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Don’t miss the Cards or Die ‘back to the grindstone offer’!

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So, your team have emerged from their cheese induced stupor, worked out what day it is and arrived back at work. But focussing after the aimless drift of the Christmas period is tough. Give your team a short break that will recharge their batteries; boost their brain power, productivity and team spirit. Let Cards or Die provide a one hour lunch break gaming session for groups of up to 15 people for just £75.
We will bring a bespoke selection of games from retro favourites, modern classics and plenty of quick strategic gems to get everyone firing on all cylinders ready for a productive afternoon.
Just a taster of what we offer – we also offer away day, training packages and bespoke training game design. Get in touch to find out more.
*Price based on Leeds and surrounding areas.
If you are further afield please get in touch for a quotation.
Offer ends 31st January 2018
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Gifts for two game lovers. (And two lovers of games).

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A wise old bear once said that it was much friendlier with two. As it is in Winnie the Pooh, so too it is in boardgames. I often come across games which are better with more players and it can be hard to think of games for couples: so here are some suggestions for pairs of game lovers.
 
Abalone
Always the first game out at every event. Some people use this as a warm up game, and others play it happily all night until someone tips the table over… As with all the best games there is a simple premise and truckloads of strategy. Push your partners marbles off the board before they push yours off. You may move up to three of your own marbles together in order to push your opponents off the board – but you must always move more of your own than you push of theirs. So, for example, move 3 black, push 2 white, or move 2 white, push 1 black. That’s it. It sounds simple but quickly gets fiendishly difficult. A quick strategic game that you will want to play again and again.
 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcSHvN1gGha/
 
Mancala
 
Mancala is an ancient game: hundreds and hundreds of years old. As with many great oral traditions, rules have been passed down, adapted and assimilated into gospel truths. The rules I teach – and consequently the rules we play by in the pub – are as follows: empty any pod and redistribute the olives in a clockwise direction dropping one in each subsequent pod. If the last olive you drop lands in a cup, you get an extra turn. The person with the most olives in their cup wins.
One of the things that I really love about this game is how tactile it is; as soon as it comes out people are interested and want to play. And, just like with Abalone, you play one round and you’re hooked. I end every round convinced I’ve worked out a winning strategy. And sometimes… I have!
There are some beautiful hand crafted versions available on Etsy.
Mr Jack
 
I found Mr Jack (pocket version) tucked away in the treasure trove that is ‘Just Games’ in Whitby. As big fans of all things Sherlock in our house (my partner enjoys Elementary, my daughter enjoys 221B and I enjoy Benedick Cumberbatch) it seemed an obvious choice. As a bonus it comes in a small box but is set out like a board game, a perfect alternative to card games while you’re on holiday.
 
While it is easy to learn the basics and easily accessible, you can also play with a lot of strategy. We started off playing in a very straightforward way and soon realised that you can play at a much deeper, strategic level. Much of this lies in the cleverness of the asymmetry: Mr Jack must avoid detection while The Inspector must discover Mr Jack’s identity before time runs out. The Inspector moves the character tokens around the edge of the board, looking down the alleys for Mr Jack. Meanwhile, Mr Jack must try to disrupt their view to stop the Inspector deducing Mr Jack’s identity. The game is well balanced; neither character has any advantage over the other. We have played this a lot.
 
One of the challenges of promoting Board Gaming Events is finding pictures of people smiling whilst concentrating. Here’s Mark having fun playing Mr Jack:
Terrible Monster
This is a perfect two player game. Your objective is to deal enough damage to kill your opponent. Each player only has 4 life tokens, and the life tokens are actual hearts (for fans of romantic realism)
There are three monsters in the pack and spell cards which have various effects. All of the cards state clearly what you must do when you play the card and many work together, so consider your choices carefully. For instance, Terrible Monster deals 4 damage and so when played can end the game… but you need to be able to summon it, and both the Leech and Deduction cards allow your opponent to take Terrible Monster from your grasp!
 
This is another of our favourites – you can check it out on Sweet Lemon’s website
 
 
Love Letter
What review of games for couples would be complete without Love Letter?
Love letter plays up to four people but is just as good with two. The way it is presented makes it a lovely present; the cards come in a velvet pouch and I pimped mine up by replacing the standard red scoring cubes with love hearts.
Your aim is to get your love letter to the Princess or failing that to the person closest to her. You play with a hand of one, picking up a card and playing one each turn. But – discard the Princess card and you lose immediately! It can be a brutal game but then courting princesses is fraught with danger.
And if you want something completely different, there’s always Naked Guess Who. And yes that’s a real thing. And don’t blame me if you click on the link.
Come along and play at a Cards or Die event.
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Wondering what to buy the little legs in your life this Christmas? Games of course!

