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“Do not be so open-minded that your brains fall out.”
― G.K. ChestertonWinter has come!:strip_icc()/pic7882348.png)
Grab a hot chocolate and your sled for Carcassonne: Winter Edition where wolves, bears, deer, crows, boar and foxes roam the placid, snow covered landscape. The artists Marcel Gröber, Doris Matthäus, Anne Pätzke and Chris Quilliams who are responsible for illustrating the French countryside of Carcassonne with roads, villages, cities, churches and wildlife often include minute details in the background of tiles to liven up the scenes. In the stark white Winter edition this occurs with the presence of woodland creatures out hunting for food on several tiles. Among the assorted wildlife is a peculiar animal more at home in the forests of Bavaria according to German folklore. If you're lucky then you may catch sight of this elusive Wolpertinger.Likely a cousin to the Texas Jackalope.:strip_icc()/pic7882347.png)
Part rabbit and part deer, this hybrid with antlers and wings is a curious creature that festoons the walls of pubs, hotels and restaurants all across Bavaria. It's a legendary beast that inhabits folktales and sells well with tourists since taxidermists first brought it to life with spare parts back in the 1800s. And now it stalks its prey on the fields of Carcassonne for our delight and amusement. It makes you wonder what else you've been missing in your games of Carcassonne.
I love little laughs like this in board game art. They're a sly wink to the humor and joy that's ever-present in the hobby, if only you pay attention and look close enough.✎
Preceding: BGG.Con 2023
Seriously snappy ruminations on my board gaming journey.
- [+] Dice rolls
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“Anybody can sympathise with the sufferings of a friend,
but it requires a very fine nature to sympathise with a friend's success.”
― Oscar WildeA smattering of joyfulness.:strip_icc()/pic7877523.png)
A week ago I bid adieu to dear friends at BGG.Con 2023 where I laughed and competed and cajoled and distrusted and outbid and boasted and explored and trumped and discovered and built and bluffed and negotiated and engaged for days on end to my heart's content. I have wonderful memories of the games played and the joy shared between friends. Allow me to share a few of my faves from that week.
My friends and I were intrigued by The White Castle, especially since we enjoyed The Red Cathedral. We played it twice and found the second play more enjoyable than the first. Still, we decided it lacked enough interaction to make it really interesting for continued plays. It was good, but not great. Instead, we returned to Red Cathedral and enjoyed the interactions it offered. Between these two games, I'd readily recommend Red Cathedral and recommend White Castle with reservations.
We revisited an older Feld which left me impressed the first and last time I played it. Notre Dame still impresses with its simple drafting structure and measured progression against the impending doom of invading rats. I've come to consider Feld's earlier games more enjoyable than later offerings. This and In the Year of the Dragon which both came out in 2007 remain two of my faves of his for good reason.
Short fillers serve a vital need at conventions to act as quick diversions while one half of a group waits for the other half to finish their game. I packed Turin Market to fill that role during this convention since it plays so quickly, typically in 15 minutes or less, while still offering some meaningful decisions. It's a auction game with a mean bidding mechanic that potentially loses a player half their bid with nothing to show for it. So it has a disruptive reputation that encourages aggressive bidding. I found it really works well at less than its full 5 player limit. I think four players is ideal.
I was keen to play a recent addition to my library which was a re-themed Japanese game I'd heard good word of mouth about. It did not disappoint. Big Top uses unconventional bidding to "score" attractions as the stand out feature of this simple auction game, and it's enough to elevate it above other games of its ilk. Play is straightforward, uncomplicated and quite enjoyable. I'm glad to have brought this game with me to learn.
Three Kingdoms Redux is a smart worker placement game that accommodates exactly three players. It's a fantastic design and one I am always thrilled to play. Since the convention reunites my good friend and me with a gaming buddy who also greatly admires this game, then it become a perfect occasion to sit down together and play. I missed the chance to do so last year but made sure to find time to play with my two friends this year. Though we kept our tired friend up late finishing its play, it was worth the hassle to get this great game to the table again. It's truly a gem.
