and help me guard the field. We managed to keep that old Blue from stealing our farm and being able to sell to the surrounding cities. It wasn’t all hard work, though. We went down to the river and made mud balls to throw at Blue. Now that was fun!
My mom’s second cousin once removed on her father’s side is one of the city guards. He says the city is growing so big that they might have to increase the number of guards. Boy, I’d sure like to do that. They get to wear a cool looking uniform and the girls just fall all over them. But Pop says he needs me here on the farm.
When I feel down about that or just feel like talking, I sometimes go and visit the priest in the nearby monastery, Father Gregory. He’s a real nice guy and very helpful even if he is old and his skin is kinda green. He’s very easy to talk to and I even told him about this girl I met who tends the pigs in the field across the road. Her name is Yolanda Eileen something. Her shape is wonderfully flat and she has blonde hair. She’s beautiful.
The most interesting thing that’s ever happened to me was the day I met a thief on the road. We talked for a long time about what it’s like to be a thief and I felt so sorry for him that I shared my lunch with him. I thought he could probably use it since he didn’t look too healthy. His skin was kinda gray looking and there was a big bump on his head. He said thank you very politely and then rode off towards the city. I think about him once in a while and hope he’s doing o.k.
Well, I better get to bed so I’ll be ready for another day of guarding the field. I hope I dream about Yolanda. I wonder what our kids would look like.
~~~~~
My name is Reginald Eugene Daniel but my friends and family call me Red. My father’s a farmer and I help him a lot by keeping watch over his fields. Not much happens around here usually but it’s a good place to watch what’s going on in the city and surrounding area.
Last week someone finally bought the farm near us. His name is Beauregard Lionel Ulysses Eddrick (we just call him Blue) and he wanted us to share our field with him. Pop got so mad he turned maroon! It didn’t take long for him to call our cousin, Richard Elliot David, to come and help me guard the field. We managed to keep that old Blue from stealing our farm and being able to sell to the surrounding cities. It wasn’t all hard work, though. We went down to the river and made mud balls to throw at Blue. Now that was fun!
My mom’s second cousin once removed on her father’s side is one of the city guards. He says the city is growing so big that they might have to increase the number of guards. Boy, I’d sure like to do that. They get to wear a cool looking uniform and the girls just fall all over them. But Pop says he needs me here on the farm.
When I feel down about that or just feel like talking, I sometimes go and visit the priest in the nearby monastery, Father Gregory. He’s a real nice guy and very helpful even if he is old and his skin is kinda green. He’s very easy to talk to and I even told him about this girl I met who tends the pigs in the field across the road. Her name is Yolanda Eileen something. Her shape is wonderfully flat and she has blonde hair. She’s beautiful.
The most interesting thing that’s ever happened to me was the day I met a thief on the road. We talked for a long time about what it’s like to be a thief and I felt so sorry for him that I shared my lunch with him. I thought he could probably use it since he didn’t look too healthy. His skin was kinda gray looking and there was a big bump on his head. He said thank you very politely and then rode off towards the city. I think about him once in a while and hope he’s doing o.k.
Well, I better get to bed so I’ll be ready for another day of guarding the field. I hope I dream about Yolanda. I wonder what our kids would look like.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
The Anniversary Tour--South Dakota
It felt like a dream, all my Gone Gaming friends in my home, discussing and playing games, laughing and teasing each other like kids on a sugar high. Although you’re all probably familiar with DW’s acerbic wit, Joe’s wonderful sense of humor and Yehuda’s wild imagination, you’d probably be surprised to hear how delightfully silly Shannon can be. We were all wiping tears from our eyes and gasping for breath when he pulled a green wig from his satchel and did a brilliant impersonation of Friedemann Friese. DW was a little late because he'd flown home to check on his goat--the sole survivor of our visit to Idaho--and then drove his Harley to North Dakota, where he called for directions. "South Dakota, DW," I told him. " Doesn't that two-wheeled beast do right turns?"
Fraser, again displaying his amazing sense of balance, Brian (Koldfoot), Shannon, myself, Joe Gola, DW and Yehuda at Mt. Rushmore.
Anyway, we started off the day’s activities with a trip to Mt. Rushmore which turned out to be more exciting than you’d imagine. The crowd of tourists were less than impressed when DW tried to ride his motorcycle through the Avenue of Flags. You’ve never seen so many angry tourists at one time and their language was more colorful than all the flags on display put together. After explaining to park security that he was from Idaho, they let him go and gave us a stern warning to keep an eye on him.
The Avenue of Flags, minus DW and his Harley.
In the gift shop we were not surprised to find copies of South Dakota Monopoly, which we all purchased. Just kidding. Only Yehuda bought one.
To start off the day’s gaming, I wanted something we could all play together which leaves pretty slim pickings since I don’t have any party games. I suggested Charades using game titles and since no one threw a giant hissy-fit tantrum, we broke into 2 groups, each with the sole purpose of driving the other team crazy.
We drew Go pieces to determine the teams. The black team DW, Brian, Shannon and Joe vs. the white team Fraser, Melissa, Yehuda and yours truly. A couple of rules were established—only English titles were allowed and no expansions. The teams each came up with 5 titles, one for each player and an extra in case of any disputes about the qualifications of a title.
Since this was all my idea, I volunteered to go first. I reached into the pile of folded paper and pulled out… Conquest of the Empire. My brain froze. Con. Quest. Empire.
“Are you ready?” asked Joe, keeper of the time.
“Uuhh,” I hesitated. Empire. Conquest. “Sure.” After signaling that this was a 4-word title and I was going for the 1st word, I proceeded to hack and slash at a make-believe opponent ending with my foot proudly placed on my opponent’s make-believe chest.
“Fight.” “Sword.” “Slash.” “Triumph.” O.k., now we’re getting close. Work with it, guys, and I did that “come on” finger waggle. “Victory.” “Conquer.” Ah-hah! Pointing at Fraser and then doing the so-so see-saw movement with my hand, I manage to draw “conquest” from my brilliant teammates who then filled in “of the” all by themselves.
Empire. Oh, boy. First syllable—draw an “M” in the air. “M. Empire! Conquest of the Empire!” Oh, yeah. Time to do a little happy dance!
First up for the black team was Joe who read his chosen title, then open and closed his mouth a couple of times like he wanted to say something but couldn’t. Joe Gola, speechless. It was a moment to cherish.
Finally, he signaled he was ready. Two words, first word: and he commenced to tie something around his waist. "No, wait," he signed, hands waving in the air. He then put something over his head and across his chest from left shoulder to right hip. A sash. Yes.
Second word, first syllable, small word—and he takes some imaginary item and clutches it to his chest. Me. My. Yes, my is right.
Second word, second syllable, sounds like—standing on his toes, palm on his head then rising straight up. Grow? Stretch? No. Now he bends his knees, reaches his hand out in front of him, palm down and about 2 feet off of the floor. The next moment, he’s stretched on his toes with his hand stretched way over his head. Ah-hah…tall! Sounds like tall…fall, wall, hall. Hall!
Sash My-hall...Taj Mahal. We were so impressed that there was congratulations and applause from both teams.
Fraser’s turn now. He reads the title and his eyes pop open with amazement. “Crikey, you guys are vicious!” Snickers and full-scale guffaws emanate from The Beastie Boys on the other side of the room.
After a few head-scratching moments, Fraser says he’s ready to give it a go. Two words, first word, sounds like—he points towards the ceiling, drawing a large square with his finger. A whole in the roof? No. His fingers rain down something from the ceiling and then he shields his eyes. Ohhh, a skylight. Yes! Sounds like skylight—twilight, of course. Twilight Struggle? No. Twilight Imperium? Yes! Well done, Fraser. High fives all around.
A quick game of rock-paper-scissors awarded the next turn to DW who almost choked on his tongue when he read his title. “I’m not doing this! This is bullshit! Who came up with this?” as he uncrumples the paper to show us. Fingers point in all directions, smiles on every face.
“That’s a legitimate clue, DW. If you don’t do it, you forfeit the game,” Yehuda tells him. Unanimous agreement from the remaining white team members. “Come on, DW,” adds Melissa, “don’t spoil the fun.”
“YOUR fun,” he grumbles, but his mind finally begins to think of a plan. Two words, the whole thing at once—he squares his shoulders, tips his nose high into the air, and with a sharp twist of his head averts his gaze from all of us. Amidst the laughter, Brian manages to say, “Euro-snoot!” Hand signals signify that they’re on the right track so ideas are flung faster than DW can keep track of. Snooty. Arrogant. Blue-nose” Cocky. Snob. No, no, DW signals. This obviously isn’t working. Time to try something desperate.
Second word, two syllables, first syllable--he turns his back to everyone and mimes a man urinating. By now his team is nearly useless with laughter but a red-faced DW finishes his make-believe business and flushes. He then points at the imaginary facility. John. Toilet. Yes, now shorten it, says DW’s hands. Toi? Yes. Second syllable—he curls his index finger and drinks from an invisible cup then points at the contents. Coffee. No. Tea. Yes. Toi-tea. And a light dawns in everyone’s eyes and the whole team yells, “Hoity Toity” and breaks into cheers, both for their brilliance and DW’s.
