More Publisher reviews

 I admit I haven't been as faithful about posting as I thought I would be.  This may be obvious to you, but I get easily distracted.  As I mentioned in the last post, I have a few games and I like to play them.  Luckily, my family enjoys them as well.  This means that a lot of the spare time I do have is filled with games. I am going to continue with my thoughts on game publishers and am going to add my thoughts on a few more.  Here goes.

Lets start with Gale Force 9 Games.  This company tends toward cinematic games (Firefly and Star Trek Ascendancy are the ones I am specifically thinking of).  If you like games that capture the feel of whatever universe, they do really well at it.  Unfortunately, this also means the games can be bears to play.  Take Firefly the board game for example.  The game does a great job of reminding you of the Firefly universe.  The game really immerses you.  Unfortunately this also means that you end up spending a lot of time moving and shopping.  This makes the game take longer than it needs to be.  Add in the random events while moving and it compounds.  Don't get me wrong, if you love the IP then you'll probably like the game - as long as you don't have ADHD.

Next is Restoration games.  This company takes games that have been out of print but were popular and brings them into the modern age (Stop Thief, Dark Tower, Thunder Road, Downforce.)  Their modern implementations tend toward either streamlining or app integration.  Take Stop Thief for example.  The original included a battery operated mini component that controlled the thief.  It gave you sound based clues on how the thief moved.  You had to deduce where the thief was.  Although it had a lot of games in it, it really wasn't randomized since it had to know where the thief was in relation to the board.  This means that eventually, you ended up playing the same game again.  The new version uses an app and modern computing to make the game pretty much endlessly replayable.  Not all their games use apps, but if the game relied on a lot of random decks or computing systems with a lot of upkeep, they tend to use an app to streamline the game to make the game play more enjoyable.  

Finally today, let me talk about Orange Nebula.  This company makes gorgeous immersive games such as Vindication and Unsettled.  The games are wonderfully produced with well thought out game play.  The issue tends to be that the games are not exactly what they appear.  Vindication for instance looks like it is an area control adventure game when in reality it is a Euro game with fancy clothes.  This doesn't mean it isn't good, in fact it's great, it just isn't what it appears to be at first blush.  Although their appearance my not match their game play, they are beautiful, well produced and smooth playing, making for an overall enjoyable experience.

Thank you for reading.

 

 

Game Reviews: Scategories & The Settlers of Catan

                Today’s games are a mix of old and new.  Ok, the new isn’t that new as it has been around for a while, I just wasn’t introduced to it until earlier this year.  The games are Scategories™ and Settlers of Catan™.  These are games that are definitely for the older crowd due to their nuances.  So let’s get started.

                Scategories™ is a game of creative thinking.  The rules are simple, straight forward, and easily followed.  The game itself is anything but.  The components of the game are a 20 sided die, a timer, a mat (with rules on the back), and six identical cardboard sleeves with pencils, paper, and lists.  The lists are the boundaries of the game.  The problem is they are specific enough to make you think, but broad enough to leave you room for a ton of possible answers.  The game comes with 12 different lists of 12 items ranging from heroes to vehicles, to books, movies, locations, etc.  It is a hodgepodge of items.  The first task then is to select a list to use.  Personally, I use a twelve sided die to select the list to use, but how you chose the list is up to you.  Once everyone has that list ready you roll the 20 sided die (which has letters of the alphabet on it minus some of the tougher ones), to determine the letter.  This is where creativity and the game rules collide.  You have to come up with a word or phrase that begins with the rolled letter that matches each item on the list before the timer runs out.  You get one point for each answer you have at the end of the turn and one point for each word in each answer that begins with that letter.  Did I mention that if your answer matches what someone else wrote, you both lose that point?  This is where creativity is important.  For instance, for the category heroes and the letter B, you could put Bob the Builder, Barney Fife, Barry Bonds, or Bologna.  Wait, bologna?  Yup, Bologna hero is a sandwich.  The category just said heroes; it didn’t say it had to be able to talk.  That is what I mean by creative.  The downside is you have to convince a majority of those playing that your answer fits the category.  That is just how it works.  After 3 turns the player with the highest score wins.  Overall, this is a great game that can lead to some weird answers and some hilarious moments.  Just don’t take it too seriously or you may find that you spend more time arguing about every answer than you do having fun playing the game.

