We have a e collection of Star Wars minis, painted plastic figures each about an inch tall. They are part of a game system that includes hundreds of little heroes, villains and droids, each with their own stats and special abilities. They come in packs of seven characters that you can pick up at your local game store. The packs are randomized, so you never know what you’ll get. It’s fun opening the packs to see what you’ve gotten, but frustrating when you find you’ve gotten your fourth Bespin Guard but still haven’t gotten an Obi Wan. The rules are simple enough for players ten and up. Nettie prefers playing out stories rather than pitched battles. She always plays as the Rebellion, with Princess Leia on her side.
I’m a game snob. I like games that take hours to play, call for deep strategies and have obscure themes. Most of our games are European. So when I broke out a copy of The Game of Life I picked up at Hasbro’s HQ, I was surprised how much we all enjoyed playing. It’s by no means perfect. The components are cheap. Nettie doesn’t like the amount of luck involved. Peabody gets frustrated late in the game if it’s clear that he has no chance of winning (as his debt piles up). But even with all of this we eagerly come back to Life for its simple and fast gameplay, constant interaction between players and the overall silly experience of seeing a life unfold in less than an hour.
As part of a business trip this week I visited the home of Mr. Potato Head. He lives in the Pawtucket, RI headquarters of Hasbro. Hasbro’s HQ is a temple to play. When you enter, you notice that the receptionist has a pile of action figures on her desk as well as a nameplate built out of toy blocks. Moving further into the building, you walk through a museum of some of the world’s most famous toys and games: The prototype Monopoly board on yellowed-paper, a set of original Lincoln Logs, an early set of Mr. Potato Head pieces (no potato included), multiple GI Joe action figures and a 60′s era Risk Board. It’s wonderful that these old toys and games continue to be relevant to kids. Which reminds me that we’ll need to break out some of these classic games when Annabel’s parents visit this week.
With head colds keeping us indoors this weekend, we broke out a new game from our secret Haba stockpile. Von 0 auf 100 (From 0 to 100) is a car racing game for 2-5 players ages 6 and up. This is one of those rare games that is suitable for young kids but fun for adults. There is little luck, physical skill or memorization involved. It’s pure, simple strategy. A track laid out with random tiles keeps the game replayable. Each round is a fast-paced 20 to 30 minutes.
In addition to our sea dog themed dinner, for Talk Like a Pirate Day we played a session of The Black Pirate (Der schwarze Pirat) from Haba. Players propel their ships around the board using a small bellows. A roll of the die determines how many puffs you get to fill your sails. It’s a game of skill and requires a degree of patience. Squeeze too lightly and your ship won’t move; squeeze too hard and you’ll overshoot your port and its treasure. With the right crew, it makes for a hilarious half hour of plunderin’.
