May 2012
5 posts
8 tags
Creating 60 minutes of "special time" →
They’re a little late to the party, but at least they showed up…
The American Psychological Association recommends that parents carve out 60 minutes of focused time with each of their children every week. They recommend doing something fun together - playing, drawing, shooting baskets, flying kites, or whatever the parent and child can enjoy.
Parents who play board games with their...
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It's time to play, Scout! →
The Boy Scouts recently announced a new “game design” merit badge, which will roll out during 2013.
This is tremendously cool news for the Scouts out there and for the specialty tabletop game industry as well.
This merit badge is a tangible way to connect Scouts with the growing world of Eurogames to develop all kinds of key mental abilities, including:
critical thinking skills
...
April 2012
2 posts
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February 2012
4 posts
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Board game jam? Sounds awesome. →
Designing a board game from start to finish across a single weekend?
Sounds awesome to me.
This particular Board Game Jam took place at George Brown College’s School of Design in Toronto, Alberta.
Wouldn’t that be cool to do here at IPFW?
I must think on this.
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Old Milwaukee's $1500 Super Bowl spot →
I love it when inexpensive creativity overcomes boatloads of money.
The folks at Old Milwaukee scored a viral social media win over the major beer companies with a snappy ad featuring Will Farrel, a field of grain, and a can of beer.
And they did it with a $1500 TV ad placement in one of the smallest markets in the country.
Read the story to see how some research, inspiration,...
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Now *that's* a marketing pitch →
Jim Pynn, superintendent of the Newtown Creek Wastewater treatment plant in Brooklyn, deserves some kind of marketing award.
Seriously.
His pitch? Make Valentine’s Day memorable with a tour of a working sewage treatment plant!
SEE the plant’s giant egg-shaped digesters!! WATCH the digesters break down noxious waste into harmless sludge and gas!! GET a free Hershey’s kiss for...
January 2012
2 posts
5 tags
Conversing and connecting
I live in a relational bell curve.
Some days, I’m on one end, feeling out-going and annoyingly cheerful. And a few days each month, I’m on the other end, where I just want people — all people — to leave me alone.
Most days, I live in the middle. I want social contact and connection, but getting it always involves people, and people can be kinda scary.
If you’re in...
zookerdee asked: I am a big fan of Ticket to Ride. I have USA with 1910 expansion, Marklin, Europe, and Switzerland. My 17 year old daughter and I play. I have the card game (which isn't really much fun) I also play online. I'm looking for the next great game and am thinking of Settlers of Catan. I tried to learn this one online, to see if I wanted to buy it, but it seemed kind of slow and I...
December 2011
1 post
12 tags
Today's question: gift for a college student
In today’s question, we’re looking for board game to give a college student and the student’s associated Significant Other. They enjoy playing games together, plus they hang out with a group of game-loving friends. For gifts like these (okay, for gifts in general), I lean toward faster, more accessible games because they’re most likely to please a broad swath of people. ...
November 2011
6 posts
9 tags
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Ticket to Ride, meet iPhone →
Days of Wonder must hate me.
They deliberately tried to destroy my productivity by releasing Ticket to Ride for the iPhone mere weeks away from the end of the semester, and for only 99 cents.
Why do they do things like to me? Have they no decency?
Yes, I already bought it for my iPhone.
No, I haven’t played yet because I have school work due.
Yes, this feels unfair at some level, but...
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The value of more oil and less fun in Catan
Catan: Oil Springs converts the classic Settlers of Catan from a balanced Eurogame into a simulation tool for exploring an environmental scenario. The scenario in this case — the addition of oil as a powerful and dangerous ‘super resource’ — deliberately unbalances gameplay, which makes the game less fun because some players get an advantage over others.
Normally, that...
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Today's question: Family games!
In today’s question, someone’s looking for engaging family games that seat up to 5 players, and are good for kids in the 10-12 range.
Three to five players are great numbers for many Eurogames, so lots of possibilities abound. With kids in the ‘tween’ age bracket, you also want to keep things moving, particularly if they’re new to playing board games.