                The Settlers of Catan™ is just the opposite of Scategories™.  Where Scategories™ is broad, creative and sometimes hilarious; Catan is rigid, straightforward, and serious.   In Catan, you are the leader of a group of settlers.  The goal is to build settlements, cities, and roads to have the greatest civilization on the board.  This is accomplished by getting resources.  Resources are gathered based on what tiles your settlements are next to.  Each tile has a number between 2 and 12 assigned to it.  Whenever this number is rolled that tile produces its resource.  The resources are ore, wool, clay, wood, and wheat.  These resources are then used to build roads, settlements or cities.  Or you could buy development cards.  Development cards give the user victory points, added resources, knights, or added events.  This added dynamic gives players another means of winning the game.  Speaking of, how do you win the game?  The answer: by attaining 10 victory points.  You receive 1 victory point per settlement, 2 points per city, 2 points for the longest road (minimum 5 road pieces long), and 2 points for largest army (minimum 3 knights).  Sounds simple enough right?  Not so fast.  There is a hitch in all this.  Should you roll a seven when rolling for resources, bad things happen.  First, no tile produces resources.  Second, if you have more than seven resource cards in your hand, you have to discard half of your hand.  Finally, the thief must be moved into play.  Wait, there’s a thief?  Yup, the thief is moved by the person who rolled the seven.  Whatever tile the thief is moved to never produces resources as long as the thief is present.  Also, the person moving the thief gets to take one card from one player that is adjacent to it.  This is where it gets fun.  The thief is only moved if a seven is rolled or if a person who has a settlement or city on that tile plays a knight card.  This means that if you are winning; expect the thief to visit your most productive tiles.  There is a lot more to this game than I have time or inclination to type.  There are strategies galore and several expansions that add and change rules to make the game more detailed.  This game can be complicated and a little hard to learn, but it is detailed enough to drag you in and keep you coming back for more.  The rule book is thought out in such a way that finding the answer to your questions is relatively simple.  In all, it is a great game if you like a mixture of strategy and luck.

                Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Game Reviews: Castle keep and Picteureka

                It’s Tuesday and that means that it is another game review day.  Today, I will be reviewing two games that we like to play with our children.  It should be noted here that our youngest is 4 and our oldest is 11.  That means that for a game to be enjoyed by all, it must be simple, so the four year old can play, but challenging, so our eleven year old doesn’t get bored.  Needless to say, this narrows the list quite significantly.  I have already reviewed two games that fall into this category.  They are Tsuro™ and Uno™.  The two games I am talking about this week are Castle Keep™ and Picteureka™.  I am sure you heard of the second, but the first is a little more obscure so we will discuss that one first.

                It is rare that a game comes along that is so simple in its design and, at the same time, offers a dynamic game that all can enjoy.  The object of Castle Keep™ is to build your castle before the other players build theirs.  Each castle is made of nine castle tiles and consists of four corner tiles, four wall tiles, and one keep.  Sounds simple enough, but, as they say on TV, there’s more.  You see the walls come in three different colors and three different shapes.  This means you have to match either shape or color to the adjoining piece in order to continue to build your wall.  Still too easy?  There is a fix for that.  You see, if your opponents can’t play or just want to be mean, they can destroy a section of your wall by matching wall pieces exactly.  When they match those pieces all connected pieces of the same color are also destroyed.  This means that the wall you have painstakingly built for the last three turns is now rubble and you have to start over.  By the way, this is a favorite tactic of my 4 year old.  Hands usually last 10-20 minutes and you usually can’t stop at one. 

