In Media Res: Charterstone and Legacy Games

Hi! Angie here! It’s been quite a while since I’ve blogged about gaming. I’m going to take another stab at this. There’s so much to catch up on! Instead of making any kind of attempt at “getting caught up to current”, I’m going to fast forward to *right now* and start writing about the things we are playing today, this week, and recent times that really stand out. If as I go along this spurs something from the gap years that seems fun to fill in I’ll do one of those flashback things and, well, we’ll see what happens…

I’ve got many areas of interest in gaming these days:

1. Board Games
2. Roleplaying Games (this currently consists of a weekly Shadowrun 5E campaign)
3. Console Video Games
4. Mobile Games
5. Hearthstone (my interest/time investment is big enough for it to get its own category)
6. Magic the Gathering (I don’t play much outside occasional Magic League these days but I’m still very interested in the game)
7. Game Design (we’ve released two published games since I last regularly blogged!)
8. Any Game I Can Play with My Littlest Kid (the big one plays almost everything)
9. Sports/Competitions the Kids Participate In (Battle of the Books, lacrosse, the little guy insists he is going to play football and baseball but we’ll see)

The idea is that for a post I will grab a category or two, tell you what we’ve been playing, and share some thoughts or experiences… anything from a mini-review to a rave about a great mechanism to a rant about a frustrating level to a funny story about a game I played. Hopefully this will be interesting enough that you’ll come back. Enough blah blah… :)

Board Games: Leaving a Legacy

I think the current definition of a legacy game is a board game that changes and evolves as you play it to reflect the choices the players make, and has persistent effects on the game from session to session. This usually involves writing on the game board and cards, using stickers, (maybe ripping stuff up!), opening up surprise boxes of new pieces, and adding rules and other twists to the game. The ones I’m familiar with have a set number of games that form a “campaign” of linked games, and once you play through those game you are done exploring the new content and have created a unique version of the game that you can (theoretically) continue to play. One big draw of these games is the sense of wonder and discovery as you find out what comes next. Another is the variety of gameplay as the game is constantly changing and evolving. Both of these have an incredible appeal to me.

The only time I’ve played one was Risk: Legacy, and we blogged about our first three games (we played 5 or 6 total) but didn’t write them all up because we weren’t entirely sure how to deal with spoilers and while the in-depth character stories we were writing were fun it was a lot of work to keep up with after playing a few back-to-back sessions. Additionally we had the problem of trying to coordinate sessions where exactly the same players (and no one else) got together to play and ultimately we just decided there were other things we’d rather do.

Since Risk: Legacy, I have watched from the sidelines as legacy games have taken off and become a whole genre, and wanted to dive back into one, but wondered how to surmount those problems. Enter Charterstone. It’s so cute. Everything I read says the games take about an hour… but, a *real* hour, not one of those “this takes and hour but really 2”. My husband Randy and just-turned-12 year old daughter Katie both really like worker placement games, AND they are a captive audience that I can get to replay a game with me over and over without so much coordination. SOLD SOLD SOLD. And, after a *few* well-placed hints, Katie got me a copy of Charterstone for Christmas! Let’s do this! We are three games in, which we played all in a row on Christmas day, and I’m loving it. I want to open all the crates and see what all the cards do and cover the board in stickers. And, did I mention that it’s so cute??




One thing that cracks me up is that when I showed Katie what Charterstone was she was like “No no no, no…. Why?!? No. Writing on cards? Stickers on the board?! This is… no. We can’t do that. No.” She said it was sooooo stressful the first game, but a few games in and she’s peeling of stickers and asking for the sharpie with a big smile on her face. She’s perfectly happy to write "something funny" on a card now, so thanks Stonemaier Games for breaking her aversion to the concept of legacy games!




So far I have only one complaint, and I suppose you could call it spoiler-ish so avert your eyes and skip to the next paragraph if you are very sensitive….. In our last game I eagerly opened a crate right near the end of the game and three REALLY great buildings came out. I didn’t have enough time left to build any of them because another player (*ahem* Randy) spent his influence on that same turn and started running out the clock, and I can only carry one over in my personal supply to the next game (the rest will go into the general advancement supply). And because we have 3 inactive charters there’s a chance they will get built immediately into one of those. But if they don’t they will be available for my opponents to grab and build for *very many points* even though I worked so hard on the chain of things to unlock them, and it feels really unfair. I knew I might have to chose one to go in the general supply if I couldn’t get it built, but I had no idea so many could come out of a crate at once. If I had any idea that was going to happen I would have opened the crate at the *beginning* of the next game so I had some time to build one or two of them myself. /SIGH. I guess it’s just a thing about legacy games is that you will sometimes back yourself into a corner that is disadvantageous. It’s just a really weird feeling in a worker placement game where points are tight, and where you have a sense of building up towards an overall victory at the end.

I’m really eager to play again and excited for all the cool new discoveries. I feel like there are many things we aren’t yet fully using that we *have* uncovered, and obviously many things yet to reveal. I’ll check back in on this one after a few more plays.

Have you played Charterstone or another legacy game? Thoughts?

Game, Interrupted.

By Randy

@coffeeswiller

"Why am I not playing a game?!?"

This one is for the gamer parents out there. Sharing the love of gaming with your kids reeks of awesome. It brings me great joy to game with the kiddos. But sometimes, I just want to play games with my adult gamer friends. I imagine if you are a parent gamer, you probably feel the same, too. Over the years, I have made some observations and implemented some strategies that help me to be able to game with the adults, too. Here are some of those tips, tricks and cautionary tales that might just help you play a game without massive interruptions. 

The Seven P's

Have you heard of the Seven P's? Here they are: Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance. That means if you're going to get this right, you're going to need to plan it a little. This gets easier each time, so don't stress that you have to put some thought in ahead of time. Gaming with the kids around and minimizing interruptions of gametime requires a plan. 

