Dale Yu: Gaming at the Winter Lakehouse and Holiday Buying Guide

This past weekend, we were able to head back up to the lakehouse for a weekend with friends.  These friends are mainly folks from our neighborhood that all have kids the same age as our kids.  To be clear, none of these friends are gamers.  They are aware that I play games and that I’ve worked on some projects recently – but I’ve never once played a game with them.

Why have I not played a game with them?  Because I’m not a game-pusher.  I’m always willing to show off my games when asked, but I’m just not the type to try to get in a game at all costs.  I’m generally prepared for that possibility, and this weekend was no different.  I had carefully packed a box of games in case my friends wanted to see something OR in case the kids wanted to play something.  Let’s face it —the weather in Michigan in mid-November is often more conducive to inside activities as opposed to outdoor play!

What was in the box?
Dominion
Viva Topo
Giro Galoppo
Monza
Kaleidos
Ticket To Ride
Travel Carcassone

What else was in the cabin?
Wits and Wagers
Say Anything
and about 10 other games outlined here

So how did it go?  Well, with the adults – it actually went a bit better than I had expected.  Over the course of the weekend, the other parents actually picked up some of the games and looked at them.  Dominion and Ticket to Ride were both opened up and the pieces were examined.  I did get remarks on both of them along the lines of: “wow – they look easy to learn – the rules are really short!” Did any games get played?  No. Of course not.  But, I think that their curiosity has been piqued, and I do hold out hopes that some winter night here at home, they’ll ask to see them again.  I’ll keep you posted on that over the course of the year!

Well, what about the kids?  Well – it went much better with the kids.  Over the course of the weekend, they had a lot of time inside, and they ended up trying out the games.  My kids, of course, love the children’s games that we brought and know how to play them all.  I think that they take after me because I don’t often see them playing the games with their friends from school or the neighborhood.  As it turns out, none of our guests had played any of the Selecta games.

When the kids tired of playing the Wii or playing Wrestlemania ‘08 in the bunkroom, I casually suggested that they try some of the games.  My kids were quick to pull out Viva Topo, and they were teaching their friends in no time.  It was really great to see how my kids were able to teach their friends (6-years-old and 7-years-old) the rules to the game.  The explanation was acutally quite good – and the parents that were watching were also able to pick up the rules to the game fairly quickly.  Both of my kids were familiar enough with the game that they were able to give their friends some helpful strategy hints while explaning the rules.  While I’m not normally a big fan of telling people how to play the game as I explain it for the first time, in this case, I think it was a really nice thing to do on the part of my boys so that their friends would have a better idea of what to do.  Viva Topo turned out really well.  The game sped along quite rapidly as the boys rolled a lot of ones which moved the cat around the board in a flash.  The kids had a blast playing it, and they ended up playing another game of it directly afterwards.

Later in the weekend, Monza made it to the table – well, actually on to the floor.  Again, the kids gave a nice rules explanation/strategy primer and they were on their way in under 5 minutes.  My youngest son even managed to fit in an example turn into his part of the rules explanation!  The newbies had a harder time at this one than Viva Topo as they didn’t expect to get pinched by the traffic – but a good time was had by all, and multiple games were also played of this favorite.

All the while, the other parents were amazed at how the kids were able to occupy themselves and play the games.  They asked a lot of questions about the games – specifically: Did I have others like it at home? Where could they buy them?  Which games would I recommend?  I gave them a few recommendations and told them to come over to the house when we returned home so I could show them a few more.

Dale’s 2008 Holiday Buying Guide

Here are some recommendations on games to look at this year for kids… Is this a bit early?  Not really—based on what I see in the retail stores around me, I’m actually about a month late as we’ve had all sorts of holiday decorations and sales going on here since about the start of October!  Anyways, since many of these games need to be ordered, a little advance notice isn’t a bad idea.  Furthermore, if you know about the games now, you can check in with the kids at Thanksgiving and see if they already have what you’re looking for!  In this list, I’m trying to give a broad list of games that were new to me this year that would work well with kids.  This list is not meant to be all-inclusive, but it should give you a nice launching point for looking at some games you might not have otherwise considered for gifts.

Curli Kuller (Selecta) – a nice introductory dexterity game for 4+.  Kids roll their snail piece down a ramp and try to hit the different colored wood bits in the play area.

Fauna (Huch and Friends) – admittedly, this may only work if your kids can read German, but if they can, this is a fascinating educational game that will teach them a lot about animals.  Essentially, players guess at the habitat, weight, size or tail length of animals.  I’m anxiously awaiting an English version of this game, but I’m fairly certain that this will never happen…

Hoppladi Hopplada (Zoch) – a good introductory push-your-luck dice game.  The strategies may be best grasped by 3rd grade and up, but I think even younger kids will enjoy the dice rolling and excitement of pushing your luck

Sushizock im Gockelwock (Zoch) – well, this is the followup to Pickomino, and it’s not bad for kids.  I acutally prefer Pickomino to Sushizock for younger kids as the simple addition is easier for the kids to grasp, but this one is much better to play as an adult.  Heck, just get both and then you’ll be set either way!

