In this new video profile, game designer Jack Degnan demonstrates his original prototype for Word on the Street, extols the virtues of social interaction via board games, and gives some encouragement to aspiring inventors.

Now about that game… I found Word on the Street to be an exciting party game that will engage all types of players. No need to invent silly newspaper headlines or decide which movie character would win in a fight. Just pick a word that fits the category provided—like “Insect” or “Breakfast food.” Teams capture letters by moving the letters toward their side of the street as they occur in the words that they use as answers. Time limits add just the right bit of tension, and trying to pick the best word adds a small degree of strategy. Word on the Street accommodates any number of players in two teams, so it’s also great for big groups.

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19 year old Magnus Carlsen, already ranked number one Chess player in the world, won Corus 2010 today.

Magnus is the fifth player ever – and the youngest, by far – to rank over 2800. He is coached by former world champion Gary Kasparov.

(source, image)

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Ooh, I know three of the inventors in this month’s list.

Board Game – A design patent for a game called DiagnolTHiS.

Toy play set – Assigned to Carterbench. Some kind of contraption that stores cards and make it easier to play with them in a car. Even with the pictures, I couldn’t quite grasp it.

Multiplayer trivia game – This is for the idea behind the game Wits And Wagers from NorthStar Games. Go Dominic.

Multi-level board game – This contraption:

The assignee goes on to explain how all previous 3D board games were complicated and unplayable, while this one is much simpler. And then goes on to describe a game far more complicated than 3D Tic Tac Toe.

Baseball simulation game – A battery operated baseball game.

Domino like card and board game – “There is certainly a need for a game that incorporates some of the more appealing characteristics of the popular games of dominos and checkers.” The game Geominoes by Tod Teeple. I played this at BGG.con a few years ago.

Method and apparatus for a trick-taking card game – Part of the problem: “Most card games, particularly trick-taking games, lack the possibility for significant catastrophic events to occur during game play.” I didn’t realize that this was a problem, but apparently it is when two people of different skills play against each other. It’s just not fair that a person with more skill has a better chance of winning a game.

OK, I’m poking fun. Actually, the assignees wanted to create an introductory trick-taking game for children that includes random events to give kids a chance. Not a bad goal, really.

The game consists of two decks of playing cards. The first deck contains character cards with several variables (not just suit and rank). The second deck is modifier cards. Players get new modifier cards each trick, and they can play them together with their characters cards to change either their own card value or the values of all other players’ cards during the trick. The whole thing has some kind of kid-friendly theme.

I’m pretty sure the inventors are a pair of scientists from Ontario; bird researchers, in fact.

Method for adding qualifier to casino games – A boring casino card game patent, with hand split, reverse bets, and push bets. Ho hum.

Casino poker table game with choice of stud hands – A communal poker game, where, after the first few cards are revealed, you can choose to play 5, 6, or card stud, with different payouts for each.

Board game – Awarded to Paul Dowding for the game Foil Strategy.

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Rather than poker, the Vancouver Canucks play The Settlers of Catan on long flights. (source)

The Pauls Valley Daily Democrat pimps Northstar Games and Say Anything. (source)

Asia One Business pimps various financial games other than Monopoly. (source)

CNN Singapore pimps Journal Singapore. (source)

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General geeky blog, Geekosystem, has been running “Power Grid” rankings of the top living geeks. Their latest is 30 Great Gaming Geeks, including:

#19 Richard Garfield (Magic: The Gathering)
#17 Satoshi Tajiri (Pokemon)
#11 Klaus Teuber (Settlers of Catan)
#9 Sid Meier (Civilization)
#6 Monte Cook (Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition)
#3 Reiner Knizia (too many)
#1 Steve Jackson (GURPS)

We know how debatable these lists can be, but it’s nice to see such a representation for tabletop games.

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Announced at a week-long D&D Experience in Indiana, Castle Ravenloft is a new board game set in the D&D universe.  Wizards of the Coast is taking a queue from more modern board games to create an hour-long experience for 6 players.

D&D’s Mike Mearls states “It’s going to be really tense and really claustrophobic.”

It’ll be interesting to see what the mechanics will be like once more information is released.  Will one player need to be the game master, like in Descent: Journeys in the Dark?  Will it be cooperative, like Pandemic?

Hopefully Wizards gets this right.  Ravenloft is an awesome setting, but that won’t be enough if the game isn’t up to snuff.

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Flat Acting from Eye Level Entertainment is a game about battling to produce movies, only this time you play the genre itself. As “Horror”, it’s your job to ensure that the movie produced is, in fact, a horror movie.

Move around the actors and props, but be prepared to back up each move creatively with a scene description from the movie that fits your genre. It combined both strategy (area control) and party gaming.

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XQ from (Hong Kong) Game Source International is a 2006 card game where you “collect happy expression from father, mother, brother, and sister. The game helps release stress any one player may suffer throughout the day and to bring smile back to his or her face.”

Best of all, “When you about to win, you have to say, ‘Wa-ha-ha!’”

Wa-ha-ha!

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The Snakes and Jets Amazing Bullit Band’s new album is called Peace Boat, and it comes with a built-in board game. (info, source)

The Annandale National Historic Site in Tillsonburg is running an exhibition called “Your Move” about historical board games, Feb 15 to April 30. (source)

The Old Cemetary Plays is playing in Sacramento through February 7. One of the plays, “Ghosts … and Spirits!” by Zack Sapunor, is about a woman who invents a board game that lets people talk to the spirits of the dead. (source)

The Contact Theater in Manchester is showing Pen-Ultimate’s A Night on the Tiles: gangsters, high-rollers, and con-men compete for big money in a high stakes Scrabble tournament. (source)

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North Star games will be releasing a new title in the Wits And Wagers line titled “Wits & Wagers Family, with over 300 new family-oriented questions.

In exciting news for the hobby game crowd, Wits & Wagers Family will include meeples!  That’s right.  The little wooded people you know and love will be making their way into the homes of party game lovers everywhere.

The game will be released at the New York Toy Fair, and is a more family friendly version of the award-winning party game.

You can also enter to win a free copy of the game by signing up for North Star Games newsletter at freegame@northstargames.com.

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