The Tao of Gaming

My Brute needs more pupils! [This game is totally random with zero control. Surprisingly addictive. After all my hard effort, TaoffEnuff is finally formidable.... Thankfully you are only allowed 3 fights a day (more on your first), so you can't waste too much time ... unless you create more brutes.

Jeff may get this, but only because he's an expert.

Your partner opens 1H, RHO overcalls 1 Spade and you hold Jxx Axx xx Q9xxx

Whatever do you do? How do I know that this is a tough bidding problem? Because my online partner, who clearly identified himself an advanced player, got it wrong. Did he support hearts? Oh no, he did not. He bid 2 clubs

I can portray myself as a basketweaving expert, or Le Bron James, or whatnot online, and nobody can dispute me. You can fudge a little here and there on bridge, but really, if you claim "Advanced" then I hope that you can at least keep up the appearance for two hands. His first hand, with two points, he played well. And although his bidding didn't turn out so well (failing to double blackwood bid for the setting lead), I can totally sympathize. In a sane world I'd claim "intermediate," but given that I can find my Merrimac coups mere seconds after I play the wrong card, I feel I'm entitled...

(That prior hand saw an "Expert" open 1NT see his partner bid a game without expressing slam interest. Said expert invoked blackwood and found his partner with a perfect 13 count that could have splintered.)

Update -- And because Jeff may ask, I opened in second seat, not 3rd.

I join Eric Martin in proclaiming a strong appreciation for Death Note. (OK, The premise rocked -- A teenaged Moriarity with a magical book that let him murder at will bent on saving the world versus a teenaged Holmes with the resources of the world's governments hunting him down, but the execution had a few flaws and there was way too much "He knows that I know that he knows ..."). I assume this card game will be a deduction affair, but I'll try it anyway.

Matt Thrower discusses globalization as though that inevitably leads to blandness. Most games are bland for the same reason that most art sucks, not because some major corporation has focus groups. (Certainly all my designs suck, and try as I might I don't think it's Hasbro's fault).

Larry posts his thoughts of the first half of this year. Among my thoughts -- I'm not nearly sold on Le Havre over Agricola (despite my concerns about the former). Each game of Le Havre is too similar, and most of the novelty comes from realizing that Loans aren't bad. Once you make that mental adjustment a lot of the fuss goes away. I played last night on Autopilot ("Is the Cokery Available? Go there.") managed to throw away 50+ income thinking I had one more round left (missing a shipping + 24 points from the Baguette shop).

Le Havre needs more variability. I don't dislike the game, don't regret having gotten it (based on loyal readers, like you), but I find myself wondering how much those essen bonus cards go for on the secondary market ...