Old school Puerto Rico bragging rights are always a talking point at the con between my friends. It's a favorite game of ours, and one we've played dozens of times. My overconfident mate never ceases to remind us of how he always wins at PR, despite proof to the contrary. So it goes then that we sat down for a rematch to test that theory. Just as we began, though, a newcomer joined our grudge match which may have provided an unintended advantage to my mate by sliding into the seat to his right. I put my University to work early and amassed a sizable lead with a building strategy, but my mate slowly caught up to my position and equaled me in building two of the large buildings before the game ended. At the final count I lost to my mate by a single point. Cruelly, I would be reminded of that for the rest of the con.
I was spoiled to have the chance to play another favorite game of mine, Hansa Teutonica. I taught it to a friend who hadn't played before and watched as they quickly realized the importance of leveling up actions, controlling offices and blocking routes. I know this game is as dry as Euros come, but the game play excites me with so many possibilities to explore. I seemed to fall behind early until I took control of a few cities and started scoring lots of points to race down the score track. Luckily, I managed a narrow victory when the dust settled, holding on by one point. Close finishes feel even better to win.
Late night Skull at the convention is the best! And it's the perfect game to end a long day of gaming since it doesn't require overtaxing our gray matter any further. Once again, we played a very memorable game with lots of feints and surprises. I got emotional for trusting a good friend who knocked me and another person out almost single handedly. When will I ever learn?
I was intrigued when a friend brought to the table an unfamiliar and dated German game to play called Durch die Wüste with an unassuming cover. They were quite enthusiastic about its gameplay, so I looked forward to learning the game. Upon lifting the lid, though, I instantly recognized the assortment of pastel colored camels waiting to line up Through the Desert and got even more excited to revisit this game by a favorite author. Discovering old versions of games is such a treat, and the library at BGG has plenty of those surprises available.
Neue Heimat is a game I discovered years ago the convention, and one I always enjoy playing and teaching to new friends. This year we got to introduce it to newbies who learned the importance of capping buildings as soon as possible since one of our players wound up not owning any color blocks. This game is a wonderful auction game with a closed economy that determines ownership of property through initial auctions. The way it works out, though, not everyone winds up with something to call their own. And when that happens they are out to sabotage everyone else's construction projects. It makes for quite a spectacular competition where the rest of the group usually shares a small incentive to work together while someone else is dead set against the majority. In the end it worked out to my favor and I won.
Playing VivaJava: The Coffee Game at the convention is a yearly tradition for our group. Unfortunately, a friend who just finished teaching it to those who hadn't played before got called away at the last minute and missed participating this year. We carried on without him and took turns forming subgroups to create brews or research technologies as fit our needs and desires. A rainbow blend with an investment remained in the market for some time scoring points for all four players involved. That along with some timely bean draws set up a very close finish, but one which I was far from winning. Still, I adore the mechanics of this game which places players into competitive yet cooperative groupings that constantly change throughout the game. There's just nothing else like it!
One last game worth mentioning that we played was Sail. It's a two-player trick-taker on a map where players are forced to continuously gain the lead and then lose it for the success of the journey. It makes for quite a nerve-wracking exercise. Failure appears to occur often which makes winning all the more worth savoring when it occurs. I felt that pride after first failing and then completing one of the easiest scenarios. I'm nowhere near ready to tackle the bigger scenarios yet.
So many good games with good friends! A week later and I'm still sporting the biggest grin.✎
Preceding: RightsizedEnsuing: Wolpertinger
Mon Nov 27, 2023 7:06 am
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“A well-used minimum suffices for everything.”
