Raspberry Grenade Blog

Inflation marches on

Thu, 20 Apr 2023 23:12:47 GMT

Recently, the print-on-demand service we use for our games, the Game Crafter, has raised their prices across the board. This has forced us to raise our own prices in turn, and we're taking a smaller cut just to try to keep prices down.

Here is a list of the changes to our prices:

Asterism

Was $79 plus tax and shipping. Now $86 plus tax and shipping.

Flanxiety

Was $53 plus tax and shipping. Now $62 plus tax and shipping.

Gordian Maps

Was $35 plus tax and shipping. Now $43 plus tax and shipping.

We aren't happy about having to charge such significantly higher prices just to maintain a $1-per-copy margin, but this is our reality at the moment. We aren't a big company that can afford to mass-produce our games; if we could, Asterism could easily retail for $40.

We've been trying to find a publisher who can do that, but between looking for day jobs to barely keep afloat and very few publishers even taking submissions, our options at present are limited.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding.

Anyone's Game, tournament 10 recap

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 18:00:00 GMT

At HexaCon ↗ in mid-February, 2023, we ran five tournaments of Anyone's Game ! Conventiongoers were allowed to approach and participate at will for the first three tournaments. These do not have video, hence the recaps.

Each of the ℹ️ buttons below links to the Wikipedia article on the contest in question. Players who have previously won championships are denoted with ⭐ emoji.

Here's a summary of tournament 10, the third of five tournaments at HexaCon (and the last of three without video) . But first:

Ground rules

Contestants may use any reasonable means available to accomplish the goal, but any of the following will result in disqualification, except when required by the contest:

Use of outside help.
Coercion or threatening bystanders or faceless participants.
Escalating in violence beyond the level required by the contest rules.
Cheating or otherwise circumventing the goal of the contest by using objects or gadgets.

Note: The rules above will be changing in tournament 13.

Round 1

Match 1-1

e138 monologue delivery

#988 Tim "the Tool Man" Taylor ( Home Improvement )

vs.

#832 Riptor ( Killer Instinct )

Winner

Tim Taylor

Match 1-2

e233 packing luggage

#374 Geralt of Rivia ( The Witcher )

vs.

#896 Ron Weasley ( Harry Potter )

Winner

Ron Weasley

Match 1-3

e15 100-meter dash

⭐#1041 Black Widow ( Black Widow )

vs.

#102 Marty McFly ( Back to the Future )

Winner

Black Widow

Match 1-4

e11 dastardly planning

#802 Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man ( Iron Man )

vs.

#536 Babydoll ( Sucker Punch )

Winner

Tony Stark

Note: There was no Wikipedia entry for this contest, so this button leads instead to a dictionary definition of dastardly .

Match 1-5

e196 skeet shooting

#161 Jerry Seinfeld ( Seinfeld )

vs.

#993 Arya Stark ( Game of Thrones )

Winner

Arya Stark

Match 1-6

e215 ice cream scoop stacking

#347 Emp. Kuzco ( The Emperor's New Groove )

vs.

#400 Princess Charlie Morningstar ( Hazbin Hotel )

Winner

Emp. Kuzco

Note: There was no Wikipedia entry related to this contest, so this button leads instead to a product page on Amazon for a children's game that demonstrates the concept. The actual contest is done with ice cream, however, instead of soft plastic cups.

Match 1-7

e88 freestyle rap

#477 Eddie Valiant ( Who Framed Roger Rabbit? )

vs.

#245 Dr. Eggman, a.k.a. Dr. Ivo Robotnik ( Sonic the Hedgehog )

Winner

Dr. Eggman

Match 1-8

e141 house cleaning

#352 Edward ( Edward Scissorhands )

vs.

#999 Peter Griffin ( Family Guy )

Winner

Edward

Match 1-9

e177 red light, green light

#340 Capt. Jack Sparrow ( Pirates of the Caribbean )

vs.

#371 Optimus Prime ( Transformers )

Winner

Optimus Prime

Match 1-10

e199 ice road trucking

#803 Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark ( Game of Thrones )

vs.

#139 Razputin "Raz" Aquato ( Psychonauts )

Winner

Ned Stark

Match 1-11

e180 slug-Bug

#935 Alex Trebek ( Jeopardy! )

vs.

#158 Kronk ( The Emperor's New Groove )

Winner

Kronk

Match 1-12

e108 corn husking

#712 the King ( Burger King )

vs.

#384 Doug Dimmadome ( The Fairly OddParents )

Winner

the King

Match 1-13

e226 wabbit season

Remove the rabbit infestation from the field as quickly as possible. The contest ends when one field is completely devoid of rabbits. Players may use violent means to remove the rabbits, but this is not necessary.

#207 AiAi ( Super Monkey Ball )

vs.

#464 Lt. Cmdr. Worf ( Star Trek: The Next Generation )

Winner

Lt. Cmdr. Worf

Match 1-14

e71 Scrabble

#154 Joey Tribbiani ( Friends )

vs.

#316 Capt. Benjamin Sisko ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine )

Winner

Capt. Benjamin Sisko

Match 1-15

e173 towel snap fight

#685 Baba Yaga ( folklore monster )

vs.

#1023 Cyclops, a.k.a. Scott Summers ( X-Men )

Winner

Cyclops

Note: There was no Wikipedia entry related to this contest, so this button leads instead to an entry for " towel-snap" on Your Dictionary .

Match 1-16

e203 galloping

#165 Wakko Warner ( The Animaniacs )

vs.

#811 Naruto Uzumaki ( Naruto )

Winner

Wakko Warner

Round 2

Match 2-1

e202 tag-team wrestling +1

Team Tim

#988 Tim Taylor ( Home Improvement )

#832 Riptor ( Killer Instinct )

vs.

Team Ron

#896 Ron Weasley ( Harry Potter )

#374 Geralt of Rivia ( The Witcher )

Winners

Team Ron

Match 2-2

e157 cooking on a dollar

⭐#1041 Black Widow ( Black Widow )

vs.