Duck Dealer (Splotter) – OK, just kidding.  Unless your kid is a savant. 

Kakerlaken Suppe (Drei Magier) – a nice follow up to Kakerlaken Salat where kids try to make tasty soup in this cute card game

Dominion (Rio Grande) - I have had good experiences teaching this game to children as young as 7—who have had no problems picking up the flow of play or basic strategy.  (As always, please remember that I am a developer for the game!)

Wise Alec (Griddly Gamez) – a cute trivia game that is a bit unique in that it can be played with the whole family.  Different level questions allow for all family members to compete in this game.

Cities (Emma) - this is my new favorite game from Essen, and I think that it can be played with children.  The scoring has a three different levels, and the simplest level of scoring would be good for probably first grade and up…

Fluch der Mumie (Ravensburger) - A cute game which uses a magnetic board.  One player is the mummy and stays on one side of the board and tries to move the mummy to catch the adventurers.  Of course, the mummy can’t see any of the adventurers on his side, only the map.  On the other side, the adventurers have to move around and try to collect 5 treasures to win.

Arthur Saves the Planet (FRED) and Worm Up! (FRED) – see my earlier review on these two games here

Equate (Conceptual Math Media) - an interesting take on Scrabble which uses number tiles and operator tiles.  So instead of making words, you make math equations!  This game was actually published in 1996, but my kids are just now getting old enough to be able to play/learn from this one.

Zygomar (Cocktail) - a quick game about building clown faces.  I tried it at Essen last year and was ambivalent about it, but since then I’ve seen a number of children play it and LOVE it. 

Crosswise (MindWare) - OK, I haven’t actually played this one, but it’s on order for my kids.  It sold as a game where two players play on a grid.  One scores for the rows and one scores for the columns.  You place tiles trying to maximize your score and minimize that of your opponent.  Recommended for ages 6+.

Robot Master (Cocktail) - on the same theme, Robot Master is a nice game with a similar idea as Crosswise.  In this game, players fill a 5x5 grid with numbered cards - with one scoring for rows and the other scoring for columns.  There are some special scoring rules if you can get a pair or three-of-a-kind of a particular number on a line.  Due to the math involved with the special scoring, this is likely better for maybe 7 or 8+.  And, as an added bonus, it’s a good way to introduce your kids to Dr. Knizia…

Sorry Sliders (Parker Brothers) - a mass-market dexterity game that is a lot of fun.  It’s very similar to Crokinole where you flick your pawns to land in specific areas or to knock your opponents pieces off the scoring area.  There are rules for four different games so your kids can find the one they like the best!

Boss Kito (QWG) - this is a Michael Schacht card game with absolutely incredible artwork - my kids really liked the cute gorillas on the cards.  The gameplay itself is fairly straightforward, essentially it is a set collection game.  The scoring takes a little bit of work to grasp but I think that most school children will be able to pick it up without a problem.

Pictureka! (Hasbro) - This is another mass-market game which is a remake of Project X.  It’s essentially a visual scavenger hunt.  On a player’s turn, you flip up a card which has a goal on it (find a particular object, count the number of widgets, find at least this many things, etc).  My kids have really liked this one, and now that it’s available in toy stores anywhere, it’s easy to find at a low cost!

Star Wars Galactic Heroes Game (Milton Bradley) - There are actually three different versions of this game: Anakin vs. Dooku, Obi Wan vs. General Grievous, and Clone Trooper vs. Super Battle Droid.  The games are simple roll and move affairs as the two pieces battle each other.  For me (and my kids), the best part about the game is that the movers are the Star Wars Galactic Heroes miniatures.  My kids collect the miniatures anyways, but the game really seems to captivate them as they get to incoporate one of their favorite toys into a board game.

Until your next appointment,
The Gaming Doctor

© 2008 Dale Yu

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Comments:

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Thanks, Dale!  Sorry Sliders and Equate are now on my wanted in trade list! Posted by Jeffrey D Myers on Nov 19, 2008 at 11:22 AM | #

The boys know that Viva Topa! is my favorite of their games.  Glad that they could teach Aunt Valerie’s favorite to their friends! Posted by Valerie Putman on Nov 19, 2008 at 11:26 AM | #

Thanks Dale!  I had Viva Topo as a candidate already, glad to see its a favorite.  You’ve given me some great leads for holiday gifts.  Do you have any opinions about these: Mago Magino Willy Waschbar Los Mampfos ? Posted by Jim Clapperton on Nov 19, 2008 at 06:04 PM | #

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