Another "Games Played in 2001" List
Chris M. Dickson
the
ongoing list of how many sessions of each game I have played. Numbers
listed refer to sessions rather than individual games; playing a short
game several times in a row (and the distinction between short and
not-short
here is fluid and arbitrary) counts as just one session.
The shortest game I played all year was Batik; at one point we set chess
clocks up to enforce a ten-second time limit on either player - and the
game remained playable. Seven seconds proved too short, though. Yes,
this
is ten seconds per *game*, not ten seconds per *move*.
The longest game I played all year was a Treasure Hunt, which lasted
closer to five hours than four. However, I also organised a Treasure
Hunt
myself at ManorCon; this isn't listed, but the preparation took many
tens of hours for a relatively short hunt. I'm doing it again, though.
Last year I provided 204 different one-word reviews and 1-10 scores for
205 different games. (I used one word twice by mistake, boo.) This year
I will allow myself the luxury of a whopping twenty characters for each
review. Next year, you're getting micro-reviews through the medium of
onomatopaeic sound effects.
Games are listed in descending order of number of plays in 2001, with
numbers of plays in 2000, 1999, 1998 and then 1-10 score being used
as tie-breakers. But you'd worked that out already.
Oh, and view this whole chart in a monospaced font, something like
Courier New, else it'll look higgledy, piggledy and - worst of all -
jaggledy.
* TEN PLUS *
GAME 2001 2000 1999 1998 total micro-review
Die Siedler Von Catan 23 8 17 7 55 (9; remains
important)
[includes "Soggy Settlers" mixing land and water but no other
variant]
Bluff/Liar's Dice/Perudo 14 7 4 3 28 (9; unsurpassed
purity)
Bohnanza 11 6 6 7 30 (8; on wane at
last?)
* FIVE TO NINE *
GAME 2001 2000 1999 1998 total micro-review
Batik 9 0 0 0 9 (8; best 30-second
game)
Titan: the Arena 8 2 13 2 25 (8; still win about
8%!)
Chinatown 7 3 0 0 10 (8; obstinacy too
good?)
Democrazy 6 7 0 0 13 (7; longer than it
looks)
Union Pacific 6 6 1 0 13 (8; gives exciting
rides)
Fluxx 6 1 15 1 23 (6; kids' choice
filler)
Auf Heller Und Pfennig 6 0 1 2 9 (8; interesting
choices)
Carcassonne 6 0 0 0 6 (8; luckish but v.
fun)
Fanorona 6 0 0 0 6 (4; just a 2-p
abstract)
For Sale 5 2 3 0 10 (8; best 12-minute
game)
Guillotine 5 1 5 2 13 (5; simple, luckish)
Go 5 0 1 0 6 (7; the
respectworthiest)
[1 @ 13x13, 5 @ 19x19; odd-number-filler in tournament, whipped like a
dog]
Chrononauts 5 0 0 0 5 (6; fun idea but
random)
* THREE OR FOUR *
GAME 2001 2000 1999 1998 total micro-review
Lord Of The Rings 4 5 0 0 9 (8; delightful when
rare)
Ra 4 3 13 0 20 (8; exciting,
luckish)
Honeybears 4 0 0 0 4 (6; sweet, quick,
clever)
Renju 4 0 0 0 4 (3; abstract as it
gets)
Apples To Apples 3 3 2 0 8 (8; sometimes
hilarious)
Detroit/Cleveland GP 3 1 3 1 8 (7; simple, fun)
Fireside Football 3 1 0 0 4 (7; well
self-contained)
McMulti 3 0 3 5 11 (9; economic
delight)
Das Amulett 3 0 0 0 3 (9; v. neat
interlinking)
The Blender 3 0 0 0 3 (7; future of team
quiz)
Web of Power / Kardinal & K 3 0 0 0 3 (6; spurious these
days)
* ONE OR TWO *
GAME 2001 2000 1999 1998 total micro-review
Take It Easy 2 5 3 3 13 (8; experience does
pay)
It's Mine! 2 5 0 0 7 (7; clever, small,
quick)
Modern Art 2 4 3 8 17 (10; subtle, deep,
great)
Wildlife Adventure 2 3 0 0 5 (8; happy, positive
feel)
Lost Cities 2 3 0 0 5 (7; fave 2-p card
game)
Acquire 2 2 3 4 11 (8; hard, fun
journey)
Kohle, Kie$ & Knete 2 2 0 0 4 (10; outrageous, wild
fun)
Fuzzy Heroes 2 1 2 1 6 (9; tremendous silly
fun)
Railway Rivals 2 1 2 0 5 (8; happy economic
race)
Can't Stop 2 1 1 0 4 (7; obvious, good
fun)
Outpost 2 1 1 0 4 (7; lovely
development)
Zircus Flohkati 2 1 1 0 4 (7; underrated,
simple)
Medici 2 1 1 0 4 (5; overrated but
rising)
Metro 2 0 0 0 2 (7; handsome,
random?)
