GMT Games’ new 1805: Sea of Glory pits the British blocade against Napoleon’s effort to break out across the Channel with an invasion force. It’s a game of naval warfare using wooden blocks to add an element of fog-of-war. Every ship from that time is represented by its own counter. The blocks are fleets who’s composition is unknown to the enemy.

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This isn’t about whether or not games lead to domestic violence. There are studies and counter-studies for that. (some facts) The only recent case of a game directly leading to domestic violence that I know of was a game of Monopoly.

Some people consider tackling the subject of domestic violence using a game to be trivializing the issue. This is nonsense, of course; they think this only because they associate games with mindless entertainment, not considering the educational value of games.

These educational effects should make people realize that games that train you in, or expose you to, the subjects tackled in the game. Games that glorify immoral behavior are not “learning tools” or “conversation starters”; they are a deliberate flouting of social morals. The conversations they start don’t justify their existence; they point out reasons to shun these games.

Good educational games expose players to the issues people face and the better choices they can make, rewarding those choices. Or, at least, cause players to empathize with the victims of bad behavior, rather than the perpetrators.

There are no widely available games on the topic of domestic violence. However:

• Rani Kumar, an activist in NSW, has developed a board game Love-life on the topic which is aimed at children aged 13-16 in public schools. (source)
• Carol Tonner created a board game for domestic violence victims called “It’s Your Move” for an organization called Red Flag, Green Flag (now defunct). (source)
• The Monopoly-clone Denver on Board was developed as a fundraiser for a Denver Safe House, which serves victims of domestic violence. (source)
• Video games: RePlay by Metrac and Breaking the Cycle by Artemis Center.
• A project called Empowering Play by students at The Emergent Media Center at Champlain College. Blog.

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I finally got the chance to play Are You The Traitor? recently, and it did not dissapoint for a light warm up or cool down game between two-hour slugfests.  It is essentially Werewolf without any player elimination.

Here’s the gist:  There is an Evil Key that has been entrusted to a group of Guards who must deliver it to the Good Wizard for it to be destroyed.  One Guard secretly has been deigned the Keeper of the Key, with every other Guard being a bodyguard.  Unfortunately, the Evil Wizard (who wants the Key for himself) has disguised himself to look just like the Good Wizard.  Also, there are Traitors secretly among the Guards who are trying to give the Keeper of the Key over to the Evil Wizard…

• At the start of each round, players are dealt a role card that will determine your goal for said round.  You will either be in the ‘Wizard’ category or the ‘Guard’ category.  Among the wizards, you will be good or evil.  Among the guards, you will be The Keeper of the Key, a regular Guard, or a Traitor.
• Each round, players discuss who is who.  The Evil Wizard wants to catch the Keeper of the Key, the Guards and the Good Wizard want to catch the Traitors, the Keeper of the Key wants to deliver the key to the Good Wizard and the Traitors just don’t want to get caught while signaling to the Evil Wizard who has the key.
• Once someone thinks they know who they are trying to catch, the player says “Stop!” and points at someone.  The identity of the pointing player and the player being pointed at are revealed.  If the accusing player is correct (The Good Wizard pointing at a Traitor), everyone on that player’s team gets a Treasure Card ranging in value from 1 to 5 points.  However, if the accusing player points incorrectly, (The Good Wizard at a regular Guard), then everyone on the other team gets a treasure card.
• After an accusation is resolved, you shuffle up the identities and deal them out for the next round.  The first player to 10 points worth of treasure is the winner!

Play is fast and accusations fly left and right.  If you enjoy ‘mob mentality’ games but dislike the somewhat arbitrary player elimination of Werewolf, you can’t go wrong with Are You The Traitor?.

The table is yours,

Phil

Source

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The Cape Gazette pimps board games. (source)

The Indianapolis Business Journal pimps the recent GenCon, including Word on the Street from OTB Games, Monty Python Fluxx and Zombie Fluxx from Looney Labs, Mindflex from Mattel (do check it out), Alhambra and Maori from Rio Grande Games, and Gangster and Pack and Stack from Mayfair Games. (source)

Blue Ridge Cable 11 pimps the WBCs, including Twilight Imperium and Pillars of the Earth, with shots of Dominion, and Lost Cities the Board Game, among others. (source)

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Disney has a toy shop “Once Upon a Toy” in its Orlando theme park with special edition games from Hasbro themed with park attractions. The latest is The Game of (After) Life: Haunted Mansion edition, illustrated by artists Quynh Kimball, Garret Webb & Derek Lesinski. The game includes glow in the dark houses and spinners, graves instead of cars, and hidden Mickeys on the game board. (source, source)

You’re curious now, right? Haunted Mansion: Clue is the only other Haunted Mansion themed game, but they have Theme Park versions of Monopoly, UNO, Sorry, Twister, and Candy Land. They also have original board games, such as Pirates of the Caribbean (I and III).

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Merle Reagle is one of the few crossword puzzle designers to make a living from his craft, and has been doing so for almost 25 years.

One of his latest is on the topic of board games, natch. Download it here for free.

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The above is (yet another) board game inspired tee-shirt from (yet another) “one day only and then it’s gone” tee shirt site, TeeFury.

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Friends of Walla Walla, Washington, is a volunteer organization to match adults and kids who need adults in their lives. This week the director organized a Games Day, to help foster new relationships.

Additional volunteers are needed, especially guy geeks, for the next Games Day and in general. It’s not that they don’t need gals, it’s just that the waiting list for boys needing an adult is a year long.

(source)

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Bradley Public Library (Illinois) started game programs as a way to improve its services to teens, who otherwise tended not to venture beyond the computers. Librarian Betty Chapman:

Board games are great for shy students, those who have a hard time making friends. Games make it easier to find a common ground amongst teens. Games also bridge the gap between generations. If we can get the kids in the library to have some fun without a computer (nothing against the computer, I love it myself), to make some new friends, a new reason to be out, then we have them hooked and we can hopefully regain their forgotten childhood love of books.

There have been Checkers tournaments and Wii events—with Rock Band competitions and costume nights. Over the summer, the library also began hosting Grandparent and Me Bingo.

Our goal was to open up the library to all generations, making them feel welcome, and giving them a chance to see all we offer.

As prizes, the library has so far given away about 200 books.

It was initially intended for grandparents and grandchildren to have some bonding time doing something they both love. It has opened up for parents also, as some children do not have grandparents nearby.

The next Bingo event is Tuesday at 6:30. During the school year, games will switch to two Mondays a month. Inter-generational game nights out—stop by and share a good time!

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