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Friends have been asking me ‘What games should I get my kids this Christmas?’ I know that the subtext here is a. what will keep my darlings gainfully occupied? b. what will I enjoy if I decide to play too? and c. what doesn’t require 2 hours of rule reading and painful adjudication?
Luckily for you, I’ve got the answer. In fact, 5 answers because that’s the sort of friend I am! The games I’ve chosen are quick to learn, will be out of the box more than they’re in it and are also portable, so you can take them to family get-togethers and all play or leave the kids to it. And once they’re safely tucked up in bed, regardless of how much festive spirit you imbibe you’ll be able to settle down to a sensible, grown up game of Poo.
 
My years as a teacher mean that I can not share these recommendations without going all geeky about the many benefits of learning through play: accidental learning is my favourite. Not only are games an excellent social tool, reinforcing ideas about turn taking, communicating your own ideas and listening to others, but also the games I’ve chosen encourage children to observe, match patterns and images, count and keep score and some games require quick thinking while some require reflective strategy (on as simple a level as you want). Basically what I’m saying is you can drink wine, knock stuff over, fling poo and send your darlings back to school/ nursery with a smug smile: they are so advanced.
 
So here are my top 5 Christmas Gifts for children…
 
1. Poo
 
2-8 players
5-15 minutes
 
Poo is a card game in which monkeys fling poo at each other and attempt to deflect poo on to others or clean some poo off themselves. Once you have been covered in a pile of 15 flying poos you are out and the last monkey standing wins.
 
Poo is an easy game. Start with 5 cards, play one, pick one up. The only age restriction is that there is simple reading to be done but this can be worked around by working in mixed age teams. Or, you could just be able to see a younger players cards – there is no strategy in this one so it doesn’t really matter if you know what someone has in their hand.
 
You may also want to buy some counters to keep track of scores – I got brown ones of course!
 
 
 
 
There is a Space version available too – it is currently in stock at your friendly local games shop: http://www.gamescrusade.co.uk/
Here is some regular, non-space poo:
For first Wednesday games at The Abbey Inn, I treated us to some poo related prizes. This was a cheap party bag but worth adding to the game for a bit of extra fun:
2. Kodama
 
2-5 players
40 minutes
 
This is a game which has a very simple premise and involves some strategy. No reading skills are required as you are matching images. It is, though, a very beautifully designed and illustrated game. In our house ages 9 to 71 have thoroughly enjoyed it but it is certainly suitable for younger (or older) ones too!
 
At the start of the game you choose a tree spirit, and then you grow your tree by adding branch cards that you choose. You score points for making a contiguous line of a certain feature over a number of adjoining cards. E.g. if you add fireflies to this starting trunk you score 1 point for each firefly on an adjoining branch.
There are also season cards which set challenges; if you achieve the challenges then you score bonus points. For very small children it is easy to leave these out for the first couple of rounds and add them in later.
The finished trees after one of our games.
 
The only possible down side is that your child may demand a tree spirit as their next pet. I know I have.
 
 
3. Click Clack Lumberjack
 
Plays 2-7
5-10 minutes
 
Like Jenga – but there’s an axe. Try to knock off the bark without knocking down the tree. To play this children will need some dexterity and it involves turn taking. But, again – no reading. You can encourage them to keep track of their own score of +2 for every piece of bark knocked off, -5 for every section of trunk, and optional bonus points if they knock off the bark which hides the bug stickers.
4. Carcassonne
 
Plays 2-5
30-45 minutes
 
There is a junior version of Carcassonne but to be honest I am not a great fan of games adapted for children, I’d rather differentiate myself. That way when they are older you’ve still got the game. A much thriftier investment!
 
Carcassonne is an incredibly popular and award winning game. It involves no reading, and there are lots of ways of reducing or increasing the strategy involved.
 
You lay tiles to create a landscape based on the medieval fortified town of Carcassonne. You need to match the tiles so that roads, fields, Abbeys or cities can be completed or added to. The way I’ve explained it to children is that the picture must ‘make sense’. Once you have laid a tile you can claim that territory by placing a meeple on it. Depending on where you place your meeple it can become a Knight (which may or may not say ‘Ni’), a farmer, a highwayman or a monk. Your meeple then earns points depending on the length of the road, or the size of the city, farm or Abbey. Players must play tiles carefully to maximise their score.
o help very small children to learn I would remove farmers and monks. Once they have mastered the basic principle of the game they can be re-introduced. Children are learning to create sequences and patterns as well as calculating and comparing possible scores. Again, they can do as much or as little of this as you want. This is definitely a good investment.
 
