Game Nite Magazine Issue 24

Game Nite

Free

the magazine of tabletop gaming

May 2018

Daryl Andrews designer

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Issue # 24

Board game photography pt. 5

THe board game designer’s guide

In this issue: Interview 30

Daryl Andrews Game Designer

game Reviews 18

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Book Review 06

The Board Game Designer’s Guide Novice Designer’s Guide

mobile Review 08

EPIC Card Game For Android and iOS

ZERTZ

Index of Past Interviews

Review index 56

Back Issue Index

Button Men

Beat People Up.

The Flow of History

46

The Game of Nines

Build a Civilization.

Ancient Classic.

Game Photography 12

Part Five: Ligthing

top 10 04

Interview Gallery 52

Ork Madness.

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abstract games 50

Gretchinz!

My Top 10 CCG’s of Yesteryear

Calendar 64

June 2018

Contributors 55

Game Nite Contributors

© Game Nite 2018. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used or reproduced without the written permission of the publisher.

All information contained in this magazine is for educational purposes only and is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of release. Readers are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers with regard to the price of their products. All material remains the property of its respective creators. Opinions expressed by the writers are their opinions alone and may not reflect the opinions of Game Nite. Disclaimer: Game Nite receives review copies of games, but does not accept payment for reviews.

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From across the table

Game Nite ISSUE # 24

I

have always been interested in games. It was not unusual for me to take a game and turn it into something else. I had built what we would call prototypes nowadays and had quite a collection. Many of them were sport based games and my design of a Golf game based on The Masters was realistic, as I had formulated the stats of the current day players and mapped out an accurate representation of every hole and green of Augusta National, and I still marvel at the fact that I was able to design an accurate simulation at that age. Another game that I enjoyed playing was “Gamma” which was a Backgammon variant in which you were able to move/attack in both directions. I found it to be an interesting game and occasionally think of using it as a basis for a new game. I know I’m not the only one who has done things such as this. So… what games did you design when you were younger? Have any copies survived to this day? I’d love to hear about your designs!

Cover Photograph by Serge Pierro.

Gretchinz! © Devir Games

Editor in Chief/Publisher: Serge Pierro

Editor:

This month I continue my series on Board Game Photography, this time discussing Lighting.

My top 10 list for the month is for my favorite CCG’s of yesteryear.

The June calendar features “Button Men” and provides the release date for issue #25.

In this issue:

Eric Devlin Writers:

Photographers:

Tom Franklin Serge Pierro Tom Franklin Jeff Rhind Jeff Rhind

Tom M Franklin’s Abstract Games column takes a look at ZERTZ. Tom also reviews the ancient classic The Game of Nines.

Follow us on Facebook:

Special thanks to Daryl Andrews for taking time from his busy schedule to share his thoughts with our readers.

www.facebook.com/GameNiteMagazine

If you are interested in contributing to Game Nite, feel free to contact us, as we’d love to hear from you!

www.gamenitemagazine.com

Serge Pierro

@gamenitemagazine

Editor in Chief/Publisher editor@gamenitemagazine.com

Visit us at:

Follow us on Instagram: Follow us on Twitter:

@GameNiteMag

Game Nite Issue #24

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Top 10 -

1

Collectible Card Games

Legend of the Five Rings AEG

2 Magic the Gathering WotC

3

Highlander Thunder Castle Games

4

Doomtown AEG

5

Shadowfist Daedalus Entertainment

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By Serge Pierro

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Warhammer 40k Sabertooth Games

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Middle Earth Iron Crown Enterprises

8

Jyhad WotC

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WCW Nitro WotC

10 The Last Crusade Chameleon Eclectic Entertaiment

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Book Review

By Serge Pierro

The Board Game Designer’s Guide

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ith the growing interest in board game design, it should come as no surprise that there has begun to be an influx of book about the subject. With “The Board Game Designer’s Guide”, author Joe Slack presents a guide that provides an overview of the design process and related subject matters for benefit of the novice designer.

The cover makes a bold proclamation of “The Easy 4 Step Process to Create Amazing Games…” The words “Amazing Games” are highlighted in red. So, I was curious to see exactly what this process was all about. However, looking through the books table of contents, there was no mention of it. I’m going to assume that it is based on the first four Sections.

“The Board Game Designer’s Guide” is a 200+ page paperback book, which also contains a link to an audio book version of the tome. The book is predominantly text, though there are some spot photos.

Later in the book the “Four I’s” are discussed: Inquire (through playtesting), Identify (any problems), Illuminate (potential solutions) and Iterate (and revise your game). It is here where the polishing of the game takes place and takes it from a rough gem to a finished product.

The book starts off with a Foreward by Jamey Stegmaier and continues with an Introduction by the author. The Introduction provides some background information about the author, as well as outlining the concept of the book.

The book contains six sections: “Getting Started and Generating Ideas”, “Mindset”, “Key Elements and Considerations”, “Design and Playtesting Your Game”, “Finishing Your Game”, “Know That Your Game is Done (What Next?)”.

Each of the Sections is further broken down into individual Chapters. Example: Section Five, “Finishing Your Game” has 3 chapters, “Knowing When Your Game is Done”, “Art/Design/ Layout (Look and Feel)” and “Prototyping”. Most of the chapters are fairly short, as there are 27 Chapters totaling 193 pages.

The overall tone of the book is that of a cheerleader pushing you towards your goal. Joe Slack takes the approach of passing along tidbits of information and nudging you forward. Keep in mind that this book is geared towards the novice designer and much of the information contained within is fairly common knowledge, even for beginner designers, especially for those who belong to any of the Facebook Game Design groups or other design related forums.

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Although the book contains some useful information, I found the cheerleader approach to be somewhat offputting. When I’m reading a book such as this, I want it to be in an authoritative voice with the author having a firm understanding of the subject matter and is able to explain it clearly to the reader. Here we have many personal anecdotes and encouraging cheerleading, but when I was done reading it I didn’t feel like I came away with anything of substance.

However, this is geared towards a complete beginner, and as such, it does provide just enough information to help them grasp the bare essentials of the design process and prepare them to search out the more advanced tomes to augment their design ambitions.

If you or someone you know are looking for a beginner’s guide to board game design, then this is a book that can certainly put you on the right path. All of the examples use current games and the included links will help you expand your knowledge on the subject matter. Novices looking for a place to start and want to have a personal cheerleader to walk you through the process will find the material rewarding.

Author: Publisher:

Joe Slack Self Published

Worth Trying www.crazylikeabox.com

Mobile Review

By Serge Pierro

EPIC Card Game

B

ack in the days when I owned a couple of comic book/game stores, I remember looking through the distributor catalog and seeing a solicitation for a card game that sounded really interesting. It sounded like something I would be interested in and if it didn’t sell, I’d keep it for myself to play. That game was Magic the Gathering and although it was new and no one had heard of it, it caught my attention, as well as the attention of many others. Well, 25 years later that game is still going strong and has impacted the industry at the retail level, as well as providing the impetus for players to start designing their own games. With the digital version of Epic, MtG Hall of Famer, Rob Dougherty has brought his design vision to the mobile platform. Although the game is currently in Alpha testing, let’s take a quick look at a game that features gorgeous artwork and interesting choices in a “compact” package.

For those who are unfamiliar with the game, Epic is a self contained trading card game that is playable right out of the box. Although they do

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have expansions that are sold by the pack, the game itself doesn’t use the “lottery” system of CCG’s, it is similar to a LCG. For fans of Magic the Gathering that don’t want to have to spend a lot of money for the same playing experience, Epic is an ideal system to buy into, as it has many of the same concepts.

On each of your turns you receive one gold that you can use to buy a card, however, there are also cards that are free and you can play as many of those as you wish on your turn. This leads to some unusual situations, such as seeing a HUGE dragon come out on turn one, instead of having to wait “X” turns to have “X” mana to summon into play ala MtG. It was bit surprising to see that the games weren’t as lopsided as one would think, as the support cards helped to keep the game from spiraling out of control.