                The second game to detail here is Picteureka™.  This game is so simple in its rules and game play that the complexity of the design almost escapes you.  This is a game that has the added appeal that it can be played individually, in teams, or a combination thereof.  This means that it can be set up so that everyone has a chance to win regardless of their age or skill level.  Now for the complex part.  The game is made up of three decks of cards, two dice (one normal six sided die, and one six sided die with three colors corresponding with the three decks), a one minute timer, and nine square tiles.  The tiles are covered with drawings ranging from little flies to entire scenes.  These pictures are on both sides of the tiles.  The game is set up with the nine tiles forming a square in the center of the playing area with the decks alongside the square.  The first player or team rolls the colored dice to determine which deck they are playing from.  Guess I should mention the decks at this point.  The first deck is blue.  This is the all play deck.  When the blue deck is rolled the team/player that rolled it takes the top card and turns it over and everyone playing looks for the item on the card.  The item on the card is an actual drawing and there is only one of that particular drawing on all of the tiles (it is on both sides of the same tile, just in a different location).  The first team/person to spot the matching item points it out and the card is theirs.  I should mention that the first person/team to collect 6 cards wins.  The second color of the cards is green.  When green is rolled, the team that rolled it then rolls the other 6 sided die.  They then have to find that many of the item on the green card before the timer runs out.  The green card has words or phrases, such as “things that fly”, “Things that need electricity,” “Men with beards,” or “numbers”.   If they find the required number before the time runs out, they keep the card, otherwise it is discarded.  The final card color is red.  When this color is rolled, the card is bid for.  Without knowing what is on the card, the players/teams take turns bidding on how many of the item they think they can find.  The  team that bids the highest gets the chance to win the card by finding their bid before the timer runs out.  Sometimes this is easy since a single flower may have ten petals and there are at least seven flowers on the tiles and one of the cards say petals.  This could also be a near impossible task as it could be as specific as men with beards.  You never know until you get to read the card and start searching.  If your kids like the” I spy” books and searching games, they will love this game.  Even if they don’t, this game can provide hours of fun.  I know it keeps our family on its toes. 

                I guess the key to what makes these games so much fun is the family interaction.  The idea that, even when you are behind, you still have a way to come out on top.  This alone keeps you in the game. 

                Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Tuesday Game reviews. Social Staples.

                So I believe that I will start my regular game reviews on Tuesday.  This is due to a variety of reasons, but I think Tuesdays work for the best.  This week I am going to review two games that are family friendly and have been around for a while.  At least long enough that they have several spin offs.

                The first is “Apples to Apples”.  The specific version I am reviewing is “Apples to Apples Jr”.  There are a multitude of spin offs ranging from the original to specific versions for specific audiences.  I have only played the original and Jr.  “Apples to Apples” is easy to learn, easy to play, and a great social game.  This game is elegant in its simplicity and an overall good time.  The number of players allowed to play is only limited by the space at the table and how long you want to spend playing.  The game play is very subjective and house rules are a must.  The idea of the game is to collect a certain number of green apple cards based on the number of players.  The fewer players the fewer green apple cards needed.  You obtain these cards by having one of your red apple cards chosen by the judge.  I am getting ahead of myself though.  To start the game, 7 red apple cards are dealt to each player.  Then, one player is chosen as the first judge.  Don’t worry; everyone gets a chance to be a judge.  The judge then draws one green card and reads the adjective on it.  The rest of the players then pick a red apple card from their hand that best matches the adjective read by the judge (the judge doesn’t get to give in a red apple card).  These cards are submitted face down so the judge doesn’t know who submitted which card.  The players then draw new red cards so that their hands have seven cards.  The red apple cards contain people, places, things, events, etc.  So the answers you get may be outrageous, which is half the fun.  You may also find yourself in the position where none of the seven cards in your hand match the adjective.  That is when I go for the laugh and just toss in the card I think is the worst card in my hand.  The Judge then reads aloud all of the red apple cards and chooses the one he/she thinks best matches the green apple card.  This is where house rules may be appropriate.  If you have a very argumentative group, you may want a house rule that you cannot lobby for your card.  Or you may want to encourage the interesting explanation of how concrete is fluffy (it happens).  After the judge chooses the card he/she thinks is best, the player that submitted the card is revealed and that player gets the green card.  The person to the left is the new judge and draws a green card and play continues until one player has the required amount of green cards.

                “Apples to Apples” is extremely social and can be a hilarious addition to your game nights.  It can get loud and boisterous, but it definitely makes for a lot of good conversations.  I recommend this game to any family or group of friends.  The only downside is that this game is not much fun with less than 5 players.  You can play with four people, but it loses a little of its social dynamic.  Over all, it is a great game.

