- Call to Order
- Authorization for BWW payment – board approved up to $100 for appetizers to share with general attendees
- Minutes from last meeting posted
- Treasurer’s Report: We have money, will be less once expected AI bills are paid (more…)
Tetris
Milton Bradley, 1989
You are probably familiar with the video game Tetris. Blocks of various shapes fall to the bottom of a column, where you must place them in order to fill rows to make them disappear while Russian style music and artwork appear in the background. In 1989, Milton Bradley decided to capitalize on the popularity of this video game with a board game version.
In the board game, a bag or box of familiar Tetris pieces is set in the middle of the table. Players draw pieces and place them on their game board as quickly as possible, handing off to opponents ones they are unable to satisfactorily place. After all pieces have been placed, or when one player has filled their board to the top row, players count the spaces they have covered. The player who has covered the most spaces wins.
This is a simple, fast playing game. It nicely captures the feel of the video game. It is a nice addition to any game collection for the novelty. If you are looking for a good game however, I’d stick with the video game version.
Sutakku
Smirk & Dagger, 2011
Sutakku is a Japanese themed press your luck dice game. The gameplay is simple. Roll 3 dice, stack them as you can low to high, and decide if you would like to press your luck and continue on, or take your points as they stand. Push to far, and you might go bust. Roll well and stack higher and higher, gaining more points and/or bonus points.
The game comes with a nice Japanese theme. A short story starts off the rules and the dice use Japanese characters. The game is played over 5 rounds, so it can be played quickly. It is a simple to learn, easy, lightweight game. One drawback of the game is it can seem a little like competitive solitare, with no interaction between the players. Much like Farkle with a Japanese theme. However, there is a small card expansion to the game which makes it much more interactive and gives a nice dimension to the game. I highly recommend that if your copy does not come with the expansion that you find a copy and add it to the game. Once this expansion is in place, you will be left with a nice lightweight game that you will want to play again and again.
Recommended.
Trailer Park Wars
Gut Bustin’ Games, 2007
Trailer Park Wars is a lighthearted, irreverent game about trailer park ownership. You are the owner of a trailer park. You start the game with a circle of trailers. You spend the game attracting people to live in the trailers, and adding sweet amenities to your park while causing destruction and misfortune on the parks belonging to your opponents. As you add to your park, you will augment your park with lovely pink flamingos. Once all 100 included flamingos have been played, the player with the most flamingos wins.
This is an easy to learn, hilarious game. The thing I find most amusing is the trailers in the game are pictures of actual trailers that exist somewhere. You just can’t make up this stuff. Reality is so much funnier. The people in the games are pastiches of common stereotypes and may offend some players. Be warned, a good sense of humor and a will to make fun of everyone and everything is essential to enjoyment.
Toy value: Who doesn’t want a bag of plastic pink flamingos? This game has more strategy than it’s compatriot “Redneck Life”. Overall, it’s a lot of fun, and a good game for a nice light relaxing evening full of laughs. Give it a try.