krm (03/22/83)
I'd like to recommend some spectacular games. These are not computer games just plain old paper and cardboard but not really board games. COSMIC WIMPOUT A cute short little party game that even game non enthusiasts can learn and enjoy quickly. Not much challenge but what do you want for $3? COSMIC ENCOUNTER This has to be the best game I've ever played. (with the possible exception of generic rpg) VERY fun and playable. The game is sold for $15 then there are so far 9 expansions at $6 each. We play with everything but lucre. (anyone out there played with lucre? how about moons?) Basically a group boardgame 1-3 hrs. Where nobody drops out before the game is over (well.. seldom) Works best with 4-8 players. The first 10 rating I've ever given any game (or girl). ACE OF ACES This is a super game also. VERY SIMPLE rules but facinating strategy. They currently have two sets of WWI planes that can be flown in any combination and with basically infinite numbers of people on a side. (5 on 5 was really something else. Not just campaign, we played 5 on 5 simultaneous) If you are interested but can't find these in your local stores mail me and I will tell you where you can get them mail order or give you the publisher or whatever. I am interested in hearing from anyone else who plays any of these just to compare notes. xoxorich. decvax!cwruecmp!krm ps. my girlfriend usually hates the games I play and won't even consider them but she likes all three of these.
jjm (03/23/83)
For those of you who like "Ace of Aces" (the WWI air combat game) there is also a new pair of book available from the same company which simulates an old-west gunfight. The sketches in the book display the relative positions of the gunfighters and the saloon. This game is somewhat different from Ace of Aces because it is possible to sneak up behind your opponent without him seeing you. Jim McParland American Bell - Holmdel hou5e!jjm
wdr (03/23/83)
Ace of Aces is excellent. Second the Nomination. It plays like an RGB-monitor video game without the computer (except its illos are B&W pen&ink drawings, but well down). And as near as I can tell, it is based on accurate physics & performance data. More realistic than any other game I've seen for air combat. Cosmic Wimpout: I do not consider the game trivial. Proving a strategy optimal is very difficult in a game where the expectation of a given action is dependent on the current state of the game: e.g., the decision to recast a single unscored die depends on the value of the roll so far which is endangered thereby. I particularly enjoy Wimpout BECAUSE I haven't been able to 'solve' it; I don't feel compelled to play perfectly. Whereas when I play Gin, I feel I'm cheating myself if I don't do Baysian analysis to guide my play, and my wife feels cheated if I do (as well as making it too much like work). Bill Ricker (decvax!genradbo | allegra )!linus!security!wdr
wombat (03/24/83)
#R:cwruecmp:-55500:uicsl:4500002:000:1041 uicsl!wombat Mar 23 11:31:00 1983 ACE OF ACES is very good. It's also easily carried about, so my husband and I used to play it on the bus. Another good game, though a little more complicated, is Steve Jackson's ILLUMINATI. Up to 6 people can play (more with the 2 expansion kits?), and each has their own special victory conditions, e.g., Cthulhu's goal is to destroy 8 groups, the Gnomes of Zurich try to accumulate lots of money, etc. It is a game designed for lots of infighting, as ganging up on each other and making deals (sometimes doublecrossed) and such is encouraged by the rules. The game parts are Illuminati cards, group cards (like Punk Rockers, Wargamers, Cocaine Smugglers, Intern'l Oil Cartel, SMOF, ... that have effects on each other in takeovers), money chits, and ordinary 6-sided dice. Comes in a plastic 4"X7" box (approx.). I've forgotten the price, but it isn't expensive. I've heard there will be an Illuminati tournament at ConStellation, the world science fiction convention, with Jackson himself. Wombat pur-ee!uiucdcs!uicsl!wombat