Mrs. Santa Claus presents … Stocking stuffers: 20 3-dimensional board games

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Waldschattenspiel
‘Today we look at something very special. It’s a German family game called “Waldschattenspiel”, sold here as “Shadows In The Woods”. It’s a game designed for children and an adult, but I think any group would happily play this wonderful little thing. There is nothing else like it, and certainly nothing else that looks like it. Let me explain how the game plays. A board. Wooden trees of different sizes. Little wooden pawns. A candle. The child player takes one of the little wooden pawns (the dwarves) and hides it in the forest, in a patch of shadow. Once all the children have hidden their dwarves. The adult player, a giant with a bright lantern represented by a tea-light, rolls a die and moves that many paces through the trees. As the light source moves, the shadows dance and stretch. Any dwarf caught in the light is frozen, unable to move, until another dwarf can come to touch it and break the spell. The dwarves win the game by coming together in the same patch of shadow, under the same tree. The light-bringer wins if it freezes all the dwarves.’

 

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Haunted Ruins
‘I think it would be hard for any gamer with kids, especially one who appreciates the Ameritrash side of gaming, to look at a game like Haunted Ruins and not think, where was this game when I was growing up?? I mean, just look at the thing… It’s a 3D pop-up board of a haunted graveyard, with moving obstacles and passageways, and you’re being chased around by a ghost and a zombie. I saw this at a Toys R Us when it first came out a couple years ago, along with its Egyptian pyramid/mummy themed counterpart, Treasure of the Lost Pyramid, and it took all of my willpower to not just buy them both right then and there. But they were both about $25 and I couldn’t really justify the purchase at the time. Well, fast forward to last week when I was bored and stopped into a Barnes & Noble in California… I had totally spaced the whole “Barnes & Noble game dumping sale” that happens every year around this time and so it was a pleasant surprise to see several copies of Haunted Ruins sitting there for 75% off. It was also kind of sad to see that, because really, this is a great game and a great production that deserves to be in the homes of many kids who will surely love it.’

 

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The Settlers of Catan 3D Edition
‘The Catan 3D Edition is a special treat indeed. In the big wooden chest you will find 19 3D terrain hexes, an illustrated, sturdy wooden frame andover 170 game pieces that have been painstakingly modeled in exquisite detail. All pieces have been hand painted. All the pieces are included for you to play The Settlers of Catan in 3D. Note: the 3D version of The Settlers of Catan was a limited production of 5,000 copies. It may be difficult to find an authentic set online, however, many merchants have come up with an ingenious way to bring the Catan 3D experience to everyone. Blank terrain pieces are often available, which can then be painted. Use your imagination and get yours today!’

 

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Aapep 3D
‘In Aapep you play either the demon Aapep, trying to swallow the sun, or the god Ra, fighting to escape the dark seas of the underworld. Players take turns placing pyramid tiles onto the board—Aapep swallows the sun if from any edge of the board he can “see” dark sides on the first pyramid tile that is visible from that direction while Ra escapes if from any edge of the board he can “see” light sides on the first pyramid tile visible from that direction.’

 

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Just William Game
‘The first part of the game consists of constructing William’s house and garden fence as per the diagram on the rules. Players are then given jobs to do around the built house & surrounds. There are two packs of cards – job cards and excuse cards. The object of the game is to get rid of all of your jobs, climb over the garden fence and land on the “William” spot. Designer (Uncredited). Artist: Thomas Henry Fisher. Publisher: Palitoy Ltd. Year Published: 1976. # of Players: 2 − 6.’

 

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Clue Premiere Edition
‘After a steady decline after the video game boom, board games are regaining popularity, but only because the companies behind them are innovating. One such way is by upgrading from 2-Dimensional boards to 3D, pop-up ones. The Clue Premier Edition, retailing at $150, has a game board that is literally like a doll house. The board has nine sunken 3D rooms, each with detailed furnishing. The only thing that differentiates it from a doll house is that it has a non-removable, tempered glass lid placed on top, preventing tampering inside.’

 

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3D Labyrinth
‘Part of the Ravensburger Labyrinth Games series, This is a super-simplified version of The aMAZEing Labyrinth for the really younger set. Instead of the shifting tiles of the other versions, in this game, entire sections of the maze shift, as the modular 3-D board has a sliding center piece, which allows for different pathways through the maze. Players attempt to reach the items shown on their treasure cards by shifting the maze and moving through the corridors.’

