Monday, August 19, 2013
GenCon 2013
I wrote a geeklist about my GenCon experiences this year. It was a very long convention for me, being sick most of the time, but I had a great time still. I've now been going since 2004 (missed 2005) and so next year will be my 10th year at what I call my favorite "holiday" of the year. Hopefully soon I'll have time to post about our Minnesota vacation, a new board game review, and an interesting thing about a sociological phenomenon that I think about occasionally.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
One for All and then One for All
Recently I've been reading in Romans, which if you are into theology, is where much of the basis for the Christian faith's finer points of theology comes from. Not saying the other books in the Bible aren't sources, I'm just saying that so many times Romans is cited, specifically justified by faith. Something though recently caught my eye...Adam.
Nope, not talking to myself, but with a name like Adam, sometimes I feel responsible. Adam was responsible for bringing sin into the world. Because of him we all needed a savior. This seems rough. First, why would my parents name me after such a person? Second, seems overkill to have one guy be responsible for the downfall of the world.
However, what is important to understand, is just as sin came into the world through one man, it was defeated by one man! I like this equality, this balance, this fulfillment. It makes sense to me from a logical standpoint.It took one guy to ruin it and it takes just one guy to fix it.
I didn't go into all the complexities of original sin, justification, substitution, grace, and all the other "christian terms" that could go with this post. Just wanting to share some thoughts I was having this week. It took single guy, in a moment of trying to be the guy, to bring the downfall of all mankind. But it took one man, giving himself to live and die for all, to provide the fix.
I like how The Message puts it in Romans 5:18-19: Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right.
Also, Adam is a good name, after all that is what God chose to name the first person created in his image. I'm glad my parents didn't name me Benedict or Poop-face or Jezebel.
Nope, not talking to myself, but with a name like Adam, sometimes I feel responsible. Adam was responsible for bringing sin into the world. Because of him we all needed a savior. This seems rough. First, why would my parents name me after such a person? Second, seems overkill to have one guy be responsible for the downfall of the world.
However, what is important to understand, is just as sin came into the world through one man, it was defeated by one man! I like this equality, this balance, this fulfillment. It makes sense to me from a logical standpoint.It took one guy to ruin it and it takes just one guy to fix it.
I didn't go into all the complexities of original sin, justification, substitution, grace, and all the other "christian terms" that could go with this post. Just wanting to share some thoughts I was having this week. It took single guy, in a moment of trying to be the guy, to bring the downfall of all mankind. But it took one man, giving himself to live and die for all, to provide the fix.
I like how The Message puts it in Romans 5:18-19: Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right.
Also, Adam is a good name, after all that is what God chose to name the first person created in his image. I'm glad my parents didn't name me Benedict or Poop-face or Jezebel.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Every 100 Games Series - Ginkgopolis
I've now played my 4,200th game session and it was Ginkgopolis, from Z-Man Games. A relatively new purchase for my family, it has received quite a bit of play recently and so this is one I'm glad I get a chance to review.
Game Play
Players take on the role of city planners trying to build a more futuristic and environment friendly city. There is a 3x3 grid of tiles laid out at the start of the game. On your turn you can: 1.Play a card that will give you tiles, resources, or points. 2. Play a card to build over an existing building. 3. Expand the city outwards by playing a card. That is it. Pretty simple and straight forward. However, as you build the city you'll create more and more special bonuses for you to do a specific type action, thus giving you more tiles, points, and resources to build the city more.
Components
The pieces in this game are top notch. There are a ton of building tiles, about the size of your typical game tile, but really thick. I liked that they made the backs of the starting tiles different than the backs of the regular tiles so you can quickly distinguish them. The cards of solid quality, the rules are as well, and the wooden tokens and player shields are the typical Z-Man products. The art on the game is really cool, though it doesn't really have much of a theme in the game play. I like the somewhat futuristic characters on the box and the cards. The buildings also look very nice and "one with nature" as they should for the theme.
Strategy
This is much more of a tactical game than a strategic game, though they is plenty of strategy as well. I've played it a few times with 4 and 5 players, in which case it becomes very chaotic, and thus strategy goes out the door. However, in a 2 or 3 player game, there is plenty of trying to position yourself to get that specific bonus card or control the big blue area where you'll get the most points at the end of the game. This strategy has become more apparent to me the more I've played the game and learned a bit more about what cards go with what buildings and what kind of bonuses there are for end of the game. At first I thought this game would be completely tactical, but I've found myself thinking several turns ahead trying to get in the best position to win the area majority at the end of the game.
