News

Real Names for Real Games. A pragmatic person has decided to get real about board games and what they actually give us - about time, I say. I was deeply surprised to buy Ticket to Ride and discover no actual legitimate train tickets. Almost as startled as when I bought River Dragons and wasn't immediately presented with watery lizards. Tell us the truth, games! What are you REALLY about?

The Game of Life = A Fun-Filled Afternoon of Raising Kids and Buying Insurance. It's incredibly realistic and a little bit depressing. Just like life itself!

Barbie Styling Head = Barbie's Severed Head for Would-Be Serial Killers. Everyone's a cynic. This toy was designed for little girls and boys who like make-up and hairstyles. They might grow up to be serial killers, but so might anyone else!

Scrabble = How to Find Out that Everybody Went to a Better School than You. Engage in some good ol' fashioned class warfare with Scrabble. I'd challenge any old boy from Eton to win against me when it comes to thinking up obscure words. I'd definitely beat them (in all senses of the word).

Cluedo = Homicide: For Ages 8 and Up! Teach 'em young, I reckon. Make them solve clues and discover the grisly details of mysterious murders. They'll thank you when they're older.

If you'd like to see a few more board games with 'real' titles, check out the original article!

Guess Wu? Finally, rap and board games have merged together in the most beautiful union since Nutella and everything. For years, fans of both communities have longed to see their interests collide and now, at last, it's happened - with Guess Wu?, the brand new 'Wu-Tang Clan' version of the popular classic, 'Guess Who?'! Part of me thinks this happened because of the brilliance of the name. 'Guess Eminem?' is far less clever, and there's only one of him. The Clan, (and yes, I can call them that), are a 10-part hip hop group that have been voted 'the best rap group ever', and were responsible for launching the careers of other hip hop artists. These 'others' are also icons in 'Guess Wu?', so you're not limited to the 10 main members, thankfully. There isn't an actual licensed board for it yet, so the only way to play is print out the icons and stick them on your existing 'Guess Who?' boards, but that's so real and so old school - I doubt Wu-Tang Clan would want it any other way.

Corrections & Clarifications. Unfortunately, we at Rules of Play are not wholly immune to the evils of error-making. In our haste to tell you all about Living Escape Games in last week's blog post, we neglected to mention that this terrifying escapade actually IS making its way to Cardiff! Having had time to review my position on this, I've decided that as long as there are no disembodied voices or blunt instruments in the rooms, the whole venture isn't actually that scary, and is more likely a fun day out with friends and not at all like the Saw horror films. Escape Rooms Cardiff is the official name - here's their Twitter and their Facebook. Their launch is in October, so keep an eye out on their social media pages for more!

Game Of The Week - Machi Koro. Fancy being the mayor of a city and really unleashing that power complex you've been nurturing? In the 2-4 player card game Machi Koro, mayors try to build and maintain great cities with happy people and lots of amenities - except things don't always go your way. You'll start out with four landmarks under construction - each one comes with a different fee that, once paid, completes the construction. Construct all four and you've won the game! Sounds easy, right? Except the fees are high, and the only way to obtain money is to purchase establishments, like cafes, bakeries, restaurants, wheat fields, radio towers & more. Each establishment card has a number at the top - roll this number on the dice, and you'll get to carry out the action, ranging from things like taking a coin from the bank and taking a coin from an opponent. The game is light and fluffy - we call it 'Monopoly lite' - but there's a strategy to be used here, and luck to be exploited! And playing in only 20 minutes, there's no chance of a 4 hour ordeal watching your Auntie Viv enjoy the evils of capitalism with a little metal dog. For reviews, check out Shut Up & Sit Down or The Dice Tower!

Board Game Bar this Monday! Will the rest of summer be sunny? Will it be rainy? Will it be a mixture of both and we'll all spend the afternoon cursing Derek? It won't matter at the Board Game Bar - you'll be inside either way! Join us this Monday for an evening of board games @ Urban Tap House, 5-10pm, £3 entry.

New Releases / Restocks / Coming Soon!

New Releases Coming Next Week! Get miserable in the funniest way with Munchkin Gloom!; a new Suburbia expansion with 5 Star; MTG Zendikar vs Eldrazi Duel Decks (try saying that with your mouth full!); Star Wars X-Wing Wave 7 incl. Hound's Tooth, Kihraxz, K-Wing and TIE Punisher; YGO Synchron Extreme Structure Deck; Star Trek Attack Wing Wave 17; Pokemon Ancient Origins Collector's Album; Heroes Wanted - The Stuff of Legend expansion; Heroes Wanted - Breaking News expansion; The King's Armory; Adventure Time Fluxx; Viceroy; Artifacts Inc; Utter Nonsense; Marvel VS System Box Set; 13th Age - The Strangling Sea RPG; and Amazing Adventures RPG!