Gaming

Tales of the Arabian NightsIt's too bad Jessica and Deryck couldn't make it out to Little Shoppe of Games tonight.  I think they both would have really enjoyed what Bruce (also known as Game Store Bruce to differentiate him from Lost Researcher Bruce) brought out.  Brianna had opted out of joining the two of us at a table, preferring to hang out with Sam, who runs the store on Family Game Night, so Bruce and I needed to pick a game that could accomodate just two player.  Tales of the Arabian Nights looked like just the thing.

Tales comes to us from Z-Man Games, so you know it's a quality product.  I've yet to play any of theirs that I haven't enjoyed.  The box is massive and seriously weighty; the board, playing pieces, and even the spiral-bound Book of Tales are all both rugged and gorgeous.  While the setup is a little intense and the game looks fairly complicated, it turned out to be quite easy to play and a whole lot of fun.

Any game that helps prepare you for the coming Zombiegeddon is a good one, in my book.  Some, of course, are better than others, and Zombies!!! from Twilight Creations, is one of the very best.  The basic game is an insanely fun romp through a town while trying to either kill twnety-five undead assailants or be the first player to make it to the rescue chopper.  Over the years, numerous expansions have been created for the game, adding a mall, a university, catacombs, even a circus.  Playing with all of the available expansions is a special kind of madness I have only attempted once. Last week at Little Shoppe of Games, we played a rousing game of Zombies!!! and enjoyed it tremendously.  As we were getting ready to leave, I gave into an impulse and used some Christmas money to pick up the latest expansion to the Zombies!!! universe, which can also be played as its own stand alone game.

Last night was a good night at Little Shoppe of Games.  Chad had bought a new game while we were at Dragon*Con, and brought it along.  From everything I'd seen and heard at the booth at the con, Playing Gods sounded pretty awesome, and I was really excited to see it in action. As you might guess from the name, each player plays a god.  You can pick from the predefined set that covers the current major world religions or pick something a little more ancient or esoteric.  The goal is to establish yourself as the single dominant religion on the planet.  You accomplish this by converting or destroying all the followers of all the other gods in the game.  The last god standing wins.

As we were getting ready to leave the Little Shoppe of Games last night, I mentioned to Lane that I had been by Borders before coming out and picked up a copy of Cloverfield. He said he'd been wanting to see it, so I asked him what was on the schedule for Wednesday night at the store. Wednesday is Rifts night, but the group has had some trouble getting together, so he suggested I come on out with the movie. If enough of the gaming group came, I could play one of the absent players' characters; otherwise, we could watch the movie.