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Games I'm Playing
Beth and I visited Thor and Sarah Samuelson and their children last weekend, getting a tour of the Game Surplus store stock and playing several games.
Clans
A new game from Leo Colovini, in which you only know your own color -- the colors played by other players is not known for sure until the very end of the game. We played with four players (Thor, Sarah, Beth and me), the maximum for the game and I suspect the ideal number as well.
There are five colors of huts, separated into a dozen regions with 5 territories each at the beginning of the game (each of the 60 territories has one hut in it at the start). Players move the huts from one territory to an adjacent territory. When a group of huts is surrounded by vacant territories, a village is formed and points are scored.
The game progresses through five "eras." In each era, villages formed in certain kinds of territories (e.g. forest, mountains) earn bonus points while villages formed in other territories may not score at all.
After the 12th village is formed, the game ends and final scoring takes place.
The entire game took about 30 minutes, despite the fact that only one of us had played before. The level of complexity (not much) and the length of the game (short) make it a great candidate for introducing new players to designer (aka German) strategy games.
Clans is a clever, fast-paced game and I look forward to playing it many more times.
Palazzo Paletti
This is the giant-sized version of Villa Paletti, which won the Spiel des Jahres (Germany's Family Game of the Year, a prestigious award) last year. The basic game is plenty of fun -- building a multi-level structure and competing to make sure someone else eventually causes it to tumble. But the giant-sized version (which is significantly more expensive) ups the ante, making it even more fun to watch the building go up and then come down. Palazzo Paletti was played twice.
Star Wars Epic Duels
This was the Epic Duel to end all Epic Duels, a two-hour brawl that was close until the very end. Banner and I teamed up against Isaac and Dylan, playing two characters each on two boards set next to each other. I chose the Emperor and Darth Vader, Banner played Yoda and Jango Fett. Our opponents were Mace Windu, Boba Fett, Darth Maul, and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
I made a tactical mistake, directly attacking Mace Windu with Vader too early. Once Vader was killed, our team was weakened to the point that it was only a matter of time before the rest of our characters were eliminated. But Banner did a great job playing Yoda and Jango, giving us a chance until the very end.
Isaac and Dylan seemed to have memorized the entire deck for every one of the characters. I was definitely out of my league. But next time, I will win.
While the four of us had an Epic Duel, Beth played several games with Thor, Sarah, Tessa and Emma.
Mause Rallye
In this children's game from Haba, players use little wooden hockey sticks to knock their mice around the track. Each time you pass the start line, you earn a piece of cheese. The course includes four holes, and your mouse needs to be careful not to fall into one.
Zitternix
After Beth and I returned home, we pulled out the two games we purchased from Game Surplus -- StreetSoccer, a two-player soccer game, and Zitternix, a quick little dexterity game. We played Zitternix, which involves pulling colored sticks out of a wooden ring until the structure collapses and the ring hits the playing surface.
Board Games Survivor Island - Amazon Edition
This week in the Board Games Survivor Island game, three games were eliminated. Risk, Scrabble and the wargame Paths of Glory were all tossed into the ocean.
We're now left with an even dozen games, but three more will be gone this week. And then the fun really begins. So vote today and help us decide which game will be the sole survivor.
Games I Can See While Sitting At My Computer
Confession time: Some of the games listed here I can't actually see while sitting at my computer. They're on our fireplace mantle, which is in the living room -- to get there, I have to go through the dining room and the kitchen from our little home office.
But, if it's any consolation, I think that having games on the fireplace mantle annoys Beth even more than games in the office space! (By writing that, I've guaranteed that the fireplace mantle will be cleared off by the end of the weekend... not to mention the top of the washing machine... and the top of the microwave... and the piano bench... and a few other fairly random locations...)
Scene It? incorporates DVD technology into a movie trivia game, creating an exciting new game experience.
About Board Games Forum Post of the Week
From Wes:
Boardgames Poll of the Week
Will board games, generally speaking, be better in 10 years than they are today?
Last Week's Poll Results
At BoardgameGeek, Randy Cox compiled a list of the games that would have won the Spiel des Jahres (a German Game of the Year Award) if the results had been based on the opinions of gamers who have voted at the Geek. Which of these games, the first five listed, is your favorite?
It's never too late to add your vote!
About Something Else Site of the Week
Did you know that North American Indians chewed the sap from spruce trees and passed the habit along to the settlers? The history of bubble gum is covered by About.com's Guide to Inventors, Mary Bellis.
Green Bay Packers Notes of the Week
Chad Clifton, whose season was ended last year when Tampa Bay's Warren Sapp laid him out with a cheap shot (not illegal, but definitely cheap), is on the road to recovery. He hopes to be ready to participate when training camp opens. This is great news because -- this is a quote from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel -- "Doctors said his injuries were more like those of a car wreck survivor, not a football player." Here's to a full recovery.
Other Off-Topic Thoughts of the Week
It was a heck of an interesting week at my day job in the Pennsylvania Senate, where I work for the Senate Majority Leader. This article from the Allentown Morning Call does a good job of summing it up.
What's That You Say?
Talk back to SMG in the About Board Games Forum.
--Erik Arneson
3 March 2003
Game Review of the Week
I'm going to my local game convention (Gamestorm, in Portland, Oregon) next weekend, and I was hoping to get some suggestions as to what games I should try to insure I sign up for. Please take a look at the event schedule and tell me what (if anything) I should elbow people out of my way for.
Read the entire message and post your response in the About Board Games Forum.
Vote now!
