Unplugged #40 - The return of the Computer Games

Two board games this week that are themed off of computer games...

Unplugged #40: Videogame Aliens and Railroads Invade!
Both Doom and Railroad Tycoon make their appearance as surprisingly good board games.


Have a great holiday season!

Unplugged #39 - Through the Eyes of an 8-year Old

We take a look at the next generation in gaming - the younger generation, that is.

Our newest reporter, 8 year old Aiden, is sent to tour GenCon SoCal and report back on his first gaming convention in:

Unplugged #39: Through the Eyes of An Eight-Year Old
by Aiden & Richard Parker
December 04, 2005
Our 8-year old correspondant takes in the 2005 GenCon So Cal gaming convention.

2005 Holiday Shopping Guide

This week is the annual Holiday Shopping Guide for 2005.

Categories include kids games, family strategy, 2 player, party, light wargame and advanced strategy. Each game is given a score as well as a brief blurb of our "KidFactor" to explain the appropriateness of the game for different age groups.

Many of the games are not new to 2005, although some of those were new to me this year. As always, the intent is to serve as a guide to those somewhat new to the boardgaming hobby. Reccomends this year include Shadows Over Camelot, Attika, For Sale!, and Heroscape.

Unplugged #37: Take your family to the Rio Grande

This week's column is up...

Unplugged #37: Take your family to the Rio Grande
Several family-friendly titles from Rio Grande Games

I have a capsule review of Rio Grand Games as well as three of their titles:
Around the World in 80 Days,
Attika,
and Cartagena

In addition, I have a more complete review of Cartagena:

Cartagena (Board Game)
It’s just like Candyland, only with Pirates, and not mind-numbingly boring.

Unplugged #36: Tile Games, what’s next, linoleum?

This week, two tile-based games: Tigris & Eurphrates and Wildlife

Unplugged #36: Tile Games, what’s next, linoleum?
Tiles, they’re not just for bathrooms anymore… an overview of two games based around tile-placement with elements of area control.

I've never been as big a fan of Tigris & Euphrates as some, and I explain the game and end with some thoughts why it's not my favorite.

Then I give a review of a game I'm currently quite fond of: Wildlife.

Unplugged #35: Playing to Win

Unplugged #35: Playing to Win
Do you play a game to achieve the best final outcome possible, or are you always playing to win?

This week I discuss decisions gamers make in the mid to end game. Some play to place in the best final position possible, while others make riskier moves in order to attempt to win a game outright. Knowing which style of play you prefer is almost as important as knowing which styles your opponents tend to use.

Better than Ebay --> For Sale and Fist of Dragonstones

In honor of Ebay's 10th anniversary, this week I take a look at two short games with auction mechanics. Both receive high marks...


Unplugged #34: Better than Ebay
It’s like surfing Ebay without ending up with a garage full of junk, two light games based around auction mechanics.

For Sale
Buying a home was never this easy – an excellent auction-based card game playable in 15 minutes.

Fist of Dragonstones
Bid for gemstones to try to gain victory points to get ahead, or win the auctions for special powers to hold your opponents back – where will you spend your fairy gold?

Unplugged - GenCon 2005, The Epic

OK, after three days at GenCon in Indy, I've posted up my entire trip. It is quite a read, particularly day 3 (Saturday) since I spent the entire day visiting booths in the main exhibition hall.

Unplugged #0: GenCon 2005 - Day 1
A quick tour of the floor, D&D Online, Hasbro’s HeroScape, and a finale of Parthenon - scalped tickets anyone? - Dr. Carlson writes of his first day at the gaming convention.

Unplugged #0: GenCon 2005 - Day 2
Bored of World of Warcraft? Try a haunted house or a True Dungeon? Just let the chips fall where they may, Dr. Carlson spends Friday at GenCon.

Unplugged #0: GenCon 2005 - Day 3
With Saturday to be his last day at the Con, the good Doctor goes on a whirlwind tour, including NC Soft, the Nokia, and the big guns in board games.

I'm heading into a biweekly schedule again, but will continue to post here whenever new columns appear. Drop me a line if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions!

Unplugged #33 - Looking Forward to GenCon

Unplugged #33: Looking Forward to GenCon
As the summer winds down, the Doctor's thoughts turn to GenCon which starts this week in Indianapolis.

As I prepare for GenCon in Indy, I give a little background on the convention as well as a quick rundown on some of the many game companies I hope to visit.

Watch for a full day-by-day overview of my visit early next week (or even over the weekend if I have the stamina).

One final note, the end of summer brings with it the start of school. As I'm a teacher in my "day job", the Unplugged column will be headed towards a biweekly schedule, with a few possible special exceptions.

