I have had a few crazy weeks, and I have had a hard time trying to sit down and write a blog post up. I did a little update, but I have still been kinda busy. It has also been a long time since I have written a blog that is about a board game I love and want to recommend to you all.
First I have to say this. I am really into board gaming and have a pretty good collection of a bunch of different board games that all play differently, or some that are kind of based on other games, but make small changes to make them either play faster to play, which playing time can be an indication someone does not want to play. For example, I have an amazing game called Reefe Encounter.
The game has you building coral reefs, and you are trying to build reefs that are the same color, but not only that, you are also trying to control the types of algae that are the same colors as the reefs you are building. Then you have a parrot fish who eats shrimp in the reefs. When you feel like you have built a big reef of the same color, you place a shrimp on the coral tiles, and on your next turn, you take the reefs that you built and put them in your parrot fish, which is like a little block, but the algae colors determine the amount of points the reefs you have eaten are. For example, if you collect a bunch of orange reef, you want to change the algae color to orange, because if your fish eats your orange reefs, you score more points because the orange algae is dominate in that ecosystem.
It sucks when you build a pink reef, and you have collected it, but then the pink is less dominant, so it doesn't score as much as the orange reefs do. This game is awesome, but you have to have committed friends or family to play Reef Encounters because it takes three hours, that's right, THREE HOURS to play. Super fun, super interesting, tons of strategy, lots of learning when to sacrifice your reefs to try to start collecting reefs with the algae that is scoring the most at that point. I bring up this game in particular to show two points. Number one, there a lot of interesting underground board games that you will never hear of if you are just shopping at Walmart or a grocery store that sells some of the regular games everyone knows, like Monopoly, which is a game that I think turns tons of people away from the board games they might actually love.
Another thing is that underground board gaming can be hard because if a company puts out a game, and it stops selling, they don't print it anymore, just like books. Sometimes though, they come back around, maybe with a different cover and art work, but it's the game you liked, but weren't lucky to get when it was in print. I actually had a board game that was out of print, and I wasn't a big fan of it, and I sold it on Ebay for $475.00. That's right, almost five hundred bucks. I tell you this because there was a board game that I have and love that I bought in 2007. It went out of print, and I was at Barnes and Noble to pick up a book for Elliot, and they had the game, but it's reprint is different, but I bought it anyway. That game is called Long Shot.
Long Shot is a horse racing game where you roll dice, they tell you which of the eight horses in the race move, you move the horse a certain amount of spaces determined by what you roll. After that, you get to take an action, like buy one of the horses, or place bets on other horses. Maybe someone will give you extra money to bet with. Here is the 2007 version box and the picture on the back of the box.
Sorry they aren't straight.
As you can see in the 2007 version, there is paper money, chips you use to bet, a bunch of cards, and the track is long. The game is only one lap, like normal horse races, and I love the figures in this version, but they all kind of look the same. This version of the game went out of print in 2009.
I love this game because it reminds me of my favorite carnival game where you roll pool sized balls into little holes, and your little horse moves across the game booth. I think they are so fun, and this game kind of recaptures that fun that you get playing the carnival game. Like I said, it's out of print, and I wanted to write a blog and recommend it, but there was no way to buy it.
Then I saw this at Barnes and Noble...
I was in shock because I hadn't heard about it, and I usually know a lot about board games right before they come out, or shortly after. It's a much smaller box, and it calls it a "Dice Game", which can turn some people off. Here is the back of the box...
So, looking at the back of this box, you can see the differences between the 2007 version, and the 2023 version. This is what the board gaming community calls a "Streamline" game. A streamlined game is where they take a really fun board game that lasts a little longer, and then they develop new mechanisms that are different from the original, but you get the same experience as you do with the original.
How it works is there are eight horses, and each has a card. You have a glossy card and a dry erase marker. Those cards have all of the information you need. You roll one eight-sided horse dice, which tells you which horse will move. Then you roll a green dice, which tells you how many spaces the horses move, from one to three spots. After you roll, you look at the card of the horse you just rolled, and it may tell you when that horse moves, another horse moves. Basically, you are trying to roll your dice, and think of what one action you can take. Like you might want to bet three dollars on the horse that just moved, or maybe buy a horse, if you can afford it, because if it places in the top three, you earn money for owning the horse. There are five different choices to make, but you only choose one, and it's right there on your card to remind you of what actions you can take. If this sounds confusing, I'm not doing it justice, because this is a super fantastic, streamlined game that I already love. The full out of print game is great, but it takes at least an hour. If you play the new one with three people who know the rules ahead of time, you can easily play this new one in twenty-five minutes, and there's no downtime.
Some games seem boring because you are sitting there waiting for your turn while people are taking theirs, but in this new version, everyone is pumped up and waiting to see what dice the other players roll because a horse they own might be moving forward, or a horse they have a bet on might move. Maybe someone will play the action where they can move the lead horse back one or two spaces, putting their horse in a better position. It's really fun and exciting to play.
The original also said the ages are from ten and up, but this dice game says fourteen. I think that a ten year old can play it just as well as a fourteen year old kid. The only tricky thing is adding up how much money you win at the end of the game.
There are a few YouTube videos with the rules explained perfectly, and even some have playthroughs so if you are confused on a rule, you will get to see it happen, and what to do.
This game also has a solo player version. There is a card that shows our competitor, Roland Wright, get it, roll and write, anyway. You roll the dice as normal, do your movement and action, then the Roland Write card has a grid matrix, for example, If you roll the number one horse, and then a two on the green movement dice, you look for the number rolled, there are three columns, and then go to the horse rolled, so it meets up with the horse and the movement, and you have to do what it says for Roland's turn. It's a lot of fun, easy and interesting. I haven't come across a game in a while where everyone playing demands to play the game again right after we've just played.
If you like roll and write games, and you think horse racing is super exciting, just go to the Barnes and Noble website and buy it. I think they are only selling it at their stores and online store. I promise, it's worth the $25. That's less expensive than taking the whole family out to the movies. (I shouldn't say that because I am a film critic), but this game is a lot of fun.
Well, that's it for this post. I like writing these little posts to recommend something. Even if someone may not be into board gaming like I am, but are looking for a fun little game to break out once in a while, this is the game. You can play with eight players, which I don't fully recommend. I would say four and five is it's sweet spot, but it plays great solo, and if you are just with one other person. I'm not going to lie, sometimes people don't like dice games like this because it has a "Luck" factor. That's where you can do everything you can win, and then an element of Luck screws them over. However, since this is a horse better game, it has the right amount of luck to make it fun and exciting. Betting is betting on luck, but it doesn't feel like it takes over the game. Plus the mechanic where you roll the dice and move the horse will be different each time, so you can replay this game over and over and not have the same game twice.
Anyway, I hope you are all doing well. I've been in a little bit of a funk ever since I took Elliot home. The house feels empty and quiet, and that makes me sad. However, I do have blessings that I am thankful for, and if you feel like something in your life sucks, and it's driving you crazy, say a little prayer and thank our heavenly father for everything that we do have. I'm not trying to preach, I am just saying to be thankful when things feel wrong.
Well, I will catch you on the flip side, or what is the flip side on a an MP3 player? I'll see you there!
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