Yehuda demonstrated his gentlemanly side by insisting that Melissa take the next turn, which turned out to be lucky for her since she got an easy one while Yehuda…well, I’m getting ahead of myself.
Melissa read her title, thought for a moment and a sly smile slid across her face. “Right! I’m ready.” Two words, second word, sounds like—she took a finger and outlined her pocket, then stuck her hand in it and pointed to it with her other hand. Pocket. Yes. Sounds like…socket, locket, rocket. Yes, rocket! “Stephenson’s Rocket,” Fraser said, jumping up from his seat and giving his wife a hug. Oh, yeah. Record time, 18 seconds. It was our good luck that Fraser’s waiting for this one to be reprinted so it was pretty much in the front of his mind.
Next up was Brian who read his title and declared it was illegal. “This isn’t English!”
“But it’s the English title,” we argued.
“This isn’t an English word, it’s not any language; it’s a made up word!”
We relented, DVONN was discarded and he drew another paper from the dwindling pile. “I changed my mind. I’ll do the first one; I love the first one; sorry I said anything.”
Nope. No way. You wanted it, you got it.
Two words, first word—Brian points to Fraser and Melissa then draws a house in the air, a roof and two walls. Their house, Australia? Yes! Make it longer, though, he signs. Australian? Right! Now the tough part. Second word, four syllables, first syllable—he points to all the guys on the black team, towards Yehuda and Fraser all while nodding his head “yes”. Then he points to Melissa and me and shakes his head “no”. Boy. Man. Ah! Almost. Men! Second syllable—small word. A. Yes. Men-a. “Menopause—Australian Menopause!” Joe yells. Oh, get real! Who would play a game called Australian Menopause? Melissa and I exchange a look and yell, “We would!” while laughing at the men. “Minotaur,” guesses Shannon. No.
Brian is thinking furiously while all this is going on, I can tell by the glassy look in his eyes. An idea! Third and fourth syllables—twelve fingers are displayed (not all at once, of course) and he sits in a chair looking bored but watching some action going on which we can’t see. Twelve, h reiterates. Don’t you get it? Suddenly DW realizes what Brian is doing. Jury! Men-a-jury. They threw this weird sounding word around a few times before Joe and Shannon both heard it at the same time. Australian Menagerie. They finally got it but it took a while, which hurt their total time score especially considering Melissa’s quick turn. One last player to go for each team.
Yehuda drew from the last 2 pieces of paper for our side. An eyebrow went up and a happy grin lit his face. “Ready!” he said. Two words, first word, three syllables, first syllable—and he quickly points to the black team, Fraser and himself while nodding his head “yes”. Men! Menopause! Laughter ensues. Shhh, we’re wasting time. Second syllable—small word. A. Yes. Menagerie again? No. But he points towards the black team, specifically Shannon. Minotaur? Exactly! Minotaur Lords? Yes!
Well, that was a very lucky break for us and now we’re ahead by quite a bit with only Shannon to go for the black team. He’s going to have to pull off an incredible feat in order to give his team the win.
Shannon takes the last remaining piece of paper from their pile, reads it and actually laughs! Oh-oh, what’s going on in his ingenious mind?
Two words, whole title at once—and with a big grin on his face, he holds up one finger in front of him. That’s all. My team and I do a mental head slap as the black team yells Die Macher and Puerto Rico, knowing one of them had to be the right answer. Puerto Rico! The number one most popular game on the Geek. Why we didn’t see that coming, I don’t know but there it is. Shannon got his title in 5 seconds to win the game for his team.
From the laughter and discussion of the game afterwards, I’d say everyone had a good time. By the way, the last clue, the one we didn’t have to use, was Advanced Civilization. Ewwww.
We then split up to play various games with different combinations of people. I got to play Trias with Fraser, Melissa and Shannon and let me warn you that the soft-spoken Melissa is a devious dino dunker. She’d sooner send your little guys swimming than look at them. She managed to win by a fair amount.
I played Das Ende Der Triumvirats with Yehuda and Brian. Crassus Yehudus won with a Competence Victory, Caesar Brianus had been elected Consul once and Pompeius Marius seems to have spent way too much time lying around eating peeled grapes or something.
My dream of playing Command & Colors with DW came true, too. We played the Lake Trasimenus scenario with me as the Carthaginians through the luck of the draw. Good thing, too, because I barely managed the win even though they start with a stronger position. This was a great experience and I think I learned a few things from a master wargamer.
Finally, I got to play Torres with Joe, Shannon and Brian. This was a very close game, hard-fought to the very end. Shannon won with me behind him by 2 points. Joe and Brian finished 2 and 3 points behind me, respectively. I play Torres a lot online and do very well but this is different since I don’t have all the time in the world to walk through all of my options. But we all took our time planning our moves while trying to ignore the rowdy game of Hacienda in the other room.
Two tired kitties after a long day with strangers.
It was a wonderful day and I wouldn’t change a thing. Well, maybe one thing. I think my cat, Bess, liked Shannon better than she likes me.
Fraser, again displaying his amazing sense of balance, Brian (Koldfoot), Shannon, myself, Joe Gola, DW and Yehuda at Mt. Rushmore.
Anyway, we started off the day’s activities with a trip to Mt. Rushmore which turned out to be more exciting than you’d imagine. The crowd of tourists were less than impressed when DW tried to ride his motorcycle through the Avenue of Flags. You’ve never seen so many angry tourists at one time and their language was more colorful than all the flags on display put together. After explaining to park security that he was from Idaho, they let him go and gave us a stern warning to keep an eye on him.
The Avenue of Flags, minus DW and his Harley.
In the gift shop we were not surprised to find copies of South Dakota Monopoly, which we all purchased. Just kidding. Only Yehuda bought one.
To start off the day’s gaming, I wanted something we could all play together which leaves pretty slim pickings since I don’t have any party games. I suggested Charades using game titles and since no one threw a giant hissy-fit tantrum, we broke into 2 groups, each with the sole purpose of driving the other team crazy.
We drew Go pieces to determine the teams. The black team DW, Brian, Shannon and Joe vs. the white team Fraser, Melissa, Yehuda and yours truly. A couple of rules were established—only English titles were allowed and no expansions. The teams each came up with 5 titles, one for each player and an extra in case of any disputes about the qualifications of a title.
Since this was all my idea, I volunteered to go first. I reached into the pile of folded paper and pulled out… Conquest of the Empire. My brain froze. Con. Quest. Empire.
“Are you ready?” asked Joe, keeper of the time.
“Uuhh,” I hesitated. Empire. Conquest. “Sure.” After signaling that this was a 4-word title and I was going for the 1st word, I proceeded to hack and slash at a make-believe opponent ending with my foot proudly placed on my opponent’s make-believe chest.
“Fight.” “Sword.” “Slash.” “Triumph.” O.k., now we’re getting close. Work with it, guys, and I did that “come on” finger waggle. “Victory.” “Conquer.” Ah-hah! Pointing at Fraser and then doing the so-so see-saw movement with my hand, I manage to draw “conquest” from my brilliant teammates who then filled in “of the” all by themselves.
Empire. Oh, boy. First syllable—draw an “M” in the air. “M. Empire! Conquest of the Empire!” Oh, yeah. Time to do a little happy dance!
First up for the black team was Joe who read his chosen title, then open and closed his mouth a couple of times like he wanted to say something but couldn’t. Joe Gola, speechless. It was a moment to cherish.
Finally, he signaled he was ready. Two words, first word: and he commenced to tie something around his waist. "No, wait," he signed, hands waving in the air. He then put something over his head and across his chest from left shoulder to right hip. A sash. Yes.
Second word, first syllable, small word—and he takes some imaginary item and clutches it to his chest. Me. My. Yes, my is right.
Second word, second syllable, sounds like—standing on his toes, palm on his head then rising straight up. Grow? Stretch? No. Now he bends his knees, reaches his hand out in front of him, palm down and about 2 feet off of the floor. The next moment, he’s stretched on his toes with his hand stretched way over his head. Ah-hah…tall! Sounds like tall…fall, wall, hall. Hall!
Sash My-hall...Taj Mahal. We were so impressed that there was congratulations and applause from both teams.
Fraser’s turn now. He reads the title and his eyes pop open with amazement. “Crikey, you guys are vicious!” Snickers and full-scale guffaws emanate from The Beastie Boys on the other side of the room.
After a few head-scratching moments, Fraser says he’s ready to give it a go. Two words, first word, sounds like—he points towards the ceiling, drawing a large square with his finger. A whole in the roof? No. His fingers rain down something from the ceiling and then he shields his eyes. Ohhh, a skylight. Yes! Sounds like skylight—twilight, of course. Twilight Struggle? No. Twilight Imperium? Yes! Well done, Fraser. High fives all around.
A quick game of rock-paper-scissors awarded the next turn to DW who almost choked on his tongue when he read his title. “I’m not doing this! This is bullshit! Who came up with this?” as he uncrumples the paper to show us. Fingers point in all directions, smiles on every face.
“That’s a legitimate clue, DW. If you don’t do it, you forfeit the game,” Yehuda tells him. Unanimous agreement from the remaining white team members. “Come on, DW,” adds Melissa, “don’t spoil the fun.”
