Ahoy Matey!

Oh Ye Pirates! Hoist Ye Sailes! Strike ye fear into ye hearts!

Ho ho ho! One Gamer (turned Pirate) has been using his Lego armada to enhance the experience of Days of Wonder's Pirate's Cove. In his blog post he logs the details to his game adaption (apparently the game has become a favorite), and Lego's have allowed him to all but eliminate chance from pirate ship skirmishes.

Har har! What ingenuity!

Still, Legos and games have not been strange shipmates.

Aye, when I was a lad we used to make games out of our Lego stash. Legos make great game components! They are naturally delimited and come in all shapes, sizes, colors and styles. Perfect.

Lego the company has picked-up on this as well. Refer to an earlier post at Pinebars about Lego's advances into the gaming sphere.

Oh, and don't forget the popular Lego Star Wars series for video game systems.

See below an excellent rendition of Settlers of Catan in Lego.

I eagerly await the day when an astutely crafted Eurogame design by Friedmann Friese or Klaus Teuber is released exclusively by Lego.

And as you design your own games, consider using Lego's to help you solve your component problems.

In the meantime, answer me this, what Euro game would you like to see designed in Lego?

Publishing Progress

There is no quick path to publication! I hammered out the the rules and initial prototype in about 1 month, but that was only the beginning. Below I have listed a time-line from that time until now.

June 20: I mail my card game "Drop Site" to Italy for the Premio Archimede contest.

July 2: I receive word that my game has arrived and been entered into the competition.

August 20: I receive word that my game has made it from the field of 141 to the field of 60.

Oct. 2: My card game, "Drop Site" wins the Carta Mundi special prize at the Premio Archimede and 7th place overall.

Oct. 4: I hear from the spokesman about the award, and interested companies.

Oct. 5-17: I work on 5 more prototypes. 4 to send to Italy and 1 for myself.

Oct. 18: I send the prototypes in the mail.

Oct. 29: I hear from Premio Archimede spokesperson that my prototypes have not yet arrived.

Nov. 2: I hear that my prototypes have arrived.

Nov. 11: ScriBabs begins work on the 1000 copies that are part of the reward for winning.

Nov. 12-Dec 18: I communicate back and forth with ScriBabs to make sure all the artwork for the game is in order.

Dec 20: I continue to wait. It has been six months since I first mailed the game to Italy for the contest. Even though it has been a long process, it has been a rewarding one too. I have gotten to see firsthand some of the issues that can develop with game publishing, as well as to speak with several people in the industry to solve those problems. In addition, I continue to feel blessed that I even get to be a part of this process and to see my game become a reality.

Be on the look out in the next year for a sneak peak of the new artwork and a chance to get your hands on a copy! I will be giving a away some free copies as part the release promotion!

"Fun Theory" Speed Camera

Are you ready for another great example of how games can solve problems? Check out the video posted above. (Thanks to Owen for sharing this with me!)

I love how this "game" gives the appearance of choice.

Notice the change in the rules:
Rule-set A (Traditional speed limit laws): Obey the speed limit or else...
Rule-set B: Disobey the speed limit and be fined OR Obey the speed limit and be entered to win.

Rule-set B does a significantly better job quantifying the possible outcomes, which makes a sense of choice more apparent. And choice is at the center of a good game.

For more examples of Fun Theory games that were developed to change behavior check out http://www.thefuntheory.com/

FYI, this is the 101 post at Pinebars! Thanks for reading! Send us a greeting!

Agricola Makes You Want to be a Farmer (I Should Know)

According to his weekly newsletter, Erik Arneson reports that the Estonian Government recently purchased 500 copies of Agricola (Lookout Games, 2007) to make farming seem cooler to its youth.

No joke.

"One of our biggest tasks is to promote country life and farming," said Hindrek Riikoja, a representative of Estonia's press ministry, "Especially among youth."

I often get the hankering to get out of the city, purchase 500 acres of farmland, and try my hand at farming, especially immediately after I finish a game of Agricola.

Joke.

In all seriousness though, I applaud the Estonians for utilizing board games for marketing like this. Agricola, after all, is a critically acclaimed design, and it is highly unlikely Estonia could find a higher-quality piece of artwork that glorifes agriculture this side of the 1950s.