― Jules Verne
I am a rightsizer, and I make no apology for it. Game boxes on my shelves ought not to hold a majority of air instead of components. That's a sure-fire way to get the attention of my trusty Exacto knife. I have no problem trimming or reshaping a keeper in my collection to ensure it's storing its contents efficiently. I prefer to keep box bloat in check by deflating it whenever possible. That's the reason I recently resized a few games using three tried and true methods - reshaping, trimming/cutting, shrinking/reboxing. The following content is not suggested for squeamish collectors who prioritize keeping boxes scuff-free. If a dished lid or a crumpled corner offends your game box sensibilities then avert your eyes now.
For the entertaining block game Pyramid Poker I chose to reshape the box into a more useful design by removing more than half its length. A leaner, compact fit keeps the chunky blocks from shuffling around and saves space for storage, so transitioning from a large square box to a reshaped rectangle worked perfectly to hold the game mat and stacked blocks. Just fold the instructions in half, and everything is good to go now. As an added bonus, if I pack the blocks face-up then I can just turn the box upside down on the table and lift the lid to begin play without any further set up.Not a slave to the man.:strip_icc()/pic7871987.png)
Publishers produce games in various sizes for... reasons. I understand that. They may standardize formats of their games for ease of inventory storage and transport. They may want to suggest a certain level of complexity for their offerings by sizing the packaging just so. They may want to increase their retail shelf presence with a bigger target to get more eyes on their game. Whatever the reason, as the consumer and owner of the product after purchase I no longer have to accept packaging which doesn't suit my purposes, though. For example, Kingdom of Solomon is boxed with too much loft yet includes a map inside that necessitates its footprint. In such cases I typically choose to flatten out the game by trimming the depth of the box down to a svelte size so it'll now slot nicely onto my shelf without occupying excess space. As I remind my friends, I haven't damaged the components within at all with this modification. Sure the box has been vandalized from its pristine condition; but you don't play the box, you play the game inside.A flat out wise decision.:strip_icc()/pic7871986.png)
We've all opened an oversized box fit for a heavy Euro's worth of game pieces only to discover a pack of cards and a few tokens which mockingly encouraged us to wonder what the publisher was thinking. Well, since Rise of Augustus did just that when I first lifted the lid, it made sense to find a better space for its contents. I often find a repurposed expansion box fits a game's storage needs better than the luxury suite cardboard accommodations in which it arrived. So when a discarded Mystic Vale container proved to nicely hold all this game's pieces including the folded instruction booklet, I didn't hesitate to commence with Operation Shrinkage. After a bit of thoughtful consideration, scanned box cover art and several printed sheets of full color stickers a marvel of miniaturization now envelopes the game in its new, tidy surroundings. Truly, a joy to behold and quite a space spacer.Et tu, Augustus?:strip_icc()/pic7833006.png)
Brought down... to size.:strip_icc()/pic7833005.png)
Now these games better suit my compact desires with their reformatted design. They no longer offend with their embiggened dimensions. I have reclaimed wasted space from my shelves. The boxes have found their Goldilocks fit. Just the right size.✎
Preceding: CoincidenceEnsuing: BGG.Con 2023
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“Coincidences are spiritual puns.”
― G.K. ChestertonOrange rooftops framing blue canals.:strip_icc()/pic7551485.png)
An app that displays random travel photos on my phone's unlock screen caught my attention with this particular image. Coincidentally, it closely matches the cover art and setting of Venice Connection, a game I just started playing after obtaining a copy at BGG.Spring. This Alex Randolph design was first published in 1988, and the latest version from South Korean publisher Gameology's imprint Playte refreshes the art with a punch of color to faithfully capture a snapshot of the "Queen of the Adriatic".Puzzling twists and turns.:strip_icc()/pic7551486.png)
This quick-playing logic game tasks players to create connected loops from canal tiles with straight or L-shaped turns (plus T-shaped turns on expansion tiles) - or else determine a connected loop is impossible with the current tile arrangment. This light tile placement duel includes a book of puzzles to solve for solitary play to test one's wit. The game's setting is a lovely tribute by Alex Randolph to his home town of Venice.
