Game Design Consultant for Hire
I received the following email:I found your name searching for a board game designer in Israel. My kids and I are working on a board game that is probably not ready to be evaluated. I wanted to know...
View ArticleSession Report, in which we have a new player and I get to play Santiago again
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Year of the Dragon, Dominion, Settlers of Catan, It's Alive, Santiago.All the games were enjoyedread more
View ArticlePreparation Day
Leaving for the airport tomorrow evening, 8:00 pm. My ticket id isn't being recognized by online early check-in on El Al's web site, which has me worried.My ApartmentI'm letting a Pardesread more
View ArticleFinal Prep
Last night I tried to check-in online only to discover that El Al didn't recognize my ticket number. It took until 10 am today before I cleared that up: between the time that I bought the ticket and...
View ArticleThe Countdown Roundup
I've been counting down the days to see Rachel on Facebook. For those that don't have me in their Facebook feed, here is how the last 84 days went:84 days to go83 days to go82 days to go81 days80...
View ArticleUps and Downs
At Ben Gurion:"Do you know why you were pulled over for additional checking?""The four bottles of wine in my suitcase?""Perhaps. How long have you owned this suitcase?""I don't know.""A week? Aread more
View ArticleWhere the golden grain dwarf the lovely flowers
Cincinnati international airport is not, in fact, in Cincinnati. It's not even in Ohio. It's located in Boone County, Kentucky It's not owned or operated by Boone County, Kentucky. Kenton County,...
View ArticleMiami Magic and the Missing Mana
Student life is vibrant at Miami University. Buildings and houses are still adorned with Halloween decorations. Banners call passersby to dances and performances. Students outside are engaged in...
View ArticleWhen Did Lectures Become Entertainment?
I guess I always saw "lectures" listed next to movies, dance, theater, and so on, but somehow I never connected them to entertainment.I must be an adult.Seeing how Rachel prepares for her...
View ArticleSession Report, in which they play Fluxx while I'm away, thank God
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Fluxx, Amun-Re, Tichu.First of four sessions at Nadine's house, while I'm away.read more
View ArticleA Trip, But Not a Vacation
At least, not yet.Every other time I've traveled, I went out every day, camera and curious eye ready to see and report on something new. This trip, I've just been holed up in the house, working, just...
View ArticleSilvoor Biological Sanctuary
Friday I walked around the Silvoor Biological Sanctuary ...read more
View ArticleHueston Woods State Park
Some 20 minutes north of Miami University, Hueston Woods State Park is a small lake surrounded by short hikes and picnic grounds, riding, boating, a small nature center and a small beach.read more
View ArticleGaming in Dayton
Dayton's game group generally only meets on shabbat, which would preclude me from attending. Perhaps in response to my request for an alternative day for gaming while I was in the area, or simply by...
View ArticleI Can't Give You Water Because We Sell Water
Or, Adventures in CincinnatiHalf-Priced BooksI drove along small roads, because I couldn't figure out how to get onto and off of the major highways.read more
View ArticleSession Report, in which Abraham uses a crooked die in Stone Age
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Stone Age, Power Grid.BGG.con prep:I'm flying in on Wed morning and out on Mondayread more
View ArticleTo NYC
We're off to NYC for the weekend. Rachel was invited to give a lecture in honor of Malka Bina, director of MaTaN, on Sunday morning. I have no idea where we're staying and what we'll be doing while...
View ArticleStorms
Continental CVG to EWRRachel foolishly scheduled a Skype interview for 3:30 pm, which meant that we had to be at our destination and connected to the Internet by that time. Our flight was scheduled...
View ArticleSlices of Heaven
I'm usually the one who leaves his cell phone (or overcoat) in the airplane lounge. It wasn't me this time. I gave the phone to the agent at the gate, and it turned out to be the guy sitting in front...
View ArticleLast Day in Oxford; Next Stop BGG.con
Visited the Oxford Gaming Club to play a little more Magic. This evening, attendance was low and people had to go early, so we didn't play an entire draft and Swiss rotation like we did last time.I...
View ArticleBGG.con Wed
For more information, see my Purple Pawn entry.Games I saw a lot of, so far: Tichu, Race for the Galaxy, Endeavor. Mischa brought me kosher food from New Orleans. Yum.read more
View ArticleBGG.con Thurs
More info and picturesMy computer decided to start working again, so I'll write while I can. Games played today:Russian Fishread more
View ArticleBGG.con Friday
More infoRachel is scholar and residence in Dallas this shabbat (not a coincidence). She landed in Dallas at 1:00, at the same time that I found my good friend Chrisread more
View ArticleBGG.con Saturday
Rachel was scholar-in-residence, and I was "her husband", for shabbat. We stayed with and ate at lovely people's houses, but I felt a little out of place; most of the conversations were about sports,...
