After years of my brother asking me to play Sheepshead with him, I finally relented and learned how. It is a trick-taking game designed for either three or five players. In the three player version, one player is pitted against the other two to get more than half of the available points. The five-player version sets one person and a random partner against the other three.

An overview of the rules is listed here at Wikipedia.

I tried out the three player version. It seemed very difficult for the one player to win against the other two, but I did manage it once with an amazingly lucky hand. All in all I liked the game and the potential that it has to get better at it. There are obviously some strategies that I need to learn to get better.

Right after the final The Lord of the Rings movie was released a few years ago, a series of board games were released that followed the progression of each movie in a different board game. At the time I was very interested in all sorts of different games and very into The Lord of the Rings. The back of each box for each game showed all of the pieces, as usual, but also showed the unique board system that included three dimensional mountains and towers for the pieces to climb.

Alas, the game went out of print while I was away on business, and I was never able to play it.

Until last week when I managed to find all three games at my local used bookstore (I love those places). So far I’ve played The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. Each player can move any of the many characters in the game. Every few places a card is flipped up for the character that crossed it. Additional boards and characters are added as the game progresses. The game is very straight forward with little strategy.

And that’s really the biggest problem. As the characters are moved around the maps of Middle Earth, things just happen to them. There is little control over what happens or who it happens to. There are also little consequences when these things happen. It is very difficult to gain points on purpose, so the winner is decided almost entirely by luck.

I played once with my friends. There were mixed reviews from them, but mostly negative. I played again with my sons, and they enjoyed playing one of the grown up games. I didn’t get the games that I was expecting, but they should be fun for the kids for a little while before they get too much older.

On the same night that I tried out “Memoir ’44″ I was also able to go through a game of “Frag”. “Frag” is set up to be a first-person-shooter, but on a board game. I was at least intrigued enough to try the game out.

Each player must choose a character and assign it points to health, speed, and accuracy. It seems like there would be a lot of options on how to assign the points, but in reality there are only one or two combinations that really work out. After that players walk around in circles to collect items and weapons, and after they feel strong enough, leave the starting areas in search of people to frag.

The game system is okay but a little awkward. It takes multiple rolls and a little math to figure out each shot. This kept the pace of the game pretty slow. Combined with rules that encourage players to walk in circles hoping to pick up good items and weapons, this game quickly got everybody involved bored.

When you design a game based on first-person-shooter video games, you’ve got to keep it fast, engaging, and interesting. The dice and math system is slow, walking in circles is boring, and some players become uninterested when it’s apparent that they aren’t going to win.

In other words, convince someone else to buy it if you want to give it a shot.

Last week I finally made it over to my local board game store’s monthly board game night. I first played the uninspiring “Frag”, but then very much enjoyed a couple of games of “Memoir ’44.”

This World War II war game initially looks very much like “Axis & Allies”, but plays more like “Queen’s Gambit”. It is not a worldwide battle like “Axis & Allies” or even a regional conflict like some of the A&A series, but it is war fought at the battlefield level. The multiple scenarios included with the game and available through the expansions offer dozens of battlefield options.

Each scenario spells out the battlefield landscape, starting positions, available units, special unit abilities, and any other peculiarities to the scenario. The variety is nice in a WWII game as I find that games like A&A seem to play the same every time. The downside is that each scenario is not entirely balanced. The idea is to make the battlefield match up to the historical context when possible. Therefore, one side is usually at a disadvantage. (But then again, so is Axis in A&A.)

The gameplay is card-based with each player relying on drawing and playing cards to move certain units. Those units can move, attack, or both. Attacks are resolved using special dice that force defending units to take hits or retreat. Defending units do not roll dice when attacked.

I’m looking forward to getting another chance to play this one soon.

Another board game that has come across the pond from Europe and taken our gaming group by storm is King Me. This simple little game can be played in 30-45 minutes and is fun for all sorts of gamers from the serious strategist to the most casual, even girls.

