New Rules for Classic Games - R. Wayne Schmittberger
This one gets 2 brains not so much because it's a great book to read, but because it's one that I think I'll probably buy soon. It was referenced in Rules of Play, an MIT Press textbook about game design theory that I've been reading lately, and sounded like fun. It's exactly what the title says: new rules for classic games like Monopoly, Scrabble, Risk, and more. There are extensive sections for mixing up Backgammon, Checkers, and Chess, and there are also quite a few Go variants.
What's also nice is suggestions for creating variants of your own, handicapping games to level the playing field, and changing the number of players that can play a game. There's a chapter on "Paper & Pencil" games, and some suggestions for playing new games using your existing equipment. The section on Outdoor Games is a little weaker, but they do provide a few fun Party Games for big groups. He also recommends things like the "pie rule" for dealing with a first-player advantage.
The book was written before (or perhaps outside of) the current Euro-strategy-game explosion, so you won't find anything on Settlers of Catan. You'll be amazed, though, at what you can do with a checkerboard or a couple of chess sets.
Fed to jonathan's brain | February 12, 2007
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