#802 Tony Stark ( Iron Man )

Winner

Black Widow

Note: There was no Wikipedia entry related to this contest, so this button leads instead to a video playlist from Atomic Shrimp that demonstrates the concept.

Match 2-3

e16 makeover

Team Arya

#993 Arya Stark ( Game of Thrones )

#161 Jerry Seinfeld ( Seinfeld )

vs.

Team Kuzco

#347 Emp. Kuzco ( The Emperor's New Groove )

#400 Princess Charlie Morningstar ( Hazbin Hotel )

Winners

Team Kuzco

Note: The team leaders must give a makeover to their previous opponents.

Match 2-4

e188 food delivery

#245 Dr. Eggman ( Sonic the Hedgehog )

vs.

#352 Edward ( Edward Scissorhands )

Winner

Dr. Eggman

Match 2-5

e133 murder mystery solving

#371 Optimus Prime ( Transformers )

vs.

#803 Ned Stark ( Game of Thrones )

Winner

Optimus Prime

Match 2-6

e93 historical trivia

#158 Kronk ( The Emperor's New Groove )

vs.

#712 the King (Burger King)

Winner

Kronk

Note: Questions are asked based on the histories of the players' respective worlds, and they are not given the opportunity to answer one another's questions.

Match 2-7

e208 cosplay +1

Team Worf

#464 Lt. Cmdr. Worf ( Star Trek: The Next Generation )

#207 AiAi ( Super Monkey Ball )

vs.

Team Sisko

#316 Capt. Benjamin Sisko ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine )

#154 Joey Tribbiani ( Friends )

Winners

Team Worf

Note: The team leaders must cosplay as their previous opponents, who are assisting.

Match 2-8

e116 motivational speaking

#1023 Cyclops ( X-Men )

vs.

#165 Wakko Warner ( The Animaniacs )

Winner

Cyclops

Round 3

Match 3-1

e217 air guitar

#896 Ron Weasley ( Harry Potter )

vs.

⭐#1041 Black Widow ( Black Widow )

Winner

Black Widow

Match 3-2

e140 speed typing

#347 Emp. Kuzco ( The Emperor's New Groove )

vs.

#245 Dr. Eggman ( Sonic the Hedgehog )

Winner

Dr. Eggman

Match 3-3

e5 balloon animals

#371 Optimus Prime ( Transformers )

vs.

#158 Kronk ( The Emperor's New Groove )

Winner

Kronk

Match 3-4

e245 thinking with portals

#464 Lt. Cmdr. Worf ( Star Trek: The Next Generation )

vs.

#1023 Cyclops ( X-Men )

Winner

Cyclops

Note: Players are solving portal-based puzzles in person, like those found in the Portal series' test chambers.

Semi finals

Match 4-1

e158 extravagant cooking

⭐#1041 Black Widow ( Black Widow )

vs.

#245 Dr. Eggman ( Sonic the Hedgehog )

Winner

Black Widow

Match 4-2

e84 stand-up comedy

#158 Kronk ( The Emperor's New Groove )

vs.

#1023 Cyclops ( X-Men )

Winner

Kronk

Final round

In the final match, the first player to win two contests becomes the champion!

Finalists

⭐#1041 Black Widow ( Black Widow )

vs.

#158 Kronk ( The Emperor's New Groove )

Match 5-1

e107 canine agility course

Winner

Kronk

Match 5-2

e80 stage makeup

Winner

Black Widow

Match 5-3

e83 ladder match

Winner

Black Widow

Champion

#1041 Black Widow, a.k.a. Natasha Romanov

As champion, Black Widow receives a second shiny star on her portrait and automatic admission into the next tournament!

Any player who wins three stars retires from Anyone's Game and into the Hall of Fame!

The state of the bracket at the end of the tournament. Black Widow now has two stars! If she wins one more, she'll retire into the Hall of Fame!

Do you think any of these matches should have turned out differently? Send us your thoughts on Twitter (#AnyonesGame) or by email. We might even read them on the show!

Anyone's Game, tournament 9 recap

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 18:00:00 GMT

Each of the ℹ️ buttons below links to the Wikipedia article on the contest in question. Players who have previously won championships are denoted with ⭐ emoji.

Here's a summary of tournament 9, the second of five tournaments at HexaCon (and the second of three without video) . But first:

Ground rules

Contestants may use any reasonable means available to accomplish the goal, but any of the following will result in disqualification, except when required by the contest:

Use of outside help.
Coercion or threatening bystanders or faceless participants.
Escalating in violence beyond the level required by the contest rules.
Cheating or otherwise circumventing the goal of the contest by using objects or gadgets.

Note: The rules above will be changing in tournament 13.

Round 1

Match 1-1

e133 murder mystery solving

#198 Sonya Blade ( Mortal Kombat )

vs.

#936 Sean Connery ( actor )

Winner

Sonya Blade

Match 1-2

e26 freerunning

#531 Cao Cao ( Romance of the Three Kingdoms )

vs.

#647 Calvin ( Calvin and Hobbes )

Winner

Calvin

Match 1-3

e8 juggling

#946 Hägar the Horrible ( Hägar the Horrible )

vs.

#347 Emperor Kuzco ( The Emperor's New Groove )

Winner

Emperor Kuzco

Match 1-4

e174 pillow fight

#340 Capt. Jack Sparrow ( Pirates of the Caribbean )

vs.

#158 Kronk ( The Emperor's New Groove )

Winner

Kronk

Match 1-5

e242 cartwheeling for distance

#133 Ein ( Cowboy Bebop )

vs.

#126 Westley, a.k.a. the Dread Pirate Roberts ( The Princess Bride )

Winner

Westley

Match 1-6

e173 towel snap fight

⭐#504 R2-D2 ( Star Wars )

vs.

#685 Baba Yaga (folklore monster)

Winner

R2-D2

Note: There was no Wikipedia entry related to this contest, so this button leads instead to an entry for " towel-snap" on Your Dictionary .