After being greeted with the bold opening screen you are taken to the main screen. Since I had never played the game before, I checked out the Tutorial section to see if I could learn the game from the app

itself without having to go online and download a manual or watch a video. The Tutorial section currently has three “Chapters” listed, however, only the first two are currently available, as the third one is “blurred” and says, “soon”. Perusing through Chapter one was enough to learn the game. I took a brief look at Chapter two, since it seemed to primarily deal with what all of the basic attributes are. The tutorials use a sample game as the basis of showing you how to attack and various other options. The cards are easy to drag and drop into the playing area.

One thing that captures your attention right away is the gorgeous artwork. Not surprisingly, much of it displayed on the various screens.

The main game screen looks great. Taking its cue from the pool of cards, the play area has a fantasy element to it and the terrain and the various details in the area look really sharp. This was a nice touch and a step up from a “player mat” type of background.

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Mobile Review

(Cont.)

One of the areas of the app that I thought was nicely done is the Deck Builder, though you need to be online in order to access it. I would have preferred to have had the Deck Builder available offline so that I could tweak decks at my leisure and not have to worry about an internet connection.

One of the helpful elements with the Builder is the use of various filters that make accessing the pool of cards much easier. For players who are new to the Constructed deck process, there is a blinking icon on the bottom of the screen that indicates that the deck is currently not valid should the Constructed criteria not be met. Once your deck is valid, the icon is no longer visible on the screen and you have a legal deck.

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Another feature that I enjoy was the Constructed area of the app which allowed you to play your deck against the AI, using other Constructed decks that you might have. I was able to play against my own deck and see how the AI handled the cards as compared to how I did. I could see this being extremely useful for tournament players and made me miss the days of tweaking decks for tournament play.

I have to admit that when the game was originally released, I thought it was just going to be a random draw of whoever got the biggest creature would win.

I’m happy to say that there is more to the game than

just big creatures. While it’s true I have only spent a short time with the app, I did find the game to be quite intriguing and perhaps it will be something that I will take a closer look at in the future, especially since White Wizard Games is supporting it with a cash prize Championship.

The app thus far not only provides an entertaining experience, but it teases as to what the future could hold for both the app and the game itself. While there are some occasional bugs, it should be kept in mind that it is still in the Alpha stage. I’ll certainly be keeping an eye on how this game develops - both as an app, as well as an actual card game.

Version # Price: Devices:

Alpha ---------Android and iOS Developer: White Wizard Games

Recommended www.epiccardgame.com

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Photography

By Serge Pierro

Board Game Photography: Pt. 5 Lighting

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ur past issues have featured articles on By their nature, cameras are very sensitive to Overview, Subject and Composition, light and are able to capture images that our Depth of Field and with this issue we eyes can’t adjust to. As an experiment take a feature a short feature on Lighting. camera into a dark room (preferably set on a tripod) and set the exposure for 30 seconds When you break down the essence of and then walk away, closing any doors behind photography you come to the realization that you. When you go back in and observe the you are using a camera to capture reflected light. results you’ll be surprised that the camera was So, the quality of that light has a profound effect able to “see” in the dark that which our eyes are on your results. incapable of adjusting to.

When we are looking at an object, as an example; a red apple, we are observing the form of the apple, yet the color itself is actually the reflection of light. In essence, a red apple absorbs every color in the light spectrum, except for red, which is reflected. Our eyes perceive the apple as being red because of the reflection of these red light waves. So when we take a photograph we are capturing reflected light.

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When we are discussing lighting for photography we are basically talking about Natural light and Artificial light.

Natural light is sunlight, however, it is not direct sunlight, but indirect. For instance, I shoot all of the photographs for Game Nite near a window that faces north. Northern light is indirect light and has been long used by many types of photographers due to its source of even light and it is even recommended for

right handed artists to set up their drawing table next to a window facing north, as the light will illuminate the artwork and not cast heavy shadows that would obscure it. Direct sunlight is the worst type of natural light that you can use, as it leads to washed out colors, heavy contrast and sharp shadows. If you are going to use direct sunlight, then you want to be as close to dawn or dusk as possible as this produces what is known as the “golden hour” of light in which the light is much softer and has a warm (golden) tone to it. This is great for many types of photography, in particular, landscape photography, and the soft shadows and overall warmth of the photo are often well worth the effort.

cameras have a White Balance adjustment available to them in camera, and there is always the option of trying to remove it in postproduction, which is a topic saved for another day. Conveniently these settings are accessible to any photographer who knows what type of lighting environment they are in. Example: A game night at someone’s house will usually have incandescent bulbs, so just set the White Balance to Incandescent. If you are at a game store, set it to Fluorescent, etc.

When using artificial light for board game photography we are usually discussing the use of off camera flash units and soft-boxes or umbrellas. As mentioned in the first part of the series, using an on camera flash is terrible for Artificial light is a bit more complex. This is board game photography. Feel free to reread due in part to the source of the light and what’s part one of the series to see examples and known as color temperature. For instance, when explanations as to why it is considered bad. you buy a standard incandescent light bulb it is available in various temperature settings, this is However, soft-boxes and umbrellas combined not temperature as it pertains to heat, but to with off camera flash units are a usable form the type of color temperature it generates. For or artificial light. Both systems work on the instance, most incandescent bulbs strive for a principle of taking the light and enlarging the “warm” temperature and when used as a light light source so that the shadows are softer and source in photography the resulting photographs the light blankets the subject matter. Softhave a yellow tint to them. Amazingly our boxes are an excellent source of light in a studio, eyes are able to adjust to this phenomena and especially at night when the use of indirect “cancel” out the heavy tint, yet still recognize sunlight is out of the question. Although I have the light as having a “warm” element to it. The a Nikon SB-600 off camera flash, I don’t believe opposite would be a light source that is “cool”, I’ve ever used it for any board game photos. It’s this would add a blue tint to the photograph. rare that I use it for anything, as I prefer indirect natural light, but I have used it in the past and So the capturing of light can be a tricky thing gotten good results with it. if we aren’t careful. Fortunately most modern Continued on next page>

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Photography (Cont.)

Another source of artificial light is that of light boxes. In our next example we will take a look at a small light box that a friend had given for Christmas this year. It is relatively small and folds up to be carried in a portfolio type case for ease of transportation. Along the front, top, edge of the light box is a strip of led lights that are powered via a USB cable. I use an electrical adaptor from an iPhone to plug the USB cable into an electrical outlet to supply power to the unit. The interesting thing about this set up is that the light is now coming from the top, where I usually light my photos with the light source coming from the right. What this allows is a more “sunlike” appearance to the light.

This is most noticeable with the photo of Eowyn here. Notice the lighting around the eyes and how the shadow is formed beneath the brow. This is how it would appear to be outside with the sun as a light source. Also note the effect on the cheeks and lip areas, as well as the definition of the front portion of the sculpted hair. While this is not a light source that I would use for many shots, in the case of miniatures it does help to give it a more “natural” lighting due to the light coming from the top.

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The next example is from my homemade light box that is constructed from a box and has the top and two side panels cut out and replaced with tissue paper and the back of the box has a large sheet of bristol board placed in a manner to simulate a sheet of seamless paper. This is again shot from my living room window and the light source is again the upper right corner area. Here we can see that the shadows are soft and that the light is fairly even.

It is interesting to note the difference in the lighting of the two shots as they are both shot in light boxes, however one is homemade and uses tissue paper as a diffusing material and the other is a commercial unit that is made of plastic and has an LED light source. The quality of light is very different and each of them can be utilized in different ways. Having more than one source of lighting can add variety to your overall portfolio of photographs. Learning to shoot with various lighting strategies opens up your photographs to a wider range of tonalities and interest.

Continued on next page> Game Nite Issue #24

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Photography (Cont.)

Although they are not a direct source of light in of themselves, reflectors are an excellent tool to have in your repertoire, as they can be used to fill in areas in shadow that the light source is unable to reach.