The game consists of 13 characters (each with a colorful Italian name) that are vying for the throne. Each of the 3-6 players take a card that lists out 6 of the 13 characters. These 6 characters are the ones that will give you points at the end of the game. Each player takes turns placing the 13 characters on various levels of the board. After they’re all placed, everyone takes turns moving the characters up the levels and towards the throne. You can move any of the characters that you want, not just the ones that are on your card. When a character is moved onto the throne, everyone votes whether that character becomes king. When someone gets a unanimous vote for king, the round is over and points are totaled.

The goal of the game is to have your characters in high point levels on the board when a king is elected. If any player votes against a character being king, the candidate is killed and gives no points to anyone. Each player only gets a certain number of no votes, so they must be used strategically. Eventually they’ll run out and someone will get elected.

The player with the most points at the end of three rounds is the winner.

There is even a special rule for the last round that will give you the maximum number of points if you can manage to get zero points with your six characters. Sort of like shooting the moon in hearts.

Another Star Wars related board game that my friends and I had some fun with a few years ago is Star Wars: Jedi Unleashed. The game recreates the end of “Attack of the Clones” when dozens of Jedi land in the Geonosian arena and battle droids and Jango Fett. Don’t expect a lot of strategy or subtlety in this game. It is a race to see who can incur the most carnage.

Each player controls one or more Jedi that are scattered throughout the arena. For every droid or Geonosian that a Jedi kills they get one point for the end of the game. Count Dooku and Jango Fett are also on the board and are worth more points at the end of the game for the player that hunts them down. On your turn you can move and fight with one of your Jedi characters and then move and fight with any of the enemy characters on the board. These enemy characters are used to attack the other Jedi players. It really wouldn’t be proper for the Jedi to be attacking their own kind, of course. That’s more of an Episode III plot line.

Dice are used to determine hits and misses and also to move the Yoda icon closer. You see, the game ends when Yoda arrives with his army of clone troopers. This would always lead to Yoda being the most despised character in the game. Roll your dice and then, “Aww, Yoda.”

The part of the game that makes it a little more interesting is the Reek. This giant bull-like creature from the movie is a big part of the fun. If your Jedi can successfully attack the Reek and land on it, any enemy that the Reek tramples as it migrates throughout the board is a point for the rider. Since the Reek moves randomly with its own dice on every players’ turn, the slaughter can quickly earn you many points.

It’s a pretty fun game for a little while, but not the deepest or most challenging game out there. Star Wars: Jedi Unleashed is fun for Star Wars fans who want to recreate a scene from the movie and roll dice to cause carnage.

Star Wars Epic Duels was a game that was released in 2002 just prior to “Attack of the Clones.” The game features almost every major character in all six of the Star Wars films and lets the players re-enact their favorite battles from the films or through everybody together into one giant duel. Never mind that it would be physically impossible for Anakin to fight Darth Vader, it’s a pretty cool idea.

Players draw from decks of cards that are specifically designed for each character. Each major character is accompanied by one or more minor characters. Han has Chewie. Luke has Leia. Darth Vader has a couple of stormtroopers. These minor characters vary vastly in their strengths and somewhat balance out the differences in the major characters. Players then take turns drawing cards, moving their characters around the various settings, and then playing cards for attack, defense, and other special abilities.

It’s a quick and simple game that’s fun for Star Wars fans. I’ve seen a lot worse, but I’ve seen better as well.

It seems like I’ve always had a vast collection of board games. Yet when I think back, it was only about 8 years ago that my board game collection consisted of various versions of Trivial Pursuit and a beat up copy of Axis & Allies. The game that jump started my collection of almost 100 board games was Star Wars: The Queen’s Gambit.

I’ve always been a huge Star Wars fan. I was just old enough to remember seeing “Return of the Jedi” in the theaters and then start collecting as many of the toys and other merchandise that I could get my little hands on. The Queen’s Gambit came out just after the Episode I craze, and I’m pretty sure was marketed directly at me, personally.

The game centers around the events at the end of the “The Phantom Menace.” The players must control the Jedis fighting Darth Maul, Anakin fighting the droid ships in space, the queen sneaking back into the palace, and the Gungans against the droids in the field. The board features places for each of these battles to take place including an impressive three story board representing the palace. The game looked cool from the start, but the three story board was the one thing that convinced me to buy it.

