Long games – Random Geek Child

Bacon-Opoly

That’s right folks, the only meaningful industry is bacon! At least, that seems to be the premise of Bacon-Opoly, where you’ll make or break your fortune on the profitability of pork.

As the name implies, this is one of the many Monopoly variants. Given how prolific Monopoly is, I don’t feel I need to go too deeply into the mechanics, but for anyone who hasn’t played, a brief overview: dice determine movement. When you land on a space, you play out its effect; if that space is a property and it’s unowned, you may choose to buy it, while if it’s already owned by someone else you have to pay them rent. If you have all the properties in a color-coded set, you can develop them (houses and hotels in Monopoly, pounds of pork and smokehouses here) to charge more outrageous sums for your product. You can also mortgage your properties in a pinch, when you need more cash. The goal is to bankrupt all the other players… or survive until everyone else gets bored and forfeits. That’s usually how I win!

This game took the bacon theme and went “how far can we run with it?” Instead of $200 for passing Go, you get $200 for passing Sizzle. Jail is Burnt, visiting is Just Crispy. There’s a card where you have to say the Pledge of Allegiance… to a bacon-eater’s guild. Our most frequently used player tokens are the skillet, the bacon strip, and the pig. And the properties are all some sort of bacon. Which, I mean, some of them sound good – Bacon Wrapped Filet, Cheesy Bacon Popcorn, Bacon Bits… and then there’s the more questionable enterprises. Bacon Floss. Bacon Bandages. Chocolate Covered Bacon On A Stick. And Bacon, Ohio, which is an actual place, and while that’s not a problem, I have no idea how you’re supposed to buy and own a whole city. Or loan it. Why is it only $22 to rent?!

The photo above has been fondly titled “Many, Many Mortgages.” It’s what one’s side of the board looks like when they are losing. On the bright side, though, the mortgage face of each property has a snippet about the product! Or city, in Bacon, Ohio’s case. Some of them are more informative than others (while the Bacon Bandages description just reminds me of Sokka from Avatar: The Last Airbender) but they’re all fun to read. There are also a handful of (multiple choice) bacon trivia cards in the Cured & Smoked deck, which are surprisingly educational! …and the fact that I’ve played this game enough to have them all memorized is possibly a little concerning, but oh well. Bacon!

Now THIS is REAL Trivia!

One thing that has always bothered me about trivia games is how easy they are. Well, I’m glad to say that I have finally found a game where that is most certainly not an issue. For Christmas, my mother bought me Blinded By Science Trivia Game, a trivia game about just about every type of science. Because that name is really long, I’m just going to call it Blinded By Science.

Everything in this game, starting from the instructions, are science-y. The number of rounds in a game are the amount of colors in the rainbow for a short game, the number of the mission number of the Apollo spaceflight that brought Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the moon for a regular game, and the atomic number of phosphorus for a long game. Granted, you can choose to play more or less rounds depending on timing, and yes, they did include the numbers for the rounds, not just the clues. The first player to go is whichever one most closely resembles Charles Darwin.

How many cards go on the table depends on how many rounds and players there are. Multiply the rounds by the players and lay that many cards face down on the table. Each card has a name on the back that gives some clue to what the questions are about (for instance, Elementary, My Dear, was about the elements, and Bring Me A Shrubbery is about plants.) Most cards have three questions, but some have extra credit as well. Each question is worth a point.

Some questions are True or False, some are multiple choice, and some are open-ended. True or False questions include, “True or False? Penicillin was the first antibiotic widely used in modern medicine,” and “True or False? The parrotfish eats coral and poops sand.” Multiple choice questions are rare and include, “Which of the following are killed, or their growth impaired, with the use of antibiotics: bacteria, fungi, or viruses?” and open-ended questions make up the majority of the cards, with questions like, “What acid is added to silicone oil to produce Silly Putty?” and “Tomatoes are a member of what often toxic family?”

The answers to these, in order, as I’m sure you would love to know, are False, True, bacteria, Boric acid, and the Nightshade family. Yes, there is actually a type of fish that poops sand. How does that work? I have no clue, the card didn’t say. Sometimes, the card does include more information about the answer. For instance, the question about penicillin I mentioned above said, “False (sulfonamides were first; penicillin was discovered in 1928, but was not used to treat infections until 1942)”. Personally, I appreciate these notes, particularly with True or False and multiple choice questions.

You play through all of the cards, and whoever has the most points wins. There is also a version of the game where you play in teams, working together to answer the questions and gain points, though I haven’t played that option.

