Well, Tom Vasel - the busiest and perhaps most prolific man in boardgaming - offered to play a promo for Boardgame Babylon on the Dice Tower and my old Rat Factory instincts said to do something snappy, despite not being personally snappy. It seemed mildly amusing when I recorded it but I cringed when I actually heard it on the show. Ugh! I'll have to beg him not to play it again.

I also wanted to add to the many online recommendations for the excellent new 'older games' podcast, The Vintage Gamer. Host Jim Van Verth has carved out an interesting niche for this show and I just listened to and enjoyed his show about Cosmic Encounter (despite being one of the detractors of this classic game). I strongly endorse this fine show, despite it being one of the few board game podcasts I didn't namecheck during the promo.

Thanks for all the feedback I've received. Feel free to send any comments along to: sheylon@gmail.com.

New shows coming soon! I'm playing Caylus one more time tonight before re-recording my Caylus: In Depth show again.

A session review for a couple of import games. Kreta, by Stefan Dorra, was an Essen 2005 release and Der Untergang von Pompeji by Klaus Jurgen-Wrede (yes, Mr. Carcassonne) was an Essen 2004 release that will be out from Mayfair later this year.

Show Notes

Games mentioned:

Kreta

Der Untergang von Pompeji

Caylus

Kardinal und Konig

Other links:

Mayfair Games

Boardgame News Gone Cardboard, which mentions that Pompeji is coming out.

Next up is a themed show.

(Imported from my old blog) With the increase in traffic here on Boardgame Babylon lately, I guess it makes some sense to give new readers an idea of who the heck I am and why I feel the need to blog about board games (especially when there is already so much good online reading on the subject out there). Well, here, I'm stealing an idea from Mark Johnson - the Uberpodcaster of Gaming, who apparently stole it from Mark Jackson (another excellent blogger), and who also stole it from Mark Haberman (yet another excellent blogger). Essentially, it's a pretty nice list of questions that should give you a fair idea of my background.

1. How long have you been gaming?

Pretty much since I could hold a hand of cards. Played Crazy Eights, Gin Rummy, and War as a young child, graduated to Tripoley with the family, Contract Rummy, and Poker not much later. Board games like Payday, Connect Four and Clue were favorites when I was a kid.

D&D came into my life in 5th grade, when a buddy bought the old Basic set. He got the Expert box shortly thereafter and I was hooked. AD&D followed shortly, as did some interest in Fantasy Games Unlimited stuff and Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu. Loved world-building (still have notes from my first fifth grade adventure, "Scaling Redcrow Mountain") and was almost always a DM/GM. Continued to play through middle school and some in high school (including a campaign that made me the subject of some jealousy, where I ran a game with three older women I worked with - no wonder I've never felt like a 'geek', eh?). President of the High School game club for three years (where I convinced them to lift a campus ban on D&D). Did Traveller and some others, too. D&D eventually morphed into the far superior GURPS (and some brief GURPS Supers stuff) but that didn't last too long.

Simultaneously, our group also got into loads of 80's board games, from the Games Workshop series to Avalon Hill to the Gamemaster Series from Milton Bradley. My group and I attended the Strategicon game conventions in the Los Angeles area pretty religiously from 1986 to about 1991, but then we stopped pretty cold (a couple of guys still show up once in a while and I made a trek to Gamex 2004 this last year for a 'free day').

Played gobs of games of Diplomacy in a regular group through a BBS I used to call. We got into Wiz-War quite early and quite hard (contributed some cards to the expansions) and some other small press stuff. Magic: The Gathering was next and shortly thereafter, we got some Euros. Been going strong ever since.


2. What was your first Euro game?

Oddly enough, I believe it was Shark. I still like it better than Acquire since it is more fluid and you are less likely to get stuck with nothing to do and no money. After that, it was a long quiet bit until we got Settlers, like most others. We got it quite early and played it so much that I still can't work up much interest in playing it again (been about eight years since I played it).


3. Which game sucked you in?

Settlers was it, no question. We were hooked something hard for a long time. Lowenherz was a big deal, too. Outpost had the feel of Euros. We played that a lot, although I think it's not a great game.

4. What is your favorite game?

It's Ra. I love auction games and the mechanics are so elegant, it feels like art. It is one of the few games I am always in the mood to play.

5. What is your least favorite game?

Those with too much luck and too much analysis paralysis. Dice tend to irritate me more than other random elements (like drawing cards), because they always fail me at a critical juncture, it seems. Any of our longtime group will attest to that the fact that if there is one die roll that will make or break the game, I will miss it. Cards don't do me wrong the way the dice do. Can't explain it.

Also, I am not fond of games with a lot of downtime when I cannot take my time to plan because I need to see what other people are doing first. Further, if you can sit there and calculate the best move by taking more time, that is probably a game I would avoid.

Finally, I don't like the one-joke game much. Maybe it comes from giving too much money to James Ernest purely on the basis of his good sense of humor. But I really don't see much use in playing these games more than once (95% of Cheapass, all new Steve Jackson Games). Chez Geek, for example, was fun if you just read the cards.

