On April 11, Game Crab Boardgame Cafe will be hosting the “Adopt a Board Game” event.  Game Crab Boardgame Cafe is auctioning off some of our boardgames and this is YOUR chance to get games really, really cheap!

The event starts at 1:30pm and lasts all the way until 9:00pm.  So, get ready for the largest boardgame auction to-date.  Hope to see you all there!  Happy bidding!

In 1991, Klaus Teuber was well on his way to becoming one of the planet’s hottest board game designers. Teuber (pronounced “TOY-burr”), a dental technician living with his wife and three kids in a white row house in Rossdorf, Germany, had created a game a few years earlier called Barbarossa and the Riddlemaster, a sort of ur-Cranium in which players mold figures out of modeling clay while their opponents try to guess what the sculptures represent. The game was a hit, and in 1988 it won the Spiel des Jahres prize—German board gaming’s highest honor.

Winning some obscure German award may not sound impressive, but in the board game world the Spiel des Jahres is, in fact, a very, very big deal. Germans, it turns out, are absolutely nuts about board games. More are sold per capita in Germany than anywhere else on earth. The country’s mainstream newspapers review board games alongside movies and books, and the annual Spiel board game convention in Essen draws more than 150,000 fans from all walks of life.

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Parents and students huddled ’round board games Monday night at Florence Mattison Elementary School’s after-school program.

Gloria Hackett of Florence Mattison said the school received a grant during the 2004-2005 school year for enrichment activities. The after-school program is part of what came out of the grant, as well as summer programs. The after-school program is held monthly, and a variety of topics have been touched on, reinforcing literacy, math and science skills.

“It’s been a variety of experiences for the kids. It’s been a good thing,” Hackett said.

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Dexterity games are games that involve some form of balancing or fine motor manipulation.  Games of this ilk are often seen as childish because they are often less cerebral than other sorts of games.  There are a huge variety of dexterity games, from the beautiful, almost artistic games like Fire, to the tried and trusted Pick up Sticks.  There are a wide range of dexterity games suitable for all ages, Crokinole, Carrom or Bausack for teenagers and adults, through to Gulo Gulo, & Animal upon Animal for younger kids.

There are sub-genres within the broader genre of dexterity games, stacking games like Jenga – where wooden pieces are removed from a tower and stacked again on top, or Villa Paletti – similar to Jenga, where pillars are removed from lower in a structure and used to help build higher floors.

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When you first play a board game with a young child you will notice they need help counting the little black dots on the dice, eventually they see five dots and know that is stands for the quantity five. At first when they roll dice and come up with one a five and the other a three; the young child will move five spaces then three, with more practice they will add the two dice and then move eight spaces one…at…a… time. With a little time and number sophistication soon the child is able to roll a five and a three, glance once, know it’s an eight and move eight spaces in one jump. Their mind can see, understand and react to a number. All it takes is a favorite board game and a little time and practice.

Simple dice games are fun because everyone loves rolling dice. You can use different sizes and colors to add interest. Leave the dice out on the kitchen table for impromptu games and to encourage practice. Make up your own games and rules. Adjust to grade level and abilities of the players. (Partners check answers with a calculator.)

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