Superman: Red Son (Various)

Superman: Red Son starts with a simple premise: what if the tiny craft carrying baby Kal-El had crashed in Ukraine rather than Kansas? 

Here, 'Soviet' Superman brings order and prosperity to the USSR.  He overcomes occasional rebellions (by people like 'Commie' Batman) by forcibly reprogramming people's brains with a chip to make them behave.  With capitalist America in shambles, he moves forward with a plan to dominate them, too.  But are his methods justified? 

I really liked this story.  It's an "Elseworlds" tale- DC's term for comics that follow alternate storylines- and it's a good one.  I was amused by the overall concept and especially enjoyed seeing 'comrade' Batman, but the intriguing aspect here is the commentary on power.  If you had the power to force people to obey and act a certain way, even if it resulted in a perfect society, do you have the right to do so?  An interesting question to be sure.  Check this one out, comrades.

Rating: A

Why do we play? (GDJ 1)

"Man Writing" by Oliver Ray

Welcome to a new series of posts, which I dub "Game Design Journal" (GDJ) entries.

One of my 2018 resolutions is to design a board game; to that end, I've been keeping a journal in which I jot ideas as they come to me on this topic.  In addition to game mechanics, themes, and the like, I'm thinking through the overall theory of games; hence today's post.  Expect these to be largely stream-of-consciousness, which is not my preferred style but appropriate for brainstorming.

Let's start at the beginning.  Why do we play games?

We've been playing games since antiquity, as Tristan Donovan discusses in his recent work.  What about games appeals to us?  Why do we play?  Initial obvious answers include "for fun" or "to kill time," but what is it about games that makes them fun or worthy of killing time?  My first thoughts are that we play:
- to escape: games are an 'alternate world' into which we voluntarily step, granting us an escape from the rigors and difficulties of reality
- to achieve: games give us a sense of accomplishment when we overcome the challenges laid down by the rules
- to compete: a type of achievement, competition gives us the opportunity to sharpen our skills
- to interact: games grant us 'safe' environments to interact with others
- to connect: we meet others with similar interests
- to explore: we may play to explore a map or probe possibilities presented to us by the game mechanics
- to learn: games can be a great vehicle for teaching basic- or advanced- concepts, granting  experiential learning difficult to emulate in lecture
- to be free: freed from 'real world' consequences, we are often encouraged to do things in games that would be silly, discouraged or illegal in real life, making games an environment to truly be free
- to practice: similar to learning, games enable practice of concepts necessary for real-world success.  One example is wargames, practiced for centuries to understand and develop strategy and tactics without loss of life
- to pretend: we step outside our 'day jobs' to take on different roles
- to control: games are closed, finite environments offering a degree of control unparalleled in real life

David Mullich has some interesting thoughts here.

Thinking through why we play helps me understand what I want in a game.  It also made me realize why I don't care about losing; I play to interact with others and explore the possibilities (which is why collectible games are so appealing to me).  Winning is nice but ultimately not my aim.  What about you- why do you play?

Klondike Rush

Today's review, which I felt appropriately timed given local weather, is of the 2017 release, Klondike Rush.  For 2-5 players, it takes 60 minutes.

Overview
You are a mining company investor, seeking the greatest profit of all.  You each start with $30; who knows what riches await in the Klondike?

On your turn, you draw and bid on the top card of the mining company deck.  (Each company card has a color and attributes (like certificates, mines, or orders).)  Each player can bid only once; winner pays the bank, gets the card, and receives any applicable items (mines or order cards) to place on it.  Regardless of who won, you then may build mines (if you have them) by paying a connection cost (which varies based on distance from existing mines), placing the mine, collecting the hunt token on that space, and advancing that company's value on the value track (upper left in the below picture).  At any time, you can match your hunt tokens with order cards to earn income.  Once per game, you may play a profit card, allowing you to collect money based on the number of your certificates in a given company combined with how valuable that company is at the time.  The game ends when all mining company cards are purchased.

game components; image from here

Review
This game is . . . okay.  The art is fantastic and components of high quality, but something felt amiss.  I think it's the dominance of the early game over the other phases- if one player gets behind early, it's extremely difficult to come back.  The keys of the game:
- Bidding.  Getting only one bid is an interesting twist and must be done well.  Bid too much too soon, and you'll be out of cash (and luck) the entire game.
- Knowing when to cash in your profit card (which will likely be necessary for a cash infusion mid-game)- waiting will likely net you more money, but wait too long and you may be out of cash and unable to bid in some rounds.

I enjoyed it well enough, but I don't think this will see much time at my game table.