Let’s take a look at an example: (Facing Page) The cover to this month’s issue was shot with indirect sunlight coming through my living room window. The source of the light is coming from the top right corner of the photo. As such, the red buggy’s side panel was in shadow and was a bit too dark. So I used a large piece of white bristol board paper and held it so that the light from the window reflected off of the paper and lit the side of the buggy. The effect can also be seen on the yellow buggy’s side panel.

Lighting is an important part of board game photography and it is important to find out what works best for you. I would recommend that you try indirect sunlight through a northern window, an off camera flash pointed at the ceiling, a large soft box, an umbrella, a light box and any other source of light that might be of interest. Make notes as to the strengths and weaknesses of each type and be ready to call on the right source for the job at hand. Lighting affects every photograph you take, so attempting to master it cannot

“Everything, from your auto focus, to the saturation of the colors, is directly influenced by your light source and the angle in which it originates.” be overstated. Everything, from your auto focus, to the saturation of the colors, is directly influenced by your light source and the angle in which it originates. It is well worth your time to spend some time experimenting with some of the options available to you and find out what works best for you. Like any artistic endeavor, it is your personal preferences that define you and your work.

Next Month: Equipment

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Gretchinz!

By Serge Pierro

Ork Madness!

W

hen the topic of miniatures gaming comes up, it is inevitable that Game Workshop’s Warhammer 40k will be mentioned, seeing as it is the industry leader.

So when a company such as Devir Games is given the rights to produce a game based on the 40k license, you have to stop and take notice. Gretchinz! is a game based on the Orks from the Warhammer 40k universe and does a great job of capturing the mayhem that the Orks are known for. Practice your war cry of “Waaagh!”, as you will using it within the game!

Gretchinz! comes in a 9” x 7” x 2” box and features a custom plastic insert. The insert includes individual wells for the buggies after they have been assembled, as well as separate areas for the cards and dice. The efficiency of the design allows the dice to be stored in a recessed well beneath the player boards.

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Four 16 page rulebooks are included and are written in English, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.

The books are lavishly illustrated and contain all of the pertinent information, including a breakdown of all the icons, as well as a sample turn. My only problem with the rulebook is that it is the only place to find the out what the icons mean and during our first game the book kept being passed around the table so that players could learn what everything meant. It would have been nice to have had player aide cards to ease the players into the game.

The centerpieces of the game are the individual racing buggies. These are all punched from the same punchboard as the other cardboard components and are made of a sturdy stock. Care should be given to removing the piece with the gun, as it is prone to getting stuck in the punchboard. After assembling the buggies, I was a bit surprised at how sturdy they were and they didn’t become undone. There are no instructions for putting the six pieces together, but you’ll be able to figure it out.

The small player boards have sections cutout so that the dice and player marker can be placed into them. These are double sided, with one side being a plain board and the other side featuring special Klan abilities.

Twelve custom green dice are included and feature custom icons that are used throughout the game.

The cards are standard sized and are double sided. Note, that if you want to sleeve them you will need to use clear sleeves, as the back of the card has information that is used throughout the game. The cards are only shuffled at the start of the game and if the deck runs out.

To begin the game each player receives a player board, three dice, a vehicle and matching color token, and five cards. The cards are to be held up in front of the player so that they can’t see the back of their cards, but they are able to see the backs of the other player’s cards. A row of Terrain cards are laid out with the number equalling the number of players, plus two.

There should be a distance of “seven cards” from the start of the race to the end. It is suggested that the box be used as the finish line, but really anything can be used instead - especially if you are short on table real estate.

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Gretchinz! (Cont.)

To start a round players will keep rolling their dice until they get the results that they want and place them in their player board in the order in which they will be played. And while that may seem like a somewhat simple thing, the twist is that everyone is rolling dice at the same time and the first player to align their card the way they wish yells “Waaagh!” and everyone has to stop rolling their dice and use the results that they have in front of them. It is encouraged that players who have already inserted their dice into the board cover the results with their hands so that no one can strategize against the results.

This is the first of several thematic touches that capture the craziness of the Warhammer 40k Orks!

The player who yelled “Waaagh!” becomes the first player and play continues to the left.

When it’s a player’s turn they will play the actions on the dice in the order in which they were placed in the player’s board. The available actions are: Swerve to the Left, Swerve to the Right, Darka, Draw Cards, The Eye of Mork (or Maybe Gork) and Klan Ability.

Darka: Allows you to either attack another buggy or attempt to destroy a Terrain card.

Draw Cards: Draw 2 cards, without looking at the side of the cards with the attacks.

The Eye of Mork (or Maybe Gork): Ask another player to tell you how many of your cards have bullets (Firing Cards). The player has to tell the truth.

Klan Ability: When using the player boards with the Klan abilities, this die will trigger that ability. This can only be triggered once per turn, any other dice showing this face are considered to be “Passes”. If you are playing without the Klan abilities, the dies are considered a Pass.

The bulk of the game will involve moving and shooting.

Movement is determined by the “Swerve” dice and the effects of the Terrain. As mentioned above, when resolving the Swerve die you move diagonally in the direction indicated. When you land on the Terrain you apply the effects listed on the Terrain card. These effects include: Swerve to the Left: You move your buggy to the Open Terrain, Squig Stampede, Hidden Scrap card/Terrain that is diagonally to the left.

Materials, Junk Materials, Puddle and Warp Clouds. It is important to note that any Swerve to the Right: You move your buggy to Terrain other than Open Terrain will stop their the card/Terrain that is diagonally to the right. movement and cancel the remaining Swerve dies in their player board.

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Open Terrain allows you to continue your movement this turn and move through this Terrain. This is also the only way a buggy can move forward in a straight line.

Squig Stampede forces a player to choose and discard “a card from their hand.

Hidden Scrap Pile allows a player to draw “X” cards from the deck, without looking at the attack side. “X” = the number indicated on the card (1-4).

Junk Materials allows a player to draw “X” cards from the deck, but is allowed to look at the attack side before putting them into their hand. “X” = the number indicated on the card (1-3).

Puddle allows a player to remove a flame counter from their buggy.

hand, if there are two matching bullet cards, the attack is successful and the opponent’s buggy takes a flame token. If one of the cards was a Problems card, you put a flame token in your buggy. If an Explosion card is revealed, you have to discard your hand. If you get a Problems card and an Explosions card, you place a Flame token in your buggy and you discard your hand.

Of course the problem is that you can’t see the cards that you are choosing, but you can see the cards that your opponents have - more Ork madness.

Destroying a Terrain is similar to Attacking, if two bullets are revealed, it is successful and a Crater card is placed over the targeted Terrain.

Anyone who enters this new Terrain discards two cards. If a Problems card or Explosion card are revealed, the results are the same as above.

Flame Tokens are used to track the damage done to the buggies. When a third token is Warp Clouds allows a player to take one card received, that player loses their next turn and from each opponent and place it in their hand, has to discard their hand. discarding down to the maximum hand size of 5. This is a powerful ability, as the player is able The end of the game is triggered when one of to see the backs of each of their opponent’s cards the buggies reaches the seventh row of cards and and is able to choose the best attack cards. any players who still haven’t gone that round can complete their turn. If there is only one And while movement is essential to winning buggy at the end of the round on the seventh the race, Attacking is the main means of slowing row, they win. If there are multiple buggies, the your opponent down. Attacking uses a very one with the fewest flame tokens is the winner. simple mechanism, you play two card from your Should there still be a tie, then the player with the most bullets in their hand wins.

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Gretchinz! (Cont.)

This is a game where chaos reigns and it really captures the theme. From the initial roll of the dice, to the hijinks that takes place on the Terrain cards and the random elements of combat, the game puts you in the role of the Orks and their nuances.

Normally this is the type of game that I would have little interest in, as I’m not fan of realtime mechanisms or the randomness of entering combat without knowing exactly what I have in my hand or even the randomness of dice rolls, but, here it works and actually works quite well.

If you are a 40k player who uses the Orks, then this is a game that you are going to want to certainly add to you collection. It is fun and absurd - just like the Orks!

