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I hope everyone in the U.S. had a great Thanksgiving, and that those of you elsewhere are having a great weekend. The holiday season is fast approaching, so it's time to think about gift-giving. The board games holiday gift guide is up if you need some ideas, and I'll be posting many more game reviews over the next week or two.
Games I'm Playing
Beth and I played two games last night -- Survive!, which we acquired at the Sid Sackson auction, and Zapp Zerapp, which I bought as a present for one of my sisters but felt compelled to assemble before shipping to her. Yeah, that's the ticket.
In Zapp Zerapp, the goal is to move your three magicians' apprentices from their start space all the way around the board and into your home city. To do this, one of the players rolls two dice. All players then reach into the middle of the board to pick up and shake any of 13 small wooden shakers. Each shaker has a different number of small metal pellets inside (1 to 13); if you choose one that is equal to or less than the number rolled on the dice, you can move one of your apprentices forward.
As the game progresses, there are ways to send your opponents back to their start spaces (not entirely unlike Sorry!), and also ways to keep your apprentices safe.
I played Zapp Zerapp once before, with four players. It's a light game that definitely plays better with a full complement of four. For the record, because I rarely get to say this, I beat Beth.
But Survive! was another story entirely. Players compete to get their men off of a sinking island and onto any of the four safety islands in the four corners of the board. But the sea serpents, sharks and whales all have other ideas.
This was our first play of Survive! and I also think it's probably best with four players. Plenty of fun with two, but we had all our men onto the islands (well, Beth did; four of mine were eaten by sea serpents or sharks) before the island was even close to sinking.
Survive! is an out-of-print, early 1980s Parker Brothers game that sells on eBay for about $40 in excellent condition. If the theme appeals to you, it's an underrated game deserving of more attention than it ever received.
Games I Can See While Sitting At My Computer
None, but that's only because I just moved them all out to the living room. Among the games in our living room are these three trivia games:
I've been spending some time (too much) on eBay recently, and the auction of Sid Sackson's game collection just happened. So here's a look at my picks for the Top 5 Auction Games.
Game Review of the Week
This patriotic-themed edition of Monopoly also introduces some new optional rules.
Forum Post of the Week
From my email box, reposted to the Forum:
Over the years, I've bought my parents many different TP editions (All American, 80s edition, silver screen), though they will only play their original Genus I version from 1981 or whenever it was.
I never have bought them another Genus, though. I think the key thing is that they found the original questions more interesting and more geared toward old fogies like themselves. Also, in its defense, the old edition didn't have "cop out" question types like true/false or multiple choice. I hate seeing that in the newer versions.
Board Games Survivor Island Update
This week, Bohnanza was tossed into the ocean. Games remaining on the island include Cosmic Encounter, Goldland, Liar's Dice, Merchant of Venus, San Marco and Star Wars Epic Duels. Take a look at the game and then register your vote today to help determine which game is next to go.
About Something Else Site of the Week
Tourism in Afghanistan? About's Asia for Visitors Guide Greg Cruey says it really does happen.
Green Bay Packers Notes of the Week
Brutal. Favre throws seven interceptions over the course of two games for the first time in his career. And we fall to 8-3 with a lot of ground to make up if we want to have home field advantage over Tampa Bay in the playoffs. The good news is that we're back at home this weekend, the temperature is falling, and the Chicago Bears will not be the ones to make us lose three games in a row.
Prediction: Green Bay Packers, 38; Chicago Bears, 13.
Boardgames Poll of the Week
Last Week's Poll Results
Which of these games (among the 'most viewed' at BoardgameGeek) is your favorite?
What's That You Say?
Talk back to SMG in the About Board Games Forum.
--Erik Arneson
30 November 2002
Boardgame Top Picks List of the Week
The eBay Auction Game has been available at low prices in outlets like Toys 'R' Us and Kay Bee Toys over the past several months -- if you can still find a copy, it's well worth the $10 or so that you may be able to get it for.
I'm thinking of buying my parents the Genus V, Genus IV, or Millenium editions of Trivial Pursuit. I was wondering if you'd played any of these and could comment on the questions.
See what responses he got -- including one right from one of the game designers who works on Trivial Pursuit -- in the About Board Games Forum.