If Puerto Rico can make you more interested in the history and economy of the island by the same name, then maybe just maybe Agricola can make youths more interested in farming.

In either case, its an interesting news item highlighting the growing use of board games to solve problems. Cheers to Estonia.

Check out Arneson's review here, or the original news item here.

Syracuse Game Lab

Games are great educational tools, and I'm not the only one who thinks so!

Yes, there are others out there, and if you are looking for resources to make your own case for board games (or games in general), one possible starting point for you is the Syracuse Game Lab.

Thank you to Scott Nicholson for commenting on our earlier blog post sharing with us about his research project at Syracuse University, which is an initiative to increase the use of games and games events in the libraries.

There are also a number of publications on the topic at the Game Lab Web site, so head over and check it out!

Science and Board Games

Greetings board game enthusiasts! I have just stumbled upon a website that fits like a puzzle piece into the mission of this blog. The website is boardgamestudies.info, and it's produced by a group "dedicated to research on board games and the history and development of board games around the world."

I took a quick look at the first journal they published, and it's just that; it's a scientific publication in proper journal format. Fortunately, the writing seems pretty accessible. I plan on expounding upon some of these articles in my next few posts, but go ahead a have a look; the first article in the first journal is on the history of mancala and board games with a 2x5 grid layout. In the next few posts, I'll try to pick out some good nuggets of information from this article or others, so check back next Monday for some research-backed board game discussion!

Catan vs. Monopoly

As I was exploring cyberspace today, I came upon this blog post about Settlers of Catan. One of the first things I noticed is that it's by a baseball writer for ESPN.com, Kieth Law. Ooh, I thought, board game news from ESPN! Unfortunately, the article has no drawn out comparison between sports and board games besides a short economic comparison at the top of the article. Law does, however, go into a nice history of Settlers, including it's relationship with games America had to play before Eurogaming worked its way to the US. Indeed, The Settlers of Catan was the first German-style board game to become popular in the US.

Law mentions in his article two aspects of the Euro-genre of games that I believe are too important to pass up. First, the games are competitive and fun from start to finish, although they rely WAY less on luck than anything that had been popular in the US before. Second, and related, there is no elimination from a game as there would be, for example, in a game of Risk. Allow me to make a quick note of my own on each subject.

First, I'll address the competitive nature of the games. Klaus Teuber, the designer of Settlers, hit this nail on the head, finding a perfect mechanic to keep everyone interested in the game. In Monopoly, once someone has landed (by a roll of the dice) on the correct spaces and made enough money, his victory is eventual, almost all the time. In Risk, once someone has a big enough army (and rolls 5's and 6's), there's little stopping her. In Settlers, however, the roll of the dice is far from the final say. Trading is an integral part of the game, and I've played plenty of games where a player is in position for the victory and the other players then boycott all trades with this person. The best player and the robber often become well acquainted by game's end, oftentimes only to see someone else pass him up for the victory. In other words, the game is designed to let players who fall behind make the ground and even snatch up a victory. Many (though not all) of the Eurogames do this, which make each game interesting from start to finish.

The other subject of note is the lack of elimination. As I said, it is related to the discourse above. It's importance is this: previous to 1995, when American board gamers wanted something of more heft than Monopoly, they had to resort to war games. War games take hours to play, and often a person will be on the brink of elimination and lose interest, else they will be fully eliminated and have to wait hours until they can get involved with the group again. Eurogames are not only played in a significantly shorter time span, but there is, as I mentioned above, involvement from start to finish.

In conclusion, that is why Eurogames are way better than American games. Just kidding; that's not what this post was about. But I do hope you found my rant in favor of Settlers of Catan to be helpful.

Serious Games = Applied Game Mechanics?

Have we finally found a term for "applying board game mechanics?"!

I was "reading" on a German game Web site, spielegilde.org, and out of the cloud a term appeared.

"Serious Games"

It struck a chord, and I struck it back by doing a little research of my own.

Wikipedia describes a serious game as any game that is "designed for a primary purpose other than pure entertainment." Sounds like Pinebars to me. Here at the blog we seek to highlight as many different applications of board games as possible to everyday life, whether teaching or management or amazon farmers.

Dig a little deeper.