“YOUR fun,” he grumbles, but his mind finally begins to think of a plan. Two words, the whole thing at once—he squares his shoulders, tips his nose high into the air, and with a sharp twist of his head averts his gaze from all of us. Amidst the laughter, Brian manages to say, “Euro-snoot!” Hand signals signify that they’re on the right track so ideas are flung faster than DW can keep track of. Snooty. Arrogant. Blue-nose” Cocky. Snob. No, no, DW signals. This obviously isn’t working. Time to try something desperate.
Second word, two syllables, first syllable--he turns his back to everyone and mimes a man urinating. By now his team is nearly useless with laughter but a red-faced DW finishes his make-believe business and flushes. He then points at the imaginary facility. John. Toilet. Yes, now shorten it, says DW’s hands. Toi? Yes. Second syllable—he curls his index finger and drinks from an invisible cup then points at the contents. Coffee. No. Tea. Yes. Toi-tea. And a light dawns in everyone’s eyes and the whole team yells, “Hoity Toity” and breaks into cheers, both for their brilliance and DW’s.
Yehuda demonstrated his gentlemanly side by insisting that Melissa take the next turn, which turned out to be lucky for her since she got an easy one while Yehuda…well, I’m getting ahead of myself.
Melissa read her title, thought for a moment and a sly smile slid across her face. “Right! I’m ready.” Two words, second word, sounds like—she took a finger and outlined her pocket, then stuck her hand in it and pointed to it with her other hand. Pocket. Yes. Sounds like…socket, locket, rocket. Yes, rocket! “Stephenson’s Rocket,” Fraser said, jumping up from his seat and giving his wife a hug. Oh, yeah. Record time, 18 seconds. It was our good luck that Fraser’s waiting for this one to be reprinted so it was pretty much in the front of his mind.
Next up was Brian who read his title and declared it was illegal. “This isn’t English!”
“But it’s the English title,” we argued.
“This isn’t an English word, it’s not any language; it’s a made up word!”
We relented, DVONN was discarded and he drew another paper from the dwindling pile. “I changed my mind. I’ll do the first one; I love the first one; sorry I said anything.”
Nope. No way. You wanted it, you got it.
Two words, first word—Brian points to Fraser and Melissa then draws a house in the air, a roof and two walls. Their house, Australia? Yes! Make it longer, though, he signs. Australian? Right! Now the tough part. Second word, four syllables, first syllable—he points to all the guys on the black team, towards Yehuda and Fraser all while nodding his head “yes”. Then he points to Melissa and me and shakes his head “no”. Boy. Man. Ah! Almost. Men! Second syllable—small word. A. Yes. Men-a. “Menopause—Australian Menopause!” Joe yells. Oh, get real! Who would play a game called Australian Menopause? Melissa and I exchange a look and yell, “We would!” while laughing at the men. “Minotaur,” guesses Shannon. No.
Brian is thinking furiously while all this is going on, I can tell by the glassy look in his eyes. An idea! Third and fourth syllables—twelve fingers are displayed (not all at once, of course) and he sits in a chair looking bored but watching some action going on which we can’t see. Twelve, h reiterates. Don’t you get it? Suddenly DW realizes what Brian is doing. Jury! Men-a-jury. They threw this weird sounding word around a few times before Joe and Shannon both heard it at the same time. Australian Menagerie. They finally got it but it took a while, which hurt their total time score especially considering Melissa’s quick turn. One last player to go for each team.
Yehuda drew from the last 2 pieces of paper for our side. An eyebrow went up and a happy grin lit his face. “Ready!” he said. Two words, first word, three syllables, first syllable—and he quickly points to the black team, Fraser and himself while nodding his head “yes”. Men! Menopause! Laughter ensues. Shhh, we’re wasting time. Second syllable—small word. A. Yes. Menagerie again? No. But he points towards the black team, specifically Shannon. Minotaur? Exactly! Minotaur Lords? Yes!
Well, that was a very lucky break for us and now we’re ahead by quite a bit with only Shannon to go for the black team. He’s going to have to pull off an incredible feat in order to give his team the win.
Shannon takes the last remaining piece of paper from their pile, reads it and actually laughs! Oh-oh, what’s going on in his ingenious mind?
Two words, whole title at once—and with a big grin on his face, he holds up one finger in front of him. That’s all. My team and I do a mental head slap as the black team yells Die Macher and Puerto Rico, knowing one of them had to be the right answer. Puerto Rico! The number one most popular game on the Geek. Why we didn’t see that coming, I don’t know but there it is. Shannon got his title in 5 seconds to win the game for his team.
From the laughter and discussion of the game afterwards, I’d say everyone had a good time. By the way, the last clue, the one we didn’t have to use, was Advanced Civilization. Ewwww.
We then split up to play various games with different combinations of people. I got to play Trias with Fraser, Melissa and Shannon and let me warn you that the soft-spoken Melissa is a devious dino dunker. She’d sooner send your little guys swimming than look at them. She managed to win by a fair amount.
I played Das Ende Der Triumvirats with Yehuda and Brian. Crassus Yehudus won with a Competence Victory, Caesar Brianus had been elected Consul once and Pompeius Marius seems to have spent way too much time lying around eating peeled grapes or something.
My dream of playing Command & Colors with DW came true, too. We played the Lake Trasimenus scenario with me as the Carthaginians through the luck of the draw. Good thing, too, because I barely managed the win even though they start with a stronger position. This was a great experience and I think I learned a few things from a master wargamer.
Finally, I got to play Torres with Joe, Shannon and Brian. This was a very close game, hard-fought to the very end. Shannon won with me behind him by 2 points. Joe and Brian finished 2 and 3 points behind me, respectively. I play Torres a lot online and do very well but this is different since I don’t have all the time in the world to walk through all of my options. But we all took our time planning our moves while trying to ignore the rowdy game of Hacienda in the other room.
Two tired kitties after a long day with strangers.
It was a wonderful day and I wouldn’t change a thing. Well, maybe one thing. I think my cat, Bess, liked Shannon better than she likes me.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
You Might Be A Gamer If...
This was originally posted on my personal blog but I had no fresh ideas this week so I’ve updated this with a couple of new lines.
If the emergency kit in your car’s trunk includes a game for any situation, you might be a gamer.
If your idea of a Square Dance is four people moving around a Formula De board on your kitchen table, you might be a gamer.
If you’ve ever spent more money in a week on games than on groceries, you might be a gamer.
If it’s extremely important to figure out what game the Peanuts gang are playing, you might be a gamer.
If your wife asks you to take out the trash and you grab the Monopoly game, you might be a gamer.
If someone asks you “Have you heard the news?”, and you immediately think that the new game you’ve been waiting for has finally been released, you might be a gamer.
If you knock out a wall in your home to improve access to the game table, you might be a gamer.
If you take a German language course just so you can read the original rules, you might be a gamer.
If your idea of an innovative thinker is the guy who decided to make game pawns that look like little wooden people, you might be a gamer.
If you ever returned that thoughtful gift from your mom and took the money to your local game store to buy a new game, you might be a gamer.
If the first thought you have when you wake up to a blizzard is that it’s Game Time, you might be a gamer.
If receiving your income tax return means finally placing that big game order, you might be a gamer.
If you’ve ever been awakened in the middle of the night by a horrible dream involving cardboard and a large glass of soda, you might be a gamer.
If your favorite designer isn’t interested in fabric color and texture, you might be a gamer.
If your dog gets excited by the sight of the UPS truck coming up the street, you might be a gamer.
If you bought your house mainly for the “game room” you could create, you might be a gamer.
If you carry a picture of your game collection in your wallet, you might be a gamer.
If you buy small Ziploc bags by the case, you might be a gamer.
If you have game rules lying on the back of your toilet instead of the Reader’s Digest, you might be a gamer.
If your dream vacation includes a small bag of clothes and a large empty suitcase, you might be a gamer.
If you have to rearrange some part of your living space to make room for your games, you might be a gamer.
If you’ve ever turned down a date simply because it was on Game Night, you might be a gamer.
If your 3-year-old knows what a DVONN is, you might be a gamer.
If you want your epitaph to read “He/she played a good game”, you might be a gamer.
~~~~~~~~
SLOW
Gamer Crossing
Mary
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Life: The Game
Games come with a wide variety of themes ranging from the ridiculous to the brilliant, from pure fantasy to the historical but I can see many aspects of gaming in our day to day lives.
Love is a game. In the search for your perfect mate, you’ll be trying to find the best balance between unwanted traits and must-have traits. He loves football, which you can’t stand, but he also loves cats. She spends too much money on clothes but she loves camping. The love game also involves some hidden information, slight bluffing and tense timing.
Travel is a game. First you must decide your mode of transportation: walk, bike, drive a car, take a bus or hail a taxi are your most likely options. In each case you’ll be forced to find the shortest, fastest route and one you can afford. For some people, the choice of routes are limited but in all cases the player must still deal with all of the other players who are likewise “traveling”. Any bad move you make could result in your elimination from the game.
Career/Job is a game. Actually, these are two distinctly different games.