DragonVale

I first started playing DragonVale when I was six. I played on my mother’s iPad, then on my tablet, then on my phone. DragonVale is a fun, child friendly (obviously) app where you raise and breed dragons. I’ve tried a few other games like it over the years, but never found it’s equal. (Granted, I’m a bit biased; it was my first dragon game online.)

Dragons come in types (Plant, Fire, Water, etc.). When you first unlock a type, you need to buy the Type Habitat and the main Type Dragon. Once you have these, you can breed them to gain combo dragons. These can live in Habitats of any type that match theirs. Note: if you breed a Fire Dragon with an Air Dragon, there are 4 possible that dragon types you can breed. I’d presume that logically, this is due to dominant genes and the like, but I have no clue. I think the game just decides randomly.

Besides breeding dragons, you can also enter them in Colosseum competitions and send them on quests. These earn you Dragon Food, money, and gems.

Occasionally you breed rare dragons. For instance, I’ve just breed an Epic Tinsel Dragon, which is, according the the DragonVale Wiki, produced by a Holly Dragon bred with any species of Cold dragon.

Terraforming Mars

One of those things that we all love to fantasize about. Or at least, I do. Because honestly, who doesn’t want to imagine turning a desolate, uninhabitable planet into a technological wonder? Terraforming Mars

In Terraforming Mars, each player represents a corporation that is helping in the terraforming process. They are competing to help the most (tracked as points) in order to gain more government funding.

The terraforming process itself has three necessities. Oxygen, heat and water. To make these, you play cards out of your hand that increase your steel, titanium, plant, energy, heat and money productions. You use the money to do this, which is why you (of course) want as much money as possible.

Some cards just require money, but some require specific things that you have to discard or simply have in front of you. This is where you have to be really careful and smart about how you play (Munchkin skills help with that). Other cards can only be played when the conditions are right. For instance, some cards (Livestock, I believe) can only be played when there is at least 7% oxygen. The game ends when the planet is technically habitable, or -if you’re playing alone- when you hit a certain amount of generations (turns).

If there was one thing I could change about this game, it would be to add a cooperative version. As fun as it is to be competing corporations, I would like to believe that in the event of a terraforming mission we would work together.

HEX!

Have you ever wanted to take Hogwarts classes online? I spent a couple of years sifting through, trying to find the right game, but I could never find a realistic replica. That is, until HEX.

I found HEX by complete accident. One day I was scrolling through Facebook and bam, there was an ad for Hogwarts Extreme. Just like Ecosia, this was a day when I was feeling kind of bored, so I went to investigate. What I found was a huge, free world of role-play and fun. Excited, I went to get sorted only to realize that I hadn’t gotten my confirmation email yet.

I waited like an anxious puppy for probably about an hour, bouncing between my email and another game in excited anticipation. Finally, I got the email and opened it. I sorted into Ravenclaw, which doesn’t surprise me, though I was just a little anyways, since on Pottermore I tested into Slytherin. Ah well, I guess that means I’m a Slytherclaw.

Blood Type is randomly selected. I got Pureblood. If I actually cared enough about either, I could’ve donated $10 to the website in order to change the selections. As is, I determined that it was fine and went to explore.

HEX is a world of wonder, where you can get pets, send owls, create dorms, grow Dirigible Plums and yes, take classes. When the options appeared for what to sign up for as a first year*, I went ahead and clicked everything, so now I have classes ranging from the traditional Potions and Transfiguration to Wizarding Necessities (aka Guide to HEX) and Cooking with Magic. Who knew that there was an official “Omelet Charm” that will perfectly cook your eggs for you? I sure didn’t!

Like every simulation, HEX has it’s limits. It can’t recreate everything, but it does certainly try. If you always wanted to go to Hogwarts, I would suggest trying out the classes, which are quite amusing. They are articles that you read and then answer questions on. I have to say, the questions are a bit easy, but the reading itself is highly enjoyable!

*Technically, if I had gone to the real Hogwarts I would be a second year, but I couldn’t find a way to get to London on such short notice after receiving my letter, since classes started about a month after my birthday. I tried contacting McGonagall but I couldn’t find her email address.

Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu

Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu, is exactly what it sounds like. It’s Pandemic. With Cthulhu. And we are all going to the asylum for it.

There isn’t much for me to explain about this game. If you have played Pandemic, you know the basics of this high-stakes, crazy-tough cooperative game.

