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Candle Quest KS Funding Looks Unlikely, But You Should Still Back It
Published on 2012-12-26 11:15:00
As of right now, a successful funding for our Kickstarter project Candle Quest is unlikely to happen. The momentum isn't there, despite good reviews from GeekDad and some promotions by a few other key bloggers.However, you should STILL back the proje
Shabbat Gaming
Published on 2012-12-23 06:20:00
Last shabbat after dinner I played Anagrams using Snatch-It tiles with Raanana's reigning Anagrams queen Shuli and her friend Janine, also no slouch. I used to think I was good at the game. This time I was surprised that I nearly held my own. I came
Long Distance Antike with Chris and Jim
Published on 2012-12-16 07:32:00
Last night I played Antike with two friends on a different continent. We didn't play an online board game; we played by video chat with four video cameras and three copies of the game, one at each location.Chris lives in Oregon. Jim lives in Indiana.
Support Candle Quest: The Hanukkah Board Game
Published on 2012-12-16 06:38:00
Candle Quest, my well-designed Euro-style board game and therefore actually fun to play for both adults and children, is on Kickstarter now. It won't be produced unless it receives enough backing and support to reach its funding target in the next th
HeroQuest: Crying Out for a Re-Release
Published on 2012-12-11 14:55:00
The following is a guest post from
Shabbat Game: Alien Frontiers
Published on 2012-12-11 02:39:00
I introduced five other people to Alien Frontiers on shabbat; two of the other "players" were actually teams. I had brought the game because I knew there would be a newbie, an up-until-now non-gamer who was nevertheless interested in trying out some
Preorder My New Hanukkah Game Now!
Published on 2012-12-05 16:56:00
My (old) new game Candle Quest is up on Kickstarter. You can go there right now to pre-order the world's first and only decent game with a
Alanis in Israel 2012
Published on 2012-12-04 03:48:00
Alanis Morissette wrapped up her global Guardian Angel tour at the sold-out Nokia Stadium (Yad Eliyahu) in Tel Aviv last night, and she was awesome, even if her performance wasn't ... exactly.The hall was supposed to open at 7:00 for the 9:00 concert
Innovation
Published on 2012-12-01 17:28:00
Abe, Sara, and I played
Gilead Games
Published on 2012-11-15 09:31:00
I'm involved in a new project that aims to bring The Menorah Game back to life. The Menorah Game is the original prototype version of It's Alive, which was published by Jackson Pope of the now defunct Reiver Games. More info about It's Alive can be f
Inca Empire
Published on 2012-11-11 09:20:00
Played Inca Empire on shabbat with Abe and Sara. I took it to a decisive victory: 122 to 121 to 120. The trouble is that I've played the game two times before, but these were their first plays.The game is divided into a few phases that start with eve
7 Reasons the Republicans Lost and Deserved It
Published on 2012-11-07 03:11:00
No one person or party represents all of my political views. I agree with Democrats on some issues, Republicans on others, and Libertarians on still others. On yet other issues, no one represents my views.Nevertheless, my hatred for the political sys
2012 Holiday Gift Guide
Published on 2012-10-24 16:31:00
This guide includes games for young and old, for every sex, generation, temperament, and culture.Whatever you do, and whatever you celebrate, there is no better way to spend a Christmas, Hanukkah, or what have you than together with friends, family, and neighbors with a warm cup of (fair trade) cocoa and a stack of casual board and/or card games.The overwhelming majority of the games listed here are meant for newer players, non gamers or the like. I don't list the complicated, heavier games for [..]
An Analysis of Monopoly, or Why Monopoly is Worse than Poker
Published on 2012-10-24 03:15:00
The game of Monopoly (I am considering the four player game played without house rules) is played over four phases that are roughly distinct.In the first phase, players are randomly given properties by the roll of the dice. It is unusual that you should not buy a property on which you land, so everyone generally buys everything they land on. (It's possible that, at some point, your opponents have too little money, in which case it may be worth auctioning the property off and buying it for less ( [..]
Who Knows and Who's Guessing?
Published on 2012-10-21 14:46:00
Suppose we take 128 people from all over the world and we give them a quiz with 7 true-false questions.If all 128 people answer all 7 questions correctly, we would find it hard to imagine that all, or even most, of them guessed their way to the correct answers. It would be more likely that all of them found little difficulty in answering the questions correctly.Similarly, if all 128 people answer all 7 questions incorrectly, we must suppose that none of them knew any of the answers.Things get tr [..]
Shabbat Gaming
Published on 2012-10-20 16:18:00
Eitan, Emily, and Nadine came to Raanana for shabbat. We played at Abraham and Sarah's on Friday night. For Sat lunch and games, Elli and Susan joined us at my house.Friday night Abraham, Eitan, Emily, Nadine, and I ran though a few rounds of Caylus Magna Carta, the card game version of the board game Caylus. First play for everyone. Nadine and I teamed up, and we only played through three rounds so as to get the idea.Caylus
Games Played
Published on 2012-10-02 07:23:00
My nephews always want me to play with them (or tell my made-up-on-the-spot Snowflake stories). We started off with me teaching two of them how to play several games from the Book of Classic Board Games:Go: This book contains the 9x9 version, which was a bit above their heads.Solitaire: I think they understood the game, though they have a long way to go to get good at it.Fox and Geese: They had played this once or twice. They thought that the geese could jump the foxes, which I believe to be inc [..]