Career is a game of advancement as you gather the necessary items to move to the next level. The version you’ve chosen to play will decide which items you will be required to find or tasks you’ll be required to perform. There is a unique one-sided co-operation element to this game where you decide the amount of co-operation you wish to offer and the gamer playing the “Boss” will decide if it is enough to satisfy his hidden requirements.
Job is more of a roll & move game where you will often be drawing a face-down card. Some of these cards have good events but many will have bad. How you respond to these unforeseen events will determine how well you do. Many people have tried different versions of this game before deciding on one that they enjoy playing while others have traded their copy of Job for a copy of Career. A few have gone on to be designers of some version of Job.
Politics is a game. This is a vicious, very confrontational game of negotiation, bribery, co-operation, and secret voting as well as open voting all wrapped up in an area-majority game. The toughest part of this game is determining the winner as often the winners and losers aren’t even the ones playing the game.
Raising children is a game. This is a role-playing/memory game with you on one side and all the sub-players on the other. Your job is to make up the rules as you go along and remember them throughout the entire game. The rules may change with each new player but it’s up to you to convince the sub-players that they make sense. You win when all the sub-players leave the game and go on to play games of their own.
~~~~~~~
Until next time, keep your chits in order.
Mary
Love is a game. In the search for your perfect mate, you’ll be trying to find the best balance between unwanted traits and must-have traits. He loves football, which you can’t stand, but he also loves cats. She spends too much money on clothes but she loves camping. The love game also involves some hidden information, slight bluffing and tense timing.
Travel is a game. First you must decide your mode of transportation: walk, bike, drive a car, take a bus or hail a taxi are your most likely options. In each case you’ll be forced to find the shortest, fastest route and one you can afford. For some people, the choice of routes are limited but in all cases the player must still deal with all of the other players who are likewise “traveling”. Any bad move you make could result in your elimination from the game.
Career/Job is a game. Actually, these are two distinctly different games.
Career is a game of advancement as you gather the necessary items to move to the next level. The version you’ve chosen to play will decide which items you will be required to find or tasks you’ll be required to perform. There is a unique one-sided co-operation element to this game where you decide the amount of co-operation you wish to offer and the gamer playing the “Boss” will decide if it is enough to satisfy his hidden requirements.
Job is more of a roll & move game where you will often be drawing a face-down card. Some of these cards have good events but many will have bad. How you respond to these unforeseen events will determine how well you do. Many people have tried different versions of this game before deciding on one that they enjoy playing while others have traded their copy of Job for a copy of Career. A few have gone on to be designers of some version of Job.
Politics is a game. This is a vicious, very confrontational game of negotiation, bribery, co-operation, and secret voting as well as open voting all wrapped up in an area-majority game. The toughest part of this game is determining the winner as often the winners and losers aren’t even the ones playing the game.
Raising children is a game. This is a role-playing/memory game with you on one side and all the sub-players on the other. Your job is to make up the rules as you go along and remember them throughout the entire game. The rules may change with each new player but it’s up to you to convince the sub-players that they make sense. You win when all the sub-players leave the game and go on to play games of their own.
~~~~~~~
Until next time, keep your chits in order.
Mary
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Conversations in Gaming
-What do ya wanta play?
-I don’t care. Whatever you wanna play.
-Wanta race?
-Nah.
-How about a card game?
-Not really. I want something a little heavier.
-Blokus?
-No, I’m not in the mood for an abstract.
-Carcassonne: The City then?
-Perfect. You know me so well.
_____
-What do you get if you cross Carcassonne with Daytona 500?
-I don’t know.
-Meeples that can only make left turns.
-I’m guessing you just made that up.
-No, it’s been handed down in my family for generations! Of course, I just made that up. How about this: What do you get if you cross Monkeys on the Moon with Command & Colors: Ancients?
-Ummm…ancient monkeys who ride elephants?
-Nope. Romans who like to monkey around.
_____
-The weather forecast for tomorrow says “almost balmy”. What do you think that means?
-Haven’t a clue but obviously there’s some technical data that determines a cut-off for balmy.
-Well, whatever it is, it sounds better than “nearly frigid.”
-We’re still talking about the weather, right?
-Depends on who wins this game.
_____
-Did you know you’re looking awfully cute today?
-Am I?
-Uh-huh.
-I think you’re trying to distract me from the game.
-Would I do that? I know you have a mind like a steel trap. Of course, a few of the teeth are missing.
-Good thing for you or I’d totally annihilate you instead of just kicking your butt. How’s that for a play?
-Oh, that wasn’t very nice.
-I know. Am I still cute?
-The cute is getting a little fuzzy around the edges, dear.
____
-What’s on TV tonight?
-Well, you have a choice: stupid crap, boring crap, asinine crap, reality crap or plain ole crappy crap.
-So then…another game?
-Oh, yeah.
~~~~~~~~~
Until next time, may your “Q” always triple score.
Mary
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
The Game Psychiatrist--The Substitute
Dr: Hello, you must be Mary.M: Hi, where’s Dr. Meepolous?
Dr: He had to be away for the week. I’m Dr. Boardbent. How are you doing today, Mary?
M: Well, Doctor, I think I’m losing my love for gaming.
Dr: Uh-huh, that’s good. Dr. Meepolous will be very happy to hear that.
M: ?? You don’t understand; I’m here because that’s a BAD thing. For the last 3 years, gaming has been a big part of my life. What will I do if I lose interest in it?
Dr: You will spend all that wasted money on something worthwhile. Gambling is a terrible addiction which takes your money and leaves you with nothing.
M: !! Gambling! I don’t gamble, I play board games! Are you sure Dr. Meepolous isn’t in the other room? Maybe this is just a test of some sort. Maybe I’m on TV!
Dr: Oh, board games. Yes. I see. Well, you could read a book or take a class in painting.
M: Doc, I hate to say this, but you’re really beginning to piss me off. Have you ever played any Euro-games?
Dr: Euro-games….hmmm…I played Monopoly once as a child and I used to play Risk in college.
M: That’s it?! THAT’S your idea of board games?! Oh, for the love of Knizia!! (heavy sigh) O.k., Doc, there are other games now; games that don’t take hours and hours to play and leave you feeling like the 9th puppy of an 8-teat dog. (Starting to pace the floor) These games give you decisions to make, get your brain working, give you strategic choices.
Dr: Risk has all those things, Mary.
M: You’re just messing with me, aren’t you? And how many games of Risk did you lose because the dice were siding with the other guy just when you REALLY needed them to come up with a lot of happy little pips on them?
Dr: Mm-hmmm. I see your point.
M: Here’s what I’m going to do for you, Doc, I’m going to bring in a couple of my games to show you. Are you going to be here tomorrow?
Dr: Yes. I have a free hour at 2:00.
M: Great. I’ll see you then.
{M to self: I can’t believe Dr. Meepolous had THAT guy sub for him.}
{Dr. to self: That was TOO easy. I hope she brings in Torres; I’ll play that with any number of players.}
~~~~~~~~
Flandern 1302—A Stagnant Game
I’ve played Flandern 1302 twice, once with 3 players and once with 4, the maximum number of players, and both times I’ve been less than impressed with it; it was, in a word, flat. I was left with the feeling that there should be a good game there but I couldn’t find it.
The board is set up with 6 areas depicting cities, each with 13 spaces to place your tiles in trying to get the majority in the city. Each player has the same hand of cards which include one card for each city that lets you build in that city, a card that lets you build in any city but doesn’t let that tile count until you play in that city again and remove the “under construction” marker, a card that lets you pick up your played cards, and three one-time-use “influence” cards which can give you the chance to play first.
Each player has a set of tiles that match the color of one of the cities but there are also tiles which match the remaining 2 cities. The gray tiles represent another guild vying for superiority in the cities and can be played by anyone. The church tiles can also be played by anyone and add points to the city’s worth when it’s scored.
All players choose a card (or cards, if you want to use your influence to go first) and they are revealed at the same time. The player who plays first is the one who played the most cards but most often all players will choose only 1 card so the start player goes first. If you chose a city card, you can place one of your tiles, one from the neutral guild, or one of the church tiles on that city. The only rules for placement of tiles is that it must be adjacent to a tile already placed and it cannot touch another tile of that color along an edge.
That’s the basics of the game. A city is scored when no more tiles can be added to it.
I can be tenacious when something bugs me so I’ve spent some time trying to figure out why this game doesn’t appeal to me or the other gamers I’ve played it with. My conclusion is that I like a game to have “movement”, the ability to change the board or expand it in some way. My favorite games have that: Magna Grecia, Through the Desert, Torres, Trias, Hacienda, Hansa.
So now I have an answer and my brain proceeds to apply it to this stagnant game. Instead of simply placing a tile on a city, let’s offer you the choice of moving a tile to another city. Now you can change the board and it forces another choice on you: where to put the piece to do you no harm and maybe screwing up someone else in the process. That could work.
The influence cards that let you go first are nice but going first isn’t important very often, at least that was the feeling I got. What if playing the influence card let you take a second turn in the city you chose? Now you can remove a piece from a city and replace it with another. Or you can place 2 tiles in a city in one turn and complete it for scoring. Now THAT’S what I call influence!
