The third season of Stranger Things won't arrive until July, but you might be able to while away some of the time by checking out the Dungeons and Dragons adventure the gang plays in the first episode. Hasbro is releasing a D&D starter kit based...
When not building robots that we kill us and take over the world, researchers at MIT are working on robots that will just demoralize us and make us feel like losers. For example, this specialized robot combines vision and touch to teach itself to play Jenga. In case you’ve been living under a rock all your life, Jenga is a game of stacked wooden blocks where you have to pull out blocks without making the tower collapse.
The robot has a soft-pronged gripper, a force-sensing wrist cuff, and an external camera that allows it to “see” and “feel” the tower and the individual blocks. It can push gently against a block as the visual and tactile feedback is assessed from the camera and cuff. These forces are compared to other measurements. It can learn in real-time if the block can be removed without making the tower collapse. There’s no way we can compete with that.
Researchers think this technology would be great for things like separating recyclable objects from a landfill, and assembling consumer products. Then they just laugh at how much this robot will kick your butt at Jenga. Really they are just using their big brains to mess with us and to point and laugh.
I’ve played the old Guess Who? board game with my son and daughter, where you have to ask for hints about who the other player has by asking for clues about the character’s appearance. You ask things like “Do you have hair” and so on. There is a new game in the works that is very similar, but this game is all about extraordinary women in history, and none of the clues have to do with their appearance.
The game is called “Who’s She?” and it features wooden pieces illustrated with famous women on them, like Amelia Earhart, Hatshepsut, and Frida Kahlo. The game includes 28 biography cards that have facts about the lives of the women.
This game sounds like great a way to delve into women’s history while playing. It’s on Kickstarter now, and a pledge of at least $74 will get you a copy of this unique game when it starts shipping in early 2019.
It’s great to play games on your PC or console, but there are times when you get hassled about spending too much time playing. For those times what you need is this sweet Fallout: Wasteland Warfareboard game, which looks like fun, but won’t consume every moment of your waking life.
The Fallout inspired board game can be played with another player or by yourself. It’s sad to play a board game alone, but you can do it. Gameplay includes cooperative play, dice rolling, player elimination, and simulation. It sounds a bit like old-school D&D to me.
It comes with a dozen multi-part PVC miniatures including Aviator Head Super Mutant, Super Mutant Brute, Standard Super Mutant, 2 Super Mutant Hounds, Nora (the Sole Survivor), Dogmeat, Enslaved Tech Survivor, 2 Settlers (one male, one female), Brotherhood of Steel Aspirant in T-60 Power Armor, and a Deathclaw. 24 cards are included for units, AI, and reference and 100 small cards for weapons and mods. Ten custom dice are included along with counter sheets and a 3-foot square gaming mat for $79.99 at ThinkGeek.
If you still have room on your shelf after all of the other countless versions of Monopoly, check out this new board game based on the popular video game Fortnite. That’s right, Fortnite Monopoly – the game you will never play because you are too busy playing Fortnite.
This version of the classic board game replaces the usual property trading with elements from the popular shooter. Naturally, island locations replace the buildings. For instance, Tilted Towers is the new Boardwalk. You’ll also spot Paradise Palms, Dusty Divot, and Lazy Link. Forget money, health points are the currency here. This isn’t just a Fortnite theme, there are actual changes to the game mechanics.
Fortnite’s storm will play a big part in the game as storm-struck locations will take two lives each. The dice will also be split into movement and action rolls, so you can shoot a rival or defend yourself before you move. I have to admit this sounds like a better version of Monopoly compared to some of the others that Hasbro has released.
The game will hit stores on October 1st. If you can break yourself away from the video game long enough, you can give this board game a chance on that date. But can you really stop playing long enough to play another version of it? We will see.
Trivial Pursuit is generally one of those games some hate to play, and others love. The original game had questions based on all sorts of general knowlege, and there are numerous versions for fans of specific movies or shows. Not long ago we talked about a Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit game that was for fans of the Potterverse. Now, Rick and Morty fans can get a set of their own themed question cards for their Trivial Pursuit.
The card set includes 600 Ricktacular questions for you to try and answer. Categories include Frienemies, Technology & Science, Locations, Rick and the Family, History & Events, and a Wubalubadubdub Wild Card. The set includes the question cards, a storage box, and a die, but you’ll need to BYO game board, player pie pieces, and portal gun.
