Thursday, January 21, 2010

You Know You're Married To An Engineer When He . . .

*talks about resistors, and capacitors like they are good friends.

*gets gitty when he talks about making catapults.

*gets excited when ANYTHING breaks so he can take it apart, and put it back together.

*mentions he wants to take apart the 4 function solar powered calculator so he can experiment with the solar cell.

*can't wait for his MAKE Magazine to come in the mail.

*looks at your sewing project's pattern and refers to the instructions as a list of procedures, the supplies list as a bill of materials, and the fabric as building materials.

I SURE DO LOVE MY ENGINEER

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Game Review - Bandits

GENERAL INFO:
Name: Bandits Card Game
Manufacture: Buffalo Games Inc.
Players: 2-6
Age: 10+
Object: Get the most money

Troy and I bought this game last year around Christmas time, but didn't play it for the first time until yesterday when we finally read the rules and figured out how to play.

It is a fast, easy, fun game. I wish we would have taken the 5-10 min a year ago to learn how to play.

One great thing about this game is it can be played with 2 players. Many games work better if you have more than 2 people so it is nice to have a game that works well with only 2 players. I imagine when playing with more players it takes more strategy and becomes a little more complex.

This game is simple, and the learning curve is small. I would say this is a great game to bring to a family reunion because you can explain it quickly, and the game doesn't take too long so people aren't tied down for long periods of time once the game starts. For your turn you only have the choice to do one of three things (draw a card, stash money, or attack your opponent), and once you do that one thing your turn is over.

In some games you get to point where you can't do anything. One nice thing about this game is you are required to always have at least 6 cards in your hand so if any time you find yourself with less than 6 cards you get draw until you have 6. Its nice to get a fresh hand when your cards get taken from you, and it makes the fact that your cards just got stolen not quiet as bitter.

This game isn't exactly like any game I've ever played, but if I was forced to compare it to a game I would say it is somewhat like LOOT. If you like LOOT I think you will LOVE Bandits.

This game is also inexpensive. The one we have was bought at a game shop and has a tag on it for $7.98, however we were able to buy it on sale so I think it was around $5.

I would recommend this game if you like simple games that involve some strategy, but still rely on some chance.