The Princes Of Florence 2 0 0 0 2 (7; balanced to
excess?)
Black Vienna 2 0 0 0 2 (6; clever but hard
work)
Cartagena 2 0 0 0 2 (6; fun,
overcalculable?)
Evo 2 0 0 0 2 (6; cute but
repetitive)
Online Go 2 0 0 0 2 (6; more useful than
fun)
Super Dominoes (Double 18) 2 0 0 0 2 (6; looks fantastic)
Dead Line 2 0 0 0 2 (3; dull 2-p
abstract)
Anon. Seafaring Prototype 2 0 0 0 2 (-; I hope it makes
it)
Weissblum/C'mire Prototype 2 0 0 0 2 (-; good enough for
me)
Formula De 1 8 13 7 29 (7; fun racing
decisions)
Poker 1 4 0 0 5 (7; watching's more
fun)
[four Texas Hold 'Em mini-tournaments, one Seven Card Stud
tournament]
Klunker 1 3 1 0 5 (5; sane, not great
fun)
Samurai 1 3 0 0 4 (7; clever but feels
dry)
Button Men 1 2 4 0 7 (7; cute idea, good
fun)
The Chairman's Game 1 2 1 0 4 (9; greatest jokish
game)
[as opposed to Mornington Crescent, the greatest gamish
joke]
Ursuppe 1 2 1 0 4 (7; fun distinctive
feel)
Targui 1 2 0 0 3 (7; simple fun but
long)
Taj Mahal 1 2 0 0 3 (6; haven't "got"
this)
Vinci 1 2 0 0 3 (6; fun but
repetitive)
Carabande 1 1 9 3 14 (7; sociable, silly
fun)
Family Business 1 1 6 1 8 (6; funny and
clever)
Durch die Wuste 1 1 5 0 7 (9; very clever cute
fun)
Ave Caesar 1 1 3 2 7 (7; simple and
funny)
Igel Argern 1 1 3 0 5 (6; great name,
simple)
By Fair Means Or Foul 1 1 1 1 4 (7; fun but net
random)
[also known as Adel
Verpflichtet]
Treasure Hunt 1 1 0 0 2 (9; incredible
genius)
Aladdin's Dragons 1 1 0 0 2 (7; well-developed)
Schnappen Jagd 1 1 0 0 2 (6; fun but very
light)
Montgolfiere 1 1 0 0 2 (5; chaotic to
excess)
Die Siedler: Stadt & Ritter 1 0 5 1 7 (10; feels great but
long)
Europa 1940-2035 1 0 2 0 3 (7; good but
unreliable)
Mississippi Queen 1 0 2 0 2 (7; reliable light
fun)
Pass The Bomb 1 0 1 0 2 (8; clever
silliness)
FUDGE: Bunnies and Burrows 1 0 0 0 1 (8; Stefan's a great
GM)
High Society 1 0 0 0 1 (8; very clever,
quick)
Ohne Furcht Und Adel 1 0 0 0 1 (8; sociable, clever
fun)
Across The Board 1 0 0 0 1 (7; silly but
exciting)
Basari 1 0 0 0 1 (7; fun, long for
light?)