Would these changes make the game more appealing to us? I don’t know and it may be a while before I can convince the others to give it a try. There are so many very good games that I rarely get to play, do I even care to waste the time fiddling with this one? And would these changes now make the game even slower since you have more decisions to make? If someone decides to give this a try, I’d love to know what you think.
~~~~~~~~
Sites
For all of you who like to play games online, there’s a new PBEM site called MaBi Web which offers Hansa and Richelieu. I’ve played several games of Hansa and I’m very impressed with the graphics and implementation of the game. It’s easy to use and has all the features you want in an online game including letting you start your turn over again—almost a requirement in a game where you can play your turn in so many ways. The site is still in Beta testing so there may still be a bug or two but MaBi is very nice and quickly replies to any questions or problems.
I also want to let you know that I have started my own personal blog where I plan to talk about my gaming as well as other things that pop into my head. Come and visit me at Meeple Monologues.
~~~~~~~~
Until next time, keep your penguins on the ice.
Mary
Monday, January 23, 2006
Play Me
D.W. had to take an unexpected trip today so I'm filling in for him. I hope all you D.W. fans won't be too disappointed.
~~~~~~~
If I were a game, I’d be light and fun, the theme prompting lots of laughter and teasing. I believe there’s nothing in life better than a good laugh that leaves you breathless and still giggling even after the “funny” has worn off.
I’d be unpredictable, using cards to throw a bit of chance into the game. After all, life is unpredictable, forcing you to deal with whatever is thrown in your path.
I’d be tactical rather than strategic as I’ve never been good at looking at the long-term or planning life too far in advance. I’d have Action Points, forcing you to budget your turn as you would budget your income.
I’d be irreverent, poking fun at something people feel strongly about or making a point about something that is controversial. A rant disguised as a game.
My rules would be simple and straightforward, your goal clear. I would not be a gamer’s game, the path from here to there convoluted by multiple mechanics and wrapped in layers of phases, or requiring heavy analysis.
I would play with 2-4 players and the colors of my pieces would be black, Richard’s favorite color to play, orange, Cori’s favorite, and green and blue, my favorite colors depending on my mood.
Egads!! I’m the love child of Torres and Busen Memo!!
~~~~~~~~
Still on the Wagon
It’s been 7 weeks since I’ve bought a game. I WAS tempted to order the East Front expansion for Memoir ’44 but then I received an email notification of the shipment of Command and Colors: Ancients so I controlled my impulse. (applause from the assembled addicts)
This has turned out to be a good thing not only because I’ve spent enough money on games in the last 2+ years but because my husband has discovered eBay so the credit card, for the most part, has changed hands and hobbies. While I’m taking a big break from game buying, Richard is buying motorcycle parts so he can get his old motorcycles in perfect form. He’s been trying to find these parts locally but with no luck so eBay has become his addiction lately. Carburetors, gauges and side covers have replaced games on my Visa statement.
~~~~~~~~
Until next time, remember Meeples are peoples, too.
Mary
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
A Winter Game
Richard, Cori and I sit down at the kitchen table to play a game—it doesn’t matter which one, pick any game that takes longer than 5 minutes to set up and play.
Before we finish setting it up, Serek (Cori’s black cat) wants outside. I get up from my place beside the door, open the door and use my foot to push open the pet door in the storm door. If you don’t offer this bit of courtesy, the cats will sit there for any length of time trying to determine if it’s safe to go out, so the expedient thing to do is push up the flap and offer a word of encouragement: “GO!”
I barely sit back down when Bear (my black cat) decides that if Serek is going out, he wants out, too. Repeat above process to hurry Bear on his way. “Oh, wait for me,” Spencer (Cori’s long-haired black cat) says and scoots out the door after Bear.
O.k., let’s see. Cori took her turn but before I can comprehend her actions, there’s a “thunk” at the door. That’s the sound of the pet door swinging inward and hitting the inside door. Richard stretches sideways, leaning at a precarious angle from his chair, and opens the door. In bursts a cold cat. Serek has found out that it’s cold outside and even the birds are hiding somewhere with their feathers puffed up for warmth.
Ten seconds after the door is closed, there’s another “thunk.” Yes, Bear has made the same discovery as Serek. No, Spencer isn’t right behind him; that would be too easy. We get in a whole round before he’s bored and wants back in but by now, Serek has forgotten that it’s cold and miserable outside and wants to give it another go.
Rinse and repeat until we humans have had enough and yell at the cats in our hopelessly optimistic way. Much of our concentration is now gone as we listen to cats meowing and clawing at the doorframe in their attempt to make us change our minds. If we can hold out long enough, they will go away and play. Unfortunately, that can be as distracting as opening the door.
We manage to take another couple of turns when a terrible cacophony of hissing, yeowling and thumping of small bodies assaults our ears. “SPENCER!” He’s the biggest and a bit of a bully so the other cats do not enjoy his idea of a good-natured romp.
Now Tucker (our Corgi) figures it’s a good time to go outside and leave the madness behind but at least he doesn’t require the same flap-opening courtesy that the cats do and pushes his way through and into the cold. His expedition lasts five minutes which lets us play uninterrupted for that long.
Suddenly I feel a sharp pain in my leg just above the knee. Hello, Bess (my tortoise shell baby). She’s feeling neglected but doesn’t really like to be held so I reach down and pet her head and Cori checks to make sure there’s food in the cats’ bowl.
Now who’s turn is it? Mine? Well, let’s see. I think I’ll…
With the grace only a feline possesses, Bess has landed on the table. Luckily, she’s barely touched the board but if you try to pick up a cat and remove it from where it wants to be, the physical fight that ensues results in something getting destroyed. The best bet is to help the misplaced kitty to a more desirable setting with a little push in the right direction.
Whew, that was close. Alright, it’s my turn, right?
Meeoowww. Claw, scratch. Serek wants out. -----
So, my friends, who’d like to bring over their brand new copy of Caylus to teach to me and my family? I hear it’s a great game and only takes about 4 hours.
~~~~~~~~
Until next time, laugh, love and wonder.
Mary
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
A Christmas Carol for Gamers
It’s almost Thanksgiving here in America, which marks the beginning of Christmas carol season in my house. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, I’m allowed to play Christmas music to my heart’s content, then back on the shelf they go. So in keeping with the season, I’ve come up with a gamer’s version of The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire).
M’nop’ly roasting on an open fire,
Choices nipping at your mind,
Many friends and comfortable attire.
Here’s Christmas of a gamer’s kind.
Everybody knows some meeples and some wooden bits
Help to make the season bright.
Grown up tots with their eyes all aglow
Will find it hard to sleep tonight.
They know that Santa’s on his way,
He’s loaded lots of card- and board games on his sleigh.
And every Euro-geek is gonna smile
Because he has enough games now for awhile.
And so I’m offering you this simple phrase
To gamers from 1 to 92.
Although it’s been said in many languages and ways:
Happy Gaming to you.
- - - - - - -
Since I’m thinking about Christmas music, I’d like to recommend the Trans-Siberian Orchestra to anyone who hasn’t already discovered this amazing group. Each album tells a story through the songs which are a mixture of traditional and original compositions with some wonderful arrangements. My favorite is Christmas Eve and Other Stories which tells the story of an angel who is sent to Earth by God to bring back “the one thing that best represents everything good that has been done in the name of this day.”
~~~~~~~~
Games
I’m in the middle of my second game of Amun-Re online at Spielbyweb. I’ve never played before and I’m completely smitten with this game. (Yes, Kane, I should have listened to you long ago!)
For someone who keeps insisting that she doesn’t like auction/bidding games, I keep running into games that have something unique in them that makes the auction/bidding not only acceptable but fun. Now I have to modify my statement to read “I don’t like once-around bidding games.” Unless I’m the last to bid, I find I’m either being outbid or I bid some ridiculous amount just to finally acquire something. I need to work my way up to the point where I have to decide if $X is too much or does Freddie want this enough to bid even more; I can’t determine how much something is worth with any reliability in just one bid.
Amun-Re’s bidding system is very interesting and also allows for some bluff, if you’re willing to take a chance. Besides that, you’re also faced with some information to help you judge the worth of a province to you and to your opponents, so you’re not just taking a blind stab. Now I can ask myself “how much can you afford to bid and still have enough money to build your province into a money-making point-getter?” “Do you have a card that would make a province worth the extra cost to acquire?” “Are your opponents in the same quandary or are they just being belligerent?”
Yes, this game is tough, interesting and fun and I’m very glad I had the chance to try it out online or I most likely would never buy it. Now it’s very high on my want list and I can’t wait to play it face to face.
~~~~~~~~
Until next time, safe sailing on whichever sea you find yourself.
Mary
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Warning: This Blog May Cause Choking
I was watching T.V. last night when I saw a commercial for one of the many types of drugs that are now available to make our lives better, happier and healthier. This one began by telling you that there were no sexual side-effects. Whew, that's a load off my mind! But at the end we are informed that it may cause seizures. Well, as long as it doesn’t cause sexual side-effects, no worries. Do these people even HEAR what they’re telling us?
This led me to thinking of the many silly product warnings that I’ve read about such as the warning on a can of spray paint which passes on the useful hint: do not spray in face. How about the baby stroller that has the mind-boggling caution: remove child before folding? My favorite is the chainsaw warning which many men will appreciate: do not attempt to stop chain with your hands or genitals.