The box is not as portable as it is a little larger than the other 4 games it won’t go in a handbag, unlike poo!
 
 
5. Dobble
 
2-8 players
5 minutes
 
Dobble is a quick, fun and portable game. The tin of cards contains rules for 5 mini games. Turn over a card and if you are first to shout out the image which matches an image on your card you win the card. The person with the most cards wins. While the game is clearly the work of a mathematical genius – every single card has one image which matches with an image on another card – you don’t need to be a genius to play.

This game tests observational skills and encourages quick thinking and unlike snap, rather than testing the speed of your movement it requires you to verbalise your answer quickly.

 

 

 

It has been so successful that there are many variations available including a Star Wars version!

There are so many good games out there and this is just 5 that are a sure fire hit for any age. If you want any other, more specific recommendations or you want to share your family favourites please get in touch!

Come along to a Cards or Die event and play these and more.
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How do you assign value to your time?

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Since starting Cards or Die, I have had numerous conversations about the value of time. How do we decide what to charge for our time? Whatever price you set sends out a message to your customers – too low and they may question your quality; too high and they may baulk at the price. And of course, as ever the anxiety monster looms large in my decision making: what am I worth? The monster has a loud answer to that.
18 years ago, I started teaching. I had looked at what the job entailed and the salary and accepted the job. At that time, if I ran a revision class in the holidays or after hours I earned extra money: £15 for an hour; £120 for a full day. My time had a clear price and value. When someone else is setting your pay, it is easy to value your time as the decision is made for you. You decide whether you want to do that job at the rate you have been offered.
 
Time passed; funding was cut, pressure increased and so the revision classes ran more frequently and became unpaid. Those that refused to teach them were frowned upon, and those that ‘enjoyed’ their holiday put under a cloud of blame for future failures. Increased pressure meant it was often more important to the teacher than to the student that the student achieve their projected grade. In fact it was rare for people to refuse to teach for free in the holidays and after school. It became the accepted norm. I’m convinced that the scant value that my time had has contributed to my current struggle with the question of valuing my time.
 
For years a proportion of my time has been given for free. And although the value of the hours I have donated to schools and young people is clearly valuable, that time was not financially valued. Which brings me to today and the question;
‘How do I assign value to my time? What am I worth?’
I find this both challenging and complex. Especially as a small business when the received wisdom seems to be that you have to do lots of things free to get your name out there.
 
How do I value others?
Well, I always buy the same tea bags: Twinings Earl Grey. Once I bought Tesco’s finest own brand and… they were fine. My unsophisticated palate detected no difference at all. I resolved to buy them in future and I did for a while but in the end I drifted back to Twinings. I have never even tried Tesco value tea bags. I am not telling you this because I am setting my fees in order to keep me in Twinings Earl Grey tea. Rather, I have selected my tea bags based on price and assumed value. If our fees are too low people may assume we are the Tesco Value tea bags. Pricing yourself too low is as damaging as setting prices too high. I want to be the Twinings of board gaming: priced so that people see me as quality they can rely on. The other pitfall of low pricing is that it can then be difficult to raise your prices as you expand.
 
Equally, I don’t want to be Fortnum and Mason tea; (delicious as I’m sure it is) I don’t want to be an occasional treat that not everyone can afford. I want people to book me more than once and recommend me without having to caveat or explain my price.
 
When valuing others I consider the following:
  • How much can I afford?
  • How much is what they are offering worth? I consider their time, expertise and possible costs.
  • Can I get the same service elsewhere for a better price? The key here is ‘the same’, I don’t want to pay less and get a worse service, especially for important events. This means that I would research other services.
As I said earlier, my biggest struggle with all of this is over self worth. Judging by the conversations I’ve had with people recently – and I have to say it is mainly women that share this concern- I am not alone. When the voice in your head repeatedly tells you how worthless you are, it is hard enough without then having to create a price structure for your worthlessness. External arbiters then contribute to this because everyone is trying to get the best price and so inevitably I must convince people that I am worth it. Add to this the imbalance which exists between what men charge and what women charge and it is trickier still. Somehow I need to start this by convincing myself of my own self worth. I need to get all those techniques I learnt in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy out again and work through them again. Mental health is relentless, it is a constant battle of varying intensity. But I have passion and determination for my business and I will succeed.
Just as in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy when we learnt about ‘Being your own best friend’, in business I am being my own customer; treating myself how I would treat other businesses. I would expect to pay a fair rate for services rendered. This helps me because, for me, the ‘What am I worth?’ question is so anxiety ridden that I struggle with it. So, in addition to the questions above I also ask myself:
  • How much do I need to earn to be happy and keep the business strong?
and
  • How can I balance charges to ensure that my business is inclusive and accessible?
So, fellow worriers – apart from the mantra ‘Don’t be the tesco value teabags’, I may not have any answers – but perhaps by considering the questions we can move closer to some… ..I’m still working on this, and if like me you worry endlessly about the answers, know that you are not alone. How do we persuade ourselves we are the Twinings or the Tesco Finest of our endeavours?
How do you manage this thorny issue?
I would love to hear from you: advice, tips, experiences and thoughts.
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Can Sub Terra adequately prepare you for the apocalypse?

