Charlie's Take - Bemused When a Jim Felli game arrives at my door, I can't help but be giddy. I tear off the packaging and spend the next several minutes wondering just what the hell it is. It's like watching a David Lynch film or listening to a Captain Beefheart album, you spend much of the experience lost and confused. Jim's games tend to play that way. They hit you with an obtuse ruleset and shove you into the deep end. While the rest of the industry is focused on the first play and winning over newcomers, these 05/25/2017
When a Jim Felli game arrives at my door, I can't help but be giddy. I tear off the packaging and spend the next several minutes wondering just what the hell it is. It's like watching a David Lynch film or listening to a Captain Beefheart album, you spend much of the experience lost and confused. Jim's games tend to play that way. They hit you with an obtuse ruleset and shove you into the deep end. While the rest of the industry is focused on the first play and winning over newcomers, these
Charlie's Take - M.U.L.E. Designing a game based on an ancient property-let's face it, 1983 is damn old in gaming years-is a difficult challenge. You want to retain the spirit but you need to also pull in those who don't know a M.U.L.E. from a mule. Engaging gameplay buoyed by mechanisms that faithfully capture that elderly spirit is the key to success. Unfortunately, this beast of burden is one leg short of making its rounds. Before I start beating that dead half-horse, let's address an issue that is causing serious 05/15/2017
Designing a game based on an ancient property-let's face it, 1983 is damn old in gaming years-is a difficult challenge. You want to retain the spirit but you need to also pull in those who don't know a M.U.L.E. from a mule. Engaging gameplay buoyed by mechanisms that faithfully capture that elderly spirit is the key to success. Unfortunately, this beast of burden is one leg short of making its rounds. Before I start beating that dead half-horse, let's address an issue that is causing serious
Charlie's Take - Hypergrid Abstracts are a weird thing for me. Setting and theme are such an integral part of what I seek out of this hobby that very few abstract games have garnered my attention. While Hypergrid does possess a small nod towards grander thematic trappings, it's still an abstract about stacking colored chips in columns and scoring points. And it's exceptional. This game is not currently in print and the copy I acquired is a prototype the designer arranged to be handed off to me at Gen Con 2016 in what 03/03/2017
Abstracts are a weird thing for me. Setting and theme are such an integral part of what I seek out of this hobby that very few abstract games have garnered my attention. While Hypergrid does possess a small nod towards grander thematic trappings, it's still an abstract about stacking colored chips in columns and scoring points. And it's exceptional. This game is not currently in print and the copy I acquired is a prototype the designer arranged to be handed off to me at Gen Con 2016 in what
Charlie's Take - '65: Squad-Level Combat in the Jungles of Vietnam Martin Luther King Jr. said "one of the greatest casualties of the war in Vietnam is the Great Society." This is a period of history that formed the inverse of America's triumph during the Second World War. It was like an enormous star-spangled balloon had been pierced, deflating in a long dejected tune of conclusion. This was one of the darkest moments of our society. For all that despair and hubris, this is an era that really appeals to me. It's a huge scar that I want to trace my fingers 02/12/2017
Martin Luther King Jr. said "one of the greatest casualties of the war in Vietnam is the Great Society." This is a period of history that formed the inverse of America's triumph during the Second World War. It was like an enormous star-spangled balloon had been pierced, deflating in a long dejected tune of conclusion. This was one of the darkest moments of our society. For all that despair and hubris, this is an era that really appeals to me. It's a huge scar that I want to trace my fingers
Charlie's Take - Mafia City In the biz, as the gangster's say, games with a mafia setting are placed in the corner and given the cold shoulder. Everyone is shuffling about, making sure their 10 foot pole doesn't touch the red headed stepchild for fear of the stank rubbing off. Whether it's because the masses are unrefined blockheads or Sofia Coppola ruined the genre for everyone, it's a theme that simply doesn't sell. If that industry notion were flesh and blood I'd empty my Tommy gun’s drum into its rank carcass. Mafia 01/21/2017
In the biz, as the gangster's say, games with a mafia setting are placed in the corner and given the cold shoulder. Everyone is shuffling about, making sure their 10 foot pole doesn't touch the red headed stepchild for fear of the stank rubbing off. Whether it's because the masses are unrefined blockheads or Sofia Coppola ruined the genre for everyone, it's a theme that simply doesn't sell. If that industry notion were flesh and blood I'd empty my Tommy gun’s drum into its rank carcass. Mafia
Charlie's Take - Haze Islands Experiencing adventure, yelling "scallywag!", and tasting the saltwater in your beard are all main attractions of the all-too-rare pirate board game. Even when a fantastic release like Merchants and Marauders sails along they tend to drag out to two or three hour grandiose affairs that can leave you exhausted and pining for shore leave. Designer Charles Ward decided to change up the ingredients for the grog with his print 'n play title Haze Islands. This is a 1-3 player small footprint 12/08/2016
Experiencing adventure, yelling "scallywag!", and tasting the saltwater in your beard are all main attractions of the all-too-rare pirate board game. Even when a fantastic release like Merchants and Marauders sails along they tend to drag out to two or three hour grandiose affairs that can leave you exhausted and pining for shore leave. Designer Charles Ward decided to change up the ingredients for the grog with his print 'n play title Haze Islands. This is a 1-3 player small footprint