Odds and ends - The last of my 70's/80's board game collection.

It's all just a lot of plastic, wood, and cardboard but I have had so much fun lately revisiting the classic board games of my youth. Pictured above is the Wuzzles board game. Can't say I'm a fan now but I used to love these guys as a kid. I found this recently and couldn't pass it up for some strange reason.

After I set it up it all came back to me. I played the heck out of this in Kindergarten. It was always a quick setup and fun to play. I think I'll keep it around just for the sake of being a piece of my childhood.

The board was the best part. This one is in great shape and has all of it's plastic feet to hold it in place. The game is so painstakingly easy that I don't think I could really have a fun time playing this now as an adult. It was fun enough to just put it together and take some pictures.
 

Ah, Mastermind. Many hours on this one. Originally popularized in the 70's, this strategy game has endured through the decades.  Easy to learn but a lot of strategy is needed to "crack the code". I remember instead of using the names Code Maker and Code Breaker as given by the game, my friend and I would be the Gate Keeper and the Key Master to give it a Ghostbusters Spin.

If you don't feel like a full game of Scrabble but still want a fun word game, Scrabble Sentence Cube is good fun. This one came out in 1971 and is still holding up just fine. They don't make 'em like they used to.

 

As the winter ends I'm sure my fascination with board games will dwindle again, but until then, game on! The most recent purchase is a newer game called Forbidden Island (pictured above). A really well done variable adventure game. It also helps that it sounds like a game of the 80's. It really is like a blend of Forbidden Bridge and Fireball Island without all the plastic.

Underdog Classic Strategy Games of 1984

What is it about Input that made me love it right from the start. Is it the similarity to a capture game like chess? The fact that it looks like a Nintendo/Star Trek TNG hybrid game console prototype? Or is it the ties to computer hacking, password cracking, etc? Well, all of the above of course. Such good memories playing this one as a kid.

The game is somewhat easy to find and Almost always comes in decent shape.  They regularly don't go over anything in the five to ten dollar range.  The game play is so much fun though. I think this game was ahead of its time (as the box reads prominently). Very similar to Chess, but a much easier learning curve. Basically it's a turn based game where the point of the game is to capture all of your players pieces. The little caption on the front of the box is gold! "Each piece is preprogrammed, yet you control every play". It's really easy to learn but tough to build strategy.

Now we move to a lesser known one that I never played as a kid. Actually I've only had enough time to play a quick round just to test the play style. It's a very basic, yet hard to master, turn based game.

I could explain all the rules, or I could just say it's chess, meets chinese checkers, meets a maze. I like that better. Very fun overall and I really like the play style. One thing I have to mention is the levels are movable on a turn to make the maze more of an obstacle for your opponent. You can't go wrong with the Font they used; Star Wars meets Battlestar Galactica.

Such a lovely array of red, blue, white and gray. Between these two I can't choose which one I like the best. Both have much different qualities. I highly recommend both of them.  Hope you enjoyed this episode of... The Robot Shelf.

ROCK 'EM SOCK 'EM ROBOTS!!!

There's always that certain feeling you get when you get to purchase a re-issue of a toy you remember from your childhood. Initially it makes you feel like a kid again as you wait to open it up and check it out. I always love to examine the box and and really take it all in. Recently I picked up the new Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots and I was not disappointed. They're smaller than the old ones from the 60's and 70's but still just as fun.

There's something about clunky, mechanical robot fighters that make me very happy. I think it's the fact that they are generally an analog version of my favorite old arcade games. This new version will probably stay up on my arcade as a display piece more than it will actually be used.  I never owned the robotic battlers as a kid but always would play a few rounds with my buddies if they had it. I remember my good friend wouldn't let kids play on it if they were too rough. He wanted to keep them in good shape and I don't blame him.

It's impressive that these actually came out in the 60's. Such a cool toy to grow up with. Even my Dad remembers them.

I think my favorite flavor is the more obscure Clash of the Cosmic Robots that came out in 1977. These were produced by Marx and the black ring was a very nice touch.

At some point I hope they re-release the full size version of these guys. For the time being though these aren't bad at all. The materials are very similar to the old Marx sets and function nearly the same in every way. If you remember these from your childhood, or have a soft spot for robot toys, go for 'em. They're only going for about fifteen to twenty dollars currently.

The fun of Thrifting

Being a nerd and being a chronic thrift store shopper, or "thrifter" are usually two in the same. Although some trips only warrant a mediocre NES game, or a classic role playing book, you're retrieving another treasure to add to the pile nonetheless. Tonight was rather fruitful in many ways.  Whether it's the Super Mario Bros. Mushroom Tin my wife found me, or the complete 1977 GAMBLER board game I found, both have almost equal worth to me in their own way.

Some of the honorable mentions tonight include these 3 board games.  I found the other release of Terrace (with a hulking 10 lb board) and found that the boards were made in Lake Oswego, OR. Just minutes away from my old place of work. That one was only $2.99. You can't beat a brand new Lord of the Rings collectors edition checkers for less than seven dollars. It was only $2.99 for the Gambler Board game that ended up being complete and near perfect condition (no tears on any box corners)

Just look at those beautiful orbs of plastic.  Such an awesome game.  This 1992 Mensa edition mentions Star Trek TNG on the back of the box, rather than the front of the box on the 2nd release. Can't wait to use this as my main Terrace board now. It has the old Lake Oswego Oregon PO Box molded into the bottom of the board.

