'History of the World' - Ragnar Brothers - 05/10/00
Its some time since we last sat round for a game of 'HOW' . Kendall played it in the lake District not too long ago in a head-to-head with wife Sandi, otherwise it was probably two to three years ago that the old game got dusted down. Not that we've ever played it that much. The original version was tested no more than half a dozen times before pushing out five hundred copies. Previous manifestations of the game had long since bored the pants off anyone willing to play it. But times are exciting again with development of the game taking place across 'The Pond' . With the wonders of the Internet and trans-Atlantic telephone the Ragnars have found themselves back in the cut-and-thrust of gaming empires. Avalon has fallen, Gibsons have retired, but the Ragnars are still in there and fighting. Spiller is somewhat late, so Dicken presses Kendall into e-mailing the States before getting stuck into the beer. Rule changes are being batted back and forth. The over-riding aims are to speed up the game, introduce 3D playing pieces, sort out Epoch VII and stream-line systems generally. Its going very well.
Tonight's game kicks off with some rule explanations for Spiller. He takes them on-board like someone who's never heard of the game. Cards are dealt out (some new ideas there) and Epoch I begins. Spiller plays Sumeria, Kendall chips in with the Minoans and Dicken is the Shang Dynasty. Epoch I is over and done with in about five minutes and play bounces on to Epoch 2.
Carol Dicken is an Internet butterfly. No-one is ever quite sure what she spends her time doing, but she seems happy enough. With some delight she has discovered Dicken's e-mail in-tray has some new entries. Remarkably one of the items is a letter from America concerning the development of HOW. Should we stop now and read the words of wisdom? Will it influence now and forever our playing of the game? A print-out is called for, which is then ignored for the next two hours. Epoch II sees Dicken falling increasingly behind as he tightens his grip on China with the Chou Dynasty. Kendall's Assyrians have conquered the Middle East and spread into India. Spiller has had considerable success with the Greeks. Carol gleefully announces that Dicken appears to have an e-mail from himself. This turns out to be the letter apparently sent to America earlier in the evening. Dicken is thrashing around in the Central American jungle with the Mayans and consequently is flagrantly petulant with his wife. "I can't deal with it now!" Clearly there are astronomical calendars to work on and pyramids to build. Its all to no avail however as he is still struggling to put a decent score together, despite Ashoka's conquest of most of India. Spiller and Kendall are head-to-head with Macedonia and the Sassanids respectively.
Spiller has read an Internet joke, and as its his turn and everyone is attentive he decides to lay down the dice and tell it to us big. It concerns a man with a kidney problem - his visit to the toilet - the failure of the toilet to flush - his decision to empty the toilet with a couple of paper cups - the appearance of his new boss, Geoff - and the punch-line, 'Any chance of a hand, Geoff?'. Why does anyone want to write about themselves like this on the net? How long does Spiller spend looking for this material?
Its Epoch IV. Spiller plays the Vikings, Kendall is the Holy Roman Emperor and Dicken is the Mongols. Aficionados of the game may well gasp at the audacity of radical change here. Where are the conquerors of Rome? Have the Ragnars decided to extend the game, pressing on into the Twenty-first Century? No. It's a case of being too dumb to notice that the Epoch cards have been laid out in the wrong order. Despite our passion for the history, no-one notices until its NOT Epoch VI next. This has probably made some huge, fundamental twist to the structure of the game, which should make the game test a complete nonsense. Certainly Dicken has managed to construct a most miraculous and formidable lead. But we decide to press on anyway. Epoch V (with Epoch IV cards) follows. Dicken is Chola, Spiller is the Arabs, Kendall turns to the T'Ang Dynasty of China.
We can't say too much about the developments to HOW at the moment, but it may interest folk to know something about the process of change as experienced with Roger Heyworth at Gibsons and Don Greenwood at Avalon. Both gentlemen had a real and different vision for the game, and pursued their ends with determination. Its quite hard to allow the game to be dissected and re-invented, but at the same time its possible to see that the game has a life of its own anyway once it reaches the public domain. HOW may never be a 'finished game' like Chess or Scrabble, but even Monopoly is tweaked every so often. Anyway this is the fun thing about designing.
There, that doesn't tell you much! So to Epoch VI and its neck and neck and neck. Dicken is given the Aztecs and Incas (more star-gazing), Spiller draws Spain and does the historic thing to Dicken. Kendall is given the Timurid Emirates ... and starts looking for Geoff. Into Epoch VII and its neck and neck. This has probably been the most common criticism of HOW ; players reach the last Epoch knowing that only a really powerful Empire (usually Britain) will give them any chance of winning. We're working hard on a solution.
Meanwhile, the solution is not working for Kendall who has been given the Manchu Dynasty - not a bad card, but not so good when you already own most of China. At least his turn is early ..... but not early enough. Spiller plays Russia and sweeps Kendall out of Northern Europe. Some poor arithmetic finds Spiller a man short for total control. Kendall plays out the Manchu ... and almost overtakes Dicken. Its Dicken's last throw of the dice and he has USA. The butchery of the Aztecs is repeated on the Spanish and land is occupied across the Pacific (there's something new for you). To no avail though he leaves Kendall eating dust. Spiller romps home with Dicken a close second and Kendall miserably last, bemoaning his NOT playing of two minor empires when he had the chance to do so ( Spiller and Dicken allude to the early onset of Alzheimer's disease ). Post game analysis includes ideas from America. Mostly good stuff with one or two shots in the foot. The computers will be humming for some time yet.
The whole game ran out at two and a quarter hours so still time for a chat and dissection of English footballing frailties.
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