Dragon's Gold 1 0 0 0 1 (7; fun but
unreliable)
Die Sidler Von Nuremberg 1 0 0 0 1 (7; worst Siedler
yet)
DTM Hockenheimring 1 0 0 0 1 (7; silly but hard
work)
San Marco 1 0 0 0 1 (7; original twist,
fun)
Starfarers of Catan 1 0 0 0 1 (7; nice as rare
change)
The a-MAZE-ing Labyrinth 1 0 0 0 1 (7; light but cute
fun)
Werewolf 1 0 0 0 1 (7; great for big
groups)
Capitol 1 0 0 0 1 (6; not exceptional)
Die Maulwurf Company 1 0 0 0 1 (6; very light fun)
Dragon Delta 1 0 0 0 1 (6; light, vicious
fun)
Oh Hell!/Cancellation Whist 1 0 0 0 1 (6; plain but fair
fun)
Online Scrabble (games.com) 1 0 0 0 1 (6; better if light,
3+p)
Space Beans 1 0 0 0 1 (6; light but fair
fun)
Taboo 1 0 0 0 1 (6; clever word
game)
Tonga Bonga 1 0 0 0 1 (6; light but not
silly)
The Traders Of Genoa 1 0 0 0 1 (6; clever but hard
work)
Wurmeln 1 0 0 0 1 (6; cute but end
probs?)
Zendo 1 0 0 0 1 (6; fun, too
competitive)
Cabale 1 0 0 0 1 (5; cute, bland
abstract)
Ciao, Ciao 1 0 0 0 1 (5; light bluffing)
Cluedo 1 0 0 0 1 (5; old-school,
luckish)
Java 1 0 0 0 1 (5; clever but so
slow)
Labyrinth: The Card Game 1 0 0 0 1 (5; light, luckish,
fair)
Lord of the Fries 1 0 0 0 1 (5; clever,
repetitive)
Motorchamp 1 0 0 0 1 (5; long as so
light)
Mousetrap 1 0 0 0 1 (5; silly random
fun)
Nuclear War 1 0 0 0 1 (5; clever, silly,
dry)
Save Dr. Lucky 1 0 0 0 1 (5; fun but
one-joke)
Traumfabrik 1 0 0 0 1 (5; disappointment,
alas)
Ultimate Outburst 1 0 0 0 1 (5; clever, not big
fun)
Wyatt Earp 1 0 0 0 1 (5; luckish, bland
fun)
Amoeba 1 0 0 0 1 (4; immemorable
abstract)
Attila 1 0 0 0 1 (4; too hard to
control)
Aurochs Hunt 1 0 0 0 1 (4; didn't get into
this)
Bongo 1 0 0 0 1 (4; competitive, not
fun)
Tantrix 1 0 0 0 1 (4; dry, fiddly
abstract)
The Big Idea 1 0 0 0 1 (4; cute but tires
fast)
Tribond 1 0 0 0 1 (4; variable
questions)
Um Kopf und Krogen 1 0 0 0 1 (4; immemorable
cardplay)
Zombies 1 0 0 0 1 (4; very repetitive)
Alien Abduction 1 0 0 0 1 (3; light but so
slow)
[different to Alien Abduction (playtest), but about as
bad]
An Den Ufern Des Nils 1 0 0 0 1 (3; couldn't find
fun)
Axis and Allies 1 0 0 0 1 (3; slow,
repetitive)
Chez Geek 1 0 0 0 1 (3; not fun, not
funny)
Decathlon 1 0 0 0 1 (3; random and long)
How To Be A Complete Idiot 1 0 0 0 1 (3; random, near no
game)
Ann Leznik Prototype 1 0 0 0 1 (-; great fun fan
game)
Alfonzo Smith Prototype 1 0 0 0 1 (-; does this
count?)
Markus Welbourne Prototype 1 0 0 0 1 (-; very cute tile
play)
Anthony Rubbo Prototype 1 0 0 0 1 (-; cute,
flavoursome)
Stephen Glenn Prototype 1 0 0 0 1 (-; getting less
dry)
* PAST YEARS ONLY *
GAME 2001 2000 1999 1998 total micro-review
Money 0 6 6 0 12 (7; non-trivial
filler)
Loopin' Louie 0 4 0 0 4 (6; best 4-p 2-min
game)
Piratenbillard 0 3 0 0 3 (4; overblown
dexterity)
6 Nimmt! 0 2 0 1 3 (6; not clear if
random)
Die Kauflete von Amsterdam 0 2 0 0 2 (7; fun but only 1
idea)
Carolus Magnus 0 2 0 0 2 (6; feels rather
fragile)
Rule Changing It's Mine! 0 2 0 0 2 (6; apt framework
but...)
