Risky Games
by Scott Hardie on August 23, 2014
Here's plugging two games that I've been enjoying lately:
Dice Wars is a good little miniature online game for one person, playable in about 20 minutes and very satisfying for its size. The text below the game explains the rules, but suffice to say, it's basically Risk but built to be played rapidly thanks to some rule simplification and a very swift AI. (Thanks for suggesting it, Joandy!)
I've started playing Risk: Legacy with friends every few weeks. It has invented a new genre, the "legacy" board game: You permanently alter it by playing, such as placing stickers on the board that can't be removed, or tearing up certain cards, et cetera. This forces you to think on whole new strategic levels, because you're not just concerned with the current game, but the next one and the next one and beyond. It's highly clever and innovative, and it keeps refreshing itself with new rules so that you get to keep trying out new strategies. If you're into board games and you have a group of five people that you can gather regularly (it's best to play with the same people every time), I can't recommend this title enough.
One Reply to Risky Games
Logical Operator
The creator of Funeratic, Scott Hardie, blogs about running this site, losing weight, and other passions including his wife Kelly, his friends, movies, gaming, and Florida. Read more »
Summer of Suck
It's been a tough summer so far. Here's venting. - Some good people were laid off in my department. Go »Real Predictions, from a Guy Who Takes This Too Seriously
Some of my Oscar contest predictions are solely based on my odds of "winning" the contest. I'm curious to find out if what film I really think will win in certain categories comes out on top. Best Picture: Babel Best Original Screenplay: Babel Best Original Score: Babel Best Film Editing: Blood Diamond Best Costume Design: Marie Antoinette Here's looking forward to a good show tonight. Go »Crikey
I saw a trailer for a new Free Willy movie coming out soon, starring Bindi Irwin. They're going to cash in on that kid for as long as they can, before she breaks down and can't be Miss Junior Croc Hunter and more. Maybe working in the same career that killed her dad is good for her psyche; who am I to be skeptical? Go »The Tiger
This is the second of four weekly blog posts about diagnoses that have completely changed my life since the pandemic started, after The Dragon. Last week, I wrote about my liver disease, which doesn't have any direct, detectable signs. It's not as if I feel any pain in my liver, or that I can sense that it's not working in the same way that I could tell right away if, say, my eyes stopped working or my lungs stopped working. Go »Gigantism
Thanks to a friend who couldn't use them, I scored They Might Be Giants tickets to replace the broken Valentines gift that I originally bought for Kelly. We took in the show last night with two other friends who happened to be going, Nathan and Raquel, and it was a great time. Most of my concerts have been metal, so I'm used to screaming and head-banging, and I didn't exactly know how to get into the music, especially since I was the least familiar with the TMBG catalog. Go »
Scott Hardie | November 24, 2014
The more I play Risk: Legacy, the more impressed I am. It really runs with its twist. I don't want to spoil specific details, but one example is that using too many high-grade weapons at once can permanently transform that territory and change how that faction is treated by others forever. it reinforces the idea that your actions have bigger consequences than just the battle at hand. The game is fiendishly clever with its twists and surprises, constantly challenging you to think ever more carefully about your actions. This is turning out to be one of the best board games I've ever played, and I play a lot of games. I highly recommend gathering four friends and playing it yourself. (Each game lasts about an hour, and it's designed to be played at least 15 times, so you do the math on how many Saturday afternoons it will take your group.)