Steampunk Star Wars

New art from the Disney Parks blog... color me interested.

Twitter Monsoon

OK... so, I know I've been radio-silent since the middle of last week (well, longer than that, but the magic of the queue kept many of my faithful readers in the dark). I'm home from the Gathering of Friends now & ready to restart Mark's Top 100 Games as well as finish up & begin publishing the Five & Dime Lists for 2011.

Before that, though, I need to help out a friend. Tom Vasel - aka Mr. Dice Tower - began Tweeting a virtual avalanche of "just posted this video to YouTube" Tweets yesterday... and despite a number of "hey, stop that" messages, it didn't.

When I asked Tom about it via direct message this morning, he replied:

Laura had some free hours yesterday, and so she helped me by organizing playlists on Youtube.  We had no idea that they were going to twitter until it happened.  By the time I figured it out, it was too late, and they were sent - obviously into a queue that is lasting into today.  I've disabled everything, changed my twitter password, etc., etc.

I am at the lowest I have ever been I think with the Dice Tower at this point.  I didn't mean to spam anyone, and there was literally nothing I could do to stop it.  I can't even tell people I'm sorry, since they unfollowed me - I've lost 1000 followers.  

I'm not trying to make enemies, I don't like spam either.  Hopefully it's over now, but I think the damage is done.

 So, with that information in hand, I want to encourage those who ran for virtual cover from the Twitter monsoon to come back out & re-follow @thedicetower... you know you want to.

#50: Roll Through the Ages (Mark's 100 - 2012)

Roll Through the Ages

Mark's Ranking

• 2012: 50th
• 2010: 51st
• 2005: prior to publication

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 255
• rating: 7.05

Print Status

• in print

Why It's On The List

• Civilization + Yahtzee - 6+ hours = Roll Through the Ages. And besides that, it's fun.

Tips & Tricks:

• It's easy to get locked into a single strategy - but you MUST pay attention to what the other players are doing so you can act and react appropriately.

Extras

• There's a very nice iPhone app of Roll Through the Ages..
• The print-n-play expansion, The Late Bronze Age, is an excellent addition to the game - and can be had for the cost of printing the files for your own use.

#51: Industrial Waste (Mark's 100 - 2012)

Industrial Waste

Mark's Ranking

• 2012: 51st
• 2010: 47th
• 2005: 35th
• appeared on all three lists

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 642
• rating: 6.79

Print Status

• OOP

Why It's On The List

• Though overshadowed by the appearance of the 900 lb gorilla of Euro gaming (Puerto Rico), Industrial Waste was and is a very good game of trading off speed & income generation for knocking the rough edges off your production system - particularly in how you deal with (wait for it) industrial waste.

Tips & Tricks:

• Don't forget that it takes an advisor (2x) card to pay off a loan.
• Loans are not bad - and if you're going to take one, don't wait until you are circling the drain to do so... it will just speed up your demise.

Extras

• While some folks have come up with 2 player variants, I wouldn't recommend them - this is much better with 3 or 4 players.
• Industrial Waste is living evidence of great game development - because (by contract), Hans im Gluck was required to publish the "designer's variant" rules (actually the original rules to the game).
• Here's what I wrote about Industrial Waste for The One Hundred.

#52: Daytona 500 (Mark's 100 - 2012)

Daytona 500

Mark's Ranking

• 2012: 52nd
• 2010: 52nd
• 2005: 68th
• appeared on all three lists

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 450
• rating: 7.25

Print Status

• OOP

Why It's On The List

• Wolfgang Kramer came up with an inventive racing game mechanic - using cards that moved multiple cars - and this version (weirdly published by Milton Bradley) is the best of the illustrious bunch.

Tips & Tricks:

• The auctions are almost as important as the actual races to winning the game - spend wisely.
• Drafting off other cars is important as well... esp. on the corners.

Extras

• The other games in the series are Formel Eins, Top Race, & Detroit/Cleveland Grand Prix.
• The original game with this mechanic is Tempo - which is NOT a car racing game.
• Here's some information on Detroit/Cleveland Grand Prix from my old website, Game Central Station.
• Here's what I wrote about Daytona 500 for The One Hundred.

#53: Viva Pamplona (Mark's 100 - 2012)

Viva Pamplona

Mark's Ranking

• 2012: 53rd
• 2010: 39th
• 2005: 56th
• appeared on all three lists

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 1916
• rating: 6.39

Print Status

• OOP

Why It's On The List

• It's a great theme (the running of the bulls) with great art and even better game play... you must have courage to win - and the willingness to shove your opposition to the ground.