Match 1-7

e138 monologue delivery

#712 the King (Burger King)

vs.

#157 the Wicked Witch of the West ( The Wizard of Oz )

Winner

the Wicked Witch of the West

Match 1-8

e115 Mickey Mouse impersonation

#922 Rose Tyler ( Doctor Who )

vs.

#1025 Benjamin Grimm, a.k.a. the Thing ( The Fantastic Four )

Winner

Rose Tyler

Match 1-9

e108 corn husking

#682 Megan Parker ( Drake & Josh )

vs.

#57 Rick O'Connell ( The Mummy )

Winner

Rick O'Connell

Match 1-10

e150 fetch

#812 Inuyasha ( Inuyasha )

vs.

#206 Llewellyn "Louie" Duck ( DuckTales )

Winner

Inuyasha

Match 1-11

e47 skateboarding stunts

#263 Homer Simpson ( The Simpsons )

vs.

#247 Agent Kay ( Men in Black )

Winner

Agent Kay

Match 1-12

e184 orienteering

#1041 Black Widow, a.k.a. Natasha Romanov ( Black Widow )

vs.

#112 Drizzt Do'urden ( Dungeons & Dragons: Forgotten Realms )

Winner

Black Widow

Match 1-13

e195 skydiving

#910 Robin Scherbatsky ( How I Met Your Mother )

vs.

#784 Alan "the Brain" Powers ( Arthur )

Winner

Robin Scherbatsky

Match 1-14

e181 tour guiding

#511 Fred Rogers ( Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood )

vs.

#1000 Brian Griffin ( Family Guy )

Winner

Fred Rogers

Match 1-15

e119 kickboxing

#650 Rudolph, the red- nosed reindeer ( Christmas assistant )

vs.

#232 King Aragorn ( The Lord of the Rings )

Winner

King Aragorn

Match 1-16

e84 stand-up comedy

#279* Marie ( Splatoon )

vs.

#102 Marty McFly ( Back to the Future )

Winner

Marty McFly

* Since this tournament, Marie has joined with her cousin Callie, to form the team #279 the Squid Sisters .

Round 2

Match 2-1

e202 Twister

#198 Sonya Blade ( Mortal Kombat )

vs.

#647 Calvin ( Calvin and Hobbes )

Winner

Sonya Blade

Match 2-2

e243 pattycake +1

Team Kuzco

#347 Emp. Kuzco ( The Emperor's New Groove )

#946 Hägar the Horrible ( Hägar the Horrible )

vs.

Team Kronk

#158 Kronk ( The Emperor's New Groove )

#340 Capt. Jack Sparrow ( Pirates of the Caribbean )

Winners

Team Kronk

Match 2-3

e172 miniature golf

#126 Westley ( The Princess Bride )

vs.

⭐#504 R2-D2 ( Star Wars )

Winner

Westley

Match 2-4

e223 silly walking

#157 the Wicked Witch of the West ( The Wizard of Oz )

vs.

#922 Rose Tyler ( Doctor Who )

Winner

the Wicked Witch of the West

Match 2-5

e154 Monopoly +1!

#57 Rick O'Connell ( The Mummy )

vs.

#812 Inuyasha ( Inuyasha )

vs.

#682 Megan Parker ( Drake & Josh )

vs.

#205 Louie Duck ( DuckTales )

Winner

Louie Duck*

* In a free-for-all event, previously eliminated players get another chance to win in place of current contestants (this is credited as a steal), and Louie Duck has done so.

Match 2-6

e103 "try not to laugh" challenge

#247 Agent Kay ( Men in Black )

vs.

#1041 Black Widow ( Black Widow )

Winner

Black Widow

Note: There was no Wikipedia entry relating to this contest, so this button leads instead to a playlist of Markiplier videos demonstrating the concept.

Match 2-7

e137 craps

#910 Robin Scherbatsky ( How I Met Your Mother )

vs.

#511 Fred Rogers ( Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood )

Winner

Robin Scherbatsky

Match 2-8

e57 swashbuckling

#232 King Aragorn ( The Lord of the Rings )

vs.

#102 Marty McFly ( Back to the Future )

Winner

King Aragorn

Round 3

Match 3-1

e168 mock trial +1

Team Sonya

#198 Sonya Blade ( Mortal Kombat )

#647 Calvin ( Calvin and Hobbes )

vs.

Team Kronk

#158 Kronk ( The Emperor's New Groove )

#347 Emp. Kuzco ( The Emperor's New Groove )

Winners

Team Sonya

Match 3-2

e31 joust

#126 Westley ( The Princess Bride )

vs.

#157 the Wicked Witch of the West ( The Wizard of Oz )

Winner

Westley

Match 3-3

e180 slug-Bug

#205 Louie Duck ( DuckTales )

vs.

#1041 Black Widow ( Black Widow )

Winner

Black Widow

Match 3-4

e121 caber tossing

#910 Robin Scherbatsky ( How I Met Your Mother )

vs.

#511 Fred Rogers ( Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood )

Winner

Fred Rogers

Semi finals

Match 4-1

e194 computer troubleshooting

#198 Sonya Blade ( Mortal Kombat )

vs.

#126 Westley ( The Princess Bride )

Winner

Sonya Blade

Match 4-2

e196 skeet shooting

#1041 Black Widow ( Black Widow )

vs.

#232 King Aragorn ( The Lord of the Rings )

Winner

Sonya Blade

Final round

In the final match, the first player to win two contests becomes the champion!

Finalists

#198 Sonya Blade ( Mortal Kombat )

vs.

#1041 Black Widow ( Black Widow )

Match 5-1

e83 ladder match

Winner

Black Widow

Match 5-2

e160 bull riding

Winner

Black Widow

Match 5-3

e141 house cleaning

Winner

Black Widow

Champion

#1041 Black Widow, a.k.a. Natasha Romanov

As champion, Black Widow receives a shiny star on her portrait and automatic admission into the next tournament!

