Board Game of the Week: Dungeons and Dragons (Parker Bros.)

Board Game of the Week: Holly Hobbie Wishing Well Game (Parker Brothers)

Board Game of the Week: MASK

Board Game of the Week: Krull (Parker Bros.)

Board Game of the Week: QBert (Parker Bros.)

Advert Artwork; Qbert (Parker Brothers Edition)

Advert Artwork: Spider-Man (Parker Bros. Edition)

At Flashbak: Parker Brothers' RISK

This week at Flashbak I celebrated one of my favorite, classic board games: RISK.

Here’s a snippet and the url: (http://flashbak.com/the-classic-world-domination-game-celebrating-risk-parker-brothers-364884/ )

“In 1959, Parker Brothers licensed from creator Albert Lamorisse (1922-1970) a game called “Conquest of the World.”

You probably know the game by the name it has gone by ever since: RISK, “The Classic World Domination Game.”

Designed for 2-6 players, ages 10 and up, the object of RISK is to occupy every territory in the world.  Yes, you are out to literally occupy the entire planet Earth.

Here is how the game’s directions describe the campaign: “You are battling to conquer the world. To win, you must launch daring attacks, defend yourself on all fronts, and sweep across vast continents with boldness and cunning.”

The game comes down to a folding board that separates the Earth into forty-two territories over six continents. Each player gets armies to sweep across the continents, and five dice with which to battle: three red and two white.

And what about alliances with other players?

Well, they’re….risky.

An advertisement in the seventies put the matter: “Trust is something you’ll have to take a risk on.”  Instead, the player should focus on “maneuvering options” and “shrewd assessments.”

I remember playing RISK with my father as a teenager, and then taking the game to college at the University of Richmond, where I relentlessly played it with my roommate and other best friend.  The sad thing is, as I recall: I sorta, kinda cheated. 

I didn’t mean to. Honest.  I just didn’t remember the rules right and we all used three white dice for defense instead of two, and that made conquering the world that much harder.  At this point, I’d like to humbly apologize to my friends for not reading the rules more carefully…

Since the game’s premiere in 1959, the RISK Empire has grown by leaps and bounds.  There are variations of the game such as Castle Risk (1986) and RISK 2210 AD (2001). Similarly, there have been RISK variations based on pop culture properties.  Over the last few years I have seen Doctor Who, Plants vs. Zombies, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Transformers and Game of Thrones versions of the classic game. You can also find RISK apps and computer games…”

Please continue reading at Flashbak.

At Flashbaks: When Video Games Became Board Games

This week at Flashbak I also remembered video games that were “ported” to board games in the 1980s.

Here’s a snippet and the url (http://flashbak.com/bored-games-remembering-video-games-became-board-games-1980s-61318/ )

“Just imagine this scenario. The year is 1982 or 1983. You are 11 years old. You beg and plead for your parents -- or your aunt or grandparents for that matter – to buy Pac Man for the Atari 2600, or Donkey Kong if you own Coleco-Vision. 

Your mind immediately conjures images of hours spent in front of your TV and Atari, or other console, having fun with an exciting new game cartridge. You’ll be the envy of all your friends.

Then your birthday arrives, and you unwrap your gifts only to find that you have been swindled. Your relative have given you the board game version of the video game you wanted.

This is no idle nightmare, my friends.

This actually happened to untold numbers of kids in the early 1980s. Game companies such as Milton Bradley and Parker Bros. turned a generation’s favorite video game excitement into “board” -- bored? -- games.

Below are five such offenders from an era when game makers managed to make new video games feel, well, old hat.

Seriously I love (and collect) old board games. They had great art-work and inventive play.  Still, this trend was such a disappointment.

Still, these board editions of video game properties did have one major benefit over their video game originals. 

At least you wouldn’t get Atari’s thumb while playing them…”

Please continue reading at Flashbak.

Board Game of the Week: Laverne and Shirley (Parker Bros.)

Board Game of the Week: Little House on the Prairie (Parker Bros.)

Bonanza Rummy Game (Parker Bros.)

At Flashbak: ROM the Space Knight (Parker Bros., 1979)

This week at Flashbak, I remembered a classic “space” toy from 1979: Parker Bros.’ ROM the Space Knight.