UPDATE: the publisher released new 'director's cut' rules that eliminates the bidding aspect (see here).  Interesting; I played through (against myself) to check it out.  The new rules drastically alter the game, and I prefer it to the standard version. Here, cashing in for profit seems unnecessary (since there's no bidding, you should be able to get enough hunt tokens for supply cards to keep cash flowing).  The game is still only 'okay' in my book.

Rating: B-

Majesty: For the Realm

Today's review is of the 2017 release, Majesty: For the Realm.  For 2-4 players, it takes 20-40 minutes.

Overview
Your goal is simple: have the wealthiest realm.  You do so by recruiting characters (six are available in the central 'display' at any given time), which dictate where you place them based on their role (miller, brewer, knight, innkeeper, etc.).  Your realm has eight locations, each with its own characteristics.  On your turn, you:
- take a character from the display (paying a "meeple cost" for it if necessary)
- place it in the matching location in your realm
- resolve that location's abilities (some give points, trigger attacks on other realms, or have other interesting effects)

game in progress; image from here

The game ends when all players have twelve characters in their respective realms.  Points are totaled based on several factors, including diversity (how many different locations in your realm have characters) and majority (if you have the most characters in a given location).  Most points wins; it's that simple!

Review
This is a solid game.  As with other Marc Andre offerings (like Splendor), it's simple to learn and provides meaningful choices.  It might be too simple, in fact . . . I'd have to play it a few more times to know for sure.  I think I prefer Splendor, but this is a good one to check out.

Rating: B+

Gotham By Gaslight

In Victorian Gotham, the Batman stalks the night streets, bringing justice to the oppressed.  But another also prowls . . . Jack the Ripper is in Gotham, determined to purge the world through gruesome murders.  Mistaken for the killer, Bruce Wayne is imprisoned . . . who will save the city now?

A DC Comics "Elseworlds" tale, Gotham By Gaslight takes iconic Batman characters (Wayne, Selina Kyle, James Gordon, Harvey Dent, Hugo Strange, etc.) and re-imagines what they would be in nineteenth-century America.  It's based on a comic by the same name.  I loved the comic; the movie was okay.  The story is solid if predictable in places, differing markedly from the book, and has surprising twists.  I was disappointed in the animation, though- seemed very cheaply done; that dings an otherwise enjoyable experience.  One of the better animated DC movies.

Rating: B

The Flower Fades

image from here

Three people in three days.

On Thursday, we heard that a former colleague, Pedro*, had passed away.  Plagued with heart problems, he had received a transplant several weeks ago which never took.  He was in his forties and leaves behind a wife and three children

On Friday, we found out a friend and former associate, Clark, had also died.  He had a lung disease that would one day require a transplant, though his condition had stabilized and things were looking up.  A bout with flu, though, proved too much.  He was in his fifties and left behind a wife and three kids.

Today, my son's baseball practice was distracted by the arrival of an ambulance.  On the next field over, people were trying to resuscitate a man.  I believe they failed; the body was loaded in the ambulance that remained as police took statements from witnesses.

Three deaths in three days.  In today's world of prosperity, comfort, and medical technology, sights like this are (mercifully) rare.  These events have left me numb, grieving for the families involved, and wondering "what next?"  But it's also an opportunity for reflection.

This world is temporary.  We understand, from a young age, that we will die.  Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.  The grass withers, the flower fades.  Everything here is temporary (our time overseas emphasized this, as I reflect upon here).  And yet, this temporal existence points to the eternal; indeed, we have eternity in our hearts.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God will stand forever.  This critical truth shows us the way in this dark hour.  As I wrote in the aforementioned post, our response to this fragile and perishing existence "should not be one of rampant consumption, nor one of resigned indifference."  We have a purpose, and the eternal Word of God tells us what that is.

Why do we exist?  The Westminster Confession of Faith summarizes the teaching of Scripture and produces the answer: "to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."  What does it mean to glorify God?  John Piper says it this way: we are to "mirror forth God" in this world.  And God is love; Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love the Lord and love your neighbor.  What is love?  The apostle John makes is plain: laying down your life for others.  Kevin Vanhoozer says it this way: love's "characteristic activity is sharing and self-giving for the sake of the other."

Our short time in this world is not to pursue and accumulate possessions, status, or achievement, but to mirror forth God by giving ourselves- our time, talents, and resources- to others.  Our strength and example is Jesus, as we love because he first loved us.  We may never be rich, comfortable, safe, or even successful.  We don't know how long we have or how hard the road will be.  And yet Jesus is clear: "follow me."  And better is one day in His courts than thousands elsewhere.


*name here and elsewhere changed

Telestrations

Today's review is of the 2009 release, Telestrations.  For 4-8 (or more) players, it takes 30 minutes.

