Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share part of the evening around a virtual kitchen table with readers of Daily Kos who aren’t throwing pies at one another. Drop by and tell us about your weather, your garden, or what you cooked for supper. Newcomers may notice that many who post diaries and comments in this series already know one another to some degree, but we welcome guests at our kitchen table, and hope to make some new friends as well.
Things to do on a weekend night...how about playing a board game with friends? It is one of my favorite things...and now that the modern board game hobby is booming, there are oodles of choices. Oh, there is a world out there that is much, much bigger than Monopoly or Clue.
One new style or genre of games that did not exist when I was a girl is the co-operative game, where players work together to defeat a situation presented by the game. You win or lose together. Sometimes the game wins — but that’s okay! There is always a next time.
Perhaps the most well known modern game of the co-operative type is Pandemic, a game where players work together to defeat outbreaks of diseases across the world. Although it is a very popular game and one that has spawned a number of sequels, the tension of saving the world from a terrible death is not everyone’s cup of tea, especially in this day and age of existential angst… But there are a couple of new co-op games out there that have rather creative fictional themes that might be more palatable (they are for me, anyway). One is not difficult to learn, the other without question is difficult (but has been getting great press from the boardgaming community). As luck would have it, I found handy, three minute video reviews for both of them - out of New Zealand, no less. (This is a global hobby, after all.)
Witches of the Revolution
I don’t know about you but I find the idea of a bunches of witches, most of them women, defending a fledgling America from tyranny to be very refreshing. If the tyranny level gets too high, we all lose the game together. Sounds about right, doesn’t it? But, set in an alternate history as it is, the game doesn’t have the stressful OMG we’re all gonna die! vibe that Pandemic has.
Okay...now the following game is not for beginners but the concept is so intriguing I just have to share.
Spirit Island
Yes, the premise of this game is that European colonists are blighting your beautiful island, harming the indigenous people and spreading like a cancer. You, as a spirit of the land, just want them to go away. You can make them leave by scaring the pants off them and by unleashing the forces of nature to get rid of their settlements. I really, really want to learn how to play this one. I mean, who doesn’t want to be the Vital Strength of the Earth for an evening? Or Shadows Flicker Like Flame? Or how about Lightning’s Swift Strike? Dibs on lightning for me!
But you might want something smaller and lighter. A game that is not very expensive and is portable enough to be taken on a hike or to a pub is here reviewed by Quintin Smith of Shut Up & Sit Down — while he was visiting India! It is a competitive (no, this one is not co-operative) game for two and is recommended by Mensa. It will exercise your brain.
Hive Pocket
The weekend begins now! Come in, pull up a chair, and be comfortable. You are among friends. Tell us about your day, your weekend plans, your menus — or whatever is on your mind! This is an open thread.