Category Archives: Games

The Catoblepas That Got the Cream

Posted on May 20, 2013 by

The subject of this post is a mythical monster described by the Greeks, but that isn’t part of classical Greek mythology. Not that this is necessarily a significant difference, but it isn’t something that Hercules fought. Rather, descriptions of this … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Final Fantasy, Games, Greek Mythology, Mythology, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Carrollian Queens

Posted on August 23, 2012 by

One tendency I’ve noticed is for people to confuse the Queen of Hearts from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland with the Red Queen from Through the Looking-Glass. This was the case in Tim Burton’s film; and while I haven’t played it, … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Board Games, Chess, Games, Lewis Carroll | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Back to the Boardwalk

Posted on August 6, 2012 by

Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story – This documentary on the famous board game was pretty thorough, mostly providing information I already knew, but I HAVE read books about the subject. The movie covered the invention of the game and … Continue reading →

Posted in Board Games, Games, Monopoly, VoVat Goes to the Movies | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Ever Since I Was a Young Boy, I’ve Played the Silver Ball

Posted on July 2, 2012 by

Okay, I personally haven’t played much pinball, but I do find it kind of fascinating that it’s even still around. Arcades will usually have a few pinball machines, usually based on once-popular properties, off to one side. And they’re apparently … Continue reading →

Posted in Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

You Know Uno, But Do You Know O’No?

Posted on May 7, 2012 by

I’m sure you’ve all played Uno, which is more or less Crazy Eights with extra cards that do such things as reverse play and skip a person’s turn. It was invented in 1971 by a Hungarian barber, and I know … Continue reading →

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Nobody’s Business But the Turk’s

Posted on April 30, 2012 by

It’s been a while since I did a post on a game (of the non-video variety, anyway), but I recently thought of something fascinating I read as a kid, namely the story of a chess-playing automaton. Built in 1770 by … Continue reading →

Posted in Board Games, Chess, Conspiracy Theories, Games | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Cats in Black

Posted on February 27, 2012 by

An old game that I was interested in finding out about is the Black Cat Fortune Telling Game, which appears to have been first released in 1897. Part of the Victorian obsession with fortune-telling, this game consists of twenty-four cards, … Continue reading →

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The Tiddlywink Squad

Posted on February 20, 2012 by

Today, we take a look at a game with a name that suggests it’s not all that serious, but that actually has organizations centered around playing it. I’m referring to tiddlywinks, based on the simple principle of using a disc … Continue reading →

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Snapper Soup

Posted on February 13, 2012 by

There are several card games, primarily intended for kids, where the object is to capture all the cards in the deck. At least as far as I’m concerned, these games tend to start out fun but get tedious. One game … Continue reading →

Posted in Games, Playing Cards | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Filling in the Blanks

Posted on February 7, 2012 by

The Games We Played: The Golden Age of Board & Table Games, by Margaret K. Hofer – This is an oversized coffee table book of old games, mostly consisting of pictures and brief descriptions, although there is also some attempt … Continue reading →

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