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There are three things which I feel summarise my excitement about Sub Terra which was recently brought to life through KickStarter:
1. After two play throughs I ordered ultra violet lights.
2. After the first game I’ve had requests that next games night we build a blanket fort in The Abbey Inn and play in there with the new lights and the soundtrack (Another stretch goal that was unlocked.)
3. I keep making people feel the cards and tiles. (2mm punch board, black core boards and matt finish, black core card; all bonus stretch goal features which make this game a delight to hold). You think I’m weird. I’m not weird. Once you’ve stroked the cards you’ll see that this is a normal reaction.
 
Such is the excitement and joy Sub Terra generates. I could leave it at that really; it tells you everything you need to know. But why use 240 characters when 8 pages will do?
You are trapped in an underground network of caves and tunnels. You must work together to find the exit and escape before your torch lights run out or the horrors get you. There are other threats too: cave ins, gas leaks, floods and the dodgy background of one of your fellow cavers. One of the pure joys of this game for me is the fact that the cavers are a diverse mix of race and gender. Finally, a games designer who has got it so right. So right that when I play with my family, I don’t have to be a boy character because all the girls have gone. And, in the immortal words of Lotto from 8 mile “This shit is a horror flick, but the black guy doesn’t die in this movie …” Now Louis may die but as the medic it’s very, very unlikely.
 
You can outrun the horrors – a pack of vague, shadowy figures who pursue you through the darkness. Hiding from the horrors is another option but it takes up precious time. There is no place for cowardice, as to me this is the equivalent of hiding in a wardrobe: if they don’t spot you, you are still trapped, you still have to get past them and get out. Also you’ve been holding your breath because it was really loud and now you have a headache.
But don’t worry, there’s always Jai – our dodgy but hench bodyguard – who can fight them off. The interplay of characters special abilities is finely balanced which makes it all the more important that you DON’T SPLIT UP!
This, my friends is a horror film basic. Our complete disregard for this on our first game made me question the years spent watching horror films in the firm belief that I will be ready if/ when the apocalypse comes. I had plenty of time for contemplation while I lay drifting in and out of consciousness for hours, surrounded by the scratching, scurrying sounds of the horrors.
 
Your turn has two or three phases. On your turn you can choose between exploring – where you reveal and leap into the next section of cave with reckless abandon – or just revealing which allows you to peak cautiously into the next chamber, perhaps using a mirror so the horrors don’t see you. Being over cautious means you won’t find the exit in time but be too daring and you find yourself gasping for breath in a gas leak or plunged into icy waters where you must drift unconscious until the medic arrives. Provided the medic hasn’t chosen this moment to get a round in.
 
We found that exploring on our first phase and revealing in the second worked best as on our second phase sometimes we could mitigate the effects of our earlier recklessness, but ultimately to escape you must take risks.
 
The optional third phase of your go is exertion. Of course, in these dangerous surroundings, it can exhaust you, draining your health. Or, you can be lucky and exert yourself with no ill effects. Just as in life, fate is capricious and is decided on the throw of a die.
The caverns and tracks you reveal have challenges like ledges, slides and rough terrain as well as the more obvious dangers noted above.
So, what have we learnt:
1. Don’t split up
2. Use your strength wisely
3. Hiding is futile
4. Be friends with the medic
5. Be lucky.
It is a challenging game, which if played well (by which I mean in a blanket fort with UV lights and the sound track on) definitely might completely partially equip you with the skills you need to survive the apocalypse.
Come along and have a game at a Cards or Die event.
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Are we communicating too much? Sub Terra vs. The World

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As the new assistant manager of a small hotel many moons ago, I was taught a lesson that has stuck with me. I can’t remember the exact words the owner used but she told me that basically people will put up with all manner of blunders and inconvenience as long as you are honest and you communicate with them. Communication was at the core of their 14 bedroomed empire.
 
