Games Magazine: May Cover Maze

Robert Abbott, master of the logic maze, created the cover puzzle for the upcoming May 2011 issue of Games. In the original maze, there are four types of animal that can come in four different colors. You have to travel from the blue fox at the bottom to the blue chipmunk at the top by moving between pairs of animals. You can move any distance horizontally or vertically, but you can only end your move on an animal of the same type or color as the animal on which you started your move.

Bob has programmed a Java version of this maze which you can try at his site, logicmazes.com.

After Bob finished the design, he decided that he could make it more challenging by adding diagonal moves and increasing the size. Check out his site for an interactive version of this harder maze.

Code-Breaking For Fun and Profit

c. xkcd.com

Codes and ciphers are an area of puzzling that I haven't really written much about, but they've fascinated me since I first read Edgar Allan Poe's "The Gold Bug" as a child. As any history buff knows, cryptography and code-breaking has played a vital role in politics and warfare for at least 4000 years, and it has grown even more important in the digital age. Encryption is the key to the entire online economy. If it fails, the system fails.

Well, one small corner of the system has failed--spectacularly--and may have cost Microsoft at least $1.2 million.

All code breaking relies on the fact that everything, eventually, falls into a pattern, even if it's an incredibly complex--even shifting--pattern. Crack that pattern, and you crack the code. Modern computer cryptography is well beyond my knowledge set, but I do know that its relies on multiple branches of mathematics in order to create secure encryption keys.

But even the best keys have a pattern, and hackers have found the pattern for MS Points, the proprietary economy used by Xbox Live and other Microsoft services. People pay for games, multiplayer support, and in-game purchases with these points, which are normally purchased with real money.

MS Points are usually activated by entering a string of numbers and letters, and usually look something like H547J-3JK67-J84J0-etc...  Those numbers, however, are generated by a system, and that system has a pattern. Using old codes, some folks on the site The Tech Game (no, I'm not linking to it) discovered that pattern and created an algorithm to generate new, valid codes.

Microsoft isn't talking about this yet, but they've closed the exploit. We don't know yet if they'll be able to track down the scammers and take back their points. Of course, it's illegal and immoral, but it's a pretty impressive achievement. And a little bit terrifying.

By the way, let me veer slightly off-topic for a moment and just say that if you have a credit card with an RFID chip, get rid of it. Tech writers (including me) have been writing about the dangers of these chips for years. They are a hacker's dream. I've seen video of on-the-street tests of people using a few hundred dollars worth of equipment to read the credit card numbers from cards in people's wallets and purses. The RFID makers have implemented some pretty impressive cryptographic techniques in order to keep them secure, but one constant of computer security is the tendency to underestimate the determination and capability of hackers.

Over the Top: The World's Most Complex Rubik's Cube

I have never solved a Rubik's Cube, and never really tried. Thus, a Super-Sized Rubik's Cube, dubbed "Over the Top" by its inventor, holds even less appeal, particularly when it appears to take about a minute to align the parts correctly in order to make each turn.

A normal Rubik's Cube is 3x3x3. Designer Oskar van Deventer has used new 3D printing techniques and some impressive engineering to design one that is 17x17x17. You can even buy your very own version, for $2006.54, at Shapeways, a 3D printing company. Here's how it came to be, according the Shapeways

When Oskar heard of the world records being set for twisty puzzles, like the 7x7x7, 9x9x9 and 11x11x11 by Panagiotis Verdes from Greece, he wanted to try his hand at setting a new record himself. With sponsorship from his close friend Claus Wenicker, Oskar set about designing and testing a number of prototypes, and his third attempt was printed successfully with Shapeways. Sorting and dyeing all 1539 pieces took Oskar 10 hours of work, followed by 5 hours of assembling. The result is an oversized (140 millimeter, 5.5 inches) and fully functioning “Over The Top” 17x17x17 puzzle.