For those unfamiliar, Alex was a highly respected game author whose notable designs include Twixt (1962 game famously included in the 3M Bookshelf Games series), Enchanted Forest (1982 Spiel des Jahres Winner with co-designer Michel Matschoss), Code 777 (a 1986 Spiel des Jahres Recommended title), Inkognito (a co-design with Leo Colovini) and Ricochet Robots (classic 1999 puzzle-solving game). My favorite of his games is the clever 1988 Spiel des Jahres Recommended Hol's der Geier of which I own two later versions, the rethemed Raj with tiles added and the compact, travel-friendly What the Heck?. I've had great fun exploring the puzzle aspects of his games and confounding friends with his creations. Venice Connections provides another opportunity for both.✎
Preceding: ReadinessEnsuing: Rightsized
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“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
― Benjamin Franklin
I prefer to inventory and inspect new acquisitions entering my library, especially used ones, to familiarize myself with the game and prepare it for play. Taking inventory of contents ensures nothing is amiss, inspecting components ensures no surprises during gameplay, and identifying any issues allows me to take steps to remedy potential problems ahead of time. For example, is a particular meeple or card missing, or are pieces damaged? Perhaps I have a suitable replacement on hand to suffice, or I may need to seek a replacement from the publisher. Is the rule book and game play clear and understandable? If not, I may need to consult a FAQ, errata or BGG forums for assistance.Mathy Knizia game - an obvious oxymoron.:strip_icc()/pic7546031.png)
I spotted the long out of print Knizia game Great Wall of China in the virtual flea market at BGG.Spring, and since I'm a sucker for anything Reiner designs I gladly picked it up to add to my library. Upon inspection, the contents were complete and in excellent condition. So far, so good... until I noticed the cardboard chits weren't cleanly punched which left annoying nubs attached on each side.Time for a trim.:strip_icc()/pic7546030.png)
I've seen this before with poorly punched cardboard components. My remedy is to use a knife and trim the nubs off the sides, being careful not to nick or damage the components. After a few minutes of trimming they felt much smoother to the touch and ready for play.Adding a pop of color.:strip_icc()/pic7546029.png)
I find coloring the sides of punched cardboard chits adds a nice bit of pop to cover up the gray and any blemishes from my previous work trimming the nubs. For such a subtle addition this simple customization really enhances the appeal of components. So each chit got marked with matching brown color.Fixing sloppy mistakes and translation errors.:strip_icc()/pic7546027.png)
My final concern was the rulebook and game play itself. I found a few odd examples and details which were confusing, so I quickly searched through the BGG forums to find advice from others who likely encountered the same issues as me. Sure enough there were plenty of discussions regarding confusion of two particular elements of game play. Others had also noticed the odd examples in the rule book which were apparently mistakes. Adding a few post-it flags with clarifications in the rule book finished my preparation work for this game. I expect I'll be introducing it to friends soon because it's ready to play now.✎
Preceding: HumilityEnsuing: Coincidence
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“We learn from failure, not from success!”
― Bram Stoker, Dracula
I've been gathering on Monday nights of late with friends to play games in a swanky Dallas neighborhood community club where the bar is still selling its supply of Octoberfest beer for $2 a pint into the start of the new year. I wonder how long that will last. We cozied up to our regular meeting space with a hyped college football bowl game on the screens around us this week. So we kept tabs on the game to witness local underdogs/frogs learn a hard lesson in humility.Expanding past solo play.:strip_icc()/pic7276665.png)
We started out with Ukiyo. After playing this puzzler solo, I wanted to see how it played in a group. We found it's a nice warm up game to prime our frontal lobes for logical reasoning and planning in just a few minutes. Selecting the "right" scoring card wasn't always as easy as it seemed, and more than once one or more of us switched our decisions midgame as we saw the 6x6 grid fill. So, for a short, minutes long logic exercise this game did well to get us started.Plays quick enough for repeated plays.:strip_icc()/pic7276666.png)
Next up was a request to teach Saint Malo since one of our friends had received it for free. It's a game I've enjoyed playing several times before, but it's been a while since I last played. The only rules included were in French, so after a brief consult with BGG (always helpful) we found the details we needed in English to begin. The felt tipped markers included in the game still worked, barely, to allow us to mark up our cities with persons and buildings and walls and churches. Pirate attacks only had an impact early in the game. A couple of jugglers entertained my noblemen and architects to help me fill the board first and also win.