Jenga Math, Robotics, and the List of Editions
Published on 2012-09-24 10:09:00
I was not the first to describe Jenga as a NIM like game. Fellow Israeli Uri Zwick also describes Jenga this way in his paper analyzing the mathematics of the game
Jenga Strategy First Thoughts; Amyitis
Published on 2012-09-23 02:45:00
JengaI played Jenga a week or so ago, my first play since childhood. My adult gaming mind is curious to know if anyone has done a strategy analysis on the game.Jenga is something like a NIM game + dexterity. The game starts with a number of layers (let's say X) of which X-1 are accessible for withdrawing a piece, each of which has three pieces. Withdraw a piece and place it on top. After three moves, there are now X+1 layers and the new second layer is now available.Each time you withdraw a piec [..]
Pathfinder (The Board Game, not the RPG)
Published on 2012-09-18 15:22:00
I played an old Milton Bradley board game Pathfinder with one of the kids of a family that had invited me for dinner on Mon night.Pathfinder is a game that looks like Battleship and plays a lot like Battleship, though it seems like it shouldn't. Each player has a hidden 6x6 grid. A player sets up a given number of walls between squares or along the left side and then sets a goal in one of the squares. So you start the game with a maze for your opponent to navigate and a target location for your [..]
Shabbat Games: Troyes, Kingdom of Solomon, Amyitis
Published on 2012-08-26 10:53:00
A week ago shabbat I played Troyes and Kingdom of Solomon with Nadine, Eitan, and Emily. This week I played Amyitis with Abraham and Sarah.Troyes: First plays for Eitan and Emily. Eitan won in the mid-60s, about 10 points over Emily. Nadine and I were tied with one point below Emily. Nadine's favorite level three yellow card, the Sculptor (15 cost, 6/5 points, 3 yellow = 1 point), came out yet again, but she only got to use it a few times.I managed to grab a decent red card point generator, The [..]
Games Day in Jerusalem Oct 4
Published on 2012-08-23 05:30:00
As a reminder, this blog is on slowdown, though I will still post from time to time. I post a little more frequently (like pictures from recent weddings) on Facebook.I carry the games No Thanks and Parade with me as games to play with the children of families to which I am invited for a meal. I played a few rounds of each of them over the last few weekends. Game nights in Raanana continue as usual, even if the session reports are late.We're planning a Games Day in Jerusalem for Thursday, Oct 4.M [..]
Olympics Badminton: A Study in Bad Game Design
Published on 2012-08-02 03:18:00
Here's a game for you:The game lasts eight rounds. In each of the last five rounds, if you lose against your opponents you are out of the game. In other words, you have to win each round in order to win the game.In the first three rounds, if you lose against your opponents, the only result is that you will receive easier challenges in the last five rounds; there are no penalties for losing, because the rounds are not scored. If you win these rounds, you face harder challenges in the last five ro [..]
Why I Hate the Olympics
Published on 2012-07-31 02:28:00
Once upon a time I enjoyed watching some Olympics events like gymnastics. Now I don't care.1. The IOC has turned what was once grassroots and heartfelt into a moneymaking sponsor-driven ad fest.They security firms were unable to find enough security personnel needed to secure the games, but they managed to find almost 300 brand enforcers to walk around taping over faucets at local establishments bearing company names that haven't sponsored the event.Their corporate money-driven greed prevents an [..]
Fast is Slow
Published on 2012-07-29 08:33:00
Last year, a few days before Tisha Baav, I arrived in Raanana. On Tisha Baav I went to the Carlebach shul for the first time and, as I sat down, I volunteered to the gabbai and Rabbi that I could read a chapter of Eicha if they needed. They smiled and assured me that they had planned the reading well in advance, so thanks but no thanks.And then one of the readers didn't show up and they frantically signaled to me from across the darkened room. I was asked to read chapter 2 with zero preparation [..]
My Son Joined the IDF Today
Published on 2012-07-22 08:35:00
Getting on the busThis morning Saarya hugged his mother and father, handed in his induction card and boarded the bus to begin his service in the IDF.I've experienced both of my step-children's (Ariella and Eitan) IDF service - they joined, they worked hard, they completed their service (Eitan is on yearly active reserves) - so I'm not totally unprepared. But still.Saarya spent the last two years in yeshiva as part of the Hesder program, which combines study and army service over a five year peri [..]
Shabbat Gaming
Published on 2012-07-22 08:03:00
Fri night with aunt/uncle and cousins: I entranced them with the cards from Whatzit, a useless game with fun cards (aka Dingbats in Europe, or
Bluetooth Transfer; Book Progress
Published on 2012-07-20 06:23:00
Thursday night our phones discovered each other across a crowded smoky bar (ok, it was across a table at Cafe Hillel and they don't allow smoking, but hush).After making contact, and discovering that we were compatible, I asked for permission and she granted me access. With permission granted, and a connection established, we fumbled around for a while I tried to figure out how to share my data with her phone. With much hesitation, blushing, and apologies, I finally figured it out and send her m [..]
Shabbat Games
Published on 2012-07-15 03:29:00
Had over some gamers and semi-gamers on shabbat.My friend David and I played Go on a 19x19 board. Go is still the Best Game Ever, but I am entirely inadequate with regard to playing on a board of this size. I still don't even comprehend the basics of tactics on the 9x9 board. I tend to give up nearly all of the edge space, which is most of the territory.David and his wife Sharron played Scrabble one or two times, and my daughter played It's Alive and (what they call) Chinese Speed with their dau [..]
