Top Ten Filler Games

Last time I posted a top ten around these parts, it was my top ten lunch games, games that can be played and taught comfortably within the confines of a lunch hour.

But what if your lunch hour is more like a lunch break? Or what about those times when you want to play another game, but you're waiting to mix up the players, and the other group is playing a game of Power Grid that simply will not end?

That, friends, is where the aptly named "filler" games come in--short games that can be used to open, close, or fill gaps within your game night.

What defines an ideal filler game? Here are my criteria:

Giving Thanks for Games (a holiday session report)

My family celebrated Christmas over Thanksgiving this year (long story), so all of us descended on my aunts' house for four days of food, togetherness, and... gaming.

My family has always enjoyed playing games together--first trick-taking games like Pinochle and Rook, then party games like Scattergories and Rapid Recall, and now hobby games, beginning with Acquire. There were fifteen of us at the gathering, and we played a lot of games over the four days. I usually list what I've been playing in the weekly news, but I thought I'd write a separate post since several of these are new, and I'd prefer to treat them in more depth. So here's what we played.

News Bits: 11/11/2013

This was a packed week for the NEWS:

Annual Jack Vasel Fund Memorial Auction begins on Board Game Geek [Link] This is Tom Vasel's annual auction in honor of his son, Jack, who passed away shortly after birth. All proceeds from this auction go to the Jack Vasel Fund to help gamers in need. The generosity of the gaming community is truly astounding sometimes, and there are some incredible (and unique) items available.

Top Ten Lunch Games

I've written on the subject of lunch games many, many times, but probably most completely here. The category of lunch games--games that can be played and in most cases taught in an hour--is near to my heart for several reasons, not least of which is lunch when I am most likely to have time free to play a game. The pressures and responsibilities of home prevent me from attending more than one game night a month. But over lunch? Then I am free.

In my earlier post, I listed several criteria for ideal lunch games. They are:

• Goldilocks playtime (neither too short nor too long)
• Simple rules
• Simultaneous (or near simultaneous) play (in other words, there's always something to do)
• Chaos factor (players have an opportunity to break gameplay conventions)

So which games am I most excited to play over lunch? Here's my list.

News Bits: 9/16/2013

Lots of good stuff in this week's NEWS.

Chris Handy interviews Alan Moon [Link] This is a fantastic interview. Seriously. I planned to watch a few minutes and watched the whole thing. (A brief note: this was supposed to be a Kickstarter reward for the Adventures on the Tabletop documentary. If you feel so inclined, you can still support the project here.) When I wrote the guide on Carl Chudyk a few weeks ago, I mentioned that he was the only designer with two games in my top ten. That, however, was not true (whoops!). Alan Moon shares that title with him (for Ticket to Ride: Europe and Airlines Europe). Check this out.

News Bits: 7/29/2013

The big news this week was a failed Kickstarter campaign and the discussion surrounding it. But there's more than that. Here is the NEWS:

Fred Hicks discusses the Doom That Came to Atlantic City Kickstarter campaign [Link] Kickstarter for board games is coming out of its infancy into the shaky years of adolescence. This kind of scenario (along with many, many, many others) has with good reason made many people wary of using the platform. I know there's a lot of idealism surrounding Kickstarter, about it being used to fund people's dreams, but really, I think Hicks's advice is on the money. And because there is no great way to test first-time campaigners (to see if they're overreaching), and since I've had several less than stellar experiences myself, I'm much more likely to use my money to fund Kickstarter veterans. Against the spirit of the service? Perhaps, but less risk. (Also, the game's designer responded here. Designer/publisher relationships are complicated, to say the least.)

News Bits: 7/15/2013

Exactly one year ago I started writing a weekly news post for iSlaytheDragon. When Futurewolfie initially suggested that I write a news column for our blog, my thought was, Isn't this what W. Eric Martin is for? And I continue to ask myself that same question now, albeit much less frequently, thanks to all of you. It's been exciting to see our weekly news post grow from a tumbleweed witnessed by a few faithful readers into one of our most-read and discussed posts of the week.

So, to all of you who have been with me since the beginning (and those who are just joining us), thank you. Your energy and enthusiasm has kept me going despite the frequent questions of identity and utility.

But enough of this. The NEWS:

News Bits: 7/8/2013

Another week, another NEWS:

UPDATE: Spiel des Jahres awarded to Hanabi, Kennerspiel des Jahres to Legends of Andor [Link] These choices are a surprise (especially Hanabi, a small-box game), but not an unwelcome one. Also, we have reviewed both Hanabi and Legends of Andor if you'd like to see our thoughts on the games.

Board Game Geek launches GenCon 2013 preview [Link] GenCon is the big gaming convention in the States, and this preview is a must for convention goers. There are a number of games on the list that I plan to investigate further at the convention.

He deserves a big hand for that and we gave him one (A Guide To Hand Management)

There are a lot of new-fangled mechanics that have come to popularity in the recent years: worker placement, deck building, and dice building to name a few. But other mechanics have a much longer history. Among game components that have a rich history dice and cards both trace back over 1000 years. In this mechanic guide we’ll explore the most common implementation of card driven games, Hand Management.

And the Rockets' Red Glare... (a review of Hanabi)

Fireworks. The sound, the spectacle, the dazzling display. You've probably attended some good fireworks shows in your lifetime, ones that have sent you home with an awed expressions on your face, memories in your mind, and praises on your lips. You've probably also seen the demonstrations that are completely forgettable, perhaps a way to pass the time to celebrate a holiday but not an event worthy of remembrance.

But did you know that fireworks displays require cooperation, deduction, and skill? And playing cards in ascending order? No?

Well, in the world of Hanabi they do.

News Bits: 7/1/2013

As we approach GenCon, there seems to be more and more NEWS available:

Z-Man unveils scenarios for Pandemic [Link] This is an excellent way to increase the mileage of an already great and oft-played game. I hope they continue! (Also, check out the new Pandemic insert that will be available in the reprint of On the Brink.)

News Bits: 6/24/2013

Indeed, the Origins info poured in this week. Here's the NEWS:

Asmadi Games demos Impulse [Link] A new game from Carl Chudyk! It's a 4x space game... But it's Carl Chudyk, designer of Glory to Rome, FlowerFall, and Innovation! Okay, sign me up, especially since it plays in 30 minutes. I can't wait to find out more about this one.

News Bits: 6/17/2013

I expect we'll see some Origins coverage this week. But for now, the NEWS:

Dominion Strategy blog releases spoiler list for Dominion: Guilds [Link] I'd like to play this set right now. This last Dominion set looks like a blast!