Then we set up for a rematch of Puerto Rico which I had won on a tie breaker against my buddy Mike just a few weeks back. Seeking revenge, this time he shipped his way to victory for a decisive win despite my three large buildings - only two of which earned bonuses. In hindsight, picking coffee over tobacco early in the game was a mistake since it afforded Mike a financial leg up before the rest of us could catch up.
To end the evening I taught my friends the tongue-in-cheek real estate auction game Watch Out! That's a Dracula! This was the freebie from Hollandspiele's Hollandays sale last year. It was my first time to play, too, and I am glad I didn't read all the cards in advance, instead waiting to be surprised by the events and characters. Dracula didn't win, and I suffered a huge setback thanks to Frankenstein, getting my own taste of humility in the end.The wooden decor reminds me of game components.:strip_icc()/pic7276667.png)
✎
Preceding: RepurposeEnsuing: Readiness
Tue Jan 10, 2023 5:59 am
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“One of the advantages of being disorganized is that one is always having surprising discoveries.”
― A.A. Milne
In an earlier post I mentioned that I'm always looking for suitable storage containers for game bits. I recently found that repurposed mini markers from my other passion, disc golf, work really well as shallow bowls to hold resources and keep them easily accessible. Here's an example of my MVP Nano Mini Disc marker holding shells and fish which are the currency in Peer Sylvester's beautifully illustrated game Polynesia."Disc"overing another use.:strip_icc()/pic7274500.png)
Mini markers are small, roughly 4" diameter discs intended not to throw but to mark one's lie in disc golf. They are placed on the spot where each thrown disc lands to provide a spot from which to throw subsequent shots. You really only need one marker, so since I had a few extras lying around it occurred to me that I could put them to better use on game nights. They are nicely sized to hold an assortment of board gaming bits. Just flip the marker upside down and throw the bits within. The rim keeps anything from spilling out. The shallow depth makes the content easy to retrieve. I even have a few different colored markers to color coordinate with the game bits. How nifty is that?! It's fun when hobbies collide.✎
Preceding: SkipEnsuing: Humility
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“All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.”
― Mark Twain
Really, the only reason UNO ever overlaps with "fun" on a Venn diagram is thanks to its non-numbered cards: Draw Four, Draw Two, Reverse and Skip. And the only reason why I bring this up is because Uno and Skip best describe the fun I had playing a round of disc golf today.
Uno skip disc.:strip_icc()/pic7272426.png)
I occasionally run across something funny on the disc courses I play. Disc golfers in general, the same as most board gamers I've met, have a good sense of humor. Today I found a fun, hand drawn sign welcoming me to hole #4.Hello Kitty!:strip_icc()/pic7272428.png)
The sign elicited a genuine smile that quickly turned into a full grin when I aced the hole by skipping my disc off the ground and into the chains and basket.Skip ace.:strip_icc()/pic7272427.png)
As you can imagine, I was ecstatic. This was seventh ace, but my first skip ace. So now you can see why it reminded me of that ubiquitous family game and its Skip card. That card in Uno usually produces a groan, but a skip hole in one today produced a grin. I'm still smiling just thinking about it.✎
Preceding: The GiftsEnsuing: Repurpose
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“A friend is a gift you give yourself.”
― Robert Louis Stevenson
For those who celebrate... Happy Epiphany!
