2.22: Play in Public Campaign...join us...join us...

Man, did I call it.  Limited internet access while I was away, and then some things went wonky--I never thought AT&T wouldn't permit me to buy another day of access.  Anyhow, this post is late, as I wanted it up the first week of August.

So, you may have guessed that I enjoy boardgaming.  I enjoy the simple fun that classic games and many modern games provide.  I enjoy the challenge to myself and my opponents.  Most of all I enjoy the social aspect of gaming--it is a meeting place, an even playing field.  Thanks to my parents I was exposed to some classic boardgames, but it's taken a far larger number of people to expose me to the boardgames I play currently--from family and friends, all the way to the numerous people in the BGG (boardgamegeek.com) community.  This has become a reflexive hobby, as I now expose and share multiple facets of this hobby with my own friends and family.

But boardgaming is such a niche hobby.  This past weekend GenCon was held in Indianapolis, Indiana; over 125,000 gamers were gathered into one place with the purpose of celebrating our hobby.  Last month was Origins in Ohio, and several other conventions are held across the country--there can't be a lack of gamers.  Unfortunately, this is the case.  For a number of years I had a "convention family," the people I would visit with every year and at every convention I went to.  There aren't a lot of gamers; worse, there aren't a lot of people outside the hobby that are aware of this enormous event that occurs every year.

Our hobby needs more exposure, plain and simple. 

Kevin E. Schlabach of siezeyourturn.com has suggested a Play in Public campaign aimed at exposing more people to the hobby.  There are a lot of reasons, and I will admit that some of them are purely economic (ie, they have to do with money), but I'll sum it up by saying that it's good for our hobby.  I'll be pushing this at least through August.

If you want more information, read this excellent piece written by Kevin.  If you don't read it, I'm coming for you.  Whatever, Lucioman, you don't scare me!  You're one of those non-athletic, overweight, downright wimpy gamers!  Okay, let me advise you, read this article.  Somewhere around here I have a photo of me at a Shotokan tournament, wearing my gi, kicking a good friend full force in the balls.  Now, GO READ THE DAMN ARTICLE!  (I really need to find that picture.)



I'll be planning some time to be in public playing a game, and I'll post that here.  Further threats to follow.

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I plan on posting again later this week in order to get back on schedule.

2.21: Review: God Dice

Another game review, can it be?  This week I review God Dice, a quick dice game, great for when you're short on time and don't want to play Willow.

One of the benefits of going to conventions is the opportunity to view and try games one might not otherwise have found.  By walking up and down the many aisles, I've stumbled upon many a small publishers with only one or two games in their catalog.  Every year there is some sleeper hit hidden among the crowd of larger publishers, such as the game I'm reviewing today. 

God Dice was designed by Rick Maxey and published by Maxveld Games in 2008; it supports 2-4 players, and takes 30 minutes to an hour to play.  The game comes with 12 character cards, 9 attack dice, 2 "God Dice," a set of rules, and some counters.  This game is dice geared combat, so if you're not a fan of dice games or games with heavy randomness, you probably won't be interested in this one.  If, however, you enjoy a quick combat game and trash-talk, pick this one up. 

"There are better games?" Really?

Apparently I missed announcing this blog's one-year birthaversary, which was the 24th of June.  So, uh, Happy Birthaversary, Lucioman's Boardgaming Blog; maybe we'll get you a real name instead of this lazy nonsense.  

Extra post this week because I've been slacking.  I'm considering changing the schedule up, but we'll keep it the same for now, and I also realized I need to review some actual GAMES on this blog, so we'll definitely see more of those in the near future. 

My cousin Randy visited on the weekend and asked me attempted to goad me into playing a boardgame I wasn't interested in playing.  He told me it's a great game; I told him it took too long to set up (an issue, as they had limited time to visit), was one-sided, and there are better games to play.  Admittedly, the last point may not have been entirely fair, but I was also watching my two toddlers, who require a certain level of attention.  One of them does have the middle name "Danger," after all.

