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Going, Going, Gone
One way I waste time (and occasionally money) is browsing what board games are in the "going, going, gone" category at eBay. At 12:25 a.m. today, the following games were included in that category (with the final selling prices in parentheses):
Games I'm Playing
It's not often that your boss calls and says, "Hey -- can you be at my house in an hour to play some board games?" But that's what happened to me last Sunday. There I was, at home doing some work in the basement workshop when the phone rang. The machine picked up, and I head my boss say, "Hey, Mr. Board Games. Dave and Jon [two of his sons] are here. Can you come over..."
At that point, I picked up. He asked if I could come over in about an hour -- 9:30 p.m. on a Sunday night -- to play some games. I wondered for a moment if he knew that the next day was Monday, and that we had some fairly early meetings. But I quickly decided not to remind him.
I brought three games with me: Top Secret Spies, Traumfabrik, and Intrige. I was very interested to see what would happen when someone plays a game of Intrige with their boss, and Dave and Jon both seemed very interested in trying it out, but unfortunately we didn't get around to it before calling it a night.
What we did get to was Top Secret Spies -- which Jon won by placing my red spy in the -3 ruins on the very last scoring round (despite not knowing that I was red) -- and three games of Pirateer. They had played Pirateer through the afternoon, and introduced it to me. It's a race game that uses a Backgammon-based movement system. Quick and light, with a great theme. Jon won two games, and Dave won the third. Opinions on Pirateer at BoardgameGeek range from "a lot of fun to play" to "a miserable way to waste time." If you enjoy Backgammon and like the pirate theme, it's worth a look.
Games I Can See While Sitting At My Computer
A recent trip to Toys 'R' Us netted these two games, both based on huge pop culture hits.
Father's Day is approaching, and I'm always looking for good tips on what to buy. So here are my picks for the best games for dads.
From Erik Arneson:
Here's a first shot, taking the spartan approach:
Description: "It's so entertaining, it's criminal!"
Personal Comment: "Makes a tedious game even more tedious."
Boardgames Poll of the Week, Part 1
Which of these games, the official finalists, would you choose to win the 2003 Spiel des Jahres?
Boardgames Poll of the Week, Part 2
Which of these games, the finalists chosen in About.com Board Games Forum polls, would you choose to win the 2003 Spiel des Jahres?
About Something Else Site of the Week
Iraq is full of architectural treasures. About.com's Guide to Architecture, Jackie Craven, has put together information about Saddam Hussein's Babylonian Palace. ("When Saddam Hussein rose to power in Iraq, he conceived a grandiose scheme to rebuild the ancient City of Babylon. Hussein said that Babylon's great palaces and the legendary hanging gardens of Babylon (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world) would rise from dust.") Her feature also includes a wonderful photo gallery with pictures taken by Daniel O'Connell, Gunnery Sergeant, USMC.
Green Bay Packers Notes of the Week
Backup tight end David Martin, a player with lots of potential who has not yet lived up to it, is looking good in mini-camp. If he can put together a season at all close to what the coaches believe he is capable of, the one-two TE combo of Pro Bowler Bubba Franks and Martin could resemble the all-time great duo of Keith Jackson and Mark Chmura, a tandem that helped propel the Packers to a win in Super Bowl XXXI.
Prediction: Franks and Martin combine for 1,000-plus yards and 12 TDs this season.
Other Off-Topic Thoughts of the Week
Number portability. Cell phone companies hate the idea; cell phone users have been demanding it for years. The basic question is this: When you switch cell phone providers, should you be able to keep the same number for your new cell phone? Up until now, the answer has been no. But a federal judge recently upheld an FCC requirement that number portability be in place by November 24, 2003.
What's That You Say?
Talk back to SMG in the About Board Games Forum.
--Erik Arneson
7 June 2003
Boardgame Top Picks List of the Week
About Board Games Forum Post of the Week
Because you can never have too many Forum games going at once... In this game, someone will post part or all of a description from BoardgameGeek and also part or all of someone's "personal comment" from the Geek. Others then guess which game is being described. The goal, if you're posting a clue, is to be tough but fair -- you don't want people to complain when the answer is revealed that it was either too easy or too difficult. And for those guessing, it's not fair to Google the Geek!
Post your response in the About Board Games Forum.
Vote now!
Vote now!
