Board Game News

In The Technology Behind Backgammon at WhatPC?, Paul Wardley of Personal Computer World discusses the emergence of artificial intelligence-based backgammon programs:

Self-taught backgammon-playing computer programs are so good that they have overturned many of the assumptions previously held about how the game should be played and which are the best moves, especially in the opening phases of the game. Any player who trains by regularly playing against a backgammon program, using moves suggested by the program itself, can learn to play at levels that were previously attained by only a few top players.

One of the earliest AI-based backgammon programs was TD-Gammon, written by IBM researcher Gerald Tesauro and included in the 1996 release of the OS2/Warp Family Funpak. Later programs based on that technology include Olivier Egger’s Snowie and the free GNU Backgammon.

An interesting read.

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The board game blog Gone Gaming has announced the winners of the Gone Gaming 2006 Board Game Internet Awards, as selected by their contributors. Winners include the following:

• Best Game Resource Site: Board Game Geek

• Best Publisher Site: Days of Wonder

• Best Game Club Site: East Tennessee Gamers

• Best Online Magazine: INDEPTH

• Best Online Gaming Site: SpielByWeb

• Best Blog: Gathering of Engineers and NYC Gamer (tie)

Read the full article for details and more winners.

In an article in the The Guardian Online, the independent student newspaper at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, Chelsey Levingston suggests that students challenge their friends to a board game to beat the winter blahs. According to Chelsey, games suggested by students included:

• Apples to Apples - A word association game, Apples to Apples is fun with large groups of people or at least three friends.

• Scene-It? - A movie trivia game featuring DVD movie clips and sound bytes, best played with large groups. Expect a lot of yelling.

• Clue - The classic mystery game has been reinvented in a DVD edition.

• Trivial Pursuit - There are several new interactive DVD versions, including Pop Culture, Saturday Night Live, Totally 80’s, and 90’s editions.

• Scrabble - The classics never get old, and Scrabble is one of the very best games for intellectual stimulation and quiet conversation.

Read the full article (Get Your Game On).

In a really cool series of articles at The Simple Dollar, Trent gives his picks for the best money-related board games of all time.

#1		Puerto Rico by Rio Grande Games Many of you have probably never heard of it, and that’s a true shame, because it may be the most elegant board game ever created. It is a complete simulation of a nation’s economy packed into an incredibly fun and easy to play game that takes about an hour or so to play. Read complete review …
#2		Acquire by Avalon Hill Acquire is deliriously fun and a great abstraction of how the real market works. If you want the challenges and the joys of stock investing in a board game form, Acquire is a wonderful choice. Read complete review …
#3		Modern Art by Mayfair Games This is the best version of an open market I’ve ever seen in a game - plus it’s incredibly fun to play. If you want to teach (and learn about) the open market to someone, this is easily the most enjoyable way to do it. Read complete review …
#4		Monopoly by Milton Bradley For many of us, Monopoly is the game that pops in our heads when the phrase “board game” is mentioned. Rainy afternoons and marathon games of Monopoly were rites of passage when I was growing up. Read complete review …
#5		The Game of Life by Milton Bradley The Game of Life is a simple game that can be played in an hour and provides great insight into many of the financial issues that an average life can have. Throughout the game, there are countless opportunities to learn about and teach key personal finance issues. Read complete review …

That’s a really fun and informative list, and by the way, The Simple Dollar is a very good blog that covers the world of personal finance. Most of us can certainly use some help in that area, and Trent offers a huge amount of very useful information, all presented from a uniquely personal perspective.

In A Matter of Style, Mario Lanza discusses the unique collection of skills he uses in the various board games he plays, and how this personal gaming style defines who he is as a gamer, and the types of games he enjoys playing. Some of the elements he details include:

• Valuation - No single skill is more central to good decision making and winning games than the ability to rightly assess value
• Economy - Many games require great skill in managing resources, actions, and progressions
• Eliminate Vulnerabilities - Be aware of your weaknesses and do your best to keep your opponents from exploiting them
• Exploit Vulnerabilities - The converse of defending against your own weaknesses is taking advantage of your opponents blind spots

Check out the full article for a thought-provoking read.

Think you know your Settlers of Catan stuff? Prove it by taking the Settlers of Catan Trivia Quiz at About.com.