Any player who wins three stars retires from Anyone's Game and into the Hall of Fame!

The state of the bracket at the end of the tournament. Black Widow now has one star and is one step closer to the Hall of Fame!

Do you think any of these matches should have turned out differently? Send us your thoughts on Twitter (#AnyonesGame) or by email. We might even read them on the show!

Anyone's Game, tournament 8 recap

Sun, 16 Apr 2023 18:00:00 GMT

Each of the ℹ️ buttons below links to the Wikipedia article on the contest in question. Players who have previously won championships are denoted with ⭐ icons.

Here's a summary of tournament 8, the first of five tournaments at HexaCon (and the first of three without video). But first:

Ground rules

Contestants may use any reasonable means available to accomplish the goal, but any of the following will result in disqualification, except when required by the contest:

Use of outside help.
Coercion or threatening bystanders or faceless participants.
Escalating in violence beyond the level required by the contest rules.
Cheating or otherwise circumventing the goal of the contest by using objects or gadgets.

Note: The rules above will be changing in tournament 13.

Round 1

Match 1-1

e143 restaurant reviewing

#572 Megamind ( Megamind )

vs.

#537 Tyrion Lannister ( Game of Thrones )

Winner

Tyrion Lannister

Match 1-2

e135 mysterious murder

#774 Flik ( A Bug's Life )

vs.

#974 a crewmate ( Among Us )

Winner

Flik

Match 1-3

e228 air hockey

#494 May Parker ( Spider-Man )

vs.

#274 Grogu ( Star Wars: The Mandalorian )

Winner

Grogu

Match 1-4

e14 staring contest

#883 Queen Daenerys Targaryen ( Game of Thrones )

vs.

#694 April Ludgate ( Parks and Recreation )

Winner

April Ludgate

Match 1-5

e44 Jenga

#541 Saitama ( One Punch Man )

vs.

#953 Alex the Lion, a.k.a. Alakay ( Madagascar )

Winner

Alex the Lion

Match 1-6

e205 drinking contest

#349 Odie ( Garfield )

vs.

#892 Hogarth Hughes ( The Iron Giant )

Winner

Odie

Match 1-7

e150 fetch

#504 R2-D2 ( Star Wars )

vs.

#868 Cookie Monster ( Sesame Street )

Winner

Cookie Monster

Match 1-8

e204 bear wrestling

#952 Jareth the Goblin King ( Labyrinth )

vs.

#59 Squidward Tentacles ( SpongeBob SquarePants )

Winner

Jareth the Goblin King

Match 1-9

e199 ice road trucking

#449 Clippit ( Microsoft Office )

vs.

#376 Plucky Duck ( Tiny Toon Adventures )

Winner

Plucky Duck

Match 1-10

e217 air guitar

#208 Wednesday Addams ( The Addams Family )

vs.

#627 Lavagirl ( The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D )

Winner

Wednesday Addams

Match 1-11

e149 wingsuiting

#860 Dr. John A. Zoidberg ( Futurama )

vs.

#783 Jerry Springer ( actor )

Winner

Dr. John A. Zoidberg

Match 1-12

e5 balloon animals

#3 Thomas the Tank Engine ( Thomas & Friends )

vs.

#778 Mark Hamill ( actor )

Winner

Mark Hamill

Match 1-13

e213 maniacal laughter

⭐#377 Princess Scorpia ( She-Ra and the Princesses of Power )

vs.

#284 Reptar ( Rugrats )

Winner

Princess Scorpia

Match 1-14

e70 fortune telling

#603 the Road Runner ( Looney Tunes )

vs.

#342 Dib Membrane ( Invader Zim )

Winner

the Road Runner

Match 1-15

e11 dastardly planning

Note: There was no Wikipedia entry for this contest, so this button leads instead to a dictionary definition of dastardly .

⭐#129 Phineas Flynn ( Phineas and Ferb )

vs.

#785 C-3PO ( Star Wars )

Winner

Phineas Flynn

Match 1-16

e8 juggling

#33 Billy ( The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy )

vs.

#611 Sweeney Todd ( Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street )

Winner

Sweeney Todd

Round 2

Match 2-1

e17 synchronized swimming +1

Team Tyrion

#537 Tyrion Lannister ( Game of Thrones )

#572 Megamind ( Megamind )

vs.

Team Flik

#774 Flik ( A Bug's Life )

#974 a crewmate ( Among Us )

Winners

Team Tyrion

Match 2-2

e103 "try not to laugh" challenge

Note: There was no Wikipedia entry for this contest, so this button leads instead to a playlist of Markiplier videos demonstrating the concept.

#274 Grogu ( Star Wars: The Mandalorian )

vs.

#694 April Ludgate ( Parks and Recreation )

Winner

April Ludgate

Match 2-3

e10 herding cats

#953 Alex the Lion ( Madagascar )

vs.

#349 Odie ( Garfield )

Winner

Alex the Lion

Match 2-4

e184 orienteering

#504 R2-D2 ( Star Wars )

vs.

#952 Jareth the Goblin King ( Labyrinth )

Winner

R2-D2

Match 2-5

e54 Super Smash Bros.

#376 Plucky Duck ( Tiny Toon Adventures )

vs.

#208 Wednesday Addams ( The Addams Family )

Winner

Wednesday Addams

Match 2-6

e55 hurdles

#860 Dr. John A. Zoidberg ( Futurama )

vs.

#778 Mark Hamill ( actor )

Winner

Mark Hamill

Match 2-7

e72 Quiplash +1!

⭐#377 Princess Scorpia ( She-Ra and the Princesses of Power )

vs.

#603 the Road Runner ( Looney Tunes )

vs.

#284 Reptar ( Rugrats )

vs.

#342 Dib Membrane ( Invader Zim )

Winner

the Road Runner

Match 2-8

e167 elaborate criming

Commit a nonviolent crime with as many interlocking steps as possible. The crime that takes longer to solve is the winner.

