As you regular readers (or feedburner checkers) may have noticed, I’m a bit behind. I missed posting my regular Sunday game design last Sunday, and I seem to have missed it yesterday as well. The reason for this is that I am currently engaged in northern New England in a summer job that, while not [...]
Introduction: In honor of my lateness in conceiving and posting this design — a game about being late! Roll the dice and rack up your score as the turns go by, but be sure you cash in before the deadline hits. If you’re late, you get one chance to make it right before your [...]
This showed up on Raph’s blog the other day. I can’t believe the simplicity and subtle genius of this idea. But more than a static instance bank with a cheesy LCD game that kids can play like the old Tiger toys, why not a full-fledged online MMO like Habbo Hotel or Club Penguin? Think of [...]
I’ve been reading Max Brooks’ seminal work, World War Z, for the second time this past week. If you’re not familiar, check it out. Also listen to the interview on NPR’s Talk of the Nation. It has to be one of the most captivating books I’ve ever read, and that includes classic literature. The funny [...]
Introduction: Somehow it seems harder to make a truly first-rate second-rate movie than it is to make a blockbuster. Limited funds, cheesy sets, fake blood, and goofy actors — sounds like a recipe for success! In this game players, take turns as the Producer, creating the most outrageous, ridiculous, and hilarious screenplay they can imagine, [...]
Last night I visited with my uncle Mike and his family — the “game uncle.” He is more enthusiastic about board games than I am, and his formidable collection is always growing. He introduced me to all the Days of Wonder games (Shadows Over Camelot, Pirate’s Cove, Ticket To Ride), and on this visit he [...]
Last night an old friend of my brother’s came by and hooked up his machine to play games with my brother and me. We played Starcraft, Sins of a Solar Empire, and Battlefield 1942. There were stores of Coke and chips and Twizzlers, and the basement room in which we were arrayed heated up by [...]
Introduction: A game of young love with all its wonders — especially the rumors, gossip, and secrecy! The annual school dance has arrived and the night is alive with possibility. Choose your sweetheart and court them as the dance wears on, but beware! Gossip is delicious, and your opponents will expose you and your tender [...]
Last night my team, the Detroit Red Wings, finally bested the upstart Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6 to win the Stanley Cup and their fourth championship in eleven seasons. I have been an ardent Detroit fan since I lived there as a child and witnessed their back-to-back sweep of the championship in ‘97 and ‘98, [...]
Introduction: In honor of Barack Obama’s recent victory in the Democratic presidential primary race comes a game about currying support in the face of overwhelming odds and hazy information. You play a superdelegate watching an intense battle between two evenly-matched opponents. Throw your support behind the winning candidate to score points, but in the world [...]