This, in turn, led me to wonder what dangers lurk in our game boxes? I know that people who love strategy games tend to be quite intelligent and not prone to doing incredibly stupid things, but could there possibly be some people out there who must be told the obvious? Some games may need a precautionary warning to prevent injury to the user or damage to the game itself, or to keep disillusionment to a minimum, which can also be the basis for frivolous lawsuits.
BLOKUS—pieces have sharp corners that could cause injury when thrown with great force..
SEA SIM—no fish were harmed in the making of this game.
PLUNDER—do not play with the boats in the bathtub.
THROUGH THE DESERT—the camels are not edible.
WALLENSTEIN—do not remove the ledges from the tower; pieces are supposed to get caught in there.
MAHARAJA—do not hit glass pieces with a hammer.
TRIAS—very small pieces which can cause breathing problems if inserted in the nose.
ROBORALLY—robots are not battery operated.
SHADOWS OVER CAMELOT—be careful when handling Excalibur; you’ll poke your eye out!
MEMOIR ’44, AXIS & ALLIES, war games of all sorts—parental guidance advised. Teenagers may become violent and go on a shooting spree, killing their family, friends and neighbors.
FORMULA DE and other race car games—do not play this game on the street.
MONKEYS ON THE MOON—NASA has found no evidence to prove that monkeys ever existed on the moon.
QUEEN’S NECKLACE—trying to pawn the necklace and rings will make you look like an ass.
Well, it was just a thought.
~~~~~~~~
Contest Winners
My thanks to everyone who took the time to try my Name & Number Contest and for the compliments you gave me in your emails. Here is what was in the jar:
2 towers from Die Magier von Pangea
1 ship from Hansa
2 temples from Magna Grecia
15 fish from SeaSim (Ocean)
14 pieces (6 men & 8 ships) from Hellas
1 YINSH ring
3 trees from O Zoo le Mio
3 planes from World in War: Combined Arms 1939-1945
8 coins from Kontor
8 red camels from Desert Oasis (Oasis)
43 pieces (40 cubes & 3 dice) from Carolus Magnus
1 airplane from Screaming Eagles
2 place holders from Can’t Stop
30 Phoenix pieces
6 blue dinos from Trias
1 round, short piece from Quarto
4 knights from Torres
13 trains from Union Pacific
2 towers from Meridian
3 pieces (2 pieces & the crown) from Rosenkonig
Total of 162 pieces
The closest guess for total number of pieces was from Mr. Johnson. If you’re reading, I need to know your BGG name.
As for naming the 20 games, there were actually 4 people who got them all and many who got 18 or 19. Well done! The first to email me was Chad Krizan, who wins the 15 GG. Since everyone doesn’t read this blog at the same time, or have time to sit down immediately to puzzle out the answer, I’m giving 5 GG to the other three people with the 20 correct game names: Katie Harris, Morgan Dontanville and Kevin O’Brien.
~~~~~~~~
Games
Sunday I finally got to try Ta Yu with 3 players, one playing the bad guy who tries to thwart the efforts of the other 2. Richard, Chris (my son), and I thoroughly enjoyed the twist that the 3-player variant puts on the game.
We played twice so I got to taste the roles of both the bad guy and the good guy. It’s fun being the bad guy but I also felt the pressure to fight being the kingmaker. If both players are pretty much in an equal position and the piece you choose can harm either one, you must now choose which player to slow down. After the first game, Chris complained of his lack of choices so for the second game we played with one piece in hand, which I like better since you have some choice without being bogged down with TOO many options.
I’d like to get a chance to play the 4-player partnership game but I’m worried that it would be quite slow, though that can be just the thing you’re looking for if you’re in a chatty mood. Just for the record, I haven’t won a game of Ta Yu yet which means, of course, that we’ll just have to keep playing it!
~~~~~~~~
Until next time, remember: chance favors the prepared mind.
Mary
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Like all of you, I have watched the news channels and been awe-struck and overwhelmed at the devastation that Hurricane Katrina has left on the Gulf Coast. I have watched the scenes roll by, crying, until I couldn't watch any more. I have raved until I was just repeating myself. The scale of the flooding is too hard to grasp, like trying to picture a billion. The film of thousands of buildings along the beach turned to rubble is more than my mind can fully comprehend.
We spent 4 years in Biloxi when Richard was stationed at Keesler AFB so I have a special feeling for that area. I saw pictures of a building on the base that looks like the same one we went to during Hurricane Elena in '85; it had 2 feet of water surrounding it. That helped put it into perspective for me, at least a little, but I will never be able to imagine the grief, anger, fear and frustration those people must feel and will continue to feel for a very long time to come.
Nevertheless, I feel the need to offer some form of entertainment so I hope you'll forgive me if I go ahead with the article I started about 2 weeks ago. I hope that, for a little while, it will take your mind off your troubles, whatever they might be.
~~~~~~~
Stop Looking at Me Like That!
Tell someone that you like to play board games and many will look at you like you just told them you like to wear fur-lined underwear. That forced smile quivers on their face as they give a little nod and say, "That's nice."
Which makes me wonder what makes US like to play games while others don't. Why do we search out like-minded people? Why do we try to infect others with our love of games? Why do we spend large amounts of money buying games? Why are we so driven that we'll set up a game to play all by ourselves?!
Is it some chemical imbalance in our brains? "You have a surprising surplus of endorphins floating around in your head, Mrs. Weisbeck. I'm going to give you a prescription that should flush them right out and have you wanting to sit around watching TV in no time."
Is it more physiological than that? "Woo-eee. I've never seen so many synapses firing in anyone before. I think we'll try a sedative so you can fit into society better."
Nah, that's just ridiculous. Probably.
But seriously, I do wonder since it seems you've either got it or you don't. Children raised in the same gaming atmosphere do not all become gamers. I wasn't raised with games except Euchre and some Barbie-goes-to-the-Prom board game. I remember that one because you could end up having to go to the prom with the dud whose name was.... Poindexter. Yeah, that'll stick with you. But this leads me to think it's not something you learn.
One explanation is our desire to be explorers when our lives give us little opportunity to be Indiana Jones. You can build pyramids, explore the South American rain forest, sail the oceans, trade with natives, direct wars, schmooze with royalty, be railroad tycoons, race down the Mississippi or around a track. The past, present and future are our playgrounds. We are the pioneers with nowhere to manifest destiny to!
Maybe it's a simple escape from the realities of life, the same as reading a good book only with
someone else. My daughter, Cori, and I had some wonderful times and a few serious laughing fits while reading Shakespeare together but prithee, let us not go thither. While playing games, we are removed from the pressures of our jobs, the horrors on the news, the price of gas, those household chores that we really didn't want to do anyway. Take a vacation into a cardboard landscape.
Or it could be the human need for competition without the possibility of physical injury unless you pull a hamstring while taking that victory lap around the room. From the beginning women have competed for the best men to father our children (we still do that!) and men have competed with nature for survival of their tribe and with each other to see who could get the most women (so we haven't really evolved that much, have we?). So it makes sense that we still have a basic need to compete and prove our prowess in some area.
I have to think that it's a combination of all of the above in the proper mixture otherwise everyone would love to play games. Not all people have a pioneering spirit; many people find an escape in television, books, music, painting, tinkering in the garage, etc.; and for others the competition is in the form of sports, gambling, fly fishing competitions or even in their jobs. Yes, I think the answer is in the proper mix of these ingredients.
Or maybe it's just low blood sugar.
~~~~~~~~
Until next time, may all your farmers lie in large fields.
Mary
We spent 4 years in Biloxi when Richard was stationed at Keesler AFB so I have a special feeling for that area. I saw pictures of a building on the base that looks like the same one we went to during Hurricane Elena in '85; it had 2 feet of water surrounding it. That helped put it into perspective for me, at least a little, but I will never be able to imagine the grief, anger, fear and frustration those people must feel and will continue to feel for a very long time to come.
Nevertheless, I feel the need to offer some form of entertainment so I hope you'll forgive me if I go ahead with the article I started about 2 weeks ago. I hope that, for a little while, it will take your mind off your troubles, whatever they might be.
~~~~~~~
Stop Looking at Me Like That!
Tell someone that you like to play board games and many will look at you like you just told them you like to wear fur-lined underwear. That forced smile quivers on their face as they give a little nod and say, "That's nice."
Which makes me wonder what makes US like to play games while others don't. Why do we search out like-minded people? Why do we try to infect others with our love of games? Why do we spend large amounts of money buying games? Why are we so driven that we'll set up a game to play all by ourselves?!
Is it some chemical imbalance in our brains? "You have a surprising surplus of endorphins floating around in your head, Mrs. Weisbeck. I'm going to give you a prescription that should flush them right out and have you wanting to sit around watching TV in no time."
Is it more physiological than that? "Woo-eee. I've never seen so many synapses firing in anyone before. I think we'll try a sedative so you can fit into society better."
Nah, that's just ridiculous. Probably.
But seriously, I do wonder since it seems you've either got it or you don't. Children raised in the same gaming atmosphere do not all become gamers. I wasn't raised with games except Euchre and some Barbie-goes-to-the-Prom board game. I remember that one because you could end up having to go to the prom with the dud whose name was.... Poindexter. Yeah, that'll stick with you. But this leads me to think it's not something you learn.
