Games

The Games We Play: Christmas Gift Ideas!

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Ah, it's that magical time of year when we rush to the mall to get our favorite gamer friend/spouse/child/grandma a new game to unwrap on Christmas morning.  Philo asked me to put together a list of some good game ideas.  I haven't played all of these, but I've heard good things.  Anything with a * is one I have not played.

Party Games:

Codenames* - One of the hottest items discussed on Dice Tower and BoardGameGeek is this great new party game.  Played in teams, one person on each team is trying to get his teammates to pick the right cards, which lay in a grid of 5X5.  It's Password, but better.

Spyfall - Played with a group of people, everyone draws a card.  All the cards except one have the name of a location on them (same location), one cardholder is the spy.  The people with the location card have to root out the spy by asking questions to the other players to make sure they know where they are.  They spy is trying to figure out where they are, without looking too out of place.

Say Anything - Similar to Balderdash, the reader asks a question, everyone else writes down their answers, then everyone tries to reason out what everyone put.

Telestrations - Think telephone meets Pictionary.  First person gets a phrase, they have to write down a picture of what that phrase is, next person looks at the picture, and comes up with a phrase.  The weirder the phrase, the funner this gets.

Wits and Wagers - Trivia games are fun, but it's much more fun when people don't know the precise answer, but try to get close.  Ask a question, everyone writes down their answers, then make bets as to which one is the closest to the right one.

Modern Day Classics 

Ticket To Ride - One of the first modern board games I played.  Still great fun, especially with kids.  Start the game by selecting tickets with route between two cities.  Next, collect cards to be able to place trains on the various train paths to complete your route.

Settlers of Catan - Build your settlements and cities and roads in between.  Gather wood, ore, grain, brick and sheep (baaa) to build more and more and get to 10 points first!

Carcassonne - Classic tile laying game.  Draw a tile, place it on the board, place your meeple to get points for your roads, castles, cloisters, and farms.

Dominion - The game that started the term "Deckbuilding."  Build up your deck with money cards, kingdom cards, and victory point cards.  Also has about 10 expansions you can add to it.

 Cooperative

Shadows Over Camelot - Co-op game in the setting of King Arthur.  Search for the holy grail, Excalibur, and Lancelot's Armor.  Fight the black knight and the deadly dragon.  Fend off the Picts and the Saxons.  And most of all, watch out for the traitor in your midst.

Pandemic - The world is a sick place, and it's your job to find the cure.  Race across the world searching for the cure, while treating the deadly diseases.  Also, for a longer, deeper adventure, try the new Pandemic Legacy*

Forbidden Island / Forbidden Desert - Putting these together since they're similar, but still very different.  You're working together to find four items and get away before the island sinks, or the desert overtakes you.  GREAT with kids

Adventure

Dead of Winter* - I've been pining to play this for over a year now.  I don't know much about it other than it's cold outside, and zombies are lurking around every corner.  Everyone also has their own agenda, but still trying to work together

Mice and Mystics - Wonderful adventure game that is kid friendly.  Your kingdom has been taken over, and to escape, you and your friends have been turned into mice.  Escape through sewers and basements and kitchens.  Has a campaign mode that takes you through an entire story.  Also has many expansions.

Descent: Journeys In The Dark* - I've heard a lot about this one.  Plays similar to M&M, I think.

Personal Favorites - These are games that are my personal favorites, but sometimes tastes can differ, so just warnin' ya.

Castles of Burgundy - The first time I played this, I knew I had to have it.  You're placing tiles (buildings, mines, animals, castles, etc) on your board (estate).  You get points, bonuses, goods to ship, etc.  Great for couples (so I've heard)

Trajan - Same designer as Castles.  A Mancala-esque mechanic drives this game.  You're trying to ship goods, influence the Senate, gain territory, all in the name of getting victory points.