Overall
This game is a very good game. I've now played it 13 times, which is quite a bit considering I only first played in 2 months ago. That is more times than I've played some of my favorite games including Dungeon Lords and Hansa Tuetonica, so that has to mean something. I do think that playing a card by itself can be a bit weak and you'll want to avoid doing so if you can. I've tried a couple times to go heavy in that strategy and it just didn't seem to work as well. This is one that'll stick around awhile though in my collection and I think I've really got my $35 out of it already in two months.
Recommendations
Carcassonne Fans - I think this is the next step for Carcassonne fans. It has that tile laying aspect, but allows you to build up as well as out. It is probably slightly longer (thanks to set up time), but if you like Carc give this one a try.
Drafting Fans - The card drafting in this game, though while somewhat interesting, doesn't really have a lot of effect on the game play since a new card comes into the system each turn. In a two player game it matters more, but as you get more players it matters less and less. If you think this is the next 7 Wonders or Fairy Tale, think again.
Players Who Play Pink - I know there has to be some of you out there. This is a must buy. There are pink player pieces.
Typical Euro Player - I wouldn't call myself a complete Euro player, but I play them the majority of the time and this has a place in my collection. I think it is different enough that it'd be worth purchasing and thus taking up a spot on your shelf. Even if it means getting rid of another game (I'm looking at you Masons).
*Every 100 Games Series - Back in March of 2006 I began tracking each session of the various board and card games I play. I soon got the idea to write a review on every 100th game I played, one because I like writing reviews, and two because it is interesting to see what game I review next. You can find a list of all of them here: Every 100 Games Series Reviews.
Game Play
Players take on the role of city planners trying to build a more futuristic and environment friendly city. There is a 3x3 grid of tiles laid out at the start of the game. On your turn you can: 1.Play a card that will give you tiles, resources, or points. 2. Play a card to build over an existing building. 3. Expand the city outwards by playing a card. That is it. Pretty simple and straight forward. However, as you build the city you'll create more and more special bonuses for you to do a specific type action, thus giving you more tiles, points, and resources to build the city more.
Components
The pieces in this game are top notch. There are a ton of building tiles, about the size of your typical game tile, but really thick. I liked that they made the backs of the starting tiles different than the backs of the regular tiles so you can quickly distinguish them. The cards of solid quality, the rules are as well, and the wooden tokens and player shields are the typical Z-Man products. The art on the game is really cool, though it doesn't really have much of a theme in the game play. I like the somewhat futuristic characters on the box and the cards. The buildings also look very nice and "one with nature" as they should for the theme.
Strategy
This is much more of a tactical game than a strategic game, though they is plenty of strategy as well. I've played it a few times with 4 and 5 players, in which case it becomes very chaotic, and thus strategy goes out the door. However, in a 2 or 3 player game, there is plenty of trying to position yourself to get that specific bonus card or control the big blue area where you'll get the most points at the end of the game. This strategy has become more apparent to me the more I've played the game and learned a bit more about what cards go with what buildings and what kind of bonuses there are for end of the game. At first I thought this game would be completely tactical, but I've found myself thinking several turns ahead trying to get in the best position to win the area majority at the end of the game.
Overall
This game is a very good game. I've now played it 13 times, which is quite a bit considering I only first played in 2 months ago. That is more times than I've played some of my favorite games including Dungeon Lords and Hansa Tuetonica, so that has to mean something. I do think that playing a card by itself can be a bit weak and you'll want to avoid doing so if you can. I've tried a couple times to go heavy in that strategy and it just didn't seem to work as well. This is one that'll stick around awhile though in my collection and I think I've really got my $35 out of it already in two months.
Recommendations
Carcassonne Fans - I think this is the next step for Carcassonne fans. It has that tile laying aspect, but allows you to build up as well as out. It is probably slightly longer (thanks to set up time), but if you like Carc give this one a try.
Drafting Fans - The card drafting in this game, though while somewhat interesting, doesn't really have a lot of effect on the game play since a new card comes into the system each turn. In a two player game it matters more, but as you get more players it matters less and less. If you think this is the next 7 Wonders or Fairy Tale, think again.
Players Who Play Pink - I know there has to be some of you out there. This is a must buy. There are pink player pieces.
Typical Euro Player - I wouldn't call myself a complete Euro player, but I play them the majority of the time and this has a place in my collection. I think it is different enough that it'd be worth purchasing and thus taking up a spot on your shelf. Even if it means getting rid of another game (I'm looking at you Masons).
*Every 100 Games Series - Back in March of 2006 I began tracking each session of the various board and card games I play. I soon got the idea to write a review on every 100th game I played, one because I like writing reviews, and two because it is interesting to see what game I review next. You can find a list of all of them here: Every 100 Games Series Reviews.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Guild of Thieves: There is an App!
