Septic September?

Game One: Battle Cry!

Hoo-hah! It's the War Betwixt the States, suh! A battle of brains to be certain with Dr Kirby trying his dangdest to vanquish them damn Yankees. Here at left we see the son of the South sotted with grape and agog at the might of the industrial North. Let no one say that he was afeared to strike the first whollop. His troops moved without mercy into the heartland of Lincoln loyalists and kicked keester.

At the right we see General Grant smirking at Bob E. Lee's attempts to stave off the Blue Belly tidal wave. The South soon, facing setback after setback and in spite of a gallant try at historical rewrite, was on the ropes before it knew what had happened.

At left we can see the intensity of the brawl as Lee valiantly wards off the oncoming Yankee doom. Note the blood red dice ominously perched in the back ground. The South fell again but holds dear hopes of rising anon. All in all a great game. Several of the members recalled playing this one as kids. Highly recommended. One of a series of games along with "Skirmish", Hit the Beach", "Broadside" and "Dogfight". Winners all!

Game Two: Chop Suey:

A hidden classic from 1967. Players attempt to grasp chunks of "suey" with plastic chopsticks from a wind up rotating bowl. Irrepressible mirth ensued as well as appetite stimulation. At left Dr Kirby tries to sate his hunger. Hold on Doc! That's the game you're about to digest! Good for a fifteen minute interlude and fine for a once round, this game hardly left any hungry for more. I won! This makes this a Chop Suey memorable... at least for me!

Third Game: Monad!

Well ...words fail. I mean, what can be said about this compact powerhouse from the 3M game mob. The crew decided to let the picture at right tell it's thousand word tale and spare everyone tedious verbiage on the merits of this dynamic knockout! Dr Kirby was declared the absolute winner of Monad! Kudos K!

Game Final and Fourth:Take Twelve.

You take fourteen die and what do you get? Another game over and weeping I'll bet. But seriously ...for a rollin' bones offering this was entertaining. Two die are rolled and number combinations are matched with the other 12 numerically marked dice. When number matches can no longer be made the players turn is over. Numbers shaken and taken are added up. After four rounds a grand total is tallied and winner declared. I kept score and guess who won? Give up? Me! Haw! By 3 points! Double Haw! The lesson for all is make sure you know who's doing the accounting! Thumbs up for this deceptively simple cube-a-thon!

Game Night Is Good for You

Sure, everybody knows that Game Night makes you smarter and better looking. But did you know that that, due to the complex nutritional value of the refreshments consumed during an evening's hard play, it is also good for you? And it keeps you regular. I shit you not. Let's take a moment to review the essentials of the monthly Game Night Diet. First, of course, a balanced supper at the tavern conveniently located right next to our undisclosed location.

Then it's off to the Game Castle where the real feast awaits. All the game night food groups: wasabi, peanut, chocolate, cheez & bourbon. But, wait! Something is missing.


That's right Colonel. We forgot the vino and the Jim Beam. The game kings are actually divided into fiercely rival political camps: the wine party (known for some unknown reason as "The Grumps") and the whiskey party ("The Bumps"). Not to give anything important away but the Bumps will be winning all actual contests this night, fortified as they are by the special treat of smooth, 100 proof, Snob Creek.


We open the nights gaming with "Battle Cry". This war between the states will be fought with a Bump general staff for the North and a Grump one for the South. Oh, oh. Looks bad for the Rebs as the Army of the Potomac marches unopposed into Virginia.


Victory is clenched as the last Confederate resistance is cleaned out of the Chicago brothels. "Gen. Grant" is shown here smoking some sort of cheese cigar. ???



Appropriate, if not politically correct.





The Colonel demonstrates the correct use of chopsticks as he pinches out a narrow win.



Do I get this one? Not in the least. Perhaps the Doctor can explain once he's polished off that bottle.



Last call. Some kind of cheesy dice game. Time for the kings to wrap it up for September and sleep it off knowing full well that their cardio and other vital systems are safe for another month.

August Au Jus

First: "They Live in Fear Among Us!" (ver. "D") Starting off this month as we have before with yet another new and improved version of T.L.I.F.A.U. It must be better 'cause I lost. So vexed with demon drink that I had Dr. Kirby give the thumbs up even though he wasn't the winner. *ahem!* The dark horse took the trophy. A final slight modification and this game will be one for the vault!

Second game:"Dealer's Choice"

No snide comments about what was being dealt please. This was a fine contest of who could be the lowest and sleaziest used car dealer on the block. What would it take for me to get you into this game? What would I have to say to convince you that your life would only improve after taking this model out for a little spin just to get the feel of it? OK. This was a merry romper. I'd play again and next time pay more attention to the rules. Came in dead last. The man in black takes home his second trophy of the evening. I personally recommend this one as the 'play of the night".

Third Strike: "Stay Alive"

And for our final entrant a marble maze game. This one was fun too. Players take turns pulling levers to topple opponents marbles into the 'pit of doom' under the playing board. The game arena was filled with the screams of helpless glass spheres as they fell to their fate. Oh the inhumanity! I lost yet again keeping my perfectly awful run of ill luck intact for the entire evening. At least I wasn't the first one out on this game and the level of concentration required met my dimming supply. Yes, it was a clean sweeper for eve's winner as he took the third game in a row. How can he cheat so deftly? A Dr Kirby supplied game and again, a thumbs up! Just as an aside it was good to have Zeus guarding the door. He kept interlopers away and even gave El Marko the growl when he briefly crashed the festivities. Good work, Zeus! An extra cheezit for you!