Seriousgames.org, a Web site I Googled, listed their objective as to find "uses for games in exploring management and leadership challenges facing the public sector." Seriousgames.org focuses on the application of video games, which seems to be the general focus of groups interested in serious games.

Apparently there is a Serious Games Summit (this year its held in San Fransisco) to discuss the development of serious games and related issues. I encourage you to check out their Web site.

Although focused on video games, aspects are inclusive to all gaming types. According to the Serious Games Summit Web site, the second major point of discussion at the summit will be "gamification," which is "[the] debatable term and sometimes questionable process of building game-like incentives into non-game applications, to address issues like productivity, health, marketing, and so forth."

Board game mechanics should not be left out of a discussion about gamification. Rather the incentives built into board games are probably stronger and more suited to gamification than video game mechanics. After all, board games mechanics are developed en lieu of technology and more closely focus on player decisions.

Perhaps all this goes to say is that applying board game mechanics already has an identity in the study of serious games.

Not the most insightful conclusion to a blog post I'm sure...though I hope not the most vapid either.

-Dennis

The Game of Kings

Chess is probably the most proliferative game in the world. Probably having originated in the ancient far east, it is played in every country by millions of people. A game with such history and longevity undoubtedly has much to teach us, both about the game and about ourselves. This blog has already addressed part of that aspect of chess, but naturally, we have not come close to covering it all. Recently, I came upon this article, written by a man, R. M. Moore, who uses chess as a tool when he is asked to teach children.

Mr. Moore claims that chess is "the only game where luck is never a factor." While I am not in total agreement with that (I make my exception with other simple classics like Go and Checkers), I do agree that, more so than any other game, one is forced to out think one's opponent. (And check out his paragraph on video games! He is by no means putting them down, but I myself draw from it a sense that this is why video games just don't have the same value that board games can have). Therefore, studying chess certainly makes you a better thinker. Secondly, and just as importantly, studying the way a person plays chess is a great way to analyze how that person thinks. That's where Moore comes in.

Moore says that any time he's asked to mentor a child, he begins by teaching the child to play chess. He plays them, not to win, but to teach, and gives two good examples of this in his article. It's worth a read, and I won't spoil it for you, but it's obvious that Moore knows what he's doing, and that, properly used, chess is an invaluable tool for helping kids to improve themselves - to learn lifelong lessons at a young age.

Read that article, and also check out this linked website on the history of chess (it's where I took that graphic from). It's totally worth a read, and not just for that sweet background before the content loads!

Massively multiplayer...run around the park!

What do you call a group of people that come together to participate in massively multiplayer live action strategy games. (I'm not sure what you call it.....think massive scavenger hunt, not live action role-playing (LARPing) for Dungeons and Dragons)

Apparently they've gotten some press. And here.

The games come from a book written by Leigh Anderson and published by Workman Publishing called the Games Bible, which has been on store shelves for about a month.

I love it.

This is game design unashamed. And its got to be tricky stuff!

Imagine designing a game for 350 people (as in their game "Ministry of Silence") . It can be hard enough to play test a game for 4 people! That is what I love most, and why it relates to APPLYING BOARD GAME MECHANICS.

Most of the time, any game mechanics that are applied to real life will involve an above average number of "players," which makes play testing tedious (impossible really), and increases the risk that ANY ONE player could really screw everything up!

Increase the number of players and you increase the level of uncertainty that the game system will NOT FALL APART. (Refer to a much earlier post I made about the economy...)

I haven't played Ministry of Silence, or any other game from the Games Bible, but props to Leigh Anderson and Co. for applying some game mechanics to 300+ people (and they at least seem to enjoy the games). This is one book that might have to go on my HOLIDAY WISH LIST.

Now, to link Holiday Wish List to an actual wish list...

Build Your Own Board Game

I could not let us go on any longer without addressing a relative newcomer on the board game scene; last year, LEGO put out a baker's dozen's worth of "board" games, and, naturally, I was intrigued as soon as I heard about them. If you're like me, you just flashed back to a childhood full of brick-by-brick building, sometimes by the manual, sometimes letting your creativity take total control. I still have quite the soft spot for LEGOs, and, considering my love for board games, I was quite excited about the possibilities. I have played one of the games and will give you a short review.
The game I got my hands on (literally) was Ramses Pyramid. This game is unique among the LEGO games in that Reiner Knizia helped design it. If you are familiar with German games, you'll know that Knizia is a popular designer and makes quality games. There are some positives to this game; for one, you get to build it! Awesome. Also, the game allows for some memory challenges and offers the potential for strategic thinking. Unfortunately, it stops at potential, at least in the rule book. Like many kid-aimed games, the game hinges on the roll of a die. Guess what the condition for winning is. Go ahead, guess!