I am really excited about this one.  Horse racing! Lottery! Sweepstakes! Too many awesome things to mention. You can't beat the game pieces that resemble The Price is Right dollar signs. Here's a couple more shots of this beauty.

The icing on the cake of this thrift really came through in the electronics section. Not an  ex-rental. Not a beat to heck bottom of the closet charity piece. A pristine copy of Super Metroid for SNES, for much less than I was willing to pay for this gem. I've loved this game for years but have only beat it twice a long, long time ago.  Can't wait to get a new battery in there and revisit one of my favorite classics.  That's it for tonight folks. Good luck thrifting!

Board Games of my youth revisited

 

Everyone from the last 20-35 years has grown up primarily with video games being the main source for gaming fun. For me an almost equal part of my gaming life was gathered around a board game of some sort with a group of friends. Nothing could beat the sheer rivalry and pride we took when we would win a board game.  

Today I'm going to go over five of my favorites from my childhood. I've still yet to add a few of these to my collection, but the memories are definitely there after all these years.

5. Battle Ship (Classic Edition)

 We all remember this classic. I still love brewin' up a cup of coffee and playing this one with family or friends.  I think it's the sheer excitement of isolating your enemy's ships and eventually sinking the battleship.  Seems like the playing field with this one is always level with my friends and family to this day.  There's a lot of skill and a lot of chance involved with this one.  

The game has been published since the 30's in different paper and pencil versions. Counting these there have been 100's of different variations put out through the years. The one pictured above was the first clam-shell style released by Milton Bradly in 1967. I liked the "Electronic Talking..." flavor of the game in the 80's/90's, but I always have owned the classic version. The original isn't as gimmicky, and doesn't get on your nerves as much.  No matter what version you like, Battleship is a timeless classic that always deserves a mention.

4. Crossfire

 

  This game was the favorite of my friend Aaron and I back in the late 80's. Our lives at that time consisted of Nintendo (8-bit NES), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, visiting the neighborhood arcade and... Crossfire!!! In all actuality the game didn't always go as smooth as the commercial led you to believe. You had to know how to fix a jammed gun in mid battle and know how to shoot accurately.  Once mastered by a few friends the game was amazing.  I remember distinctly doing best 3 out of 5 on a regular basis. 

Fast forward to today and I can rarely convince anyone to play this. Although the cats really enjoy it, so I set it up for the day, just for fun every now and then.  One of those days was today. As I completed putting the board together I felt an instant sense of nostalgia and wished my buddy Aaron was still in town. My friends will usually play a few rounds if I have it ready to go, but it's not as easy these days to find a worthy Crossfire competitor. As you can see I'm diligently training my cat.


3. Zaxxon (MB board game)

This is just a brutal game.  Lots of battles through the years on this board. I generally played this with my best friend from elementary school. You control 2 ships through the board with a number of checkpoints that you have to shoot with your laser.  Eventually getting to Zaxxon who you have to shoot with both ships.  Pretty basic but the theme is what really mattered back then.

I was lucky enough to find this one complete a few years ago with all of the stickers intact.  I even have the old sticker paper that came with the game.  Nowadays I'll occasionally play this one with a friend and it's still just as fun as it was before. The thing about board games (and role playing games) is that it requires imagination to make it that much better. Playing the arcade to board game adaptations really transport me back to the 80's.

2. Terrace (Featured on Star Trek TNG!)

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 This game is outstanding in every way.  As a kid I played it in the early 90's with a friend who was obsessed with Star Trek in every way.  He mainly got it because it was on Star Trek but it turned out to be a great game. We would play for hours on end and never get bored of it.  We tried to invite other kids to play, but Terrace had a scourge on it for being a "nerdy Star Trek game".  Not even as generically nerdy as Dungeons and Dragons, or Magic Cards, Terrace had a following all it's own. 

I very recently found a complete boxed copy of the same game that I played as a kid. There have been a few released through the years in different colors. My wife quickly learned the game and beat me best 2 out of 3.  It still has the same simple fun that it did when I was a kid.  Rules are very similar to Chess, but movement is instead based on ascent/descent moves, rather than rank. Makes it fun for beginners, but adds the same type of skill set needed for chess when it comes to strategy. If you find this game get it. You won't regret it.  Credit to my wife for the nerdy picture :)

1. Fireball Island

Oh the greatness that is Fireball Island.  You have adventure, intrigue and greed all packaged into one flaming ball of action. For those who've never played, this is the quintessential board game of the late 1980's. I played this all the time with my friend Jon and it never got old. I think it was the art and the 3D board that really made it more than just a board game. I never got this game myself but definitely should have.

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Now you can expect to spend two-hundred dollars or more on this classic. The nice thing is all you need is all the cards and bigger game pieces to play. The marbles and even the small figures are easy to replace. An incomplete set still goes for about a hundred dollars though. I will probably never break down to pay this much for the game, but it's a sign I'm not the only one who really liked this one. I still hope each time I go thrifting that I'll come across a minty complete Fireball Island for only three or four bucks. Hope this post brought some memories.  I'm going to try and post on here more often.

*Bonus Round* - Pac-Man Card Game

I had to throw this one on the pile. Not necessarily a board game so I saved it for last. I first purchased this on a whim being a classic gaming fan. After counting all the cards to make sure it was complete, it only cost me two dollars. It turned out to be a very fun card game.  You just use number cards and picture cards in combination to score points. It has more than paid for itself since I've bought it and enjoy it almost as much as some of my favorite board games.  I'll have to get together with my buddy who has the Pac-Man board game and really make a day of it.