However, one of the things that I didn’t like about the game was the Klan abilities, especially the icon on the die. In the basic game without using the Klan abilities on the player board, these faces were worthless and were counted as a “Pass”. With only three actions per turn, that is a pretty steep penalty for having rolled something that wasn’t part of the basic game. Of course it could be attributed to the Ork theme, but we found it a bit annoying, especially if other players weren’t stuck with any of them. Even with the advanced Klan versions of the player boards, we found that the Klan abilities just weren’t all that interesting. Most of them just allowed you to choose another face of the die (each Klan having the access to a specific face), while others

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allowed for some dice manipulation (these were much better). Plus, you are only allowed to use your Klan ability once per round, even if you rolled more than one Klan die.

Overall this is a crazy game that plays in about a half hour and would be welcomed as an energetic filler at the end of the night. This is not a strategic or tactical oriented game, it is one of sheer mayhem and thematic hijinks, which perfectly fits the theme. And while Warhammer 40k fans will find the theme well implemented, non-40k players can also have an enjoyable experience as long as they understand that this is a game that is attempting to capture the zaniness of the Orks and is meant to be played accordingly. Both Devir Games and Games Workshop should be quite happy with a game that really delivers the experience of playing the 40k Orks.

“ Waaagh!”

Designers: Publisher: Players: Mechanic: Ages: Length:

Roberto Fraga & Yohan Lemonnier Devir Games 2-4 Dice Rolling, Programmed Movement

8+ 30 Mins.

Recommended www.devirgames.com

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Button Men

By Serge Pierro

Beat People Up

O

f all the games that I’ve reviewed in Game Nite, there is one that is always asked for at the end of a night of gaming or a family gathering. That game is Pairs by Cheapass Games. People can’t seem to get enough of this simple and fun pub game. Well, now Cheapass Games has reintroduced one of their other classics - Button Men. This time featuring cards instead of button. Let’s find out if this filler has the same addictive qualities as Pairs.

“Button Men” comes in a 7 5/8” x 3 2/8” x 1 3/8” linen finished box and contains a simple cardboard divider/insert.

The two compartments are for the storage of the cards and the dice.

The rules sheet is folded to the size of the box and measures 7 3/8” x 17” when unfolded. The glossy paper is double sided, with the basic rules on the front and the Special Dice and Variants on the back. The rules are so simple that you’ll be up and running in no time. In typical James Earnest fashion, you are treated to a plethora of variants, including Multiplayer, Drafting, Two Player Campaigns and Multiplayer Campaigns.

Just like Pairs, the simplicity of the game is enhanced by a large subset of additional variants.

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The 48 glossy, linen finished cards are standard To begin the game each player receives one size and due to the fact that they aren’t shuffled, character card and a set of related dice. Each there’s no real need for sleeves. card has stats on the front indicating which dice they receive. Example: Porter has the following Included are 30 dice - 20 white and 10 black. stats: 8, 12, 12, 20 and X. This means that he This is enough for a two player game, yet gets a d8, d12, d12, d20 and the X allows him additional dice can be used to expand the game to take either a d4, d6, d8, d12 or d20. These beyond two players, as the only limitation to are white dice. If some stats are in a color other larger games is the amount of dice. than yellow, then they use the black dice to represent their Special Attacks.

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Button Men (Cont.)

Each player will start a round by rolling their set of dice. Then the results are compared and the player with the lowest number will go first.

If there is a tie, then proceed to keep checking the lowest number until there is a clear winner.

target die. After the attack, reroll all of the dice used in the attack. Example: My d4 showing a 4 and my d12 showing an 11 captures your d20 showing 15.

Power Attack: The Power Attack is the most basic attack, it allows you to capture one of your opponent’s dies by using one of your dies that equals or exceeds the number on the target die.

Example: My d4 showing a 4 captures your d20 showing a 1. The captured die is placed aside and will be scored at the end of the round (points = the number of sides. Ex. d20 = 20 points) After the successful attack, the die that was used for the attack is rolled again and the new number is now used in subsequent attacks and defenses.

Some characters have Special Attacks. There are three Special Attacks in the game: Poison, Rush and Shadow.

Passing: If you are unable to attack, you must After the dice are rolled, in turn order each pass. If both players pass consecutively, the player does one of the following: Power Attack, round ends and the points of captured dice are totaled.

Skill Attack, Special Attack or Pass.

Poison: The Poison die is an unusual one, as you are trying to avoid having it in your possession at the end of the round. Since attacks are forced each round, there are times when you will have to attack the Poison die and capture it. If you captured the die, during the scoring phase you subtract half the die size from your score.

Example: a Poison d6 is worth −3 points. If you should be the original owner of the Poison Skill Attack: The Skill Attack is a means of die and are stuck with it at the end of a round taking down one of your opponent’s larger dies. you have to subtract the full value of the die.

You can combine two or more of your dice to Example a Poison d4 subtracts 4 points. target their die, however, the number needed to capture the die must be exactly equal to the

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Shadow: The Shadow Attack uses a range of numbers to determine if it is able to capture an opponent’s die. The range is determined by the result on the die and the size of the die.

Example: a d12 showing a 6 can capture a die in the range of 6-12. It can’t capture any dies that are below that number. These dies can’t be used for Power Attacks.

Rush: The Rush Attack has both a strength and a weakness. This special attack allows you to capture two dies with one Rush attack, with the two dies exactly equalling the attack die. Example: A Rush Attack showing an 8 can capture two dies, 3 and 5. And while I feel that this is the best attack in the game, it does come with a downside - your opponent (who may not have any Rush dies) is allowed to attack your Rush die as if they had the same ability. Example you attack my 6 Rush die and a 2 die with a regular 8 die, you win both of them. So it’s a double edged sword. I’ve seen games where on the first turn a player lost all of their Rush dies to an opponents attack because the opponent was able to go first and use their ability against them.

Scoring takes place at the end of a round. You count up the sides of the dies that you captured from your opponent and score half the value of the sides of the dice that you were able to keep.

Example: You captured a d4 d6 and d8, your score would be 18 points for captures and you kept your d20 and d6 away from your opponent, so you score half of that for 13 pts. So the total score would be 18 + 13 = 31 points. The loser of the round then has the opportunity to change out their Swing Dice (X on the player card) and replace them with any of the other Swing dice from d4 to d20. This is a nice little strategic element that makes the following rounds more interesting.

The first player to three wins is declared the winner.

I remember first hearing about Button Men when the L5R version appeared at Gen Con in 1999, as there was a big buzz going around about this game where people walked around with a button attached to their shirt/jacket and prospective opponents could walk up and challenge the player to a fight. It was an

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Button Men (Cont.)

intriguing idea back then and still holds true today. However, now due to production costs, the buttons have been replaced by cards and can still be played by those who have the original buttons. As a nice touch there is a non-stat Button Men button included with the game, so you could still walk around with it attached to your attire and have people challenge you to a fight, except this time you will pull out your supply of cards instead of using a specific button.

Due to the fact that this is a light dice game there is going to be a bit of a “luck factor” involved. If you are willing to accept that, then you will be rewarded with a fast and enjoyable filler that can be played anywhere that has a surface to place the dice. With the three special attacks and the two regular ones, there is a decent amount of variety when it comes to choosing a character and playing the associated strategy. And with the inclusion of 48 Characters, you have a lot of variations to choose from.

Although the game comes with 30 dies, if you should happen to have access to more, you can use the character cards to play multiple games at once.

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As mentioned at the top, Pairs turned out to be an unexpected hit amongst the players that played it. With its simple ruleset, quick play and simple strategic decision making it won over the hearts of many. Bullet Men has much of that same “vibe”, where the play is fast, the decision making is quick and an element of luck all add to a boisterous time for those sitting around the table. And with a tagline of “Beat People Up”, you know that there is going to be trash talking and hijinks throughout the night. Time will tell if this game joins its stablemate on the pedestal of favorite quick fillers, but so far, it is off to a quick start, as everyone was more than happy to Beat People Up! Designers:

James Earnest Publisher: Cheapass Games Players: 2+ Mechanic: Dice Capturing, Special Abilities Ages: 12+ Length: 10 Mins.