Since playing...
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It's National (Board)gaming Day! →
Sure, the American Library Association’s overall program is called “National Gaming Day”, but I’m officially dubbing Fort Wayne’s program National (Board)gaming Day!
On Saturday afternoon, November 12 from 2-5pm, I’ll be at downtown Main branch of the Allen County Public Library demonstrating the best in European boardgames. I’ll also be talking to...
October 2011
3 posts
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September 2011
3 posts
5 tags
Want but don't need... but WANT! →
Just like Mayfair’s beautiful 10th Anniversary 3D Catan set, the 10th anniversary Puerto Rico set falls cleanly in the category of “Want, But Don’t Need.”
Oh, but I SO want…
Puerto Rico: Anniversary Edition includes thicker playing pieces, redesigned goods counters, metal doubloons, redesigned artwork, plus all expansions ever released for the game. All in a...
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August 2011
2 posts
10 tags
Gen Con 2011 bigger than ever →
My coverage of this year’s Gen Con for Model Retailer Magazine posted today, complete with photos.
Game reviews will begin soon, so watch this space for details!
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July 2011
8 posts
5 tags
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Joining an experiment
Anyone who reblogs this will get a message from me, even if this gets over 1,000 notes. Every single message will be different, this isn’t some copy and paste shit. It might be long, it might be short. It might be rude, it might be nice. You won’t know until you reblog and find out.
What an interesting project. I’m curious to see how it works out!
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June 2011
9 posts
6 tags
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Trust30 #1: Speak Less
I just received my first prompt from the Ralph Waldo Emerson project called Trust30. And wow, is it a doozy.
It seems like they picked this one especially for me.
The prompt from Laura Kimball says,
“I once received a fortune cookie that read: “Speak less of your plans, you’ll get more done.” What’s one project that you’ve been sitting on and thinking about but haven’t made progress on? What’s...
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Dads, you can connect
Dads, you can do it.
You can build connections with your kids
The first try might not work like you thought. It might even suck. But the second time gets better. So does the third.
Keep trying.
Stick with it.
It will work.
You will connect.
You didn’t create deep and lasting friendships overnight on the basketball court or in the corporate cubicle. The same rule applies at home.
...
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Catching Startup Fever
If you like Euro-style strategy games with a business theme, whip over to to Kickstarter before midnight EDT on June 13 and take a look at Startup Fever from Louis Perrochon. It’s definitely worth your time and money.
Louis graciously loaned me a copy of the game’s beta version for an early peek. And I like what I see.
Startup Fever casts players in the role of emerging web...
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Carcassonne 10th available today!
The big day is finally here!
My Friendly Local Game Store tells me that the long-awaited Carcassonne 10th Anniversary Edition arrives today.
I see tile laying on this weekend’s schedule. Oh, yeah.
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May 2011
4 posts
7 tags
Settlers of Catan: "The entrepreneur's board game"
Reid Hoffman loves Settlers of Catan.
And who, you might ask, is Reid Hoffman? He’s the chairman of LinkedIn, the professional networking web site.
According to Smart Company magazine, Reid sees very educational echos of entrepreneurship in Settlers:
He loves the entrepreneurs’ board game What entrepreneur doesn’t enjoy some downtime? Hoffman chooses to relax by playing the...
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Pre-Rapture instructions for students
Q: What if my instructor is raptured?
A: None of our instructors bear much chance of being judged worthy. However, on the off chance your instructor is chosen, an army of unemployed secular Marxists is waiting to take his/her place. Q: If my instructor is not raptured, is he really fit to judge me? A: Yes, seeing as you were not raptured, you are still subject to the earthly judgment of the...
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Ask Me anything
John,
I think you forget me (ask me anything)
Matt Lemke
Not forgotten, but definitely haven’t seen you in a while! Are you going to be at Gen Con this summer? What are you doing these days?
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April 2011
24 posts
7 tags
