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 (?).

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:

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.

Swimming with the Sharks (a review of Get Bit!)

Jaws was a terrifying movie when I was younger. Terrifying. I didn't want to go near the ocean (not that I had much opportunity), and I was even suspicious of our landlocked Midwestern lakes.

But you know what is significantly less terrifying than a giant shark destroying boats and eating humans? A giant shark tearing unsuspecting swimming robots apart. See, that? That's not terrifying. That's just plain fun. That's also the premise behind Get Bit!, the game where you don't have to swim fast, just faster than your mechanical friends.

News Bits: 10/14/2013

This week's NEWS:

Terra Mystica, Le Havre: Inland Port win International Gamers Awards [Link] The International Gamers Awards focus on gamer games rather than the Spiel des Jahres' (and to some extent the Kennerspiel des Jahres') more family-oriented games. And the results look like two big wins for Z-Man Games in the US. I know supply problems have hampered the first, and I've not played either. Anyone have any thoughts on these winners?

Whirlwind Wooing (a review of Love Letter)

The princess is sad and lonely, now that her mother has been carted away by the police. You know what would cheer her up? Various suitors throwing themselves at her feet, working with all their might, using whatever means necessary, to get their missives to her (while at the same time thwarting their rivals'). The people closest to the princess, who know her best, are more likely to persuade her that your letter is the one worth receiving. But can you persuade the persuaders without giving yourself away?

Diamonds in the Dumpster (a review of Unexpected Treasures)

"One man's trash is another man's treasure," you've heard it said, and you take this saying to heart each night under cover of darkness at the junkyard.You never know when you'll find that piece that will complete someone's collection, and you never know when you'll have to leave empty-handed. If you know how your fellow Dumpster divers operate, you just might be able to score big in the junkyard. So grab your burglaring gloves, backpack, bike, motorcycle, car, or truck and see if you can discover some unexpected treasures.

News Bits: 4/22/2013

Lots of good stuff to read this week. Thus, the NEWS:

Indie Boards & Cards funding a rerelease of Coup in the Resistance universe [Link] In my review of the first edition of Coup, there were three main cons I noted about the game: nonstandard card size, bigger box than necessary, and limited availability. Indie Boards & Cards is fixing all of these. While I like the minimalist art of the first edition, the new, future-chic art is cool too. And, as Josh Edwards noted on Twitter, this new edition of Coup will still benefit the charity in Maine that the original game supported. Overall, I'm hard-pressed to think of a better value for $15, especially considering the promos that will be included in this new edition (support for up to eight players, a new, optional character, and Merlin/Assassin promos for the original The Resistance game). The coins, I've learned, will also be upgraded from the flimsy plastic chips to cardboard chits.

Hostile Takeover (a review of Coup)

The unnamed and generic Italianish city-state is in turmoil, and the people are looking for a new leader to fill the void of power. There are many influential characters in the city-state, some nice and some not so nice, and they are willing to help you.

Well...maybe not.

But if you can make the people--and the others striving for the crown--think that you have these powerful personages in your employ, you may be on your way to a glorious reign.

Someone's got to rule. Why shouldn't it be you?

News Bits 3/4/2013

Lots and lots of news this week:

TableTop invites you to International Tabletop Day [Link] The Geek & Sundry web sensation TableTop has started its own holiday. On March 30, 2013, board and RPG gamers are encouraged to do what they love--play games. At home, in public, wherever (here's the video announcement). I hope I can participate in something. (Any excuse for games, says I.) (And the story was also picked up by someone at USA Today.)

News Bits: 2/25/2013

Sorry, folks. The news is a bit late (and a bit sparse) this week because of an illness (which by now has hopefully run its course). Here is the news:

An interview with Matt Leacock (Pandemic, Forbidden Island) on In the Lab and Forbidden Desert [Link] I just taught Pandemic to someone this past week, and I am continually amazed at how that design hums and just how tense it can be...though I haven't yet hopped on any expansions.