Tips & Tricks:

• The tempo of the game can vary wildly - depending on how the Toro cards appear. That's not a bug... it's a feature - part of what makes the game so charming..

Extras

• I was pleasantly surprised how well this game works with 3-4 players... of course, it's a "more the merrier" game that is an absolute joy with the full complement of six people around the table.
• This is from the same gaming design family as Viva Topo and Midnight Party. (It's a family I'm fond of...)
• I've often wondered about how you can lose courage points when someone else shoves you (and worse yet, they get them!), but it's still fun.

#54: To Court the King (Mark's 100 - 2012)

To Court the King

Mark's Ranking

• 2012: 54th
• 2010: did not appear
• 2005: prior to publication

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 855
• rating: 6.48

Print Status

• still available - there's talk of a reprint

Why It's On The List

• Imagine Yahtzee crossed with Magic: The Gathering... using card powers to manipulate dice in order win favor with the King.

Tips & Tricks:

• It's a little slow with 4 or 5 players... I like it best with 2 or 3.
• You need dice - and a few dice manipulation powers. Going the other way (dice manipulation powers & a few dice) will lose you the game.

Extras

• Tom Lehman (the designer) showed me something nifty that makes me like the game even more - but my lips are sealed.

#55: Entenrallye (Mark's 100 - 2012)

Entenrallye

Mark's Ranking

• 2012: 55th
• 2010: 30th
• 2005: 20th
• appeared on all three lists

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 5461
• rating: 5.82

Print Status

• incredibly OOP

Why It's On The List

• A splendid road rally race that's fraught with luck... and some actual decision-making.

Tips & Tricks:

• You can't make it to every prize ceremony - so don't even try.
• Deciding when to cut & run - or at least leaving yourself that option - is one of the keys to winning the game.

Extras

• This is probably the lowest ranked game (BGG-wise) on my Top 100 - and frankly, I think that simply indicates that my list is superior to the opinions of a whole lot of other people.
• Here's what I wrote about Entenrallye for The One Hundred.

#56: Keltis: Der Weg der Steine (Mark's 100 - 2012)

Keltis: Der Weg der Steine

Mark's Ranking

• 2012: 56th
• 2010: 60th
• 2005: prior to publication

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 1256
• rating: 6.57

Print Status

• in print - easiest to get through Amazon.de (6 Euros!)

Why It's On The List

• The most straightforward of the Lost Cities/Keltis family - and incredibly portable.

Tips & Tricks:

• When playing with 3 or 4 players, don't start lines in all five colors.
• It's easy to forget about blarney stones in your first game - don't. The penalty for going short on them is steep.

Extras

• It's not that I dislike Keltis or Lost Cities... it's just that I like this one so much better.

#57: Diamant (Mark's 100 - 2012)

Diamant

Mark's Ranking

• 2012: 57th
• 2010: did not appear
• 2005: did not appear

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 502
• rating: 6.73

Print Status

• OOP (but available as Incan Gold)

Why It's On The List

• I've played this push-your-luck game with gamers, elementary school kids, Bible study groups... and even with a group of groomsman at a wedding rehearsal - and each time has been a success.

Tips & Tricks:

• It works with 4-8 players, but it really shines with 6-8.
• You must adjust your tactical decisions based on the number of players - money is much more plentiful in games with less players.

Extras

• Incan Gold is the revamping of this game - and will work just fine - but I don't like the production quality nearly as much. (Granted, Diamant - the German edition of this game - was price-y for what you got in the box.) The little cardboard crates are better than the tents - and dropping meeples is much cleaner than choosing cards.
• I do, however, like the addition of artifact cards to Incan Gold.

#58: Drôles de Zèbres (Mark's 100 - 2012)

Drôles de Zèbres

Mark's Ranking

• 2012: 58th
• 2010: 57th
• 2005: did not appear

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 3473
• rating: 6.66

Print Status

• really OOP

Why It's On The List

• I'm a sucker for zoo-themed games (as you've seen and will see) - which is funny, as I don't particularly like animals. Anyway, maybe it's the theme that makes this perfect information game work for me.

Tips & Tricks:

• Understanding how each piece works is key to making good choices.
• Like many two-player abstracts, you have to decide which battles are worth fighting over... and which battles you can lose in order to win elsewhere.