Wiz-War 0 2 0 0 2 (6; classic vice
game)
Roman Traders (prototype) 0 2 0 0 2 (-; not nearly
finished)
Lunch Money 0 1 3 1 5 (4; fiddly violence)
Midnight Party 0 1 3 0 4 (8; joyous kid
shouting)
[includes one game of Alice Midnight Party; compare with Alice
Chess]
Canyon 0 1 2 0 3 (5; board half
detracts)
RoboRally 0 1 1 2 4 (6; programming
theory)
S. D. D. Perudo 0 1 1 0 2 (8; mega-memorable,
once)
[Somewhat Demiurgic Drinking
Perudo]
David and Goliath 0 1 1 0 2 (6; fair light
cardplay)
Frank's Zoo 0 1 1 0 2 (6; just another
version)
Sticheln 0 1 1 0 2 (6; hard light
cardplay)
Tigris and Euphrates 0 1 1 0 2 (6; couldn't get
started)
Knightmare Chess 0 1 0 1 2 (7; improves fun for
me)
Olympia 2000 0 1 0 1 2 (7; fun sporty
cardplay)
Billabong 0 1 0 1 2 (6; bouncy 4-p
abstract)
Tikal 0 1 0 1 2 (6; fun but bad
downtime)
Pit / Billionaire 0 1 0 1 2 (4; silly
voice-killer)
German Rails 0 1 0 0 1 (8; Volldampf
prototype?)
Kapitan Wackelpudding ITP 0 1 0 0 1 (8; hugely inspired
fun)
[Live Action Kapitan Wackelpudding In The
Pool]
Once Upon A Time 0 1 0 0 1 (8; impressive
storytest)
Torres 0 1 0 0 1 (8; clever, fun, not
dry)
Flying Carpet 0 1 0 0 1 (7; lighter
Roborally)
Password 0 1 0 0 1 (7; fun verbal
puzzle)
6 Tage Rennen 0 1 0 0 1 (7; fun, repetitive
race)
Zarcana 0 1 0 0 1 (7; cute weirdness)
Zeus and Hera 0 1 0 0 1 (7; fun for 2-p
cardgame)
Falling 0 1 0 0 1 (6; multi-player
speeder)
Giganten 0 1 0 0 1 (6; half-baked
economics)
Hornoschen 0 1 0 0 1 (6; slower, harder
6N!)
La Citta 0 1 0 0 1 (6; fiddly Civ-like
fun)
Laguna 0 1 0 0 1 (6; Roborally-type
test)
Nicht Die Bohne 0 1 0 0 1 (6; jolly, vicious
fun)
Stephenson's Rocket 0 1 0 0 1 (6; hard work,
promising)
The Stock Market Game 0 1 0 0 1 (6; gameable
economics)
25 Words Or Less 0 1 0 0 1 (6; Frantic
Password)
Way Out West 0 1 0 0 1 (6; clever,
different)
Barbarossa 0 1 0 0 1 (5; fine idea didn't
gel)
Great Dalmuti 0 1 0 0 1 (5; original but
cloned)
(Bid'g) History O T World 0 1 0 0 1 (5; too long for the
fun)
Ubi 0 1 0 0 1 (5; fun, twisted
trivia)
Talisman 0 1 0 0 1 (5; Monty Haul
jollity)
Set 0 1 0 0 1 (5; clever, not big
fun)
Yahtzee 0 1 0 0 1 (5; fun, easy
exercise)
Die Ausreiser 0 1 0 0 1 (4; unsatisfying
effort)
Double Quick 0 1 0 0 1 (4; forgettable 2-p
game)
Hols de Geier 0 1 0 0 1 (4; elementary,
random)
Kill Dr. Lucky 0 1 0 0 1 (4; one-joke
silliness)
Quadromania 0 1 0 0 1 (4; short, cute
abstract)
Thinking Man's Golf 0 1 0 0 1 (4; unchoosy
throwback)
12er Stich 0 1 0 0 1 (4; random cardplay)
Vex 0 1 0 0 1 (4; spatial
abstract)
Zertz 0 1 0 0 1 (4; clear-cut
abstract)
Border Patrol 0 1 0 0 1 (3; mathematical
effort)
Die Glucksritter 0 1 0 0 1 (3; unfocused,
luckish)
Myson / Maya 0 1 0 0 1 (3; redundant
dicing)
Traber Derby Spiel 0 1 0 0 1 (3; nursery race
nongame)
What Were You Thinking? 0 1 0 0 1 (3; unedifying
exercise)
Centurion (prototype) 0 1 0 0 1 (-; not yet
balanced)
Mordred (prototype?) 0 1 0 0 1 (-; short but
rules-y)
Scottish Railways (proto) 0 1 0 0 1 (-; good
pre-Volldampf?)