One explanation is our desire to be explorers when our lives give us little opportunity to be Indiana Jones. You can build pyramids, explore the South American rain forest, sail the oceans, trade with natives, direct wars, schmooze with royalty, be railroad tycoons, race down the Mississippi or around a track. The past, present and future are our playgrounds. We are the pioneers with nowhere to manifest destiny to!
Maybe it's a simple escape from the realities of life, the same as reading a good book only with
someone else. My daughter, Cori, and I had some wonderful times and a few serious laughing fits while reading Shakespeare together but prithee, let us not go thither. While playing games, we are removed from the pressures of our jobs, the horrors on the news, the price of gas, those household chores that we really didn't want to do anyway. Take a vacation into a cardboard landscape.
Or it could be the human need for competition without the possibility of physical injury unless you pull a hamstring while taking that victory lap around the room. From the beginning women have competed for the best men to father our children (we still do that!) and men have competed with nature for survival of their tribe and with each other to see who could get the most women (so we haven't really evolved that much, have we?). So it makes sense that we still have a basic need to compete and prove our prowess in some area.
I have to think that it's a combination of all of the above in the proper mixture otherwise everyone would love to play games. Not all people have a pioneering spirit; many people find an escape in television, books, music, painting, tinkering in the garage, etc.; and for others the competition is in the form of sports, gambling, fly fishing competitions or even in their jobs. Yes, I think the answer is in the proper mix of these ingredients.
Or maybe it's just low blood sugar.
~~~~~~~~
Until next time, may all your farmers lie in large fields.
Mary
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Techniques to Recruit The Non-gamer in Your Home
1-Withholding sustenance. "Supper will be served after a quick game of ______." Note that this only works if you are the chef. This can also backfire when the target non-gamer has access to the checkbook and the car keys.
2-Hide the TV remote. This is a good choice if your target is a couch potato. Better yet, secretly unplug the TV and say it's broken. If TV isn't your only technological competition, you could put in a supply of candles and flashlight batteries and throw the main circuit breaker.
Note that the last suggestion only applies to people who live in secluded areas otherwise the target non-gamer might look out the window and marvel at the lights in all the other houses.
3-The Trade. In exchange for a specified amount of time playing a game with you, you promise to do a chore of equal duration such as wash the dishes, vacuum, or watch that horrid movie you promised yourself you'd NEVER watch again.
4-The Gift Exchange. "Instead of buying me that Makita 18 volt, cordless drill with an extra battery and carrying case, how about spending the day playing games with me?" This is a desperate measure since you're giving up the chance for a nice present on your birthday or other gift-related holiday in exchange for playing games. This technique is not recommended unless you already own all the power tools, kitchen gadgets and useless crap that you want at this time.
5-Pouting/Moping combination. This is often effective but takes time, especially for women since men will immediately assume it's just "that time of the month". You must use a delicate balance of heavy sighs, sitting motionless with a faraway look in your eyes, and wandering around the house aimlessly with an occassional stop at your game collection to touch a game or two, wistfully.
6-The Demonstration. If you have a few friends that would agree to gather at your house to play, this is a great chance to demonstrate what fun games are, what stimulating conversation can ensue, how much those friends can eat.
7-The Solo Demonstration. If you have no friends, you can still use the demonstration technique. Set up a game and play by yourself, laughing loudly, congratulating yourself on brilliant moves and jokingly berating yourself for stupid moves.
Note: This should only be attempted if you already have a history of odd behavior, otherwise you could find yourself in a very small room in need of a game where hand mobility is not required.
8-Ask for Advice. This is a variation of #6 which takes less acting ability but more mental agility. While playing a solo game, ask your target non-gamer their opinion of a strategy you're thinking of or a rule clarification. If you can keep the discussion going, this will draw them unwittingly into a game and before you can say, "Meeples Rule!", you'll be congratulating them on a game well-played.
9-Blackmail. This is a last resort and should not be used lightly. "I know what you did with the body" is subtle yet effective in getting their attention, while at the same time reminding them that Junior would be emotionally scarred if he knew the truth about his long-lived hamster.
10-Begging. Let's not even go there; it's too undignified for a Gamer.
~~~~~~~
Games
I recently got Architekton and have played it 10 or 12 times, mostly trying to figure it out. Not that it's a difficult game, in fact it's extremely easy; but in trying to figure out why there doesn't seem to be much of a game here. There seems to be very little strategy required beyond the obvious--forcing your opponent to pay when he hasn't enough points--and a great deal of luck in the draw of the tiles is required for that.
You can try to squeeze your opponent by playing on both sides of him in hopes of forcing him to
remove houses, but the luck can turn this tactic against you and leave you with nothing but a split force. You can try the end run but this becomes boring as you play on your side of the board and he plays on his, trading points back and forth. Again, luck must be your partner.
The last few turns don't even require luck as you're usually playing to protect any buildings that have only 2 tiles adjacent to them. If you do get lucky, you could score another house. The final plays, rather than being full of tension, are anticlimactic.
Luck can also favor the beginning player if he's able to place 2 "clean" houses on the first turn, so we tried a variant where the first player can only play 1 tile, which helped with that problem but I still find the game to be not much more entertaining than playing a good game of solitaire.
It's not a totally mindless game, since you always have to check the available tiles for your best move and take into account what you're leaving for your opponent, it just doesn't feel like much of a competition because you're at the mercy of the tiles.
~~~~~~~
Miscellaneous
The leaves are starting to turn yellow on the walnut trees and the nights are dropping into the 50's here in the foothills of the Black Hills. You know what that means...we've wasted a summer and have a lot of work to do before winter gets here. Those home improvements that kept getting put off and the cords of wood to cut, split and stack are higher on the list of things to do than playing games. Damn, I hate when life interferes with having fun!
Until next time, remember: Half of being clever is making certain you're not being stupid.
Mary
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
The Game Psychiatrist
Dr. Meepolous: Hi, Mary. How are you today?
Mary: Not so good, Doctor. I'm feeling anxious and very impatient. I can't sit still and can't concentrate on anything.
Dr.: First you should sit down and try to relax. Take a deep breath. - - - - O.k., you move first.
M: What!? I came here to talk through my problems and you want me to play DVONN?
Dr.: Yes, I have it all set up. It'll help you to relax and focus. {And I get to play games while doing my job. }
M: Alright, you're the doctor.
Dr.: Now, why do you think you're having these feelings of anxiousness and impatience?
M: It's the new games, Doc, the ones that haven't been released yet. I HATE waiting--never been good at it.
Dr.: But don't you have plenty of games you could play?
M: Yes, but....I don't know, it's the thrill you get from something new and different. A new game is like getting a new car: the smell, the feel, checking out the accessories. Taking it out for a test drive and seeing what she can do. It's just so exhilarating.
Dr.: Hmmm, yes. {Nice move. I could be in trouble here}
M: Since this is all confidential, I gotta tell you: I blame Rick Thornquist.
Dr.: What? Why would you blame that nice man for your problems?
M: Sure, he sounds like a nice man but I think he's got a bit of a sadistic side, too. He's always got the latest news on what's coming out and sometimes he even tells you how they play, but you have to WAIT! It's sadistic, I tell you. I wouldn't hear about most of these games till people had them in their homes, enjoying them, if it weren't for that man. Now I'm drooling and I don't even get to kick the tires.
Dr: {I need to get her outta here before the game is over--she's killing me.} Would you rather he quit his job so you wouldn't have these games to look forward to?
M: No, I guess not. It's a good kind of anticipation, like waiting for Christmas.
Dr.: Would you rather someone else do his job?
M: No, he does a great job. I....well, I trust him.
Dr.: O.k., then. Do you feel better now that we've talked this through?
M: I do, actually. I think the DVONN game helped, too. Let's just stack these babies up, shall we? - - - - - - Whoa, Doc! You need to practice!
Dr.: How did you do that? You weren't even paying attention!
M: Yeah, I know. That's why I came in here, remember? Thanks, Doc. See ya later.
Dr.: {Great. Now I feel irritable.}
(For my friend, Richard Fawkes, who suggested I needed to take another trip to the psychiatrist.)
~~~~~~~
Games
This week Mike brought RoboRally again, by request from me, and this time Richard got to play, too. I could tell that he really liked it because he actually said so! Usually I ask him, "What do you think of this game?" and the reply is often, "It's o.k.". So to hear him gush over a game ("I like that one. How much does it cost?") is a sure sign that it was a hit. And I don't think the fact that he squeaked out a win had anything to do with it!
We also played Vinci, which is popular with us. I've only played 3 games or so of Vinci which might explain the bone-head decision I made with my first civilization, which included Mountaineering that let me conquer mountain regions for 1 less and also score mountains, and Currency which let me score +1 for every province including mountains. I took the bait and gobbled up the northeast corner of the board while somehow ignoring the fact that the points would not continue into its decline. The result was a nice lead with the first civilization, but a steady decline during the next civilization. I have to admit that I'm the hard-headed type and have to learn from my mistakes, but I DO learn so I won't overlook that point in future.
