...and 2 I forgot..
Hey happy gamesters, in yesterday’s post I banged on about 8.5 games that I always grab to take to (now imaginary) game evenings, but crucially (and mainly because they were sat on another shelf when my addled brain was listing them) I missed out 2 other games that also (used to) go with us just about everywhere. In some respects, they are probably guilty of their own familiarity, so I’m not entirely to blame....
IN A BIND (now Yogi) - Stuff By Bez Behrooz Shahriari Apx £9 In the olden days, if we wanted to get all physically twisty and generally uncomfortable, we’d either go to Yoga run by our sadist friend Nigel, or play the classic game for making folk who don’t know each other well and yet physically engage with them more than on a 5th date, Twister. What Bez has done with the brilliant and hilarious In A Bind is to distill down what was funny and engaging about Twister, and yet strip away that uncomfortable grinding with a stranger. I’ve written much more about the brilliant Bez and her games here, but in essence, In A Bind is a set of cards which demand of the player to make life difficult for themselves, such as “Place this card between thumb and forefinger” or “Cover your left eye” or my most feared one “Elbow above shoulder” (honestly, try it, it’s a nightmare). In the next round, you draw another card (if you still can) and crucially must still fulfill all the criteria of your previous cards. This quickly gets out of hand (NPI) and has in past games led to people getting on tables, under tables, cards in clothing, under glasses, tucked into bra straps - you get the idea. For the picky, In A Bind does rely on some degree of trust to ensure that everyone is still keeping track of what all their cards say, but honestly - no-one cares. Everyone will be laughing so hard and having so much fun, that it just doesn’t matter. Most folk will take the cards waaay further than they were intending, and strangely often make life actually more difficult for themselves than less. Simple rule, if you drop a card, you’re out. This can be a blessed relief sometimes and so this is the ONE game where I break my golden rule that I hate elimination games. Going out allows you to sit back, relax, rub on your favourite muscular salve and just carry on watching your friends keep torturing themselves more than a session with a physiotherapist called Patricia with a chip on her shoulder about why Brian left her for a dental hygienist. What Bez has created with In A Bind is a stroke of no minor genius. It is a game that immediately engages everyone round the table; doesn’t make anyone feel emotionally uncomfortable (unlike the bumping and grinding in Twister); doesn’t overstay its welcome, and will genuinely leave you with some of the happiest gaming memories you will ever have. The first time we played In A Bind was at UKGE a few years ago: we couldn’t find a table one evening for love nor money and so we ended up with a group of us (some we knew, some we didn’t) in a corridor near the bar, and we just went for it. Very soon we were all doubled up and helpless with laughter and looking like we were all auditioning for Quasimodo roles at Disneyland, and John Robertson (The Dark Room) wandered past. I know John, he’s a lovely and gloriously strange guy, and he looked at the scene, looked me in the eye and quietly said “You guys are weird” - yes, this game prompted John ‘Ya Die Ya Die’ Robertson to call someone else weird. It’s a great game, and deserves to go down as an utter classic. Sidebar: A while ago, In A Bind got picked up by Gigamic and re-released as Yogi, but I have a feeling if you find Bez at cons (and you really should meet Bez, she’s one of the loveliest people in gaming!) you might still be able to win one of the rare original versions with Bez’s brilliant handdrawn artwork. Bez has the best competitions and booths at any con.
COCKROACH POKER - Devir Jacques Zeimet apx £8 I was first introduced to this devious little whelp of a game again, in the bar at UKGE (why do so many games come from random meetings?) several years ago, and it has become a staple of games evenings ever since. It has also become a nemesis of a game between me and muh good friend Dave. I love that I have friends who know me massively well, but it does make playing games sometimes intensely difficult - especially bluffing games, and bluffing is pretty much the modus operandi of Cockroach Poker. The premise is simple, players have a hand of bug cards and must try and give their cards away. This can be done honestly, or ideally by lying thru your teeth about what you are handing off. Players may call you out immediately, if they are wrong, they keep the card and place it in front of themselves, if they’re right, you keep it. They may also pass the card to another player and so on. If you end up with 4 of any one bug type in front of you, you’re out. It’s brilliantly tense, usually hilarious, and refreshingly short, maybe 10-15mins per game. It’s one of those games you don’t just drop in a bag, but take with you almost everywhere. Dave knows my most hated phrase is “Paul, this is a scorpion” because it always is, unless it isn’t. It’s cheap, it’s hilarious, the artwork is great and sufficiently abstract and cartoon-y that I don’t think I’ve ever known an otherwise bug-phobic player to have a problem, but it’s worth considering. Both these games are brilliant, pack a real game punch for a tiny investment of both money or time, and have years of replayability. I’d recommend both of them highly for pockety goodness. Sidebar: Please note, if you are following the link to my previous article on Bez, since writing that article some years ago, I have become aware of a change in Bez’s personal pronoun and therefore the older article features what is now an error. I must apologise to Bez for this, and if I can find the original article to correct it I will, but apologise for the error until then! Sorry Bez! Happy gaming y’all