Terra Mystica - Area control game that doesn't involve fighting.  Take control of one of 14 races (20 with the expansion) and stake your claim.  Build dwellings, trading posts, temples, strongholds and sanctuaries.  Send your priests to the cult track, and build your engine to build the most magnificent empire ever.  (Judged on victory points)

Lords of Waterdeep - Worker Placement game in a Dungeons and Dragons setting.  You play a Lord of the city of waterdeep, recruiting warriors, rogues, wizards and clerics to do your bidding, to gain favor and.... wait for it.... victory points.

Splendor - You are a gem collector trying to be the best and most prestigious in the land.  Buy mines to help you get more gems which help you get more gems and points.  Incredibly quick to learn and teach.

These are some of my favorite and most talked about games right now.  Let me know if you have questions about any other types of games.

 

Also, what have you been playing lately?

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Sixty-five

MINNESOTA 4, DETROIT 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Friday, June 25.

Batting stars:  Don Mincher was 2-for-3 with a home run (his third) and a walk, scoring twice and driving in two.  Bernie Allen was 1-for-4 with an RBI.  Joe Nossek was 1-for-1 with a pinch-hit RBI.

Pitching stars:  Al Worthington pitched 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk with one strikeout.  Johnny Klippstein pitched a perfect ninth with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Dave Wickersham pitched 8.2 innings, allowing four runs on three hits and three walks with six strikeouts.  Don Demeter was 2-for-4 with a home run (his fourth) and two RBIs.  Al Kaline was 2-for-4 with a home run, his fourteenth.

The game:  Kaline opened the scoring with a home run in the fourth.  The Twins got the run back with Mincher's RBI single in the bottom of the fourth, but Demeter homered in the fifth and delivered an RBI single in the sixth to put the Tigers up 3-1.  Mincher homered in the seventh, but the Twins still trailed 3-2 going to the bottom of the ninth.  The first two batters went out, but then Wickersham issued a pair of walks that ended his day.  Fred Gladding came in and gave up an RBI single to Allen, tying the score.  The runners had moved up to second and third on a failed throw to the plate, so Rich Rollins was intentionally walked to load the bases.  Nossek then pinch-hit and singled home the winning run.

Of note:  Zoilo Versalles was 0-for-4.  Sandy Valdespino, again playing in place of Bob Allison, was 0-for-4.  Tony Oliva was 0-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base (his sixth), and a run.  Jimmie Hall was 0-for-4. dropping his average to .323.  Starter Dave Boswell pitched 5.1 innings, giving up three runs on five hits and no walks with htree strikeouts.

Record:  The win made the Twins 40-25 and kept them in first place by a half game over Chicago and Cleveland.

Notes:  In my memory Dave Wickersham was a relief pitcher, but that was a bit later in his career.  He was a rotation starter from 1963-65, started his transition to the bullpen in 1966, and was almost exclusively a reliever from 1967-69, after which his career ended.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–December 9

Joe Kelley (1871)
Cy Seymour (1872)
Adam Comorosky (1905)
Billy Klaus (1928)
Joe DeMaestri (1928)
Darold Knowles (1941)
Jim Merritt (1943)
Del Unser (1944)
Jerry Cram (1947)
Doc Medich (1948)
Steve Christmas (1957)
Ed Romero (1957)
Juan Samuel (1960)
Tony Tarasco (1970)
Todd Van Poppel (1971)
Tony Batista (1973)

Outfielder Del Unser was drafted by Minnesota in the second round in 1965, but did not sign. Catcher Steve Christmas was drafted by Minnesota in the thirty-third round in 1975, but did not sign.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–December 9 →

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John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Mitch Mitchell – Yer Blues

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John Lennon was killed 35 years ago yesterday (we're more reactive around here).

If you want a tie in with yesterday's video, I guess both Lennon and Gallagher were pretty big assholes. Does that work?

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Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Sixty-four

CLEVELAND 3, MINNESOTA 1 IN CLEVELAND

Date:  Thursday, June 24.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4 with a run.  Jimmie Hall was 1-for-4 with a double.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4 with an RBI.

Pitching stars:  Camilo Pascual struck out five in four innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks.  Jerry Fosnow pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk.