Discount on Firenze Luxury Games
Published on 2012-07-05 03:13:00
The manager of Made in Firenze just noticed my three year old post about the top ten most expensive board games in the world. He was pleased to see one of his products listed.(Unfortunately for him, if I did an update to the list his games wouldn't make the cut;
Things Fall Apart (Mostly MY Things)
Published on 2012-07-04 15:57:00
In the last two weeks ...WaterI'm supposed to change the outdoor water filter every three months or so (or so they tell me). I've been renting since last August, so I thought it was about time. I ordered some filters and went outside to find my water main.Lucky for me, there were six pipes corresponding to the six apartments on my side of the building, and each was numbered clearly on the pipe itself with magic marker 1 through 6. My apartment is apartment number 1, so it seemed clear enough. On [..]
Updated Elevator Technology
Published on 2012-07-01 03:22:00
I had an eventful weekend.- Wed night I went to an engagement party.- Thursday I had a day off, since my company moved buildings (one over to the left).- Thursday morning: chores, haircut, pick up three pairs of pants I had patched up. When I paid the bill, I pointed out to the store that they misspelled their service as "Swing Services" in English, instead of "Sewing Services" on their card. The owner was shocked. "I just ordered 40,000 more cards today!"- Thursday noon I attended the funeral o [..]
Shabbat Games
Published on 2012-06-26 02:14:00
I played three games last shabbat:Anagrams: I was invited to the house of a family that I didn't know (we were put together by a mutual friend). While walking there, it came up that I played games, and that the wife played Scrabble and Anagrams. I mentioned that I tend to not find people who can play at my level, which was interpreted as a challenge. It was, I suppose. A few weeks ago I mentioned the same thing to a different couple whom I entertained at lunch for the first time; we played Anagr [..]
10 recent things about me, movies
Published on 2012-06-10 14:44:00
"The sale of MP3 Downloads is currently available only to US customers located in the United States." -Amazon.com, on my attempt to "purchase" a free MP3 download.When I did nothing else, I wrote a lot of good content on this blog. When I devoted my time to Purple Pawn, this blog suffered. Now that I'm devoting my time to writing a book, I can't seem to blog at all. Priorities, priorities.10 recent things about me:- I am no longer writing for Purple Pawn, although I may still contribute somethin [..]
Shabbat Gaming
Published on 2012-05-20 03:04:00
A new guy Ken and his son Oren came over after lunch to play with me, Abraham, Sara, and Nadine. They were cool. Ken and co live in Raanana and have a large Eurogame collection and have played for a while, but this was his first attempt to contact other gamers in the area. Weird. There are little pockets of gamers everywhere it seems.Abraham taught them Container, which they liked. Meanwhile, Nadine, Sara, and I played Troyes. Nadine scored heavy scoring yellow and white cards and a strong cathe [..]
Ignorance Sucks
Published on 2012-05-10 15:18:00
Not knowing things irritates me. I may be in the minority on this.Exhibit A: SnapsLast sukkot I was introduced to the bar puzzle/game Snaps, one of those hilarious "in-the-know" games enjoyed by the people who know the rules and supposedly challenging and frustrating for those who don't. The game is allegedly about trying to guess a word given clues by one player, but it's actually about figuring out how the clue system works. Something to do with snapping fingers.To some people, this is enterta [..]
Movie Reviews: Battleship, The Hunger Games, The Iron Lady
Published on 2012-04-29 16:06:00
Battleship:So far, this is the only Hasbro property originally licensed to Universal that has seen the light of day. It cost $250 million to make. Was it worth it?Battleship is like a bowl full of vanilla ice cream when you're wanting dinner. I can only imagine the director giving his instructions: "Walk here!" "Swim here" "Jump here!" "Say this line!" It doesn't much matter who the actors are or what they do, so long as they do it passably, which they do. Not one of them has a personality of an [..]
Homies
Published on 2012-04-27 07:06:00
It's tempting to leave the "lesbian" post up as the last post a little while longer, but I have to keep my hand in, after all.My country is 64. I went to a bar mitzvah at the hall in Mitzpeh Yericho, a yishuv on the edge of a cliff overlooking the steep rolling hills and valleys that lead down to the Dead Sea. The view is bare but beautiful. With friends around, good food, health, a beautiful land, and the freedom to be Jewish, I felt lucky with the time I live in. It's not always perfect, [..]
Call Me a Hippie Lesbian Collegiate
Published on 2012-04-18 08:08:00
I can't recall the series of events that led me to rediscover Cris Williamson's seminal [1] The Changer and the Changed yesterday. I rediscovered my great love for it: strong, feminine, inspiring, sentimental. Like I like my women.College music, hippie music, middle-aged lesbian music. I discovered her and artists like her (I had an awesome Woody Simmons album) in my early twenties in the early 90s, and even then I was a generation removed from when they were made in the 70s. I haven't listened [..]
Malaise
Published on 2012-04-12 08:43:00
I'm not closing this blog, but it has been, and will probably continue to be, a slow period for a while. A post every week or two.I didn't report on Games Day in Jerusalem or any of the other recent session reports in Jerusalem or Raanana. You can go to the Jerusalem site maintained by Nadine or the Raanana site maintained by Ellis. They have more of a head for this sort of thing right now.My life is focused entirely on writing a book, which is funny because I'm not actually doing any writing; I [..]