You have to be at the top of the pyramid, and then you have to roll a 3. AHHH! Very anti-climactic. Knizia must have been passed out or asleep when they came up with that one. He must have been...

So much for gameplay. HOWEVER... The rulebook is seemingly intentionally vague, and even suggests the creation of your own set of rules. This seems perfect for LEGO, and also perfect for anyone interested in game design. Start by tweaking the rules a little, maybe add your own LEGO bricks, and, eventually, why not start from the ground and build (hehe) a whole new game! Why not take two games and combine them? So, like I said, a lot of potential. It makes me even more interested in playing LEGO's take on Pictionary: Creationary. Imagine playing this one with that huge box of old bricks. Oh... I'm the only one with a LEGO surplus? You can borrow some of mine.

Interested in Board Game Mechanics?

Looking for some good-ole analysis of board game mechanics?

First, I recommend you linger here at Pinebars, but second I would recommend you take a peak at The Journal of Board Game Design.

Although somewhat dated (the most recent post is from December 6, 2008), the journal has several intelligently written articles about board game mechanisms, that I'm sure you would find interesting.

Check it out here.

Board Games for Couples 2: Hive

Hive is a unique and finely-crafted game by John Yianni that my wife and I have found especially entertaining. For two players, this game is an excellent chess-like game that can be played in under ten minutes. Try to trap your opponent's queen bee by completely surrounding it with other insects in the hive. The trick is, the hive has to stay completely in-tact at all times!

We love this game because it is easy to learn, and has multiple levels of strategy. The pieces are strong and durable and they come with a carrying pouch so you can bring the game anywhere with you without having to lug around the box. Hive has tremendous replay value and you will find yourself playing over and over again trying to perfect your strategy and beat your opponent over and over again--if your opponent happens to be your wife (or husband) than the feeling of victory is especially satisfying.

Most recently we played this game over a cup of starbucks coffee and some homemade begnets (thanks wife!).

Thats one hungry beetle!

Highly reccomend: A

PS. Hive has two expansions "The Mosquito" and "The Ladybug." Check out board game geek for insights into how these two add-ons benefit the game!

Collect the stars! Meta game!

Need an idea for a team competition?

Think, METAGAME.

That means: game within a game.

This past year for RA training the meta game I made was themed "collect the stars." It utilized a board game mechanic known as SET COLLECTION.

Teams competed in various activities (such as scavenger hunts and other physical events) as well as in leadership and spirit to earn stars (see the picture at the top of this post).

On the back of each star I wrote either an "M" "S" or "U". Instead of a traditional point accumulation scoring mechanic, in this meta game a team's score is their total of complete sets of M, S, and U. Thus, a team with 4 Ms, 2 Ss, and 2 Us would have a score of 2.

When stars were awarded, they were awarded at random (a mechanic I will call HIDDEN BENEFIT) so that no team was able to see what letter they were getting. In addition, teams were not allowed to trade stars with one another, and each team's name was printed on the stars they received so it would be obvious if there had been cheating.

How to win?

The winning team was the team with the most sets of MSU at the end of the week. Second place went to the team with the most stars overall. Thus, both teams with few sets and teams with many sets were encouraged to continue to compete in every daily activity.

Of yeah, and the winning prize included a significant portion of "time-off" for the winning team.

The plan worked! (For the most part). Competition was consistently high throughout training and I believe it helped teams to grow and develop as they worked together to collect the stars.

And it was fun!

That is, I think it was fun. Every day, teams were excited to draw their stars from the stack (I handed out close to 100 throughout the week), and there were both cheers of excitement for good draws and groans of agony for that 15th "S."

And lastly, THE ULTIMATE BEST THING about this META game is...

You always have something to give as a reward, at little cost to you, but relatively great value to those involved.

Ok, maybe thats not the ultimate best thing, but I liked it.

Not the "Video" That Makes the Game

Video games may have killed the motion picture, but they haven't killed the board game.