                The next game I am reviewing simply because I have never personally reviewed it and it has been around so long that people assume that everyone has heard of it, played it, and, at some point, owned it.  The game is “Uno”.  Once again there are a ton of versions of this game.  “Uno”, “Uno H2O” (a water proof version), “Uno Attack” (a motorized version), and the list goes on.  I own the first three.  For this review, I will assume that you have played “Uno” at some point in your life and thus know the basic rules and game mechanics.  Thus I will concentrate on the nontraditional versions and what makes them different and special when compared to the original.  The first is “Uno H20”.  This version was made for outdoor play.  The cards are a waterproof plastic as is the case.  My family uses it for our camping expeditions so we don’t have to worry about spills or rain ruining our game.  As with every “Uno” variation there are some added cards.  All the standard cards are there, but there are 2 new cards.  Wild splash +1 and wild splash +2.  These wild cards have the same rule for play as a wild draw 4.  However, instead of the next player drawing the 1 or 2, everyone except the person who played the card draws the one or two cards.  In other words, you splash the deck.  It is an interesting mechanic that makes it a lot of fun. 

The next version is “Uno Attack”.  This version comes with a motorized deck holder.  The deck is contained inside of it and the deck itself has changed greatly.  There are no more draw two cards or draw four cards because of the motorization.  Instead, you have hit 2, wild hit 1, and wild hit X.  When one of these is played, you hit the button on the machine as prescribed by the card.  Hitting the button is as random as the game itself.  It may just beep at you and give you no cards or it may suddenly spew six or seven cards at you, you just don’t know until you hit the button.  There have been times when we went ten hits with no cards coming out and there have been times when ten times in a row cards were given.  This makes for some large hands.  Thankfully, there are ways of dealing with this.  The first is a new card called swap hands.  There is one of these cards for each color and they allow the person who plays it to swap hands with any other player at the table they choose.  This means that you could have said “Uno” and suddenly Bob across the table swaps hands with you and you now have a dozen cards.  This can be combated with yet another card.  This is the play all card.  Once again, there is one per color.  These cards allow you to discard all cards of that color from your hand in one play.  This is really great when you have seven cards all of the same color and you get to drop all of them at once to win the game.  These new mechanics mean that the game could last less than one round or (in our worst case scenario) over three hours.  The great part is that it never stopped being fun.  People would yell “Uno”, not be able to play, hit the button and suddenly have eight cards they had to get rid of.  It really is random, but oh so fun. 

In summary, “Apples to Apples” is a great social game.  “Uno” keeps expanding and does a good job of keeping it new and fresh.  Try them and enjoy.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

First Game reviews.

        I came to the realization recently that I have a wide variety of games at my house.  I can't help it.  I see a new game that sounds interesting and I just have to get it.  I love games of all kinds.  Games that are easy to learn, but hard to master tend to be my favorite.  I also tend to enjoy games that require the players to work toward a common goal.  With all this in mind, I have decided to review a game I have every once in a while.  I have two that I would like to review today.
       The first is a game call Tsuro.  I first heard about this game on the web series, Tabletop.  This game calls itself "the game of the path," and that is accurate.  The objective of the game is to be the last player with their game piece on the board.  This is accomplished by playing square tiles with lines or "paths" on them on a 6 by 6 grid.  You may only play to affect your own tile.  In other words, where you end up is up to you...mostly.  Because of the size of the grid, you will eventually end up adjacent to one of your fellow players and thus b at their mercy.  Did I mention that up to eight people can play this game at the same time?  What I really love about this game is its simplicity and speed.  The box says it is for ages 8+, my four year old son has managed to figure out how to play and how to win.  This is most definitely a game that brings luck, strategy, and fun to the gaming table and I highly recommend it.  It can be found at Barnes & Noble for about $30.
         The next game is one that I bought because it sounded fun and interesting.  I have to admit that it was kind of fun the first time I played it.  It is a game called Furt.  While the name is interesting in and of itself, the game is anything but.  The goal of the game is muddled in the mechanics and is more about silliness than about any kind of strategy, skill, or even how well you roll the dice.  It all boils down to how well you convince others that you aren't playing and how silly you are willing to make yourself look.  Allow me to explain.  The game is played on a spiral board.  As you move around the board, you enter zones where you are required to act a certain way as long as you are in that zone.  These actions could range from talking like a pirate to shouting I got it every time some says a certain phrase which guarantees that that phrase will be said repeatedly as long as you are in that zone when you play with younger kids.  The way you advance your tokens is by completing tasks which you get from cards.  These tasks range from drawing a word or phrase to acting silly.  Then there are the challenge cards.  These cards contain challenges that have to be completed before your next turn and this is where the game really fails.  Everyone knows you have this challenge and thus you will be ignored as most of the challenges require that you get the other players to say or do something.  In other words, drawing a challenge card means that you get to do something silly or off the wall for everyone's entertainment and no use to you.  This is one of those games that sounds fun as you read the description, but loses its appeal after the novelty wears off, which was after the first game for me.
             These are just two of the games I have at home and have played.  I obviously recommend Tsuro; I give it 4 out of 4 stars.  Furt gets 1 star based solely on the initial fun with the kids.  It is most definitely not recommended.
           Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