Flowers of Haifa
Published on 2012-04-03 07:56:00
Tal, Saarya, and I took a mini-vacation to Haifa last weekend. We vacation before Pesach, rather than on Pesach, because a) places are more crowded on Pesach, and b) it's harder to get kosher l'Pesach food (not hard, but harder).Why Haifa? Because neither of my kids had ever been there and the price was ok.We've already vacationed in the Golan and Galil, Tiberias, Tzfat, Tel Aviv, the center, the Dead Sea, the Negev, and Eilat.Saarya and I started out on Thursday afternoon with a few divrei tora [..]
Segways and Sakharof
Published on 2012-03-21 04:44:00
Yesterday I rode up and down the beautiful Tel Aviv coast on a Segway. Now that I've been on one, it has given me new sensitivity to the plight of the less fortunate non-Segway riding population in our midst. I feel for you poor unfortunate souls, and I encourage you to remember that there are still valuable roles in society that your kind of people can fill. Fixing Segways, for example, or leveling roads and clearing away the debris from in front of my Segway.Me (trenchcoat) and coworkers at Sh [..]
Session Reports; Movie Reviews: Hugo, The Tree of Life
Published on 2012-03-18 04:30:00
Raanana session report (me, Ellis): Ticket to Ride Card Game, SteamJerusalem session report (Nadine): Endeavor, It's AliveMovie reviews:Hugo: A sweet movie about a French orphan boy that intersects lightly with the vaguely true early twentieth century story of the filmmaker Georges Méliès. Hugo is left to wander the crawl spaces of a French train station, passing his time winding the clocks (a job supposed to be done by his neglectful uncle who has disappeared) and trying to complete the autom [..]
10 More Movie Reviews
Published on 2012-03-13 04:35:00
Game Change: Game Change joins the ranks of unnecessary made-for-TV movies about contemporary political events. Today, every public move and speech by a political figure is already on YouTube, individually or in compilation. We can hope to gain from a movie like this insight or revelation about their private life, behind-the-scenes; Game Change gives us some of this, but it's hard to know how seriously to take it since it's all one person's point of view (it's based on a book about the experienc [..]
Raanana and Jerusalem Session Reports: A Look at The Castles of Burgundy
Published on 2012-03-09 04:15:00
Raanana games played: Dvonn, Tigris and Euphrates, Race for the Galaxy, The Pillars of the Earth, The Castles of Burgundy, BoggleJerusalem games played: Bohnanza, El Grande, First Sparks, Lo RaMy brother Ben and family came over for Purim seuda. After dinner, his youngest pestered us to play Dominion, but all I could muster up strength to play was No Thanks, which we played twice.
Shabbat Gaming
Published on 2012-03-03 16:42:00
Eitan and Emily joined me for shabbat, which was nice.Friday night I had a family over as well, and they had some sharp teenagers. It is now typical for Anglo teens to have heard of or played a few decent games - Settlers, Ticket to Ride, Tigris and Euphrates - at least in the communities I've seen. Which is odd because the games are only available in Israel in a few select places and even then only Settlers and Blokus. I know a few dozen families that can trace their game playing to me, but I d [..]
Raanana and Jerusalem Session Reports
Published on 2012-03-01 11:25:00
Ellis in Raanana: Age of IndustryNadine in Jeruslaem: R-Eco, Alhambra, Lo RaEitan and Emily are coming for shabbat, and Abraham and Sarah will join us for lumch, so expect some games played over the weekend.
I Recommend Handyman Tzvi Lefkowitz
Published on 2012-03-01 11:20:00
If you live in the Jerusalem or Beit Shemesh area, I've used Tzvi Lefkowitz (aka Handyman Tzvi) a few times now and I highly recommend him. He is that rare combination of honest and competent who goes above and beyond what is asked for and yet still charges reasonably. He has come in especially from Beit Shemesh to Jerusalem to fix various electric issues in my apt (a/c, dud chasmal) and he always knows exactly what to fix and how. He is also such a sweet guy! Phone: 0544985298Disclaimer: I am [..]
Spirit of the Dance
Published on 2012-02-28 06:52:00
Tal and I went to see Spirit of the Dance last night. I've always wanted to see Riverdance or Lord of the Dance, but when Lord of the Dance had come to Israel previously, tickets were too expensive. Usually tickets for SotD are too expensive as well, but I snagged us two tickets on Groupon, a site I've now used many times.I was expecting SotD to be much like RD or LotD, and it was mostly. But SotD also adds Flamenco and some American street dancing, as well as dance tunes stolen from classic mus [..]
Raanana, Jerusalem, Shabbat sessions
Published on 2012-02-26 01:54:00
Ellis in Raanana: Endeavor. I taught the game. We also played two games of Water Lily after Ellis left, which is a simple and quick kids game because of the theme and components (or a simple abstract game otherwise).Nadine in Jerusalem: Nile, Puerto Rico, It's Alive!, Egizia, R-eco. They also looked at Fungibility.On shabbat I had a family over for lunch. They are home-schoolers, and so play more games than the typical family, including several Family Pastimes cooperative games. We played one ai [..]
2011 Game Industry Survey
Published on 2012-02-24 04:14:00
Up at Purple Pawn I've posted another survey of the game industry: 8700 companies, 6900 surveyed, 391 responses.These take a lot of work; the biggest reward for doing them is that I now have an index to 8700 companies at my fingertips. I also know that the right way to do this type of thing is to make phone calls; email just doesn't do it. If someone wants to pay me to do it the right way, I'll do it the right way. Now back to my book.
