On the development of Acquire....

Here's a lovely and very well-researched article by Joe Huber of The Opinionated Gamers on Sid Sackson's Acquire, one of the greatest and most influential board games ever made (IMHO).  A quote:

Having now detailed the path to the production of the test marketing edition of Acquire, the next step – and the most interesting part of the story, for me – is going through the game’s journey to the Acquire we know and love still today.  This is where Sackson’s habit of drafting his letters – and saving the drafts – makes all the difference; as a result it’s possible to follow nearly the whole path.

More than 50 years later and the game is still a monumental achievement that I beg people to play every other week.  Definitely worth the read.

Top games of the year...

I can't say that I've played all the games released this year (or even a tenth of them) so these are very much a personal thing dependent completely on my own collection of games.

Most Played Game of 2009: Dominion

This one was easy. We played nothing else from January to April. Too much fun and far too addictive. Intrigue was hit or miss but we are enjoying exploring Seaside.

Honorable Mentions: Alhambra and Acquire

These classics saw a lot of table time in our group this year.

Favourite New Game of 2009: Endeavor

This one was tough. I acquired a lot of great games this year but many didn't come out in 2009. Sometimes games take a few years to catch on. But Endeavor is fantastic. Relatively easy to learn, lightning fast to play, and loaded with tons of depth and strategy. Great fun and a near-perfect heavyweight Eurogame.

Honorable Mention: Tobago

This lovely family game provided us with the most unique gaming experience in years. It's fun, beautiful, and really makes you feel like you're exploring an island for hidden treasures. And it's surprisingly tactical, too!

Required reading....

There are many books on the market that contain games but most just have the standards: card games, chess, checkers, etc. However, in the late 60's, prolific game designer Sid Sackson put out a book called 'A Gamut of Games'. Sackson is the inventor of, amongst others, the brilliant Acquire and is the father of modern boardgaming in my mind.

'Gamut' is a treasure trove, let me tell you. 38 original and fascinating games selected from his various gaming groups, 22 of which he invented himself. The book includes his classic abstract Focus before it was published and Soucie's brilliant Lines of Action (a personal favourite). As well, there is a precursor to Das Super-Blatt playable with a deck of cards and a game which is a bit like Monopoly and Acquire's love-child.

Added to all this is a fascinating amount of game lore and some discussion as to how the games were developed. This is gold for someone like myself who is interested in one day producing and publishing his own game. Check it out if you can find it, if only because you'll get at least 20 great games for under $15. Sid, you are missed...

(Oh yeah, and some say Sid owned over 18,000 different board games. Awesome.)