Tom Vasel:  What is this?

Thanks a lot, Greg!

After reading your blog, I guess everyone who reads this site decided to cut down on their gaming time, starting with my blog.

I say this, because for the first time ever, I got not a single response to one of my picture contest, the one I posted last week.  So, the contest still stands, and anyone who gets even ONE right can win. 

This week is vacation time, and like Greg stated, much (if not most of it) is to be spent with my family.  So we’re off to Lotte World, one of the largest indoor amusement parks in the world, and probably the second best amusement park in Korea.

Or maybe not.

For the last couple of weeks, I planned my annual trip to Lotte World with my students.  I usually get a group of them and go together so that we can get the group rate, which is a significant discount.  The discount includes the teacher going for free, so that makes me rather happy.  Then, two weeks ago, one of the managers at Lotte World decided, while drunk, to ride the rollercoaster without the belt attached.  At the top of the water coaster, he plummeted 70 feet into the lake and subsequently died.  While the death was most certainly his fault, it tarnished the image of Lotte World, and many Koreans stopped going, out of paranoia and/or superstition.

So Lotte World decided to do some positive public relations.  They announced last week that, starting with the 26th of March, and proceeding for the five days following, that Lotte World would be free to everyone.  There was a limit of 35,000 people per day - but those folk would get it on the house.  When I heard this news, I was glad!  Not only would I go with my students on Tuesday, the 28th, but I would take my family there another day - maybe two days!

Lotte World began this promotion on a Sunday, the 26th, which happened to be a holiday weekend and the only day that many children have off from school.  By 10:00 AM Sunday morning, 70,000 people were clamoring at the gates and fighting to get in.  Therefore, thirty-five people were injured, and they had to close the park down, canceling the remainder of the free week.  Then, early today, I found out that the entire park will be shut down for a week. 

What were they thinking?  Why offer admission to EVERYONE for free on a hoiday Sunday, in one of the top largest metropolitan areas in the world, with 30 million people within an hour away?  Did they not see this coming?

Oh well, that cancels my trip to Lotte World and it looks like I’m going to fork out some hard, cold cash to take my family to another amusement park, since I promised them the trip. (and YOU tell three excited little girls that a trip to an amusement park is canceled).

So this has me thinking about amusement park games.  Why aren’t there more of them?  Rollercoaster Tycoon: the Board Game is a decent auction game, one that I enjoy playing on occasion, and I’ve heard tail of Scream Machine by Joe Huber.  But other than that, what is there?  We need a decent game about amusement parks!

Maybe Fantasy Flight could do one, with a box full of 10,543 pieces and counters, and six expansions on the way?

Or Eagle could do one, with a board that needs three tables to hold it, and tons of chrome and artwork?

Or Cheapass could do one, with the entire game in an envelope, containing a deck of 43 cards.  You have to add the 400 counters and thirty dice that are needed.

Steve Jackson would do the same game as Cheapass, except that it would be in color and cost $50.

Twilight Creations could do it, but the game would also come with 100 plastic zombies that would invade the park.

Kronberger Spiele could make it, but all the rides would be made out of rhombi.

Warfrog could do it, but they would make one glaring error on the gameboard.  But the mechanics would be incredible!

Hasbro could do it, but only if it sells 10 million copies.

Mayfair could do it, but it would need to be entitled Amusement Park: Catan.

Days of Wonder could do it, and probably win the adulation of all.

GMT could do it, but it would involve a war scenario with the rides providing cover saves.

All right, enough fantasizing, as an amusement park game is probably going to be in the next decade - I can wait until then.

That’s my blog for this week - short and sweet, because Greg said I need to spend more time with my family.  And, since Greg is the Grand Poo-bah, who am I to argue?

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

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