Joint Playdate

"Let's get crafty!"

Start by telling yourself: you're organizing a joint playdate. No, you don't have to drink juiceboxes. Get over the term, because that's what you're doing. This is more literal when the other adults you are gaming with have kids that are coming over, but even if no other kids are involved, you need to have activities in mind for your kids as if this is an organized playdate. Which it is.So think about successful playdates that you have attended with your kid. Was there some sort of structure? What activities were involved? How much did the kids need direct supervision? You need to get this part right. As much as you want to engage in your activity, the kids need to feel like they're engaged in theirs. They should feel that they had a choice in what that activity is going to be to be invested. You probably already know what your kids like, and how to "sell" them an activity. You need to sell this one hard and ahead of time. If it is a DVD, it should be a new one that they are excited about. If it's a craft project, make it something new (preferably one that's not too messy and doesn't involve use of sharp implements helps, too!).  If it's just playing in the yard, suggest a game or provide some new challenge. Even a sheet of butcher paper taped on a table and a bucket of crayons can be fun.

Don't forget the food!

So... kids get hungry. True story. Adults do, too. And if you're going to be sitting down for long enough to play a boardgame, the likelihood of this happening is... yeah, it's going to happen. My advice is to have this scheduled and the food prepared ahead of time, something that can easily be eaten at the game table, that the kids don't object to, and that doesn't require a massive cleanup. Spaghetti? Bad choice. Pizza? Better. Add snacky finger food to the mix and you are golden. This all works especially well when a lunch/dinner time is scheduled and everyone knows there'll be crackers, apple slices and string cheese or something until then.

Be courteous!

Unsolicited deckbuilding advice...

Perhaps the most important part of this whole thing is courtesy. Be courteous to your guests (or hosts), be courteous to your kids, be courteous to their kids (if relevant), and be courteous in turn-taking. If you get this right, this smooths over just about anything that is going to come up. If you're playing a complex boardgame, don't assume that every other player's turn is an excuse to leave the table. If you have kids around, yes, you'll need to do this every now and then. But if your friends have to spend five minutes every time it's your turn telling you what happened, you may need to reconsider how you're going about things. And don't be snappy with your kiddo if they come to the table needing something! Stopping to take a minute and explain what the cards do may satisfy their curiosity so they will move on. Also, don't be afraid to ask players for a break to attend kids' needs. Everyone will be happier.



Adventures Nearby Babysitting

Do you know who kids think are absolutely amazing? Bigger kids! You know that 13 year old girl down the street who wants to babysit your kids for some extra cash, but is just too young to be responsible for the kids by herself? Why not hire her to watch your kids at your house while you game? We have done this before and it works out really well. And if other people are bringing their kids over, you can possibly arrange beforehand for the other parents to chip in. This is really an "everybody wins!" situation, but it does require a little cash.

Rotating Parental Duties

My wife Angie and I are both gamers, and when gaming is happening, we both want to be at the table. Sometimes, though, we know it's just not feasible for that to happen. Every now and then, one of us will take care of the kids while the other games. If you step this up a little, and you're planning a regularly occurring game day, one excellent way to have a satisfying game is to have one parent of however many participants to rotate being the one who hangs out with the kids. If there are three couples with kids, for example, being willing to sit out one in six games (or whole game days) gets you five others to relax and not worry too much about the parenting. That assumes everyone in the equation is a gamer; if there's a non-gamer spouse among the mix, making an arrangement with him or her ahead of time ("I'll watch the kids while you go out one night if you watch them while I game...") can really be a great setup. 

Know When To Hold 'em

"...and this is where Daddy crushes those other chumps."

Have little kids? Sometimes, they're going to need to be held. And it's okay to do that at the game table; your gamer buddies know you're a parent. So long as the kid is happy to be there, is quiet and not interfering with the game. There have been plenty of times that I've had a sleepy or curious little person in my arms at the table. But please keep in mind that this is not the same as giving your child your full attention. There will be times when your child needs your attention, and these are times when you need to excuse yourself.

Know When To Fold 'em

Ideally, you step away before this happens...

Then there will be times when you, as a parent, just need to know when to throw in the towel. Nobody likes walking away from a game, but a child's needs must come first. Identifying those times when a child needs your full attention are important. If your parenting  "spider-sense" tells you that your child is about to have a meltdown, you're probably right. I know from experience that ignoring those signs and trying to play through makes everyone miserable. So do everyone a favor and when that happens, bow out early. At the end of the day, the meeples won't mind and the people should understand.

Winding Down

After all is said and done, I recommend spending a little extra special time with the children. If you make this a habit, they will be more likely to behave during your gaming when they extra attention will follow. Snuggles, stories... whatever you do to show them you appreciate them.

I hope this helps! Adequate planning can get you back to the table and enjoying playing games once again. I don't think I even need to say that this isn't an exhaustive list. So... how do you make your game days fun for everyone? What are your best tips? I'll tell you what... leave a tip for making a game day great, and I'll tip you one GeekGold on BoardGameGeek. Be sure to leave your BGG username!

Good Causes & the Value of "Quirky"

by Randy

Hello, readers!

A couple weeks ago I wrote about an auction on BoardGameGeek for the Jack Vasel Memorial Fund. The Growing Up Gamers/Escapade Games crew stepped up and contributed a couple things, and we're proud to say that with the help of the generous buyers, we were able to raise a little money for this great cause. We hope the JVMF is able to be a force for good and help many gamer families in need for years to come. I hope you all take a moment to look at the JVMF and its mission, and if you are the type who plans charitable giving for your year in advance, consider this as a recipient.

So what did we put up? Well, first, and probably the most interesting, Angie and Julian offered up an opportunity to contribute to their game, Story Realms. The winner of that item is going to be designing a custom Enemy or Ally Lore Card for the game... in addition to getting a copy of the deluxe set (available for preorder here). How cool is that? Not only an awesome game... but one they got to contribute to!

