My Favorite Things

Tue Mar 18 19:56:55 UTC 2008

Top Ten Party Games:

1. Balderdash/Beyond Balderdash [amazon.com]
2. Barbarossa [amazon.com]
3. Ostrakon [amazon.com]
4. Buzzword [amazon.com]
5. Attribute [amazon.com]
6. Wits and Wagers [amazon.com]
7. Boggle/Big Boggle/Boggle Deluxe [amazon.com]
8. Hart an der Grenze [Shop]
9. Wise and Otherwise [amazon.com]
10. Pictionary [amazon.com]

Top ten games for two on a plane:

1. Travel Ingenious
2. Canal Grande
3. Mystery Rummy: Jack the Ripper
4. Mystery Rummy: Jekyll & Hyde
5. Schotten-totten
   or Battle Line if you prefer
6. Liar's Dice
7. Travel Blokus
8. Lost Cities
   the board is really not necessary; scrunch up the piles
9. Cribbage
   scoring track optional
10. En Garde

Top ten games for three on a plane:

1. Tightrope
   or Relationship Tightrope if you prefer
2. Travel Settlers of Catan
3. Schnäppchen Jagd
4. The Bottle Imp
5. Travel Ingenious
6. Can't Stop
   also works for two
7. Guillotine
   Make the 12 x 1 list into a 4 x 3 rectangle. The top part of each card is pretty much flavor, so you can save space there. All you really need are the points, special instructions and the color, all of which are on the bottom. The one exception is Marie Antoinette (who moves to the front of the line with "Let them eat cake" card, but players should be able to remember that she's in the line).
8. Shit!
   This leads to a second game: watch the flight attendant's reaction when he/she finds out the name of the game!
9. Liar's Dice
10. Travel Blokus
11. Cribbage

Top ten trick-taking games:

• Mü
  Where we are: in a fantastic world of lovely panthers, unicorns, hedgehogs and such.
  What makes it good: This list is in no particular order, but if it were this one has a good claim to being on top just because it's so ambitious. Not only did Doris&Frank invent a fascinatingly new type of deck – including the new idea of printing points on various types of cards – they hitched it to an all new and decidedly machiavellian bidding system which never grows old. Probably the only real drawback are the players themselves who too often fail to keep chiefs honest by not bidding them up enough. Probably the most challenging choice for five.
• Sticheln
  Where we are: in a humid land where one is likely to be stuck
  What makes it good: This one should come with a sub-title: the "anti-trump game", or maybe the "all-trump game", as everything but the led suit is a trump. It could also be called "pure evil" or "royal disaster" as either can transpire at a moment's notice. There's no predicting what opponents will do here. Just when you think you've made an ace play, they come out and stick you with the worst possible card. But by the same token, just when you think you're totally exposed, they may spare you in favor of their own selfish goals. The game can be as much about knowing the players as knowing the cards, a rare quality in this type of game. This is the only one that can comfortably handle four to eight (!) players
• The Bottle Imp
  Where we are: in a Hawaiian fantasy of Robert Louis Stevenson
  What makes it good: The first of four very good games for exactly three players, it is also playable by four. Here the ever-changing definition of what is trump along with the additional task of not taking the last trump really provides a unique challenge. The fact that all this fits perfectly with the Stevenson story is a wonderful icing on the cake.
• Schnäppchen Jagd
  Where we are: at the thrift shop and garage sale
  What makes it good: The second good game for three that also works for four is all about changing trends and goals. Ostensibly one is collecting items of only one type,b ut to get these items it's necessary to take on other ones, so that at a certain point one is in the business of collecting several other ranks as well. Which ones should be pursued and which avoided? It's a situation of having to make hard and fast rules in a fluid situation. Simjilar is the meta-game of general acquisitiveness. Are the opponents trying to collect a lot or trying to keep their collections pure? Once detected, it's probably wise to do the opposite, at which point they may switch and you'll have to evaluate whether it's too late to swtich again. As it's another great thematic match as well, the only problem is that at this moment this one remains mysteriously out of print.

  [To be continued]

Top ten games to try on the lovely person you've just started dating:

• Kupferkessel Co.
  Where we are: in alchemy school, learning to mix ingredients in our copper pots
  What makes it good: This is very simple, yet amazingly still an interesting challenge for the seasoned player. A common cry heard from those new to games is "Ooh, games are too complicated." Well, with this one you can point out that it is meant to be played by ages as low as 6. The colors and weird images are quite a visual treat as well. Says something about the quality of German production too – even the insert is illustrated. »review
• Lost Cities
  Where we are: exploring the world of the early 20^th century
  What makes it good: The dilemma of which card to play gives just the right degree of challenge. Extra large illustrated cards convey the theme nicely and it's certainly possible for either side to win, regardless of experience level. Only the scoring can be a little hard to explain. »review
• Can't Stop
  Where we are: climbing the Himalaya or just topping the chart
  What makes it good: While the first two are not boring, they don't quite offer the same level of sheer excitement that this dice game can provide. Pressing your luck is a phenomenon with which most can identify. »review
• Café International
  Where we are: at a swanky, cosmopolitan restaurant
  What makes it good: But if the last is too exciting, this is more on the funny side with colorful characters. Players have a job that isn't alchemy or exploring or mountain climbing, but here are in a comfortable environment with which most can identify. There are tactical moments, but for the most part they are not too demanding. »review
• Rat Hot
  Where we are: staying with the food theme, in the store house of two spice dealers
  What makes it good: This is a stacking game which isn't overly demanding, but which offers considerable scope for ingenuity. Many people have played Dominoes at some point in their life and while this one -- featuring stacking – is rather different, it has enough of the flavor to be easily grasped. The threat of too many rats appearing offers a fun degree of pressure. »review
• Carcassonne
  Where we are: building towns in medieval France
  What makes it good: Besides the fact that the tiles and pawns are very nice in look and construction, the players join together in building something which is a nice metaphor. The facts that the player has only one tile to play at a time and that it is public and that players tend to work on their own projects makes it easy for a player to give objective advice if necessary. »review
• Expedition
  Where we are: leading scientific expeditions around the world
  What makes it good: Sometimes it's fun to go back to the childhood idea of a large, colorful board and this is just the ticket. It shows that even a larger-sized game can be simple and yet fun without being long or complicated. »review
• Rosenkönig
  Where we are: the English Wars of the Roses
  What makes it good: At a certain point it's fun to try some games with a bit more direct confrontation. There's no real war here, of course, but players more directly manipulate the game to disrupt one another here. But it's limited by one's cards so it's not too combative. »review
• Schotten-Totten
  Where we are: in the Scottish highlands after a storm
  What makes it good: This is another direct confrontation and it builds on Poker, which most have played. It has more strategy than most of those on the list. The possible sudden death ending gives an extra level of excitement. »review
• Tally Ho!
  Where we are: into the woods
  What makes it good: It's often not a fair game, but the puzzles along the way and the ongoing puzzle of the entire game can be fascinating. The asymmetry adds an extra dimension of interest and there's a very palpable feeling of danger once those bears start in motion. It's easy for either side to win here as well. »review

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