The games we play (and lose)

                Apparently I am luckier than I thought.  What brings this up?  I beat my wife at Catan again yesterday (sorry dear, but I have to share).  It wasn't the first time, in fact, my wife claims it has been ages since she won.  Looking at how we play, the strategies we use, and all the nuances that go into it, we can't find any fault in how she played.  In fact, we both agree that she couldn't have chosen a better lay out or done anything different.  This means that it has to be down to how the dice rolls come up.  In other words, I win because the dice roll in my favor more often.  I can't control it, yet here I am with my wife upset at me because she I beat her again.  Oh, and we can no longer play Catan one on one.
              This brings to mind a few other things.  You see, I grew up in a home that loved playing games.  One of my earliest memories of my mother was sitting with her playing a board game.  When I was able to add and multiply, my dad taught me cribbage (I lost for years before I finally beat him).  As I grew up the games left the random chance heavy realm and went towards strategy.  I still haven't beaten my dad at Monopoly. 
               This was highlighted when I went home for my grandmother's funeral.  For the first time in almost 10 years, all my siblings and I sat down with my dad and played hearts.  By the time my dad arrived, us kids had already played 2 warm up games to shake off any rust that may have accumulated and we thought we were ready to take on the old man.  We were wrong.  At the end of the game the it was obvious us kids were playing for second best.  The scores?  My younger brother lost with a score of 108, my older sister got 96, I got 89, and my younger sister got 78.  Dad?  He won with a score of 6.  No, I didn't mistype it.  That is supposed to be a single digit.  Dad didn't just win, he schooled us.  What made it worse was the fact that he said very little in regards to the game.  Most of what we talked about with him was just catching up chit chat.  He didn't talk about how badly he was beating us.  He didn't tell us we couldn't make him take anything.  He just quietly sat there and gave us kids every heart he could.  Yup, I am glad I don't play poker with my dad.
             How about you?  Is there a family game that your mom or dad have always won?  A game that is a must when you are together?  Or maybe there is another tradition that, while not an official competition, has been elevated to the level of professional sports (I have seen a father and son compete at camping, it wasn't pretty, the winner had to sleep on the side of a mountain for a week in subzero temps).  These competitions can be healthy if done right (the camping thing, maybe not so much).  They are opportunities to connect with family and regain the awe you once had of your parents or to show them just how much you've grown.  Engage with your parents in the old games you used to play and have a bit of conversation at the same time.
           Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

What makes a great weekend.

           What a great weekend!  The weather was awesome (we actually had two days of sunlight in a row).  The time with the family was great and it was the Easter celebration.  In all it was wonderful.  let me break down how it went.
            I got home from duty Saturday morning and was able to enjoy a bath.  We got the boys to clean house (the wife and I did dishes and other chores while they worked) and were able to relax after lunch.  I then had softball practice at 2:30 (which turned out to be 3:00) and that became a scrimmage.  It was a great time.  Then we got home and went out for date night.  That makes any day great.  Anytime I get to spend 4 hours alone with my wife without worrying about my boys is a great time.
           Sunday morning came around I I got to work.  I was the coordinator for cooking the brunch for those serving during the morning services (about 200 people).  I was in charge of getting the food and making sure it got cooked and served.  I had a great group of people working for me and it went great.  We had a ton of food left over and everyone got fed.  I was happy with how it went.  I was also worn out when it was over.  the boys then invited a few friends over and we did an Easter egg hunt at our place and had a good time there.  Over all it was a great day.
           Then today happened.  So far, I woke up late and was about 30 minutes late to work and I have 2 appointments today.  The first is for my eyes (I need new glasses) and the second is for my Shoulder ( I need a new one of those as well, but I think I will end up with Motrin instead).  Either way it should be interesting. 
            Over all, I have to say this weekend was the best I've had in a while.  Not to many arguments and in all it was a good time.
             Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Three days of friends means a happy exhaustion.