Okay, Fluxx. I think Fluxx is my least favorite game.

6. Open or closed holdings?

No real preference here. It would depend on the game.

7. To gamble or not to gamble?

I enjoy gambling but my luck is lousy so I don't do it much. Games like Craps where you have more control are fine (Manila is even more fun!), but the crowds are not my favorite. I like Vegas, but only for about 48 hours every two or three years. Too much smoke! I can't imagine going anywhere else to gamble.

8. How much luck do you like in your games?

Not much. As I've mentioned above, bad die rolls drive me batty. I prefer a game that has luck with card draws or has some quirky random element like the awesome Wallenstein cube tower. Although perfect information isn't great either, I prefer a small luck factor in games.

9. Last three games played?

Caylus, Big City, Coloretto.

10. Last three games purchased?

Reef Encounter, Die Sieben Weisen (to complete my Alea collection!) and Saboteur.

11. Packrat or trader?

A collector and packrat, of course. I've started to get tougher and have done a number of trades recently. I'm also planning some serious tough love for the collection in 2006 (one of my resolutions).

12. What game are you thinking about right now?

The new ones I got for Christmas, mostly, plus Caylus (which I didn't get!)

Those I did get recently: Traumfabrik, Big City (a trade, actually), Railroad Tycoon, Struggle of Empires (another trade), BuyWord, I'm The Boss (another trade), Mu and More, Fjords, Reef Encounter and Tsuro. Two more are still in shrinkwrap that will be gone this week for sure - Oltremare and Ta Yu.

13. What is your favorite Mechanic?

Interesting auction elements are probably my favorite. I just got excited again about them from playing Traumfabrik, was intrigued by Beowulf and, of course, Ra still delights me every time I play it - especially the way the bidding tiles become part of the next auction lot.

14. What is your favorite Theme?

As long as the game is good, the theme won't matter too much. That said, I like business themes, especially quirky and interesting types of businesses like in Traumfabrik.

15. Who is your favorite Designer?

Definitely Reiner Knizia - he has done so many amazing games, it is hard for me to hand that honor to anyone else. Rudiger Dorn is coming up fast with some terrific games. Michael Schacht is also quite good. And Tom Jolly will always be admired for the wonderful Wiz-War, the true precursor to Magic: The Gathering.

16. Best Gaming experience?

My best gaming experiences are when we host a long day of gaming, starting at noon and ending at midnight. I like having them at our house because I can still see my kids. Even though I have my attention elsewhere, I get to see the kids running around and having fun with the kids of our friends, too. In the course of that kind of day, I get to play some long games, some short games and with a host of different people. On our recent game day, the following games were played: For Sale, Caylus, Flix Mix, Pompeji, Descent: Journeys in the Dark, Traumfabrik, 10 Days in the USA, Big City, 6 Nimmt!, and TransAmerica. That's a whole lot of fun, in my book. The fact that more and more of our wives, girlfriends and such are playing the games really adds to the experience.

In addition, I had a lot of fun with two player games with my wife when we took a weekend trip to San Diego last summer. The kids went to sleep after a long day at Sea World and swimming and we had a nice desk space that was big enough for the two of us to play some games of Mystery Rummy, Palazzo and Lost Cities. She is playing more and more and getting better and better. What a lucky guy I am!

17. Worst Gaming experience?

First and foremost, when people get snippy in games. I have come to accept that a couple of our guys metagame a bit (especially the whining) but I dislike people getting angry because a game isn't going their way. It is, after all, just a game.

Also, when people say I should be 'targeted' in games based on past experience. We have a lot of good players in our group but there is a small contingent who say, "You'd better stop Eric or he'll win, like always!" Being that this is SO not true, it's slightly annoying when another player considers this to be sensible advice, rather than looking at the game in question and the current positions before making a decision on what to do on their turn.

18. Favorite game for 2?

Kahuna - although I grin whenever I read the sub-title on the cover - "South Seas Magic For Two". Good thing I play this with my wife all the time. Right now, we also like Mystery Rummy #1, Palazzo, and Ticket To Ride.

19. For 3?

Ra - no question. But I also think the idea that there are no good three player games is a huge myth. I'm going to do a podcast on the subject soon.

20. For 5?

Taj Mahal is a load of fun with five. I tend to like lighter fare with five, though, since some of the best deeper games can bog down with so many. Coloretto, Mamma Mia, Poker, Ticket To Ride, Adel Verpflichtet and the like.

21. For 6?

6 Nimmt!, Saboteur, Bang! or TransAmerica. Tsuro is looking like a keeper for larger numbers, too.

22. Favorite party game?

Without a doubt, Balderdash. I've laughed so hard with that game, it easily wins out over other great ones like Apples to Apples and Time's Up. Werewolf will eventually overtake them all, I think. It's a bit hit with everyone in our group these days.

23. Do you value Theme or Mechanics more?

I think mechanics are a bigger deal but that just means I would rather have a game with great mechanics and a pasted on theme than one with a great theme and dull mechanics.