The Queen’s Gambit pits two team’s against each other in the Star Wars universe. One team controls the Naboo, Jedi, Gungans, and Anakin, and the other controls the droids and Darth Maul. Cards are drawn and played each turn to determine what can be moved. It can sometimes be frustrating to wait for the right card to come into your hand. It’s even more frustrating when that card shows up one turn too late.

The droid player’s strategy usually involves using as many Darth Maul cards as they can to weaken the Jedi while at the same time advancing to kill the shield generators on the field. Once the shields are down, the tanks can move in and wipe out the Gungans. The palace usually takes care of itself for awhile. It is important to knock off some of the palace guards, but you shouldn’t have to bring in new troops to do so.

The good guys have a hard time in this game. They have to defeat Darth Maul to even stand a chance and are almost certainly doomed to fail if Anakin can’t make it through the droids. Reaching the throne room is a pretty simple task compared with destroying the rest of the droids. Make sure that Darth Maul doesn’t win.

Queen’s Gambit is a pretty silly game, but that didn’t stop my friends and I from having lots of fun with it.

Twixt is a strategy game originally published by 3M in 1961. This is one of the types of games that takes less than five minutes to learn but the strategic aspects can take years to master.

The board is a grid of points that give the game a very mathematical feel. Each player takes turns placing a peg in one of the points on the board. After a peg is placed, a link may be made between any two pegs that are exactly two points over and one peg up (or any other combination that is like a knight’s move in chess).

The first player that makes a series of links from one side of the board to the other is the winner. One player top to bottom and the other left to right. Players run into each other as they are trying to cross the board.

After a few times playing the game, both players get a pretty good idea of basic strategies. More complex mathematical strategies are used by more advanced players who have tournaments every year. These games never actually end with one player making it across the board because the other player will give up when it becomes obvious that he can’t win.

The only thing harder than mastering this game might be finding a copy of it somewhere. Good luck.

Five hundred is a trick taking card game that was created in the early 20th century in the United States and now enjoys worldwide popularity, especially in Australia.

The game is very similar to Euchre, but each player is dealt ten cards instead of five. Players then take turns bidding for how many of the ten tricks that they and their partner can take. Bids must be for at least seven of the tricks, and the bids also include which suit will be trump or if there will be no trump.

Successful bids earn the team between 140 and 520 points while failing bids lose the same amount. The winning team is the first to pass 500 points or to force their opponents below -500 points.

500 is a card game with many levels of strategy at many points throughout the game. My friends and I have been addicted to it for years. All you need is four people and a deck of cards. You don’t necessarily need dice and a board for a strategic game.

Game nights aren’t just for families.  Some of the best are spent with friends.  Invite a bunch of people over and follow these tips for a great game night.

1)  Play games that are easy to learn.  If you need to send out an email with the rules attached then it’s too complicated.  Save your Axis and Allies for a gaming weekend (or week) with hardcore enthusiasts.

2) Team up.  Even some games that don’t usually have teams can be more fun when two brains get together.  In games where each person or team takes their own  turn (like Trivial Pursuit) this also means  the turns will come around more often.  You play 2 teams of 2 instead of 4 individuals and you don’t have to sit around bored as much.

3) Supply sweets.  This will help to keep the energy level up and even the crash after your guests come off their sugar high can supply some laughs.  I’ve seen some people become quite humorous at the end of a long night when that last game is Beyond Balderdash.
4) Don’t let married couples team up during Pictionary.  (Just trust me on that one.)

5) Offer more than one game at a time.  You don’t have to be in on every game but you do need to make sure as many people as possible are participating.  Set up another table so another game can be played in the next room.

6) Encourage your guests to bring their favorite games.  You might find one that you really have to add to your collection.

7) Keep the games going past 10pm on a weeknight and past midnight on the weekend for the biggest laughs.  When people get slap happy, it’s almost time to end the night.

Relax and make sure you set the example of how to have fun!