And second, a generous guy took my offer to create a custom-made Pathfinder RPG character to his specifications. I had a lot of fun with this one! I just love making characters. You can see the results of this one here. He gave me permission to share this with everyone, and I hope you find it entertaining. In addition, I want you to consider one more thing.

Everyone has their own skills and passions, and these things are not always easy to put a price on (should one even want to). Sometimes, though, like in the case of this auction, it may be worth the effort to offer up one of your skills as a service, or something you have made, or something else along these lines. I saw a few amazing-looking handcrafted things up for auction, for instance. I just want to point out that you don't need something from a store shelf nor be a game designer to participate in something like this.

I want to challenge our readers a bit, too. When was the last time you made something for someone else, or offered a minor service? How about you try doing that in the next month or so? A lot of people I know are doing handmade holiday gifts. For that matter, many are also offering a variety of services from the practical to the absurd online at Fiverr. Take a little inspiration from that the next time your child's school has a fundraiser auction, or a birthday is approaching, a friend or online acquaintance needs a hand, or even just to make an extra few dollars. And then tell us about it!

What I'm trying to say is that not everything of value has a price, and not everything with a price has a value. We are all unique, special beings with our own quirky skills. Gamers, especially... some of us have been rocking "quirky" for decades. Let's enrich each others' lives, and the ones around us. So... what have you made lately?

Finding Eden: Part 2 (A Risk Legacy Story)

Finding Eden Pt 2: A Risk Legacy Story, Years 2 and 3
 by the Growing Up Gamers crew

The hopes for peace begin to crumble.

 This is a continuation of Finding Eden, our ongoing saga of Earth #10148.  It is a story based on a series of Risk Legacy games the Growing Up Gamers crew has been playing.  For details and disclaimer check the first post. We didn't start opening secret packets and envelopes until year 4, so this post remains spoiler-free.


Year 2

The Second Wars, From the Journal of Nevarin Star, Seeker of Light:

 Despite the losses in the First War, I still found myself in good favor with the Imperials. I firmly believed that they could make this world stronger through indoctrination of a peaceful dogma, and did not want to turn my back on this opportunity to find our peaceful utopia. Our hope for world peace was fragile, but still within reach. The Council of Three was no longer a unified force, but rather a collection of individuals with apparently very different goals. If only we could have continued to work together....

After the catastrophic loss of my capital during Dragmorian's scorched earth maneuver in the First Wars, I felt it was most prudent to relocate my seat of power to Argentina, deep in the Southern Continent. I saw this as a place where the Imperials could focus on expansion and regrowth far way from the instigator Tenebrous, and beyond the reach of the Dragon's claw. Tenebrous is most certainly plotting something with his takeover of the European nations, and Dragmorian used the Enclave to further secure his hold in the large continent formerly known as Asia on Old Earth.

I helped the Imperial Balkana to return to glory and spread out across the lands, knowing that the more people they recruited along the way, the less bloodshed would required to secure a peaceful regime. The plan worked! With careful planning and almost surgical precision we were able to unify half the world as a bastion of light early into the year. There was some bloodshed, but the losses were necessary and we kept the fighting to a minimum  required to secure our territory.

Through careful resource management, I was able to establish a strong hold across the entire Earth without waging great wars. There was holdout from the Enclave of the Bear, they clung fiercely to Dragmorian's intent to conquer the land and subjugate the Imperials to his will... but when we fought our way into their capital city, The Dragon's Den, and held it strong, his warriors finally yielded. I founded the beautiful city of Crux at the southernmost tip of the world as a base of operations and gathered strong allegiance from the people, rallying them with the dream of a brighter future for this world. Our shining city gleamed like its namesake, and became a bright beacon of hope for our new world. 

For a moment, we held the world up high. Earth #10148 shone like a star...

Year 2, as told by the Lord of Shadows

After the battles of the first wars had died down, I knew it was only a matter of time before "campaign season" began again in earnest. Relocated to Europe after the losses of the previous year, the forces of the Saharan Republic seemed poorly adapted to the northern climes. Despite early advances, differences of opinion between the Saharan's leadership and myself limited the scope of our operations; I fear that our paths are growing apart. This time, Europe proved little refuge from the tyranny of Nevarin's Balkanians. Even my fellow councilor Dragmorian barely escaped her brazen march into his newly-christened capital city, The Dragon's Den. I must act fast to reach this region's other dominant faction, Die Mechaniker, before they, too fall beneath the Nevarin's boots.

Year 2, from the scrolls of The Dragon Sage’s History

After I, Dragmorian the Dragon Sage, stopped the terrible war started by my companions, restored peace to the world and built the new city of Dragon’s Den, I had hoped that the Council of Three could resume in a spirit of teamwork and help Earth #10148 become the Eden we all set out to make.  At first, all seemed well.  The Enclave of the Bear, once again willing to help the cause, started out from Dragon’s Den on the isle of Japan and spread to neighboring areas quickly.  I warned them to be none too greedy for space as it would send the wrong message.  With great humility, they took the smallest continent as a home for themselves, once again, and established, as I had asked, a small foothold in the Alaskan territory so that I could keep an eye on the other half of the world.  I warned them not to press further into that continent as I did not wish to spark another war.

As it turned out, my and the Enclaves gestures of peace were absolutely meaningless.  Even though her Balkanian forces had started the first battle in the first wars, I was willing to believe Nevarin when she said it had been provoked by Tenebrous’ forces moving too close to her own.  I was a fool to underestimate her thirst for power.  Her forces started at the southern-most tip of the world with an entire continent to herself.  However, after taking that continent, she pushed northward taking more and more territory.  Finally, even my tiny Alaskan foothold was too much for her greedy heart to bear.  Her Imperial forces smashed through my garrison, swooped in, and took my precious Dragon’s Den.  I have been forced to retreat and reconsider my notions of peace.  Nevarin’s grab for power must be stopped if there is to be any hope for this world.  Still, I have a lurking fear about the intentions of Tenebrous.  He has done little to harm me or Nevarin this year.  Yet, the minor border disputes he put up on this Earth’s largest continent made it impossible for me to secure the resources I needed to stop Nevarin.  I can’t help but wonder if he has some further design with malicious intent.