Today's holiday commemorates the Magi (aka three kings) who visited Jesus in Bethlehem, bearing gifts for the newborn child. Tradition holds those gifts were gold, frankincense and myrrh.Wise men bring presents.:strip_icc()/pic7270272.png)
Hans im Glück brought a cardboard gift to Carcassonne fans this past year in celebration of the game's 20th anniversary, a mini-expansions titled appropriately enough Carcassonne: The Gifts.Give and thou shalt receive.:strip_icc()/pic7270271.png)
Sidebar...
Carcassonne remains a favorite game of mine and one which churns out a near endless variety of expansions and promotional items, making it a pain in the ass for completionists like myself to find, let alone collect, everything. That's one reason I am in awe of the work of The Carcassonne Museum which has amassed an amazing collection of anything and everything published relating to the game. As for my own collection, after much effort and the benevolence of friends, I finally have all available Essen Spiel promo tiles (not a small feat).FOMO incarnate.:strip_icc()/pic7270283.png)
Back to The Gifts...
In contrast to almost all other Carcassonne content, a small deck of cards (instead of tiles) comprises this new Gifts expansion, making it unique in that regard. The cards accompany play to reward selfless actions with a rather selfish gift in return. Whenever players altruistically add to another's feature they receive a "gift" i.e. draw a card. On subsequent turns players may "open" their gift i.e. play that card for one of five potential benefits, all of which are quite powerful to add, move or score meeples in different ways.
The Gifts offers dramatic opportunities to alter the board state in games of Carcassonne with the introduction of these new cards. I suspect whether these cards are welcome or not will depend if one prefers to play the game casually or competitively. Generally, casual play eschews such disruptive elements while competitive play seeks such opportunities to gain an advantage. The friendly play of Gifts belies ulterior motives with this quite different addition to the stable of Carcassonne expansions. They're the gifts that keeps on giving.✎
Preceding: DecisionsEnsuing: Skip
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The Ways
by John Oxenham
To every man there openeth
A choice of ways to go;
And the high soul takes the high road
And the low soul takes the low,
And in between on misty flats,
The rest drift to and fro;
But to everyone there openeth
A high way and a low,
And everyone decideth
The way his soul shall go.
I've spent a good deal of my time this past month playing a game. A silly game. On my phone. With superheroes. Yes, that game.SNAP!:strip_icc()/pic7268113.png)
To say this game is addictive is an understatement. Its soaring popularity at the moment clearly demonstrates that. I'd even say it makes for a perfect time killer app. Kudos to the team that brought this idea to market. It's a bona fide hit.
I say it's silly, but the game play actually features a very good decision mechanic found in well regarded board games which I particularly enjoy: Battle Line, Omen: A Reign of War and the more recent Air, Land, & Sea and its expansion Spies, Lies, & SuppliesCrafty cardboard brinkmanship.:strip_icc()/pic7268114.png)
I've heard these types of games described as lane battlers or, as Dan Thurot affectionately calls them, Schotten-tots after Knizia's early example of the genre. The way these games generally work is players hampered by limited knowledge must decide to play cards from their hands into one of several arenas or columns to "fight" at round's end by comparing the relative strengths of accumulated cards comprising a fighting force. All manner of trickery and deceit come into play to manipulate cards and add a whole other meta layer of possibilities. I find them to be great fun.
One of the core features of both Marvel Snap and Jon Perry's Air, Land, & Sea series is the chance to withdraw from battles as a means of limiting losses. It's a thoughtful added twist and one which adds additional angst to game play. I believe it's also one of the reasons this game has gained such popularity.
One other way in which Marvel Snap distinguishes itself is by adding a collection element to the game. Cards are acquired as achievements or rewards through regular game play which bolsters the addictive quality of the game. This card collection aspect becomes its own game within the game.
I enjoy playing this digital app sporadically as a pleasant distraction. It mimics the excitement I find playing similar board games and does so in a fraction of the time. But everyone must decide for one's self if it's worth their time or not.✎
Preceding: Contemplative PossibilitiesEnsuing: The Gifts
Fri Jan 6, 2023 5:58 am
- [+] Dice rolls