Raanana and Jerusalem Session Reports
Published on 2012-02-19 02:38:00
Raanana by Ellis: Power Grid.Jerusalem by Nadine: El Grande.I lost at both. I also lost a two-player game of Ticket To Ride + 1910 Expansion I played on shabbat with my host in Beit Shemesh. I did well on the board, but he had more filled delivery orders, which also gave him a 15 point bonus.I attended the 6th annual Techshoret technical writing/markcom conference in Jerusalem on Thursday. I promised Paula that I wouldn't blog about it (or, at least about the bad parts), so I will just say that [..]
Raanana and Jerusalem Session Reports
Published on 2012-02-09 04:28:00
Raanana reports from me and Ellis: Age of Industry, Finca.Jerusalem report from Nadine: R-Eco, Small World Underground
Last Night's World Have Your Say
Published on 2012-02-07 05:23:00
A partial transcript, starting about 43:20 :BBC Moderator: Some of your comments coming in. Actually this is one for, if we can get back through to the the guys in Homs, but maybe Zakar you can respond to this. Yehuda in Israel is listening on line. He says he's moved by the suffering in Syria, wishes he could help, but wondered if Syrians would accept it.Zakar [some analyst or somthing]: (surprised) From Israel? Uh from the Israeli government? No. Of course not. After you know what they've done [..]
Raanana and Jerusalem Session Reports
Published on 2012-02-05 01:09:00
Raanana (my report, Ellis): Age of IndustryJerusalem (Nadine): Lecardo, NavegadorShabbat lunch, I played Travel Blokus with a fellow guest at someone's house.
Shabbat Gaming
Published on 2012-01-28 12:37:00
Tal and I ate lunch at Abraham and Sarah's. While waiting for Tal to arrive, I played my third game of Ticket To Ride (this one with the 1910 Expansion) with Abraham and Sarah. It's soooo light. It's ok and all, but I just don't see it as comparable to The Settlers of Catan. I can see it as a gateway game; I admit that Settlers has a few more rules, which can discourage newer players. But Settlers also has more depth and more involvement.Maybe it's just a matter of what flavor you go for. Or may [..]
Raanana and Jerusalem Session Reports
Published on 2012-01-26 14:12:00
Raanana session report: Carson CityJerusalem session report: Hanafuda, Power Grid
Movie Reviews
Published on 2012-01-23 16:01:00
The Artist - An "ode to a bygone era" film. At their worst, films like these, while clever and precise, capture too much of the era to which they ode (often an era is bygone because we have progressed to better things since then) and concentrate too much on the technicalities of the capture and not enough on the soul (i.e. weak story, flat acting).The Artist manages to escape this by about 70%. It recapitulates the story of an actor left by the wayside when the film industry moves to talking pic [..]
The Puerto Rico Slaughter
Published on 2012-01-22 02:35:00
Nadine slaughtered me, Bill, and Shirley in Puerto Rico.Bill and Shirley are newer players. The position order was Nadine, Bill, me, Shirley. Bill's effect on me was to take coffee before my coffee; neither one of us produced coffee until past mid-game. I was already behind Nadine who had an early Factory and then Harbor, and I made the mistake of taking Factory on turn 8 or 9; that gave me lots of useless money by the end of the game but no points. I also made the mistake of not taking a Wharf [..]
Jerusalem and Raanana Session Reports
Published on 2012-01-19 03:39:00
Raanana report by me: Power Grid, Antike, Ticket to Ride Norway, Detroit-Cleveland Grand Prix. And by Ellis: Power Grid.Jerusalem report by Nadine: Nile, Year of the Dragon.I played Mancala on Friday night with a young girl during dinner. The rules with which we played: 6 bowls on each side, 1 bin on the right for each player. 4 stones per bowl. On your turn, pick up and deliver, skipping opponent's bin. If you land in your bin, go again. If you land in an empty space on your side, take the ston [..]
You're Fired!
Published on 2012-01-15 04:41:00
Definition: "Fired", as in "Fired up!" - On fire, hot, doing great, doing great work.Hey managers! Your task today is to go around your office and randomly tell people "You're Fired!" Tell them loud enough so that their coworkers can overhear. Pump your fist in the air and make the "Woo Hah!" sound, too. It's a great way to increase morale!
Jerusalem and Raanana Session Reports; Hypnotism
Published on 2012-01-12 14:55:00
Raanana games played: Power Grid.Jerusalem games played: Jungle Speed, London.HypnotismI was in an audience with a practicing stage hypnotist. I don't know what I was expecting, but I was not expecting my reaction: I was disgusted. I walked out.The subjects were made to forget their names, the number three, etc. When they could not (or would not) count, the audience laughed. The subjects smiled sheepishly. The hypnotist did not use any hypnotic induction; he just passed his hand over their heads [..]
Real Estate Agents Think I'm an Idiot
Published on 2011-07-04 14:09:00
"Here's the bathroom. That's the shower. There are tiles on the floor. And over here is a kitchen. See that six foot tall, three foot wide large box like object with two handles with the word 'Amana' written on in? That's the refrigerator. It's a big
Session Report, in which we are uninspired by Canal Mania
Published on 2011-07-01 09:48:00
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Canal Mania, El Grande.Our group was not inspired by Canal Mania, but they only played a third of a game. A pity.
