Blog Archives
Space-Cast! #53. Scratch & Listen
Most people know Zach Barth as the founder of Zachtronics, purveyor of digital playthings such as SpaceChem, Opus Magnum, and EXAPUNKS. But we are not most people. Instead, we’re here to speak with Zach about his analog games: The Lucky Seven (with the Depot expansion), Chemistry Set, and the scratch-off puzzle pack Zach Attack! That’s right. We’ve got the good stuff.
Listen here or download here. Timestamps can be found after the jump.
We Lack Chemistry
What to make of Chemistry Set? This is the second tabletop design by Zach Barth — not counting his many digital cribbages and solitaires — and after such a strong inaugural outing with The Lucky Seven and its depot expansion, its blandness is all the more baffling. It would be unfair to compare this to Barth’s video games SpaceChem or MOLEK-SYNTEZ; apart from their shared affection for molecular arrangements, they’re so conceptually distinct that any parallels soon get lost in the mix. But it is dispiriting to see the periodic table stripped of the enthusiasm we know Barth has invested it with elsewhere.
SPACE-BIFF! 