 

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Fireball Island
‘Here it is folks, the newly finished Fireball Island! What a trip it’s been. What’s been keeping me going is a guy out in CA who is going to be the proud owner of this piece. He’s very worried about the shipment being damaged but I’m very confident in the strength of the object as well as my packing skills. Alain, the new owner, has really kept me interested in the project with his enthusiasm and excitement. We are both really into this whole thing and hope more comes from it. We talked the other night about Torpedo Run!, a very awesome game that puts Battleship to shame. I might be looking into recreating that game in the future, we’ll have to see. But at the very least I am confident that I can make more Fireball Islands, and am taking offers to anyone who is interested in one. So check out the pics and stay on the look out for more boards to come.’

 

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Harry Potter: Adventures Through Hogwarts Electronic 3-D
‘Adventures Through Hogwarts is a complex game that will test the problem-solving skills of the players as they navigate the Hogwarts castle in a quest to locate the ever elusive Sorcerer’s Stone. Like no other Harry Potter board games that have been released, this is played on a 3D Hogwarts replica. The set is completely designed with its well-detailed rooms to give the kids a fun re-enactment of the entire Sorcerer’s Stone adventure. The game itself is a relatively simple move through the fictional school, but it’s livened up by the electronic gizmos, sounds and lights, which make it fun to play.’

 

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Cranium Balloon Lagoon
‘Spin the musical merry-go-round and start the timer, then race around the board trying to complete 4 fun-filled carnival games before the music ends. The 4 games utilize the same skills needed in the traditional Cranium categories: Word Worm, Star Performer, Data Head, and Creative Cat. Only this time, you’re playing carnival games! In Letter Lake, you’ll fish for letters to spell a word. In Frog Pong, you must hop the frogs from the lily pads back into their pond. In Snack Hut, try to collect 4 matching snacks, and in Tumble Tides, spin the picture wheels and try to match all 4 sections of the picture. It’s based on the original Cranium game, but given a fun carnival twist that kids will love! Collect balloons as you play the 4 carnival games, and the first player to collect 15 balloons, wins.’

 

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Necromunda: Underhive
‘Necromunda is a skirmish tabletop war game produced by Games Workshop. In Necromunda, players control rival gangs battling each other in the Underhive, a place of anarchy and violence in the depths below the Hive City. As in its parent game Warhammer 40,000, play uses 28 mm miniatures (approximately 1:56) and terrain (in this case, the Underhive – a heavily polluted, underground industrial environment). Being a skirmish game, gangs are usually limited to around nine models, but as a result game play can become more detailed. Unlike Warhammer 40,000, Necromunda also allows players to develop their gangs between battles, gaining experience, gaining and losing new members or equipment, according to a set of rules. Gangs which frequently win games acquire more credits (money) and fewer injuries and so are able to grow throughout a campaign. Necromunda also stands out from most other games by Games Workshop by having a more 3-dimensional table layout, with buildings generally having multiple floors, interconnecting walkways and bridges. The terrain is constructed to simulate a hive city on the planet Necromunda, a dystopian futuristic city resembling a termite mound many miles high.’

 

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Shogun 9
‘I’ve recently completed designing and building my first game board. Here are some pics.’

 

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Smurfs, The Game
‘The 3-D Smurf Game. Pick a Smurf character and play the 3D Smurf game! The 3-dimensional game takes place in the Smurf village. Each player has to follow the tricky Smurf path by climbing over bridges and traveling behind Smurf houses! Watch out for the spinning baddie cat, Azrael! Your goal is to be the first Smurf player to reach home with 4 different food baskets of apples, acorns, grapes and strawberries. “The Smurf Game”. From 1981. Made by Milton Bradley.’

 

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Halo Interactive Strategy Game
‘Featuring the same premise and characters as the video game – including Master Chief, A.I. and Covenant – the ‘Halo Interactive Strategy Game’ offers a modular board that can be re-configured to create a virtually limitless game play experience. In recreating the video game’s signature three dimension graphic design, the game pulls fan-favorite elements from Halo 1, 2, and 3 along with music from the video game’s award-winning soundtrack and features unseen exclusive DVD content to enhance game play. In the game, players will command armies of three-dimensional collectible character pieces for two different levels of play: Heroic for faster, more casual game play and Legendary for more strategic advanced gamers. Fans can follow story lines that expand the Halo experience in Campaign mode or go head-to-head in interactive battle sequences with Slayer or Capture the Flag modes. The battle options are endless with future add-ons of new adventures, vehicles, characters and weapons to expand the experience.’

