Pulp Gamer Parents & Teachers

Family Night: PGFN 010: Mathematics

The Pulp Gamer Crew — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:07:04 -0400

Today we touch on a basic component of everyday life and one that is represented in virtually every game on Earth, mathematics. We briefly touch on Figaro, Numbers League, and Settlers of Catan in this discussion and then ask for your support and nomination with the people's choice podcast awards.

For our spotlight games, we start with Set. This is a fun pattern matching game that will force your brain to slip into a different way of thinking. You match sets of like and unlike attributes. This sounds simple, but it will challenge everyone in the family.

We then explore Journey to the Center of the Earth. Like the book by Jules Verne, you are adventuring deep underground and uncovering great treasures. The journey is rough but everyone makes it through together. The winner will be the one that collected the most valuable treasure along the way.

Finally we talk about Anno 1503. Its a light civilization building game. You settle small islands and do your best to be as efficient and profitable as you can with the opportunities you uncover. A variety of winning conditions give you a plenty of diction to choose from.

Family Night: PGFN 009: Vocabulary

The Pulp Gamer Crew — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:48:18 -0400

Today we start on what first seems to be the most obvious of topics and learn there are some less obvious but powerful aspects to it. A variety of games can offer us a broad and deep exercise in vocabulary. We frequently notice the impact games have had on some of the most brilliant kids we know. References in this show include interviews with Martin Wallace and P.R. Chase.

We first take a look at a party game that has been a staple of ours for years. It is always easy to pull in players with Apples to Apples. You can find it virtually anywhere. Everyone gets a handful of words they must match up to the judge's drawn adjective. Who has the noun that is the silliest, the most dangerous, or the most exciting?

We then tackle the markets of La Strada. This short game will keep up to four players entertained while they build roads and horde as many markets as they can and share as many markets they can't keep to themselves.

One of our new favorites is Horus. The land around the Nile slowly gets built as everyone adds tiles to the play space and exerts their influence to the various regions of Egypt. This is another easy to learn game that doesn't take very long to play.

Family Night: PGFN 008: Interpretation

The Pulp Gamer Crew — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:21:00 -0400

Today we emphasize not what games can teach, but what games can invoke and inspire. Often times our fascination with a subject begins with such a spark and a relative base of interest. Interpretation, a word often used by naturalists, is a perfect fit for the idea we present today. Our love of history, mythology, and the natural work often began with some kind of introduction outside of the classroom.

We first explored under the sea with Nautilus. You have to split your efforts between excavating treasures from the ocean floor and building an underwater research center with the rest of the players. Winning the game means paying attention to both efforts.

Our next adventure takes us way back in time with Settlers of the Stone Age. The best at exploring and settling the world will win the game. Like most Catan games, interaction with the rest of the players at the table is a very important part of the game.

We also had some fun with a word game called Bananagrams. Everyone races to build a crossword out of a pool of letters. Its a good way to learn vocabulary from others at the table. Make sure to have a dictionary handy, you'll probably challenge someone sooner or later.