It has been nearly a year now since I "published" (read made available for print on demand and print and play) my game Guild of Thieves. Since then I have come up with a few new cards for a potential expansion that I've play-tested a little bit. I've also considered, even now, changing the point value of a card and changing the movement of another card. I'm not going to though, because I imagine, the game will never truly be done. There will always be something I think I can tweak or improve and so I have to just leave it be unless I get a real publisher.
Speaking of a publisher, Cards Against Humanity, a game that has done well recently ran a contest for new designers to enter their game in a type of game tournament for GenCon this year. They'll pit these games against each other and finally declare a winner that'll get a bit of money towards having their game professionally published! I entered Guild of Thieves. I hope with its short play time, relatively cheap components, and ease of learning, that it will do well in the short period they have at GenCon to determine a winner. If so, next year will be a really busy year for me!
Finally, there is now an app for Guild of Thieves. Okay, well this is an app for those phones that connect to the internet, via a web browser and just play the game online. I still think it counts. A local Indianapolis gamer, Jeff Huter, does online versions of various board games at www.slothninja.com, where you can play asynchronously with people from all over. He offered to put Guild of Thieves up there, for which I'm extremely grateful, so go and try it out. I'm going to try and play 3-5 games of it at a time and would love to play any of you readers if you'd like. Let me know your Sloth Ninja user name once you create an account and we can get a game going.
Maybe I'll get that bug of designing another game again soon and can flesh out City Planner or Bad Bass Fishin' in the next year...
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Regional Season
It has been quite awhile since I posted anything, but I thought I'd write a little bit about where I've been spending my weekends the past couple months. Normally April, May, and June are all about fishing for me, but this year I decided to spend them playing in Regional Tournaments for Android: Netrunner and Warhammer: Invasion the two card games I try and play competitively.
Invasion - Blue Grass Magic Shop - Louiville, KY
This was a fun trip down to Louiville with Patrick, Julia, Brendan, Emily, and Sean. We brought 6 of the 15 participates to the tourney from Indianapolis! 15 people in an Invasion tournament is pretty impressive, considering they only had 20 at Worlds last year and only 16 at GenCon. I made the top 8 as the #8 seed and then somehow came flying back and took the tourney against Brian. You can read about it here: Regional Report #1.
Netrunner - Saltire Games - Indianapolis, IN
I've got to say this was the worst tournament experience I think I've ever had. Though my first year at Worlds for Invasion was pretty bad. We didn't start until 45 minutes after the start time, because the organizer didn't show up or call. The guy who ran the tourney really didn't know anything about Netrunner. It was advertised poorly, so that only 10 people showed up (which seems low for Netrunner) and in general it just didn't go so well. I finished 6 out of 10, but did enjoy the actual playing of the games. You can read about it here: Regional Report #2.
Netrunner - Games Preserve - Indianapolis, IN
Ah yes, this was really fun. Extremely well organized, everything went really smooth. My only complaint on this one was the room is so small and gets quite crowded with 20 gamers in there. I was 1 point away from pulling 2nd place and just a card or two away from getting first if I remember right. It was fun to play with both Jeremys (my two main Netrunner opponents) in a tourney. Ended up in 3rd place. You can read about it here: Regional Report #3.
Invasion - Something2Do - Louisville, KY
This time it was just Brendan, Emily, and I making the trip. It was great to get to know them a little more as 4 hours in the car will do for people. Also fun, having a Subway right across the hall for pop all day and Brendan trading me his Invasion mug that I now have at work with my two trophies. I made the Top 4 again, but this time was beaten by another Brayherd deck, which makes the 3rd consecutive Louisville Regional won by a Brayherd deck. You can read about it here: Regional Report #4.
Thanks to an awesome wife, I have had a cool first half of the summer when it comes to my card games. Up next is the North American Championships at GenCon, where I hope to place well in Invasion, but probably will fare poorly in Netrunner.
Invasion - Blue Grass Magic Shop - Louiville, KY
This was a fun trip down to Louiville with Patrick, Julia, Brendan, Emily, and Sean. We brought 6 of the 15 participates to the tourney from Indianapolis! 15 people in an Invasion tournament is pretty impressive, considering they only had 20 at Worlds last year and only 16 at GenCon. I made the top 8 as the #8 seed and then somehow came flying back and took the tourney against Brian. You can read about it here: Regional Report #1.