My gaming group has long been fans of the Axis & Allies set of World War II board games. The problem that has arisen is that as we all get more experience in the games, the option of how to play is reduced. For example, everyone knows that Japan has to attack the US fleet at Hawaii on its first turn. An entire game can hinge on that one battle.

To introduce more options into the game and increase the amount of interest and fun that we have, we’ve developed some rules to play the game blind. You will need two separate rooms for each team to play in and one person to act as a moderator.

Below are the blind rules. Your comments are welcome.

Axis & Allies Blind Rules

Added Units
Spy Planes: Attack-0, Defend-0, Movement-6, Cost-5
Spies: Attack-0, Defend-0, Movement-3, Cost-3

New Action Sequence
1. Develop Weapons
2. Purchase Units
3. Spying Movement
4. Spy Combat
5. Spy Reporting
6. Combat Movement
7. Combat
8. Non-Combat Movement
9. Place New Units
10. Shipyard Combat
11. Collect Income

New Action Phases

Spying Movement

Spying Movement consists of five possible movements: spy movement, spy plane movement, aircraft movement, border spying, and sub movement.

1. Spy Movement

• Spies must move into and out of the zone that is being spied upon. The spy must start and end movement in a friendly zone.

• Each time a spy moves into an enemy territory there is a (1) on a d6 chance of that spy being killed without reporting. The moderator will make this roll and report to both teams if the spy is killed.

• All spy reports will be Good Spy Reports (see below). Instead of a Good Spy Report, the player may choose to instead receive a Purchase Report on one enemy country on that country’s next turn.

• A Purchase Report will list what types of units that are being purchased and if any IPC’s are being used to Develop Weapons.

• One spy may travel aboard any one ship and that one spy takes up no room on a transport.

• Loading and unloading together counts as one movement for a spy.

• Ships that transport spies may not engage in combat but may make Non-Combat Movement if they have movement left after Spying Movement.

• Subs may unload spies without the sub being detected.

• Any other ship loading or unloading a spy into an enemy territory will be seen with a (1-3) on a d6 if that territory or sea zone is occupied by any enemy unit.

• Each country starts with one spy in their capital and is limited to a total of three spies. New spies may be purchased after others have died.

• Spies cannot be taken as hits in battle.

• Spies are lost automatically if the zone they are defending is lost.

2. Spy Plane Movement:

• Spy planes must take off and land in friendly territories.

• Spy planes will take a shot from each AA gun that it flies over. Spy planes that are shot down cannot make a spy report. The moderator will make this roll and report to both teams if the plane is shot down.

• Spy planes will make Good Spy Reports (see below). Instead of a Good Spy Report, the player may choose to instead receive a Purchase Report on one enemy country on that country’s next turn.

• Spy planes may land on an AC, and take up no room.

• Each country starts with one spy plane in their capital and is limited to a total of two spy planes. New spy planes may be purchased after others are destroyed.

• Spy planes are lost if the zone they are defending is lost of if the AC they are on is sunk.

• Spy planes cannot be taken as hits in battle.

3. Aircraft Movement:

• Any fighter or bomber may be used to spy on the enemy during the Spying Movement phase, but if they spy, they may not move or attack later in the round.

• Fighters and bombers will make Good Spy Reports (see below).

• For this phase only, fighters may move 6 spaces and bombers may move 8. If you have obtained long range aircraft, this becomes 8 and 10 spaces, respectively. (It is assumed that they can add a fuel tank since they are not carrying any ammunition.)

• Fighters and bombers must take off and land in the same friendly territory during spy movement.

• Every AA gun, fighter, battleship, and AC that the fighters or bombers fly over on their flight plan will fire a (1) on a d6 at each plane to shoot it down. Each of the above units will also get a shot on the return flight if the fighters or bombers pass over an enemy controlled area twice.

• Any enemy territory occupied by enemy troops or ships will see the exact number of fighters and bombers that fly over and their general direction of travel.

• Fighters and bombers shot down will not make a spy report.