Recommended www.buttonmen.com

Interview

By Serge Pierro

• Sagrada • The Walled City

• Fantasy Fantasy Baseball

• Space Invaders Dice!

Daryl Andrews - Designer

Thank you for taking the time to share your games, but sometimes the process would include thoughts with our readers, can you tell us a little making a board game to work out the skeleton of my digital games. something about yourself?

I have always been a board game fan. I grew up as an only child, however; I always wanted board games for birthday gifts and christmas gifts.

Whenever adults would visit my house, I would make them play board games with me. Many adults would leave our house perplex how they lost games to a young kid. I was born with a very competitive nature.

Did you start designing games at an early age? If so, do you remember what your first game design was like?

From a young age, I often would spend hours alone in my room studying my games for the best strategies. Additionally, I would come up with house rules to make games “better”. It was not until high school when I started to dabble with game design.

In school, I was more interested in creating digital

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What games over the years have you enjoyed most, from both the point of personal enjoyment, as well as those that influenced your growth as a designer?

A couple games that really changed the way I see games are Scotland Yard & Puerto Rico. Scotland Yard taught me the importance of story and tension. The game helped shake me from thinking about games as only war games like Risk, or roll & moves like Monopoly. A game like Scotland Yard inspired me to be creative and look for games that caused players to be engaged. Additionally, when I discovered Puerto Rico, I learned how important it was to have games with variable powers and viable different paths to victory. The experience of a game coming down to the final moments, and multiple people believe they can win - brings out the best in games.

When the opportunity presents itself, what games have you currently been playing?

Currently I have been playing many classics. I have played RA atleast 5 times in the last month.

I recently played Stone Age, Goa, and El Grande.

Also, I have been playing many card games. Part of my origins story of playing games as a child included playing many trick taking and climbing card games. Small games are always easy to get to the table.

Who are your favorite game designers?

I am a big fan of Wolfgang Kramer. I am amazed at the diversity of his designs from classics like El Grande, Tikal, Princes of Florence, to abstracts like Torres, to even small card games like 6 nimmt and Abluxxen. Also, I like to model my design career to someday resemble the Bruno’s. I have had the privilege of meeting both Bruno Cathala and Bruno Faidutti. Each have been very encouraging and kind on my journey of being a better designer. Mr. Cathala makes games my wife & I adore. We have played 7 Wonders, Mission Red Planet, Kingdomino, and Mr. Jack (to mention but a few of his titles) to the point our copies have become dog eared. Mr. Faidutti is a sommelier and historian of games. He loves introducing people to forgotten games and makes sure everyone is having a fun time. Also, both Bruno’s love to work with co-designers. I am of like mind.

Is there a particular designer that you would be interested in collaborating with? If so, what type of game would you be interested in making?

Wow. Where do I start? I would confess I recently may have made this dream come true, to some degree. I recently started a small game publishing company named Maple Games. Last month we signed a game co-designed by Alan Moon and Bobby West. Both are gentlemen I have always wanted to work with. I have gotten to know Mr. West the last year on the convention circuit and he

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Interview

(Cont.)

has always been a great pleasure to talk game design with. Mr. Moon is the designer of my ultimate favourite game. Some my suspect I would say Ticket to Ride. However, my all-time #1 ranked game is San Marco. Ticket to Ride is simply my most played game. I am so excited to help develop and publish a game with Moon & West. People will have to stay tuned to hear more about what kind of game, but I will say it is FUN.

When starting a new design, do you start with a theme or a mechanic?

Classic dilemma. I love when people have cool answers to this like “I start from neither, I am driven by story”, or I design “from the experience I want to give players.” Guess maybe Im a little conventional.

I usually design from theme or mechanic first. Often I think of a theme I want to see in the game world, or a cool component, or even a catchy name for a game - and start to brainstorm from that starting point.

Maybe the game is a response to seeing a specific theme or mechanic done by another designer, that I believe I would tackle in a different way. So I try to solve the problems I see in another game and try to make something better. However, wherever it starts from, the important thing for me is to fail fast and find the fun. If the game doesn’t discover itself quickly, I am prone to throw the game away and chase a new idea. If something interesting or clever comes up early in testing, I am more willing to caretake the idea and bring it to playtesters.

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What is your daily design/playtest schedule like?

Do you work on games everyday?

Thankfully, since January 2016, I have taken the plunge of working on game design and development full-time. The majority of my time I have worked freelance, working with a variety of co-designers like Stephen Sauer, Adrian Adamescu, Jon Gilmour, Bryce Hunter, JR Honeycutt, Erica Boyouris, Sylvain Plante, and Chris Leder. The majority of

the designers I work with have other full-time jobs, so depending on the day, I work with different designers. I try to fill my daytime/afternoons with design time and administrative tasks. Also, updating my prototypes. Evenings are often devoted to play testing.

What do you think defines your “styleâ€? as a game designer, is there a specific mechanic or rule set or‌ ?

From my first game, The Walled City, designed with Stephen Sauer, I learned the benefits of working with a co-designer. I really enjoy collaboration. Also, I am a big fan of dice and/or cards with numbers on them. Additionally, I really like games with a cool unique bit like the Sagrada window frame.

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Interview

(Cont.)

Which one of your games do you consider your best design, and why?

Funny enough I would consider my first game, The Walled City, co-designed with Stephen Sauer to still be my personal best design. However, the game is difficulty to teach, and sadly the game was forgotten quickly. The Walled City features many of my favourite mechanics, and each decision feels very meaningful. Sometimes the game can fall victim to AP (analysis Paralysis). However, because the game is so quick, even with the brain burning, the game is still moderately swift.

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“Sagrada” has proven to be quite popular. What is it about the game that you think has garnered it so much attention?

One of the things I learned from my experience with Sagrada, people crave easy to teach games that are challenging to master. Additionally, if a game is beautiful, well produced, and inclusive in theme, games can reach a wide range of gamers. Thankfully, due to the great production by Floodgate Games, and the gorgeous art/design from Peter Wocken, I think many people embraced Sagrada, and became supportive fans, teaching their friends and family

Were the “slide in” player boards and translucent dice of “Sagrada” imagined to be components for the game early on, or were they adding during a later stage of production?

I will confess I am pretty picky when it comes to production. When I pitch games to publishers, I try to cast a vision for the art direction of the game. Some publishers don’t listen to designers, but thankfully, Ben Harkins, from Floodgate Games, is very collaborative. When I pitched Sagrada to Ben at GrandCon, I was very specific with my wish for the window indentations and translucent dice. Six previous publishers said my vision was too expensive and the game would not succeed. Thankfully, Ben disagreed.

“The Walled City” is an underrated game that deserves more attention. Can you give us a little insight into how you came up with the design? In particular, the split cards and the faction dice, and can we expect to see a game of this type from you again?

Thank you for the kind words. The original design was inspired by my love of El Grande. I love area control games. However, due to the length of the game, I often found it hard to get to the table.

Therefore, one of my original goals with The Walled City was to offer a quicker area control game.

Additionally, I really was inspired by the mechanic of gerrymandering. I loved the idea that depending on where borders are placed and moved, each players decision makes a difference. Little known fact, the split cards were originally dominos, and we used dominos flat as roads, and dominos on their sides as walls. I am thankful to say over the last year I have been working on more heavy designed games, but they will take some time before they come out.

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Interview

(Cont.)

It is well known that you are a huge Toronto Blue Jays fan, so it comes as no surprise that you would design a game about baseball. What made you want to design a Fantasy based baseball game (“Fantasy Fantasy Baseball”) as opposed to a more traditional one, and once decided, what Fantasy elements did you look to bring to the game?

I was selected by Major League Baseball, as I am considered “Canada’s Biggest Baseball fan”. I was sent to NYC during the World Baseball Classic to help interview Hall-of-Fame players and help promote the love of Baseball. However, it was simply a humorous image I saw online, of a mix of sports fans sitting around a living room doing a fantasy draft with the caption “Fantasy Football is northing more than dungeons & dragons for jocks.” Together with the help of JR Honeycutt, we designed a game that tries to bring the gap between jocks and nerds. Fantasy sports involves numerous mechanics that are familiar with both sides of the divide. Hand Management, drafting, and collecting stats. I still have ideas for a few different sports themed games.