The only bright spot this year is that I was able to establish a small city called Dragon’s Reach to help secure my influence on this Earth’s smallest continent.  I must find a way to stretch my influence further and faster if I am to return peace and prosperity to this world.

Year 3

Tenebria, Land of Shadows!
 

In the third year on Earth 10148, it became clear to me, Lord Tenebrous, that the nomads of the Saharan Republic could not, or would not, be the force I desired them to be. Free-spirited and loathe to stay too long in a given place, they quickly fled the Balkanians and eventually changed their allegiance to Dragmorian. A flighty people, barely worthy to be referred to as traitors. They will still have their place, though, and I suspect they will find the Dragon Sage's style of leadership not compatible with their own.

Nevarin Star and her faithful Balkanians still favored the Americas, and established cities on those continents. It was undoubtedly their desire to bring more of Earth 10148 under their rulership, and ultimately bring to the humanity of this world the suffering of the last. My guidance is certainly required, and I must send emissaries to coax them away from Nevarin's  grasp.

With my support in Europe, I was able to quickly befriend Die Mechaniker, and they lent me their expertise. I was amazed at the speed they were able to muster their soldiers, and the technological advantage their arms and armor had over the others. Under my guidance, I was able to help them increase the productivity of their factories, and soon we held much of Asia. From there, it was simple to push toward my opponent's capitals. At last, the first of what was to be many victories transpired.

The people of what was once called Europe before welcomed me with open arms. So reverent of me, they named the entire continent Tenebria in my honor. Tenebria! Forever shall this be a testament to my glory. Under my shadow, the peoples of Tenebria will ever be a gentle hand guiding the world, and so shall others be welcomed to the fold. My alliance with Die Mechaniker, I cannot be so sure of. Though effective, I may need to court other alliances. So be it!

Year 3, from the scrolls of The Dragon Sage’s History
 

Sadly, year three of this world is a tale of woe and loss for myself and for the world.  There was hope in the beginning.  Nevarin’s military forces pulled out the Dragon’s Den and back to her headquarters and I was able to return to my home.  Unfortunately, the Enclave of the Bear, smashed and driven off of their lands, asked for time to regroup.  I was forced to court the appeal of the Saharan Republic.  I convinced them to immediately spread their forces into the North American continent to stop the Imperial threat.  I was fine with Nevarin keeping the South American continent as her own, but felt her grip on two continents was what enabled her to all but destroy the Enclave and seize control of the world.  I failed, however, to heed the warnings of the Saharans about their former lord’s shadowy intent.  Tenebrous’s armies waited until Nevarin and I were fully embroiled in battle and then swept out from his stronghold, crushing the Dragon's Den once more.  I must abandon my home for good this time.  It will be written in the pages of history that Dragon's Den was as symbol of hope and peace, but tactically it is far too weak.  A symbol of peace will no longer do.  With a heavy heart, I must make ready for war.

The Third Wars: From the Journal of Nevarin Star, Seeker of Light
 

Year 3 was a disaster, and a huge setback for the forces of light. Tenebrous, leading his armies now as "the shadow people" took and held the European countries as a base and worked his way across the world. Meanwhile Dragmorian and I were locked in a desperate battle for the North American continent that I had built up my influence in over the first two years. He led the Saharans into our lands, and claimed them for his own. I fought back as hard as I could, determined not to allow him to come in and take whatever pleases his whim. This was the Imperial homeland, and it would not be handed over to a harsh leader just because he felt like taking it. Our constant warring with the Saharans allowed Tenebrous to stealthily take over most of the middle continents and cut into our exposed backsides for a decisive victory. Once again, my capitol has fallen, and it is time to rebuild and reconsider my plans. I have learned much from this war...namely to watch my back because the shadows are everywhere. I did manage to establish the city of Rigel in the middle of the Americas. Much as its namesake shines brightly from Orion's Belt, Rigel will be my centerpiece moving forward. 

I fear my dream of unifying humanity and founding a peaceful planet is further than I thought. It is time to consult the stars, and look to their light for guidance and hope for the future. There must be an answer out there somewhere...

Finding Eden: The First Wars (A Risk Legacy Story)

Finding Eden: A Risk Legacy Story Pt. 1
 by the Growing Up Gamers crew

DISCLAIMER AND EXPLANATION: The Growing Up Gamers crew has decided to play Risk Legacy and blog about the experience.  Risk Legacy is a game that, over the course of 15 play session, lets you shape a world in different ways.  As you make choices and events occur each game, new board elements are added and some are lost forever (the game asks you to literally rip them up and throw them away).  Still further, cities are founded, continents are named (again, you actually write names on the board in permanent ink), and other permanent game altering changes are revealed.  We have decided to play these 15 sessions, shape the world, and write about it.  Because this game is supposed to be full of fun surprises, we will try to avoid giving too many spoilers.  We will not be talking about game mechanics, bits and pieces, or specific game turns. However, if you have not yet played the game and want to be completely surprised, we suggest not reading past Year 3 as we begin opening packets in Year 4.  This is not a review or even a detailed sessions report.  Instead, we are going to try and tell the story of our world, its creation, its wars, and its great and final destiny that will be forged over the course of the fifteen games. As we begin writing this, we don't even know how it will all end! For these stories, each of us has taken on a persona.  Julian will be Dragmorian, Sage of Dragons, Randy will be Tenebrous, Lord of Shadow, and Angie will Nevarin Star, Seeker of Light.  Each game will be written as 1 year of the history of the world.  History, it is said, is written by the winners, so the winner of each game will write the primary history for that year.  The other two players may contribute their own dissenting opinions of the history or explain their side of the story as they see fit.  We hope that this will provide an entertaining read and fun way to learn more about this innovate  game, and feel free to root for your favorite persona!

