d20 = 1
E. Gary Gygax died on Tuesday aged 69.
For non-gamers, this means zip.
For gamers, it means the godfather of the hobby/modern gaming industry is dead.
Gygax was the co-creator of the UberGeek phenomenon Dungeons & Dragons. And what a phenomenon it was. Gygax created a whole new leisure activity, which captured and fostered the imaginations of millions (particularly teenage boys), spawned a huge wave of copy-cat and evolution products, and has been a driving factor in the success of a great many modern computer and video games: computerised versions of the classic D&D pen & paper mechanics still form the structures and cores of virtually all fantasy and character-driven computer games and RPG's today. Add in the piggy-back revival in fantasy literature and films, and Gygax's creation can hold its head up as an innovative and classic design that truly was ground-breaking.
Although I haven't played a RPG for decades, I am a gamer, and a lot of my interest was sparked by a set of D&D that a friend purchased and brought into school. It was the source of many happy memories and enduring friendships.
Thank you Mr. Gygax.
Showing posts with label boardgames. Show all posts
Showing posts with label boardgames. Show all posts
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
Loco loco!
Ticket to Ride update: I watched Channel Five's Lockdown a couple of weeks ago. It featured some high security prison in the San Francisco area jammed full of white tattooed-up nazi gang members who were at war -- that means randomly shanking/stabbing -- hispanic tattooed-up ganag members. The two groups clearly had a lot in common: a love of crime, a love of gang membership, a love of tattoos, a love of boby-building and stabbing each other. They also shared a coverted gym, where 190 of them all slept together, with no bars or guards separating the two warring factions. As someone unused to prison life, I would describe the set-up as scary.
Anyway, half-way through the programme, the camera pans across the gym, and in the no-mans land between whites and latinos there are sets of tables and chairs, and there, on one table, are two muscled-up latino ganagbangers playing...
Ticket to Ride.
Ticket to Ride update: I watched Channel Five's Lockdown a couple of weeks ago. It featured some high security prison in the San Francisco area jammed full of white tattooed-up nazi gang members who were at war -- that means randomly shanking/stabbing -- hispanic tattooed-up ganag members. The two groups clearly had a lot in common: a love of crime, a love of gang membership, a love of tattoos, a love of boby-building and stabbing each other. They also shared a coverted gym, where 190 of them all slept together, with no bars or guards separating the two warring factions. As someone unused to prison life, I would describe the set-up as scary.
Anyway, half-way through the programme, the camera pans across the gym, and in the no-mans land between whites and latinos there are sets of tables and chairs, and there, on one table, are two muscled-up latino ganagbangers playing...
Ticket to Ride.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
I've got a ticket to ride
..and it's alright!
I got bought -- or rather I bought it for myself and asked my mum to cough up the cash -- a copy of Ticket to Ride Europe by Days of Wonder for Christmas. It's a route-building game set in 1905 Europe, where you claim train routes by drafting cards and using them to pay for your little coloured plastic trains to link up exotic city destinations. I did my homework on the board game geek websites before putting the order in, and by gum it's a corker of a game. Really nicely produced, super simple rules and some tight, strategic and fun gameplay.
Vic and I have played half a dozen 1-on-1 games now, and it holds up really well as a two player game: there's very little hostile blocking going on, and it's all about racing your opponent and taking a gamble on picking up extra routes. It's quite a strategic game, but it's light, not fluffy.
Now, here's the bonus: Days of Wonder run Ticket to Ride online as a free play experience. You can register and play online right now. They give you a special code with the physical boardgame to track your scores and create new games, but you don't need a code to jump into someone elses game. I've already become rather addicted to the whole thing: it is in this arena where I can get my fix of a busy four or five player game, which is a completely different experience to Vic and my two player 'race' games. I've been sticking to the less complex -- and frankly not as good -- United States map, so our physical games on the Europe map retain their challenge.
I've already clocked up 20 games online, plus the 6 we've played at home, and after 26 games I have to say the game is top drawer. I'd say it's the best "family" boardgame out there -- better than Risk, Monopoly, Settlers or Carcassone. Heartily recommended.
..and it's alright!
I got bought -- or rather I bought it for myself and asked my mum to cough up the cash -- a copy of Ticket to Ride Europe by Days of Wonder for Christmas. It's a route-building game set in 1905 Europe, where you claim train routes by drafting cards and using them to pay for your little coloured plastic trains to link up exotic city destinations. I did my homework on the board game geek websites before putting the order in, and by gum it's a corker of a game. Really nicely produced, super simple rules and some tight, strategic and fun gameplay.
Vic and I have played half a dozen 1-on-1 games now, and it holds up really well as a two player game: there's very little hostile blocking going on, and it's all about racing your opponent and taking a gamble on picking up extra routes. It's quite a strategic game, but it's light, not fluffy.
Now, here's the bonus: Days of Wonder run Ticket to Ride online as a free play experience. You can register and play online right now. They give you a special code with the physical boardgame to track your scores and create new games, but you don't need a code to jump into someone elses game. I've already become rather addicted to the whole thing: it is in this arena where I can get my fix of a busy four or five player game, which is a completely different experience to Vic and my two player 'race' games. I've been sticking to the less complex -- and frankly not as good -- United States map, so our physical games on the Europe map retain their challenge.
I've already clocked up 20 games online, plus the 6 we've played at home, and after 26 games I have to say the game is top drawer. I'd say it's the best "family" boardgame out there -- better than Risk, Monopoly, Settlers or Carcassone. Heartily recommended.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
This season's new board game
According to Facebook's 100 Question Geek Test, I am geekier than 94% of the general population.
That's a fair assessment.
As apart of my Grand Geek persona* I am often tagged as the "board game guy", as I'm the one out of our friend circles to produce -- and demand to play -- new board games at any and all social occasions.
Last year's Christmas board game was GiftTRAP, as recommended by my game designer friend Tony, and it ticked all the right boxes: Beautiful components, easy, fast and fun game play. I think everyone who has played it has enjoyed it, and I think two or three additional copies have been purchased off the back of our sessions.
This year's new party game, purchased after considerable market research, is Wits & Wagers, which seems to be the next big thing in party games and, if you believe the hype, "the best trivia game ever".
I'm looking forward to inflicting it upon friends and family over the coming weeks, and excitedly busted open the box last night to check it out. Looks good, looks quick (20 mins a game), looks simple, looks like it's going to be a lot of fun.
* As opposed to my Grand Puppetmaster persona
According to Facebook's 100 Question Geek Test, I am geekier than 94% of the general population.That's a fair assessment.
As apart of my Grand Geek persona* I am often tagged as the "board game guy", as I'm the one out of our friend circles to produce -- and demand to play -- new board games at any and all social occasions.
Last year's Christmas board game was GiftTRAP, as recommended by my game designer friend Tony, and it ticked all the right boxes: Beautiful components, easy, fast and fun game play. I think everyone who has played it has enjoyed it, and I think two or three additional copies have been purchased off the back of our sessions.
This year's new party game, purchased after considerable market research, is Wits & Wagers, which seems to be the next big thing in party games and, if you believe the hype, "the best trivia game ever".
I'm looking forward to inflicting it upon friends and family over the coming weeks, and excitedly busted open the box last night to check it out. Looks good, looks quick (20 mins a game), looks simple, looks like it's going to be a lot of fun.
* As opposed to my Grand Puppetmaster persona
