I am going to be even more of a Geek this week….I will be gone, down at BoardGameGeek CON in the DFW area. So, here are my parting links for the rest of the week…and one more *narrows gaze* for the lot of ye, while I am out.
A great success for Socialism! Take THAT h8ers!!!!! Wait…wut? Oh, I mean, a shame about state capitalism sucking like that. /Prog
And in stories drawing the attention of OMWC…Howzabout those French, eh?
TEH SCIENCE IS SETTLED! I await the ratings of our various man-watching Glibs (TW: Brits).
Tax bill shitstorm a forming? *readies tranquilizer darts*
From the FLORIDAMAN files….Hey, caught a square grouper!
Board games… the very name makes most adults cringe. We’ve seen the family fight over Monopoly (and how so-and-so always cheats), we’ve been bored to tears playing Chutes and Ladders and Candyland with kids, and most of us have dealt with the one lone Risk army that holds off a much larger force all by itself. You’d be forgiven if you weren’t aware that there has been a renaissance of games going back to the late 90’s, and from Germany of all places (you know what else came from Germany?)..
This influx of new games (with a little help from Kickstarter) has brought about the modern board game culture. There are games for all tastes: light party games, games heavy with math, press your luck games, games that test your dexterity, and cooperative games. I’m hoping that by writing this up, I can introduce some new players to some great games, and get more players involved in the hobby.
Inspiration for this comes from FEE (Foundation for Economic Education), who did a write-up on one of my favorite games: Chinatown. Instead of repeating what’s in that article, I’m going to focus on a couple of other games that would work well for different groups of people. I’ll be focusing on games that are available for purchase (at a reasonable price), and here I’m going to focus on some entry level games that play in about an hour.
Game 1: An Auction Game – Modern Art (3-5 players)
You vill haff fun!
This is a game created by Dr. Reiner Knizia, one of the most prolific board game designers of all time. The premise of the game is simple, each player is running a modern art museum. Everyone is dealt a hand of cards, which all feature a different piece of art by a selection of modern artists. There’s also a symbol in the upper right corner of each of the cards indicating how they will be auctioned off. On each player’s turn, they play a card and it is auctioned off as indicated. These auctions can be a fixed price, hidden money, traditional open auction, one around, or a double auction (which allows a second card from the same artist to be played). The player who played the card is the auctioneer, and is also allowed to bid on the card themselves. If the auctioneer wins, they pay the winning bid to the bank, if any other player wins the auction they pay the auctioneer. Then the next player selects a card to play, and this continues until the fifth card of any one artist is played. At that time, the round is over and each player sells their paintings to the bank at a price determined by the popularity of the artist. The artist who ended the round will have all of their paintings be worth 30, the artist who came in second has their works valued at 20, the third place artist has works valued at only 10, and every other artist’s paintings are worthless at the end of the round. Each player gets a couple more cards, and another round begins. This is where things get interesting, as the valuations from earlier rounds add on to the current round as long as the artist is one of the three most popular. If you have paintings from an artist who was the most popular in the first three rounds, but is the fourth most popular in the fourth round, that painting is worthless. The game plays over four rounds, and playtime is around 30-60 minutes.
Nobody escapes. The island sinks. Everyone dies. 🙁
This is an old game, and originally was released by Parker Brothers in 1982. If you want a different theme, there is a space version as well, but I much prefer the classic. In this game, there’s an island built up in the middle of hex tiles that are beaches, forests, and mountains. Players then put meeples (little pieces shaped like people) on the island (each of these meeples has a number on the bottom between 1 and 6), and scatter boats around the island. Once the meeples are placed, you are not allowed to look at the numbers again. Each turn, players move their meeples or controlled boats up to three spaces total, then select a portion of the island to sink (beaches sink first, then forests, and finally the mountains). The back of the island tile will either be an instant effect (such as a boat or a shark appearing), or a tile you can hold onto to play on a later turn (such as a dolphin dragging a swimmer up to 3 spaces). Then the part that gets everyone excited, you roll a monster die to see which of various sea creatures you get to control. There’s three, and an equal chance for you to roll any of them. They are:
The Sea Monster – 5 of these start on the board. There’s no defense against them, they kill any meeple they touch, and destroy any boat they touch. Thankfully, they can only move one space
The Sharks – None of these start on the board, but will get added as the island tiles get flipped over (which means you get to make people fall into sharks). Sharks kill any meeple they touch, but leave boats alone. They have the ability to move up to two spaces.
The Whales – These also are absent from the board at the beginning, and get added later. Whales don’t hurt people at all, but they destroy any boat they touch, throwing the people in the boat into the water. They are the fastest of all of the monsters, being able to move three spaces.