Opposition stars:  Ralph Terry pitched seven innings, allowing an unearned run on five hits and one walk with three strikeouts.  Max Alvis was 2-for-4 with a home run (his thirteenth) and two RBIs.  Dick Howser was 2-for-3 with two walks and a stolen base (his tenth), scoring once.

The game:  Alvis homered in the first and a run scored on an error later in the first to give the Indians a 2-0 lead.  The Twins did little on offense until the seventh, when Killebrew singled in Oliva with their only run.  Alvis' RBI single got the run back for the Indians in the bottom of the seventh.  The Twins loaded the bases with two out in the eighth, but Hall popped up to short to end the inning.

Of note:  Zoilo Versalles was 1-for-4.  Sandy Valdespino was 0-for-3 with a walk.

Record:  The loss made the Twins 39-25, still in first place, but only by a half game over Chicago and Cleveland.

Notes:  Mincher was again at first with Killebrew at third.  Bernie Allen played second.  Pascual apparently was injured--he would not pitch again until July 4, then not again until July 20.  Both were short starts, as were his two starts at the end of July.  He would miss the entire month of August before coming back in September.  Earl Battey remained out of the lineup, with Jerry Zimmerman catching.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–December 8

Jack Rowe (1856)
Jimmy Austin (1879)
Sam Zoldak (1918)
Jim Pagliaroni (1937)
Brant Alyea (1940)
Ed Brinkman (1941)
Ken Roy (1941)
Masahiro Doi (1943)
Alan Foster (1946)
Jeff Grotewold (1965)
Mike Mussina (1968)
Reed Johnson (1976)
Vernon Wells (1978)

Ken Roy was a minor league umpire for two years before becoming a Catholic priest.  He said that his umpiring career helped him in ministry because it gave him more patience with people and made him a better listener.

Masahiro Doi was a fifteen-time all-star in the Japanese Pacific League, playing from 1962-1981.

We would also like to wish a happy ninth birthday to AMR’s son, HPR.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–December 8 →

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Sixty-three

MINNESOTA 6, CLEVELAND 3 IN CLEVELAND

Date:  Wednesday, June 23.

Batting stars:  Sandy Valdespino was 2-for-3 with a two-run homer, a stolen base (his third), and a walk.  Jimmie Hall was 2-for-4 with a home run (his thirteenth), scoring twice.  Bob Allison was 1-for-3 with a three-run homer, his twelfth.

Pitching star:  Mudcat Grant pitched eight innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits and one walk with five strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Rocky Colavito was 2-for-3 with a home run (his sixteenth), a double, and a walk.  Don McMahon pitched two perfect innings of relief with one strikeout.  Max Alvis was 1-for-4 with a run.

The game:  Hall and Colavito each homered in the second to make it 1-1.  Vic Davalillo singled in a run in the third to give the Indians a 2-1 lead.  It was short-lived, as Allison hit a pinch-hit three-run homer in the fourth to put the Twins up 4-2 and Valdespino hit a two-run shot in the fifth to make it 6-2.  The Indians did not score again until the ninth.  They brought the tying run up to bat with one out in the ninth inning, but Dick Stigman got Joe Azcue to hit into a double play to end the game.

Of note:  Zoilo Versalles was 0-for-3.  Tony Oliva was 0-for-4.  Harmon Killebrew was 0-for-3 with a walk and a run.

Record:  The win made the Twins 39-24 and increased their lead over Chicago to a full game.

Notes:  Hall raised his average to .330.  Valdespino's home run was his only homer of the season.  The game started with Don Mincher at first, Killebrew at third, and Valdespino in left.  After Allison pinch-hit for Mincher in the fourth, he initially went to first base.  In the eighth, however, Rich Rollins came in to play third, with Killebrew moving to first and Allison to left, replacing Valdespino.  Indians starter Sonny Siebert apparently suffered a minor injury, as he was replaced in the third inning for no apparent reason.  He would pitch three innings of relief in his next appearance, June 27, and then throw a complete game July 1.

Remodeled basement. Same half-baked taste.