Archive for the ‘Fun’ Category

The 5 Hows: Flip 7

This is a guide for how to play the game Flip 7.

1. How do I win?
By having the most points at the end of all the rounds. Once someone reaches 200 points, the game ends.

2. How do I get points?
By accumulating cards. Each card has a point value, just add them up each round.

3. How do I get cards?
At the start of each round, the dealer gives each person one card. All cards are dealt face up. And then whoever wants another card, the dealer deals another card. You can keep taking cards if you want, or you can stop with what you have and take those points. If you bust, you don’t get any points. If you make a set of 7, then you end the round.

4. How do you bust?
If you get two cards of the same point value, you bust. The higher the point value of the card, the more of them there are in the deck, so the more likely you are to bust. When you bust, you are done for the round and get no points for that round.

5. How do you make a set of 7 cards?
You get a bonus 15 points if you collect 7 cards of different point values. There are regular number cards and special cards, the special cards do not count toward the set of 7, but they can give you points.

It’s a fairly quick game, not much to it. It leans towards the luck side of things, more than skill, but it’s fun nonetheless.

There, now go play Flip 7.

And I said, “As far as this point you shall come, but no farther; And here your proud waves shall stop”

Job 38:11

The 5 Hows: Azul

This is a guide for how to play the game Azul.

1. How do I win?
By having the most points at the end of all the rounds.

2. How do I get points?
By placing tiles on The Wall during The Wall Phase. Update your score each round.

3. How do I place tiles?
You place them on The Wall from each line you’ve completed in your Pattern Lines during The Factory phase (or Pattern Line phase).

4. How do you get tiles in your Pattern Lines?
You draw them from the Factory, in turns until all tiles are gone. You draw all tiles of one color from one pile at a time. Fill in your pattern lines, making sure to complete pattern lines during this time so that you can place tiles on The Wall after The Factory phase.

5. How does the game end?
On the round when someone fills one horizontal row with all 5 tiles, that becomes the last round. You do your scoring like normal, and then you add in the bonus scoring to finish.

It took us a round or two for it to make sense. I recommend paying attention to the bonus scoring items so you know what your goals should be.

There, now go play Azul.

But when they did not find any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus.

Luke 5:19

PSALM 11

Now it is time for another PSALM.

Gamma made this one, like last time. This one was titled “2001 A Space Odyssey” by him. It is supposed to re-create part of the opening sequence of that movie.

Now only 139 more to go.

So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a loud noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone.

Ezekiel 37:7

Fluxx Game, Executive Order Edition

I’ve written about the game Fluxx before. I decided it needs an update.

I decided that after hearing the news these last few weeks, specifically around what is coming out of the White House, and even more specifically the record number of executive orders that Trump is making.

I’m not going to weigh in on the pros and cons of said executive orders, my only personal opinion on the topic is that I am disappointed he has not issued an executive order reinstating Pluto as a planet.

Anyway, the number of executive orders and the effect they’re having on people and businesses got my attention and reminded me of the game Fluxx, where the rules and the goals keep changing.

I took it upon myself to start making an Executive Order Fluxx game. The Rule cards and Action cards can really stay the same, as the game flow works fine that way. The main change is to the Goal and Keeper cards. The only thing I would add to the Action cards is the Filibuster card.

Here is my initial set of XO Fluxx cards. Print them off and play to your heart’s content. I could have come up with more Goals and Keepers, but with more news being generated every day I had to cut it off at some point.

New goals cards for the Executive Order edition of Fluxx

New keepers cards for the Executive Order edition of Fluxx

New action card for the Executive Order edition of Fluxx

She does not ponder the path of life; Her ways are unstable, she does not know it.

Proverbs 5:6

The 5 Hows: The Chameleon

This is a guide for how to play the game The Chameleon. This game is simple in concept but after playing it I found that it is difficult to play, in that it’s quite nuanced and you need the whole group of people to have the same level of nuance. You can certainly play regardless, but to play correctly takes some practice. Without that, you can still play and it might be funnier than normal, which might be what you’re looking for. There’s a difference between playing a game right and having fun with it. This game isn’t easy to play right but it is easy to have fun with, if any of that made sense.

1. How do I win?
By blending in well with the others.

2. How do I blend in?
By being able to guess the secret word that everyone but you knows.

3. How does everyone else know the secret word if it is secret?
At the beginning of the round, cards are dealt face down so that everyone gets one card. The front of the card has the secret decoder key, except one card. If you get the one blank card then you are the chameleon. Everyone else gets matching decoder keys so they all know to find the word.

4. How do they find the word?
There is one card that goes face up in the middle of the table and that is the word card. There are different word cards, and it lists the theme and then a bunch of words related to that theme. The secret word is one of those words, and the decoder key tells everyone which specific word it is. Your job as chameleon is to guess which word on your turn it is based on the vague clues that everyone else is giving, and you do that by giving your own vague clue so that no one else would know you’re the chameleon.

5. How do I guess the word if I happen to be the first person to give a clue but I’m the chameleon that round?
That’s a tough one – you’ll just have to guess well and give a clue that’s vague enough to cover some of the bases but not so vague that people know that you don’t know the word. At the end of the round people will vote for who they think the chameleon is, but there’s usually a lot of chatter before that and you’ll get a feeling for how well (or how poorly) you’ve done.

We played it and everyone seemed to have fun, even though my poker face is so bad that people knew I was the chameleon as soon as I was dealt my card.

There, now go play The Chameleon.

So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the road, and disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes.

1 Kings 20:38

Star Wars or MSU

I was looking at some things at Michigan State University and I noticed that a lot of them looked like they should be in Star Wars.

So I put together this little quiz of silhouettes. Can you tell for each of these if it is from MSU or Star Wars?

A.

silhouette that could be from Michigan State or from Star Wars

B.

silhouette that could be from Michigan State or from Star Wars

C.

silhouette that could be from Michigan State or from Star Wars

D.

silhouette that could be from Michigan State or from Star Wars

E.

silhouette that could be from Michigan State or from Star Wars

F.

silhouette that could be from Michigan State or from Star Wars

G.

silhouette that could be from Michigan State or from Star Wars

H.

silhouette that could be from Michigan State or from Star Wars

Scroll for answers:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Keep scrolling…
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Answers:
A. MSU – Wilson Hall
B. MSU – Breslin Center
C. MSU – Snyder Hall
D. Star Wars – Destroyer
E. MSU – Weiser Hall
F. MSU – West Fee Hall
G. MSU – Broad Art Museum
H. Star Wars – Death Star

Something was standing still, but I could not recognize its appearance; A form was before my eyes; There was silence, then I heard a voice

Job 4:16

The 5 Hows: Organ Attack

This is a guide for how to play the game Organ Attack.

1. How do I win?
By being the last person with a functioning organ.

2. How do I get functioning organs?
Everyone starts with a set of organs. You lose them throughout the game.

3. How do I lose organs?
Each turn, you play an attack card onto someone else’s organ. Once your organ has two attack cards on it, it dies. Note the attack card affliction has to be compatible with the organ.

4. How do I get attack cards?
You start the game with 5 attack cards. Each time you play a card you get to draw to replace it, so you always have 5 attack cards to start your next play.

5. How do I get ahead, if everyone starts with the same number of cards and plays an attack each round?
It’s more or less the luck of the draw to get a special card, such as Necrosis that kills an organ right away, or Vaccine that protects you from all attacks for a couple rounds.

It is a simple game, really. A smidgeon of strategy, but more luck of the cards, so you can just play the game. But it is still fun.

There, now go play Organ Attack.

So He gave them their request, But sent a wasting disease among them.

Psalm 106:15