November/December, 1996

Gaming News & Commentary

• Letter from the Editor - notes and introduction to this month's issue (November/December)

• Gaelcon 96 - Annie Shillabeer reports from Ireland

Essen Spiel Coverage

• Essen 96: Kurt Comments - pictures and words by Kurt Adam
• Essen 96: The (unofficial) Furry View - Peter Card with a perspective

Letter Box

• Bunko - Kim Allen is looking for rules to this dice game
• Clock and Rose - Real Charette is also looking for a game with very few clues
• In Teufels Küche - Markus Huber chimes in with some devilish trivia
• Lifetime - Eamon Bloomfield dissents
• Review of the Spanish Main - Chris Boote points to a possible flaw

Game Reviews

• Battletech - a CCG constructed piecemeal in Mech tradition
• Dino Hunt - time travel, danger, dinosaurs - a Christmas treat for the kiddos
• Four Short Reviews
  • xXenophile - the adult collectable card game
  • Kill Doctor Lucky - get the good doctor before he gets you!
  • Before I Kill You, Mr. Bond - spies, super-spies, counter-spies, beer, and pretzels
  • Golem - fun and games with the Kabbalah
• Knightmare Chess - anything can happen in this variant that twists all the rules
• MarraCash - the fine art of fleecing tourists
• Power - featuring the ever popular MegaMissile
• X Pasch - a bit of business with some kingmaking thrown in

Game Bits

Note that the PostScript files in the rules below should be downloaded to your hard disk and then printed using the appropriate application (lpr on Unix, BBedit or others on Mac, ?? on Windows, etc.).

• Die Siedler: Poor Man's Seafaring - a variant from KMW's Spielplatz
• Elfenroads Lite - a variant of this hard to find classic
• (repaired) Formule Moon - a new track for Formule Eins/Daytona 500/Grand Prix/Top Race designed by Alan Moon and rendered by Kurt Adam (PostScript)

Original Game Rules

• Rats - an Asian card game -elimination Career Poker/Dalmutti
• Herbs - aliens are cloning janitors and only you can stop them!

English Game Translations

• The Most Wanted List - rule sets at large and unaccounted for

• Am Fuss des Kilimandscharo - at the foot of Kilimanjaro with Knizia
• Bananas - a fine bit of monkey business
• Daumen Drauf! - don't get bitten in this game of bluff and reptiles!
• Die Maus im Nacken - mice, elephants, and couches - all the makings of a fine evening
• (link repaired) Die Siedler von Catan: The Card Game - those wild and crazy settlers are back!
• Downtown - real estate development for fun and profit
• En Garde - amended and rectified by Reiner Knizia
• Hallo Dachs - badger chips - the latest rage with all the kids
• Igel Argern Variants - over forty new ways to play the ultimate hedgehog racing game
• Osiris - ancient religion meets spaghetti western for a bit of mancalla
• Phantasia im Kinderhand - aka Barbarossa, Jr.
• Pico - a very small game from Doris & Frank
• Sing Sing - we're breakin' outta dis joint - pass da woid
• Take It Easy - a deceptive little game of strategy and chance
• TerraX - aka Wildlife Adventure 2: The Search for Political Correctness
• UFOs - the US military still deny the existence of this trick taking card game

Game Software

• Abalone - 3D demo version (Mac)
• Cascoly Software - shareware strategy games (Windows)
• PS Neeley Shareware - ancient games as seen in Catherine's column (Windows)

Web Games Terminal

Note that you must have access to Telnet and/or Java in order to access most of these game sites. Contact your Internet service provider for details on Telnet access. Upgrade your browser to one that is Java enabled.

• Playsite - a Java games site with an optompistic notion of download times

Other Places

• AboveBoard Games - American fare plus some imports and reviews (beware the graphics)
• (site back up!) Cheapass Games - they're bare bones, stripped down, lean, mean, gaming machines
• The Giant Games Centre - where they sell GIANT games (no. really. have a look!)
• Internationaler Spiele Schmuggler (ISS) - games, trenchcoats, bathtub gin
• John's RPG Page - a great survey for the roleplayers amongst us
• Kevingstone Games - a UK family and hobby boardgames resource by Kevin Rolph
• Microgame Headquarters - small format games, a specialty
• North American Tiddlywinks Association - don't mess with these winkers!
• Plymouth State College Gaming Club - reviews, variants, local events (check it out!)
• Spiele Club Zurich - a good source for news and views (German language)
• Vindicator - the on-line journal of microgames

The Game Cabinet - editor@gamecabinet.com - Ken Tidwell