            So I had a busy weekend.  Initial plans had us hanging out with friends Friday night and Sunday night.  That changed Friday night while we were entertaining the first of our friends.  Another friend called to see if we were busy and wanted to get together so we invited them over for Saturday night.  That made last night the first night we were able to get the kids to bed at a decent time since last Thursday.  I am still tired.  It was a good time and worth it though.  I do look forward to passing out in bed this evening.
            I am currently in the midst of planning brunch for 200 people and finding that it is a huge deal.  What makes it even more wild is, not only the fact that this is my first time leading such a deal, but it is the first time I have been in charge of something so huge.  I have some plans in the works for it, and I keep finding more and more that needs doing.  I meet with the church secretary today to finalize a few of the details and figure out exactly what I will need.  We'll get it done.
         Other than that, not much is going on.  I find that I am falling behind on answering my boys questions so I will try and answer the next one today.  I still have a few things left to do before that, but I should get to it. 
         Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Vacation planning: changes are expected.

           This weekend was a pretty good one all things considered.  I finished sewing the knee pads around midnight Friday only to have only one kid wear them at the games.  Speaking of the games, despite the slow start (we came in fourth the first game) we ended up placing first.  Then my two oldest boys and their team also got first.  We ended up just relaxing the rest of the day.  Sunday went well as well.  We even remembered to shift our clocks Saturday night before we went to bed.
            Now for the fun side.  As some of you know, we are in the middle of planning our summer vacation.  For the past week or so, we had planned on going to Yosemite National Park.  Last night my wife turns to me and says, "I think Yosemite is a little close and is somewhere we can go after you retire."  In other words, she wants to go further away.  And now I am trying to plan a trip to the Grand Canyon.  There is nothing like scrapping every bit of planning you have done for a week on the whim of your wife.  That's OK, I only have 3 days to figure it out before the reservations open for the camp sites.  We'll see where we go from here. 
             Not much else is going on so I think I will do some research and restart my planning.
             Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Uno, the tie that grinds

            Friday has become something of a haven for me.  I look forward to it all week as the night I get to enjoy with my boys.  I enjoy playing games with them although they tend to be a bit disconnected on what they want to play.  As they get older, they diverge so much that I am unsure exactly where to go sometimes.  I enjoy the time together and what we get to do, but it is always a bit difficult to hash out what to do when i have 4 boys all wanting to do something different and not one willing to compromise.  It usually takes a bit of cajoling to get them to play a single game and then we have to change games.  It almost isn't worth it.  I said almost, we always end up having fun and enjoying ourselves.  That makes it all worthwhile.
          This brings me to a question.  Is there any particular game that brings you back to your childhood that you think of fondly and still enjoy playing?  I can think of a couple, cribbage and Uno for example.  I look forward to the day my youngest can play by himself (he still has a little trouble recognizing numbers), but he's 4 and my other boys didn't really get it until they were about 5.  The truth is, we always have fun when we play, we just have to get the the point of dealing out the cards first. 
        That is really what it comes down to, isn't it? Not just dealing the cards, but playing with what you get dealt to you as well as played on you by others.  Amazing how one little game can teach you so much about interacting with others and still grab your attention for more.  There are other games that do this, but i suggest you sit and watch a game of Uno sometime.  Watch how the players interact and how they play.  In every group you will find a few distinct players.  There is the planner, the one who picks a specific order in which to play his cards for the best advantage.  The flash, the one that grabs the first card in his hand that can be played.  The evil mastermind, this is the one that holds onto that "special" card for whoever played that draw two on him.  Then you have the joker, this is the guy that is all of the above at any given time (me usually). 
          As they play you will find that the interactions also reveal just how competitive the players are.  The more competitive the angrier they get at the pile of cards they hold.  This is especially true when sitting next to the evil mastermind since this is also most likely the most sadistic of all the players.  It gets ugly really fast when someone is not only competitive, but sensitive as well.  That's when sitting him beside the sadistic and cruel evil mastermind is down right wrong.  The mastermind will keep every nasty card he can until he can play it on his hapless victim until that victim is so traumatized that he no longer wants to play.  This is usually what happens to our number two.  The thing that makes it funny, is that it is our number three who is the evil mastermind with a sadistic streak.
           Then again, maybe I am over analyzing the whole Uno thing.  Maybe my boys just play to have fun and don't actually enjoy tormenting each other.  One can hope.
           Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Halloween: Scaring Others Hurts.

