Friday July 30, 2010
Plenty of video games have been turned into board games over time, but I'm not aware of any text adventure / interactive fiction game (think Zork, Colossal Cave, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) making the transition. (Some games, like Tales of the Arabian Nights and Betrayal at House on the Hill, do have a sort of text adventure vibe.)
But the web site Collateral Damage says that's no longer the case: Parsely Games has published what can fairly be described as party game versions of text adventures -- Action Castle, Jungle Adventure, Spooky Manor, and Space Station. Collateral Damage's Constantine von Hoffman says the games work well with both small and large groups: "I have played with 70+ people (at ConnectiCon) and with two other people while driving in the car, both times it was a hoot."
Thursday July 29, 2010
Dan (no last name given) started collecting games in 1969; he now owns nearly 1,200 games. He keeps his collection organized with a sortable database, which he said has several practical benefits, including this one: "Before I had this database, I would often buy duplicates of games, not realizing that I already owned a copy." Dan's most valuable game is a custom-made 18xx train game with 30 railroads, given to him as a birthday present by his wife. Read more about
Dan's game collection (including a photo), then
tell us about your collection.
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Monday July 26, 2010
Although Hungry Wolves -- like Cheese Snatching -- is a dice game, it is not a push-your-luck game. Instead, it's a real-time race, complete with players making animal noises and rushing about the room like, well, hungry wolves. Reviewer Mark Jackson says that it is also "an absolute blast to play." Read more in Mark's full review of Hungry Wolves (also published as Würfelwölfe).
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Saturday July 24, 2010
Cheese Snatching, a dice game published by Haba, has been a rousing success with every group of people Mark Jackson has roped into playing it, regardless of age or gaming background. The premise is simple and timeless: it's Tom & Jerry meets Can't Stop. He calls it a "wonderful little game" that can be taught in 30 seconds and takes just 10 minutes to play. Read more in Mark's full review of Cheese Snatching (also published as Kaseklau!).
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