A new game also hit the table, Rheinlander. I bought it thinking it would be the same depth as Kardinal und Konig (China), but after the first play, I'd have to say there are more decisions to be made and more ways to manipulate the lay of the land (so to speak). We were still discussing the ways the rules fit together and the options it gives you after the game had been put away. You know this is usually a good sign.
~~~~~~~
DetourA choice was made,
A road was taken;
All other roads
Must be forsaken.
Every day our lives are built
On decisions too numerous to name;
And whether for good or ill,
That life will never be the same.
If you don't reach your destination,
You have no one else to blame.
~~~~~~~
Until next time, may your roads be the longest ones.
Mary
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
The Yellow Brick Score Track
I assume I got into this hobby like many other people did--looking for a little harmless fun. I didn't know the power of what I was dealing with; I didn't know the allure would be so overpowering.It was an innocent purchase--Lost Cities, to fill that "Christmas game" slot one year. After reading the rules, which is my job in our family, I thought, "Hmmm, doesn't sound like much", but after one play I realized that there was more here than meets the eye. This simple set of rules could lead to some difficult choices; there's luck here but maybe I can do something about it.
Carcassonne was next, so different from my idea of what a game was; then Puerto Rico, an eye-opening game with so many important choices. I had taken that first step on the Yellow Brick Score Track and could not turn around, pulled toward the Emerald City of Games.
At first I placed this new breed of games along side the mundane games from other years--Risk, Yahtzee, The Farming Game, Aggravation, Rack-o, Crack the Case, Perquackey and Boggle--but I soon outgrew that space. Using my female powers of Organization and Rearranging, I freed two shelves in a small closet to house my quickly-growing collection, the tangible proof of my obsession.
A few months later, I was well on my way down the Track and the closet was full; I needed a stool to reach the top games. A new bookshelf was added to the library, filled with games from all genres (Except war games. Those would come a little later). They ran the gamut from fluffy, fun games to the heavy-thinking gamer games; there were games for just 2, games that are best with 3 or 4, and one game that acomodates up to 10 (6 Nimmt). I made some games you could print for free and mocked up some others because I couldn't find them.
Through this period of trial and error, I learned the types of games--the mechanics, complexity, depth of play and amount of interaction--that appeal to me and, more importantly, to my family. I still buy a lot of games, but now I do it with a better understanding of what to look for and what to side-step. My biggest problem now is that I've nearly filled the bookshelf so it's time to don my superhero cape once more and find some way to make room for future additions to my collection.
I'm still traveling the Yellow Brick Score Track with my gamer friends. I don't know if it's possible to reach the Emerald City of Games, but I do know that once you set foot on the first brick on the track, there is very little chance you'll ever turn back.
~~~~~~~
Games
Fjordes is a new game at my house and I have to tell you, my husband and I really like it. I know I shouldn't because it has that whole luck-of-the-draw/can't-place-ANOTHER-damned-piece thing going, but I can't help myself. It's like eating potato chips--you know there's better things in the kitchen you could choose like fruit, yogurt or those frozen pork eggrolls (come on, there's veggies in them!) but you're drawn to the greasy, salty chips.
I've tried to figure out why I enjoy this game so much and I just don't know. Maybe I'm too stupid to be terribly annoyed with its quirks, or I'm so brilliant I can see past them to the clever game underneath. I know I have an unnatural attraction to map-building so that may account for some of it. I also like the 'Go' half of the game, deciding on the perfect spot for that first field piece but, unlike 'Go', you don't have to see several moves ahead. In any case, the more we play it, the better it gets.
The last game we played (3 rounds), we didn't have as many pieces that had to be set aside. In fact, one round was played without one unuseable piece being drawn. Were we lucky or can more careful planning of tile placement create a more accessible board? It also seems that I had more chances to make useful plays rather than being forced into just one position. Again, was it luck or does a bit of planning pay off?
Finally, let's not ignore the fact that it plays quickly and my husband will play it without too much whining on my part. No matter what the reason, Fjordes is sitting on the kitchen table, ready at a moment's notice to entertain us for 40 minutes or so.
~~~~~~~
Miscellaneous Ramblings
The back porch rebuilding is going well. Yesterday we tore down the old one and got the framework for the new one up. Today, the decking, stairs and railing are on the agenda. How nice to have a porch that doesn't creak and wobble. Tucker, our Corgi, isn't too thrilled right now, though, since he can't get out the back door.
Now for something on the serious side of life: last Thursday, 4 days before the official beginning of the Sturgis Rally, the first motorcyclist was killed. Most years see the death of 4 or 5, sometimes as many as 10, and it's often due to inexperience, especially as they ride through the twisting canyons of the Black Hills. But not this time. A Colorado man was sitting at an intersection waiting to turn onto a state road when he was rear-ended by a drunk driver in a pickup truck.
My heart always goes out to the friends and family who waved good-bye with wishes for a great vacation. When the phone rings, are they expecting to hear from their loved one only to hear the voice of an unknown police officer?
Don't drive when you've been drinking. I don't care how well you handle alcohol, or that you think you're not drunk--you're fine. It's just not worth the risk you take. And it's not worth a few years in prison for manslaughter.
~~~~~~~
So until next time, safe gaming to everyone.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
The Addict
I'm a Game Addict. I love playing games, reading about games, buying games and teaching games to someone new to the hobby. I love the tough decisions I'm pressed to make--should I buy Pirate's Cove, or Attika?; if my game order is less than $30, what else should I buy?; where the heck am I going to put the newest games I just got?
My family (husband, Richard; son, Chris; daughter, Corissa) are not addicts. They're normal people who like to play games. So what's the difference between them and an Addict? They'll play a game when I ask (usually) and most of the time enjoy themselves but when the game is over, they're quite content to turn on the t.v. or grab a book and push gaming to the back of their minds.
The Addict, on the other hand, is still thinking about the game, flying high on the rush. The Addict wants to set it up again and try another tactic. The Addict wants to know what else she can get them to play--right now!
The poor Addict is in a constant state of agitation, thinking of the last game, the next game, the PBEM game they're in, the new game that the slow UPS man is supposed to be delivering today, the yet-to-be-released game they can't wait to get their hands on, the game they really want to play but 1) no one else likes it, or 2) they can't find enough players to play. Games, Games, Games!
The Addict reads an article in National Geographic about a tribe of superstitious natives in South America and thinks, "that would make a good game theme".
The Addict screws up that new recipe because she's thinking about which game to buy next.
The Addict can't fall asleep at night because meeples are marching behind her eyelids.
The Addict enjoys reading the rules for a new game, setting it up and going for a solo run.
The Addict has more game-related bookmarks on her computer than anything else.
The Addict needs a fix...so let's give a cheer for all the patient friends and families that help them through their days!
~~~~~~~
On the Table
I got to play Robo Rally for the first time on Thursday. My friend, Mike, the only other Game Addict within 200 miles, and his wife, Teresa, stopped by with his just-bought copy. We punched pieces and stuck stickers and set up the beginner game. I chose the 'bot that I like to call Screwball since that seems to fit me so well. The first programmed turn was unrealistically nice to me and I ended on the flag with Mike and Teresa on my tail. After that it was what I imagine is a typical game of "Crap, that wasn't what I planned!", "O.k., what happens if I start my turn on the corner of the conveyor belt?", and "What the heck do I do with a hand full of turns!?" There was a only a couple of times that someone got bogged down in the planning stage; most of the time it moved along at a good speed. We had a great time, laughing and messing with each other's plans (sometimes on purpose!) and I can't wait to play it again. And, for the record, I managed to win by one turn.
A game that's getting a lot of play is Attika. It's still new here as it took me forever to decide to try it, but it's the type of game that connects with us so I think it'll remain a favorite for a long time. It has enough luck to make the game different each time you play but with the ability to deal with bad luck thrown at you; card management, which I feel keeps you in check when you feel like splurging, or keeps things in balance when you do; important decisions to be made and yet it doesn't bog down the game; and I especially like the unique building placement arrangement which is the heart of the game. Richard and I are pretty evenly balanced in this game so they've all been very close and no one has managed to connect temples yet, except when we both leaned down to pick up the dropped piece!
~~~~~~~
Miscellaneous Ramblings
Monday is the official start of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally which fills the Black Hills with the roar of Harleys. Now, I can take or leave it, but the man of the house has been a motorcycle geek all of his life and has taken a week off of work so he can go to the races, wander the stalls, check out the sights (oh, boy, the sights!) and drool over the bikes. Hopefully, he'll leave some time for me and playing games. Or at least get the back porch rebuilt!
It occurred to me this morning that some of you may have spoken with my daughter, Cori. Really. She works for a G.E. call center handling service contracts for stores such as Circuit City and Good Guys, to name the two that I hear about most. So if your dish washer, wide-screen t.v., or clothes dryer breaks and you're feeling a little hostile when you call for service, remember that you might be talking to my daughter (and I'll hear about it!)
I tried to think of a great tag line like Tom Vasel's "Real men play board games", which I love, but all I could come up with was "Exercise your mind with board games", or "Gamers do it with Meeples". My husband suggested "Meeples of the world unite". Well, I'll keep working on it. Until next time, keep your dinos out of the water.
Mary
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