In a Wall Street Journal review of new book Fun Inc., by Tom Chatfield, which highlights the progress of the video game industry, reviewer Robert Ferrigno critiques the arguments presented in the book.

Not surprisingly, what I find most interesting about the article are two quotes buried deep within the publication that seem to undermine both authors' glorification of the video game as entertainment medium.

Ferrigno adapts Chatfield: "'Videogames, he says, uplift the spirit, satisfy the neurological need to solve problems and possess the power to bring people closer together.'"

Interesting.

Say the same thing about board games and I'll give you an eager nod of agreement.

Later, in the same article Ferrigno revises Chatfield's hypothesis, expressing that the mark of a good game--one that gamers embrace--is not a result of some vague moral precedent, but whether or not the game is "compelling."

Board games rock (too) if they are compelling.

Board games rock (too) if they satisfy certain psychological needs.

A man walks into a store and asks for a good game, something that involves problem solving, something that will help him to develop better relationships with his friends or family. "It has got to be compelling!" He adds.

Would you not just as quickly offer one of the awesome new titles of board games than a video game? Would you not more readily offer a board game?

It's amazing how much technology has advanced and yet still, the standard for a good game remains the same. Perhaps this is why board games remain one of the most popular activities.

Give the consoles a rest.

Unpack a new board game this holiday season.

To Win or Not To Win...

I would certainly love to win every game I play. It's not going to happen, though.

In an opinion article from a Georgia newspaper, Terri Hintz attempts to answer a friend's semi-serious question, "should I always let my kid win at board games to avoid the tantrum?"

[aside] You may be thinking, I don't have kids; of what use is this article to me? Well, you can store it in the vault for later, or, like me, you can reflect on what your own childhood was like. What fun! Now back to the question at hand:

The short answer is "no." The long answer sheds some light on the ideas of competitiveness and grace, in addition to the opportunity these qualities might afford a person later in life. If a child's parents let him win all of the time, will he or she be spoiled or have an overly competitive attitude? Hintz says:

Instinct tells me that competitive drive is largely innate in one's nature. Gracious composure as one wins or loses however, I contend to be a result of nurture.

Thus, board games provide opportunity for valuable life lessons, even at an early age. I love when that happens! Is "avoiding the tantrum" important enough to throw a game? Probably. To throw every game? Maybe, but the scales probably tilt in favor of winning some of the time, doing it with grace, and teaching the tot to tame the tantrum. Read it, and decide for yourself!

Games For Your Child's Math Brain

Clearly I'm not the only one who thinks games are great educational tools.

A September article by Melanie Mulrooney highlights several great games for teaching the children to learn math skills. A great thing about this article is that Mulrooney lists a variety of simple games, not just the obvious first picks.

Included on the list, besides the classic Yahtzee and Uno, are light strategy games Phase 10 Dice game, and Gamewright's "Zeus on the Loose".

What makes a great educational math game? The article suggests that simplicity, and thorough use of math functions are two keys. I would suggest that a good educational math game should also teach good decision making.

Check out Rummikub, Muggins, or Days of Wonder's colorful fantasy game with plenty of addition and subtraction, "Small World", if you want a game that teaches decision making skills along with the fundamental mathematics.

Prototypes En-Route!

Prototypes en-route!

Last weekend my wife and I spent nearly 12 hours cutting, gluing and making boxes for the 4 prototypes to be sent to Italy.

All told, there were 260 cards (thats 520 cards if you count the fronts and the backs) and four boxes. I'm not a very good box maker, but I survived and made a huge mess on our office floor.

Had some trouble sending the prototypes to Italy. Apparently, "playing cards" are prohibited by Italian customs. I'm not sure whether Drop Site would be considered "playing cards" since it is home made, and doesn't contain all the typical elements of playing cards, such as suits and face cards and aces. I can only hope it will make it through.

More about the game:

Still, I believe Drop Site is an ace in terms of game play and design. As I mentioned before, Drop Site fell into place one lazy Saturday morning and was truly and answer to prayer.

I designed the graphics myself using Adobe Illustrator CS4 in our Library at MSU. (By the way 520 cards in card stock prints for about $50 bucks). Each card has a picture of a box of "AID" parachuting down towards the drop site. The higher numbers are closer to the sun, and the lower numbers are closer to the earth.