My cousin's retort:  "So we'll never play this game again."  I was taken aback.  First, Randy was on the verge of breaking Rule #6--then again, Randy's basically always on the verge of breaking Rule #6, but I love him--he's my cousin, but may as well be a brother.  Second, it isn't a bad game, but I was confused by my own statement, "There are better games."  Third, if I really believed that, shouldn't I trade the game away?

2.20: Dominion!

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend.  We spent time with friends and family, went to the beach, set some explosives on fire, and played 1000 boardgames.  Or ten.  Biggest hit of the weekend, Dominion; I personally got in three plays of the game, but it hit the table far more than that.  We also played a 4+ hour game of Shogun, in which I took second; Danny, despite having no money and no income on the last turn, was able to hold onto his empire and take the win.  

An interesting piece of information--last year I played a total of 105 games (not different games, total games played).  As of today, I've played 86 games this year--looks like I'm on track to beat last year by 50%.


Dominion was designed by Donald X. Vaccarino and published in the US by Rio Grande Games in 2008.  Since then it has won a number of awards, including the Spiel des Jahres in 2009.  A number of standalone games which can be combined with the original have been released since, as well as a number of expansion cards.  It is a card game with a first-of-its-kind mechanic--everyone starts with the same 10 cards, and during the course of the game you purchase cards for your deck, which provide you with additional abilities on future turns.

2.19: Game Room Rules - Rule #7

Jackie got me Dominion for Father's Week.  A friend played this when it was in its late prototype stage, and spoke positively of it, and since its release I've heard a vast number of positive comments, though the game does seem polarizing--people either like it a lot or not at all.  I really like this game, despite the fact that I can't win a game when my wife plays.  

Until last night!  Ha, take that, Jackie! 

Rule #1:  Have fun.
Rule #2:  Let your opponent(s) have fun.
Rule #3:  Play appropriately.
Rule #4:  Remember, it's just a game.
Rule #5: Take care of my crap/other people's crap.
Rule #6:  D.B.A.  Don't be an Ass.

Rule #7:  Take your turn, already!

2.19: Game Room Rules - Rule #6

This week I'm plugging Scott Sigler's soon-to-be-released book, Ancestor.  In Ancestor, a biotech company is attempting to create a herd animal that has human-compatible organs for the purpose of organ donation.  Their experiments go awry, and hilarity ensues.  Well, hilarity in the form of an edge-of-your-seat thriller involving not-so-herbivorous creatures snuggling up to the novel's characters--with their teeth.

Scott Sigler has been giving his books away in the form of a free weekly podcast (audio file); over the past several years he has built up a significant audience, and signed with a big time publishing company.  Ancestor is being released in hardcover on June 22, and Sigler is attempting to reach the top ten on the NY Times Bestseller list.  Any pre-orders count toward the first week's sales, and thus aid the effort to reach the aforementioned bestseller list. 


The rules so far, and a totally appropriate picture:

Rule #1:  Have fun.
Rule #2:  Let your opponent(s) have fun.
Rule #3:  Play appropriately.
Rule #4:  Remember, it's just a game.
Rule #5: Take care of my crap/other people's crap.


Rule #6:  D.B.A.  Don't be an Ass.

2.18: Game Room Rules - Rule #5

I'm trying not to be rude or opinionated as I present these rules, well, I'm trying to be as objective as possible.  I'm normally a mellow guy (and I'll kill anyone who says otherwise!), but I think this and some of the following rules will come off a little...grumpy.  Probably because the next few involve common courtesy, and I'm cultivating my "get off my lawn" voice in preparation for retirement. You know, thirty years from now.

Rule #1:  Have fun.
Rule #2:  Let your opponent(s) have fun.
Rule #3:  Play appropriately.

Rule #4:  Remember, it's just a game.

Rule #5: Take care of my crap/other people's crap.