Raanana Gaming: Jaipur, Alien Frontiers
Published on 2011-06-25 17:24:00
I spent my first weekend in Raanana, getting to know some people and the locale - to prove to myself that I could move there. I met a bunch of nice people. So there's hope for next year, even though I won't be living in Jerusalem.I stayed at past JSG
Session Report, in which I lose but still love Navegador
Published on 2011-06-23 14:23:00
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played:Fairy Tale, Navegador, Set, Bridge.I lose but still love Navegador. Nadine and Gili tie in both games that they play together.
Moving to Raanana
Published on 2011-06-16 14:37:00
At the beginning of August, less than a year after my father passed away and a few months after I got divorced, I will be moving to Raanana.Why Raanana? My work arrangement, which is in Hod Hasharon (near Raanana), will start, as of mid-August, requi
Session Report, in which Gili comes from behind in Jambo
Published on 2011-06-16 14:13:00
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Guardians of Graxia, Jambo.First I slaughter Gili in a game of Guardians of Graxia, and muse about one of its core poor mechanics. Then, just as it appears that I'm going t
Tekoa: There and Back Again
Published on 2011-06-11 16:57:00
Last week I experienced the second most surreal experience of my life when I returned, after a 14 year absence, to Tekoa, a small settlement on which I lived from 1992 to 1997.Tekoa is a mixed community of secular and religious Jews out in the boondo
Session Report, in which Gili wins everything (and suggested the games, too)
Published on 2011-06-02 06:09:00
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Siakoro, San Juan, Homesteaders, Shipyard.Gili suggested both San Juan and Homesteaders and won them both.
Twitter Moves Me to Palestinian Territories; Doesn't Recognize Israel
Published on 2011-05-31 02:54:00
My Twitter phone code (for posting tweets via mobile) stopped working a while ago, and I only just now got around to checking my settings on Twitter to see why. Turns out that, according to Twitter, I don't live in Israel.Which would be news to Orang
Session Report, in which I'm late in posting this note
Published on 2011-05-29 01:30:00
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up, and has been since last Wed. Games played: Dominion/Intrigue/etc, Vinhos, Settlers of Catan, Tobago.We played on Tues instead of Wed, which allowed Adam to come with his gf.Shabbat Gamin
Session Report, in which Nadine wins everything
Published on 2011-05-20 05:00:00
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Glory to Rome, Sticheln, Year of the Dragon, Magic: The Gathering.I continue to lose interest in Year of the Dragon. I actually beat David at Magic for the second time in a
A Moment's Thought
Published on 2011-05-16 14:32:00
Here's how I keep track of every card played in a hand of bridge, or any other card game, for that matter:1) Think about it.2) Use shorthand.Let's first talk about number 2: using shorthand.It's difficult to juggle more than seven numbers or items on
Shabbat Gaming
Published on 2011-05-15 15:54:00
Went to my friends for shabbat. I played with him and with his 10 year old son.When his son asked me to play a game, I chose a game on their shelf which I didn't know, Five Crowns. Listening to a 10 year old boy explain the rules - in English, when h
Session Report, in which I also write about what happened on Tuesday in Beit Shemesh
Published on 2011-05-12 14:37:00
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: R-Eco, Carson City.We get two new attendees (actually, one of them had come before to some Games Day or something, I think).Independence Day GamingTuesday was Yom Haazmaut
Shabbat Gaming
Published on 2011-05-08 00:56:00
Nadine and Elisheva (formerly Ksenia) came over for some afternoon gaming; we had invited a few others, but they didn't show up.I took out Sumeria, read the rules, and we all played our first game. The game play is simple enough that I think we only
Session Report, in which we make mistakes in Heroes of Graxia, again
Published on 2011-05-05 13:11:00
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Heroes of Graxia, Acquire, Louis XIV, Boggle, Mr Jack, Mu.We have a new (slow) player, and Jess wins a few games.
To Local Newspapers, Regarding Your Subscription Policy
Published on 2011-04-30 13:13:00
Hi there.I run a blog with around 80,000 visitors a month. I was planning on linking to a post of yours ("XXX"), but couldn't access the story due to your subscription policy. Of course, I'm not going to subscribe to some local paper in YYY for a sin
Session Report, in which Jessica wins some and loses some
Published on 2011-04-29 08:53:00
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Boggle, Dominion, Tigris and Euphrates, Blokus TrigonOnly three players, which makes for a small game night.
Indonesia, 7 Wonders, Acquire, Ivanhoe
Published on 2011-04-27 06:25:00
MondayEitan, Emily, Nadine, and I played Indonesia. It was the first game for all of us, although Nadine and I had played through the first era once before.We didn't finish this game, either; we had about one more round to go, so we didn't get to the
Shabbat Gaming
Published on 2011-04-24 01:48:00
Had my friends over for all of shabbat ... and his parents, and their daughter and her new husband. I slept on the couch. I also had Nadine over for both meals and we played games in the afternoon.Nadine and I taught Dominion to the newlyweds. He had
Games Day Session Report
Published on 2011-04-21 12:17:00
The Games Day session report for the Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club is up. Games played: Age of Empires III, Antike, Citadels, Cosmic Encounter, Dominion x 3, El Grande, Genoa, Heroes of Graxia (pre-first look), Homesteaders, It's Alive x 3, Key Harv
Passover Gaming
Published on 2011-04-20 06:37:00
Passover at my brother's.During the seder we played my "Four Children's" game: I give each person a card with four neutral items (such as winter, spring, summer, fall) and they have to say which, according to them, corresponds to which of the four ch
Happy Passover, etc
Published on 2011-04-18 05:09:00
My Hebrew birthday tonight.I'm off to my brother's and I'm picking out the games.Happy Passover.