3D Printing is fascinating technology that allows anyone to create a viable 3D model, and then have it turned into a real object. Shapeways describes it as "any additive manufacturing process whereby one machine turns a digital file into a finished physical object by building up that object layer by layer. If you were to be more precise the technology would be called rapid manufacturing and 3D printing would just be one of the manufacturing processes used to create objects in this way."

These videos show Oskar explaining his amazing design. Frankly, the skill and technology that went into creating it is more interesting, to me, than the puzzle itself.

This is Shapeway's demo showing the entire process from design through completion:

Emily Dickinson's Puzzle Poems

Emily Dickinson's poetry is characterized by its highly compressed, idiosyncratic use of language to convey intense emotions. But she also wrote a series of light "riddle" poems in which the subject is never directly stated, leaving the reader to determine what the poem is about. They aren't difficult as riddles (except maybe for #1489), but they're important because of their use of language.

Here is the first, with the other three after the jump. I'll leave off the solutions for now in case readers want to solve them.

#291
It sifts from Leaden Sieves --
It powders all the Wood.
It fills with Alabaster Wool
The Wrinkles of the Road --

It makes an Even Face
Of Mountain, and of Plain --
Unbroken Forehead from the East
Unto the East again --

It reaches to the Fence --
It wraps it Rail by Rail
Till it is lost in Fleeces --
It deals Celestial Vail

To Stump, and Stack -- and Stem --
A Summer's empty Room --
Acres of Joints, where Harvests were,
Recordless, but for them--

It Ruffles Wrists of Posts
As Ankles of a Queen --
Then stills its Artisans -- like Ghosts --
Denying they have been --

Lego Carcassonne

I've written about Lego Catan in the past, but someone has now taken it to the next level by working on a complex version Lego Carcasssonne. Designer Cal Henderson isn't actually making the whole thing, mind you, since a full set based on this design would cost around $2000 to create, but he's showing how it could be done.

A new computer mockup of Lego Catan was making the rounds of the interwebs last week. It looks great, but it hasn't been built.

More Squirrels Playing Cards

9 out of 10 squirrels prefer cribbage. It's just a fact.

You can keep your "Dogs Playing Poker" paintings. I have something much better: taxidermy squirrels playing cards. I posted one with the site update earlier today, but I thought I'd roll out the rest of them here.

I'm not sure where they all come from. In my journeys around the internet I just save any weird gaming photos I happen to stumble upon. Some of them (such as the one at the top) are the work of Walter Potter, Victorian taxidermy's mad genius. And some are just the work of people with too damn much time on their hands.

Interesting fact: every tableaux includes a smoking squirrel. And most of them also have at least one kibitzer. See if you can find the tableaux where it appears as though one squirrel has bet his own tail. That's just hardcore.

from the National Museum of Play

Peaceable Kingdom: Stoat (?), Fox, Rabbit, and Cat. (The fox is cheating.)

"You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em..."

Site Changes (Plus Squirrels)

I've been fiddling with the site for the past week or so, with a new header and some added boxes & such.

For those of you who find this kind of post boring, here's a picture of squirrels playing cards.

For the rest of you, here's the rundown:

• Game Blog Feeds. This display the top posts from gaming blogs that I think are worth a regular visit, like Dice Hate Me or Purple Pawn. You'll find Seize Your Turn's weekly linkapalooza there, as well as other regular updates.
• Other Links. I'm not planning to create an encyclopedic set of links to gaming resources, but these are places I think are worthwhile.
• My Twitter Feed. I'm still not all that great with the Twitter thing, but I'm getting used to it. It's best just to Follow me on Twitter, but I've also included a feed update in the sidebar.
• Gaming Twitter Feed. This one is for my gaming Twitter list, and includes Twits that I follow. If you'd like to be a Twit, send me a message.
• Donation Button. Yes, I've become shameless enough to start requesting donations. It's all nice and secure via Paypal, and helps keep me from standing on the grassy median holding a cardboard sign that says "Will Game For Food." The recession has bit deep into our household, so anything helps.
• Facebook Button. Do you like me? Do you really like me? Then hit the brand new Facebook button on the sidebar.

iPad 2

You knew it was coming. Here's the news from today's Apple press event:

The iPad 2 will ship March 11 in the US.