Few things cause as much cheering and groaning around the table as a Sea Monster eating a boat full of meeples. The goal is to get your meeples to the safe spaces in the four corners of the board. The game ends when the mountain tile that has the volcano on the back is flipped, so you never know exactly when the game will end. At the end of the game you score points based on the numbers on the bottom of the meeples you rescued. The most points wins, and the game is over in about 45 minutes.
Game 3 – Do we all really need to know the rules? Between Two Cities (1-7 players; best with 5-7)
This one is a Swiss Servator Pick to Click!
This one has a bit of a twist, it’s a tile drafting game that is semi-cooperative. Each player is working to build two cities, one with the player on their left, one with the player on their right. For the first round, everyone draws 7 tiles, and keeps two of them. The others will be passed along to the player on their left. Of the two tiles that everyone has drafted, one must go into the city on their left, and the other in the city on their right. At this point, players will negotiate and discuss what works best for all three of the players. Why would you work with both players? Because at the end of the game, you score all of the cities, and each player’s final score is the city they are sitting between with the lowest score. So if the city on your right is worth 78 points, and one on your left is worth 30, your final score is 30. The game will rarely have ties for the winner, but the losing score is always shared between (at least) two players. In the second round of the game is where things get tricky. Each player receives 3 duplex tiles (each duplex tile is the size of two standard tiles, and has two buildings on it), and must select 2 of them (once again, one for the city on their left, and one for the city on their right). These tiles cannot be rotated, some are vertical, others horizontal, and must fit into the final city grid (a 4 x 4 square). After this, there’s a final round of 7 tiles (this time passed to the right), and the cities are scored. The really nice thing about this game is you don’t have to go through strategies or deep plans with new players, just explain the scoring, and make sure they’re sitting between two players who know the game, as it’s in all of their best interests to make sure the new player’s cities do well. Since this is a drafting game, the play time stays steady at 30-45 minutes.
If there’s a good response to this, I have several other groupings of games to talk about. Let me know if you would rather see brief write-ups to steer you towards games, or in-depth reviews about a single game at a time. I own more than enough games to keep this going for a long time, and that’s not even going into the games that I’ve played.
Sloopy had some real work things to take care of. Something about PC Load Letter. I’m subbing in but the Sportzball is going to be brief. The Bucs and Packers both prevailed in contests involving other terrible teams, “America’s Team” got their asses handed to them, and the Bellicheks must have stolen the right playbook in Denver. In Ice Dancing, the Blackhawks give up a hat trick and the game to the Debils, and the Lightning find a way to beat the Disneys. Grand-Moff Serious Man sends the following link about a rising two-sport athlete. And now… the links!
This sounds like the plot of a movie. Green Beret killed, allegedly by SEAL roommates to cover up smuggling. I’m thinking his buddy/brother teams up with a reformed “freedom fighter” to counterstrike elite teams. May need a hot female who is magically able to fight off at least two SEALs hand-to-hand.
In other crappy news, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the Iran-Iraq border and left 325+ dead and thousands in need of shelter.
Dems 2020 savior: A serial groper who even the WaPo noticed (of course, since he was the Light-bringer’s pick, they made light of it rather than call for his resignation). Here’s a little collection of “Joe being Joe”.
STEVE SMITH THANK COUSIN SEA SMITH FOR TAKING LINKS YESTERDAY. STEVE SMITH ALL CAUGHT UP ON CAMPER RAPE…HAD BEEN FALLING BEHIND ON THAT CATEGORY, PUTTING PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT PLAN IN PERIL. NOW LOOK LIKE GOING TO MAKE YEAR END GOALS! SO STEVE SMITH HAVE TIME TO GIVE LINKS TO FUNNY GLIBERTARIAN PEOPLE, TOO!
STEVE SMITH WONDER IF E.COLI CAN BE CAUGHT FROM AN APP?
I’ll admit that after reading Swiss’s story yesterday, anything I could say would be weak tea indeed. It did make me glad that I did everything I could to stay out of Vietnam, which seemed like the Forever War then, but pales compared to the Bush/Obama adventures (which, to be fair, can now be called Bush/Obama/Trump). Following that, Links seem… superfluous. But potentially entertaining, somewhat. And I guess that’s all we’ve got left, since we’re all complicit in the brainless death machine that we call the US Government.
Imprecision in language pisses me off- when it becomes deliberate in an attempt to mislead, it pisses me off even more. CNN is a reliable culprit. “Meddling in an election” is not the same as “meddling in a campaign.” Zero evidence of the former, the latter is almost assuredly true, and our government does it routinely. But hey, CNN has taken a mission upon itself.
And against popular demand, more Old Guy Music. This is one of my favorite songs, and man, having Leo Kottke covering it is delightful. Almost makes me smile.