Unplugged #32: Tending the Garden (Development in Board Games)

This week I wax nostalgic about my favorite types of games. They tend to include board games with varying routes to victory, somewhat like a "Technology Tree" one might find in a computer game. Examples include Settlers, Puerto Rico, or Goa.

Read about it at:

Unplugged #32: Tending the Garden
My favorite games involve growing my own little empire

Unplugged #31: Z-Man Games

This week we interview Zev Shlasinger about his company, Z-Man Games.

Unplugged #31: Z-Man Games
An interview with the man behind Z-Man Games, Zev Shlasinger.

A pair of brief reviews of Z-Man games are included at the end of the interview.

Our full reviews of the games have been posted as well:

Grave Robbers from Outer Space (Card Game)
The card game that is a B-movie horror flick in disguise… and that’s a good thing.

Primordial Soup (Boardgame)
A board game about eating, excreting, and evolving – it’s more life-like than Life!

Unplugged #30: Summer Fun - Lazer Tag and Super Soakers

A little diversion away from board games this week. Two excuses to get outside and do some running around with the kids. (Big or little ones.... :)

Unplugged #30: Summer Fun
Lazer Tag and Super Soakers – why play a first person shooter inside when you can recreate one outside?

Lazer Tag (Toy)
With wireless communication and on-board computers, the current generation of home Lazer Tag equipment has come a long way from its 1990’s roots.

Super Soakers (Toy)
Super Soakers are some of the best squirt guns available, but there are enough models to choke a horse. Which should you get?

Unplugged #29: Your Move Games

Sorry for the delay, the July 4th weekend took its toll on reviewing, etc...

This week I look at two games from Your Move Games.... Succession and Space Station Assault

Unplugged #29: Your Move Games
An up and coming company presents two titles for your inspection.

The more thorough reviews can be found at:

Space Station Assault (Boardgame)
Defend your station from the assault of your opponent’s spaceships in this two player card game.

Succession: Intrigue in the Royal Court (Boardgame)
Being the King is all right and good, but do you want all that pressure? Ply your skills to be the voice behind the throne.

Enjoy!

Unplugged #28: The Three Musketeers (Cooperative Gaming)

This week's Unplugged article has been posted:

Unplugged #28: The Three Musketeers
Its all for one and one for all in three different board games based around cooperative game play.

A short discussion of cooperative board games, with some pitfalls common to the genre described. Three titles are described as examples of games in the genre: Shadows Over Camelot, Lord of the Rings, and Vanished Planet.

Also posted are full reviews of the titles.
Shadows Over Camelot
Honor and glory, or stealth and betrayal, which is your role in this cooperative board game?
Vanished Planet
The universe is being consumed by a growing, black menace. Can you and the other aliens cooperate well enough to save your home planets?
Lord of the Rings (*Note, this is primarily a repost and reformat of a review posted back in the spring of '04).
One game to rule them all! - A cooperative game based on the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Unplugged #27 - 3 from Avalon (Hill)

This week's Unplugged article has been posted over at GamerDad. (http://www.gamerdad.com)
Unplugged #27: Three from Avalon (http://www.gamerdad.com/detail...)
Not Arthur and friends, but three lightweight family board games recently published by Avalon Hill.

There's a short history of Avalon Hill and an homage to some board games that inspired several classic computer games (Reach for the Stars, Master of Orion, Sid Meier's Civilization, etc...) concluding with a short review of three recent Avalon Hill releases: Sword and Skull, Monsters Menace America, and Nexus Ops.

Also posted are full reviews of two of the titles:
Sword & Skull (http://www.gamerdad.com/detail...) Ahoy, Matey! The pirate games are a’coming fast and furious – prepare for boarding!
Monsters Menace America (http://www.gamerdad.com/detail...) Who can resist the chance to stomp on the talking Paul Bunyan statue in Minnesota or mutate by walking over Three Mile Island?

Welcome!

Welcome to the Blog for GamerDad Unplugged. I've created this Blog to assist interested people keep track of updates to my GamerDad Unplugged columns.

www.GamerDad.com is a web site dedicated to video and computer games written from the perspective of involved parents. Games are evaluated both on their quality as well as appropriateness for kids. Some games may be highly rated in quality, but be inappropriate for younger gamers.

The GamerDad Unplugged column was started as a way to expose more people to one of my favorite hobbies, board gaming. You can see a backlist of all past columns here: http://www.gamerdad.com/list.cfm?itemID=12&listID=columns There is also a searchable list of all board game reviews on the site.

My intention is to use this Blog, combined with setting up an RSS feed, to help let folks know when new posts have been made.