Game-Playing

Aaron and I love to play board games and over the recent months we have really slacked on  making time to do this. I guess we just make excuses of other things to do, too tired, too mentally tired, not enough time, etc. Even earlier this week, game playing was discussed and hasn't happened. But last night we broke out Blokus. We received this from some wonderful person as a wedding present (don't ask me who as I do not have that kind or memory or access to that list right now). We registered for it because we had heard what a great game it was (good reviews, Mensa selcts, Teacher's choice, good for two players) and had received the travel version already (I think from my sister). 

You have bazillions of odd shaped pieces that you play touching only on the corners. Your peice can only touch the side of another piece if that piece is not yours. So looking at the photo in the green and yellow dominated corner you'll see that each piece is only touching another green or yellow piece by the corner. Everywhere else on the board there are pieces touching, but that's my pieces (green and yellow) touching Aaron's (red and blue). Easy enough... but sometimes the shapes of those pieces make you growl with frustration or cheer when you find the perfect spot for an odd shaped piece.

just kidding... no one cries

This game is a great strategy game and can be played with variations. Playing the big version was easier than the travel version because there was definietly enough room to play all the pieces - a feat near impossible in the travel version. We then tried the two-colors for each player variation and it was much more difficult and more satisfying. I kicked the pants off Aaron (maybe literally) as green and yellow. 

Aaron's strategy was to build to my corner and start attacking. My strategy, which won this time was to make an inpenetrable wall - which blocks play of bigger pieces, but with the right small pieces, which are limited, can be overcome. I won this time, but I know it will not always work. I cannot wait to play this game with three or four people!

On a similar note, I have started playing Words with Friends which I took to be online Scrabble. I am good at Scrabble so I thought I would be good at Words with Friends. Nope. I am currently losing four games, and some of those games I am really losing. Aaron reassures me that its not really Scrabble, only similar, and that the play is different, but I am not sure I have grasped this yet. I'm going to keep playing to hone my word making skills, but I accept the fact that making awesome words does not make me a winner.