Mexican Train Dominoes

I am always on the lookout for new games to play, especially new board games, even though we don't have much room here to store them. Or play them. All the same, I go to the local toys shop sometimes and I get curious. I found one a few months ago, Mexican Train Dominoes. Now, I only played dominoes a few times. I do like the aesthetic of it, but that's not what I like here. It has trains in it. Trains. So... yeah. I might put it on my birthday list.

Mille/1000 Bornes

Une petite nouvelle sans vraie importance: j'ai retrouvé le jeu de Mille Bornes que ma femme m'avait acheté pour ma fête en 2022. C'est bien, je vais pouvoir jouer avec petit loup. Je crois qu'il comprendra mieux les règles et aura plus de plaisir à jouer qu'il y a quatre ans. Mille Bornes a été l'un des jeux de société de mon enfance. Bien que je n'aie pas autant joué avec que d'autres, notamment parce que l'on n'avait pas notre propre Mille Bornes, j'ai quand même de bons souvenirs. Lire ce billet pour plus de détails. Il serait temps de le revisiter, notamment lors des vacances de Pâques de petit loup.

Classic Games Compendium

During on eof my last visits to the local toy shop, I saw this board games box. A Classic Games Compendium, with "over 100 classic family games." That is a lot of games for a single box, maybe too many. I mean, is the rulebook as big as a dictionary? And what if it is in many languages? I can see just on the cover checkers, chess, dominoes and backgammon. My grandmother had a special board like this, with many games included in it, but a handful, not a hundred. It might be practical, but I kind of prefer to have a good set of each.

Ludo

 There are some classic board games which I don't know much about, except that there are classic games. This is the case for Ludo. I am not even sure I played it as a child. I think a friend of mine may have had a Ludo and we may or may not have played it. I do know it is a variant of the much older Parcheesi. I did play Parcheesi, a bit, but I don't remember much about it either, except that I was a tad bored with it. It had a nice board though. Ludo's board is bit bare. Also, I like board games with elements of drama and role play (Cluedo, Scotland Yard). But it might be a good game for Wolfie, so I might put it on my birthday list. What do you think? Anyone played Ludo among you? What did you think of it?

Labyrinth (the board game)

You know I love board games, although I seldom play them anymore. Well, I Wolfie and I received at Christmas Labyrinth. I have been curious about it since childhood. It's a medieval fantasy themed game set in a maze, where the walls change. If you ever played it, tell me about your experience in the feedback. I think it will be great fun, and it might also give us some inspiration for future games in our D&Dr campaign.

Backgammon, Checkers and Chess Board

 I took this picture a few weeks ago, when I saw this board through a shop window. As you can see, it is a backgammon board, but there are also checkers and chess pieces. So I suspect the other side of the board allows you to play the other games. My grandma had a similar board, that was gigantic. One side was for chess, the other was for various board games. We loved it. I like the idea of a single set for various classic board games, especially when it looks fancy like this one. It looks as an elegant piece of furniture and gives a room character. If money and space were no objection, I'd buy it.

The Haunted House Game

As Halloween is getting closer and closer, I am getting into a spooky mood and I have been reading scary stories, some I have never read, some personal classics that I want to revisit. As I do every year, I have already (re)read All About Ghosts, the old Usborne book which inspired many of our childhood make belief games and inspire my writing to this day (because yes, I do try to write horror from time to time). As I mentioned before, one of the differences between the original English and the translated French version was the presence in the latter of a game, a sort of board game on the last page. It was called "The Great Ghost Game". My brothers and I never properly played it, as the rules were unclear. But we liked the setting, even though the house looked a tad modern for a haunted house. The setting and the ghosts doing the haunting inspired our make-belief games.