With “Space Invaders Dice!” you had to take an iconic video game and turn it into a dice game.

Can you tell us your thought process of turning an arcade game into a dice game and what essential elements you felt you needed to capture in the translation?

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As a young child, my mother worked as a manager of a restaurant called Chi-Chi’s. Inside the restaurant, the barkeep would open up the Space Invaders machine and give me unlimited time. I have always loved Space Invaders. When I was hired to design a game with the iconic license I was asked by the publisher to come up with a small dice game.

I only had 2 weeks to make the design and 1 week to test the game. I made about 10 games in the span of two weeks. Most versions were very fiddly, because it involved many moving pieces to capture the ideas of speed and the game moving down on the player.

Finally, when the idea of a roll & write crossed my mind, it became clear how to avoid fiddly bits and still come up with ways to make the game. Space Invaders is all about going for high score (shooting vertical) but dealing with the horizontal that is coming down on the player.

How does your design process differ when working on Intellectual Properties such as “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Back to the Future”, as compared to your own designs?

As a designer, I enjoy constraints. Its always difficult to know which direction a design should go when you hit a crossroad. But games with IP can often answer what direction a game should go to be thematically accurate. But its important to remember that games with licenses should not try to be simulations, but treat the theme as sign posts the designer needs to respect and capture the essence of the experience. Also, working with intellectual properties, designers get to play in worlds with rich and immersive content. It was a dream come true to get to make games with TMNT and Back to the Future.

You co-hosted “Meeple Syrup” with Sen Foong-Lim for quite some time. What would you say was the most important thing you learned while doing the show?

Over the last few years, I got to film over 100 episodes of Meeple Syrup. Some of my favorite memories include interviewing designers I have admired and respected for years. However, the real joy was all the designers and industry people I became friends with because of hosting them on the show. The real important thing I learned while doing the Meeple Syrup show is to remember everyone in the industry are people first. Its important to treat everyone with respect and realize that networking is more than just building up contacts, its about making true friendships.

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Interview

(Cont.)

You have quite a collection of hats. If you had to choose only one, what hat would you choose, and why?

This is an impossible question. Its like choosing which of your kids is your favourite. I will admit, I recently threw away about 30 hats. I am moving in 2 months and decided to let go of a few old hats.

Are there any other upcoming projects that you are at liberty to discuss or announce?

I am excited for a few of my games to reach the market this summer/fall. City of Gears, co-designed with Chris Leder is set to come out by Grey Fox. Adrian Adamescu & I (co-designer of Sagrada) have a game called Speakeasy Blues published by Artana games coming out this year. Also, a small card game Adrian & I co-designed for Green Couch Games, titled Before the Earth Explodes is scheduled to be coming out soon. Each of these games I am very excited about. Additionally, my newest venture, Maple Games, has 3 games signed so far, and we are searching for more games this summer during the convention season. If things go well, our hope is to launch our first Kickstarter at the end of the Summer.

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What advice would you have for aspiring game designers?

My advice to aspiring designers is to work on the games you want to bring the world. With all the time you invest in making a game, and then if the game does well, all the times you will demo the game, you better love it. This also means choose wisely who you work with. I have been lucky enough to work with amazing codesigners and publishers. Almost every publisher I have worked with, I have made multiple games for. I am proud of this because it means we wanted to work with each other more than once.

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The Flow of History

By Serge Pierro

Grow Your Own Civilization

D

ue to the constant flow of board games, online board games and board game apps, I rarely have time to play a computer game. However, if I do, that game would be Civilization. While there are many excellent computer games, I feel that Civilization stands above them all. So when there is a board or card game that tries to capture the essence of a growing civilization, my interest is immediately piqued. Tasty Minstrel Games has once again brought another Moaideas Game Design game to the market and this time is it is The Flow of History, a civilization building card game.

The Flow of History comes in a 4” x 6” x 2 1/2” box and contains a small insert that forms a well to hold the cards and components in place.

The 28 page rulebook is laid out nicely and well written.

One reason that there are so many pages is that many of the examples take up a whole page. The other reason is that there is a breakdown of all of the cards in the game, each of them with clarifying text. The card glossary is excellent, however, it did slow down the game on our initial play, as everyone kept asking for the rulebook to see what a card meant. This is one of those Race for the Galaxy type games where there is a learning curve (though much less than RftG) needed in order to understand all of the icons and effects.

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The 75 Resource tokens are much thicker than expected and although somewhat small, they have a nice feel and table presence. They capture the look of an ancient coin.

The five, wooden, player markers come in: red, yellow, blue, green and purple. They are reminiscent of the drilling rigs in Wildcatters.

The 67 Civilization cards and 5 Reference cards all measure 4� x 2 1/2�. Sleeving is optional, as the cards are not shuffled during the game, they are just drawn from the deck and placed on the table.

To begin the game, each player will receive a Player Marker and the matching Reference card, as well as 4 Resource tokens.

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The Flow of History

Each player is randomly dealt an “S” card (Starting card). The Future card is placed on the table and the Internet card is placed on top of it.

The Civilization cards are separated into ages, with each age being shuffled and then stacked on top of each other with the lowest age on top, and then placed on top of the Future/Internet cards.

Five cards (six, in a five player game) are then drawn and placed face up to form the Market.

This will be the area in which players will be purchasing the cards. The tokens that have not been given out to the players will remain in the Reserve. This is not to be confused with the Supply, which is the area in which payments are made and Harvesting takes place. The Reserve will be used to add Resources to the Supply as the game progresses.

(Cont.)

The Complete action is used to take a card that you have previously Invested in. You place the invested Resource tokens into the Supply area and you receive the “Investor Bonus” indicated on the card, if able. To collect the bonus you check the number of icons you have present in your tableau that match the icon in the new card’s magnifying glass. This is collected from the Supply area. After checking for the Investor Bonus, you place the card into your Nation (your tableau). If the card is the same color as one already in your Nation, you place it on top and allow the icons of the bottom of the previous card(s) to remain showing. Then you resolve any of the relevant effects that are triggered when placed in your Nation, for instance Instants or Attacks. Permanent effects remain in play as long as the card isn’t covered On a player’s turn they will perform one action: with another card.

“Invest”, “Complete”, “Snipe”, “Activate” and “Harvest”.

The Snipe action allows you to undermine the Invest action of another player by paying them The Invest action could be considered to be the same amount of Resources as they had paid the main action of the game. A player will and take the card. As compensation, the player place their Player marker on a card that they are whose card was Sniped also receives additional interested in and place “X” amount of Resources resources. After the card has been Sniped, the at the bottom of the card to indicate how much Resources that were originally paid are now they are willing to pay for it. Since you have placed into the Supply. The original player only one Player marker, you can only Invest in then counts the number of Trade icons in their one card at a time.

Nation and takes an equal amount of Resources

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from the supply. Then the remaining Resources in the Supply are counted and they take half of them, rounded down. While it is usually annoying to have one of your cards Sniped, there are times when a windfall of Resources can come your way as compensation. Of course you can also use the strategy of Investing in a card that another player needs, so that you can have them Snipe it and you collect the compensation.

discard them) and then there is a check to see if the end of the game has been triggered.

The end of the game is triggered when “The Future” card is either added to the Market or if it has been obtained by a player. The game ends after the current player’s turn ends. Then scoring takes place.

During the scoring phase each Culture icon is The Activate action allows you to activate a worth 1 VP. All of the other Production icons card that has a “gear” icon on it. This is an effect are worth 1 VP per two icons, rounded down. that can be used each turn.

All of the end game scoring effects are also tabulated at 1 VP per Culture icon. The player The Harvest action allows you to take half of with the most VP’s wins. the Resources from the Supply, rounded down.