It's lighter and 33% thinner.

It has a new dual-core processor that runs twice as fast as the old one, and a new graphics processor that's 9-times as fast.

It also finally has cameras front and back, a nifty flexible magnetic cover, and HDMI video output. They're calling it a complete redesign.

The prices will all remain the same: $500 to $850.

There will certainly be more information available as the day goes on.

Scrabble Ascendant

According to the New York Times, the proliferation of word games on Facebook and mobile platforms is driving a new renaissance for Scrabble-style gaming. The prime movers are Words With Friends (now owned by the demonstrably evil Zynga) and various adaptations of Scrabble itself.

More interesting is the information that digital sales are driving conventional sales, with 4 million Scrabble sets sold in 2010 alone. According to Hasbro, this represents a 100% increase over a five-year period. And, yes, it's because of apps.

h/t: Erik Arneson

A Closer Look: French Tarot: Trumps 7 & 8

Many people are familiar with the standard Tarot suits (the "Major Arcana") used for "divination" purposes, but they're less aware that Tarot cards were created for playing trick-taking games and have a rich and diverse design history. These images are part of an ongoing series highlighting the art of a single deck used in France, which contains scenes of rural and domestic life in the 19th century.

Click to enlarge

Trump No. 7 (Detail)

Click to enlarge

Trump No. 8 (Detail)

U.S. Representative Rush Holt (NJ) Defeats Watson

Apparently IBM's Jeopardy-playing computer can indeed be defeated, and by a congressman no less.

Rep. Rush Holt of New Jersey, former Assistant Director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, was a Jeopardy winner 35 years ago when the show was in its initial run. Watson was pitted against several congressmen in promotional match in a Washington hotel, but Holt, who holds a PhD in Physics, was the only winner. The exhibition was a chance for IBM to promote potential government applications of their technology, and for politicians to promote the value of science education.

Holt was my Representative when I lived in his district. No, I didn't vote for him, but he always seemed like a decent guy, and we used to live in the same town. He's also the answer the Jeopardy question: "Who is the only Quaker currently serving in Congress?" (Quick: Which U.S. Presidents were Quakers?)

I promise this is my last Watson post. Until the next one.

Be a Mathlete: World Math(s) Day

March 1st is World Maths Day according to The International Committee for Proclaiming Days for Things.

Actually, this one is proclaimed and run by an Australian e-learning company, but it seems to have caught on and the competition raises money for schools (which is good) and UNICEF (meh). You can tell it's not American because they call it "maths" rather than "math."

(Why do the Brits say "maths"? Because  the word is a contraction of "mathematics," which is a plural. Thus, technically, the contraction should also be plural. That may appear to make perfect sense, but since we won the Battle of Yorktown and they didn't, we're right.)

Anyway, back to World Math Day. Over 5 million kids from 218 countries are taking part in a 60-second math challenge by logging in to worldmathsday.com and answering a series of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems. That makes it the biggest multiplayer session of the day.

Godzilla: Kaiju World Wars (Toy Vault)

Toy Vault has released some more shots from their upcoming Godzilla game, designed by the great wargamer designer Richard Berg. (Not to be confused with Richard Borg, creator of Memoir '44, Battle Cry, and others). It should be out some time this spring.

Players pick a monster and defend against military attacks and other monsters while stomping buildings and terrain. It comes with 4 painted 2 3/8 inch plastic monster figures, 90 stackable plastic tiles for building skyscrapers, four individual monster playmats, 86 terrain and power tokens, and much more.