View ArticleBGG.con Sunday
At the Geekbuzz station. BGG.con is now wrapping up and I'll try to help clean up, get a ride to Dallas, hit 1/2 Priced Books, and a bridge club this evening with David. Then to Toronto tomorrow.Played...
View ArticleAirline Lost my Ticket
I just spent a half an hour arguing and pleading with American Airlines to give me a discount after they lost my ticket Dallas to Toronto. They said it was my agent's fault for changing something; they...
View ArticleAirline Found My Ticket
I have verbal assurance from American that they will be refunding me my $1200. And it only took three hours on the telephone to four different airline reps at two different airlines. Here's what...
View ArticleSession report, in which many people I don't know show up at game night while...
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up, quite belatedly (last Wed's). Games played: Fluxx, Year of the Dragon, Shadows Over Camelot, Notre Dame, Vegas Showdown,read more
View ArticleZauberenhändler aka Wizard Trader
I ran a game at BGG.con which I called Zauberenhändler, which I hope means Wizard Trader in German (that's what it was supposed to mean).CardsThere were 1000 cards, 10 identical copies of 100read more
View ArticleGames Shed and Acquired On This Trip
ShedIt's Alive x 4Carpe AstraHaciendaKingdomsPathMerchants of AmsterdamBeyond BalderdashGreedy GreedyChapatiBridge TrollVerrater / Meutererread more
View ArticleSession Report, in which they play Galaxy Trucker while I'm away
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played Galaxy Trucker, It's Alive.First play of Galaxy Trucker for everyone, I think.Nextread more
View ArticleIn Toronto
Toronto is old hat to me, I guess. Other than a brief trip for Chinese at Golden Chopsticks (ok, but nothing amazing), Cafe Bistro with Rachel (very nice dairy), and to pick up some games, I've been...
View ArticleSession Report, in which we play new games, especially Le Havre
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Dominion: Intrigue, Dominion: Seaside, Tichu, Le Havre, Pillars of the Earth, San Juan.Firstread more
View ArticleShabbat Coming
I'm invited out for dinner, and I made lunch: roast potatoes, noodel kugel, veggie cholent, cheese, bread, wine, salad, apple pie.Gamers are coming for lunch, so I expect to play something after. Maybe...
View ArticleShabbat Gaming
Five of us played Alice in Wonderland Parade and Vegas Showdown.Not having been to Essen, I didn't have a copy of Parade, but it was easily made from my Sticheln deck.I'm pretty sure I got most of the...
View ArticleWatching vs Performing vs Mastering
Watching vs PerformingThere are two distinct aspects to board gaming; so distinct, that they aren't the same activity at all, though they look the same from the outside, and most games package someread...
View ArticleSession Report, in which we play Homesteaders and Tribune
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Alice and Wonderland Parade, Dominion: Intrigue, Magic: the Gathering, Homesteaders, Tribune.read more
View ArticleShabbat and Hanukkah Gaming
Dinner at Nadine's. I brought Tribune. It supports up to five players, and is fairly easy to understand.We played with Beth, a longtime friend of Nadine's from LA who comes from a gaming family, and...
View ArticleeLuna: I screwed up
PraiseeLuna.com is a fantastic, invaluable web site.The site contains a large list of kosher restaurants around Israel, and offers - for free - 10% discountread more
View ArticleSession Report, in which every game played is our first play
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Hare and Tortoise, Cuba, Amyitis.First play for all of us on each game. First looks at Hare andread more
View ArticleBoard Game Blog World Roundup
This post lists new (to me) blogs since my last roundup, which was around three months ago.You may also want to check the sidebar on my blog to see if your blog was dropped from my list, which it was...
View ArticleTwo Weddings, A Funeral, A Bris, A Bar-Mitzvah, and a Wife (and some Movies)
Rachel is returning tomorrow, God willing, for semester break.Over the next two and a half weeks, we're scheduled to attend two weddings, a funeral/shiva, a bris, a play, a bar-mitzvah, one or two...
View ArticleSession Report, in which we try out Phoenicia
The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Phoenicia, Atlantic Star, Alice and Wonderland Parade.First play of Phoenicia for four of us,read more
View ArticleFrom (One Person's) Bris to (Another Person's) Funeral. And a Play.
On Rachel's first full day back, we went to a bris, a funeral, and a play. I reminded her that Jerusalem isn't like this all the time. But considering all of the other events that will occur in the...
View ArticleMore of the Same, and Games
If it's 8:30, it must be a bar-mitzvahOur dear friends had a bar-mitzvah for their (4th? 5th?) son on shabbat morning. The BM boy read beautifully and then spoke very quickly.Shul was followed by a...
View ArticleThe Strangest Board Games of 2009
Following Steve Jackson's other release +6 Bag O'Munchkins. Aside from the weirdness of using these in a game of Munchkin - you can put one in front of you in order to gain a benefit during the game -...
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