Threesome (prototype) 0 1 0 0 1 (-; not yet
developed)
ShowManager 0 0 4 0 4 (7; pleasant,
Ra-like)
Entropy 0 0 3 9 12 (7; colorful 2p
abstract)
Ricochet Robots 0 0 3 0 3 (7; fun, hard
exercise)
Hare and Tortoise 0 0 2 0 2 (7; earnest, clever
race)
Pig Pong 0 0 2 0 2 (5; unpretentious
silly)
Verrater 0 0 2 0 2 (4; processional for
us)
Katzenjammer Blues 0 0 1 3 4 (6; bitesize
decisions)
Lowenherz 0 0 1 1 2 (7; dashing, vicious
fun)
Phantoms of the Ice 0 0 1 1 2 (5; repetitive cute
fun)
Cheops 0 0 1 1 2 (5; dry,
uncontrollable)
Galopp Royal 0 0 1 1 2 (4; pointless baby
race)
Elfenland 0 0 1 0 1 (7; wholesome, neat
race)
Lancashire Rails 0 0 1 0 1 (7; worthwhile
decisions)
Matschig (Muddy) 0 0 1 0 1 (7; giggly
viciousness)
Devil Take The Hindmost 0 0 1 0 1 (6; appropriate
racing)
Backgammon 0 0 1 0 1 (5; reputable 2-p
race)
Entdecker 0 0 1 0 1 (5; light yet tough)
Finale 0 0 1 0 1 (5; arbitrary 2-p
cards)
Ker-plunk! 0 0 1 0 1 (5; silly
anticipation)
Keydom 0 0 1 0 1 (5; get ADragons
instead)
Lift-Off! (introductory g) 0 0 1 0 1 (5; evocative,
luckish)
Pole Position 0 0 1 0 1 (5; passable racing)
Reibach and Company 0 0 1 0 1 (5; barebones
collection)
Bamboleo 0 0 1 0 1 (4; laborious
dexterity)
Devil Bunny Needs A Ham 0 0 1 0 1 (4; silly but not
funny)
Fossil 0 0 1 0 1 (4; processional,
dull)
HatTrick 0 0 1 0 1 (4; ephemeral
cardplay)
Iron Horse 0 0 1 0 1 (4; slow, clunky
rails)
Kahuna 0 0 1 0 1 (4; derivative 2-p
game)
Mille Bornes 0 0 1 0 1 (4; old-school
cardplay)
Othello 0 0 1 0 1 (4; no fun
surprises)
Pico 0 0 1 0 1 (4; decent
femtogame)
Ritter Ohne Furcht & Tadel 0 0 1 0 1 (4; chunking
dicefest)
Schnuff 0 0 1 0 1 (4; one more card
game)
Word Yahtzee 0 0 1 0 1 (4; stretched too
far)
Atlantic Storm 0 0 1 0 1 (3; tedious,
unsubtle)
Dragon Laughter 0 0 1 0 1 (3; timewasting
non-game)
Honor of the Samurai 0 0 1 0 1 (3; ceaseless,
boring)
Ido 0 0 1 0 1 (3; very dull
abstract)
Pokemon CCG 0 0 1 0 1 (3; cynical,
unworthy)
Slick! 0 0 1 0 1 (3; bookkeeping
'mare)
Politika 0 0 1 0 1 (2; doesn't make
sense)
Spite 0 0 1 0 1 (2; obvious, random)
NetSet - Network Settlers 0 0 0 5 5 (8; revival welcome)
Abstrac (aka Lift-Off!) 0 0 0 5 5 (2; calculable
abstract)
Lines of Action 0 0 0 3 3 (3; pure 2-p
abstract)
Broadway 0 0 0 2 2 (6; good
roll-and-move)
Career Poker 0 0 0 2 2 (4; a clone too far)
Cafe International 0 0 0 1 1 (7; intricate but
fun)
El Grande 0 0 0 1 1 (7; fine, now
generic?)