Fish are jumping and the cotton is high

Just as we squeezed two months of Game Nighting into half a month's time I'm squeezing two photoplays into one post. Here the Col. tastes victory in his own TLIFAU.
And here he wins the other July game, a priceless piece of comedy called "Redneck Life". Don't you judge me! And speaking of judgement, here we have what I like to call "Evil Enters the Picture". Special guest redneck, Evil Eric.Then the gang settled in to enjoy some recent issues of "Fear Agent", greatest comic book of all time. Ssssh!
On to August

One last time into the extra-terrestial breach. Play moved well and was quickly over. Guess who won down on The Farm?
Then it's wheelin and a dealin with Dealer's Choice. Personally, I'd have liked to deal the wheels from Redneck Life.

Still, you can't beat winning. Couple of real pimpin rides on the lot that night.
Can't stay awake for all of them. I know I had some marbles around here somewhere. But now I seem to have lost my marbles. Ssssh...

(psst, pictures too crappy for poster size reproductions? try the real thing over at the Game Night Flickr site)

July Fly By

Game One: T.L.I.F.A.U redux.

OK. So first off we try "They Live In Fear Among Us" version c. Better but still no bell ringin' cigar winnin' wonder. Changes must be made!And soon! The game moved slightly better and as for the outcome ...well ...I won so how could that be bad? I guess because I had to be murdered by the angry mob to win. A cheezy deal but victory is victory and with my record for defeat I'll take a win just about any way I kin! Here we see the disapointed mulling their next move. Oh! Our special guest for the evening was a Chester legged "Evil" E. He was eliminated from the game. A comfort to see the bad get theirs!

Second Game: Redneck Life: Now here is a game that the entire gang could really relate to.Player with the most teeth at the end wins! A total and complete laugh riot. Universally acclaimed as the best game we've ever had at game night so far! More har-har than is usually legal. Players roll to see what their highest level of ejikashun will be and then are assigned a job. Yew also gits a wife or too latur on. I had the bad luck of getting the lowest level of learnin' possible (2nd grade!), came in dead last to the'day of reckonin . Managed to beat all the other rubes by a pretty good margin! Yeah I couldn't believe it myself.

Here (at the right) we see an image of one of the fine houses thatwere for sale in the game. This one has an eery similarity to a pal of Dr Ubi and mine from many years ago when we both did time on the Soo in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Brr! How's it possible?!

And finally a click of 'Evil' giving his best grimace over the board of his defeat.
Fun was had and if the past is any gauge of the future then I surely see "Redneck Life" being hauled out and played in the future. Highly recommended! Four Stars Two!thumbs way Up! Etc.!!!

Fortuna, nimium quem fovet, stultum facit

"Fortune, when she caresses a man too much, makes him a fool" Publilius Syrus

"We must believe in luck. For how else can we explain the success of those we don't like?" Jean Cocteau

Many of our interweb friends ask me... OK. It's not unusual, in my work-a-day life, for it to be inquired of me... Alright, cards on the table. It is a puzzlement inside my own head as to how it is that month upon month I am winning at Game Night (the voices, oh, the voices, yes, but don't think that I don't know what some of you are thinking. I'm looking at you Dr. R.)
...

OK. Much easier to write now that the meds have kicked in. What I mean to say, boys and girls, is that we live in a material universe. Therefore, there is no such thing as luck. And, let me tell you, hard work is overrated as well. Not that I take any chances along those lines. And that is why, month in and month out, I stick to these lucky 7 simple rules,

board.n.room's Tips for Inexplicable Game Night Success:

1) Arrive first
2) Order the grilled cheese sandwich
3) Drink the bourbon and only the bourbon
4) Load the dice
5) Deal from the bottom
6) Keep your eye on the dialectic
7) Never cross a redhead

There you be. Don't say I never show my cards.

"The deepest thing in any one is the conviction of the bad luck that follows boasting." Gertrude Stein

In June the Timuz is sweet

Putzing about with the camera as I waited for gamers to arrive for the traditional pregame repast I took this hint of our undisclosed location which is actually the POV for the photo and not its subject either reflected or direct. But who's the dude? And what are his intentions? And what's TIMUZ?

Killing time. The oh so pleasent early June evening was also not without the occasional distraction in passing of the female persuasion. After I had holstered my camera, alas. Yes, you wish. If necessary refer to "Frank can run but he can't hide" from this March.


Finally fed, we proceed to the gaming. What have we here? Col. Blame unveils a Game Night first, an original confection called They Live in Fear Among Us.





Communal paranoia! Red, green and blue aliens! I was first to reveal my alienosity but, unlike the Doctor, had no difficulty "passing" amongst the Angry Mob. I was apprehended by the feckless Sheriff but was released before you could say "habeus corpus" and slithered victorious to the nearby Swamp. Up yours earth people!


Here I whisper sweet alien nothings in the Widow Smith's ear. T.L.I.F.A.U. has adjustments to be made but shows real promise for earth gamers and those of extra-terrestial origin alike.
Second round, Showdown Yahtze. The dice did everything I asked of them. I exhausted my supply of point tokens and still rolled on. There's madness in them dice, I tell you.

As always, full color, suitable for framing, Game Night photos (those seen here and bonus pics as well) can be found at the Game Night flickr set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23129636@N02/sets/72157603820898882/