| Saturday Morning Gamer | |
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Anyone else read Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback column at CNNSI.com? For a long time, I've thought that something similar about board games would be great fun to read. That's the goal for this column. We'll see how it turns out.
The plan is to have a new edition of Saturday Morning Gamer available, well, every Saturday.
Games I'm Playing
Not many lately, for a variety of reasons (day job, a bit of travel, etc.) but as always I have grand plans. Beth and I plan to visit our friends Tom and Dana tomorrow, and Dana promised to order out for food -- which means we'll play more games. Last time we played with Tom and Dana, she cooked a fabulous homemade pizza -- but it interrupted our games too much.
On the agenda: Ever Green from Rio Grande Games, and a new one from Cheapass Games, Freeloader.
Ever Green is about hiring hot bands to perform concerts. It looks interesting, although it also ranks among the games I think need new names. It's designed by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling, a quality team (Torres, Tikal, Java, Mexica, Pueblo), and it has what seems to be a unique mechanism (the bands become worth more and more up to 12 points each -- but then they suddenly dive back down to 5 points, their starting value) so I have high hopes despite the lack of hype, the 5.41 rating at BoardGameGeek, and the fact that I picked it up from Games Unlimited for less than $7, plus postage.
Freeloader is about, well, freeloading. Staying at people's houses and borrowing their stuff. I haven't read through the rules yet, so I have no clue what to expect.
Games I Can See While Sitting At My Computer
These change regularly, as I move them around in a seriously misguided attempt to trick my wife into thinking there's some possibility that they'll all be put away someday. (She's too smart to fall for it, but she indulges me.) Listed in alphabetical order:
Email of the Week
Spam, no matter how amusing, doesn't qualify. (Note to all Nigerians with millions of dollars they need to transfer: I am not going to help you.)
From "Sauer":
The Buckeye Game Fest III is Friday October 4th-Sunday October 6th at the Ramada East/Airport Hotel 4801 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43213 (614-861-0321). This convention has both board games and miniatures and is sponsored by CABS (the Columbus Area Boardgaming Society) and the Central Ohio Gamers Association (miniatures group). The room rate remains at $79/night and the hotel will once again be proving pick up and delivery from the airport. Gaming will start at NOON on Friday and run until Sunday. The hotel will also be having the "Tailgate Buffet" on Friday night and Saturday! For more details email cratex@earthlink.net or check out the CABS website at http://www.home.earthlink.net/~cratex.
Future Emails of the Week can be sent to boardgames.guide@about.com.
Green Bay Packers Notes of the Week
Last week's win against Detroit was ugly, really ugly. We (I can say that because I'm a part owner of the team) barely won against a horrible team with a rookie quarterback in his first game -- and we had some key injuries, too. The emergence of Najeh Davenport at halfback and the fact that Robert Ferguson caught two passes (including one for a touchdown) were the only real highlights.
This week, the 3-0 Carolina Panthers come to Lambeau Field. And I am scared. Lamar Smith could rip through our defense just like Deuce McAllister of the Saints did two weeks ago, or perhaps the front four on our defensive line (despite Vonnie Holliday's injury) will stop someone for a change. I hope Hardy Nickerson will play like he's 27 instead of 41. And that Rodney Peete will play like he's 41 instead of 27.
Brett Favre, quarterback on all four of my fantasy football teams (combined record: 9-3), will have another solid game. And I can't imagine the Pack losing at home to the Panthers again -- we lost to them two years ago on a last-second play -- so I'm going with the Pack, 38-27. And frighteningly enough, if we hold the Panthers to (ahem) just 27 points, it will be the best performance for the Packers defense this year.
Other Off-Topic Thoughts of the Week
I'm psyched for the Daredevil movie coming out in February. But Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers comes out first, and I'm equally psyched for that. And then there's the second Harry Potter movie... I'll be digging the next few months in the movie theater.
What I'm not digging is the fact that Tanya, my pick to win it all, is out in Survivor Thailand. Or that Princes of Florence got tossed into the ocean in our ongoing game of Board Games Survivor Island.
Boardgames Poll of the Week
What's That You Say?
This blog is great, it sucks, or it's just plain boring? Whatever. Tell someone who cares in the About Board Games Forum.
--Erik Arneson
28 September 2002
Sitting here, I can also see a U2 "Elevation" single imported from England and Midnight Oil's 20,000 Watt R.S.L., along with two sets of green and gold Mardi Gras beads (obtained when we went to New Orleans to see my beloved Packers lose to the Saints), and a whole bunch of other stuff I should put away.