I still stand by that advice. For me, things can be pretty rubbish but if the person I am dealing with takes responsibility (I never want to hear the words ‘It’s not my fault’), is honest and polite and is going to rectify matters then I’ll put up with most things. A stint in housing benefits consolidated this for me. Dealing with people who were about to become homeless due to government or council errors or cruel reforms is a real test of your skills. I would always take responsibility; say sorry and mean it. I clearly had not reformed housing law but I represented those who had. I would acknowledge that the situation was indeed awful and then I would set to work rectifying it as best I could. In the hotel and at Benefits the majority of concerns or complaints were resolved face to face. By far the most effective way of communicating with your fellow human.
 
But what of today? We are surrounded by communication; surely that makes communicating easier. You can ring me, text me, facebook me both publicly or by messenger, tweet me, dm me, contact me on LinkedIn, Instagram, kickstarter, board game geek mail, via my website or even – god forbid – write to me. On paper. With a pen.
Do we really expect someone to use all of these methods? No. That would be completely unrealistic. We know that… and yet… when someone chooses one or two of these methods and we don’t see the message immediately, we are offended. They have communicated poorly or worse still chosen to prioritise other customers over me. As a consumer this can seem like a headache but for a small business, it’s a nightmare.
Of course customers can and do use all of these methods to contact you – some of them publicly. Leaving you trawling through endless messages, sometimes duplicated – the facebook post that says ‘I’ve emailed them twice and not had an answer…’ then proceeds to voice the same concern there. Answering publicly is important – it may stem more emails and vitally it shows others that you do care, you respond, you value feedback. But what of the email they’ve sent you twice? You are busy responding publicly leaving that customer irritated. Like I said, nightmare!
In The Box Games – a small business- launched Sub Terra on kickstarter. It was a phenomenal success with 6626 backers providing £368,256 of funding. They hit stretch goal after stretch goal meaning that even the basic game at the lower pledge was incredible quality with lovely components. Due to the stretch goals we have access to a free soundtrack and app. The email updates were regular and well crafted, which made them fun to read. They created an amazing buzz around Sub Terra and all the backers were excited to get their hands on the game. We eagerly devoured the news that the game would be out early and for some, it was.
At this point, it is worth bearing a few things in mind.
This is kickstarter: you are promising to fund a product that doesn’t yet exist. You are not pre-ordering a game. You are not shopping at Argos or Amazon or even your friendly local games store. Kickstarter is a place to support enterprise, encourage daring and bring dreams to fruition. Things can and will go wrong. Secondly, as we said before, we need to think realistically. Are all of the games going to be dispatched at the same time? Really? No. No they are not.
The creation of the facebook page was a key factor in increasing buzz around the product. I duly clicked like and looked forward to updates from other gamers. I didn’t particularly expect In The Box to respond to all the comments as they send emails through kickstarter.
And how did people react? Well let’s take a look at the kinds of things people posted:
  • where’s my game? Crying face emoji. Eleventy billion of these comments
  • my box is too big (update: this backer managed to re-arrange his shelves and it fitted on. Phew)
  • the box lid doesn’t have printing on the inside (this was a stretch goal)
  • a board game cafe is selling copies and I don’t have mine yet
  • this free card dispenser you gave me doesn’t fit back in the box unless I fold it down
  • I just don’t like the (free) tile holder
  • these three tokens that you upgraded don’t have stickers on them
  • ITB have gone to Essen – how dare they? They should be here answering facebook messages!
  • they shouldn’t be trying to sell more games (for this I read make a living) when I haven’t got my game yet
  • I’m upset that another game I ordered from a different company has arrived first
  • I have a tile missing plus an extra tile of a different type
  • my box is damaged
Some of these are legitimate issues, but what is the best way to ensure the issue is resolved for you? The company had chosen email to communicate with me in the past so I was intending to email them. Public shaming has to be a last ditch solution to a communication issue. In the end I did not email. I chose to wait. And what happened? Just as they had been doing at every stage of the kickstarter campaign, they emailed me. They emailed all of us. They have painstakingly read all of the comments on facebook and kickstarter and responded with a comprehensive list of solutions they have put in place.
Thankfully the facebook page is now swamped in positivity as people have received the game and everyone is enjoying playing it. Short memoried as we are, no-one has apologised for all the pathetic bitching that took place, although some good souls have posted support for the company and distanced themselves from the negativity. And, as it should do, the quality and ingenuousness of the game now dominates the feed.
As a small business myself, what lesson can I take from this? I think there are two things
1. You can’t please all of the people all of the time. This is just not possible. As an anxiety ridden people-pleaser it is one I struggle with regularly and am working on daily.
2. Perhaps limiting communication methods is a good thing. You can’t be active on every forum in the world. Focus instead on communicating in a limited and manageable number of methods.
And finally, patience, it turns out, is all that is required. In this age of instant communication it seems that patience is deserting even the best of us.
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World War 1 Remembered.