REVIEW: Dead Space 2

Electronic Arts
Platforms: Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 3
Price: $60
Rated: Mature


Content descriptors: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language


ESRB Rating Summary: This is a third-person action game in which players assume the role of an engineer (Isaac Clarke) who must fight his way through hordes of aliens aboard a space station. Players use futuristic weapons (e.g., plasma guns, flamethrowers, electrified spikes) to kill a variety of mutated creatures—attacks generally result in cries of pain, dismemberment, and large spurts of blood. Some cutscenes depict close-up views of characters getting stabbed in the face by blades and needle instruments. Several environments depict mutilated bodies, as well as blood-splattered floors, walls, and ceilings. The words 'f**k' and 'sh*t' can be heard in the dialogue.

I've already smacked around EA for their childish "Your Mom Hates This" Dead Space 2 ad campaign. I guess they assumed there was some need to gin up a fake controversy to get this one on people's radar. Frankly, though, the first game was pretty popular, the sequel was generating good buzz, and there was already a lot of anticipation. 

And really, the game stands on its own merits, even if those merits are completely, undeniably, and inescapably gross. The core combat mechanic is based on dismembering mutants and killing them with their own limbs. Blood sprays, flesh flies, bones crunch, and icky-gooey sounds crowd the soundtrack. At some point, not too far into the game, the sheer excess of it all tips over into high camp, like the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail spouting streams of blood from his severed arm sockets.

There is a point at which gore ceases to scare or even horrify and simply creates a kind of giddy-nervous reaction. Think of the fire hose of blood in Evil Dead 2. Dead Space 2 manages to work both sides of the line, mixing bursts of absurdly over-the-top-violence with some genuine scares, a bit of psychological terror, and sustained tension. It is not a mix that will appeal to everyone, and it is most certainly not for children or even teens, but it is a well-crafted horror/sci-fi romp.

The Return of Isaac Clarke
You play as Isaac Clarke, an engineer who finds himself on a disabled mining ship populated by “necromorphs.” The result of some kind of alien virus, these necromorphs are a kind mutant alien/human hybrid, and the mutations move at a rapid pace. Since their physical structure is stretched out of place, it’s hard to know just where to shoot them. In fact, conventional weapons don’t work all that well, since many of the mutants can function just fine without a head. If one part of a creature is damaged, it may just attack with another, or it may sprout a new limb, or simply dissolve into a swarm of smaller, nastier creatures.

Thus, the Dead Space games are based on the idea of “strategic dismemberment.” You have to take the necromorphs apart piece by piece, and different critters require different kinds of dismemberment strategies. Since Isaac is an engineer, his weapons are almost all some kind of practical tool, like a plasma cutter or a rotating saw. New weapons can be purchased along the way, and upgraded at various work benches. The result is a heavily-customized set of weapons/tools specially crafted for an individual gamer’s fighting style.

Isaac also has the ability to pull objects and then fling them back. This creates one of the signature attacks of the series: cutting off a creature’s limb, pulling it towards you, and then shooting it back. Successfully executed, it’s an oddly satisfying move.

The original Dead Space was a tense, claustrophobic third-person action game. Dead Space 2 ramps up just about everything, largely dispensing with the quieter moments and tension in favor of an all-out action assault. The first game centered on a strange alien artifact called “The Marker,” which is a sacred relic to a religious cult called the Church of Unitology. The Marker is connected to the alien hive mind that controls the necromorphs, and the first game ends with Clarke returning the Marker in an attempt to stop the attacks.

Dead Space 2 picks up three years after the events of the first game. Clarke awakens in a hospital on the Sprawl, a huge urban development on one of Saturn’s moons. He has spent the last 3 years in an induced coma, and wakes to find the Sprawl overrun by necromorphs. The fight begins all over again, but this time on a much grander scale. The more spacious location, persistent hints of the horrors that caused the present problems, various narrative threads, and the use of recordings and journals to fill in the story are all techniques reminiscent of Bioshock, although without the extra layer of intellectual depth.