Netrunner - Saltire Games - Indianapolis, IN
I've got to say this was the worst tournament experience I think I've ever had. Though my first year at Worlds for Invasion was pretty bad. We didn't start until 45 minutes after the start time, because the organizer didn't show up or call. The guy who ran the tourney really didn't know anything about Netrunner. It was advertised poorly, so that only 10 people showed up (which seems low for Netrunner) and in general it just didn't go so well. I finished 6 out of 10, but did enjoy the actual playing of the games. You can read about it here: Regional Report #2.
Netrunner - Games Preserve - Indianapolis, IN
Ah yes, this was really fun. Extremely well organized, everything went really smooth. My only complaint on this one was the room is so small and gets quite crowded with 20 gamers in there. I was 1 point away from pulling 2nd place and just a card or two away from getting first if I remember right. It was fun to play with both Jeremys (my two main Netrunner opponents) in a tourney. Ended up in 3rd place. You can read about it here: Regional Report #3.
Invasion - Something2Do - Louisville, KY
This time it was just Brendan, Emily, and I making the trip. It was great to get to know them a little more as 4 hours in the car will do for people. Also fun, having a Subway right across the hall for pop all day and Brendan trading me his Invasion mug that I now have at work with my two trophies. I made the Top 4 again, but this time was beaten by another Brayherd deck, which makes the 3rd consecutive Louisville Regional won by a Brayherd deck. You can read about it here: Regional Report #4.
Thanks to an awesome wife, I have had a cool first half of the summer when it comes to my card games. Up next is the North American Championships at GenCon, where I hope to place well in Invasion, but probably will fare poorly in Netrunner.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Every 100 Games Series - Wyatt Earp
4,100 individual game sessions. That is where I am at now. I recently purchased Wyatt Earp, not because I was looking to own it, but because I wanted to support Miniature Market for sponsoring IndyCon. Turns out my wife learned the game, taught me, and then we played it. I'd played this game back in 2007 one time, so it wasn't completely new to me, but it might as well have been. So what do I think now?
Components
This is essentially a card game, so there aren't a lot of components. There are 8 real-life outlaw boards. These boards represent various villains like Billy the Kid, Calamity Jane, and Bob Dalton (my favorite). The game also comes with some nice card board money tokens in $1,000 and $5,000 denominations. Then there is a deck of cards that not only have the outlaws represented, but also have some special action cards, including the namesake of the game, Wyatt Earp. Other than that, not much else in the game. Except it does have a cool #5 on the spine showing its place in the Alea Small Box line.
Game Play
Basically this is a rummy variant game. On your turn you get to draw a card and play some card or cards. There are outlaw cards which are essentially the colors of the outlaws that you play in a set of 3 at first, but then can add to your own set our your opponent's set to try and get the most in those outlaws. Why do you want the most in a given outlaw you ask? Well, as you play these cards, money is being added for the "capture" of that outlaw and the player who has the highest value of those outlaw cards in front of themselves when the game ends gets the money. Person with the most money wins the game! There are other sheriff cards that give special actions for players as well, which add spice to this rummy play.
Strategy
Just like in many rummy-style games, this one is all about trying to be the one to go out first, and thus control the who wins each outlaw's reward. There is some touch and go with the various action cards, blocking players, adding to your pile, and generally trying to be sneaky. The game however isn't a huge thinking game and really shouldn't be one that taxes your brain so much.
Recommendations
500 Rummy Players - Yes, I'd say get this one. It isn't pure rummy, but it is pretty close. Plays quickly and I think has more decisions that Rummy does.
Western Fans - Again, I'd recommend this one. The artwork is cool. The Western theme isn't that strong (have yet to play a game that it is) but it is there. It is one that would be good to add if you like that theme.
2-Player Gamers - I don't recommend this for you. With two players only this game seems to lose something to me. Since a lot of the game is about fighting over the outlaw rewards, it seems more fun to fight over those rewards with multiple people.
*Every 100 Games Series - Back in March of 2006 I began tracking each session of the various board and card games I play. I soon got the idea to write a review on every 100th game I played, one because I like writing reviews, and two because it is interesting to see what game I review next. You can find a list of all of them here: Every 100 Games Series Reviews.
Components
This is essentially a card game, so there aren't a lot of components. There are 8 real-life outlaw boards. These boards represent various villains like Billy the Kid, Calamity Jane, and Bob Dalton (my favorite). The game also comes with some nice card board money tokens in $1,000 and $5,000 denominations. Then there is a deck of cards that not only have the outlaws represented, but also have some special action cards, including the namesake of the game, Wyatt Earp. Other than that, not much else in the game. Except it does have a cool #5 on the spine showing its place in the Alea Small Box line.
