Games Week

It has apparently been games week. I had posted about Arkham Horror a couple days ago. We played at least three times. That has got to be one of the longest games. Complicated, intriguing, and fun but long. Most games would run a couple of hours. More time then I should be putting in but I consider it good family time.

Last night I introduced my nephew to Cosmic Cows. This simple but competitive and addictive game, pits player against player as your alien group attempts to abduct cows. It pretty much Yahtzee but with a competitive edge.
Then later that night I introduced my brother and sister-in-law to Fluxx, my favorite card game. Fluxx is played with a special deck of cards that includes Rules, Keepers, Actions, and Goals. Everyone starts with three cards and the simple rule, Draw 1, Play 1. From there the game changes, constantly. The rules change each round, the goal to win changes. It's a great game. I have seen rounds last 2 minutes and rounds that last 45. There are some times when you play standard rules and times where you are drawing 5, playing 2, in reverse order, with your first play being chosen by the person next to you. It's not a game to play while drinking because this one actually requires some thought. There are numerous versions of the game and I own one of the oldest. I should probably buy the upgrade. Well worth looking at if you like games.

The last game I played this week was Hide and Seek. But this time I was playing online. Our guild gets together once a month (or sometimes every other month) to discuss guild business and to play games together. We have done dueling meets, races, and hide and seek games. This month it was hide and seek/race through Northrend. We included two other guilds who are like-minded and had a blast. A couple of our Knights and Council hid in each of the different regions. A seeker would announce which region they were heading to and the hider would invite them to group. No flying mounts were allowed. You had to race to the hider and open trade to receive a gift. Then you would leave that party and announce where you were heading next. And the hider in that region would invite you. The first person to find all 8 hiders was the winner. It was an interesting mix of race and hide and seek. You could see where the person was but you still had to find them. And you had to beat the other seekers. It was a ton of fun and I picked up some nice gifts.

And that got me thinking. I miss hide and seek. I used to love the game. Not because I was a good hider but because I loved to seek. I love wandering around the house looking for my brothers and sisters and friends. I love the excitement of finding someone well hidden. Or the frustration of not finding someone. And my favorite was Sardines. In Sardines only one person hides and everyone else seeks. When one of the seekers finds the hider they squeeze into the same hiding spot with the person. After three or four people you are starting to get cramped. But the seekers keep coming. The last person to find the (now bulging) group loses. The first person to find the hider now becomes the hider. It was a great game. We would play for hours. I should have suggested a round when my nephews and niece were in town. I miss that game. Or perhaps I'll have to suggest it as a guild meet for next time. I can imagine all of us characters crammed into one little hiding place in Stormwind.