Pandemic can be a long game. It is very hard to win. The characters in Pandemic: Reign of Terror are very similar to the ones in the original, though, so if you are familiar with the original it is easy to swap over mentally. I played the Reign of Terror version of the medic, who could eradicate all of the disease cubes on a specific space. This is important because every turn you draw cards determining where you add more disease, or, in this case, cultists. When three disease cubes are on a space, and another is placed there, an outbreak happens and it spreads to the adjacent spaces. This spill can, if under proper circumstances, have a ripple effect.

In both versions you are trying to rid the board of the given enemy.

The special cards are a nice addition to the original. You draw relics and can use them against the cultists.

Come make a country!

NationStates is an online game where you make and govern your own country. You can join regions, role-play and form your country through Issues. Your answers will alter the statistics on your nation.

I think this game is creative and fun, as it makes a way to role-play while creating a nation that can represent what you believe, what a friend believes, or just something that comes into your mind!

It is not a fast-paced game. Role-plays and other social interactions can only take place when people are online, so it spans over quite a while. Issues have a timer for how often a new one comes in, so if you aren’t in any role-plays and you’ve just finished all your issues there isn’t much left to do.

I do like the statistics, though. You can see percentages for government expenditure, how most people die and the ownership of the industry. You can click on other peoples’ home pages and hit “Challenge”, where it compares random statistics with theirs to see who has a higher number on it. This is where having low numbers isn’t always good. For instance, I have a rubbish low crime rate, which is actually quite good, but it means I almost always lose if the selected statistic is crime.

Don’t commit Zombicide!

Zombicide is a very strategic, gee, zombie game. Big surprise, right? Uh-huh. Anyway. You pick characters, and get one random piece of equipment. You also get a special bonus depending on the character. My character, Phil, started with a pistol. My random piece of equipment? A pistol. This was actually convenient for me, as on the equipment card it says you can use them as dual weapons, meaning I could shoot with both using just one action. Phil got the pistol at the beginning because Phil is a cop. Zombicide

In the scenario we played, we started in the middle of the board. Our job was to grab 5 objective tokens, spread all around the board, and search rooms to find canned food, rice, and water. Once we found/collected all of the objects, we had to get all 3 required objects (food, rice, water) to the exit.

There is a catch to killing every zombie you can see. For each zombie you kill, you get an experience point. In this game, experience points are actually a bad thing. There are levels for experience points. When any one player reaches the next level, you start spawning the next level’s number of zombies. In other words, the more zombies you kill, the more zombies will spawn.

Rating:

This would have been a game, but it was just too long. We started playing at 5:30. We handed over the board to the people that were hosting (they owned the game) so that we could go home around 9:00. Nobody even died until around 8:00!

7th Sea

7th Sea is a Role-Playing Game, or RPG. In RPGs, you make a character, background, and how good they are in what traits. It’s strange and bold, like many gamers, but it’s also an art, in a way. It takes the perfect balance of brawn, wits, finesse, panache, and resolve to make the perfect character. 7th Sea character sheet

The perfect character doesn’t mean the fearless, invincible one. The perfect character is the one who’s traits, skills, advantages and disadvantages all fit the center of it all: the story you gave them. Note: when I say this, I don’t mean to say they have to be weak or a coward, I’m merely saying the carrot can’t scare the rabbit. However, I am also saying that the carrot can’t be afraid of the dirt.

I’ve found one way to make a strong character is to start with the background and base everything off of that rock you’ve placed. The moss, the bacteria, the lichen, and even the ants underneath all need the rock. My father, on the other hand, has a certain talent for messing up the GM’s (Game Master’s) plans. He makes his character by making an idea of the character concept, then looking at the traits, skills, advantages and disadvantages. He chooses the species of moss, the type of bacteria, the variety of lichen, and the type of ant. Then he uses those to choose the rock’s shape, size, and color.

Everyone has a different way of making their character. Feel free to comment me yours!

Checkmate!

This post is for all those chess fans out there. I first learned chess in a simple way: I found an old chess board in the game closet and my dad taught me how to play. This newfound interest in the strategic board game led to my enrollment in the after school chess club, where I learned even more, like forks and pins. Chess

I learned the point values of the pieces (when you play at home the points don’t matter, you win or you don’t) and received several chess key chains to add to my wonderful collection. I also learned en-passant at a gaming party some of our friends hosted.

The picture is actually from one of the times my dad and I played chess together and the board itself is of sentimental value. You see, my father actually made that board for a school project. There’s the wooden box and board, which he didn’t actually finish putting the wood finish on, and the pieces are homemade out of acrylic resin.

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