STEVE SMITH LET COUSIN SEA SMITH HAVE ANOTHER GUEST LINK NIGHT. SEA SMITH CLOSEST THING TO VETERAN THAT SMITH FAMILY HAVE. HE ONCE TRY AND RAPE USSR SUBMARINE DURING COLD WAR. LET HIM TELL ABOUT IT.
SEA SMITH VS SUBMARINE?
SEA SMITH ONCE RAPE KILO CLASS SOVIET SUBMARINE. SEXY TORPEDO TUBES JUST ASKING FOR IT! SEA SMITH HEAR SUBMARINE MANAGE MAKE IT BACK TO PETROPAVLOVSK, WHERE TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE…FOR GOOD. ONCE YOU GO SEA, YOU NEVER BE FREE! SEA SMITH EVEN HEAR SHARKS TRY FUNNY STUFF. SEA SMITH RAPE SHARKS WHEN NOTHING ELSE AROUND.
BUT YOU NO WANT TO HEAR SEA SMITH TALES OF OCEAN RAPE…YOU WANT LINKS! COUSIN STEVE SMITH TELL HOW SILLY GLIBERTARIAN PEOPLE LIKE LINKS. LIKE MAKING FUNNY REMARKS AND OWN LINKS MORE, BUT THAT UP TO THEM. SO SEA SMITH GIVE YOU LINKS, AND YOU DO WHAT YOU WANT FROM THERE.
SEA SMITH CANNOT WEAR POPPIES, SO HE PUT THIS LINK UP INSTEAD.
SEA SMITH MIGHT HAVE TO CALL UNCLE MAPINGUARI TO HELP OUT.
SEA SMITH SHOCKED GOVERNMENT SCREWING UP – SPECIAL VETERANS DAY SCREW UP!
We’re still four weeks from the home stretch of the NFL season – it’s too early in the season to talk about crucial matchups related to playoff seeding, too late in the season to pretend certain teams can contend for a playoff spot. Objectively speaking, it’s been kind a down year for the NFL. Even if you overlook off-field stuff (Zeke Elliott) or pre-game stuff (anthem protests), there’s been a paucity of exciting, competitive play this year. Injuries to superstar players such as Aaron Rodgers, Odell Beckham, and JJ Watt (just to name a few) have hurt the product on the field. But what are we to do with our Sundays otherwise? Spend them with family? Oh, come on now.
BTW, since we’re in the dog days of the NFL season, this would be a good time to pick my brain. Share any questions you have for me in the comments. Since my W/L percentage on picks is a God-like 53.3%, my expertise in all things NFL is obviously beyond all reproach.
AFC WEST
LA Chargers @ Jacksonville – This week’s upset special
New England @ Denver – The Broncos are crumbling
Rule change proposal time: because the passing game has gotten easier over the years, let’s make it a little more difficult, a little more risky. The new rule proposal is that if a thrown pass hits the ground behind the line ofscrimmage, even if the pass travels forward, the ball is live like a fumble. The short passing game has played a major role in improving passing efficiency over the years, and in particular the WR screen is almost risk-free. Rule changes nearly always favor the offense, and I think it’s past time to fine-tune the game in favor of the defense for once.
AFC NORTH
Pittsburgh @ Indianapolis – Expect a tough game from the Colts in defeat
Cincinnati @ Tennessee – Titans win the close one at home
Cleveland @ Detroit – Lions win two straight
Ace beer reviewer mexican sharpshooter made this comment in a nearly dead thread on Tuesday:
mexican sharpshooteron November 7, 2017 at 3:06 pm
The Browns… Well… they technically have a team.
You mean the Baltimore Ravens?
The Ravens’ girls don’t care. And their hair is still fabulous.
This may be sarcasm, but for the sake of discussion let’s play it straight.
One old proverb in sports says that “You play for the name on the front of the jersey, not the name on back”. Granted, many NFL jerseys don’t actually have a name on the front of the jersey, but the point of that old saying is that you don’t put yourself ahead of the team. Piggybacking off of that idea, if we are rooting for a team because they represent the name on the front of the jersey – and a majority of fans do – then why would fan sympathies remain with a team that left the home city? it’s understandable to keep rooting for the old team when the players held over through the move remain with the moved team, but in the case of the Ravens, they left Cleveland over 20 years ago. There are no original Cleveland Browns on the Baltimore Ravens’ roster any longer.
I’m amused by the Golden State Warriors claiming five NBA championships. Swallowing such BS requires us to believe that basketball fans in the Bay Area were on the edge of their seats, cheering their hearts out, in 1947 and 1956 when the Philadelphia Warriors won those titles. If you are playing for the name on the front of the jersey, you’re not playing for the cities that used to adorn the front of the jersey, nor those that will. If you’re rooting for the name on front and a Browns fan, why root for the Baltimore team over the Cleveland team? Why root for the Nashville team over the Houston team if you’re a Houston fan?