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An evening of World War 1 memories: music, food and games.
 
I have been working on providing games for our upcoming event at the Abbey Inn. We want to mark the centenary of World War 1 with ‘a bit of a do’ on the 11th of November, to raise money for the Royal British Legion and the Bramley War Memorial Fund.
Taking retro to it’s logical conclusion. No, don’t worry I haven’t gone all Mighty Boosh on you.
 
In fact, I didn’t even realise how retro I was going until I looked at my games shelf. Games I had thought were old were just not old enough; Kan-U Go for instance is from the 1930s not as early as I had thought.
 
My search was made more challenging by the fact that casein and bakelite were not developed until 1909, so with plastic still in the early stages of development, cardboard, paper and wood were used to make games and their components. This explains why many of the games of that period are no longer intact.
 
I started by searching through my own games menu which I diligently/ obsessively/ geekily (delete as applicable) fill in each time I add a game to my collection. I was pleased to realise I had forgotten how old Pit was.
 
Pit
Pit dates from 1903. An American trading game, it is fast paced and fun. The object is to be the first to collect a complete set of crops by swapping cards with others. It is always a popular game at events due to its fast pace, the fact it plays up to seven and I think, in no small part, because it allows you to shout at your friends!
Mensch ärgere dich nicht!
By chance I recently picked up a copy of Headache. It looked similar to frustration and looked like it was from the 70s. In fact my version is, but the game it is based on is far older. As soon as I searched Headache to find it’s exact date, this game came up: ‘Mensch ärgere dich nicht’. It literally translates as ‘don’t get angry, mate’ which is a challenge when someone keeps removing your pieces from the game! It ends when one player has ‘taken’ all their opponents. Made in 1914 it was widely played in Germany during World War 1 and is still a popular game today.
Jacks
Jacks (also known as Five Stones and Knucklebones)
was originally played with the ‘knucklebones’ of sheep (actually it was part of their ankle). The bones were thrown in the air and then caught in various formations. You’ll be pleased to hear we aren’t being that strictly traditional! Instead I’ll be bringing my 70s set because I am vintage.
Hearts
Hearts, made in 1914 by Parker Brothers, is a delightfully simple game. You roll the dice and win points for spelling out all or part of the word ‘Hearts’. The letters must be rolled in the order they occur in the word to gain points. If you find Shut the Box addictive, you will love this.
 
I was relieved to find that the suffragette movement was active during the first world war too. Mainly because I can wear part of my Morris kit as a costume. Dressing up is optional of course but I don’t need much of an excuse!
Join us on the 11th when, along with era-appropriate food and music, Tiddley Winks (1890s), Blow Football (1900s) and lots of card games will also be making an appearance.
Please get in touch and suggest any other games you know that were around in 1914- 1918.
References:
http://www.bpf.co.uk/plastipedia/plastics_history/Default.aspx
Wikipedia
 
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Get Adler: A Game of Two Halves

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Agent Adler has done a runner with Top-Secret documents. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to track down and eliminate Adler and retrieve the stolen dossier. You have seven hours…
First half
 
Before you can stop to reflect on your success over an orange segment you must discover who Adler is. The game kicks off with each of you assuming an identity, and in the style of Guess Who ascertain who is who by asking a series of cunning questions: do you wear a blue hat? Is your coat brown? The card reference sheet is excellent here, providing a summary of differences and similarities between characters. Like in Guess Who, you can opt for questions which move you closer by halving your odds or take a gamble e.g. 3 characters each have blue or black hats whereas Kate Collins is the only character to opt for the less practical, white hat. ‘Are you wearing a white hat’ is either a genius question or you have wasted a turn allowing Adler to slip further from your grasp.
Unless of course you are Adler, in which case you must avoid detection by lying and scheming. But be careful, be inconsistent in your lies and we will sniff you out; assume another identity and the player with that role will spot you!
 
During the first half, not only are you hard at work making deductions and listening to the questions of others; you must also collect the cards that will help you in the second half. Again, the reference card is invaluable here.
 
Time is marked by clock faces (colour coded to indicate the phase of the game – a nice detail). As time dwindles, the pressure mounts.
In a sense you are working together to make deductions, using the questions of others to move you closer to conclusions. However, the rules explicitly state that you may not communicate ‘by words or gestures’ to help each other. This is a neat rule which allows balance to be maintained. We were also very entertained by the ‘some banter is allowed!’ note. We quickly assigned someone the role of banter police to ensure that banter stayed strictly off topic!
 
Time ticks away, advantages are gained and the half time whistle is blown.
 
