I may have mentioned previously that I contract out to help manage elections on behalf of the various local electoral commissions. I’ve just completed one (state election) and, whilst still in health recovery for that, the federal election is about to start. While rewarding and interesting, they really are all-consuming beasts and life gets put on hold while they’re in swing with gametime going down the gurgler. Anyway, one down, one to go, and the good news is that there was at least some gaming done in between times.
I’ve begun adding each game’s BGG ranking (as at time of writing rather than time of publication). They might add a bit of context for unfamiliar games as to where they sit in the minds of the populace at large. For whatever that’s worth anyway … there are many fine games languishing in the rankings for lack of enough ratings to push them further up the pole.
Many years ago, before the detailed presentation of forthcoming games at Essen, you had to wander around the halls, bumping into new games. As there was not very much information about, it felt like an exploration of a large toy shop. You did not know what you are going to find but amongst the stalls would be some gems. The excitement came from discovering one.
So I came across Promenade at Spiel in October 2018. A friend had invited me to join him in a look at a pre published copy of a game. You never know what you’ll find so I joined him. The designer, Ta-Te Wu, originally from Taiwan, but now living in America showed us his game. It was a prototype, but decent looking. He did all the design and art himself and it looked really good.
“How many damn roll and writes are going to be made?!?!”
-Brandon Kempf April 2018
Well, what’s this? I’m back again with another roll-and-write review? This time we are going to take a look at the newest roll-and-write from Schmidt Spiele and designer Ralf zur Linde — the designer of Fincaand Animals on Board — Dizzle. Before anyone asks, I have no idea what the word dizzle actually means. I thought maybe it was German slang, or something, but I can’t find anything that doesn’t link back to Snoop Dogg or some kind of real estate service.
What I do know is that Dizzle is a roll-and-write that is played over a set number of rounds, where the players have a collection of dice that are rolled and then everyone will take turns selecting a die, re-rolling all the dice, or passing on their turn. All in the hopes of scoring the most victory points by marking off spaces on their player sheets, of which there are four different sheets representing four different levels of difficulty.
Spring has sprung which means it time for your friendly OG editor-in-chief Dale to post a weekend’s worth of impressions on the latest games, local Niagara foodie hideaways, and other nonsense at the annual Gathering of Friends. I look forward to his reports every year like seeing the first robin as a sign of the season or grumbling about the spring weather in New England (which is really a year-round thing). Alas, there will be no reporting from Dale this year as he is on assignment for a family event. In his absence, Dale has given instructions for me and other OGers attending the 30th annual Gathering of Friends to stand in and share our thoughts. While I can’t speak for the others, I’ll do my best to fill the the void. So without any further adieu here is a short recap of my first day.
Its one of the rare years when the Gathering lines up with my school spring break so after packing up the car first thing, we hit the road at 10:15 and pulled into Niagara seven hours later, checked in, and headed for dinner with some friends. Right about here, Dale would have a picture of some part of his dinner. No such picture from me, but I did enjoy a tasty rye old fashioned to toast the official start of vacation. I’ll try to be better about pictures as the week progresses.
Back to the ball room to say hello to friends and get in a game or two. First game of the week was Deep Sea Adventure – the Sponge Bob Edition. One of the regulars in my group is the king of pimping out games . After seeing and playing some of Scott’s upgraded versions of games, I decided that Deep Sea Adventure was a good candidate for a similar treatment. It didn’t take much to give the game a Sponge Bob themed makeover. Instead of diving for treasure from a submarine, Sponge Bob, Sandy Cheeks, and company leave the Crusty Crab to search for the most valuable starfish. Given that they all live under the sea, oxygen is replaced by the consumption of Crabby Patties. Its really rather ridiculous, but it makes a big splash on the table.
Patrick Star got a little too greedy while Gary’s slow and steady approach carried the day.
We finished the evening with a game of Krass Kariert, a clever Amigo card game that few under the radar from last fall. Not sure how I missed it then, but was glad to learn and give it a go. Seems like this will be a regular late night filler throughout the week given the comments from passers by. The long drive means its time to cash in the chips for the evening. More nonsense tomorrow.
Times Played: > 20 (On Review Copy from Publisher)
Fortune is the fourth game in the Fast Forward series by Friedemann Friese. Published by 2F-Spiele and Stronghold Games, the Fast Forward games have Friedemann’s trademark green look and innovative design. The idea behind the series is that there is no rulebook. Rather, you open the box with a group of friends and start playing the game together. The game gradually adds rules and layers as you work your way through a pre-sorted deck.
I loved the Fast Forward line when it made its debut in 2017. I had the chance to play Fortune at the 2018 Gathering of Friends, then a final version post-Essen. Fortune is easily my favorite of the series: I think it is the most innovative, the most approachable, and the the most engaging. Overall, I enthusiastically recommend it.
Designer: 木皿儀 隼一 (Hayato Kisaragi) Artist: ryo@にゃも (Ryo Nyamo) Publisher: ワンドロー (ONE DRAW) Players: 3-4 Ages: 10+ Playing Time: 30-45 minutes Times Played: 5 with purchased copy. (Deliverer: 3; Mayor: 2) Availability Note: The copy I have was acquired by a friend at the 2018 fall Game Market, but at the time of this review, copies are available from bodoge.hoobby (transship service such as Tenso required).
When I’m old, I’ll eat pizza on Fridays. It has a name in my life: Pizza Fridays. It also has a black twist: it starts when my wife dies.
I try to make it to the gym 3 or 4 days a week. I often don’t because things come up. It’s important to me, but y’all: so are many other things. The weekends are when I succeed. Weekdays inevitably come down to making it once or twice, but if I can make it on Saturday and Sunday, I’m likely to hit my 3 or 4.
I don’t do it to lose weight or build muscle or really anything too specific, other than trying to die later than I otherwise would. I go as preventative maintenance. Medicine. It makes for some interesting dynamics while I’m there.
Whichever of us dies first, the other will be crushed. If we have our faculties enough about us, the plan is some sort of ‘taboo travel’: if something happens on a pirate cargo ship on the way to see Socotra, well, we hope to have had a good life. But if something else happens, well, the plan is to make sure I don’t die first. If I don’t, there’s a vision of me curled into a fetal position by the front door, awaiting a pizza delivery on Fridays. (Until then, it’s a too-many-carbs thing and boo dairy; no pizza.)
In the meantime, I sometimes make guacamole with bananas instead of avocados because of a Shopsin twist on a Carlin joke. Shopsin puts eggs in most everything, including as pizza crust. It’s like a broiled open-face omelet with marinara. I ate that frequently years ago. Might have been every night.
I have a complicated relationship with pizza.
Anyway, in PPDGttGT, the players are pizza deliverers attempting to complete deliveries in a ghost town. But, here’s the thing. The ghosts that live in the pitch dark ghost town like to play pranks, like stealing your pizzas. So you, the psychic deliverers, attempt to use your powers of perception to find the pizzas, fight the ghosts, and get the pizzas delivered.
In 20 minutes. Otherwise the pizza is free and you lose.