 

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The Scooby-Doo Haunted House Game
‘The Scooby-Doo Haunted House 3D Board Game is action-packed! Move around the haunted house and try to make your way to the top. There are secret booby traps waiting to get you – a moving ghost knight, a creaky staircase, a haunted moose head, and more. There are seven traps in all, but if you make it past and you are the first to the top – uncover the villain and you win!’

 

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The Lost World Jurassic Park Game
‘Based on the second movie, of course. This tri-lingual (English, Spanish, French) crowded MB box contains a whole bunch of thin cardboard 3D buildings; stand up cardboard pieces for the 12 humans and the helicopter, and a bunch of plastic miniatures of the dinosaurs (a T-Rex and some Velociraptors). This is played in teams, the human team trying to get 3 humans off the board via the chopper, and the dinosaur team trying to prevent this. When 3 play, the third player alternates teams. The humans can jump between building roofs or can run between them. Unfortunately, the dinosaurs move a lot faster on the ground than the humans (the humans move between marked spaces, the dinosaurs between zones). Buildings have several entry/exit points for the humans but only one for the raptors. Dice indicate how to move humans and dinosaurs; one of the dice has Stop/Go markings which control whether you may roll again or not — making movement harder to predict. Jumping (for humans) and entering buildings (for dinosaurs) is also dice controlled. The T-Rex is confined to a single board edge area; its function is to flush the humans from the starting building — once he reaches it, all remaining humans are devoured! Yes, unlike the first movie game, in this one there is death aplenty.’

 

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Heroscape
‘Heroscape is turn-based miniature wargaming system played using miniature figures on a board made from interlocking hexagonal tiles that allow for construction of a large variety of 3D playing boards. It is a game of hit points, numerous dice, and attacking. It plays like a fantastic version of chess. Only instead of rooks and pawns, you have all manner of orcs, dragons, robots, assassins, etc. The board and character selection is vast if the host has enough expansion packs, and this was certainly the case over the weekend. The three playing boards sprawled out in full 3d upon a long banquet table and were surrounded by plastic containers full of various character pieces. The five other people playing for the most part knew the characters’ stats without looking at the cards. It was a little intimidating, so I picked a pre-configured, defensive style army. After six hours of 45 minute long games, I had won two and lost the rest.’

 

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Scream Inn
‘Bet you never knew there was a Scream Inn board game?! Well, neither did I? Released in the 1970s by Fisher Price, it’s currently on eBay for about £70 or thereabouts. Below I’ve snagged a few photos to give you an idea of the look and feel of the game. A standard board game with some cut-outs to give a 3d effect and a internal turntable for I presume turning various bits and bobs around? Comes with markers both of the ghost and human variety plus a die and rule book. Strange that no obvious characters from the strip appear aside from a generic ghost. Maybe the comic gave rights only to use the name of the strip. Still, a slice of forgotten comics history which probably went unnoticed by fans back in the day.’

 

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Mordheim: City of the Damned
‘Mordheim does to Warhammer Fantasy what Necromunda does to Warhammer 40k. The game mechanics work in classic Games Workshop fashion. Instead of playing with hundreds of miniatures, you pick a warband of 1-20 models(Most average at 10-12 or so), and fight a skirmish with other warbands. If you play well, your warband gains money, levels, size, and new powers, but play badly and your warband slowly deteriorates as people die or otherwise get dismembered. Games actually play very similar to Necromunda but due to the fantasy setting you should see fewer long distance shots, and a lot more hand to hand fighting.’

 

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Mountaineers
‘Mountaineers is a strategic board game in which 1-6 players compete against each other and AI climbers to earn climbing points (victory points) as they maneuver around a 18 in./45 cm tall rotating 3D modular game board. The theme of Mountaineers is lighthearted and fun, primarily focused on competitive route finding, resource management, character building and upgrades, while challenging players to react to various exciting (and sometimes comical) events that occur on the mountain. Strategy during both set-up and game play is important. At the beginning of a game, players need to choose four climbing routes, one character, and a starting position that work well together, in order to earn the maximum amount of points possible. However, as the game progresses, the mountain terrains fill up, making it more difficult to complete certain climbing routes. Additionally, various mountain conditions change (once per player), and event cards (drawn on each turn) require players to adapt their strategy, change their climbing routes, and purchase various combinations of gear upgrades to continue climbing.’