Extras

• I enjoy how the odd theme "works" for explaining the game... and how quickly it plays.
• The name (and game) are French... and no, I can't pronounce it. (It means "Funny Zebras" and is actually the name of a French film comedy about bank robbers.)

#59: Anno 1503 (Mark's 100 - 2012)

Anno 1503

Mark's Ranking

• 2012: 59th
• 2010: 74th
• 2005: 28th
• appeared on all three lists

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 1304
• rating: 6.38

Print Status

• OOP

Why It's On The List

• Despite all the Settlers trappings, this is a racing game - albeit one with a very nice exploration theme and some very different strategies you can try to win the race.

Tips & Tricks:

• Once you know the game, it's 15 minutes per player - making it a great super-filler at game nights.
• The tendency is to over-emphasize ship-building... but there are perfectly viable strategies that concentrate on production & building your settlements.

Extras

• The expansion to the game (only published in German) had some great ideas... but simply ended up making the game longer & slower (The ideas were, for the most part, reimplemented in the Anno 1701 board game... which you'll be hearing more about later on in this countdown!).
• The game is lightly connected to a computer game I've never played - evidently a civ-building game. (We've just exhausted my knowledge on the subject.)
• Here's what I wrote about Anno 1503 for The One Hundred.

#60: Basari (Mark's 100 - 2012)

Basari

Mark's Ranking

• 2012: 60th
• 2010: 48th
• 2005: 48th
• appeared on all three lists

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 620
• rating: 6.80

Print Status

• OOP

Why It's On The List

• A negotiation game - well, actually a bartering game - with multiple ways to enhance your score... and the dice add a nice helping of uncertainty & tension.

Tips & Tricks:

• It plays best with 4 players.
• While I've been warned that there was/is a potential kingmaker problem, it's never been an issue for me.

Extras

• The game was reimagined as Edel, Stein & Reich (published by Alea but never in English)... while that's a fine game that will allow five people to play, I like Basari better.
• It's almost themeless - though someone once suggested it's about young Arab merchants trying to prove their worth as potential husbands to a caliph in fame [vp's], wealth [gems], and physical process [circling the board]... but it's nowhere in the rules themselves!
• Here's what I wrote about Basari for The One Hundred.

#61: Jungle Speed (Mark's 100 - 2012)

Jungle Speed

Mark's Ranking

• 2012: 61st
• 2010: 83rd
• 2005: 27th
• appeared on all three lists

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 528
• rating: 6.76

Print Status

• in print

Why It's On The List

• I originally played it as the Goldsieber release, Arriba - but call it what you will, it's a splendid fast-reaction game with great potential for non-gamers.

Tips & Tricks:

• You can play with as many as 8 players... but I think it works best with 5-7.
• Key concept: if the patterns on the cards are the same color, they DO NOT match.

Extras

• Jungle Speed is the current edition of the game... and there's a really evil (read: even more confusing than the original game) expansion available that reduced my gaming group to giggles & tears. I highly recommend it.
• Here's what I wrote about Arriba for The One Hundred.

Happy Easter

And he departed from our sight that we might return to our heart, and there find Him. For He departed, and behold, He is here. (St Augustine)

#62: Goldland (Mark's 100 - 2012)

Goldland

Mark's Ranking

• 2012: 62nd
• 2010: 68th
• 2005: 49th
• appeared on all three lists

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 774
• rating: 6.72

Print Status

• OOP

Why It's On The List

• An interesting mix of exploration game & puzzle game (how do I convert resources & moves into points?) with lovely old-school Goldsieber production.

Tips & Tricks:

• Do not play this with 5 players - ever. Many of the bad attitudes about this game exist courtesy of playing with 5. (It's best with 3... though 2 or 4 work just fine.)
• You can win without ever reaching the temple... but the more players there are in the game, the less well this works.

Extras

• Here's what I wrote about Goldland for The One Hundred.

#63: Claustrophobia (Mark's 100 - 2012)

Claustrophobia

Mark's Ranking

• 2012: 63rd
• 2010: did not appear
• 2005: prior to publication

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 52
• rating: 7.86

Print Status

• in print

Why It's On The List

• Imagine taking the asymmetrical structure of the classic game Space Hulk (hordes of bad guys vs. a small band of heroes) and cross-pollinating it with some very clever dice mechanics (one even borrowed from the much-loved Euro game, Kingsburg)... and then packing the box as full of high-quality components as possible. And there you have it.