Here’s a snippet and the url (http://flashbak.com/outer-space-toy-store-rom-space-knight-parker-bros-1979-57592/ )

“In 1979, ads from toy company Parker Brothers blared “The age of ROM has come,” as they introduced an “advanced electronic toy.”

ROM the Space Knight was a giant, silver action figure. At first glance one might make the assumption that he is a robot, but he is actually a living being in space armor.  He comes from “a galaxy far away” (wink, nudge) to “share heroic adventures with you.”

ROM the space knight featured “light up” rocket pads, and a respirator that could “make realistic breathing sounds.”  More importantly, he arrived in your neck of the woods with three cool accessories.

First there was ROM’s “energy analyzer,” which “lights up” and “makes strange electronic sounds” so kids could pretend ROM was detecting whether individuals he encountered were good or evil.

Secondly, there was ROM’s translator. It makes “eery” [sic] sounds too, and grants ROM the “ability to communicate with any intelligent being in the universe.”

Finally, ROM’s weapon: the neutralizer. This device “flashes and make zapping sounds” and banishes “evil creatures” to the “Shadow Zone.”

To tie in with ROM’s toy release, Marvel Comics released a great series about the character.  In the comic book continuity, ROM was once a normal human denizen of Galador, but then came the Dire Wraiths: a race of malevolent invaders bent on taking over his world.

Many young patriots from Galador volunteered to fight the Wraiths, but they did so "neuro-surgically" grafted into machine suits...as Cyborgs. The battle for Galador was won, but Rom the Space Knight ultimately ended up on Earth, the Dire Wraiths' "mightiest stronghold," according to the legend.

The comic-book series followed Rom's adventures on Earth, in West Virginia, as -- armed with his aforementioned "neutralizer" -- he battled the Dire Wraiths (who looked human) and their minions, including the Dogs of the Dark Nebula. Rom's friends were a secretary named Brandy, who had feelings for him, and her jealous but helpful boyfriend Steve, an auto mechanic.”

Continue reading at Flashbak, please.

At Flashbak: Situation 4 and Situation 7 (Parker Bros; 1968-1970)

This week at Flashbak I remembered the intriguing ‘double jigsaw’ Situation games produced by Parker Bros. circa 1968-1970.

Here’s a snippet and the url (http://flashbak.com/like-double-jigsaw-really-game-remembering-parker-brothers-situation-games-1968-1970-52944/ )

“In the late 1960s, Parker Brothers -- manufacturers of Sorry!, Ouija and other great board games of the era -- devised a fiendish new game series, one that was part puzzle, part tense competition. 

These “strategic” and “competitive” Situation games required “wits” to win “the brand new, totally engrossing strategy game that two people (or two teams) play with puzzles.”

So how did one play the Situation games? 

Well, “each side competes for the same territory, dreaming up tactical moves to gain key objectives and score the most points.”

Situation 4 was first out the gate in 1968, and its competitive puzzle or map was of a World War II battle. The theater for combat and competition, I believe, was Europe. 

I actually preferred and played (in the 1970s), the 1969 edition: Situation 7.  This was one was set in space.

As described on the box:

“Here is a game and a puzzle combined. Each player of team has a complete puzzle, identical except for color.  Both puzzles are played on the same area.  The object is to cover more areas than your opponents and score more points.  Special pieces! Special plays! Watch the crowd gather and join in the fun.”

Situation 7 depicts two planet home bases, and a solar system up for grabs. The idea is for one team to win the “space race” and to conquer as much of the solar system as possible. You not only want to claim planets (and the sun) for points, but also man-made satellite, rockets, and astronaut installations.”

Please continue reading at Flashbak.

Board Game of the Week: Mork and Mindy (Parker Bros.)

Board Game of the Week: Dune (Parker Bros; 1984)

Board Game of the Week: The Hardy Boys (Parker Bros.)

Board Game of the Week: The Muppet Show (Parker Bros.)

Board Game of the Week: Return of the Jedi - Battle at Sarlacc's Pit Game (Parker Bros; 1983)

Board Game of the Week: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Parker Bros.)