 

 

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p.s. Hey. Some of you might remember that Mrs. Santa Claus popped into the blog around this time last year to give us a post-shaped holiday treat. And she’s back, this time with some last minute Xmas gift suggestions. And since 3D board games just happen to be one of ‘God’s’ greatest hits, there’s that aspect too. Joyfulness galore, in other words. Please shop or enjoy accordingly, and spare a thoughtful thought for her in the commenting arena if you wish, and all my thanks to Mrs. Santa Claus for letting DC’s be her generosity’s venue. ** Ferdinand, Hey, Ferdinand. Good to see you, man. How’s stuff? Merry Xmas! I’m not on Spotify but maybe I can bootleg a listen. Everyone, Ferdinand says, ‘Happy holiday season and here is a song for the xmass playlist for those on the spotify : Christmass is cancelled – the long blondes.’ ** Misanthrope, I have not counted them, no. But, let’s see, I’ve been doing the blog since 2004 and posting 6 days a week — and 7 days a week for the first several years — with the occasional rerun, so … I’m bad at math. A lot of posts. Enough of them that even with my fairly dedicated attempt to restore the murdered ones, I’ll never be able to resuscitate the entire oeuvre. The relief package’s total internal corruption and short sightedness is a given. Sad. Next. Keep your current doctor close then, for sure. My favorite thing about French doctors is that, on the rare occasions when I’ve had to use one, when it gets to pay up time and I tell them I don’t have insurance, that so flummoxes them that they usually don’t even charge me. ** David Ehrenstein, Yes, indeed. Everyone, If you missed the link to David Ehrenstein’s fine LARB piece about Warren Sonbert in the Further section yesterday, you can take a short cut to it by clicking this. And, just as importantly, Mr. E has a brand spanking new piece up on LARB about Martin Scorcese and Jean-Pierre Melville that has just launched and is available for your reading delectation right here.’ Look forward to it! ** Bill, my pleasure, of course. Ooh … Actually, that ‘Atarayo’ cake could compete with and maybe even trump anything Paris has on offer this year. Want. thanks, B! ** _Black_Acrylic, Happy you dug it, man. Ha ha, crazy about the mysterious calendar. Yes, someone has your number, that’s for sure. ** Brendan, Hi, Brendy. Well, in your defence, they’re not exactly easy to see. Even in the post, seeing them involves a bit of maze-like negotiating. Conner/Kubelka/Frampton: the gods. Frampton especially for me. That’s good to hear about ‘The Pale King’. It’s the only DFW I haven’t read, and it would be nice to have a complete set in my memory banks. I’ll take a deep breath and score it. Hope you’re making it through the hellifying situation there in beloved LA, and Happy Xmas whatever the hell that even means this year. ** Steve Erickson, Ah, shit, about your computer. Smoothest, least meddlesome sailing possible, I hope. Everyone, Steve Erickson’s 10 best films of 2020 are yours to read and be enlightened by or agree or disagree with here. I’ve only seen one of yours, and I’ll rectify that as best I can. Thanks! ** Brian O’Connell, Hi, Brian. Very happy you dug the work, man. Ditto on your Haneke thought. Ha ha, the Pope’s discourse is precisely what I was remembering, or rather not remembering, when I recalled my skimming. Sade does have a magical ability to be totally boring and totally enthralling at the same. Not an easy accomplishment. The hollowness of ‘IaGC’ makes total sense to me in my memory of it. All I really remember is the erotic/disturbing bits. Hm, well, a lot of people I know enter DFW through his wonderful non-fiction, in which case ‘A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again’ is a must. Fiction-wise, why not just take the deep plunge and read ‘Infinite Jest’, although it is lengthy. ‘Girl With Curious Hair’ is an earlier and more quickly digestible entrance. But, yeah, he’s always great as far as I’m concerned. I miss giving and receiving gifts, sitting around the Xmas tree on Xmas morning with one’s family opening the things we gave to each other. Yeah, that was some sweet stuff. Oh, well. On my end, I need to buy whatever I’m going to buy today because there are already long, long lines to get into almost any store and by tomorrow there’ll be shopping riots and shit. So, I’ll do that. Enjoy today’s part of the countdown, sir. ** Okay. You know what you have or had in store today. Be its buddy, won’t you? See you tomorrow.