         So yesterday was Halloween.  Took the boys trick or treating and they had a blast.  My oldest decided that nothing was going to keep him from going to any house and getting what they were giving.  A few of the houses had some scary stuff going on and he went up.  He may have had his head on a swivel, but up he went.  It was our 6 year old that would stare wide eyed at a house and in no uncertain term inform us that he was not going to that house.  Surprisingly, our 3 year old went to a few scary houses as well.  In all, it was a good night.
         I remember as a kid what trick or treating involved.  Usually, it meant going to my Grandma's house and going around her neighborhood.  Mainly because I grew up in the country and didn't have any neighbors close enough.  Our costumes were less elaborate and usually homemade.  The great thing was, what my mom lacked in ability she made up for with creativity.  I remember the year we went as pirates.  Mom took some pieces of cloth we had lying around and sewed a jar lid ring to the side and placed it on our heads as a bandanna.  thus the jar ring acted as an earring and coupled with our winter boots, torn jeans, and some of her old blouses over our regular clothes, we were quite the pirates. 
         After my Mom passed, things got weird.  Our costume were left up to us to design and make.  this meant our costumes became simpler and less inventive.  Mostly because we waited until we got home from school on Halloween to come up with our costumes. 
         Then there were the years I refer to as my hooligan years.  Those were the years that my friends and I became that group that parents warned their kids about.  The ones that scared the kids hoping they would drop their loot and run so we could get the candy.  Most people frowned on teenagers who trick or treated, we just wanted our share.  I really regret those days.  It is one of those things that I am not particularly proud of.  The most ironic part of it all is, not one kid ever dropped their Candy.  They may have let out a satisfying scream and ran in mid air while spinning in a circle (which, by the way, is even funnier than it sounds), but they never once let go of their candy.  That brings up another pointer for those of you who think that this may be fun to do, never scare a kid that is carrying anything that can be used as a weapon.  This includes, plastic swords, baseball bats, wands, brooms, sticks, or anything that can be swung.  Even though they may break when they hit you, it still stings and the smaller it is the nastier the bruise.  The one thing they won't swing is their candy.  Even if it is in one of those solid plastic pumpkins, they won't use it for defense.  Apparently, the mere thought of losing a single piece of candy is more frightening than that apparition that just jumped out in front of them.  They'll break that sword they just got on your shin, but they won't lose a single piece of candy.
         I guess the moral of all this is to just have fun.  If you want to scare kids, be blatant about it.  Make sure the parents are aware it is going on and be prepared to have a ton of bruises the next day.  Kids can be vicious.
       Until next time, have a great day and don't be afraid to be yourself.

Skipped Monday, Update Tuesday.

       As you can see, I didn't blog yesterday.  There is a reason for that.  I was too busy getting drilled at the dentist in the morning and felt it wouldn't be fair to you to hear me whine and complain about the pain in the afternoon.  Thus, I decided to skip Monday's post and move on to happier (to a small degree anyway) topics.
        Let's start with the weekend update.  As I mentioned Friday, This weekend was busy.  It started with a soccer game in the drizzling rain (my third son, Mathew's team) which we won.  Then moved on to celebrating my oldest's tenth birthday at Red Robin for lunch.  We then went to my second son's (David) game which we also won.  David also scored his first goal ever.  We then finished our grocery shopping and managed to get home just in time for dinner.  Sunday was a little less hectic.  After church and lunch, we went swimming as a family and had a blast.  Then we finally got to relax.  While it was busy, it was a good weekend.
      Last night, I had my first read through of the musical "Annie!".  I am Drake, Warbuck's Butler.  Turns out, it is a rather involved part.  I am in a lot of scenes and have quite a few lines.  Luckily, I have no solos, which is good.  I look forward to more of the same.
      Finally, this morning, as I was backing out of the driveway, my check engine light on my truck came on.  Hopefully it is something small and easy to fix.  I will have to get it checked out on my way home.  The good news is, the motor sounds good and I don't have any other indications of anything bad, so it may just be an O2 sensor or the gas cap.   We'll just have to wait until this afternoon to see what it is.
      Now that I have my wife wringing her hands and worrying, I will end this post.  Don't worry to much dear, we'll get it fixed and stay within our budget.  We don't even know if it is going to cost more than $2 yet so stop panicking.  Thank you all for reading.  Have a great day.