The exception to this rule is if you still wind up having less Resources than the age you As I stated at the beginning, I do love Civilization are currently in. In this case you continue to games and this one no exception. Although it take tokens until you have the same amount reminds me a little of the game, “Innovation”, of Resources as the current age. If the Supply this game seems to be more streamlined and less doesn’t have enough Resources, then the tokens chaotic. The turns are fast and there is enough are taken directly from the Reserve. strategy and tactical nuances throughout the game to keep everyone on their toes. As players After each player has taken one of the above become more familiar with the various cards actions, there is a second phase, The Cleanup and which ages they appear in, there is a larger Phase. During this phase the Market is “Meta-strategy” that emerges as you try to time replenished, there is an age “check” to see if certain cards with others. there are any cards in the Market that are two ages lower than the highest current age, (if yes, Continued on next page>

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The Flow of History (Cont.)

Overall this is a game that I can highly recommend, especially if you are looking for a card game that plays in an hour or so and has decent replayability. Having said that, I wouldn’t mind seeing an expansion or two, and being able to mix in and out “X” cards to keep the game in the same time frame. The game does a fine job of satiating my desire for a fast Civilization game, as it fits somewhere between 7 Wonders and Through While there was always the temptation to spend the Ages - and that’s not a bad place to be! as few Resources as possible on an Investment, the specter of a possible Snipe action by an opponent tended to keep each player a bit more “honest” on the number of Resources used.

The Resource/Bidding mechanism is well designed and I like how there were two separate sources for Resources with the Reserve holding onto the extra ones and slowly releasing them into the Supply, as needed. This worked really well and Jesse Li deserves credit for implementing such an elegant means of controlling the flow of Resources.

There were some players who were initially concerned about the Military cards, but after a couple of games they realized that they were just another component of the game and nothing to be overly concerned about - as long as you don’t allow one player to hoard all of them.

It should be noted that the box says that the game plays 3-5 players, however, there is a two player variant that has instructions on how the Banker is to be used. Although this is a viable solution, we thought the game excelled at 3-4 player counts.

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Designer: Publisher: Players: Mechanic: Ages: Length:

Jesse Li Tasty Minstrel Games 3-5 (includes a 2 player variant) Bidding, Resource Managment 14+ 60-90 Mins.

Highly Recommended www.playtmg.com

The Game of Nines

By Tom M Franklin

Ancient Abstract

T

he game we know as Nine Men’s Morris has been played as far back as the days of the Roman Empire and has been known by many different names. The distinctive board has been found etched into ancient roof tiles and still exists in a temple from the 9th -10th Century AD in Karnataka, India.

I grew up knowing it as Mill, while other people in other countries know it as Merrills, Merels, Ninepenny Marl, and The Game of Nines.

Regardless of the name, the goal remains the same: to reduce your opponent from their starting nine pieces down to two. You do this by arranging three of your pieces in a single, connected row. This allows you to remove any one of your opponent’s pieces from the board, provided that piece is not part of a Mill itself.

The board consists of three squares: a small square centered inside a medium square that is centered in a larger, outer square. Each square is connected to the square(s) next to it by a line that cuts perpendicularly through the center of each side. Circles are used to indicate these intersections and additional circles are added to the intersections at the corners of each square. Thus, the board contains three squares and 24 circles.

The modern game is played in three phases. In the first, players alternate turns by placing a single piece of their color on one of the marked circles.

If, during the course of this phase a player creates a Mill, that player removes one of their opponent’s pieces, provided that piece is not part of a Mill itself.

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Photo: Tom M Franklin

During the second phase players move their pieces along pick up a piece and ‘fly’ from one intersection to any the straight lines to an open circle. Moving into a Mill other unoccupied intersection on the board. This gives allows you to, again, remove an opponent’s piece that is the losing player a fighting chance during the endgame. not currently in a Mill.

The Killer Strategy involves creating a series of pieces Moving into a Mill on one turn, sliding out of it on on the board that allow you to slide a piece from one your next turn, and then back into the same Mill on the Mill directly into another series of two pieces awaiting a third to complete another Mill. Moving back and forth following turn is allowed. from one Mill to another creates an all-but unstoppable The third phase (which appears to be a later addition to winning set of moves. the historical game) allows the first player to be reduced to three pieces to no longer be restricted to sliding from I have genuinely fond memories playing Nine Men’s point to point on the board. Instead, that player may Morris with my father on Friday nights. The game Continued on next page>

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The Game of Nines (Cont.) was simple enough for me to grasp the first time we played, but complex enough to command my youthful attention. I know my father was generous with his moves in those first games, but later games continued to be challenging enough for me to pull out the board and ask to play every few weeks.

With the beautiful version of The Game of Nines provided by the Greek Culture Society I revisited the game. As an adult I initially found the game to be either too simple or too difficult. The difference was not only in the experience of the person I was playing, but the attention I was giving the game.

Initially, I wondered if Nine Men’s Morris was an artifact of a much older time, a game that other, more complex and more challenging games had long since replaced. The more I played it, however, the more I developed an appreciation for the all-but ruthless nature of the game.

Nine Men’s Morris is a brutal game, one that requires perfect play from each player. One mistake can easily cost you the game. But, since each game typically only lasts a few minutes, that chance of redemption is just moments away.

The Greek Culture Society’s rendering of the game, referred to as both The Game of Nines and The Enneas, (https://greecs.com/theenneas.html) is a well-crafted version, featuring a wooden board and weighted pieces in silver and gold colors. It’s a board I’m proud to present and introduce to new players. Like that much younger version of myself, new players are quick to understand the rules and, after only a few games, realize that simple rules do not make for a simple game.

Those concerned with Solved Games – those games that, through deep computer analysis, show that through perfect moves on either side, the game will always result in a win by one side or result in a draw – will point out that Nine Men’s Morris is Solved in that perfect play will always result in a draw. However, unless you possess computer knowledge of the game and all the possible moves, this remains a viable, living game.

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Photo: Tom M Franklin

As unforgiving as The Game of Nines is, I consider it a Gamer’s Game: one that insists on your full attention and your best play. If you’re up to such a challenge, I recommend you look into it.

Designers: Publisher: Players: Mechanic: Ages: Length:

Traditional Greek Culture Society 2 Abstract 6+ 20 Mins.

Highly Recommended http://greecs.com

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Abstract Games

By Tom M Franklin

ZERTZ

T

he third in the Project GIPF series is a remarkably understated Game of Removal. Moves consist either of the jumping-captures of Checkers or the placing of a piece onto an open disc and sliding away another disc from the outermost boarder of the board.

large hexagram. Players then take turns choosing any one of three colors of marbles from the common reserve and placing them on any open disc of their choosing. After placing the marble, the player then slides out any empty disc of their choice from the outer edge of the board. The only conditions are that the disc must be able to be pulled away from Really, that’s it: jump and remove a piece, or place the board without any interference from any other and remove part of the board. Simple, right? disc remaining on the board and that no single disc can become stranded from the main ‘board’.

To follow through with this simple concept ZERTZ comes with three different colors of large bakelite If one player places a marble in such a way that marbles and a series of discs. There is no board, per another marble can jump over another, the next se, as the discs get laid out to create the ‘board’. player must make a jump. Additionally, multiple jumps must be taken. However, if a fork should offer All you need to do to win in ZERTZ is jump over the choice of two different jumping directions, the and capture either 3 of any color marbles, or 4 white active player may choose which direction to jump. marbles, or 5 grey marbles, or 6 black marbles. All the while, trying to keep your opponent from doing It only takes a few moves between players to the same, of course. demonstrate how these simple rules make for a board that looks very different from the opening board.

A game of ZERTZ starts by setting up all of the Sides become irregular, edges become breached black discs (with helpful holes in the center) in a with deep gaps limiting the easy and safe placement of marbles onto the ever-shrinking board.

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Photo: Tom M Franklin

The path to victory is to force your opponent into making captures that, with their final move, allow you to jump and capture colored marbles that benefit you more than those that your opponent was forced to capture on their move.