Sea of Despair 0 0 0 1 1 (7; sweet, silly
vice)
Settlers Seafarers 0 0 0 1 1 (7; longer, not
better)
Al Capone 0 0 0 1 1 (6; clever,
systematic)
Ausgebremst 0 0 0 1 1 (6; uncharismatic
race)
Milk and Cheese Race Game 0 0 0 1 1 (6; one-off silly
fun)
[Milk and Cheese Race Game Incorporating No-Talent Diplomacy Player
Tag]
Quandary 0 0 0 1 1 (6; tactile
simplicity)
Tutanchamun 0 0 0 1 1 (6; balanced so
tricky)
Heimlich and Company 0 0 0 1 1 (5; standard
bluffing)
Santa Fe 0 0 0 1 1 (5; unintuitive
placing)
Scalextric 0 0 0 1 1 (5; nostalgic
silliness)
Sharp Shooters 0 0 0 1 1 (5; uncomplicated
dicing)
Sternenhimmel 0 0 0 1 1 (5; repetitive
placing)
Babble On 0 0 0 1 1 (4; mouthful of
wordgame)
Bohnanza - la Isla Bohnita 0 0 0 1 1 (4; vandalism, a
shame)
Elephant Parade 0 0 0 1 1 (4; preschool,
dullness)
Flusspiraten 0 0 0 1 1 (4; nasty
viciousness)
Hearts 0 0 0 1 1 (4; very standard
cards)
Silverton 0 0 0 1 1 (4; old-fashioned
trains)
Vernissage 0 0 0 1 1 (4; multiply
removed)
Leaky Lifeboats(?) 0 0 0 1 1 (3; hard-hearted
voting)
Speed 0 0 0 1 1 (3; pointless
hand-eye)
Zatre 0 0 0 1 1 (3; charmless
abstract)
Boku 0 0 0 1 1 (2; bollox 2-p
abstract)
Cats And Dogs 0 0 0 1 1 (2; one-joke
non-event)
Grass 0 0 0 1 1 (2; painful
lifhtness)
Sequence 0 0 0 1 1 (2; terminally dull)
Judge Dredd 0 0 0 1 1 (1; painful to play)
Alien Abduction (prototype) 0 0 0 1 1 (-; needs to add a
game)
Rebellion (prototype) 0 0 0 1 1 (-; hard,
interesting)
Reiner Knizia playtesting 0 0 0 1 1 (-;
Lost-Cities-esque)
Spell Merchants (prototype) 0 0 0 1 1 (-; numeric
planning)
# SESSIONS IN YEAR 291 199 238 133 (861)
# UNIQUE GAMES IN YEAR 130 105 91 71 (278)
# NEW GAMES THAT YEAR ~68 ~59 ~50 n/a n/a
I have a rather unfortunate habit of using adjectives in slightly
different
ways to the rest of the world, so here's how to speak Chris:
* "Silly" is a state of mind, not an insult. In fact, it's more likely
to
be a compliment than an insult.
* "Luckish" games are ones in which you feel that having good luck in
the
game is important, possibly more important than you would like, but you
can clearly identify whether things have happened as a result of your
own
good luck or your own bad luck.
* "Random" games are ones in which you feel that having good luck in the
game is overwhelmingly important and the overall outcome is more to be
ascribed to people's luck in general rather than your own good luck or
bad luck in particular. Random implies enough luck to detract from fun.
* "Happiness" is fun with a sense of well-being, productiveness or doing
something worthwhile.