⭐#129 Phineas Flynn ( Phineas and Ferb )

vs.

#611 Sweeney Todd ( Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street )

Winner

Sweeney Todd

Round 3

Match 3-1

e128 Among Us +2!

#537 Tyrion Lannister ( Game of Thrones )

vs.

#694 April Ludgate ( Parks and Recreation )

vs.

#774 Flik ( A Bug's Life )

vs.

#274 Grogu ( Star Wars: The Mandalorian )

vs.

#572 Megamind ( Megamind )

vs.

#883 Queen Daenerys Targaryen ( Game of Thrones )

Winner

April Ludgate

Match 3-2

e231 tag-team wrestling

Team Alex

#953 Alex the Lion ( Madagascar )

#349 Odie ( Garfield )

vs.

Team Artoo

#504 R2-D2 ( Star Wars )

#952 Jareth the Goblin King ( Labyrinth )

Winners

Team Artoo

Match 3-3

e91 battle of the bands

Team Wednesday

#208 Wednesday Addams ( The Addams Family )

#376 Plucky Duck ( Tiny Toon Adventures )

#627 Lavagirl ( The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D )

vs.

Team Mark

#778 Mark Hamill ( actor )

#860 Dr. John A. Zoidberg ( Futurama )

#3 Thomas the Tank Engine ( Thomas & Friends )

Winners

Team Mark

Match 3-4

e238 pogo stick race

#603 the Road Runner ( Looney Tunes )

vs.

#611 Sweeney Todd ( Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street )

Winner

the Road Runner

Semi finals

Match 4-1

e236 brain surgery

#694 April Ludgate ( Parks and Recreation )

vs.

#504 R2-D2 ( Star Wars )

Winner

R2-D2

Match 4-2

e125 prom queen election

#778 Mark Hamill (actor)

vs.

#603 the Road Runner ( Looney Tunes )

Winner

Mark Hamill

Final round

In the final match, the first player to win two contests becomes the champion!

Finalists

#504 R2-D2 ( Star Wars )

vs.

#778 Mark Hamill ( actor )

Match 5-1

e7 basket weaving

Winner

R2-D2

Match 5-2

e50 bubble blowing

Winner

Mark Hamill

Match 5-3

e237 rap battle

Winner

R2-D2

Champion

#504 R2-D2

As champion, R2-D2 receives a shiny star on his portrait and automatic admission into the next tournament!

Any player who wins three stars retires from Anyone's Game and into the Hall of Fame!

The state of the bracket at the end of the tournament. R2-D2 now has one star and is one step closer to the Hall of Fame!

Do you think any of these matches should have turned out differently? Send us your thoughts on Twitter (#AnyonesGame) or by email. We might even read them on the show!

Anyone's Game, tournament 5 recap

Fri, 17 Feb 2023 19:00:00 GMT

From February through December 2022, we ran Anyone's Game on Twitter↗ ! Users of the site were allowed a whole week to vote on each contest.

Some of the matches have art from Solunite↗ , included below! I asked him specifically for art that took about 45 minutes per image, and I think they turned out great! I also got laid off early through this run, so I was unable to commission him for the rest of the matches.

Each of the ℹ️ buttons below links to the Wikipedia article on the contest in question.

Here's a summary of tournament 5, held over ten months on Twitter. But first:

Ground rules

Contestants may use any reasonable means available to accomplish the goal, but any of the following will result in disqualification, except when required by the contest:

Use of outside help.
Coercion or threatening bystanders or faceless participants.
Escalating in violence beyond the level required by the contest rules.
Cheating or otherwise circumventing the goal of the contest by using objects or gadgets.

Round 1

Match 1-1 — e125 prom queen election

#219 Luigi ( Super Mario ) vs. #208 Wednesday Addams ( The Addams Family )

Winner: Luigi

Match 1-2 — e109 pop culture trivia

#334 Chef Hatchet ( Total Drama ) vs. #420 Beakman ( Beakman's World )

Winner: Chef Hatchet

Match 1-3 — e56 transcontinental car race

#251 Conan ( Conan the Barbarian ) vs. #378 WALL-E ( WALL-E )

Winner: WALL-E

Match 1-4 — e102 pole vaulting

#365 Ellen Ripley ( Alien ) vs. #97 Monkey D. Luffy ( One Piece )

Winner: Monkey D. Luffy

Match 1-5 — e23 luge

#158 Kronk ( The Emperor's New Groove ) vs. #35 Lara Croft ( Tomb Raider )

Winner: Kronk

Match 1-6 — e54 Super Smash Bros.

#131 Steven Universe ( Steven Universe ) vs. #369 Mary Poppins ( Mary Poppins )

Winner: Steven Universe

Match 1-7 — e25 poker

#80 Yogi Bear ( Yogi Bear ) vs. #285 Mustache Girl ( A Hat in Time )

Winner: Mustache Girl

Note: For clarity on the contest rules in future tournaments, this event has been renamed to #25 Texas Hold 'Em . See button 2.

Match 1-8 — e122 sudoku

#88 Hunter the Cheetah ( Spyro the Dragon ) vs. #383 Tommy Pickles ( Rugrats / All Grown Up! )

Winner: Hunter the Cheetah

Match 1-9 — e108 corn husking

#13 Jake the Dog ( Adventure Time ) vs. #182 the Crownéd Slime ( Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale )

Winner: Jake the Dog

Match 1-10 — e131 arson

#217 Johnny Test ( Johnny Test ) vs. #290 Tycho Brahe ( Penny Arcade )

Winner: Johnny Test

Match 1-11 — e20 frolicking

#360 Juliet Starling ( Lollipop Chainsaw ) vs. #436 Danny Tanner ( Full House )

Winner: Juliet Starling

Note: Wikipedia doesn't have an article on frolicking, so this button goes to Wiktionary instead.

