Blog Archives
Drop the Big One and See What Happens
When 13 Days: The Cuban Missile Crisis arrived in the mail, I headed over to my Dad’s house and asked what he remembered about those two weeks in October of 1962. He was just a kid at the time, only six years old. His parents had sheltered him and his siblings from the full brunt of what was going on, but they still had a number of specific instructions, right down to the portion of the basement they would retreat to in the event that an air raid siren sounded. Mostly, he remembers being afraid. His older brother would act out at times. “Why should I be good?” he would ask. “We’re just going to get blown up anyway.”
It’s sobering to dwell on just how close we came to annihilating ourselves. And if nothing else, 13 Days absolutely captures the sense that the warning lights are on, the lid has been flipped back, and that red button is staring you in the eye, waiting to unleash the end of the world.
Feign Inferiority, Encourage Arrogance
He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot, will be victorious.
—Sun Tzu
If you are far from the enemy, make him believe you are near.
—Sun Tzu
When in doubt, attack Geoff.
—Sun Tzu
All excellent advice. Truly, Sun Tzu was wise in the art of war.
Pirates. Dinosaurs. Still At It.
A week ago, I wrote something that might have come across as a bit mean. I know, I know. Sometimes I disappoint even myself. In the comments after my review of Richard Launius’ Defenders of the Realm: Battlefields, I voiced a theory that perhaps Mr. Launius is a bit of a prodigy when it comes to designing cooperative games — after all, he’s been involved in some pretty impressive projects, like Arkham Horror, the original Defenders of the Realm, Elder Sign, and even the Infernal Relics expansion for Sentinels of the Multiverse — but that he might not be quite as adept at crafting interesting competitive games.
Well, today we’re looking at his newest game, Pirates vs. Dinosaurs, and I’m going to be eating my words. Or at least some of them.
SPACE-BIFF! 