Board Game Bash 2014

Coming up on Feb 17th, 2014 (aka "Family Day" in Ontario, Canada) the Kitchener-Waterloo region will be having its first ever board game convention. The event is called the BOARD GAME BASH. Emmanuel Bible College will be hosting the event (100 Fergus Ave., Kitchener, ON). The event will feature some fun tournaments (including a Android: Netrunner tournament at 5pm) and lots of open gaming. We will have a board game lending library free of charge to play games at the event. Also, we will be highlighting some amazing games from our sponsors with some scheduled demo's. FunGamesCafe.Com will have a retail booth setup from 12-6pm so you can purchase that amazing game you just tried in the lending library or demo. FunGamesCafe is offering free pickup for anyone who wants to purchase a specific game and pick it up at the event. Also, the BOARD GAME BASH will be giving away some amazing door prizes at different times throughout the day. And hopefully we will arrange a free math trade for the event too.

MORE INFO AT: BOARDGAMEBASH.CA

Poster below. Please help spread the word. Save the picture and post it on Facebook. Print it out and post it.

Adventures on the Tabletop

Only 3 days left! If you havent heard already, an upcoming Board Game documentary is on Kickstarter. But only 3 days left to help this project be even better. I highly recommend you help sponsor this project by signing on to Kickstarter and finding a funding level that interest you. If you like board games, you are going to want to see this movie.

The film maker is Douglas Morse. I had the pleasure meeting him at the Gathering of Friends a couple months ago. Doug's goal with this movie is to make a film for board game fans, that helps pull back the curtain on the whole board game design/publishing process, and let everyone see the adventure games go through to get to our tables.

I am a little bias, as I might be featured in the film, but even beyond that, I am very confident the content in this film will be amazing. Some of the exclusive and candid interviews Doug Morse has been able to attain are priceless. The chance to hear from legendary board game designers like Alan Moon, and significant publishers in the industry like Hans Im Gluck, is incredible rare and will be very entertaining. We are talking about people who love and make games. Of course they are fun people.

So check out the preview below, and please consider supporting this project. Also, please go out of your way and recommend this project to a few people you know who might be interested in the film. At the very least you will earn some bonus points with your friends & family that you recommend this to them, because it shows you were thinking of them.

-- Daryl Andrews

(PS - you can see me at 0:48 & 2:25 in the preview)

Most Complicated Board Game Ever

Enjoy this hilarious video paying tribute to how complicated board games can feel sometimes.



''Learning to play a new game has never been so painful.''

HammerCon 2012

HammerCon IV, Southern Ontario's largest game convention for gamers by gamers, is this weekend at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Hamilton, Ontario. The convention features a variety of roleplaying, board games, LARPs, tournaments, and Protospiel North designer event.

Im excited to be posting from Hamilton, as I eagerly await for the doors to open this evening. If you have any time this weekend to pop in, I highly recommend it. You can purchase a weekend or day pass at the door. Also, here is a link to the program if you are interested in checking out what is going on: HammerCon Program

If you do come, please stop by and say hi. I will be running the Great Canadian Board Game Blitz on Saturday from 1-8pm. Otherwise, you can probably find me in Pavilion "A" where the Protospiel North events (board game designers) will be happening. Hopefully I will make a few posts this weekend, and get some exclusive interviews with board game designers over the next couple of days. Stay tuned!

-- Daryl Andrews

Sen-Foong Lim teaching his game Belfort at HammerCon 2011

Eric on 570 News

Yay! Our very own Eric Martin was a guest of the Gary Doyle show on 570 news. I tried my best to capture the whole thing on my iPhone - but failed. So my gracious friend Marc Lanctot (founding father of the Great Canadian Board Game Blitz) saved the day and captured this audio file.

Listen HERE

Also, you can see some quotes from Eric & I (plus shout out to Christian Monterroso) about the Great Canadian Board Game Blitz in the KW Record: HERE

Wits & Wagers Party!

I am excited to review the new version of Wits & Wagers Party. As someone already a big fan of the original version of the game, Wits & Wagers, I was honoured that North Star Games was willing to send me a copy of the game before it is released this weekend at GenCon. I am said to miss out on GenCon in Indianapolis from August 16-19. One day I hope to attend. Meanwhile, let me preview the new version of Wits & Wagers Party for you all.

As the tagline says above, the game comes with some great question cards, better components, and simpler rules. As a fan of the game already, I must admit, I am very excited to get more question cards. I have played my copy enough that I am beginning to remember (at least ballpark close) the answers to some of the questions from my original copy. The new question cards are actually from the out-of-print Wits & Wagers Expansion pack #1. I was always sad to miss out on getting the expansion pack, so Im excited to finally get my hands on these question cards. The question cards included in this edition are lighter and more fun. This makes the game even easier to play with gamers or non-gamers. I will be sure to mix and match my question cards between the two versions I know own.

How Many Licks does it really take to get to the centre of a Tootsie Pop?

The components are better then my older version of Wits & Wagers. The poker chips are a better quality. I would have preferred clay poker chips to be included, but I understand the choice to keep the game affordable. Rumour has it that the game will be on the shelves in the near future at Wal-mart & Target. A huge accomplishment for one of the smaller publishers. Hopefully it will make it on the shelves in the Canadian Wal-mart stores & Canadian Target stores (opening soon). The markers have a nice eraser end attached to the lids. And I love the new answer boards with the fun art. Adds some nice flavour. My favourite is the Green (Hip Hop artist) seen below.

I must confess, I never really thought Wits & Wagers needed easier rules. However, Im starting to see why this was such a brilliant choice. Even though the game has won lots of awards, and my family already is a big fan. I could see the Wits & Wagers Party edition, being an easier game for non-gamers to purchase because of the simpler rules. Instead of calculating betting odds, the "banker" has an easy job of assigning points. Additionally, the game never seems to have a run-away leader, as the predecessor was guilty of on occasion. So even though I miss the green felt mat, I think there is room for both games in my collection. The original is more suitable for playing with gamers, or when I am hosting games nights. However, I am more prone to lend out my copy or purchase copies of Wits & Wagers Party for family and friends who have little to no experience with games.

All in all, I am excited to get more plays of my Wits & Wagers Party. If you are attending GenCon this weekend, or see a copy of this game on the shelf of your local Wal-Mart or Target, I highly recommend you pick it up. The game is affordable, easy to convince others to play, and tons of fun!

- Daryl Andrews

PS: Just noticed a great contest on BoardGameGeek you might want to check out for a chance to win $100 and a pre-release copy of the game. The deadline for submitting is August 14th.
CLICK: HERE