The "Up With Meeples" Awards: 2011

I'll just tell you guys that this has been one rough year. Most of my family and friends can suck it, and I'm ready to get shitfaced, pass out face-first in a bowl of M&Ms, and put a bow on this turd of a year. For me, perhaps the worst indication of how turdish this year really was, is that my board gaming suffered. Sometimes, I went weeks--weeks, people!--without even looking at a board game. I can't remember the last time I sold or traded a board game, and our closet is full of shrink-wrapped dust collectors. Le sigh.

So I am proposing right now that we all give 2011 the finger in one final hell of a sendoff tonight, and then get ready for the pure joy that will be 2012--up with board games! Down with poor losers, tantrums, family in general, and anything that doesn't make me shake my ass in victory celebration. Up with meeples! (Hey, wait...that's an awesome blog name. All rights reserved! All rights reserved!) Down with Cranium and anything with a Hasbro stamp!

To help with the big 2011 sendoff, let's chuck some awards at some games that made my excremental year slightly less awful. Hey if the entertainment industry can throw itself awards banquets and galas all year 'round, why can't I? This is the first year for my awards, so maybe if I can stay focused I'll bring it back next year...and hopefully in a slightly more cheerful mood. Maybe Billy Crystal will host. Either way, let's hope Courtney Love shows up and falls off some scaffolding.

Before we begin, let me just adjust my tiara and gown. Cocktail? Check. Mocked up picture of what I look like while typing up these awards?

Check.

Now, without further ado, here are the 2011 (Let's Never Have Another Year Like This) Up With Meeples Awards!


Katie's Top Board Game of the Year
Presented for excellence in gameplay, fun, challenge, and great memories in the past year

Twilight Struggle

For its role in husband-wife rivalry, and promoting both communism jokes, and shoe-banging gags

 Most Surprisingly Great Board Game of the Year
Presented for surprising excellence in gameplay and challenge from a game or situation that was totally unexpected

Glory to Rome

For its role as the ugliest packaging concept ever, hiding a brilliant little card game

Katie's Even-Though-I-Hate-Kids-Games-This-One's-Actually-Fun-For-Adults-Too Award

Presented for excellence in adult captivation while entertaining kids at the same time

Hey! That's My Fish!
For its role as Lily's after-dinner game that doesn't make me throw up my Hamburger Helper

 

Worst Reminder of How Bad Board Game Expansions Can Be

Presented for convincing gamers that it's worth just one more try

Seafarers of Catan

For its role as just a shitty expansion in a sea of shitty expansions. Not worthy of picture.

Best Dice Game of the Year

Presented for excellence in making games full of chance enjoyable

To Court the King

For its role as an understated, beautiful game with a fun dice mechanic 

Best Actor in Any Show or Movie Anywhere

Presented for excellence in acting and portrayal of one of the greatest literary characters of all time

Peter Dinklage

For his role as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones 

Best Play-Testing Experience of the Year

Presented for excellence in play testing. Duh.

Alien Frontiers

For its role among a handful of games I play-tested this year, as the most enjoyable and unbroken among its rivals  

Best Expansion of the Year

Presented for excellence in expansions that Katie tried this year. I don't care if they're not new. These awards are all about me, get it?

Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries

For its role as a stand-alone expansion of sorts (debate has ensued about the status of expansion vs. sequel) and for its outrageously crowded map.   

Best Party Game of the Year

Presented for excellence in rowdy shenanigans

Telestrations

For its role inciting penis drawings and one of the scariest "porno" drawings I've ever seen or imagined. 

Best Game You've Never Heard Of

Presented for excellence in gameplay goodness without the backing of a publisher

Quintessential: The Fifth Element

For its role as a frustratingly wonderful dice game with a high-production-value prototype. Dice box anyone?

And that concludes our ceremonies for this year! Mainly because I need to go change out of this designer gown, put on some of my gross clothing, and slog myself to a New Years party where I intend to carry out my threats as described at the beginning of this article. Thank you for attending this year's Up With Meeples Awards.

Here's wishing you all a happy 2012!

Pimping Out Our Castle Panic Game - Part 2

Okay, so maybe part one of this post was published over a year ago. Meh. If I wasn't a slacker, I wouldn't be the charming nerd I am today. The point is, I am taking time out of my chaotic holiday schedule just to show you the amazing results--so sayeth the most humble person in the world--of our attempt to craft some upgrade pieces for our Castle Panic game.

If you'll recall from Part One, we decided that the cardboard pieces that come with the Castle Panic game--cardboard castles and walls stuck in plastic stands--we insufficient for our panicky castle hijinks. So we devoted some time last year to crafting some 3D walls, castles, and fences, primarily using Crayola's Model Magic as our medium. The crafting was trickier than we figured it would be (who's surprised?) and we had to scrap our game plan a couple times.

To read the full nitty-gritty, CLICK HERE for Part One.

The good news is that they all dried beautifully, and were ready to paint! Here are some pics showing the results. Sorry the pictures aren't better, but I'm a gaming nerd, not a photographer, so you get whatcha get.

Above is a side-by-side of the original pieces (on the right) with the new pieces (on the left). Dave was in charge of the painting, and decided to make the walls a steelier gray, with lots of dirt and moss covering each one. The towers, on the other hand, looked more like weathered stone with the occasional subtle blood spatter. The fence barricade pieces have the best blood spatters, and are painted to look like battered rails.

Here is the final assembly (okay, minus a few pieces, but you get the idea).

The bottom line is that this was a lot of fun to put together, and I'd especially recommend this as a family project with kids. Not only does it add another dimension to the game, quite literally, but it makes the game more personal and exciting. Maybe one of these days we'll add some custom-built creatures to the mix.

On the other hand....maybe we'll just make some cocktails and get back to gaming. Crafting is nice and all, but only in gaming can I delight so much in squashing my husband. When I squash him (read: his clay pieces) during crafting, he just tends to cry.