24. What color do you want to be?

Black, Green or Gray. Except in Mamma Mia, where I like to be yellow because of the pineapple. Mmmm....pineapple.

25. What is your favorite movie?

Manhattan. Woody's best and a film I still laugh at every time. I watch it every year. The end always gets me.

26. What is your favorite book?

Franny and Zooey. It taught me that a novel could be more than a straightforward story and has informed much of my life's philosophy. The Brothers Karamazov is a close second because I love his writing and felt like I got a perceptive psychology textbook in there, too. Finally, Ulysses taught me about artistry in prose. Some passages still send shivers down my spine.

27. Last 3 books read?

The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon (slightly overrated), Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler (middling for her) and A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe (delightful).

28. Last 3 movies watched?

King Kong (too long - and this from someone who thought the extended LOTRs were too short), Chronicles of Narnia (okay, I guess), and Fantastic Four (just as bad as you thought it would be). My next three will be better: Comfort and Joy, Fargo and The Producers (the original, not the Broadway one).

29. Favorite alcoholic beverage (or non-alcoholic if you don't drink)?

Not much of a drinker but I like wine (Shiraz/Syrah), Harp Lager, and whiskey.

30. Who are the three most important people in your life?

My wife Christina and my two wonderful children. The rest of my immediate family are a close second and my longtime friends a close third. I am a very lucky man in this regard! Easily makes up for the problem with dice...

Yet another session review show – the last one before a themed show, I think. This one talks about one of the hot games of the moment, Railroad Tycoon. My perspective is a little different from some other recent audio reviews in that I haven’t actually played Age of Steam (only read the rules). So, there you go – something new.

This was also another show recorded at home but it was also late at night and I seem to be getting a slight cold. Apologies for the phlegm-y voice…lol

Once again, any feedback, complaints or otherwise are definitely appreciated. Please send them to: sheylon@gmail.com.

Show Notes:

Games mentioned:

• Railroad Tycoon
• Age of Steam
• Shear Panic
• 10 Days in Europe
• 10 Days in the USA
• Sequence Dice
• Sequence (the original)

Additional Links:

• Ted Cheatham’s excellent audio review of Railroad Tycoon
• The Dice Tower boys review Railroad Tycoon

Another session review show, this time focusing on some shorter 4 player games we played in the course of a visit from another couple with whom my wife and I play games.

This show was also recorded on the road and has the trappings of one - a little shakier than the ones recorded while not in motion. Have no fear - I sit in the carpool late moving slowly when I record. I just turn on Audacity before I get on the road and don't shut if off until I'm home again in the driveway. That's part of the reason I have to do so much editing - I just record warts and all. Don't worry - there is no danger involved. ;) Talking is like breathing to us Burgesses.

That said, I like doing the shows that are not in motion more so I'll probably just do stationary shows from now on. We'll see.

Again, any feedback is much appreciated. Please send it to: sheylon@gmail.com.

Show Notes:

Big City
Wyatt Earp
Tsuro

Okay, this one is a little better than the last two. I actually recorded this one in my office at home instead of on the road and you can tell. The relaxed environment and also, actual notes! I'm taking the advice of the mighty Mark Johnson to heart. His good advice has been helpful and hopefully will make this podcast much better. At the very least, I didn't give another horrendously long and somewhat painful dissertation on Palazzo.

Again, please send any comments, complaints, or feedback to: sheylon@gmail.com.

Show links:

Hacienda
Il Principe

What happened to number #2? Oh, it's coming. But I wanted to put this one about No Risk Math Trades out so it wouldn't seem like every one of them is a Session Review (as I like to call them).

This podcast was recorded back on Dec. 5th of 2005 but in editing it, I found that I left off the ending so I recorded the rest tonight. It is a discussion and description of the No Risk Math Trades available on www.boardgamegeek.com.

WARNING: This is very rough! My first couple of attempts to podcast have been unscripted, off-the-cuff affairs. I'm now doing a little more prep work before I record them so hopefully they will get much better coming up soon. I've actually recorded about a dozen like this and I'm only saving about three of them - just the ones I don't really want to re-record. I'll do a more formal launch later, once some of my guinea pi...er...friends I've asked to listen to the podcast give me some more feedback. If you just wandered by...well...these podcasts are pretty rough so listen at your own risk.

Please send any feedback/comments/complaints to: sheylon@gmail.com. Thanks for listening!

Okay, I'm still working on developing the Boardgame Babylon podcast but I've uploaded one very early show (it's pretty bad and I did some truly awful edits) just so people can tell me how annoying my voice sounds. No - but you can give me some feedback. I haven't put beginning music on it yet.

If you are not too afraid, click the link above and give it a listen. It's about 35 minutes long.

I'm editing shows about:

* Session Report on: Caylus (woo!)
* Math Trades on BGG
* Excellent Kids' Games
* More session reports

Also coming up:

* Round Table Discussion: Games Workshop Boardgames of the 1980's
* Round Table Discussion: Three Player Games
* RA: An Appreciation
* Guilty Pleasures Games

Any feedback, comments, complaints or whatever can be sent to me at: sheylon@gmail.com