Session Report, in which I give first impressions on 7 Wonders
Published on 2011-04-14 10:07:00
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: 7 Wonders, Age of Empires III, Puerto Rico, Havoc: The Hundred Years War.Binyamin wins every game (again), I lose every game, and I give an overview and first impressions o
Specialization is for Insects - Robert Heinlein
Published on 2011-04-12 09:03:00
Not long ago, people stayed in one company and worked in one field their entire life: one profession, one workplace. The days of "one workplace" are gone, and recognition of this fact has been addressed by various professional and government organiza
Session Report, in which Mace scores 156 points in a game of Dominion
Published on 2011-04-07 10:07:00
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Boggle x 3, Tribune, Settlers of Catan, Dominion/Prosperity x 2, R-Eco.Two new people show up, one of whom may return on a regular basis. Mace scores over 150 points in a g
U.S. Toys & Games Catalog Exhibition in Israel, May 10, 2011
Published on 2011-04-06 03:26:00
The U.S. Commercial Service will be hosting a meeting between U.S. toy and game companies and Israeli importers and distributors in Israel on May 10. This is the first event of its kind in Israel, to my knowledge.I've applied for a press pass.(source
Games Day Event Planned at the JSGC
Published on 2011-04-02 14:17:00
It's another Games Day at the Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club, 7/5 Hayarden St, on April 20 from 10 am to 10 pm.The JSGC plays all types of board and card games, from classics such as Go, Scrabble, and Bridge, to modern day European and American games
Session Report, in which we take too long to play Shipyard
Published on 2011-04-01 01:12:00
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: R-Eco, Shipyard.Shipyard takes the four of us 3.5 hours.
Board Game Blog World Roundup
Published on 2011-03-28 15:19:00
For a complete list of active board game blogs, see my left sidebar. The following blogs are active and new to me since my last roundup.Board Game Info: The new BGI site has several feeds.Board Game Reviews by Josh: Josh Edwards, Missouri. Reviews.Bo
Divorced Again
Published on 2011-03-28 11:49:00
I am now divorced for a second time. I have nothing bad to say about either woman with whom I shared a few fleeting years of my life. They were not "bad" people; nor do I think less of myself for having not sustained the marriages. I someday will fin
Weekend Gaming
Published on 2011-03-27 15:23:00
I spent shabbat at the house of my friend and fellow gamer David K and his wonderful, hospitable family. I've known David for 30 years; the first time I visited him at his house in Maalei Adumim was 25 years ago. I don't visit him often enough, so I
Session Report, in which we begin to like Mu
Published on 2011-03-27 07:03:00
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up (actually, has been up since last week). Games played: Dominion, Princes of Florence, Mu.We introduce a new player to Dominion and PoF, and we try again to like Mu, with some success.
The Rocky Horror Purim Show
Published on 2011-03-20 13:40:00
One day a year, the Jews dress in costumes and gather together to act out a raucous participatory play.A story is read: The Book of Esther; in Hebrew, it is Megillat Esther. The reading varies from the sedate and straight to the wild and humorous. Au
Weekend Gaming, Purim
Published on 2011-03-19 13:45:00
At Nadine's house, I played Puerto Rico for the first time in (what feels like) a year. I had actually been hoping we might play it after lunch.Puerto Rico is still my favorite game, but we just don't play it much at the group, as a) some of the play
Fun Board Games to Enhance Students' Learning Experiences
Published on 2011-03-17 13:46:00
The following is a guest post from Brian Jenkins Playing board games is a great way for students to learn because children retain more information when they're having fun. Games get children motivated. Math and spelling won't induce boredom when they
Session Report, in which I beat David in Magic, suprisingly
Published on 2011-03-17 13:37:00
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Boggle, Glory to Rome, Magic: The Gathering, Tribune, Bridge.
My Game Closet
Published on 2011-03-13 14:16:00
Or as Rachel calls it, the eyesore:Some games not present (lent out to game club members) and some games behind the shelf (Go board, extra copies of It's Alive, etc). As I said, it's not many games; I keep it small by regularly trading away or sellin
Session Report, in which I win both Glory to Rome and Shipyard
Published on 2011-03-11 02:54:00
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Glory to Rome, Shipyard.Yay me, I won both games.I just reorganized my game closet; Rachel thinks it's an eyesore. I think it's a thing of beauty, except that it has so few
Simultaneous Play: Where Winning Doesn't Matter
Published on 2011-03-08 11:21:00
Set is a card game. Every card has an abstract picture. Cards are flipped over and players try to be the first and fastest to note and claim a "set": three cards that match exactly, or differ on all three cards, in four characteristics: color, shape,
Shabbat Gaming
Published on 2011-03-05 16:34:00
My brother has four boys who play games, especially Magic and D&D. They also have friends who drop by to play with them. He has acquired a narrow collection of board games from those I've taught him over the years, and I recently donated to him a few
Session Report, in which we try and like Glory to Rome
Published on 2011-03-04 06:25:00
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Fairy Tale, Glory to Rome, In the Shadow of the Emperor.I discover that I like Fairy Tale more than I remembered. We all like Glory to Rome. And ItSofE was interrupted for
RIP My Uncle Howard
Published on 2011-02-27 12:05:00
A few months after losing her husband, my mom lost her brother on Friday. I'm spending tonight and Tuesday night with her in Beit Shemesh. I'm tired of being a bearer of down vibes to my friends and readers. As Mirah says in Daniel Deronda, "I am too
Session Report, in which Mace thoroughly trounces us in every game
Published on 2011-02-24 10:24:00
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Nile, Genoa, Tichu.I confirm my dislike of Nile. Genoa takes us only a little over 2.5 hours to complete.
