Max Pointner recreated the classic scenarios from the board game Clue where players try to figure out the killer, the weapon, and the room of the murder scene. I like the black frames on each vignette that tie the series together. If you enjoyed these vignettes, check out more dramatized scenes of Clue by Alex Eylar.
TRENCH is an abstract board game that features a mechanism of movement and capturing enemy pieces that reminds me of chess. LEGO Designer Marcos Bessa fell in love with the design and built it out of Lego. You can check out this video on YouTube to learn how the game works.
Canada’s Adam Dodge (Dodge) brings the famous 1967 Milton Bradley board game Battleship to life with an emphasis on playability and portability. Although I was initially disappointed that the ships don’t look much like ships, I got over it, so perhaps the more critical among you will too. Adam should have considered subcontracting the ship design to Bruce Lowell. I vividly remember a game of Battleship gone wrong in the 5th grade that ended in fisticuffs and those little plastic pegs scattered everywhere. I’m pretty sure I moved my sub late in the game and got caught, although the specifics are hazy at best.
It should also be noted that waaaaay back in June of 2012 Kristi “McWii” (customBRICKS) posted a nice compact version of the popular game.
TFOL Joshua Christenson from Washington State finds inspiration from the classic board game Monopoly and its mascott Rich Uncle Pennybags. Based on a characature of financier and banker J. P. Morgan, Pennybags beckons you for another rousing game of bankrupting your opponents. Joshua has been on a roll with his scuptures lately and is clearly someone to keep an eye on in the coming years.
Settlers of Catan is, by all accounts, a rather fun German board game. LEGO is, by all accounts, a rather fun toy. So it makes sense to combine the two.
Except Michael (suparMacho) hasn’t actually built this. He’s use SR3D builder (an LDraw editor) and POVray to render it. Aside from those people lucky enough to use LEGO’s in-house rendering tools this is the most photo-realistic LEGO render I’ve seen.
I can’t believe no one has thought of it earlier, because using a checkered flag for a chessboard is brilliant. Nice going Ivana Zetko!
The very much anticipated LEGO Board Games are now available from the LEGO Shop online: NEW from LEGO® Shop LEGO Games. Play a new way.
UPDATE: Unfortunately, LEGO has informed us that release plans changed at the last minute and LEGO Board Games will not be released in Canada until later this year. Their release is U.S. only for the time being. Sorry, eh?
Brett Gilbert has landed an interview with Cephas Howard, the lead designer for LEGO’s new line of board games.
“First you build your game,” says Cephas. “This creates a bond and a greater sense of ownership, immersion and understanding of the game for the kids. It also gives them the confidence to change it later on.”
“Next you play. The games all have good, solid game experiences that can be played over and over, and allow kids to have fun with their friends and family while doing so.” Cephas points out that truly social play is something that LEGO has not always offered, but that these games allow parents to be genuinely involved in LEGO play with their children.
“Then you change. Now if gets interesting!” Cephas explains that each game provides new ideas for gameplay, including not just advanced rules but also the challenge to children to get creative, albeit with the wise suggestion to try out one idea at a time so that they can see what works and hopefully learn why.
“The dice we designed sums all of this up in itself,” says Cephas. “You build it, play with it, and can change it. And it creates the element of chance in all our games which means that any player has a chance of winning a strategic game.”
Check out the full text of the interview here. Brett also has done a roundup of all the Lego Board Games. The games are currently available in the UK, but may be coming to North America in the near future.
LEGO has released an image of 18 microfigs for the upcoming board games to be first launched in Europe this August before hitting the rest of the world in 2010.
LEGO have just passed on a series of images promoting the new series of award-winning board games, including Ramses’ Pyramid by Reiner Knizia. The microfigures are utterly adorable and the tile with stud in center should be a great piece for all builders.
LEGO has announced the release of six new board games in the second half of 2009 where players construct their own board and dice, adding a level of fun where one can play a new version of the game each time. The UK and Germany Toy Fair Press release have more coverage on these new products, but unfortunately the US will not be seeing them anytime soon as the games are to be first released in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, UK and Ireland with more countries to follow in 2010.
One game, Rameses Pyramid, involves children building their own pyramid, complete with treasure buried inside and Egyptian sphinxes. Players have to collect crystals to climb their mini-Lego character up the pyramid and claim the prize – the king mummy.
One thing I really liked about my previous job was that the company was full of board game geeks, and at least twice a week we gathered around a table in the kitchen and played games. Suzanne Rich has recreated The Settlers of Catan in LEGO:
(Thanks for the great photo from Brickfest, Josh Crockett!)
Add to Del.icio.us | Digg It | Furl It