Christmas Games: 2010

A few years ago it seemed that Christmas couldn't pass without at least a few members of my family receiving as gifts some number of movies (either on VHS or DVD). More recently this trend seems to have been almost completely replaced by the exchange of board games. The result of the change is that instead of passing Christmas afternoon in front of a TV watching a newly acquired movie we are now somewhat more inclined to pass at least part of our gift opening days (another change has been to stretch the gift opening over a number of days) playing one or more of the newly acquired games.

Given that this seemed to be a banner year for new games I thought that I might try to give a quick rundown on some of the newly acquired games, most of which I had a chance to play at least once.

Fluxx v 4.0 - I started to play Fluxx in about 2007 and then introduced it to my family shortly thereafter. Almost immediately it became a particular favourite of Kirsten's, so it was not particularly surprising that she received Fluxx v. 4.0 this year. Fluxx v. 4.0 is really quite different than v. 3.1 (the version with which I am most familiar). At least as far as I can tell, one of the most significant differences are the 'Creepers,' which go with 'Keepers.' Typically, players with Creepers in front of them are unable to win (though some rule and goal cards alter this state of affairs). The general impression that I had of Creepers was that they tended to make the game more confusing and difficult to win (and I am not sure that they would work well with non-Creeper variants of the game). The up side of the new version were a few new rule and action cards that mixed things up a little and allowed those familiar with the game a chance to achieve a feeling of bewilderment that seems to accompany most people's introduction to the game.

Monty Python Fluxx - Like Fluxx v. 4.0, this version of the game had Creepers. Most of the Creepers and Keepers were based on various aspects of the Monty Python ouevre, as were some of the new Rule, Action, and Goal cards. The aspect of the game that I found less appealing than other Fluxx variants were the rules that rewarded those with Monty Python knowledge (i.e. more plays are associated with more ability to quote lines from Monty Python movies). The problem with such rules is that the same people tend to be advantaged or disadvantaged in various iterations of the game. The fix, just going to the internet to satisfy the requirements, doesn't really improve my enjoyment of the game and just devolves into a matter of regurgitation. The other problem, which is one that we encounter, relates to interpretation of players actions (something that doesn't come up in the traditional forms of the game). For instance, does talking in a fake Newfoundland accent satisfy the requirement that one conduct their term while speaking entirely in an "outrageous foreign accent"? (Neil thought not). While Monty Python fans will likely appreciate many of the names of the cards and rules, I am not sure if this is really the game for dedicated Fluxx traditionalists (if such a type of person exists).

Scrabble Slam - Though this games shares a name with the classic crossword game Scrabble it is really more like Upwords (also a crossword game) in card form. The basic idea is that players modify a communal four letter words with cards from their hand. There is no turn order and players play cards to form new words as quickly as they can think of them. While the basic idea is pretty simple (which I tend consider a good quality) the application of the rules can sometimes be a bit tricky. Not only can it sometimes be difficult to determine who actually played first, it can also be a bit of a challenge to ensure that everyone is playing valid words (or the letters they are suggesting they are playing). Aside from rules or gameplay characteristics, one of the problems I had with the game is that it caused my brain to freeze (at times it felt as though I just couldn't think). As a person with spelling/reading difficulties I just couldn't effectively operate at pace required for me to be even moderately competitive. I guess the bottom line is that this isn't likely the hot new game for dyslexics.

Monopoly Deal - This is a game that we first encountered a few months ago and have played on a pretty regular basis since then (it makes it onto the Christmas list because Neil and Rebecca gave a copy to Kirsten). While the game is a card game version of the classic board game, the goal is to be the first player to collect three monopolies rather than to bankrupt one’s opponents. Like Fluxx, there are a number of cards that add a degree change and excitement to the game. Also like Fluxx, the length of time that a game can take to complete can really vary and the winner may not be the person who appears to be the strongest. One of the things that we have noticed as we have continued playing this game is that our gameplay continues to become more cutthroat and complex (Neil’s favourite move appears to be to Forced Deal someone a Monopoly so that he can throw down a Deal Breaker). This means that while when played on a relatively basic level the game can seem quite random and prone to sudden shifts in momentum more experienced players (sometimes through working collectively to prevent the win) can slow things down and add a greater degree of stability to the outcome and gameplay.

Alhambra – This is a game that I gave to Neil for Christmas, but that he didn’t receive until we returned as I saw no reason to lug it to St. John’s just so that he would have to lug it back. This winner of the 2003 Spiel des Jahres award is my favourite of the games that we acquired this Christmas. A simplified version of the goal is that players are trying to build the best (not necessarily only largest) building complex. Points are awarded in relation to the nature of one’s opponents building complexes. Some of the aspects of the game that I really like are that it seems to progress smoothly and reach a relatively natural end. Unlike some games, it doesn’t feel as though it ends too early. Though we have only been playing this game for a few days I feel as though we already have started to improve (in particular we are now doing a much better job of paying attention to the wall structures of the various building components that one is able to buy). I am curious to try this with more than 3 players as I think such a condition will require more attention to certain details (some of which seem to be ignorable with three players).

Ticket to Ride – The Card Game – Not surprisingly, this game is a card game version of the 2004 Spiel des Jahres winning board game Ticket to Ride. Though I didn’t get a chance to play this game before I left, Neil and Kirsten both seemed to enjoy it. My sense of things is that it is somewhat similar to the board game in that you seem to collect train tickets to complete routes, though I am not sure that I can really say much more about it than that.

Carcassonne: Cult, Siege, & Creativity – As one might have guessed from the title, this is a set of Carcassonne game expansions rather than a completely new game. Each of these expansions is relatively small and can be added singly or together with other expansions to a regular game of Carcassonne. The Cult and the Heretic expansion provides an equivalent to cloisters that can either be used almost exactly like regular cloisters, or as a means of potentially rendering ineffective a competing player’s cloister (or them one of yours). The Siege expansion is a way of sabotaging an opponent’s cities (or unclaimed cities) so that they count for fewer points. The Creativity Expansion consists of two blank pieces that can be modified however the owners see fit (we did not play with these two tiles). Though not particularly creative, I can see that these two tiles would be useful as replacements for lost tiles. Two other mini-expansions for Carcassonne were also received: King and Scout and The Count of Carcassonne, though neither of these were played before I left.

Interestingly, in spite of all of these new games and game expansions, we still ended up playing quite a number of games of Settlers of Catan (several of which were non-standard variants). I wouldn’t be surprised if we actually played more games of Settlers than games of the others combined (if we included Alhambra in the total it is possible that this would no longer be the case, and even as it stands our Fluxx games may have pushed us past Settlers).