The Monster Game

I blogged before about All About Monsters, the very popular Usborne book about, well, monsters, mythical as well as cryptids. A lot of emphasis was put on the cryptid ones, actually. When Usborne republished the book, I quickly bought it. But I discovered that one thing in the French translaiton was missing in the original English: the Monster Game. Truly a board game that was made of the last page of the book, especially created, I think, for the French edition. I'm not sure why. The objective of the game was finding evidence for the existence of a lake monster, the Monster of Ellness Lake, basically a thinly disguised Loch Ness. We never played it. The rules were shoddy at best, for one. My brothers and I used the Monster Game, however for a few make belief games set around a lake and involving a cryptid like this one. Our characters explored the lake in a bathyscape, we questioned the locals, etc. It was quite fun. Anyway, I asked my father to send me pictures of the "Great Monster Game", beacause I wanted to share this memory on the blog. And because it might come in handy.

Snake and Ladders?

Sometimes, you find strange things second handed. So anyway, we went to a sort of very small, neighbourgood's local fayre, people selling tea, cakes and, well, second hand stuff. Mostly toys, games ans books. And this game of  Snakes and Ladders, which I did not buy, even though I love that game since childhood. Because we have one set already, which really looks much nicer (see here), but also because, well... Have you noticed it? Pretty obvious when you see it, isn't it? No wonder it's on sale.

New Scotland Yard, New Mr X

A few days ago, my wife said that we should play board games more often with Wolfie. We have a few, but we seldom take them out. And there are a lot which I would love to own. Among them, there is of course Scotland Yard, my all-time childhood favourite. I recently discovered that they have updated the look of the game, or at least the box, with a more modern take. It's a very contemporary London and Mr X looks far darker and more menacing, even though he sitll wears the rather anachronistic hat. He looks like he belongs to a spy thriller, which I guess Scotland Yard could be, as much as a crime adventure. Anyway, while I love the old fashioned look, I must say, I think the game's antagonist gives a proper sinister vibe.What do you think?

The Chess Player's Bible

When I go to the local bookshop, I often find treasures. Actually, that's not true: I always find treasures. In fact, I find so many treasures that I cannot buy them all. So yeah, I stumbled upon The Chess Player's Bible in the children section, of all places. I blogged about chess recently, it's one game I used to be quite into as a child, but I stopped a while ago. I suggested to buy it to Wolfie, but he was not interested. A shame: one of his best friends loves chess and I know they've played a few times together. But anyway, I just thought it was nice to have it in the children books section.

Giant Chessboard

During our last trip to London, we went to a park. I can't remember the name now. But anyway, it had a few interesting things there, such as a giant chessboard, with its pieces. A grandfather and his granddaughter were playing it, but they allowed me to take a picture. Not the best shot, but it gives you an idea. I used to love playing chess as a child, but stopped playing when I reached teenage. I hope I can find another giant chessboard one day and it's free. So I can maybe play a game with it. I don't think I would be very good (I never was), but it would be thrilling.

Ticket to Ride Europe

I have been wanting to play it and yesterday, it finally happened: I played Ticket to Ride Europe. It could have been any version of the board game, as long as it involved trains, which is the case here. Anyway, a bit of context: the friends who had invited us to play board games before know that I love everything railway and that I was curious about Ticket to Ride. So long story short, they invited us to play a game. Which we enjoyed tremedously. Even if, in my case, I was pretty terrible at it and lost humiliatingly. But I did not play to win, I played to build cool railway networks. Because that's what's fun about it: you make roads to these great cities. And I was reckless in my strategy, taking high risks early on just for fun. I was the first to play, as the player who starts is the one that has visited the most European countries. In spite of my defeat, I would rather play Ticket to Ride than Monopoly.

So I played CATAN

 I blogged back in February about CATAN, a board game I was curious about. As fate had it, some of our friends, who read this blog from time to time, have the game and offered us to to have a get together (as it was long overdue anyway) where we would play it. I turned out to be great fun. Not only because it was nice catching up with friends over a game, but also because CATAN is a fun game in itself. Like I said in my previous post, it's a sort of Monopoly for the Bronze Age. It'sfairly simple to play and understand and it's the kind of game that almost has a plot. It's not a RPG, but it has elements of it. So we enjoyed it. We will do such gathering again, although we will play another board game. I won't tell you which one, but I am even more excited about this one...