AFC SOUTH
Cincinnati @ Tennessee
LA Chargers @ Jacksonville
Pittsburgh @ Indianapolis
Houston @ LA Rams – The Rams offense is seriously clicking
Tying into our previous subject, the Houston Texans have been a mostly mediocre franchise in their fifteen years of existence. This is an improvement over Houston’s old NFL franchise, the Houston Oilers. Now the Oilers did have bigger years than the Texans’ best, and Oiler legends like Warren Moon, Earl Campbell, and Bruce Matthews were superior to their Texans counterparts. (Granted, Texans receivers Andre Johnson and Deandre Hopkins are better than any of the Oilers WRs)
But the Texans lose playoff games in totally expected ways, to teams that are clearly better, and they lose with dignity. The Texans organization is a professional big-league group. The Texans would never hire a clown like Jerry Glanville to coach their team. I’ll guarantee that once the Texans become a threat to win the Super Bowl. they’re not going to lose three straight playoff games after leading all three by double digits. The Texans’ coordinators will not throw punches at one another on the sidelines while losing those games. No organization squandered more big-time talent or embarrassed itself more, and there’s a reason the expansion Houston team passed on resurrecting the old Oilers identity.
AFC EAST
New England @ Denver
New Orleans @ Buffalo – Saints remain red hot
NY Jets @ Tampa Bay – The Bucs are in free-fall
Miami @ Carolina – Miami’s anemic offense is especially bad on the road
Given no other information, would you rather play in Miami Dolphins colors or those of the Oakland Raiders? I know I’d feel goofy playing football in teal blue with coral-orange trim.
NFC WEST
Seattle 22 @ Arizona 16 (F – 11/9)
Houston @ LA Rams
NY Giants @ San Francisco – Okay, THIS is the week the Niners get their win
1) I called the Rams “an impressive 6-10 team” going into week five. Oops!
2) There’s still plenty of time for the Rams to come back to Earth, but pro-football-reference.com‘s SRS (Simple Rating System) rates the Rams #1 in the league. I can’t really explain the system beyond (Margin of Victory * Strength of Schedule), and in the last 30 years, the team to earn the #1 rating has won the Super Bowl 11 times in the last 30 seasons.
3) After eight weeks, the 1999 St. Louis Rams scored 263 points; same is true of the 2017 Los Angeles Rams. Just sayin’.
NFC NORTH
Minnesota @ Washington – Minny’s not as good as their record
Green Bay @ Chicago – Rodgers-less Pack exposed again
Cleveland @ Detroit
Meh. Teddy Bridgewater’s coming back this week.
NFC SOUTH
New Orleans @ Buffalo
Miami @ Carolina
NY Jets @ Tampa Bay
Dallas@ Atlanta – IF Zeke is suspended, his backups are perfectly good
The only true domed stadium left in American pro sports is in New Orleans. No one plays on Astroturf anymore. Domed stadiums were the wave of the future once upon a time; nowadays the roof opens when the weather’s good. Heck, in recent years, in some harsh weather markets, they built new stadiums without roofs. Our own OMWC has said that when he’s king of the world, all NFL stadiums will be open-air. While I’m disturbed at how he might use his prima nocta rights, he’s onto something. There’s a certain magic to football being played in the elements, and fortunately that possibility still exists today.
The Baltimore Ravens will visit Lambeau Field in eight more days, and the Glibertarians power couple will be in attendance. As much as I sympathize with the football-in-weather crowd, I’m glad I’ll be watching from my folks’ house in San Antonio rather than freezing my can off in Wisconsin. But I’m happy for (((them))).
NFC EAST
Dallas @ Atlanta
Minnesota @ Washington
NY Giants @ San Francisco
I grew up a Cowboys fan, and after a couple of years under the ownership of Jerry Jones I couldn’t stand them. In the years under Tom Landry, the Cowboys were a model of professionalism and consistency. Other than the big years under Jimmie Johnson (and to be fair, the last four or five seasons), the Jerryboys were far more about sizzle than steak. Of course the Cowboys fired their two-time Super Bowl winning coach; Jerry doesn’t care for him. Of course the Cowboys signed Terrell Owens; he was the brashest character in the game. Of course the Cowboys wanted to draft Johnny Manziel; he’s got that swag.
Having said that, one of my favorite players of all time was a Cowboy by the name of Marion Barber. The guy was built like a cornerback but ran like Earl Campbell. And playing with that style cost him a longer career; he only played seven seasons, but they were fun to watch. Here, watch him run for two yards.
This sounds like the plot of a movie. 
Houston @ LA Rams – The Rams offense is seriously clicking
Green Bay @ Chicago – Rodgers-less Pack exposed again