There’s certainly more heft to Dead Space this time around. The character of Isaac Clarke—who was silent in the original game—is significantly fleshed out in the sequel. The game spends a good amount of time with Isaac struggling to retain his equilibrium in the face of betrayal, guilt, emotional scars, and terrifying hallucinations. The narrative itself manages a few interesting turns, but none of them is particularly surprising. Instead, we have a game that plays like a funhouse ride, with periods of mounting tension punctuation by incredible (and fairly challenging) acting sequences.

Mutliplayer
DS2 also expands the world with a bit of multiplayer, and although the offerings are slim they’re satisfying. First, the negative: you’ll need an account and online pass for multiplayer. The pass is free if you bought the game new, but the process is a bit annoying. If you’ve bought the game used or merely borrowed it, there’s a one-time, $15 fee for playing online. Let’s hope it’s not a sign of things to come.

The multiplayer comes with 5 maps for teams of 4 humans against 4 necromorphs. Maps are objective-oriented, with the humans tasked with running to various waypoints to accomplish specific tasks while necromorphs try to the prevent them. Humans play as a character similar to Isaac Clarke, which means the real treat is the addition of player-controlled necromorphs.

There are 4 different types of playable alien. The Pack is small and fast, the Puker has a flailing attack and vomits a substance that slows you down, the Lurker can walk on walls and fire projectiles, and the Spitter is your basic melee fighter. Their sole goal in multiplayer games it to slow humans down long enough so they can’t accomplish their objectives. Players trade off roles: one attacked (humans) and one defender (alien). It’s a nice mix similar to that found in a semi-obscure action game called The Singularity.

Verdict
This is an adult game and is rated as such. Children not only shouldn't be playing it, they probably shouldn't even be within a 100 yards of anyone else who is playing it. It's pure survival-horror, and it works on a number of levels, delivering funhouse shocks, straight gore, intense action, moments of suspense, and even a touch of psychological horror. And blood. Oh yes indeed: plenty of blood.

REVIEW: Stone Age (Rio Grande Games)

Rio Grande Games
2-4 players
ages 10+
60-90 minutes
$45
Originally released: 2008
Designed by Michael Tummelhofer

The conversation went something like this:

ME: I got a new game and we're going to try it out tonight. It's called Stone Age.
FAMILY: Yippee! Sounds good! Battling cavemen! Wooly mammoths!
ME: Well, no, not really. Actually, it's what's called a worker placement game.
FAMILY: [blank stares]
ME: No, really, it's a great kind of game. You have little guys and they're, um, your workers, and you place them on the board and collect stuff, and then, well ... you place them again, but maybe in different locations on the board to get different kinds of stuff.
FAMILY: [uncomfortable glances at each other]
CHILD A: Placing workers is not fun. It's not even a game.
ME: Oh, yes! It's a very rich class of game! There's Agricola, and-
CHILD B: Can't we just play Dominion again?

Needless to say, we played Stone Age, much fun was had by all, and I learned a valuable lesson: never, ever use the phrase worker placement game among children or people who are not familiar with Eurogames. Seriously: kiss - of - death. Maybe call it something else, like a "Resource Acquisition Simulation".

In Brief
In Stone Age, players try to sustain and improve their tribe by gathering food and resources, adding new members, making tools, increasing their agricultural output, constructing buildings, and enhancing their civilization. This is done through a very simple mechanic that involves placing workers on certain spaces on the board and then resolving the actions for each of those spaces. Victory points are earned in several different ways, and the person with the highest number of victory points wins.

Components
This is the usual sturdy, well-crafted product from Rio Grande. The board condenses an immense amount of information into a limited space without making it seem crowded. There are 40 wooden people and 68 wooden resources (brick, wood, gold, and stone), as well as tiles for huts, food, and tools. The art is good and does a lot to extend the theme.

There's a lot of dice rolling in this game, so something really needs to be said about the Stone Age dice cup, a "leather" cup which is designed to look primitive. It is, without question, the worst-smelling game component in history. There may have been that one time when Sid Sackson dropped a copy of Acquire in his septic tank, but ... no, the Stone Age dice cup is worse. It smells like someone left a skinned polecat in a car on a 100-degree day with the windows up.

