No, I still haven’t played it.

But here is enough information to pique my interest even further into BoardGameGeek’s #4-rated title.

Samples:

• Caylus comes in a box, but it cannot be contained.
• Caylus can levitate up to three feet off the ground, but Caylus chooses not to.
• Caylus drives a van and is here to pick up your daughter.

First, an entire page dedicated to the pronunciation of Reiner Knizia’s name.

Second (speaking of loose themes), vignettes from Clue, inspired by a thread at BoardGameGeek.

Mrs. White: “Oh no! Mr. Boddy’s been shot! Look at the blood coming out of these bullet holes!”
Mr. Green: “Not so fast. I’m not sure we should discount the possibility that he was shot using that candlestick over there just yet.”

Miss Scarlet: “Oh no! A murderer is on the loose! Someone call the police!”
Col. Mustard: “Don’t be hysterical. Clearly the thing to do is split up and run frantically around this mansion looking for clues.”

Miss Peacock: “Ugh, I feel like checking for clues in the billiard room, but it’s such a long walk! I wish someone would accuse me of killing Mr. Boddy there so they’d send a team with a dolly to wheel me over.”
Prof. Plum. “…Which means… I must have done it! Funny, that. I wonder what I used to shoot him with–was it the wrench?–, and, come to think of it, where was I at the time? I hope nobody else figures it out first; that would be embarrassing. I’d much rather call everyone together and brag about how I committed the perfect crime.”

Poker cards are 3.5 by 2.5 inches. This is the most common size, the one you’ll find in Target, Walgreens, or whatever when you swing by to pick up cards. Bridge cards are a bit narrower, to make it easier to hold 13 in your hand. You can occasionally find them at stores, but more often you’ll see them in special bridge boxed sets of two decks. They are otherwise identical.

When I graduated from college, one of my Bridge friends showed me a neat alternative to a yearbook: use a deck of cards and fine-point Sharpies. Have your friends sign and decorate the cards. Part of the fun is seeing what cards people pick. We found a tendency for guys to pick black suits and girls red; close friends want aces and face cards, and people with a lot to say want low spot cards for their large empty spaces. High spot cards were in the least demand.

This would also work for an ordinary yearbook, leaving summer camp or an internship, or whatever.

Thank you for nerfing Mages once again to reduce my temptation to go back and play your game.

1. I have new poker chips! They are 11.5g and make a beautifully satisfying click-clack sound when they hit each other. Now I just have to get a game going so I have an excuse to fondle them.
2. I do love riddles, and so does XKCD.

A little while ago Mock the Vote was rejected from the first company I submitted it to. Alas! The quest continues: I have some ideas for a way to bring it up to four players, which should make it much more approachable, and then I’ll try another company.

Still, it stings, and one of the reasons I find it hard to get my games off my shelf and into a publisher’s hands is all-too-familiar to me: the fear of rejection. I don’t believe the problem is that my games aren’t good. The problem is that “good” isn’t anywhere near good enough—good is easy to find. I have to not only have produced something special, but I have to manage to convince someone else of that too, someone who’s seen a lot of games, and is shoots down ideas that are just good for a living.

Wish me luck.

I have removed the email contact link as it was being completely swamped with spam. In its place I have created a Contact/Suggestion Box page for your use and enjoyment.

This one is extremely crunchy and might be considered more of a math problem than a riddle. But it caught my interest. From the XKCD forums:
You are playing no-limit Texas Hold’em with one opponent. In this version, you can see each other’s hands.
You hold AK unsuited; your opponent has a pair of queens. After initial betting, each player has $100 in reserve and there is $100 in the pot. The flop comes down Q-J-10 with no flush possibilities, giving you the straight and your opponent three queens. You have first action.

Note: Currently you are winning, but no turn or river cards can improve your hand. Your opponent can win if one of the two hidden cards is a queen (for a four of a kind) or a 10 or jack (for the full house.)

What is your betting strategy?

Sometimes I don’t want to write (or work on game design) because I’m afraid that whatever I end up creating will suck.

Other times, I don’t want to play a game because I’m afraid I’ll embarrass myself through poor play. This isn’t a dispositional trait or feeling about any one game; it’s a (thankfully rare) mood.

Computer games usually pull through thanks to the mercy of a difficulty slider or suchlike–it can always be made easier. There’s no such switch available in tabletop games!