Naturally, given some of the crazy sh*t that happens on the show, the game is recommended for ages 17 and up. Entertainment Earth is offering the game for pre-order now for $19.99 and shipping will happen next month.
Big surprise, there’s another version of Monopoly to add to the hundreds that are already in existence. Although this one is better than some of the versions out there, and should actually be in demand. Hasbro’s Mario Kart-themed Monopoly is for serious Nintendo fans. I mean, you won’t get the excitement of actually racing and tossing bananas on the road, but it could be a fun game for the family.
Monopoly Gamer: Mario Kart incorporates the game’s characters and themes. You can choose from Mario, Princess Peach, Luigi, and Toad Mario Kart tokens, all of which all have their own powers and abilities. For example, when the Toad token player rolls a Power-up Boost, all players have to pay them a coin. Toad is always so sneaky. You can also purchase Mario Kart-themed properties, including Rainbow Road and Bowser’s Castle. And when you pass Go, you collect $200 Kart coins, but you also trigger a race where you can compete against the other players for the “Grand Prix” card. See, I told you this Monopoly version has more going on. You still have to dodge banana peels and shells too.
Monopoly Gamer: Mario Kart edition is available from GameStop now for $29.99. Additional Power Packs with new abilities and figures will be available in late May for $4.99 each.
I haven’t played a game of Scrabble in years, but even if I did, I can’t see myself shelling out money for an official Scrabble keyboard. But if you are a super-fan of the classic word game, you will likely feel different and find this keyboard stunning.
The custom keycaps on Massdrop’s keyboard have the same color palette as an official Scrabble tile set and board, and also includes additional triple/double word/letter score keycaps you can swap in. I guess you can play a solo game and keep track of your score while writing emails and doing work. Too bad it doesn’t keep score for you.
It’s an 87-key mechanical keyboard that uses Cherry MX Brown switches for a great tactile typing experience. This also means that it is not quiet, so you should probably just use this one at home and not at the office. You can pre-order it now for $160, and shipments kick off in the fall.
It’s the perfect gift for the Scrabble playing granny who writes the occasional email and likes to embarrass you on Facebook. Or for Scrabble champions of course. What’s next? A Monopoly keyboard with Chance and Community Chest keys?
Board game companies are always looking for new ways to incorporate technology into their games, and one board game maker is hoping that the incorporation of Amazon’s Alexa will mean huge sales. When In Rome is a new board game from manufacturer Sensible Object. While playing the game, Alexa will explain the rules, keep score, and ask trivia questions.
The game sounds pretty simple. Players sit around a world map, and each places their marker on a “home city” to start. Then they travel around the map to other major cities. As your marker enters each city, Alexa asks you questions about that city’s weather, customs, food, culture, and more. You earn points by answering questions correctly.
So it’s basically a trivia game that might sell a few more Amazon devices. Plus, now the NSA can keep track of who the trivia master is in your house. It’s a win for everyone. Seriously though, this might be a fun game. I can’t wait until we get a Settlers of Catan Alexa game. Alexa, I’ll trade you a sheep for a brick. “Sorry,only suckers trade in this game”.
When In Rome will cost justs $30, but you’ll also need an Alexa device if you don’t already have one.
Do you like to play Jenga? How about spicy tuna and wasabi? Well, have I got something for you! Sushi Stacker is a fun new tabletop stacking game that comes with planks that look like sushi instead of blocks of wood.
While you can play the game just like Jenga, the set comes with ideas for nine different games, including some that include picking up the pieces with chopsticks, playing Shogi, using them as dominoes, and some sort of Russian roulette game that I don’t quite understand. But even if you just use these to play sushi Jenga, they should offer plenty of fun.
The set includes 48 sushi pieces – six pieces each in eight different styles, as well as pair of chopsticks. Sushi Stacker is available exclusively from Firebox at the moment, where you can grab it for $40. You could easily spend that much on a raw fish dinner, and it won’t last nearly as long.
The third season of Stranger Things won't arrive until July, but you might be able to while away some of the time by checking out the Dungeons and Dragons adventure the gang plays in the first episode. Hasbro is releasing a D&D starter kit based...