Match 1-12 — e75 quilting

#382 Gandalf ( The Lord of the Rings ) vs. #171 Capt. John Rambo ( Rambo )

Winner: Gandalf

Match 1-13 — e107 canine agility course

#64* Jerry Mouse ( Tom and Jerry ) vs. #252 Alfred Pennyworth ( Batman )

Winner: Jerry Mouse

Note: As of tournament 13 (this is t5), Jerry Mouse has joined with Tom Cat, and the two will compete together as #64 Tom and Jerry .

Match 1-14 — e89 badminton

#368 Dr. Gordon Freeman ( Half-Life ) vs. #422 Stanley Ipkiss ( The Mask )

Winner: Dr. Gordon Freeman

Match 1-15 — e77 home run derby

#319 Zazu ( The Lion King ) vs. #363 Max ( Sam & Max )

Winner: Max

Match 1-16 — e76 campfire starting

#94* Harry Lyme ( Home Alone ) vs. #87 the cabbage merchant ( Avatar: The Last Airbender )

Winner: the cabbage merchant

Note: As of tournament 13 (this is t5), Harry Lyme has joined with Marv Murchins, and the two of them will compete together as #94 the Wet Bandits .

Round 2

Match 2-1 — e100 hot dog eating

#219 Luigi vs. #334 Chef Hatchet

Winner: Chef Hatchet

Match 2-2 — e64 pet sitting

#378 WALL-E vs. #97 Monkey D. Luffy

Winner: WALL-E

Match 2-3 — e49 chess

#158 Kronk vs. #131 Steven Universe

Winner: Steven Universe

Match 2-4 — e29 marathon

#285 Mustache Girl vs. #88 Hunter the Cheetah

Winner: Mustache Girl

Match 2-5 — e0* solitaire

#299 Col. Samantha Carter vs. #650 Rudolph

Winner: Rudolph

Note: Solitaire is no longer a current event and no longer has an event number.

Match 2-6 — e37 trading card games

#360 Juliet Starling vs. #382 Gandalf

Winner: Juliet Starling

Match 2-7 — e127 escape room

#64* Jerry Mouse vs. #368 Dr. Gordon Freeman

Winner: DRAW!

This poll resulted in a tied vote. Both of these players were eliminated, and a new player entered in their stead:

#333 Ens. Wesley Crusher ( Star Trek: The Next Generation )

Match 2-8 — e101 emergency plane landing

#363 Max vs. #87 the cabbage merchant

Winner: DRAW!

This poll resulted in a tied vote. Both of these players were eliminated, and a new player entered in their stead:

#310 Ronald McDonald ( McDonald's )

Round 3

Match 3-1 — e104 HORSE

#334 Chef Hatchet vs. #378 WALL-E

Winner: Chef Hatchet

Match 3-2 — e13 ghost stories

#131 Steven Universe vs. #285 Mustache Girl

Winner: Steven Universe

Match 3-3 — e7 basket weaving

#13 Jake the Dog vs. #360 Juliet Starling

Winner: Juliet Starling

Match 3-4 — e82 Tetris

#333 Ens. Wesley Crusher vs. #310 Ronald McDonald

Winner: Ens. Wesley Crusher

Semi finals

Match 4-1 — e45 hangman

#334 Chef Hatchet vs. #131 Steven Universe

Winner: Chef Hatchet

Match 4-2 — e114 prank war

#360 Juliet Starling vs. #333 Ens. Wesley Crusher

Winner: Ens. Wesley Crusher

Final round

In the final match, the first player to win two contests becomes the champion!

Finalists

#334 Chef Hatchet vs. #333 Ens. Wesley Crusher

Match 5-1 — e16 makeover

Winner: Ens. Wesley Crusher

Match 5-2 — e93 historical trivia

Winner: Chef Hatchet

Match 5-3 — e95 improv comedy

Winner: Chef Hatchet

Champion

#334 Chef Hatchet

As champion, Chef Hatchet receives a shiny star on his portrait and automatic admission into the next tournament!

Any player who wins three stars retires from Anyone's Game and into the Hall of Fame!

The state of the bracket at the end of the tournament. Chef Hatchet now has one star and is one step closer to the Hall of Fame!

Do you think any of these matches should have turned out differently? Send us your thoughts on Twitter or by email. We might even read them on the show!

Anyone's Game, tournament 4 recap

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 23:38:58 GMT

On November 26, 2022, we set up at KaPow Comics & Coffee↗️ to deliver some entertainment during their Black Friday sale. Participants joined us for three tournaments, all of which we're counting in our stat tracking!

Each of the ℹ️ buttons below links to the Wikipedia article on the contest in question, unless otherwise specified.

Here's a summary of tournament 4, the third of three on that day. But first:

Ground rules

Contestants may use any reasonable means available to accomplish the goal, but any of the following will result in disqualification, except when required by the contest:

Use of outside help.
Coercion or threatening bystanders or faceless participants.
Escalating in violence beyond the level required by the contest rules.
Cheating or otherwise circumventing the goal of the contest by using objects or gadgets.

Round 1

Match 1-1 — e197 crabbing

#835 Spike ( My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic ) vs. #848 Shere Khan ( TaleSpin )

Winner: Spike

Match 1-2 — e94 debate

#118 Princess Peach ( Super Mario ) vs. #630* Rose Nylund ( The Golden Girls )

Winner: Rose Nylund

Note: Later on, Rose Nylund joins with Blanche Devereaux, Dorothy Zbornak, and Sophia Petrillo. Starting in tournament 13, they will compete together as #630 the Golden Girls .

Match 1-3 — e69 hedge maze

#613 Ragnar Lothbrok ( Vikings ) vs. #749 Horton the Elephant ( Horton Hears a Who! )

Winner: Ragnar Lothbrok

Match 1-4 — e161 Guess Who?