ZERTZ is another of those games that I feel I should be far better at than I am. The rules are just as simple as I’ve described – however, the board shrinks in continually unpredictable ways making implementing strategies frustratingly difficult.

Of course, this is far easier said than done.

Without question, ZERTZ is my favorite Abstract Gateway game for people who express an interest in games but aren’t completely sold on the idea of board games being more interesting than those they played as kids. I love ZERTZ so much not only do I have a copy at home, but I keep one at work as bait for anyone who expresses the least interest. Better yet, without fail, it has hooked every single person.

Highly Recommended!

If that weren’t enough of a challenge, consider this: if the reserve of marbles runs out, on your next placement turn, you must remove a marble from your own set of captured marbles and place it on an available disc. Not only are you removing a colored marble from your set of possible winning marbles, but you’re potentially making it available to your opponent.

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Interview Gallery

Steve Jackson #1

Dan Verssen #1

Paul Herbert #1

Reiner Knizia #2

Franz Vohwinkel #2

James Ernest #2

Mark Copplestone #2

Reiner Knizia #3

Peter Adkison #3

Brom #3

Chenier La Salle #4

Ryan Dancey #4

Brian Snoddy #4

Beth Sobel #5

Bruno Faidutti #5

Tom Jolly #6

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Game Nite Issue #24

Antoine Bauza #7

Dennis Lohausen #7

Ryan Laukat #8

Chad Hoverter #9

Matt Leacock #9

Greg Isabelli #9

Ignacy Trzewiczek #10

Jacqui Davis #10

Johan Koitka #10

Jamey Stegmaier #11

Michael Menzel #11

Kay Wilke #11

Vincent Dutrait #12

Mike Fitzgerald #12

Sandy Petersen #13

Mihajlo Dimitrievski #13

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Interview Gallery

Bruno Cathala #14

John Ariosa #14

Friedemann Friese #15

Joshua Cappel #15

Eric Vogel #15

Mac Gerdts #16

Keldon Jones #16

Steve Finn #17

J. Alex Kevern #18

Richard Ham #18

Ludovic Roudy #19

Bruno Sautter #19

Phil Walker-Harding #20

Luke Peterschmidt #21

Mike Richie #22

Grant Wilson #22

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Contributors Serge Pierro Serge has playtested numerous games for several companies, including

Wizards of the Coast and AEG. He has also written for Duelist, Inquest and Gamer print magazines. His award winning photography has appeared in both newspapers and magazines. He has self published a game, and has several other designs ready... but, currently finds his free time devoted to doing Game Nite.

Eric Devlin Eric has been the North East Regional Representative for Wizards

of the Coast, the brand manager of Legends of the Five Rings, as well as working with Sabretooth and Third World Games. He has an extensive background in playtesting for top companies. He has also written for Games Quarterly, Duelist, Inquest and others.

Jeff Rhind Jeff is a single father raising a 19 year-old son and a 8 year-old daughter, and slowly coaxing them into the world of tabletop gaming. He has been gaming for many years and shares his love and appreciation for the hobby by reviewing and talking about games on his web site: completelyboard. com as well as his You Tube channel at youtube.com/completelyboard.

You can also follow him on twitter @jeffrhind

Tom M Franklin Tom lives in North Carolina where he and his wife are staff to their five cats.

His writing has appeared in his agent’s Inbox and the occasional hand-written letter to friends. He grew up playing Abstract Strategy Games (back when they were simply called games) and still regards dice of all kinds with suspicion. His Board Gaming Claim to Fame is having taught over 300 kids how to play Chess. Considering he’s been playing board games for over 50 years he really should be much better at them than he is.

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Game Review Index

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• • • • • •

This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the 2-4 of Us Small World Stella Nova Shoot-Out Postcard Cthulhu Postcard Empire

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Tile Chess Cards of Cthulhu Samurai Spirit Golem Arcana Pairs Sutakku Timeline

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Baseball Highlights 2045 Samurai Sword Paperback For the Crown Trench Firefly Cutthroat Caverns Rise of the Zombies Shadow Throne

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Rhino Hero Attila Spurs and Sprockets Chaosmos March of the Ants AquaSphere Fidelitas Rise of Cthulhu Maha Yodah

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Animal Upon Animal Sushi Draft Stones of Fate WWII: Stalingrad Stockpile The Magnates Sentinel Tactics Flip City Space Movers 2201 Dark Tales

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Nevermore Gold West Arcadia Quest

Dragon Flame

New York 1901

Lift Off! Tesla vs. Edison

Yashima Targi

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Outer Earth 1944: Race to the Rhine Runecast Cycling Tour Witkacy Firefly: Fistful of Credits Dozen Doubloons King Down

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Game Review Index

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Game Nite Issue #24

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Steam Works Web of Spies Cartography Xia: Legends of a Drift System Orleans Raiders of the North Sea Hoyuk Wizards of the Wild Myths at War Ring It! Hogg Wild for Wealth The Martian Investigations

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Cosmic Run Imperial Harvest Under the Pyramids (Eldritch Horror Expansion) Bomb Squad Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization Luna Biblios Dice Trekking the National Parks Fuse Skulldug!

Horrible Hex

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Cuisine a la Cart Foragers The Shadow Over Westminster Scoville Valeria: Card Kingdom Onitama Knit Wit Worlds Fair: 1893 Flip City: Reuse Gruff The Walled City Empires at Sea

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JurassAttack!

Oh My Gods!

Looting Atlantis 13 Days Apotheca Tiny Epic Galaxies Automobiles Daxu Slaughterville Kheops Scoville: Labs Ancient Conflict Treasure Chest

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Dr. Eureka Stockpile: Continuing Corruption Sugar Gliders Dawn of the Zeds: Third Edition Vast: The Crystal Caverns The Networks Grifters Trajan Conspiracy!

Secrets of the Last Tomb Best Treehouse Ever Matryoshka

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Imhotep In the Name of Odin Centauri Saga Draconis Invasion Dastardly Dirigibles Flamme Rouge Haspelknecht Hansa Teutonica Star Trek Panic Theomachy Commissioned San Ni Ichi Small City Game Nite Issue #24

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Game Review Index

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Game Nite Issue #24

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Kanagawa Lunarchitects Hero Realms Santorini Vinhos: Deluxe Colony Sun Tzu Bermuda Crisis Tavarua Explorers of the North Sea America San Allies Crisis

• • • • • • • • • •

Hanamikoji Element Villages of Valeria Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition 7 Wonders Duel Oceanos Herbaceous A Feast For Odin Schotten Totten This Belongs in a Museum

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Ninja Taisen Space Invaders Dice!

The Dresden Files Card Game Pyramids Quests of Valeria Amun-Re Cultists of Cthulhu Magic Maze Knot Dice The Cohort Crazier Eights Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu

• • • • • • • • • • • •

7&7 March of the Ants: Minions of the Meadow Honshu Web of Spies Saga of the Northmen Tournament at Camelot Haspelknecht: The Ruhr Valley Plague Inc. Zephyr Terrible Monster 5ive Duress

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Fantasy Realms Space Race Isle of Skye Unearth ION Escape from 100 Million BC Battle for Souls COG Near and Far Terraforming Mars Caverna: Cave vs. Cave Pocket Mars Terra Mystica Hafid’s Grand Bazaar

• • • • • • • •

The Climbers Whistle Stop The 7th Continent Witches of the Revolution Viral Sentient Road Hog PeltaPeeps

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Game Review Index

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Game Nite Issue #24

• • • • • • •

Mini Rails Nightmare Forest: Alien Invasion The Ruhr Summit Seikatsu Tulip Bubble Covalence

• • • • • •

Joraku Michael Strogoff Minute Realms Castle Dukes Rajas of the Ganges Cytosis

• • • • •

Ancestree Exodus Fleet Tak Mistborn: House War Expedition: RPG Card Game

Game Review Index

• • • •

ShutterBug Divinity Derby Wakening Lair Planet of the Apes

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Vast: The Fearsome Foes Vast Miniatures Expansion Vast Bonus Cards Wildcatters Alexandria Tzolk’in

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