Monday, March 14, 2005
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Eagle Games Article in Newsweek
 This Newsweek article profiles Eagle Games, a company that brings PC videogame titles to cardboard. It also touches on the "Euro-gaming" movement in North America.
No Joystick Required
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Saturday, March 05, 2005
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What Happened When the Chicken Played Football With the Cyborg?
Recent Purchases Reviewed
Battleball (game profile)
 Battleball is a game that instantly appeals to young boys in its theme and gameplay. It's got the testosterone of full contact team sport combined with the sci-fi geekiness of cyborgs. The (thin) backstory on this game is that football evolves into a super-violent clash of machine men. And that's about it.
Gameplay is as follows. To begin, each side sets up their 11 cyborgs behind their 20-yard line in any formation they choose. After this, a d-20 (20-sided die) is rolled to see who goes first. Players then take turns rolling dice and moving the figures across the board to either tackle an opponent or drive the ball towards the inzone.
The clever mechanism in this game is the player strengths. The big guys on your team use a d-6 and the fast but lightweight guys are given a d-20. The 'borgs in the middle use d-8, d-10, or d-12's. When rolling for movement, the higher number is best because that determines how many squares one can move. When tackling or being tackled, low number wins. Therefore, the big guys are strong but slow and the smaller guys are fast but fairly weak. It's really a good balance.
The other interesting element is that when players get tackled -- which is basically losing the die roll in close combat -- they are eliminated for the period. In the case that the opposing player rolled a '1', your cyborg is eliminated for the entire game due to serious injury. Ties result in both players being eliminated.
The game is played in 2 or 3 periods. First player to score twice (there are only touchdowns; no field goals, safeties, etc.) wins the game.
The game plays in 20-45 minutes.
Meg's comments: I was surprised that I enjoyed this game. It has simple workings so that anybody can play it. I think it's a game that guys and girls would enjoy, although the theme is masculine. Anyone can have fun tackling mutants. :)
The good: Very simple gameplay. A good game to play with the kids.
The not-so-good: Very simple gameplay. Not a "gamers' game."
Meg rates this one a 7/10 and I rate it a 6/10.
Why Did the Chicken...? (game profile)
Rarely do I get excited about a party game. "Why Did the Chicken" is the exception.
 It's got a very simple premise. Pull a card with a question and two noun cards. The result is a question such as, "What happened when a maid went on a blind date with a camera?"
In two minutes, everyone then writes answers, trying to be humorous to win points. But the points aren't the point. Get the point?
After all submissions are in, the question and the answers are read. This is the funniest part. Whether obvious, devious, or off-the-wall, the 'punch lines' are the sweet spot of the game. Seriously -- nobody will even care who has the most points at the end of the game. It's all about the experience. Which is what gaming is all about in my book -- having fun with other folks.
So, what did happen when the maid went on a blind date with a camera? Here are the memorable punchlines from one of my gaming sessions:
What happened when a maid went on a blind date with a camera?
- Love developed in an hour
- Nothing but clean pictures
- They swept the Oscars
I highly recommend this game if you're into party games (it's very similar to Apples to Apples), and even if you're not.
Meg's comments: It's unpredictable, zany, and adapts well to each set of players. It's always a reflection of the personalities assembled.
The good: A lot of fun and VERY easy to play.
The not-so-good: Components are minimal. With certain groups, it could fall flat, but we haven't experienced it yet.
Meg rates this one a 10/10 and I rate it a 7/10.
So, this time I bring you two light games. Next time I'll spotlight some meatier titles.
Tune in next time for great game news and reviews!
Game On!
--Bert and Meg
Note: All ratings are out of a total score of 10. Rating guidelines (pulled from www.boardgamegeek.com) can be found here.
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