CATAN: anyone knows it?

 Anyone ever played CATAN? If you did, how is it? Any good? I stumbled upon this board game in a toy shop a few months ago. I did not buy, mostly because I have a few board games here already and I barely play at any of them. I love board games, I love finding new ones, however I lack time, and, well, the social circle to play it. But I got curious about CATAN. From what I read, it looks like a sort of Monopoly for the Bronze Age, or something like that, where you must build cities and trade. It just sounds quite cool at atmospheric, with an emphasis on strategy (not always my forte). And the box looks really beautiful. So I am considering putting it on my birthday list. But first I want to know your opinion on it, if you know this board game at all.

Les loups-garous de Thiercelieux en film

Petite nouvelle ciné française et d'horreur: j'ai appris il y a quelques semaines que le jeu de société Les loups-garous de Thiercelieux a été adapté en film et qu'il est disponible sur Netflix. Je compte le regarder d'ici à l'Halloween. Mais il faudrait vraiment que je m'achète le jeu et que j'y joue un peu. Il est disponible ici, alors je n'ai aucune excuse.

Stratego

If reading this post sounds familiar to you, it is because I wrote on the same topic in French back in January. Has anyone among you my reader(s) ever played Stratego? It is a strategy board game akin to chess, with two armies fighting. I used to love it as a kid, albeit we rarely played properly. We first discovered Stratego at a friend's place. I think the main appeal it had, like many other board games I grew fond of, was the dramatic, even role playing elements of the game. The pieces were ranks and functions one would find in an army (or weaponry, as it also had bombs), the board was a battlefield with two lakes to create hazards, it just fed my imagination somehow. It had an atmosphere chess never had. We didn't play Stratego enough, my brothers and I got it at the tale end of our childhood (tale end of my childhood anyway), but maybe now is the time to revisit it.

Le jeu de l'oie

Y a-t-il un parmi mes lecteurs qui ait déjà joué au jeu de l'oie? C'est un jeu de société très ancien, datant sans doute de l'antiquité. Je me rappelle vaguement qu'un ami en avait une version quand j'étais jeune, dans une boîte pleine de jeux de société classiques. Je ne me rappelle cependant pas y avoir joué. Cela dit, comme j'aime les jeux de société, même ceux qui n'ont pas vraiment de stratégie et dont la victoire tient de la chance, je crois que je devrais m'en procurer une version. J'ai regardé sur Amazon et il y en a plusieurs, dont certaines en bois très esthétiques. C'est ce que j'aime avec les jeux de l'oie que j'ai vus: ce sont pour la plupart de beaux objets. L'ennui, c'est que j'ai déjà beaucoup de jeux de société dont je ne sais plus quoi faire.

The Godfather, the Game

 Oh the things one finds in the local toy shop. As many people into crime fiction, whether they are books or films, I am a fan of The Godfather. Well, it turns out that there is a board game (at least I think it can count as a board game, I mean it was in the board games section) called The Godfather: Last Family Standing. I own already too many board games, we have too little time to play them, we don't really invite enough people often enough to have party games anyway, but I must confess, I am curious. Anyone played this game? Is it worth 20 quid?

Titanic Games

There are a lot of things I learned on Titanic Belfast, a museum we visited with great interest. Wolfie most of all, as he is fascinated by the Titanic.In the last section of the experience, we discovered that there are games based on the ill-fated ship. Among them a puzzle and some board games. The puzzle looks very nice, so I will try to find it. But the board game is what truly caught my attention. We have too many board games already and too little time to play them, but all the same, I want to find this one, or another. What I find interesting about using the Titanic as a setting is that it adds a dramatic element to the game play. I think Wolfie and I might enjoy it a lot.