4. Border Spying:

• Any one unit in any land territory may spy across the border into an adjacent enemy controlled territory during this phase. Additional units may pay one IPC to spy on additional adjacent territories. Each unit may spy on only one enemy territory per turn.

• The report will be an Unreliable Spy Report (see below).

5. Sub Movement:

• Subs have 2 movement points per turn and may spread those 2 points across Spying Movement, Combat Movement, Non-Combat Movement, and following enemy ships on their turn. The 2 movement points are refreshed at the start of the player’s turn.

• When a sub enters a sea zone occupied by enemy ships or when a sub leaves an occupied sea zone, there is a chance that the sub is detected.

• Each battleship and AC in the sea zones entered and left will spot each sub with a roll of (1) on a d6. Each destroyer will spot each sub with a (1-3) on a d6. Each transport with a battleship, destroyer, or AC can also roll a (1) on a d6 to spot each sub. A group of 3 transports without a battleship, destroyer, or AC present can also roll a (1) on a d6 to spot each sub. These will all be rolled by the moderator.

• If the sub is detected, the surface fleet is told that there are one or more subs in the zone. Once detected, each battleship and AC drop depth charges that sink the sub with a (1-2) on a d6. Each destroyer will drop depth charges that sink the sub with a (1-4) on a d6.

• If one or more subs survive the depth charges, they may send back a report on the fleet strength immediately. The report will include the exact number of battleships, destroyers, AC, and transports and whether the AC is carrying any fighters. The report will not include any information on enemy subs.

• Making a spy report will prevent the sub from engaging in offensive combat during that round. The sub can still make Non-Combat Movement and follow the enemy fleet on an opponent’s turn (as long as the sub still has enough movement points left).

• During the enemy’s turn, the sub may follow the fleet into other sea zones if it still has movement points remaining. Each time the sub crosses into a new sea zone, it can be detected. The sub may choose which ship type to follow if the fleet splits up.

Spy Combat

All dice rolls for spy detection and combat are resolved after all Spying Movement is completed. Remove all casualties from the board and move onto Spy Reporting.

Spy Reporting

1. Good Spy Report:

• The report will include every type of unit in the zone in the following categories:

• 1-2 units
• 3-5 units
• 6-9 units
• 10-15 units
• 16+ units

2. Unreliable Spy Report:

• The report has a (1-3) on a d6 chance of missing one type of unit completely. The type of unit that will be missing from the report will be randomly determined.

• Every other type of unit will be reported in the following categories:

• 1-3 units
• 4-9 units
• 10+ units

Additional Rules for Combat

• We will try to follow the rules for combat as closely as possible for subs that retreat or submerge.

• Subs will have the opportunity to stop and attack any fleet that crosses its sea zone. They may also let the fleet pass, report on the fleet with an exact number of ships, excluding subs, and whether these are fighters on AC, or follow the fleet if it still has movement points left. Remember that subs can only be detected when they cross sea zones. When subs attack, they must endure defensive fire from all opposing forces, including planes.

• If you think that there are subs in your SZ you can try to detect them and then shoot at them with the same rules for detecting subs above.

Additional Rules for Non-Combat Movement

• The game will begin with a Non-Combat only round of movement. Each country will conduct a movement in the normal order. No unit may move into a territory or sea zone occupied or controlled by any other country (friendly or not). This means no mixing of friendly troops or ships.

• During the extra Non-Combat Movement phase each unit is limited to half of its normal movement points rounded up.

• No units may move into a territory that borders an enemy territory during the extra Non-Combat Movement phase.

• Enemy fleets may occupy the same sea zone during this extra phase. Each player will be told that an enemy fleet is in the sea zone at the end of the entire round of movement if mixed fleets occur, even if the fleet consists only of subs.

• If a fleet of ships (not subs) moves into a sea zone occupied by an enemy fleet during Non-Combat Movement, the moving fleet stops.

• The owner of the sea zone receives a Good Spy Report on the incoming fleet (excluding subs).

• The owner of the sea zone has the opportunity on his next turn to attack, Non-Combat Movement away from the incoming fleet, or remain and do nothing.

