FunandBoardGames.com - Boardgame News and Reviews

Theme Week: Chock-o-block Schacht

In a 2004 interview, designer Michael Schacht said, “I am a big fan of games with few rules.... I prefer a rules structure that also permits poor play. After all, one should be able to learn a game and improve with each play. That has the disadvantage, though, that some of my games aren’t completely understandable during the first play.”

When you think of games related to China, Mah Jong might be the first thing that comes to mind. You’ve seen actors playing the game in movies, slapping down the chunky tiles and collecting the scoring sticks from opponents.

The pieces in Michael Schacht’s China can’t compare to …
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November 29, 2006 | (2) Comments | Permalink

Theme Week: The Need for Speed

There’s a time and a place for games that require a lot of planning, pondering, and chin-rubbing. That time is not this week, and that place is not this website. Here we present a half-dozen games that force you to play fast, fast, fast.

Mass-market American game publishers apparently have a phobia about printing the name of the game designer on the box. Instead of telling game buyers who actually designed the game, they want to create the illusion that the manufacturer is the source of all things gamey and good. If you like …
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November 25, 2006 | (34) Comments | Permalink

Board games shine at letting you experience parts of the world that are otherwise off-limits. Not a millionaire? No problem—by playing Acquire, Monopoly, or Power Grid, you can buy all the stocks, hotels, or nuclear power plants you like.

While few of us want to spend …
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November 14, 2006 | (0) Comments | Permalink

Friedemann Friese has been releasing games through his own company, 2F-Spiele, for more than a decade, and over the years his games have become more polished and professional looking. In 2004, Friese released Power Grid, a slightly revised and vastly better-looking version of his 2001 release Funkenschlag, and the game …
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November 11, 2006 | (11) Comments | Permalink

Actress Felicity Huffman won an Oscar for her portrayal in this movie of a man who’s discovering the son he never knew he had, while at the same time eliminating the last vestiges of his masculinity— Wait a minute, that’s a review for IMDB, not Fun and Boardgames, so let’s …
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October 25, 2006 | (2) Comments | Permalink

Theme Week: Ubergames—Germany’s Award-Winners

The German game industry hands out the Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) each June to the best family game published in the previous twelve months. If you’re looking for games that are easy to learn and fun to play, pick up one of these winners.

Expect to hear a certain Beatles song in your head over and over again while playing this family-friendly game. Every player has tickets they need to complete, so they’ll be riding the rails back and forth across the U.S. to connect cities, punch their tickets, and score big points.

October 17, 2006 | (2) Comments | Permalink