Tom Vasel:  Choosing Games

Well, I hate to drag myself away from the tantalizing puzzles of Tanga, but I had a very intriguing weekend, and found games!

First of all, some of the foreign schools in Korea get together once a year for a “family gathering”, in which we follow a program, do boring stuff, blah blah blah.  However, at one point, everyone splits up into different activities.  One activity is always board games, in which they tell you to “bring you favorite game!” Now frankly, I don’t trust anyone to bring their favorite games, so I’ve always borught mine own.  This time, I was travelling down to Seoul with my family in tow, and didn’t want to overburden myself with too many games.

So what games to bring?  I was looking for games that would act as a good “gateway” game; that were easy to teach; that were simple enough that I could explain them and then walk away (in case a lot of people showed up); and games that my wife knew how to play so that she could also teach if she wanted.  I was able to store some games in a vehicle travelling down, so I put in Ticket to Ride, Around the World in 80 Days, Manila, and Ark of the Covenant (talk about your quad of intro games!)

Then, I filled my backpack with smaller games.  The ones I chose were:
High Society
David and Goliath
For Sale
Turn the Tide
Mamma Mia / Sole Mia
No Thanks
6 Nimmt
Leapfrog
Apples to Apples
Tichu (yes, I’ve been sucked into the enjoyment of this game - thanks a lot, David!)
Ice Cream
Where’s Bob’s Hat
Monkeys on the Moon
The Nacho Incident
You’re Bluffing
Relationship Tightrope
10 Days in Europe

A lot of good games packed into a small space.  I was pleased with the selection, but of course Murphy’s law states that not too many folk would show up - in fact, we only had five playing.  So we managed to get in For Sale, No Thanks, Ticket to Ride, and Relationship Tightrope.  It was a fun day, and I hooked a few more people into playing (or at least I hope so).

Then, this weekend was a board game convention in Seoul, Korea.  Unfortunately, i had other obligations for most of the weekend, but was able to zoom down to Seoul for an hour to check it out.  And I’m so glad I did, because they were selling games at 30 to 50% off - internet prices!  I planned to possibly pick up a game, but instead got four marvelous games.

Ubongo,
Amun-Re
Vinci
Die Steven Seagal! (you know what I mean)

My friend was able to snag Star Wars: Queen’s Gambit for just under $50, which is incredible considering it’s out of print and very difficult to find.  The game convention was actually outside, in the open area of a large shopping mall in the heart of Korea.  There were over a hundred folks there playing tons of games, with Lexio, Jenga, Gemblo, Rumis, and Settlers topping the list.  I was very happy to find it, and wished I could have stayed longer.  Next one is in March, I’ll go and take pictures this time!

My board game club at school is growing, which is a good thing - I had twelve kids last time, with eight of them merrily playing Killer Bunnies and the others playing It’s a Dog’s Life.  Good times for all.

Well, I got to go revel in my new games (and play a bit of Final Fantasy X), so I’ll see you next week!

So here’s my question of the week.  If you were in the same position as I, and had a backpakc to fill with games, what would you bring?

Tom Vasel
“Real men play board games”
www.tomvasel.com

© 2006 Tom Vasel

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Comments:

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When I bring games with me, I like to use a banker’s box instead of a backpack.  (the white cardboard ones with a lid, that come flat and you assemble yourself) The box dimensions are such that you can bring a couple of the standard square-box games (Ticket to Ride), and even the bigger rectangular ones (Tikal), plus a ton of smaller stuff.  They are pretty sturdy which protects the games, and a good lid, so that you can pack on top of it.  Of course, if you’re going to be walking around, shoulder straps are much nicer. On a recent trip to the beach, I couldn’t get all the games I wanted into one box, so I ended up with two.  Good thing they are stackable! Posted by Brian McBarron on Sep 18, 2006 at 12:46 PM | #

A backpack, eh?  Well, that eliminates any big box games, sooooo...here’s my list: Bohnanza Bang! No Thanks Saboteur Family Business Perudo For Sale Nobody But Us Chickens Nicht Die Bohne Trump, Tricks, Game Cannibal Pygmies in the Jungle of Doom You’re Bluffing Dungeon Twister Hey! That’s My Fish Hmmm...maybe I need 2 backpacks… Posted by John Barnes on Sep 18, 2006 at 04:39 PM | #

Of course for many card games you don’t need their boxes, so you could fit a lot more of them in there. I’d include the following, at least: Coloretto Lost Cities Typo It might be possible to cram in: Gemblo Light Travel Einfach Genial Hive Posted by Mark Haigh-Hutchinson on Sep 18, 2006 at 04:53 PM | #

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