• If the owner of the sea zone remains without engaging, the fleet that moved into the sea zone must either attack or Non-Combat Movement away from the sea zone owner.

• If during Non-Combat Movement a fleet of only subs moves into an enemy occupied sea zone, the sea zone owner will be advised that one or more subs has entered the zone.

Shipyard Combat

• If you place ships in an enemy-controlled SZ you must fight it out. All defending units roll normally. If you have any subs in the SZ they may join in the battle and attack normally. Any ships placed in the SZ must attack the enemy units at a 1. Placed battleships attack at a 2.

I was never a big fan of dominoes.  I thought it was pretty boring putting tiles in a  line or getting to turn it at right angles until I ran out of tiles that fit and then drawing from the pile until the pile was gone and I lost.  Then my sister got a game called Tri-Ominos and a whole new world opened up.  To even think about placing a tile, you have to match at least 2 numbers.  You might have to match up to 6 numbers and there are only 3 numbers on each tile – it boggles the mind.  The line squiggles and turns back on itself.  You can form hexagons and bridges and you keep score getting more points for making challenging matches.  I suppose dominoes was a game that got scored too but my family never did, so scoring gives this game the advantage of a purpose in my mind.  Anyway, I just played the game again recently and was reminded that when my older sister isn’t playing, I have a fighting chance of winning so I like it again.

A couple of days ago I posted a review of Fluxx, the card game where the rules are in constant, well… flux. I played my new copy of Zombie Fluxx tonight and was favorably impressed.

The mechanics of the original game return making it easy to learn and fun to play for even the most casual card or board game player. A few simple additions to the rules make the game even more fun than the original. The first new type of card is the Creeper cards. These are zombie cards that slowly but surely fill up the table space in front of you. These cards make it difficult to fulfill some of the goals but are occasionally useful to set loose on opponents. Many of the Keeper cards now have additional abilities than just satisfying the conditions of the goals. This is where I see an improvement over the original. Instead of just watching your Chocolate or Sleep cards sitting in front of you, now you can use the Shotgun and the Bat to fight off zombies.

I can’t wait to let my brother give it a shot. (Oh, and by the way, I won the first game. Yet another reason to like it.)

The War of the Ring is a fairly popular strategic board game set in the land of Middle Earth. Two players control the evil forces of Sauron and Saruman while the other two players move the fellowship of the ring and the forces of the elves, dwarves, and men. However, only one of the four players can win.

The look of the game is very good with a large, colorful map, beautiful character tokens, and lots of tokens and cards. The mechanics work well but take a good hour or so to figure out all of the nuances in the rulebook. I definitely recommend playing this game a few times right after you’ve learned it so that no one in your gaming group forgets how to play before next time.

The evil forces vastly outnumber the good, and oftentimes the forces of Rohan will be overrun before they can be reinforced. The good players must concentrate on always moving the fellowship closer to its goal so that the ring might be destroyed. It is rare that the good armies can muster enough force to achieve a military victory.

By pitting each of the four players against each other, the game is designed to force allies to turn on one another towards the end of the game. However, in our games the allies almost always stick with each other so that their “partner” wins. After a couple hours doing battle it’s easier to let your “ally” win then try to help the enemy.

It’s a little expensive and the rules take a few times to really nail down, but the game is unique and fun.

Last year I saw a fun little card game at my local board game store. The thing that caught my eye was that it was billed as the card game where the only rule was that the rules were always changing. That intriguing little premise sold me on the game.

The game starts with each player drawing a card and then playing a card. As cards get played they can change these first basic rules, change the object of the game, or reset the rules back to a more basic form. It only takes a minute to learn as most of the rules change constantly and the new rules are printed on the cards that are played.

My group of card-playing friends loved the game. It was easy enough for girlfriends and wives to join in too. One of the best parts is that new players can be added in the middle of the game. There’s no real disadvantage to starting in the middle. Conversely, the game is not ruined if someone has to leave early. Not that that situation would happen. Games move fast and are lots of fun.

I just got Zombie Fluxx and can’t wait to try it out. As you play either of these games, just remember not to mispronounce the title.