Old Earth Dies

After centuries of war, pollution, global warming, and dwindling fossil fuels the human race was at last saved from the brink of destruction.  In the year 2138, scientists of Old Earth discovered a way to clone the dying planet and begin anew.  To ensure the survival of the species, they cloned the Earth not once, but thousands of times.  In their infinite wisdom, the leaders of Old Earth assigned the caretaking and colonization of Earth #10148 to three great leaders.

The Council of Three

Left to Right Dragmorian, Tenebrous, and Nevarin Star

I am Dragmorian, the Dragon Sage.  Long have my people kept the secret lore and ancient knowledge passed down by the great and powerful dragons of old.  It has fallen on me to begin this journal, though my companions will no doubt share their wisdom with you.  Together with my companions, Tenebrous, Lord of Shadow and Nevarin Star, the Seeker of Light we formed a Council of Three in the hopes of bringing our new Earth unprecedented peace and prosperity.  I am, of course, concerned about forging a peaceful world with any man who would declare himself the “Lord of Shadow” but perhaps Tenebrous will bring some tact and subtlety to a world that will be in great need of diplomacy.   I am also unclear as to whether or not the mysterious Nevarin Star can be entirely trusted.  And yet, I am hopeful that this will be a glorious tale that will serve as a shining example to all other Earths.  My companions have made overtures of their own hopes for a great and resplendent new Earth.  I remain confident that we will find what others could not: the way to world peace.

The Formation of the New Earth

Our first task was to distribute resources across the globe and also help organize the different factions that would be traveling with us to the new Earth.  To ensure fairness and equality for all people, we distributed the resources equally across the land, giving each continent a number of resources proportional to the population it could sustain given the size of each land mass.  The factions we had to bring with us to this new Earth still had old Earth rivalries and warring tendencies.  However, we helped each faction plan its approach to colonizing the new world making sure to carefully balance each factions approach to give each a fair chance for finding its own happy corner of the world and ability to dissuade other factions from trying to take more than their fair share.  Any doubts I had about my companions intentions have been completely swept aside.  We worked as a perfect team to give this world the best start possible.  Our Council of Three is strong and wise.  Though I am certain the factions will be reluctant to give up their old warring ways, Tenebrous, Nevarin and I will guide them to a better path.  Our design of this new Earth has practically guaranteed our success.

Year One: The History of the First War

For the first year of this new world I chose to help the Enclave of the Bear with their colonization efforts.  We began on the island of Japan and spread quickly to the south to colonize what on Old Earth would have been called the continent of Australia.  From there, efforts were slow but steady to populate the largest continent, Asia as it would have been called on Old Earth.  I helped the Enclave of the Bear find territory for their people entirely through non-violent colonization.  The plans for a peaceful world seemed well underway.  However, I was distraught to find that my companions had abandoned all previous inclinations and fallen almost immediately into a great and terrible war.  After months of watching the battles go back and forth claiming countless lives, I could no longer stand by doing nothing.  A surgical strike was in order.  After securing the borders of my two continents, I rallied the Enclave of the Bear and recruited a powerful army.  I am pleased to announce that that the strike was complete success.  In one fell swoop my armies swept straight into Tenebrous’ and Nevarin’s capitols, stopped their war, and returned the world to peace with an absolute minimum loss of life.  To celebrate this glorious victory, I founded the city of Dragon’s Den on the island of Japan.  From the Dragon’s Den, I will continue to exert my influence and maintain the peace so dearly fought for this year.  I can only hope that the loss of their capitols will give Nevarin and Tenebrous time to think over their mistakes.  I still look to their guidance and remain hopeful they will remember their promises and help me shape a world that is free from war and strife.

Year One: Dissenting Opinion #1

I, Nevarin Star, the Seeker of Light, came to this world with the best of intentions. Our council was established with a goal and clear purpose, and we were given this Earth as a chance to create a new world to prove that a utopian society free from the shackles of war and oppression could exist. In the beginning I wanted to remain neutral and watch the fate of the people of our new world from afar, but Imperial Balkania had such a drive to grow and spread their dogma of peace and unity across the globe and they called out for a leader. I felt as though they were a faction that could usher in a bright future, so I started to build up influence working alongside them and fell into place as a valued advisor. 

As the factions on this world began to grow and populate the planet, our council’s grand plan began to unravel. I still don’t know why Tenebrous led the Saharan Republic far across the land, placing armed troops on the edge of expanding Imperial borders and locking them out of key resources that would fuel and sustain them for a peaceful future. Fearing for their safety and intent on avoiding the inevitable starvation that Saharan Republic threatened, the Imperials were eager to take a stand. Against my better judgment I conceded to their wishes to push back the interloper and secure the territories needed to survive and thrive as a society, and with that decision the first battle of what would become a brutal and bloody war commenced. If only I had forseen this horrific outcome, what a different story this would be! I stood with the Imperials in their noble goal to promote a peaceful planet, and later I cried with them at their devastating losses from this first war.

 As the border disputes continued, the tensions grew between myself and Tenebrous. I pleaded with him to pull his forces back, pointing out that there was more than enough space and resources for our factions to share. I think I had almost convinced him when suddenly, from nowhere, it was as if a dragon’s breath burned the empire to the ground! Dragmorian led the Enclave of the Bear to cut a bloody swath through the world and crushed our civilization, destroying my seat of influence and shattering the land. At least it was a quick war, but that massacre shall be forever remembered with the founding of the first major city of our new world, the Dragon’s Den. Dragmorian has placed his mark on the world, and I now know that his fiery breath and lashing tail are ready to strike fiercely and unforgivingly at a whim. 

