Try July

Game One: "Bargain Hunter"
OK. How can you not love a game that attemptes to teach fiscal responsibility in spite of the fact that it's main gimmicky wheeze is a credit card machine? Our fair troopers found out. The object of this contest is to fill a shopping list to furnish your new place. *yuh-awn* AND you're not supposed to go into debt with your plastic credit card?! Wha-huh? The crew can be seen in our first pic trying hard to inject some fun into this tedium test. We finally did figure it out however. Dr Kirby (with unabashed encouragment from all) rang himself head over heels into a deep drowning sea of red ink in an attempt to snab all the items on his list. He came the closest to succeeding ...and lost miserably but with more laughs and glory than the game could possible contain rule wise. The lesson? Toss the rules on this one and play it the All American Way! Debt to the max! Melting plastic should fill the room as competitors struggle to out do each other in consumptive madness! That's the way to go here. Credit limit? HA! Where's the fun in that?




At right, on the left, we see the "real" winner who played by the rules and got the most stuff with no debt. He looks happy but don't be fooled. His victory is hollow. At right , on the right, we see the dictator of debt, Dr Kirby, theoretical "loser". You decide who had more fun. We know who really did!

Game Two: "Quest"

Manufactured by the now gone "Lakeside" game company. (Truth in advertising: Mrs.Kirby once worked for the now gone Lakeside Co. Her verdict? They were NOT a fun place to labor for!) This was a very novel an interesting maze run game. A massive spinner in the center of the board doubled not only as a move counter but a board changer. Arrows would appear in clear squares and set the direction of movement and make it different at every turn . Another novelty? Everyone moved with every turn. Opponents could be sent back to start if a player landed on a yellow square. Nice. Always a help to add a back stabbin' twist to these things.

After not so very long yours truly (right) emerged as the winner. My ennui filled aura lulled my opponents into a state of security and I was able to bring my pawn in for the victory! Lucky me. This one was recommended by all.

Game Three: "Hotels"

This one was featured last month but we didn't actually play it. Players buy and improve various Vegas style Hotel/Resort properties and then stick it to each other for room fees when they "visit" rival lodgings. After a shortened round everyone was convinced this challenger should have started the evening. Things were just beginning to get het up when we had to call a winner. And it was? None other than the that raconteur roustabout and master of Zeus, Mr G.(above). Could he look happier? Not really seeing as how he somehow managed to "Trump" the rest of us!

Last tanuki video embed, I swear

Tan Tan Tanuki

Solstice Star Wars Tarantella

Les blockbusters de l'ete

Jury's in on July

Game the Oneth: Pirates of the Caribbean Life.

Shiver me timbers, scupper me bilge and set sail for the seven seas mateys! We're off to a traysure laden start with this salty pick of Dr Kirby's! Based on the hit game and Hollywood movie franchise this one was a barnacled beauty. Our grog besotted winner, Cap'n K can be seen at right lifting a bottle o' rum off a dead man's chest in a victory toast.When it comes to piracy he be the "Teach"-er! Yarrr!!!

Game the Two-th: Mystery Mansion.

Somehow playing this with my daughter 20 years ago gave me the edge I needed to pull off a stunning win. Really, I think everyone was relieved when it was over. Wandering through an unbuilt house of boxes and searching for treasure chests has a ring of buccaneering fun to it but truth be told it grows tedious. I also have an updated "talking" version of this game at home. Ya' gotta wonder what the improvement would be to have this thing sqauwking away and eating batteries while you tried to find the winning goodies? Well ..fun enough but mostly because of a lucky quick win.
Game the Third-th: Q-bert.

Based on the hit computer game of two decades ago the whole crew mutinied and decided to make this one walk the plank. Too many rules and ... it was getting late ...and well ...bleariness does set in after awhile so ...Away with it!. At lower left we see Zeus and his buddy sighing with relief at the sight of Q-bert going over the edge.


Game the Fourth: Hotel

Now this is the game we should have tried out instead of Mystery Mansion. We didn't have time to play this but just setting it up and gazing at it's magnificence sent Dr Kirby into a panicked greed frenzy for PROPERTY! (see final picture) We had trouble wresting it from his paws and only the assurance that we may yet someday try this royal real estate treat kept him from foaming insanity.

Patience Doc! Mad greed for land is what got the lubbers of this country in half the fix it's currently in! See you next month!

enuJ

What is it about June that makes me go all backwards like?

AT midnight, in the month of June,

I stand beneath the mystic moon.

An opiate vapor, dewy, dim,

Exhales from out her golden rim,

Edgar Allen Poe, The Sleeper

Yeah, Ed, that must be it, the opiate vapor. Might explain why I can't catch a break on Game Night lately. Anyway, let us proceed through the events of June GN in the order reversed of which they in actual time transpired were. Huh?

We'll open with an innovation, video. ("It's funny how the colours of the real world only seem really real when you viddy them on the screen." ) Not here on the blog of course, O my brothers, but over there where the flickers fly I have stashed such vids as I will now here describe. Now don't get all woozy on me my kinderlings as we will now be flying low over "Hotels". (Click for Video Numero Uno). Such wonders of hospitality. Will we ever get to play said game? Likely not. Likely just a flashed up, Vegasy sort of Monopoly©. Did you spot the foreclosed subdivisions out there on the periphery? Oh, they're there all right.

Before that, which we set up and didn't play, we had Q*bert

which we set up, selected two to play (yeah, lost that one too), read the rules ("When you stare into the abyss the abyss stares back at you." thanks, Fred), and abandoned. Even the ever patient Colonel loses it as he attempts to instruct the hapless victims to be. (Click for Video Dos) Well, ought for two. And we've only just concluded. How did we reach this impasse?

Behold "Mystery Mansion".

Keys, locks, stairs, clues and, oh yes, secret passages. Alright, where was the skeleton? A skeleton would have really made my evening. Too many cobwebs and no skeleton. And we were all reaching for our readers to try and discern whether those were crates or barrels down the basement.

But you have to applaud the modularity of it all. And, you know, treasure chests.

And, speaking of treasure chests, we now come to the final exhibit for the evening, where it all began, always a favorite, Pirates!

A mostly lame adaptation of the always lame game LIFE cashing in on the popular Pirates of the Caribbean. But … Pirates! With raids! And skullduggery! Skeletons? Don't remember. Every move involved money changing hands which all pretty much balanced out. But it was paper money. Very non-piratical. Jewels! Doubloons! Captives! (especially wenches!)

Now that's the pirate game. (But lots of Chinese pirates, very cool).

And that spinner … Somebody should walk the plank for that spinner, aargh!

OK, here's where we came in, pass the wasabi peas.

P.S. Our best to comrade Dennis whose die tossing, piece shuffling wing kept him out of the game due to recent sawbones action. Be seeing you in July.

You know the pictures are always better over at the Flickr