As you play the game, you help to "lower" the parachutes toward the ground in hopes of matching various packets of aid to bids you make in a pile in front of you called your "debt."

You score points based on how risky your bids were, then re-shuffle and send several more parachutes toward the ground.

Mechanics Drop Site employs are: Matching, bluffing, play and draw, graduated scoring, and a vague sense of zero-sum.

What happens next?

Leo Colovini, of studiogiochi in Venice, and well-established game designer has been in contact with me regarding Drop Site. I will get to keep 1000 copies of Drop Site, which will be developed by ScriBabs and printed by CartaMundi. The prototypes will go to three European game companies for further testing.

As Mr. Colovini explained, essentially when I participated in the Premio Archimede, I agreed to make studiogiochi the "agent" for Drop Site, that is, they help to connect the game with interested publishers.

The remaining 1000 copies I am free to do with as I please, provided another company does not decide to publish Drop Site and restrict my distribution of the games in specific ways.

Conclusion:

As usual, I continue to learn more and more about the Euro-gaming industry almost every day. Looking back even to June when I first entered the competition, I feel that I know so much more now.

Even if no company decides to publish Drop Site, I am very pleased to have learned so much in the process, and now feel that getting a published board or card game is an attainable goal--if not now, then perhaps in the not so distant future.

Drop Site Wins CartaMundi 2010!

CartaMundi Award 2010

Shocked and thrilled! And incredibly thankful!

My card game, DROP SITE, won 1st place for the CartaMundi special prize at the Premio Archimede 2010 competition in Venice, ITALY this past weekend, and 7th place overall.

What began as a complicated mess of card game three years ago, suddenly evolved into a fun, concise and strategic card game one lazy Saturday morning in April. Two months later I was finished with the artwork and theme and submitting it to the Premio Archimede with only moderate hopes of winning any prize.

Premio Arcimede 2010 Results

My praise and thanks go first and primarily to God, who guided me every step of the way on this venture and who continues to give meaning and purpose to encouraging and discouraging moments alike.

Secondly I would like to thank my wife who played the game with me frequently to make sure it was right, as well as several friends who have played it as well (Brandon, Lauren, Chase, Kien, Dante, Allie, Jen, and Thomas).

What happens next?

Well, I was unable to attend the event...it was in Venice and I am only a lowly graduate student, so funds for international travel do not come readily. That means I missed the opportunity to interact with many important persons in the world of board game publishing, but I am hopeful that much good will still come of this award.

For starters, the award description for winner of the CartaMundi says that the artwork for the game will be done for free by ScriBabs and 1000 copies of the card game will be printed by CartaMundi. I have not been contacted yet about how these details will shake out.

I expect also that the awesome wooden card at the top of this post will be sent to me via mail. Winners of the other awards were all given similar trophies.

After that?

Who knows, but be on the lookout for DROP SITE.

Checkmate: Using Chess to Change Lives

In a Wall Street Journal article this week, Stephanie Banchero highlight's one St. Louis school's innovate strategy of using chess to change lives. Below is a snippet from school founder Jimmie Edwards quoted in the article:

"Most of my kids are impulsive, reactionary and they lash out without thinking through the consequences," said Mr. Edwards, who walks the school's halls almost daily. "Chess teaches them patience and teaches them that there are consequences to bad decisions."

This is an excellent read, especially if you are interested in the many many applications of board games and board game mechanics in the school and the workplace.

Settlers of Catan Mechanic and Race for the...Meeting?

My staff members have all turned into sprinters.

That's right, every Sunday night they sprint down the hallway to be the first to arrive at our weekly staff meeting.

Why?

And more importantly...how?

Board game mechanics can teach us a lot about why and how people behave. Be careful when you write the rules for your team!

Consider the following--more traditional--rules to combat meeting tardiness:

Rule 1: (Desired behavior) "Don't be late!"
Rule 2: (Define) "If you're on-time your late, if you are early you are on-time!"
Rule 3: (Penalties) "If you are late you will be written-up!"
Rule 4: (Some concessions) "If you have an emergency tell me ahead of time and we can make an exception..."
Rule 5: (More concessions) "First time you're late is a verbal warning, but next time is a write-up!"
Rule 6: (Threats) "If you get three write-ups you will be referred to the big boss!"
Rule 7: (Tie-up loose ends) "If you're late you will have to meet with me to go over what you missed."