Tips & Tricks:

• Both players (the good guys AND the bad guys) have to carefully managed all of their resources - each of them has some pretty nifty "powers" but almost all of those are limited in their use.

Extras

• The playing time for Claustrophobia is almost always less than an hour... and, with a few exceptions, it's pretty easy to set up as the caverns will be explored and the game board laid out as you play.
• The De Profundis expansion has a lot more scenarios, some new monsters & heroes, and a bunch of new tiles & cards... and, as per the designer's wishes, does NOT make this a multi-player game. (Croc - yes, that's his moniker - was very clear that he'd designed a two-player game and that putting more folks around the table would mess up the design.)

#64: Light Speed (Mark's 100 - 2012)

Light Speed

Mark's Ranking

• 2012: 64th
• 2010: 42nd
• 2005: did not appear

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 1220
• rating: 6.40

Print Status

• OOP

Why It's On The List

• A real-time card game that actually takes longer to score (5-10 minutes) than it does to play (1 minute).

Tips & Tricks:

• Just throwing stuff down works... sometimes. But the person who wins more games balances putting spaceships in place carefully with speed.

Extras

• This is the only Cheapa** game in my Top 100 - while I'm fond of Deadwood and really enjoy Fightball, Buttonmen & Brawl, this is the only that's worthy of the position. (And don't get me started on the waste of perfectly good raw materials & game table time - Kill Dr. Lucky. The only lucky person around is the one who decides not to play.)

Maundy Thursday

...also known as Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great and Holy Thursday, Sheer Thursday and Thursday of Mysteries, is the Christian feast or holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Maundy and Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles as described in the Canonical gospels. (wikipedia)

The "Maundy", by the way, is from the Latin word Mandatum and refers to Jesus washing the feet of his disciples.

So, now that we've got the definitions out of the way... a simple question.

Why?

Why do we meet to remember the last meal Jesus had with his closest followers before he was put on trial, tortured & crucified?

Today, as I prepare for our Maundy Thursday service, I can think of two reasons:

1. Jesus told us to. "And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” (Luke 22: 19 NASB)
2. I need the reminder.

Seriously... in the busyness of a being a pastor & a husband & a dad, it's easy for me to gloss over the incredible sacrifice of Christ. Slowing down to taste the dry unleavened bread and feel the fruit of the vine as it rolls down my throat becomes a very tangible way to get off the proverbial merry-go-round of life & look into Jesus' eyes.

#65: The Downfall of Pompeii (Mark's 100 - 2012)

The Downfall of Pompeii

Mark's Ranking

• 2012: 65th
• 2010: 45th
• 2005: did not appear

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 240
• rating: 7.15

Print Status

• OOP

Why It's On The List

• An odd and possibly disturbing theme (the volcanic destruction of the Roman city of Pompeii) turns to make a very nice tactical placement & movement game... along with a healthy helping of "throw your neighbor under the metaphorical bus".

Tips & Tricks:

• Do not neglect the power of family members - use your cards wisely to set yourself up to place extra "dudes" on the board.

Extras

• I was pleasantly surprised to find that this game not only worked as an "adult" version of Midnight Party - but also worked great with my then (gamer) 5 year old son as a 2 player game. (He's almost 11 now and still enjoys it.)

#66: Medici (Mark's 100 - 2012)

Medici

Mark's Ranking

• 2012: 66th
• 2010: 33rd
• 2005: 79th
• appeared on all three lists

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 230
• rating: 7.18

Print Status

• in print

Why It's On The List

• Despite one bad graphic design scheme after another, this 17 year old auction game still manages to please - by creating an environment where players must not only appropriately value items for themselves but also figure out what they're worth to others.

Tips & Tricks:

• Groupthink is always an issue with games like this - just like the value of a Jester in The Princes of Florence, groups settle in on "accepted" values for the gold treasure card in Medici. Try playing with a new group of people & see how a different group changes the dynamics of the game.
• Though it has components for 6 players, I prefer it with 4 or 5.

Extras

• Here's what I wrote about Medici for The One Hundred.

In Memoriam: David Foster

One of my mentors in ministry, David Foster, passed away in his sleep yesterday at the age of 58.

Dave could be, well, hard to handle - he was the first to admit he didn't have the gifting or the patience for counseling. (I heard him say more than once that his first hire at BCC had to be someone who could do counseling because five minutes after someone came into his office he wanted to slap his hand down on the desk & tell them to "Quit whining! Here's what you should do!") I wasn't around for the end of his time at BCC/Hope Park - by that time, I was here in Fresno & out of touch with Dave - but it wasn't a complete surprise that he could get sideways with folks over vision & direction.

