Latest Social Gaming eZine

thru-the-portal has just published its fourth FREE issue targeted at social gamers in their many forms. Articles that may be of interest include:

• 'Teenagers can play board games' an article from a New Zealand teenager following a trip to a friends party (pages 22 and 23);
• 'Bringing Games Back into the Community' an article by little old me (page 36);
• Christmas goodies! (page 37)

plus reviews of:

• Totemo (one of the games I picked up at Essen);
• Bohnanza (a game we have played a lot in our group this year);
• Super Farmer (originally created in 1943 this is a re-working that receives high praise particularly if you have younger children)
• and lastly Dixit (a game that I love but has received very mixed reactions from our group).

Needless to say there is much more in the latest issue of thru-the-portal. 

If you are asking yourself why I am promoting it so much well it is a work of love for Neil and Laura that is trying to raise the visibility of social gaming - something I fully endorse. Have a read, it may not be entirely to your taste but I am sure there will be something to interest you in it.

BP, Monty Python & Other Musings From This Week

I spotted an article in the Metro about a game from the 1970’s called “Offshore Oil Strike Europe” that had BP branding on the front of the box with the first player to earn $120 million being the winner, I wonder what that figure would be today? Not surprisingly (certainly in the light of recent events in the US) the game had hazard cards with the cost for one in particular being a mere $1 million (‘Blow out! Rig damaged. Oil slick clean up costs. Pay $1 million’). Even allowing for inflation then BP would