This traditional approach may work, but there is one drawback.

If the main rule is, "don't be late" then there is no incentive to get to the meeting any earlier than 1 second before the meeting starts. Consider the following model:

The yellow area is the "Window of Arrival," or the average arrival time of staff members.

If you are like me, you always plan to get to meetings as LATE as possible and yet to still be on time, but of course what happens then?

COFFEE SPILLS, FRIEND CALLS, FORGET YOUR PHONE, LEFT YOUR KEY INSIDE

Whstever the excuse...YOU'RE LATE!

Let's call the pink area SPILLOVER, and we all know that spillover occurs. (Just try to fill a measuring cup to exactly the top level with water.)

I propose instead a different system!

First, let's assign every staff member a color (So...Brian=Red, Ted=Green, Sam=Brown...ect.), and then get a pawn to represent each color...

(For example: these pawns can be purchased from Board Game Bits.com)

Next, adapt an innovate BOARD GAME MECHANIC (I just love when I actually write a post that goes with the theme of my blog) from Settlers of Catan to suit your needs.

Ok, so the adaptation of the Settlers of Catan mechanic takes a little bit more explanation. Allow me to summarize.

See the following picture to jog your memory about the circular "chits" that are used in Settlers to denote probability:
When you roll two dice, the probability of rolling a "7" is the highest and of rolling a "12" or a "2" the lowest. In Settlers, numbers 2-12 are placed randomly on the board to demonstrate the probability of any given resource being "produced." So, a player would want to locate his towns near resources that have numbers close to 7 to produce the most resources.

Remember how that works?

Good!

So, to apply the same principle, count the number (n) of people you want to arrive to your staff meeting on time (in my case 8) and assign a probability to n outcomes along a continuum, such that a roll of two dice will have one outcome.

Next, make a board! Like this...
And assign each staff member's pawn to a location on the board according to when they arrived at the meeting. Those arriving first are placed at the low levels of probability and those arriving last are placed in the high levels of probability. In this instance, green arrived first!

Last, explain that you will ask for volunteers during the meeting to help with projects A, B and C. If nobody volunteers say that you will roll the dice and the person who's number(s) are rolled have to volunteer. (Alternative: Allow staff members who volunteer before the die is rolled move up in position on the board)

This works! But why????

One more model should explain:
The arrival window has been expanded! Instead of having incentive to arrive 1 SECOND before the meeting time, incentive has been changed to arrive SOONER.

As a result, spillage is depleted to ZERO:
And so my staff are SPRINTERS!

...and they are also PAWNS.

But they make it to staff meeting on time, and yours will too!

(Of course, you will occasionally have to make good on your threat to roll the dice, but it is ever so fun to be able to let fate (and their own decision to be later than others) decide who gets punished).

Chutes and Ladders

There have been a "flood" (over 25 each day) of new visitors to this blog over the last couple days.

I wish I could attribute this to excellent Pinebars content!

Actually, its apparently a result of people searching for chutes and ladders on Google. I'm not sure why this has never before yielded so many visitors, but I do know that if you search "chutes ladders board game" on Google image search that the first picture that comes up is the one from this blog.

Hope everyone is finding exactly what they are looking for!

Cheers,

Dennis

Premio Archimede Finalist

After several months of waiting, I am pleased to announce that my card game "Drop Site" has made it to the "finalists" stage in the Premio Archimede tournament. This field consists of 69 games (narrowed down from 141 entrants), and there are several prizes to be won. I am hopeful for an award, but in all honesty, I am just happy to have made it to this round.

Our antique game display

The dominoes aren't actually antique. The were made by my mother-in-law, and they look great! The rest of the display is antique and comes from the depths of my grandparents' closets.

Careers was published in 1955 by Parker Brothers. Don't think it ever caught on...

Expedition to the moon!

You could strike it rich in farming!

This is an old mah jong set. Unsure of the date, but the pieces are ivory and bamboo.

At first I thought these were an old domino set, but the numbers are the same on each side. Not sure what game they are a part of.

Have you ever seen dice so minuscule?

And we're back to the dominoes hanging on the wall. A great compliment to an old-timey game display.