#744 the Queen of Hearts ( Alice in Wonderland ) vs. #43 Prince Bowser Jr. ( Super Mario )

Winner: the Queen of Hearts

Match 1-5 — e156 long jump

#901 Biff Tannen ( Back to the Future ) vs. #298 Ickis ( Aaahh!!! Real Monsters )

Winner: Biff Tannen

Match 1-6 — e160 bull riding

#145 Cranky Kong ( Donkey Kong Country ) vs. #349 Odie ( Garfield )

Winner: Cranky Kong

Match 1-7 — e174 pillow fight

#952 Jareth the Goblin King ( Labyrinth ) vs. #784 Alan "the Brain" Powers ( Arthur )

Winner: Jareth the Goblin King

Match 1-8 — e242 cartwheeling for distance

#727 the Big Bad Wolf (fables) vs. #312 Jeff Probst ( Survivor )

Winner: Jeff Probst

Match 1-9 — e41 speed stacking

#299 Col. Samantha Carter ( Stargate SG-1 ) vs. #204 Pierce Hawthorne ( Community )

Winner: Col. Samantha Carter

Match 1-10 — e64 pet sitting

#259 King Atticus of Corginia ( Infinity Train ) vs. #650 Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer (Christmas assistant)

Winner: Rudolph

Match 1-11 — e118 Luigi's Balloon World

#630* Dorothy Zbornak ( The Golden Girls ) vs. #1012 Sailor Moon, a.k.a. Usagi Tsukino ( Sailor Moon )

Winner: Sailor Moon

Note 1: Later on, Dorothy Zbornak joins with Blanche Devereaux, Rose Nylund, and Sophia Petrillo. Starting in tournament 13, they will compete together as #630 the Golden Girls .

Note 2: Wikipedia doesn't have an article on Luigi's Balloon World, so this button goes to the article on the Super Mario Wiki instead.

Match 1-12 — e238 pogo stick race

#187 Jessica Rabbit ( Who Framed Roger Rabbit? ) vs. #366 Dr. Peter Venkman ( Ghostbusters )

Winner: Dr. Peter Venkman

Match 1-13 — e116 motivational speaking

#79 Foghorn Leghorn ( Looney Tunes ) vs. #229 Bloo ( Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends )

Winner: Foghorn Leghorn

Match 1-14 — e22 chili cookoff

#833 Bear ( Bear in the Big Blue House ) vs. #828 Charles Montgomery Burns ( The Simpsons )

Winner: Bear

Match 1-15 — e141 house cleaning

��#129 Phineas Flynn ( Phineas and Ferb ) vs. #158 Kronk ( The Emperor's New Groove )

Winner: Phineas Flynn

Match 1-16 — e112 Easter egg hunt

#973 Gonzo the Great ( The Muppets ) vs. #883 Queen Daenerys Targaryen ( Game of Thrones )

Winner: Gonzo the Great

Round 2

Match 2-1 — e135 mysterious murder

#835 Spike vs. #630* Rose Nylund

Winner: Spike

Match 2-2 — e18 breakdancing

#613 Ragnar Lothbrok vs. #744 the Queen of Hearts

Winner: Ragnar Lothbrok

Match 2-3 — e47 skateboarding stunts

#901 Biff Tannen vs. #145 Cranky Kong

Winner: Cranky Kong

Match 2-4 — e5 balloon animals

#952 Jareth the Goblin King vs. #312 Jeff Probst

Winner: Jareth the Goblin King

Match 2-5 — e142 sailing the Atlantic

#299 Col. Samantha Carter vs. #650 Rudolph

Winner: Rudolph

Match 2-6 — e136 Pokémon battle

#1012 Sailor Moon vs. #366 Dr. Peter Venkman

Winner: Sailor Moon

Match 2-7 — e237 rap battle

#79 Foghorn Leghorn vs. #833 Bear

Winner: Foghorn Leghorn

Match 2-8 — e24 archery

��#129 Phineas Flynn vs. #973 Gonzo the Great

Winner: Gonzo the Great

Round 3

Match 3-1 — e187 Olmec's Temple run

#835 Spike vs. #613 Ragnar Lothbrok

Winner: Ragnar Lothbrok

Match 3-2 — e27 animal impressions

#145 Cranky Kong vs. #952 Jareth the Goblin King

Winner: Jareth the Goblin King

Match 3-3 — e172 miniature golf

#650 Rudolph vs. #1012 Sailor Moon

Winner: Sailor Moon

Match 3-4 — e181 tour guiding

#79 Foghorn Leghorn vs. #973 Gonzo the Great

Winner: Gonzo the Great

Semi finals

Match 4-1 — e225 gelatin eating

#613 Ragnar Lothbrok vs. #952 Jareth the Goblin King

Winner: Ragnar Lothbrok

Match 4-2 — e73 blackjack

#1012 Sailor Moon vs. #973 Gonzo the Great

Winner: Sailor Moon

Final round

In the final match, the first player to win two contests becomes the champion!

Finalists

#613 Ragnar Lothbrok vs. #1012 Sailor Moon

Match 5-1 — e245 thinking with portals

Winner: Sailor Moon

Match 5-2 — e209 cake decoration

Winner: Sailor Moon

In cases where the first two contests are won by the same player, a third is run anyway.

Match 5-3 — e170 American Idol

Winner: Sailor Moon

Champion

#1012 Sailor Moon

As champion, Sailor Moon receives a shiny star on her portrait and automatic admission into the next tournament!

Any player who wins three stars retires from Anyone's Game and into the Hall of Fame!

The state of the bracket at the end of the tournament. Sailor Moon now has one star and is one step closer to the Hall of Fame!

Do you think any of these matches should have turned out differently? Send us your thoughts on Twitter or by email. We might even read them on the show!

Anyone's Game, tournament 3 recap

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 03:00:44 GMT

On November 26, we set up at KaPow Comics & Coffee↗️ to deliver some entertainment during their Black Friday sale. Participants joined us for three tournaments, all of which we're counting!

Here's a summary of tournament 3, the second of three on that day:

Ground rules

Contestants may use any reasonable means available to accomplish the goal, but any of the following will result in disqualification, except when required by the contest:

Use of outside help.
Coercion or threatening bystanders or faceless participants.
Escalating in violence beyond the level required by the contest rules.
Cheating or otherwise circumventing the goal of the contest by using objects or gadgets.