Overview
You've undoubtedly heard of "whisper down the lane," the game where people line up, the first person whispers a word to the next, that person whispers what they thought they heard to the person next in line, and so on.  Telestrations is a twist on that concept. 

Here, each player is dealt a card with a list of words.  Choosing one, each player takes a whiteboard tablet and marker and draws the word.  Pass to the left- the next player looks at the image, flips the page, and writes what they think the word is.  Pass to the left- the next player looks at the word, flips the page, and draws the word.  Alternating between drawing and writing, the rotation continues until the players get their notebooks back.  Then, each person, in turn, flips through their books and shows how things progress.  Hilarity ensues.

Review
I wouldn't count this as a game, per se- more of a party activity.  But it's a fun one . . . I haven't laughed so hard in years.  Simple concept, well executed- check this one out.  But do it with lots of people (6+, in my opinion).

Rating: A

Ticket to Ride: First Journey

Today's review is of the 2016 release, Ticket to Ride: First Journey.  For 2-4 players, it takes 15-30 minutes, and is geared towards children.

Overview
First Journey is a simplified version of the excellent Ticket to Ride.  Your goal is to complete six ticket cards (a ticket is completed when you have trains on a contiguous route to connect the two cities shown).  On your turn, you either draw two train cards or claim a route by playing train cards from your hand (color must match the route you need) and laying down plastic trains.  Once you complete a ticket, you announce it and immediately draw another.  First to complete six wins!

the board and components; image from here

Review
This accomplishes its objective, introducing Ticket to Ride concepts to children.  They did away with the points system (for laying a route or completing a ticket), no ticket requires connecting more than three cities, and the map has fewer cities.  I didn't enjoy my first play, but came around in subsequent games.  My kids like it, it plays fast, and it introduces path optimization (and re-use) concepts necessary to succeed in the grown-up version.

Rating: B+

Monopoly Gamer

Today's review is of the 2017 release, Monopoly Gamer.  For 2-4 players, it takes 45 minutes.

Overview
It's Monopoly like you've never seen it before- in Mario's world!  In Monopoly Gamer, you choose a character from the classic NES game (each has a special power) and take turns rolling dice to travel around the board.  Like Monopoly, the goal is to acquire wealth by buying properties and charging rent to those unlucky enough to land on them.  Unlike Monopoly,
- only one die dictates movement- the other has symbols with specific functions (like earning coins, stealing coins or forcing others to drop coins where they are on the board).
- warp spaces help players zoom around (and as you move through spaces, you pick up any coins dropped on the board).
- characters activate their special ability when they land on star spaces.
- when you pass go, you turn over a boss card and can pay to fight the boss.  If you win, you get that boss card and its associated points.

The game ends after all 8 bosses have been encountered.  Each person counts up their points (from properties, coins, and defeated bosses); highest total wins!

the game board and components; image from here

Review
Classic Monopoly is a game I dislike, mostly because it takes far too long (and can be hard for those who fall behind to come back).  Gamer, on the other hand, is simpler, moves much more quickly, and has more interaction.  You'll constantly earn (or lose) coins, and nobody's ever out of it.  I liked the predetermined end condition, too- it makes much more sense than waiting until one person runs all others off the board.  On the downside, only 50% of the spaces are properties that can be purchased, making it possible to travel around the board without having the option to buy something.  There's also a heavy luck component with the dice.  Overall, though, this is a fun experience- one I prefer to the classic offering.  My kids love it, too.

Rating: B+

Black Panther

Wakanda, a hidden African kingdom with advanced technology, is forced to confront its isolationist policies when some of its valuable vibranium is stolen.  As the young king (T'Challa/Black Panther) pursues the thief, a past wrong manifests itself and throws the kingdom- and the throne- into tumult.  Should the nation used its advance tech to hide, help, or dominate the world?

The latest offering in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther is widely lauded.  And there's a lot of good here- acting, visuals, and effects are top-notch.  There's also a strong African motif and commentary regarding race and the horrors subjected on the continent and its people; a refreshing change for the genre, and a topic well worth discussion.  That said, I was left somewhat unsatisfied.  Some plot progression was rushed or implausible (even for the genre), but the real let-down was resolving the movie's main question: what should Wakanda do?  Should they use their advanced society to continue living in isolation, help the world, or avenge past wrongs?  The extremes are rejected but they don't sufficiently answer the question- specifically, how reconciliation should occur between the oppressed and oppressors, especially when the tables turn.  Perhaps my focus is wrong- maybe the film is intended to focus more on the king as he grapples with past familial injustices.  But the larger question is present throughout and warranted more treatment.  Overall, though, I recommend this film.

Rating: A-