As I was listening to music today I realized that I missed an opportunity to play one of my favorite songs of recent times, so I’ve sneaked in and added to the end of the file. If you’ve already downloaded, I’d encourage you to go to Jonathan Coulton’s site and listen to Skullcrusher Mountain. And if you like it, drop him a dollar. He’s worth it.
Vintage Gamer #8 Update
This week, the espionage roleplaying game Top Secret. Pick your cover carefully, and don’t forget your watch with the sawblade.
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Many of you have probably already seen this, but Joe Scoleri (The Maverick) put up a BGG geeklist on Sunday which points to a series of geeklists on old wargames and collectible games. Yet another set of lists for me to draw from (besides the old Games 100s). Good stuff.
I’ve already ordered a German copy of Tales of the Arabian Nights. Hopefully the English conversion will be smooth.
This week, the dice game Can’t Stop, designed by Sid Sackson and originally published by Parker Brothers. Warning: heavy analysis content — may ruin fun.
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This week, I cover Allan Calhamer’s (in)famous game Diplomacy, once published through Avalon Hill and currently published by Hasbro through its Avalon Hill line (not quite the same thing).
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No Show This Week
Just a quick [formerly audio] note to say there’s no show this week — I should have something up next week, though, and it will be about Diplomacy.
For those who are curious about the sound quality on this one, I was trying out a new mic so I can take the show on the road. Needless to say, it won’t be with that one.
[Edited to remove enclosure – new listeners don’t care, I’m sure, and it frees up a slot for a real show.]
This week, I go back to old card games, and cover Parker Brother’s Pit (currently published by Winning Moves), and its predecessor Gavitt’s Stock Exchange (currently published by Out of the Box).
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First Games 100 List
Since I covered the Games 100 list in my introductory podcast, I thought I’d point people to this. Stephen Roney has posted a Geeklist on Boardgamegeek, consisting of entries from the original Games 100 list in 1980. The rating spread is quite broad: Monopoly and Parcheesi at the bottom, to Go and Acquire at the top.
This week, I cover Dark Castle, originally published for the Mac by Silicon Beach in 1986 and created by Mark Pierce and Jonathan Gay. Also discussed: Beyond Dark Castle (1987) and Return to Dark Castle (2006?).
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Across the Board: Around the World in 18 Games is an exhibit sponsored by the British Museum that is currently touring Great Britain. Being shown are artifacts of such ancient games as Senet, Nine Man’s Morris, and Ur, as well as the Lewis Chessmen. If you click on the Games link, you can actually play the first three online as well.
It doesn’t sound as extensive as the Asian Games exhibit that was in Washington, D.C. last spring (missed it, alas), but it might be worth the trip if you happen to be close by one of the stops. And it sounds like a lot of the artifacts are from the main collection of the British Museum, so I suspect that if you were to go there after the tour is over you could see them there, albeit spread through the various halls.
[Edited for clarity]