Gameplay
Stone Age is a hard game to summarize. Although it's fairly easy once your grasp the essentials, there are a lot of choices and resolutions for each turn. I'm just going to run through the basics.

You begin the game with a tribe of 5 workers, a bit of food, and a player board representing your village. People take turns placing these workers in specific locations on the main board. Each location yields some different result during the resolution phase. Some spaces have limited slots for workers, so people may be competing for a choice job during any given round. The locations break down like this:

The notorious Stone Age dice cup

• Hunting grounds (any number of workers): Gather food, which is used to feed your tribe during the feeding phase.
• Four different resource areas (up to 7 workers each): Gather wood, brick, stone, or gold, which is used to buy civilization cards and buildings.
• Tool maker (1 worker): Make 1 tool. Tools are used to increase the total value of your dice rolls.
• Hut (exactly 2 workers from a singe tribe): Add 1 worker to your tribe,
• Field (1 worker): Move your marker 1 space up on the food track. This automatically gives you 1 extra food each turn.
• Building tiles (1 worker per building tile): You pay for a building tile with resources, and then immediately add a certain amount of points to your total score. The building tile is moved to your player board. You can only buy 5 buildings in the course of the game, so plan wisely.
• Civilization cards (4 cards are laid out on the board, and you can place 1 worker per card): Once a card is paid for, it is taken by the player and replaced from the stock. These cards provide two kinds of bonus during the final scoring phase. Cards with culture symbols (writing, healing, pottery, art, and music) are worth 5 points for each unique card, while cards depicting different kinds of workers will add multipliers. For instance, if you have civilization cards depicting a total of 5 tool makers, and you have 4 tools, you earn 20 victory points at the end of the game. 

Food and resources are calculated by rolling dice, with 1 die rolled for each one of your workers placed on that resource. For instance, if you have 4 workers on the hunting grounds, you roll 4 dice. The total value of these rolls is then divided by various numbers to determine the total yield. (Food rolls are divided by 2, wood by 3, brick by 4, stone by 5, and gold by 6.) Thus, a roll of 24 on a food space would give you 12 food, while a roll of 24 on a gold space would give you 4 gold.

Each turn is played in rounds. First, everyone takes turns placing workers, then everyone resolves their workers' actions, then everyone feeds their tribe from the store of food. Food is measured simply: 1 food for each member of your tribe. If you don't have enough good, then your start paying out resources or even losing victory points.

The game ends when 1 stack of building tiles is exhausted, or when you cannot fully replenish the civilization card layout. People calculate their final score, and the winner is the person with the most victory points.

Food tokens

Verdict
This is a great worker placement game. It's a bit easier than some, which makes it perfect for families, but there's still plenty of room for strategy and planning. There isn't a great deal of player interaction. Other players may take some spot you want, but other than that there is no trading or real competition, except for points.

There is a lot of dice rolling and simple math in the game, so if you fear the dice, you might want to give this one a pass.  (Seriously, though: don't fear the dice, people!)

Strategy comes from finding the right balance between sustaining and growing your tribe, and earning enough for the point-generating cards and tiles. It's very hard to judge who's winning at any given point, since cards can remain hidden until the final scoring phases. Someone lurking at a 100-point deficit can suddenly lap the track once they calculate all their multipliers.

This points up one weakness in the game: the score can go very high, but the track only goes up to 100 points. That means you will almost always lap the scoring track, sometimes more than once. There's no simple way to mark which pieces have lapped the track, unless you put a coin or chit under their markers. It's not a big issue, but it's something we had to account for.

The theme works well with the mechanics, but I imagine you could place this in any number of settings with few changes. It could just as easily be themed to Colonial America or Ancient China. The stone age setting adds some flavor, but it's not integral to the design.

The design, however, is quite strong, with everything coming together nicely. It's a colorful, entertaining take on worker placement.