Second Half
 
The second half kicks off with revealed identities and the chase to catch Adler commences. This is where the cards you began to collect in the first half come into their own. Have you got enough pistol cards to outshoot Adler or will you be shot down? Have you got the right mode of transport to pursue Adler or will you be left standing in his dust? At this point the game speeds up; cards are slapped down decisively with various exclamations (all within the limits of the banter rule obviously). The bomb card caught us out with its destructive capabilities – it’s a very powerful card and fatal if played at just the right time.
You career towards a conclusion where either Adler is eliminated and order is restored or Adler escapes and you must slink back to MI6 with your pathetic excuses at the ready. Either way, you’ll want to play again. Crime is addictive whichever side you’re on.
 
We found the five player game, while still enjoyable, a little imbalanced – it seemed disproportionately difficult to catch Adler – but the four player game felt like it had the right balance. I would assume when we play with six that the balance would be restored. It’s so great to find a good game that plays up to 8 or 9.
 
To add more depth, you can play by the advanced rules using heroes’ special abilities. There is also an expert rule which makes the game more challenging. We aren’t there yet but we know that extra level is there. Having a built in expansion seems to me incredibly good value not to mention expert planning on behalf of the designers.
 
Get Adler is more than a game of two halves. It’s more like a Kinder Egg with two very different elements which work together in a satisfying way: a toy and chocolate; careful deduction and a high speed chase. Like Poirot meets Duel or Cumberbatch meets Rathbone. If the mixed metaphors are upsetting you, just pick one and go with that. I can see some of you twitching but I felt ‘It’s fab, I love it!’ didn’t really do it justice.
In fact – it’s the bomb

Come and play at a Cards or Die event.

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Let them win: why you should let children win at games.

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I want to begin by clarifying: I am not an advocate of mollycoddling children. Mollycuddling? Yes Coddling? No. When under pressure and outnumbered by whingy teens and moany toddlers, I have uttered the words ‘tough’, ‘life is hard’ and ‘get over it’. Often in the same sentence.
 
And, I still maintain you must let them win. More specifically they have to start by winning a higher proportion of games than they lose.
Losing at games is valuable and character building. We use it to foster resilience, but as adults competing against our peers we forget all too quickly what it’s like to play an imbalanced game. As the youngest in a family of four I remember well the people who always beat me and those who let me win. Much as losing is lauded as a necessary and useful experience, how many of us – hand on heart- enjoy a game if we know there is no chance of winning? If you have a game on the shelf which you never, ever win, the odds are it’s not your most played game. The building of resilience alone is not enough to motivate us to play. So, if you want someone to play with in the future, letting them win is essential.
 
By allowing children to win you are doing two things: showing them that they can win and modelling what good losing looks like (hopefully). Showing them that they can win keeps them motivated. It allows them to experience the joy of winning and allows you to reinforce the behaviour of a gracious winner. (Again, hopefully).
 
I am determined to instill these skills in my children. Losing can be disappointing enough but sitting there, nursing your bruised ego as someone victoriously dances around you thrusting a winning hand towards you with the words ‘In your face!’ is the last thing you need. No-one wants that gamer at their table. And for me, I want my children to be inclusive and included.
 
When you allow them to win, it also allows you to be a gracious loser. Congratulate them. Share their joy. Discuss how they won; let them give you tips, regardless of the fact you helped them win. Reset the board , shuffle the cards and show them that defeat can make you more determined than ever.
 
Of course, everything in balance. Don’t let them win every time. I have always viewed it as a sliding scale – as toddlers I made sure they won a good bit more than they lost. They had the best memory in pairs, the keenest observation skills in Dobble and were just generally luckier.
 
As they get older and more proficient, they win less. They don’t notice. They generally take losing in their stride because they know winning is something they can do. By the time they’ve reached the ripe old age of 12, I go for the win every time. With them being steeped in games since birth and having young, agile brains means I get more chances to model being a gracious loser than I might like. I might have been told off by a 10 year old for dropping my final card with the words ‘In your face’. That might have happened. I am only a person after all. But as long as we strive for perfection that’s alright, I think.
So, what happens at your table – are you hard-arsed winners, limp losers or somewhere in between? What balance of wins and losses have you “arranged” with your children over the years? Leave a comment below.


Come along and play some games at a Cards or Die event. I won’t let you win! Unless I lose in which case it was definitely to shield your delicate ego.
Monopoly

Monopoly: why do we hate it so much?

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Sunday in our house: all three children have independently settled down to a board game. All of my Enid Blyton fantasies are coming true. But before I can don my frilly apron and serve up lashings of ginger beer, I hear snatches of angry conversation:
‘No. We NEVER play that rule’
‘Well, it is the rule’
‘So…’
Then, an adult voice. My partner shouting above the melee of three indignant children:
‘I don’t even know why you’ve chosen this game!’
 