Game Play
Basically this is a rummy variant game. On your turn you get to draw a card and play some card or cards. There are outlaw cards which are essentially the colors of the outlaws that you play in a set of 3 at first, but then can add to your own set our your opponent's set to try and get the most in those outlaws. Why do you want the most in a given outlaw you ask? Well, as you play these cards, money is being added for the "capture" of that outlaw and the player who has the highest value of those outlaw cards in front of themselves when the game ends gets the money. Person with the most money wins the game! There are other sheriff cards that give special actions for players as well, which add spice to this rummy play.
Strategy
Just like in many rummy-style games, this one is all about trying to be the one to go out first, and thus control the who wins each outlaw's reward. There is some touch and go with the various action cards, blocking players, adding to your pile, and generally trying to be sneaky. The game however isn't a huge thinking game and really shouldn't be one that taxes your brain so much.
Recommendations
500 Rummy Players - Yes, I'd say get this one. It isn't pure rummy, but it is pretty close. Plays quickly and I think has more decisions that Rummy does.
Western Fans - Again, I'd recommend this one. The artwork is cool. The Western theme isn't that strong (have yet to play a game that it is) but it is there. It is one that would be good to add if you like that theme.
2-Player Gamers - I don't recommend this for you. With two players only this game seems to lose something to me. Since a lot of the game is about fighting over the outlaw rewards, it seems more fun to fight over those rewards with multiple people.
*Every 100 Games Series - Back in March of 2006 I began tracking each session of the various board and card games I play. I soon got the idea to write a review on every 100th game I played, one because I like writing reviews, and two because it is interesting to see what game I review next. You can find a list of all of them here: Every 100 Games Series Reviews.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Every 100 Games Series - TocToc Woodman
Wow. I've now played 4,000 games since beginning to log game plays in March of 2006. That is a lot. My number of plays has even been increased recently because I've been playing a lot of shorter card games and much more kids games, one of which is TocToc Woodman and the subject of this review.
Components
The game comes with several core pieces, that have slots for 4 pieces of bark to be slid on them. You then stack all of these pieces on top of each other to make a trunk of a tree. The only other thing the game comes with is a plastic ax.
Game Play
Probably the simplest game you're ever going to come across. On your turn you take the ax and tap twice (toc toc...get it?) on the wooden tower. You are trying to knock off the bark from the tree, but not the center pieces. Each bark piece you knock off gets you a point, but each center piece you knock off gives you negative 5 points. Once all the bark is knocked off the tree, players add up their score, declaring the best lumberjack out there.
Overall
Toc Toc Woodman is a fun game. However, it is more of a fun game with 4 year-olds than it is with adults. Currently this is Kaylee's most requested game and since it plays very quickly we play it two or three times a session. The pieces are very good, the price is cheap, and it is one that will be sure to draw a crowd and can be played with a lot of people.
Recommendations
Jenga Players: I'd say go elsewhere. Jenga is just cool. It takes more skill. It doesn't bounce completely all over the place like the light plastic pieces of Toc Toc. You probably won't enjoy Toc Toc Woodman.
Parents of 4-8 year olds: Get this game. It gives you a great opportunity to play with your kids, but at the same time is over very quickly if you want or need it to be. It also is one of those rare games where they'll be just as good as you at it, so they won't be as discouraged.
Lumberjacks: Umm...sure...get this game...if you like to play like you like to work.
Components
The game comes with several core pieces, that have slots for 4 pieces of bark to be slid on them. You then stack all of these pieces on top of each other to make a trunk of a tree. The only other thing the game comes with is a plastic ax.
Game Play
Probably the simplest game you're ever going to come across. On your turn you take the ax and tap twice (toc toc...get it?) on the wooden tower. You are trying to knock off the bark from the tree, but not the center pieces. Each bark piece you knock off gets you a point, but each center piece you knock off gives you negative 5 points. Once all the bark is knocked off the tree, players add up their score, declaring the best lumberjack out there.
Overall
Toc Toc Woodman is a fun game. However, it is more of a fun game with 4 year-olds than it is with adults. Currently this is Kaylee's most requested game and since it plays very quickly we play it two or three times a session. The pieces are very good, the price is cheap, and it is one that will be sure to draw a crowd and can be played with a lot of people.
Recommendations
Jenga Players: I'd say go elsewhere. Jenga is just cool. It takes more skill. It doesn't bounce completely all over the place like the light plastic pieces of Toc Toc. You probably won't enjoy Toc Toc Woodman.
Parents of 4-8 year olds: Get this game. It gives you a great opportunity to play with your kids, but at the same time is over very quickly if you want or need it to be. It also is one of those rare games where they'll be just as good as you at it, so they won't be as discouraged.
Lumberjacks: Umm...sure...get this game...if you like to play like you like to work.
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