Play2Relax

Blogging? What?

August 31st, 2010

I have no idea why it’s been so hard to write for the last couple of months. Sure, I could say that work was crazy, and then I took some vacation time, but I don’t know if that had anything to do with my blogging block.

I know that part of the problem has been that a good portion of my creativity has been preoccupied with other projects, like running a Dungeons and Dragons game. While my players get to just show up, roll dice, and say things like, “I attack the zombie to my right,” I spend hours of time thinking about things like why that zombie is there, and how that zombie fits into the story arch that I have in my head. I spend time creating puzzles that may or may not get solved and non-player characters that may be killed before they get a chance to speak. This is the way of the dungeon master, and I do get a kick out of it, but I need to figure out a quicker way to develop encounters.

I’ve also been involved in the longest online game of Friedemann Friese’s Fearsome Floors in the history of online games of Friedemann Friese’s Fearsome Floors.

If you spend any time at all on yucata.de, I advise you to avoid this game at all costs.

For a game that is supposed to represent groups of people running in terror from a horrible monster, it’s moving along at a snail’s pace. I will never play this game again, online or otherwise. Maybe I can get something good for my copy in a math trade.

I did play a great deal of Roll Through the Ages this month, both in person and on the iPhone. It’s a very solid dice game in my opinion, and I’m not sick of it. I just checked my stats on BGG and I’ve played it 33 times. I remember the first time I played it in January of 2009, when Doug Garrett taught me to play, and I’ve played it regularly ever since then. I played it nine times this month, and I wouldn’t turn down a game tonight. Obviously, this game does not suck.

However, I don’t think Roll Through the Ages was a very good pick for Game of the Month. It’s a great game, and I had a nice time playing it this month, but I don’t think my repeated plays lead me to any new thoughts regarding strategy or to a new appreciation for the design. I didn’t learn anything new; I guess is what I’m trying to say.

September will be better, right?

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Rolling Through August

August 4th, 2010

August is a month where I usually take some time off, so I wanted to choose a Game of the Month that I could take with me when I travel. I chose Matt Leacock’s Roll Through the Ages, because not only is it easy to carry, but it also has a relatively new iPhone application.

I reviewed this mini-civilization dice roller quite some time ago. You can read that through this link, Roll Through the Ages, which includes an overview of the game if you are unfamiliar with it.

This is one of those games that still sees regular play even though the newness wore off a long time ago. This is just one of those games that is rarely denied if someone feels like bringing it out. There isn’t a lot of player interaction, but nobody seems to care much. You roll the dice. You make some decisions, and then you chat until it’s your turn again. Simple and fun.

Here’s some of what I would like to consider as I play the game this month:

• There is a free expansion, called The Late Bronze Age, that I tried once and forgot about. I would like to give this another try.
• The game travels well, but can I travel with the dice only? Those wooden peg boards are really cool and all, but they do take up space. Is there a paper and dice only version?
• We just got the iPhone app. I will try both solo and multi-player modes.
• What are some essential strategies?

Post some of your thougts and experiences with this game as the month goes by, and we’ll discuss them at the end of the month.

Happy gaming!

Posted in Game of the Month | 3 Comments »

A Month of Thurn and Taxis

July 31st, 2010

I feel like I have to at least acknowledge the fact that I totally sucked at blogging this month. I have no idea why this happened. Most of the time I was busy, and when I wasn’t busy, I just didn’t feel like it. Oh well.

I had a great time with Thurn and Taxis this month. I had the opportunity to play a couple of games face-to-face, and I also played a few games online at Yucata.de. I wasn’t able to play either of the expansions, so I still can’t talk about those, other than the fact that Mark Johnson said that one of them added some interesting elements to the game, but I can’t remember which one he was talking about so that’s entirely useless.

I had my first game of Thurn and Taxis online last month in a two-player match with Johnson. He defeated me easily, but I learned a little from that experience and I know that I got better with each subsequent play. I even won a couple of games.

I think what I enjoy the most about Thurn and Taxis is how everything is so well balanced. You can’t just focus on a single aspect of the game and hope to do well. You have to make sure you are drawing good cards for yourself and keeping good cards away from your opponent if possible. You have to maximize your use of an adviser each turn. You need to watch how the bonus chips are going to change the score. It’s a very interesting little game, I think.

I think that’s all I’ve got, and you’re lucky I managed even this. I have no idea why it’s so hard to write right now. If I choose a game of the month for August, it will be something retro, published prior to 2000, like Settlers of Catan or Bohnanza.

Happy gaming!

Posted in Blogging, Game of the Month | 1 Comment »