I do not understand the motivations of my fellow councilors, I only know that I must be ever vigilant, and use whatever means necessary to ensure that our world does not become another war-ravaged rock among the shining stars, we must rise above and become a beacon of hope and light! In memoriam, I helped found the new city of Aurora in the Northern-most territory of Imperial control to stand as a vigil for the lives lost in this first war, may their souls shine ever brightly in the Northern skies, and as a constant painful reminder of my duty to protect the inhabitants of this world, even from themselves.

Year One: Dissenting Opinion #2



I am Tenebrous, Lord of Shadows, and destined to rule over Earth 10148. In the first year since the founding, my fellow councilors have shown me that they will be far more troublesome than expected. I completely expected this of Nevarin Star, the so-called "Seeker of Light". Using the thin rhetoric of "let us bring peace", she has all too clearly shown her imperial desires. The ham-fisted brutes of Balkania are all too eager grind any who disagree with her under their heels. Dragmorian, however... I expected more of an alliance with him, as the followers of the dragon are known for being canny and wise. But, alas, it does not seem so. I fear that Nevarin's frenzied grab for power ignited within him the desire to rule.

I had originally planned a summit among the chiefs of the factions. An alignment of goals and partitioning or territories would have benefited all, and the benevolent Tenebrous could guide all from the shadows. I barely had time to share my goals with the leader of the Saharan Republic before the Nevarin's Balkanians had spread across North America. Even as her thugs slaughtered the peaceful Saharans upon the plains of South America, she broadcast her "message of peace", as if to mock the victims of her aggression.

Though driven by the newly-ignited desires of the Dragon Sage, I still see hope for the Enclave of the Bear. The new world order I propose will utilize their simple directness to eliminate threats to it. They have shown themselves to be fierce and independent, excellent qualities for a peacekeeping force. I regret underestimating Dragmorian, for he has shown a propensity for opportunism. He effectively used the diversion of the Saharan-Balkanian conflict to drive his bear-riding minions into each of our capitals, lightning-quick.

These new developments delay my plans, but likely only for a few years. My fellow councilors can only hide so long. Though defeated, I quickly hid a cache of weapons and supplies in Southern Europe for my next campaign. I currently have the trust of the Saharan leadership, though I smell Dragmorian's influence among them. I will need to strengthen my alliance with them before courting the leaders of the others. The Shadow will grow, my friend. The Shadow will grow.



Read Finding Eden: Part 2

Rainy Day Games Game Day!

by Randy and Angie

Hey there!

We want to alert everyone to an upcoming gaming event in the Pacific Northwest, particularly for people in the Portland/Beaverton area. If you've read our blog, you have certainly heard us speak about our good friends at Rainy Day Games. In our opinion, this is the best game store ever. And in no small part due to the great events they put on. Today we are talking about the Rainy Day Games Game Day and Auction happening on Sunday, October 16th at the Washington County Fair Complex.

The first component of this daying is the gaming. From 9am to 11pm you can play games. All day. Board games will definitely be the most represented, by there will also be roleplaying events. You will at the very least find D&D RPGA and Lair Assault events for official offerings. For the board games, people may sign up to run their favorite games throughout the day. If you are in the area and like gaming, I would advise you to consider saving this date on your calendar.

The second component is the auction, and this absolutely rocks. Gamers bring in their old games which can be bid on in auction. A live auctioneer will be present starting at 2pm. If your game gets sold, you get that much in-store credit at Rainy Day Games. And other gamers can pick up games at well below retail. A completely win-win situation! Note: Game drop-offs for the auction are 10/1-10/12; hurry if you want to put your games in!

And what's more is that we (the Growing Up Gamers crew) will be present for at least part of the day to cover the event, game, and (hopefully!) add some gems to our collection. We hope to game with you!

Complete details can be found at this link:

Rainy Day Games Game Day!

Join us for a great day of  fun!

Conquest of Planet Earth!

by Randy

Greetings, gamers of the internet! We of the Growing Up Gamers collective come in peace to be your benevolent and protective game reviewers. Do not be alarmed.  We have recently acquired a review copy of Conquest of Planet Earth from Flying Frog Productions and wish to impart our wisdom upon you. Or consume your resources and leave it a dried husk. Whichever works. We have not yet come to a decision, so on with the review.

Are any of you familiar with Flying Frog Productions? We certainly are. I really enjoyed playing Last Night on Earth, their scenario-based zombie survival game. Complete with a soundtrack and stunning photographic art, it is a very nice game and worth a playthrough. So we were pretty excited to try out Conquest of Planet Earth, with its quirky 1950’s B-movie saucermen theme. And we love it.

How it looks

For starters, it’s pretty . This game does not use the fun photography and makeup of the Last Night… series. Instead, this goes for a more traditional painted/drawn style. The alien races are all well illustrated and really convey those B-movie tropes. You could totally see these in a monster movie from the 50’s or 60’s, or maybe even off of the original Star Trek series.  The Rantillion Beetlemen, the Fishmen of Atlorak, the Vyborian Arbiters…  heck, there’s even some warrior-women and and space emperors in faux-Roman clothing. The miniatures are well-scuplted, with four tokens of each color (all the same sculpt), and four unique ally tokens. They very much capture the theme. Embrace the cheesiness! And then there’s the soundtrack…

Player tokens

Why a soundtrack for a game? Why not! On the CD, there are eleven tracks of instrumental music that goes a long way to set the mood for the game. Most of the ten alien races have tracks named after them, themed after their breed of vileness. Crazy, spacey, atmospheric… I highly recommend those of you trying out the game play this in the background. Sure, it’s not absolutely necessary; but don’t let that stop you from turning a playthrough of a boardgame into an experience.

 Four different games in one!