More Movie Reviews
Published on 2011-02-22 15:42:00
Black Swan - A woman pushes herself beyond normal limits, and even sanity, to achieve her dream of a perfect performance. This is not an entirely original concept.Black Swan is a thriller with a dark mood, the occasional grotesque closeup, and some e
Session Report, in which we try Shipyard; Personal Notes
Published on 2011-02-18 03:11:01
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Nile, Carson City, Shipyard.We try Shipyard for the first time. Impressions: Le Havre-like in complexity.--Things I haven't been blogging about:- I'm attending a series of
Weekend Gaming
Published on 2011-02-13 06:03:00
I hosted Abraham and Sarah for shabbat, two of our members who moved away about 6 months ago. We played Set a few times. It was Sara's first play, and she did pretty well.They and I and one of my dinner guests played Anagrams, kind of a linguistic ve
Session Report, in which I lose Dominion by as much as I win Agricola
Published on 2011-02-10 13:45:00
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Dominion/Seaside/Prosperity, Agricola.I lose Dominion by too much, but I win Agricola in compensation.This shabbat I am hosting Abraham and Sara, our gamer friends who move
Session Report, in which we play only Steam
Published on 2011-02-06 03:24:00
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Steam.I played Scrabble with Rachel on Thursday, and she beat me by 40 or 50 points (she had a bingo and I didn't). I also played Scrabble with my mom, and I beat her by ar
Session Report, in which we let a designer show us his games and try Bridgetown Races
Published on 2011-01-27 08:53:00
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: some prototypes, Tobago, Bridgetown Races, Carson City.We try Bridgetown Races, and decide that it and Carson City are both imperfect.
RIP Jack Vasel: Nov 15, 2010 - Jan 24, 2011
Published on 2011-01-25 01:07:00
My good friend and colleague Tom Vasel and his wife Laura Beth Vasel lost their 2 month old prematurely born baby boy yesterday. There are no words, really. But I wish Tom and Laura my deepest condolences on their terrible loss.Tom has chronicled eve
Weekend Gaming
Published on 2011-01-22 13:20:00
Friday night at my friends, I played with their kids: Jungle Speed (Tal won in a three-player game) and Blokus Duo (I won twice).The next day I headed to my cousins for one of the kids' bar mitzvahs. I brought some big box games to play with my cousi
Session Report, in which we try Gosu again and still find it confusing
Published on 2011-01-20 08:38:00
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Tobago, Gosu.Emily and Eitan come and I introduce them to two new games, both of which they like. hey think there should be more curses in Tobago; we'll try mixing them bac
Shabbat Gaming
Published on 2011-01-15 14:59:00
I went to Cliff's to play some games with his kids and with Mace and his kids (and fiance's kids). Lots of kids, suffice to say.The kids wanted to play Bang. There's a reason I don't like Werewolf; it's the same reason I sold my copy of Bang. This se
Session Report, in which we try Gosu and Tobago
Published on 2011-01-13 14:56:00
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Gosu, Tobago, Carson City.We try Gosu and I give a brief description of it, the problems we had with it, and how it might still be interesting.We try Tobago and like it, ex
25 Meters from Death
Published on 2011-01-09 03:24:00
Gaza residents have fired mortal shells into Israel and planted bombs all week, as they have for several weeks prior; some Thai agricultural workers were injured this week from some of their shells.My step-son Eitan returned from patrol on Friday eve
Session Report, in which we try Carson City
Published on 2011-01-06 17:25:00
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Dominion/Prosperity, Carson City.We play some new cards in Prosperity, and I give a quick overview of Carson City.
Two calls to customer support
Published on 2011-01-06 07:16:00
The phone and internet services in Israel will give you special plans that last a year, and they won't call you to tell you that the plan is about to run out. Instead they will bump you to the new unfavorable plan automatically, hoping that they can
The 121-Year-Old Nintendo Game
Published on 2011-01-05 04:19:00
This is a guest post by Kenji Crosland of TeachStreet. TeachStreet is a website dedicated to providing local and online classes, as well as card and board game classes.Pop Quiz: What was Nintendo’s first product ever?If you answered “Donkey Kong
A New Year, a New List of Blogs on the Blogroll
Published on 2011-01-04 12:49:00
A new year, a new update to my blogroll. Game blogs new to me that cover games in general and update occasionally. If I've removed your blog from my blogroll, you haven't posted anything about games since last August, at least.101 Best Board Games: A
Shabbat Gaming
Published on 2011-01-03 13:58:00
Friday evening we went to some friends. I played Five Stones with one of the kids. Later in the evening I saw them playing a game I hadn't seen before: Spin & Trap. They didn't have the rules, and were obviously playing it wrong, since one person
Fives and Dimes for 2010: A Year of Gaming in Jerusalem
Published on 2011-01-01 11:55:00
The following games were played by the game group last year. This list doesn't include games I played personally outside the group. We had fewer players attending over the course of the year, thus the game counts are down in general.The number of pla