Tsuro of the Seas

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged about tabletop games but my love of videogames hit hard recently and much of my focus has gone that way.  Though I haven’t played tabletop games in a while, I have been itching for a board game night and will likely pull out the beautiful Tsuro board.

I personally tend to avoid overly complicated games and usually wind down my board game nights with something simple that everyone can play together.  Tsuro has filled in this gap a lot and remains a favourite among my friends.  Simple and interactive, Tsuro is a perfect example of elegant design.  Players sail their ships onto a 7 x 7 square grid by laying tiles to set their path through the board.  As the board gets filled with these tiles, players will inevitably cross paths and mess with each other’s route.  Eventually, players will get eliminated as their boats get forced off the grid leaving the winner alone on the board.  For an added bit of tension, ‘Tsuro of the Seas’ introduces dragons that randomly move around the board eating up player boats.

Tsuro is a great board game that requires very little teaching.  Because it is so simple and interactive, it makes for the perfect game to introduce new people to designer board games or warming people up to more complex games.

Wizard's Tower Ottawa

Today’s post is, and will probably always be, the most local post I will put out.  Back a couple months ago, I had written about a comic store that was closing here in Ottawa that has recently re-opened under a new name.  As much as I liked that shop, it was out of the way and I didn’t frequent it often.  Instead I go to a great comic store that is much closer, Wizard's Tower.

In the early days when Wizard’s Tower opened up, I remember dropping by to see the store being set up.  The store was the third and newest location for the owner Dave, but has since become the one and only store that he owns and manages.  From the get go, Wizard’s Tower had a welcoming and bright atmosphere.  With a big open space and tables laid out for gaming, Wizard’s Tower was set up from the start to be a nerd hub.  Back before comics were ever an interest for me, I would pick up packs of Magic: The Gathering boosters and feel the rush of cracking them open right there in the store.  Magic was and continues to be the bread and butter of the store, drawing in big crowds of geeky patrons every week to meet up and play some games.

When I finally did pick up my comic obsession, it was an employee at Wizard’s Tower that helped recommend amazing books to feed my interest.  It was here that I learned the basic tenants of introducing comics to new readers as they were taught to me:

• Find a character the person likes.
• Find out what kind of genre the person is looking for.  Comics are a medium, not a genre.
• Start with a low continuity story arc.
• Suggest following writers that a person likes as opposed to just the characters.
• Point readers in the direction for highly acclaimed runs as opposed to personal favourites.

Of course, there is more to it than this, but these are the main considerations that were taken to stoke my passion for comics.  This of course led me to writing my own comic which I self published here in Ottawa.

I have had a lot of support with my comic when I first released it.  I was lucky enough to get some humble media attention and shelf space for my comic early on.  Wizard’s Tower was no exception to this and Dave gladly threw my book up on his shelf with no hesitation.  What was exceptional, however, is that my book is still on his shelf over a year after release.  Shelf space is limited at any comic shop, so I am very grateful that my book was given such a good chance to sell over the past year.  It should also be noted that I have sold more copies of ‘Son of God’ at Wizard’s Tower than anywhere else.

I know that this seems like a big commercial for my local shop, but I assure you it is done with gratitude and sincerity.  Though I’m not a super regular, I do drop by pretty often to browse board games and D&D supplies on top of ordering my monthly comics.  The store has changed for the better over the past couple years, and hopefully my son and I can frequent it as he gets older.

Sushi Go!

When looking for board games, I've shifted my focus to more casual games.  I find that short casual games can still be a lot of fun, and get way more play than anything that involves a lot of set up or time to play.  This is what led me to check out Sushi Go!

First off, I have to say that my wife enjoys board games, but doesn't have a strong interest in them.  That being said, she absolutely loves this game.  I found the small tin box at my local nerd store, and was instantly drawn to the adorable art.  The game is ultra cute, which is doubled by the sushi theme of the game.

I checked some reviews and looked at the mechanics, and was sold.  Sushi Go! is a drafting game, which means that each player gets a hand of cards, picks one, and passes the rest.  This may sound simple, but can lead to some very exciting and close games.  Overall, the game is fast, fun and easy to break out.  This is probably why even though it is the last game I've bought, it's also the most played game I own.

Monster Mash Board Game

With nostalgia, it can be amazing the memories that can get drummed up out of nowhwere.  I was fiddling around with game design concepts for fun and tried to remember some of the old games that I played as a kid.

BAM!  It hit em.  An old game from my childhood called "Monster Mash".  Ever heard of it?  yea, I didn't think so.  Originally released in 1987 by Parker Brothers (before becoming a subsidiary of Hasbro), this game had an interesting yet simple design.  The game came with a small deck of cards an a box called the Monster Maker had three sections of a monster:  the top (eyes), middle (mouth/body) and bottom (feet).  When you pressed the button at the top of the Monster Maker, the three sections would shuffle randomly and create a new monster.  The deck of cards would be strewn all over the table, each with a different monster.  Players would then have to hunt down the card that matches the monster maker and pick it up with their 'Slapper' before everyone else.

This game is really old, and my memories of it are hazy at best.  Still, it obviously made a life-long impression on me and I will always remember the game with rose coloured glasses. Apparently, Monster Mash had a re-release in 1999, and from what I can tell, it is just as forgotten as the old version. 

Love Letter

For the past few years, there has been an entire wing of geek culture that has been swelling into the mainstream.  I would hear of Settlers of Catan games popping up from friends every once and a while, but I never jumped on it.  It wasn't until my cousin got really into board games that I realized there was an entire renaissance of board games happening right underneath my nose.  Board game sections at comic stores started ballooning out of control, and I would start hearing names like "Ticket to Ride" and "Small World" in conversation with fellow geeks.

Recently, I have started dipping my feet into this world, and I stumbled onto the game Love Letter.  Well known to the tabletop world, Love Letter had enough universal praise to fight back my gut instinct against it.  I needed a quick 5-10 minute game for my work breaks, so I bought the boxed version and boy, am I glad I did.

This game is so genius in it's simplicity and I couldn't imagine the fun that a 16 card deck of cards could bring to the table.  The straight forward rules and portability makes Love Letter a dangerous gateway for me into the world of tabletop gaming.