Kasparov on Watson

In my post about the Jeopardy-winning supercomputer Watson, I remarked that Chess Grandmaster Garry Kasparov "wouldn't last five minutes against Ken Jennings." That was no slight against Kasparov, who may well be the finest player in the entire history of Chess, and is proving to be a charismatic political figure in post-Communist Russia. It's just that the skill set and knowledge base needed to succeed at Jeopardy is far more diverse and complex than that required to succeed at Chess.

Although Kasparov won his first match against IBM's Chess-playing computer Deep Blue, he lost the rematch, and didn't handle the loss very well. Obviously, he's thought quite a lot about the man-versus-machine contest in the ensuing years, and he offers some interesting comments about Watson in The Atlantic:

My concern about its utility, and I read they would like it to answer medical questions, is that Watson's performance reminded me of chess computers. They play fantastically well in maybe 90% of positions, but there is a selection of positions they do not understand at all. Worse, by definition they do not understand what they do not understand and so cannot avoid them. A strong human Jeopardy! player, or a human doctor, may get the answer wrong, but he is unlikely to make a huge blunder or category error—at least not without being aware of his own doubts. We are also good at judging our own level of certainty. A computer can simulate this by an artificial confidence measurement, but I would not like to be the patient who discovers the medical equivalent of answering "Toronto" in the "US Cities" category, as Watson did.

Read the whole thing.

h/t: My wife (again).

Playing With Your Food

I'm not really that big a fan of Angry Birds, but I love how it's creeping into so many corners of society. Here's a guy who made a playable--yet wholly edible--Angry Birds birthday cake.



And here are the instructions for how to make your own.

h/t: My wife.

PUZZLE: Musical Letters

It's been a while since I posted a puzzle, so let's try some word playing.

Using just the musical notes--C D E F G A B--what is the longest word you can "play" on the piano? You can play the notes as many times as you like, but they have to a) make a single word and b) not require any letters but these seven.

There are multiple solutions.

Guitar Hero's Death Spiral

Joystiq charts the grisly toll following the death of the Guitar Hero franchise, and it's not a pretty picture. By the time the music game genre is finally laid to rest, the jobs lost actually may be in the thousands, once you add up development, marketing, and manufacturing.

In game development, it's not at all unusual to see cycles of hiring and firing. Companies swell with employees when they need to get a product out the door, and then sometimes shrink in the lull between its completion and the start of the next project.

Due to the size and rapid growth of the series, however, this is a bloodbath. The only Guitar Hero company with a real track-record is Neversoft (creators of the Spider-Man and Tony Hawk series), and they seem to have survived in some reduced form. Vicarious Visions also has some history, mostly working with Neversoft on ports and sequels, and it looks like they're going to survive as well.

On the positive side, a lot of people (including store owners, software developers, and factory workers) made a lot of money in a very short time. On the downside, it's left behind a sobering scene of wreckage that impacts real lives. These boom and bust cycles are the Gold Rush of the digital age.

Wrath of Ashardalon (Wizards of the Coast)

The new Dungeons & Dragons board game, Wrath of Ashardalon, is now available. This one slipped under my radar. Unlike its predecessor, Castle Ravenloft, it didn't seem to generate a lot of buzz, perhaps because it leans more towards fantasy than horror.

Like Castle Ravenloft, this looks like a chunky box full o' stuff for cooperative, boardgame-style adventuring. D&D purists seem to be turning up their noses at these, but my few sessions with Castle Ravenloft have provided a bit of that RPG flavor without the lengthy play, prep time, or need for a dungeon master. In other words: it's a way to play an RPG without it becoming an entire lifestyle.

This time, the Big Bad is a dragon rather than a vampire, and there seems to be a bit more complexity to the experience. The box is stuffed with plenty of dungeon tiles, hero and villain figures, cards, tokens, markers, and everything else a body needs to the D&D thing without a DM. It's listing for $65, and if I get a chance to look at it, I'll do a full review.