Wonder no more…

Jenga was a dexterity game that involved building a tower from wooden blocks.  The goal was to remove existing blocks lower in the tower and then place them on the top level without knocking the tower over.

If, like me, you weren’t particularly talented at the game, you tended to make moves like this one:

But what if there was a more effective way to remove the blocks?  Matthias Wandel, a genius when it comes to working with wood, came up with this:

Make sure you check out his woodworking website for some of his other amazing projects.

Have a look at what they’ve managed to create:

February saw the launch of new online magazine Thru-the-portal, and we blogged about it to keep you in the loop.

The response was huge, with more than 2,000 downloads from across 70 countries – and a massive 12% of the downloads were done by us Kiwis and our antipodean cousins across the ditch.

Well, the second issue is out now and David from right here at SeriouslyBoard has written an article on the Kiwi gaming scene. 

SeriouslyBoard has also got involved by being the New Zealand representative board game retailer for Thru-the-portal readers.

So once again, we encourage you to get your own free copy of the magazine.  Don’t miss out!

As such, we’d like to take a moment to thank those who returned – and to those who remain in foreign lands – with a famous poem.

For The Fallen (Laurence Binyon, 1869-1943)

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England’s foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

Lest we forget.

The What: Matamata Board Games
The When: Sunday 18 April 2010, 1.00pm – 5.00 pm
The Where: All Saints Anglican Church Hall, corner Broadway and Hohaia Street, Matamata
The Who: All welcome, but helpful if you let Simon know so he can track numbers.
The Wallet: Please bring a small donation to thank the church for being so obliging. The hall has a kitchen and toilets, so you’ll only need edibles and games, of course! There are cafes and supermarkets nearby.
The Contact: Simon Woodward is the main contact, but you can touch base with us here, if you prefer.

So whether you’re based in Tauranga, Hamilton, or Matamata itself, we encourage you to join Gollum in Hobbiton as we help the local gaming community to prosper!

The What: Matamata Board Games
The When: Sunday 21 March 2010, 1.00pm – 5.00 pm
The Where: All Saints Anglican Church Hall, corner Broadway and Hohaia Street, Matamata
The Who: All welcome, but helpful if you let Simon know so I can track numbers.
The Wallet: Please bring a small donation to thank the church for being so obliging. The hall has a kitchen and toilets, so you’ll only need edibles and games, of course! There are cafes and supermarkets nearby.
The Contact: Simon Woodward is the main contact, but you can touch base with us here, if you prefer.

If you’re unable to make it to Matamata, and you’re in the Auckland area, head on over to KingsWay School and enjoy their gala day.  We’ve sent something to help them raise money, and you could even find yourself with a healthy discount off our product range if you go!

Oh, and did we mention that it’s free?

Thru-the-portal is a quarterly digital magazine that covers what the editor calls “social games” – board games, card games, and role playing games.

It features some great articles, game reviews, and interviews, as well as professional quality artwork, and it’s bound to get better and better as the number of contributors and readers grow.

As thru-the-portal is an unashamedly international project, we at SeriouslyBoard encourage all Kiwis to check the magazine out.  We’ll be sure to let you know when the next issue is available.

And remember – it’s free!

Check out the Wall Street Journal video here!

The Matamata board games group are, like most groups that play board games, a very friendly and welcoming bunch. We’ve met twice so far, and are looking forward to seeing the group grow.

We gather in the local Anglican church, and this Sunday just gone, we were there again to play the likes of Dominion, Saboteur, Pirate’s Cove, and Pillars Of The Earth. The afternoon went quickly, with lots of light hearted banter.

The local minister even popped by for a visit, and spoke of a former minister who lives nearby and who is a big Settlers of Catan fan!

Other games that have featured at the Matamata board games group are the incredibly (and deservingly) popular Endeavor, Spiel des Jahres nominee Pandemic, and award winning Small World.

I’d like to extend a welcome to anyone who would like to attend the next gathering for Matamata board games in late January.

The What: Matamata Board Games
The When: Sunday 24 January 2010, 1.00pm – 6.00 pm
The Where: All Saints Anglican Church Hall, corner Broadway and Hohaia Street, Matamata
The Who: All welcome, but helpful if you let Simon know so I can track numbers.
The Wallet: Please bring a small donation to thank the church for being so obliging. The hall has a kitchen and toilets, so you’ll only need edibles and games, of course! There are cafes and supermarkets nearby.
The Contact: Simon Woodward is the main contact, but you can touch base with us here, if you prefer.

The SeriouslyBoard crew will be there, complete with a one day special, so make sure you come by, say hello, and play some great games with some equally great people!

Let SeriouslyBoard help you with your Christmas shopping, with some board game suggestions.

As far as popular games go, you really can’t look past Endeavor and the Dominion games. They’re really popular at the moment, and deservedly so. Endeavor is a Kiwi-designed game that is sitting comfortably inside the top 50 on BoardGameGeek.com, and Dominion is the 2009 Spiel des Jahres award winner – the pinnacle in board gaming achievement.

If you’re specifically looking for some stocking stuffers, small card games like Saboteur and Citadels should do the trick, and we also have a number of other particularly affordable titles like For Sale and Carcassonne its expansions.

And then of course there’s the Settlers of Catan series, Ticket To Ride, Small World, and various other titles, so if you’re trying to find a Christmas present for the board gamer in your life, let SeriouslyBoard help you to find just the right gift.

Also, a reminder that any game bought in the remainder of 2009 goes into the draw to win $100 worth of board games for the New Year!

And remember – if you can’t find it, contact us, and we’ll try go get it in for you!