And then I know. I realise what has happened. Blyton has been ousted by Orwell, or worse still Darwin, as I realise my delightful offspring have embarked on a game of Monopoly: where only the richest, the most ruthless survive in a kind of dystopian hell.
 
Monopoly causes all the strops. It’s true – search Monopoly gifs and there’s Daniel Craig having a strop.
The Auction Rule
We always argue about whether we play this particular rule, and how. It allows you to land on a property you don’t want and sell it to your sister at a hugely inflated price. Because despite the fact you landed on it last turn too and could have just bought it, you waited and bid for it in an auction against two younger siblings before tactically dropping out of the bidding, inflating the price, leaving one younger sister with hardly any money. This is as true in our house now as it was for me about 35 years ago.
 
Losing Money
This is where my 10 year old struggles. When others run out of money, she offers to lend them some (interest free of course). When she runs out of money, she is gleefully declared bankrupt by the others. The combination of glee and defeat generally culminate in the sort of eruption Mount Vesuvius would be proud of.
The Free Parking Issue
Yet another rule row before we even start. Aunty Marie does pool the taxes, fines, etc and if you are lucky enough to land on free parking then you win the money. Again, it is the eldest who protests most loudly that it ‘isn’t even a proper rule’ and furthermore he objects because landing on free parking and scooping the loot is just down to luck. He, like many other gamers objects to games that rely on luck. He doesn’t need luck; he has a ruthless devotion to the rules and a fanatical loyalty to Capitalist principles which is frankly terrifying.
Luck
There’s the rub. A lot of people object to games which rely heavily or solely on luck. There seems to be some shame attached to enjoying something ‘light’. I understand to an extent. Just look at Shut The Box… where’s the joy in repeatedly rolling dice on the off-chance that you roll the right combination, several times, that shuts the box? But… succeed in shutting the box and the joy! The sheer sense of accomplishment! I defy you to stop playing this game when you have just lost by being one single, solitary, soul crushing roll away from shutting the box!
Luck based games can be just as fun and compelling as strategy games and I have no time to feel ashamed of enjoying something.
 
Besides, is Monopoly all luck? Not really. You can be as lucky as you like but play against my son and he will ruin you. He’s12.
So if it’s not luck, why do we hate it?
 
Profit at the cost of others?
This definitely causes the bitterest arguments. Yet, in other games it is accepted. I can deduce and then block or steal your route in Ticket to Ride, and deliberately so. In Coup we gleefully all claim to be the Duke as we save up to assassinate each other. It’s bloody annoying. But no-one cries, storms off and declares they are ‘NEVER playing that again’.
 
In all games, other than cooperative ones, a basic principle is I win therefore you lose. Strategy is twofold: how do I maximise my advantage and how can I do most damage to my opponents?
 
Lack of Rule Clarity?
There are plenty of games where there is fluidity with the rules. Before we start we often establish house rules – perhaps adapted for who is playing or how long we have to play. Sometimes my partner and eldest son will read the rule book anyway but then bow to my superior wisdom* and embrace the house rules.
 
Boggle, for instance, is a game I have for a long time adapted. It is only recently that I have introduced the rule that you cross out and don’t score any word that someone else also has. I have avoided that rule because, as a child, playing against adults and losing is one thing – but scoring zero and having all of your answers invalidated is demoralising in the extreme.
 
For every other game rule adaptation is fine. Yet, in Monopoly, even before we start we are combative.
 
*stubbornness
 
So what is it then? What is our beef with Monopoly?
I don’t know for sure but every time it comes out, I hang up my apron, pack away the vintage tea service and don my body armour. Where does Monopoly live in your house- pride of place on the games shelf or shoved in a cupboard hidden under a deluge of ‘useful’ things you bought from the middle aisle in Lidl?
 
Comtemdrs Rdy?
Sorry, let me remove the mouthguard…
Contenders Ready? Let’s play….
Monopoly Facts
  • Originally named The Landlord’s Game, it was invented by Elizabeth J Magie in 1904 to illustrate the dangers of capitalism and promote socialism – there were two versions, one collaborative, and one competitive.
  • Charles Darrow copied and patented it in 1935
  • Parker Bros. rejected it as it was too complicated
  • In 1936 Waddingtons, Leeds produced Monopoly
  • During the second world war special editions containing silk maps and currency were produced by Waddingtons, Leeds and sent to PoWs.
You can come along to a Cards or Die event and play it or you can play one of my other more popular/ less fighty games.