News Bits: 1/6/2014

Ah, back on track after all of the holiday slowness. This week's NEWS:

Grant Rodiek looks at new ways to teach board games [Link] As my group's usual game explainer, I'm always eager for new methods to use (or at least for aids that will make my job easier). Grant highlights some methods that specifically designers and publishers can use to make teaching their games easier, even for rules explainers. For me, I'm still fine with a rulebook (I like to learn by reading), as long as the rulebook is well written.

News Bits: 12/23/2013

Greetings on this holiday week. Here is the NEWS:

The secret history of The Cones of Dunshire on Parks and Recreation [Link] I don't watch it often, but I think Parks and Recreation is one of the best shows on TV, and their recent "Cones of Dunshire" bit helps cement that perception in my mind. The show's producers and some people from Mayfair Games (Settlers of Catan) talk about what went into creating this beast that may make an appearance at Gen Con 2014 (?).

Remembering Your First Play Of A Favorite

Celebrating a new game order by making it rain packing peanuts!

I wouldn't describe myself as being a member of the Cult of the New, a notorious title for people who like to play only the latest and greatest games.  In fact, I've only played 9 games that were released this year and am still catching up on last year's Essen catalog.  However, I cherish the experience of playing a game for the first time (regardless of when it came out).  There's something about exploring the possibilities in a new game and marveling at an elegant design.  Maybe it's the excitement that comes with discovering a new mechanic, seeing a clever twist on your favorite formula, or immersing yourself in a new setting.  Whatever it is, first plays are certainly memorable and after dozens or hundreds of plays chances are you'll still remember that first time.  Don't get me wrong, I still love to explore the depth that comes with repeated plays but that first play is special.

News Bits: 12/16/2013

Another week, and here's the NEWS:

Hanabi Extra released in Germany [Link] Bigger cards (Dixit size) and card racks. This is the kind of Hanabi Deluxe I'd be willing to shell out for. I'm not sure it's coming to the US, though.

News Bits: 11/25/2013

"It's the holiday season..." Or at least it's coming. And that's probably why this was a slow week. (That, or everyone was at BGG.Con.) In any case, here's this week's NEWS:

Race for the Galaxy: Alien Artifacts coming soon [Link] The news has to be legit this time, since the designer diary was posted on Board Game Geek. Also, Tom Lehman comments that it is in transit now to the Rio Grande warehouses. Alien Artifacts takes Race for the Galaxy in a new direction, beginning a new arc for the game. It may be time to jump back in...

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: 11/4/2013

This week's NEWS:

Asmadi Games opens prerelease preorders for Impulse [Link] This is very exciting news for me. This was one of the best games I demoed at Gen Con. It combines Carl Chudyk's multi-use cards we've come to know and love with the spatial elements of an epic space board game. This is a print-on-demand title, and the components will be better in the final published version, but those who preorder this edition will get 50% off the final version. I preordered mine...

Sprint Through the Ages (a review of Innovation)

Innovations are the foundation of society. Ideas, inventions, new ways of doing things--these are what ground civilization and move it forward.

In Innovation, you are the leader of a civilization, guiding its progress from prehistory through the Information Age and managing its innovations to both benefit your society and destroy your enemy's. And all of this within thirty to sixty minutes. Are you up for the challenge? Then check out Innovation below!

News Bits: 9/23/2013

Summer is gone; fall is here. The seasons change, but the NEWS stays the same:

Terra Mystica wins Deutscher Spiele Preis [Link] And surprises...no one. Other top winners are Tzolk'in, Bruges, and Bora Bora (yes, two Stefan Feld games in the top 4). Congratulations to the winners!

The Name on the Box Top: Carl Chudyk

Over a year ago I began what I imagined would become a regular series of guides called "The Name on the Box Top." Here's how I introduced the series:

I am almost certain that those who participate in the board gaming hobby who have tried to tell others about it have been met, at one point or another, with a response of, "Oh, is that like Clue and Monopoly?" 

What separates hobby board games from the majority of mass-market titles, aside (arguably) from fun, is the name on the box top. Like the byline on books or the signature in the corner of a painting, hobby board games typically bear the name of their creator. But more than their name, hobby board games typically bear the style of their creator as well. Just as you might expect different things from a book by Kurt Vonnegut than you would from Graham Greene, you can expect different things of a game depending on whose name is on the box top.

Alas, I wrote but one entry, on Reiner Knizia. But now it's time to consider another name you might find on a box top, a name that belongs to one of my favorite designers: Carl Chudyk.

What is the Chudykian style? Find out below!

They're Giving You a Number and Taking Away Your Name (a preview of The Agents)

The Agents is a card game currently on Kickstarter with an interesting mechanism, what the designer calls "double-edged cards." The game smashed its funding goal early on and is currently over $200,000, with four more days in its campaign. I had a chance to try the game. Is it for you?

Check out my impressions below!

[Note: all components are prototype components and do not reflect the final product (though the art, I believe, will be the same). Also, please forgive the slight blurriness. That's not an Instagram filter; I think my camera is on its way out.]

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: 6/17/2013

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!

News Bits: 5/20/2013

News, news, newsworthy news:

Mayfair Games sponsors GenCon guest of honor Walter Koenig [Link] Presumably so you'll buy Star Trek Catan. Still, who doesn't love Chekov?

Guide to Gaming: Two's Company, Three's a Crowd--Good Games for Two (and More)

This is a gaming blog. I don't think I need to sell you on the pleasures of gaming. We all know this simple truth: life is hard sometimes, and a good game with good friends is good medicine.

Of course, finding friends to play games isn't always the easiest. There are the occasional (or even weekly) game nights, but the friends most readily at hand are likely found in the home. The friend I play games with the most (and also my favorite gaming partner) is my wife, but finding a good two-player game can be difficult, especially if you want to maximize your gaming dollar. I don't often buy games that don't have a two-player mode (unless they are obvious group games, like The Resistance), and a good two-player mode is often what keeps games hitting the table and off my BGG trade list. Since I've had some false starts and some successes, I thought I'd put together a brief guide for others who might be in the same boat.

What follows is a list (with some commentary) of good multiplayer games that are fun with two to help you get the most out of your gaming dollar. (I've also added a brief list without commentary of some two-player-only games that are worth your time.)

Let's Build A Tableau Together (A Guide to Tableau Building)

Categorizing mechanics can be a tricky thing as we recently saw in a series of articles about whether or not Settlers of Catan is a worker placement game (Here's the Point and Counterpoint to get you caught up).  Rigid definitions aside, it’s helpful to know what type of games are out there and once you’ve identified what you like there’s a multitude of other games that share similar mechanics. We’ll be picking out some of the most popular mechanics (or at least our favorites) and exploring how they work, what games use them successfully, and why we love them. This week let’s take a look at Tableau Building.

News Bits: 3/25/2013

Lots of great news this week, including two announcements I'm very excited about from AEG. Without further ado, the NEWS:

AEG announces a summer release for Trains [Link] Trains sold out quickly at Essen, but there were whispers on the wind that a US publisher would import it. I earlier mentioned rumors that AEG would be that publisher, and this week, AEG confirmed the rumors. Trains is slated to arrive this summer, and I am super stoked. (Trains, for those not in the know, is a train/route-building game that uses a deck-building mechanic.)

News Bits: 3/18/2013

Ladies and gentlemen, the NEWS:

The National Post talks Diplomacy [Link] This is an interesting article on the man who made Diplomacy and the legacy of this game. I've avoided this one myself because of the hard feelings I've heard it engenders, but this was an interesting read nonetheless.