It also wasn't a surprise that he stayed in ministry - that he kept trying to reach people who had given up on the church. His heartbeat was people who'd been marginalized by religiosity - not surprising, considering that the local SBC association had shined him on for funding because he wouldn't do things "by the book" when he worked to plant BCC. (Note: the folks in leadership now at Nashville Baptist Association are NOT the same people - in fact, there were some amazing & godly movement on the part of the association leadership & Dave to reconcile and forgive while I was meeting with him.)

At the same time, here's a guy who was busy pastoring a big church (2000+ at the time he & I were meeting together) and yet took time to talk with & encourage a church planter (me) who was ecstatic if we had 50 folks on a Sunday morning. It meant the world to me (and to the many other church planters he championed) that his vision was bigger than than BCC.

I will never forget running into him at a Willow Creek conference in Chicago - not expecting to see him there, not expecting him to plop down with his box lunch at the table with Shari & I and talk with us when there were so many "big deal" pastors around. I distinctly remember him saying: "You look at all this [pointing out the huge facilities, the food court, the bookstore, etc.] and think: 'if my church was bigger, it would solve all the problems we're having.' And you're partially right - the problems you're struggling with will fade as you have more people... but you'll just get a new set of even more difficult problems. And that transition will keep happening over & over again as you grow."

Please pray for his wife & kids... for his church (The Gathering) and for the many people whose lives he touched as we all grieve his loss.

Thanks, Dave... part of the reason I'm the pastor that I am is you.

For more information about Dave, here's the link to the article about his death from The Tennessean.

#67: The City (Mark's 100 - 2012)

The City

Mark's Ranking

• 2012: 67th
• 2010: prior to publication
• 2005: prior to publication

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 1362
• rating: 6.70

Print Status

• in print

Why It's On The List

• A stripped-down & family-friendly use of the Race for the Galaxy mechanic - this time for city-building. It's fast (15 minutes or so) and has that potato-chip ("can't play just one time") quality.

Tips & Tricks:

• Tom Lehman (the designer) suggests that The City is "a 5 minute bit of strategy planning followed by a horse race to the end of the game."
• It's a lot easier to play if you use poker chips to track points.

Extras

• This is the newest game on my Top 100 - and I've played it 18 times in 7 weeks.
• Be warned - there is not (yet) an English version of this game... and if German text frightens your fellow gamers, this will not be a comfortable fit for you.

#68: Can't Stop (Mark's 100 - 2012)

Can't Stop

Mark's Ranking

• 2012: 68th
• 2010: 30th
• 2005: 93rd
• appeared on all three lists

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 387
• rating: 6.85

Print Status

• in print

Why It's On The List

• In my ever-so-humble opinion, this (and not Acquire) is Sid Sackson's masterpiece. It's so simple & yet so engaging.

Tips & Tricks:

• One of the niftier variants to try is "one piece per space" - in other words, you can't stop rolling if you would have to place a marker on an already occupied space.

Extras

• There are some enterprising folks who have scavenged copies of Advance to Boardwalk to add extra playing pieces to their copies of Can't Stop - I am not one of them. First, that's rude to a very nice game (Advance to Boardwalk). Second, Can't Stop isn't as much fun with 5+ players.
• Here's what I wrote about Can't Stop for The One Hundred.

#69: Bohnanza (Mark's 100 - 2012)

Bohnanza

Mark's Ranking

• 2012: 69th
• 2010: 64th
• 2005: 18th
• appeared on all three lists

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 204
• rating: 7.13

Print Status

• in print

Why It's On The List

• An innovative use of cards (you can't rearrange your hand!), a clever theme (bean farming), and some nifty rules to create a barter economy combine to make a great, great game.

Tips & Tricks:

• Just because you can trade something doesn't mean you should trade something - pay attention!
• A third bean field is only a good idea if you do it EARLY..

Extras

• While the game will play with 3-7 players, I think that the sweet spot is 5-6.
• I'm a huge fan of the High Bohn expansion for the game (which adds Cosmic Encounter-ish powers & a Wild West theme)... but I never get to play it.
• The 2 player version - Al Cabohne - is actually a lot of fun... but kinda tough to locate.
• Here's what I wrote about Bohnanza for The One Hundred.
• Here's a page from my old website (Game Central Station) about rules mistakes & Bohnanza expansions.