The Orzax

For those of you really trying to make the most of your gaming dollar, I want to point out that there are four ways to play this game. That’s right: four. The first is the competitive game. In this, each player  plays an alien species bent on taking over the Earth, but there’s these pesky humans in the way… not to mention the other aliens who want this prime real estate! The second is the cooperative game, in which the alien players join forces to take over the Earth, but the humans are much craftier and have a more active resistance. The third is a team game, which has two teams of two aliens fighting for the planet. And the last is the solo game, which is just like the cooperative but it is played solitaire, with the player choosing to play one or more alien races, again, trying to subjugate Earth.  Of those four, the competitive and cooperative games fit our play style the best, and both offer great gameplay.

Overview

All styles have a similar board setup, with a central human capital and an additional adjoining board for each alien player. Location cards are played on the spaces when aliens move to an undiscovered one, and each have a Terror rating (victory points for the controller) and a Resistance score. The resistance score determines the number of battles a player will do with human defenders from the Resistance deck. Watch out! Those crafty humans have ways of joining forces and some cards will stack and give bonuses. Woe to the saucerperson who finds Captain Fantastic… he’s the toughest the humans have to offer, a pulp-era hero ready to swing his super-powered fists at any alien daring to land on his planet! A dice roll for each side, plus modifiers, determines the outcome, though cards in players’ hands can, of course, alter outcomes. Simple resolution, meaningful choices…  perfect for a theme-heavy game of this sort.

Our thoughts

The Venezian Matriarchy

We love this game. It’s just that simple. This is a game that can be equally enjoyed by those looking for a game with a quirky, fun theme, or a more strategy-oriented player. Granted, there is enough randomness here that hardcore eurogamers may have cause to turn up their noses, but this isn’t for them. This is an experience in a box. If you have ever delighted in watching a cheeseball low-fi movie with aliens and rayguns, check this game out. You won’t regret it. My advice is to make a night of it; try watching something like The Green Slime (1968, rating a whopping 3.8 of 10 stars at IMDB!), or maybe just an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series after playing the game. You'll have a blast!

Bellwether Games interviews Randy!

by Randy

Hey, all!

I just wanted to let everyone know about some upcoming projects by the Growing Up Gamers crew. Bellwether Games, publishers of Drop Site, did an interview with me about some game design work I'm doing (some with my wife Angie and Julian of Cool Factor 5). We discuss Princess of the Hill as well as some other projects in the works. Drop by and check it out! Here's the link:

Interview with Randy

A big thanks to Dennis of Bellwether Games for giving me this opportunity!

Castle Panic

by Randy

Hello, readers! Miss us? We've been away on a family vacation. It was great, but we're glad to be back, too. I hope your summer is also full of fun and adventure. Speaking of adventure... today I'm looking at a cooperative game called Castle Panic by Fireside Games. The great people at Fireside provided us with a copy to review, and we wanted to share our playing experience with you!

So let's start off with what it looks like, shall we? The art is nice, and consistent throughout. Components-wise, we have a standard sized game board and and various cardstock bits. There are castle walls and towers in the center with standees, and loads of wedge-shaped monster and event tokens (more on that later). Additionally, there is a deck of cards mostly consisting of warrior types in red, green and blue. This game is certainly a good deal when looking at the price of the game versus the components.

The way the game plays is that monsters (trolls, orcs and goblins) are coming at the castle from all sides, seeking to tear down the walls and destroy the towers inside. The players are tasked with killing the monsters before they can accomplish this. The board is arrayed in a circle divided into three colored wedges, with each colored wedge containing two number sections (six total). There are concentric circles around the castle, named by the warrior cards required to attack  monsters in that ring. Players have hands of cards that are mostly warrior cards with a particular color, which they use to damage and kill the attacking hordes. The monsters are on wedge-shaped tiles, a clever design that has you rotate the creature to represent damage (for those that require multiple hits). At the end of each player's turn, more tiles are drawn and assigned randomly to a section, and move each turn.

What I like about Castle Panic is that this is a cooperative game that gets it right. What do I mean by that? A good cooperative game should have a good balance of tension, and a meaningful array of choices. The rate that monsters are added in the standard difficulty (and the difficulty does scale- bonus!) certainly will keep you on your toes. As far as choices... you may trade cards with other players. There is indeed a balance to keep in mind... since there is also a competitive aspect to it. You see, if the players win, the player with the most monster kills is declared the Master Slayer. So there is also the consideration of whether of not you want to give another player the cards he needs to slay beasties if you want to be in the running for that title. So there are competing priorities that make the game interesting.

While we're talking about positive aspects of the game, I want to note that it is also pretty kid-accessible. The age recommended on the box is 10 and up, but I would set that a little lower. Aside from the rules, there is very little reading involved. Some of the tiles do indeed have minor instructions, but I want to note that I played this a couple times with my five year old and had a blast. Granted, Katie is a bit advanced and needed help with the reading, but I wouldn't say she was exactly on a ten year old level with playing games. So long as an adult plays, I can easily see the under ten crowd having as good a time as my daughter, who absolutely loved it. With kids, I advise the "less panic" rules and a de-emphasis on the Monster Slayer title.

My family likes this game. We thoroughly enjoyed checking this one out, and it is certainly great to add another cooperative game to the top shelf. The simplicity of this game's play makes it easy to teach, and the tension level seems well balanced so that no game will seem like pushover. Worth checking out! We'd like to thank Fireside Games for providing a copy to us for review.

I hope you enjoyed the review! In the next couple days, tune in for our new logo! Our good friend Julian at Cool Factor 5 was kind enough to design a logo. He just relaunched his blog, and I think we can expect some great stuff in the near future over there. Check him out!

