Crumble revival?

[Jan Kok]

Wow, it sure is quiet here!

Zack Brown has been posting a fair amount about Crumble recently on Quora, so maybe there will be a spurt of new interest in the game. I think it would help to encourage that interest if there was a web page somewhere or an app that people could download to their phones or computers that people could try playing the game. Apparently there used to be a couple of web pages where people could play Crumble, but they don't exist now. Would the authors be willing to put those web pages back up?

[Zachary Brown]

Hi Jan!

On Friday, December 20, 2019 at 7:34:41 AM UTC+1, Jan Kok wrote:

Wow, it sure is quiet here!

Zack Brown has been posting a fair amount about Crumble recently on Quora, so maybe there will be a spurt of new interest in the game. I think it would help to encourage that interest if there was a web page somewhere or an app that people could download to their phones or computers that people could try playing the game. Apparently there used to be a couple of web pages where people could play Crumble, but they don't exist now. Would the authors be willing to put those web pages back up?

It's true, there's no online infrastructure for crumble. The irony is that crumble is one of the simplest games to make out of cardboard. At one point I figured out that you need 108 starting-sized squares. Then as you play, you cut those down into smaller pieces as needed. After a few games, you don't need to do so much cutting anymore. You've probably seen the quora post since you mentioned it, but anyway it's here: https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-make-a-Crumble-set/answer/Zachary-Brown-25

Eventually crumble will make its way into all the online game-playing communities. But for now, since you're actually interested enough to make your way here, maybe try making a set for yourself and introduce your friends to it. I think that kind of local activity is really how crumble will gain popularity for the near future. It's like tic-tac-toe -- nobody buys a set of tic-tac-toe or goes online for it, they just play. And 108 squares are not such a big requirement. If you want starting pieces that are 32mm to a side, you could cut them all out of a single sheet of cardboard that's slightly over 35cm (14 inches).

Actually I think the game board itself is the harder thing to make. It needs a ridge around the edge of the playing area, and the enclosed region needs to be just the right size to hold the pieces, while allowing enough leeway to let people pick pieces up and drop them in without difficulty.

Be well,

Zack