Last lines and thoughts on board games

Ok, it's time for a new feature here in letter 'd' land. I know, I know, "but letter 'd'" you say, "what about the movie trading cards and your lackadaisical flickr account and all the other "features" you start but then never do anything with?" "Well," I say, "here's another. Now shut up and eat your vegetables. That garden isn't just for looks you know."

Anyway.

Working in a Library (especially the hush hush behind the scenes super cool I could show you but then have to kill you part) comes with certain perks. Namely books. I can look at lots and lots of books. And there are a lot to look at let me tell you. So I decided it would be great fun (for me) to find some of the really out there books and post the last line from said books. There may be some sarcasm involved. I am still me after all. So hopefully since there will always be books coming in, it won't be too hard to make this happen every once in a while. Or more often than that...

Anway, this week's lovely little gem comes from Cast in Silence by Michelle Sagara. It's part of the Chronicles of Elantra which is a fantasy series I believe. Possibly urban fantasy, I've no real idea. Part of the charm of this feature is a distinct lack of research. I don't believe I even read the blurb. I did provide the Amazon link so you could go look at the cover. It will be important. Trust me.

The last line of Cast in Silence reads, "She felt some tiny part of her unclench and relax, and she began to ask him what, and why, and how, as they walked, and she didn't even mind when he got all technical and half his words went straight over her head." I will not comment on what part of her unclenched except to say that by saying that much I've let all of you make that joke for me. Thanks. It's nice to see that airheads are capable of saving the world as well. If you looked at the cover you will notice the lead female is not blond. Assuming that is said female on the cover (and it usually is) this obviously adds an element of sci fi to the book as she must have dyed her hair in order to achieve some form of artificial intelligence. (I offer the old blond joke about hair dye and AI as evidence for this.) I'm also curious as to why she did not ask who, and where, and when, since as a former blond I'm pretty sure her terribly limited AI could have handled the answers to those questions. Point a blond to a party and well... you get the idea.

So thanks Cast in Silence for being our first test subject for last lines. I'm sure it will be back. I've got a Library full of source material and I'm not afraid to use it.

On to other things. I've got a few random observations about board games. And the people who play them. We got into board games a few years back when we were introduced to Settlers of Catan. I played board games before that, but I'm pretty sure it was around then that I realized board games had come quite a way since titles like Monopoly, and Risk, and Clue and so on. Poked around some and starting finding all sorts of fun titles like Ticket to Ride and Blue Moon City etc.. I have several relatives who are convinced I have some sort of back alley board game dealer as there's no way these things are sold in stores. I've been to Walmart man and they do not sell Zooloretto! they say. So yes, hobby games are in a completely different place now.

Which is not to say it's a place for everyone. Much like saying all animated films are for kids will get you a quick punch to the kidney, saying all games are simple time sinks will get you another bruised kidney. I do my best to research the games I pick up in order to make sure I will have people to play against, but apparently I have some optimism in me as occasionally I stumble and pick up a game that lovely wife or even letter 'r' have trouble going near.

Let's take Blue Moon for example (note, do not confuse this with Blue Moon City which we all love). It's a card game similar in some ways to Magic and other collectible type games. They removed much of the random collectible nature by simply offering standard expansion decks. You buy the Flit deck and you get the same 30 cards as everybody else that buys that deck. There were a handful of these decks put out so that the game offered some variety. At it's heart, Blue Moon is a trick taking game. You play cards that allow you to control dragons. Win 4 dragons and you win the game. Run the other player out of cards while you control more dragons (if you can't get to 4) and you win the game.

Part of the problem (if you're my wife) is that the game only comes with 3 dragons. "If you're supposed to attract a 4th dragon, why isn't there a 4th dragon?" She says every single time I bring up the game. I don't know. Because it was cheaper this way. Because Knizia only likes the RGB color wheel. Who knows. Really not a terribly rational thing to get hung up on if you ask me. The other problem is that since there's a bit of Magic in the game's heritage, you really have to learn the way a deck works. Each deck offers different ways to break the relatively simple rules of the game (you play one character card and one booster or support card in an effort to at least match your opponent's strength). Once you learn how the deck works you can start to build a little bit of a strategy against the other decks.

I suspect this game fails for my wife because there's a little too much effort in learning the game for what she perceives as not enough reward (the non existent 4th dragon). Usually if she wins at something I can entice her to play again. Not so much with this one. The appeal of learning the strengths and weaknesses of each race (deck) and then trying to pit those abilities against the other races isn't enough of a motivator for her. The letter 'r' and I can spend a good hour or so trying them out and seeing how they work. As mentioned not everything is for everyone. The letter 'r' may get a slightly used birthday present this year as there's nothing sadder than a game that sits in a closet and doesn't get played. Although I may give McK a chance at learning it first. She's getting old enough that some of the games that have typically been adult games are starting to be interesting to her. As well as playable.

Then there's something like Arkham Horror. I picked this one up as I really like the Cthulhu theme and I thought it would be fun to give a co-operative game a try (all the players work together to try and prevent the end of the world). The problem here is (and I can't even convince the letter 'r' to try this one) it's got a lot of bits and even more rules. Learning curve strikes again. I often wonder how things would have gone if we'd played that first time with someone that knew the game. It doesn't help that you really need more than 3 people to play. And a typical game clocks in at 3-4 hours.

So those are some of the factors that come into play when looking for a new game. Time, number of rules/bits, what drives the fun of the game. Which isn't to say that it can be hard to find a game that everyone will like. As mentioned, Dominion is a big hit. Ticket to Ride goes in phases (have I forgotten how much my blood pressure tends to rise when I play it?). No Thanks and a few others make the rounds too. It helps if you know the people you're playing with. It also helps if you have a back alley game dealer that knows the product so you can ask questions. I mean, Walmart doesn't sell this stuff man. (Pro tip: if you want to go looking for something new and off the beaten path start here)

This may eventually become something of a feature as well. Games my wife hates. Or loves. It might prove more interesting review fodder. We'll see.

In other non Library/geek news there is a birthday coming up in casa del 'd'. So happy birthday bug. Remember, brains are not food.