Happy Hump Day: Scheduled to the max

        I know it is Happy Hump Day, but I have some stuff I need to get out of the way first.  As I informed you yesterday...I said hold your horses, I will try and be funny in a minute....anyway, as I was saying, yesterday I informed you I tried out for a part in my churches Christmas Musical, "Annie!", I find out today if I got the part I want or a different part.  I didn't get a call back, but that doesn't mean I didn't get the part.  Next, I want to let you know that the link over there ------> is a link to what was formally "Joe's Story Time."  I decided to change the name to the title of the story and then I added a new post to it.  Check it out if you want.  I actually started writing that story years ago and have since updated it to match my developing style. 
     Now to the funny (I hope).  There is only so much you can do when you discover that life has been planning something for you with out your consent or knowledge.  This has happened to me on several occasions and continues to happen regularly.  I think, "hey, Tuesday is clear, I think I will mow the lawn Tuesday and enjoy today (Saturday) with the family."  Good plan, at least it was to me.  Then life raises its head in the guise of my lovely wife and says, "Oh, by the way, your son has soccer practice and you need to help his brothers with homework, make dinner, and there are clothes in the wash that need put into the dryer.  Thanks."  Your welcome.  The grass isn't up to my knees yet, so I guess it's OK.  It wasn't until I look back at the previous week and realize I should have seen this coming.  My boy has been going to practice for 3 weeks now, so I should know the schedule.  The kids did just start school, so I should have guessed they might have homework.  OK, I get it, I made a bad plan.  Can we just move on?
     It seems that no matter what I do, that period of time from September to June (also known as the "school year"), becomes a practice of what to do when.  Or more accurately, what day isn't there something scheduled.  For us, it is.....let me think about this for a minute.....Oh, yeah, Saturday....no wait, we have games Saturday....Friday!.....No, that's....wait, yeah, Friday....After 4pm.....when the kids get home from school....after dinner.....so, that doesn't really work then....Sunday?....afternoon....between football and....OK, I give.  I think if we skip football on Sunday (sorry dear), we might be able to get an hour or two together as a family to go out and do something. 
      What is it with scheduling things these days.  Growing up, I felt connected and had a great time and we only had things scheduled for Sunday's and Wednesday nights.  It seems these days that unless you have things scheduled for every day of the week, you are depriving your kids.  Really?  Do they really need to remain that busy.  What happened to doing chores, cleaning house, studying, and just spending time with family?  I don't think most kids could tell you what Uno is, let alone what a family game night is.
     Speaking of Uno, why is it that young kids are the cruelest players?  Take my 6 year old for example.  We try to avoid sitting next to him because he plays any mean card he can as soon as he can.  I understand that it is part of the game and most of us do it, but does he really have to giggle maniacally and then look at you so innocently afterwards?  At least my 10 year old has the decency to look evil when he plays mean.  My ten year old is another story altogether.  He actually actively plots out who and when he is going to attack.  I have actually seen him go through three wild cards to play his single blue card because it was a draw two and he really needed to play it on his brother.  It was just a little disturbing.  Then my 8 year old just plays to get rid of cards.  He may have the basic premise down, but he tends to lose sight of the fun.  Then again, he does seem to win quite often.  It is amazing just how much you can learn of your kids personalities over a game.
     I guess I just got lucky that I grew up in a home that loved playing games.  It is where I learned how to play by the rules and accept challenges.  I think that this is what I am trying to teach my sons.  My wife tells me to be nice and let them win sometimes.  I just can't do that.  I don't recall my dad ever letting me win.  I had to earn my wins.  Sometimes I think my dad had to have cheated as much as he won.  But now I know that he just didn't take it easy on me or my siblings.  I don't think I ever beat my dad at chess and he regularly beat me at Cribbage.  Dad was and is a competitor at heart.  We all love games and can't wait to play again.  I try and teach my boys to play games all the time.  Sometimes, we just can't find the time due to schedules and life in this day and age in general.
    Well, This may not have been that funny, but I enjoyed writing it.  Right now, life is calling and letting me know it is time to go.  Thank you for reading and keep playing.  Have a great day.