This year, I played games played at:
Winter StabCon
OxCon
MasterCon North
The Gathering Of Friends
Mind Sports Olympiad Cambridge
SimonCon (housecon)
ManorCon
Mind Sports Olympiad
and around 40 of the weekly meetings of the Middlesbrough Games Club.
Best New Game of 2001: Das Amulett. Very clever interlinking of auction
mechanisms, with extremely neat interactions between special abilities.
On the other hand, it hasn't gone down so well with the rest of the
people I've played it with.
Prospects for 2002: convention attendances look likely to be down on
2001,
not least due to missing Winter StabCon this weekend. However, I might
get
round to more weekly sessions... fingers crossed. On the convention
front,
I will be running Settlers tournaments at OxCon and MSO Cambridge - the
latter being the English Settlers Championship - and another Treasure
Hunt-type event at ManorCon.
On my "to buy" list: Carcassonne, English-language version of Ohne
Furcht
und Adel once it is published, High Society if it is re-released as
rumoured.
Have a thoroughly palindromic 2002!
Chris
--
Chris M. Dickson, Middlesbrough, Great Britain; ch...@dickson.demon.co.uk
Sport Editor, Flagship PBM mag: http://www.antsnest.demon.co.uk/flagship/
Labyrinth Games: puzzle and game consultancy http://www.qwertyuiop.co.uk/
MSO Worldwide -*- Bringing Brains Together -*- http://www.msoworld.com/
matt horn
> The shortest game I played all year was Batik; at one point we set chess
> clocks up to enforce a ten-second time limit on either player - and the
> game remained playable.
I am really enjoying some of the "simultaneous play" or "time
pressure" games of late: My Word, Set, Ricochet Robot, Blink/Speed.
Have you successfully used the chess clock in other games to change
the dynamics? I can see it being used in Bamboleo/Arbos/Saturn and
that genre of dexterity games... is Batik like that? But what about
beyond that? How about using it in games that can lead toward
analysis/paralysis?
> Last year I provided 204 different one-word reviews and 1-10 scores for
> 205 different games
Love the system. I may try this myself next year, although I have a
fairly limited vocabulary.
> Leaky Lifeboats(?)
You might be referring to "Rette Sich wer Kann" by Ronald Wettering.
a.k.a.
> El Grande (fine, now generic?)
Interesting how many games are derivitive of the format.
Chris M. Dickson
<mh...@macromedia.com> writes
>Nice report!
Thanks :-)
>I am really enjoying some of the "simultaneous play" or "time
>pressure" games of late: My Word, Set, Ricochet Robot, Blink/Speed.
>Have you successfully used the chess clock in other games to change
>the dynamics?
Hadn't tried it - and, since then, I've sold the chess clock on. It was
a DGT clock with a very large number of fancy and somewhat technical
modes; essentially it could do almost anything you would want from a
game timer, given the major limitation of two players.
>I can see it being used in Bamboleo/Arbos/Saturn and
>that genre of dexterity games... is Batik like that?
It would work in the same way, yes. However, Batik is only, say, 10% a
dexterity game - or, more precisely, a mechanics game because you have
to take into account whether pieces will change their orientation when
they drop and bounce. (It is very easy to make some dingbat assumptions
about what certain long, thin pieces will do when they hit other pieces,
for these assumptions to be wrong. It's very amusing, particularly for
everyone else, when people do.) It's primarily a spatial awareness game.
I repeat that it's the best 20 second - and also the best 90 second -
game for two players I know. Pick it up if you get a chance.
>But what about
>beyond that? How about using it in games that can lead toward
>analysis/paralysis?
I have no experience of this, but the theory is certainly sound.
>Love the system. I may try this myself next year, although I have a
>fairly limited vocabulary.
I think these femto-reviews (one-word, 20 characters etc.) are more
conceptual rather than practical or useful - but they do (or, rather,
should) break up some visually very repetitive types of article.
>You might be referring to "Rette Sich wer Kann" by Ronald Wettering.
It quite possibly was. There was another very similar game to this that
I played in about 1995-6 (OK, 1994-7) which wasn't. (Even if you were to
identify, describe and distinguish the various games of the class, I'm
now not sure I can remember which one it was!) It wasn't Flusspiraten,
either.
Best wishes,