Bring on the Cheese!

by Angie



The nice folks over at Pressman Toy sent us their new game Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Cheese Touch Game to check out, and I really had no idea what to expect. I’ve looked the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books before and thought they were cute, and have even heard good things about them from my kid friends, but they aren’t something we’ve read… yet. The graphics and style of this game has all the cuteness and fun flavor of the book series, and I’m sure fans will have a lot to identify with. As an outsider to the series, we found the characters and art to be interesting and it definitely piqued our interest in the stories behind them... but you don't need to read the books to enjoy this game. After looking it over for a few minutes I was super excited to give this game a try because it looked like a simple, streamlined, and clever party-style game (Cranium-esq) that is playable by all ages. Sweet! This game did not disappoint. Bottom line is we’ve had a lot of fun playing it, and it’s one that will definitely see a lot of table time in the future.  



Quirkly style, simple rules

The basic game play consists of rolling a die, moving your piece, and drawing a card of the appropriate type based on where you land. The card varieties each offer a different type of challenge, ranging from guessing what other people will answer to acting out requested tasks in a specific way, with some random elements thrown in.  Success on the challenge usually results in moving forward on the board, while failure results in obtaining “the Cheese Touch” (which I think is supposed to be equivalent to “cooties” or something??). First one to the finish line wins, with the kicker that you can’t win if you have the Cheese Touch. The pacing seems just about right, you are usually moving forward pretty quickly, the track isn’t too long, and there are lots of ways for the Cheese Touch to be passed around. The thing I enjoyed best about this game is that it encourages you to get to know each other better through clever questions, without being too complicated, long, or “boring” for young kids.

Random hugs are part of this game! Seriously!

Our first play through included me, Randy, Katie, and a couple of adult friends that were over visiting. When friends come over Katie often wants to be included in gaming, but finding a game that offers a fun experience for a bunch of adults and one little kid isn’t the easiest thing in the world. Our lovely friends have indulged Katie and played many games of Candyland, Disney Yahtzee, and other kid favorites over the years; but I’ve never seen the adults enjoying themselves as much as we all did playing Cheese Touch. Laughter, good conversation, and full engagement from Katie AND the grownups were hallmarks of this game. Favorite questions involved trying to figure out who Katie would think was the most likely to survive in the wilderness, admitting the longest we'd each gone without a bath, guessing which pet peeve belonged to which grown-up, and trying to act out swimming and eating "incorrectly".  We had fun and enjoyed the experience, all while learning a little more about each other. We highly recommend this game for a fun family experience; it’s simple, light-hearted, and offers a solid party game experience in a cute little package.

An insta-hit, loved by Katie and the grown-ups!

Those Pesky Humans!

by Randy

Have at thee, readers! I'm going to start this off by asking, who doesn't have a great memory somewhere of some great wacky dungeon crawl, whether it was Dungeons & Dragons, HeroQuest, Talisman or any number of similar themed games? Heck, maybe even Munchkin on a good night. Well, our offering today is something in that vein. The friendly people over at Minion Games were nice enough to provide us with a review copy of their crazy dungeon crawl game, Those Pesky Humans! Here's our thoughts on it.

As you can gather from the title, it is definitely intended to be light-hearted. It is playable with two to four players, with there being two teams. The first team is the band of adventurers delving through the dungeon, while the second team is the ogre and his minions, whose goal is to eliminate the humans. I'm a big fan of turning standard tropes on their ear and getting a new perspective, and this one does that. The idea that at least one player plays the dungeon denizens is not new (I have not played them, but Dungeonville and Dungeon Lords have similar themes), but it is definitely fun. It's quirky, and has the art to back it up.

Speaking of art... I enjoy this game's art. It's a fun and cartoony style, poking fun at standard fantasy stereotypes. I like it that all the player and monster pieces have front view and rear view art. It would be extremely easy (and cost-cutting) to make both sides of the standing cardboard tokens the same, but I appreciate the extra effort they took to make it a higher-quality game. Style-wise, it's not nearly as over-the-top slapstick like John Kovalic's Munchkin art, but is amusing nonetheless. Anyone who has any experience with the fantasy genre should immediately take to the great illustrations in this game.

In the components department, this game has a lot of them. As it says on the box, "Over 200 pesky pieces!". The player and monster tokens I mentioned before are cardboard pieces fit into plastic stands. There are also standing door tokens, item and condition tokens, map hexes and card decks for each team, plus smaller ability decks for the adventurers. On the subject of the cards... this is where I need to weigh in and say that the quality of the cards is lacking a bit. The stock used for the cards doesn't shuffle well and shows wear after even minimal use. We tend to not sleeve our game cards as many do, but this one would be a good candidate for sleeving (Magic: The Gathering-sized sleeves should work).  Using card sleeves would definitely solve both the shuffling and wear issues, so please consider that. Otherwise, no complaints about the other pieces; everything else is high-quality printing on appropriate stock.

On to gameplay. Gameplay is pretty straightforward; each character or monster is moved  and an action is taken with each every turn. The goal of the humans is to find the three legendary gems and get back out; the goal of the monsters is to defeat all the humans. Combat is pretty simple; each side rolls, add a stat and compares totals. It's a dungeon crawl game, and you'll find the standard fare of monsters, items, traps and interesting room effects. In that sense, it does a far better job than Castle Ravenloft. It does have a longish play time, and for this type of game I feel it is a little outside what I consider the "sweet spot" in the fun-versus-time spent area in most gaming situations. I'm under the impression, though, that this will be a great one to pull out when some younger cousins come to visit and want to play a mad dungeon romp.

So that's what we think. There's a lot to like about the game. The theme and art do a great deal for it. Gameplay flows reasonably well. A few years ago, I would have loved this game instead of just liking it. Longer play times like this I usually reserve for either heavier strategy games, or for roleplaying games. I recommend this game for people looking for a crazy D&D-like experience without having to worry about making characters. As I mentioned before, I plan on bringing this to the table when my wife's late teen/early twentysomething cousins roll into town, which is exactly the experience they tend to shoot for.

I'd like to wrap up with a big "Thank you!" to Minion Games for providing this for us. They have some interesting games available now and on the horizon, so be sure to stop by their website!