Round 1

Match 1.1 — monologue delivery

Memorize and deliver a monologue onstage to the judges. Best delivery wins.

#884 LeBron James ( NBA ) vs. #130 Capt. Jean-Luc Picard ( Star Trek: The Next Generation )

Winner: Capt. Jean-Luc Picard

Match 1.2 — ice sculpting

Carve a statue out of ice using non-electronic tools. Better statue wins.

#816 William "Buddy" Hobbs ( Elf ) vs. #756 Muriel Bagge ( Courage the Cowardly Dog )

Winner: Buddy

Match 1.3 — musical theatre

Memorize and perform a musical play. Players have two weeks to prepare. Better performance wins.

#blank Mr. Poopy Butthole ( Rick and Morty ) vs. #96 Jimmy Carr ( comedian )

Winner: Mr. Poopy Butthole

Match 1.4 — web design

Create a website using HTML, CSS, and/or a WYSIWYG editor. Websites are judged on aesthetic × functionality. Higher score wins.

#635 Groot ( Guardians of the Galaxy ) vs. #307 Hank Hill ( King of the Hill )

Winner: Hank Hill

Match 1.5 — karate tournament

Defeat your opponent by utilizing punches, kicks, and throws to score points. First to 8 points wins.

Read the full rules of karate here.↗️

#784 Alan "the Brain" Powers ( Arthur ) vs. #131 Steven Universe ( Steven Universe )

Winner: Steven Universe

Match 1.6 — cheese rolling

Chase a rolling cheese wheel down a large hill. First to reach the cheese wins.

#220 Capt. America, a.k.a. Steve Rogers ( Captain America ) vs. #504 R2-D2 ( Star Wars )

Winner: Capt. America

Match 1.7 — sudoku

First to solve the sudoku puzzle↗️ wins.

#1000 Brian Griffin ( Family Guy ) vs. #964 Rogue ( X-Men )

Winner: Brian Griffin

Match 1.8 — basket weaving

Create the best possible basket within two hours. Better basket wins.

#175 Johnny Cage ( Mortal Kombat ) vs. #785 C-3PO ( Star Wars )

Winner: Johnny Cage

Match 1.9 — oil change

Perform an oil change that passes inspection. Faster time wins.

#9 Bambi ( Disney's Bambi ) vs. #662 Burton "Gus" Guster ( Psych )

Winner: Gus

Match 1.10 — murder mystery solving

Solve the murder mystery. Fastest correct answer wins. Incorrect guesses each add 2 hours to your time.

��#442 the Joker ( Batman ) vs. #859 Rafiki ( The Lion King )

Winner: the Joker

Match 1.11 — jacks

Bounce the ball, grab a few jacks, and then catch the ball before it bounces again, all with the same hand. Most jacks at the end wins.

#102 Marty McFly ( Back to the Future ) vs. #334 Chef Hatchet ( Total Drama )

Winner: Marty McFly

Match 1.12 — marbles

Use your thumb to shoot the "boulder" and knock marbles out of the ring. Most marbles knocked out wins.

#828 Charles Montgomery Burns ( The Simpsons ) vs. #13 Jake the Dog ( Adventure Time )

Winner: Mr. Burns

Match 1.13 — motivational speaking

Deliver a motivational speech. These are scored subjectively by the judges. Higher score wins.

#129 Phineas Flynn ( Phineas and Ferb ) vs. #124 Bubbles Utonium ( The Powerpuff Girls )

Winner: Phineas Flynn

Match 1.14 — snowball fight

Make and throw snowballs to hit your opponent. The player hit by less snow (by mass) wins.

#510 Bart Simpson ( The Simpsons ) vs. #744 the Queen of Hearts ( Alice in Wonderland )

Winner: Bart Simpson

Match 1.15 — bear wrestling

Subdue the bear without injuring it. First to do so wins.

#865 Big Bird ( Sesame Street ) vs. #224 James Bond ( 007 )

Winner: Big Bird

Match 1.16 — modeling

Show off the provided outfit. Higher subjective score from the judges wins.

#731 Sir Towbert Mater ( Cars ) vs. #968 Ron Stoppable ( Kim Possible )

Winner: Mater

Round 2

Match 2.1 — drinking contest

Imbibe more alcohol than your opponent without passing out or dying.

#130 Capt. Picard vs. #816 Buddy

Winner: Buddy

Match 2.2 — screaming for duration × volume

Exactly what the name says.

#blank Mr. Poopy Butthole vs. #307 Hank Hill

Winner: Mr. Poopy Butthole

Match 2.3 — thinking with portals

Solve these test chambers. First to reach the exit wins.

#131 Steven Universe vs. #220 Capt. America

Winner: Steven Universe

Match 2.4 — charades +1

Win a game of charades. Players are aided by their previous opponents.

#1000 Brian Griffin and Rogue vs. #175 Johnny Cage and C-3PO

Winner: Brian Griffin and Rogue

Match 2.5 — wabbit season

Hunt wabbits. Most wabbits successfully hunted wins.

#662 Gus vs. ��#442 the Joker

Winner: the Joker

Match 2.6 — pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey

Blindfolded and dizzy, stick the pin as close as possible to the correct spot on the paper donkey's backside.

#102 Marty McFly vs. #828 Mr. Burns

Winner: Marty McFly

Match 2.7 — herding cats

Chase or coax cats into a pen. Most cats in the pen after two hours wins.

#129 Phineas Flynn vs. #510 Bart Simpson

Winner: Phineas Flynn

Match 2.8 — blackjack

Play blackjack against the house. Most money won (or least money lost) after one hour wins.

#865 Big Bird vs. #731 Mater

Winner: Big Bird

Round 3

Match 3.1 — ballroom dancing

Slow-dance with your previous opponent. Higher subjective score from the judges wins.

#816 Buddy and Capt. Picard vs. #blank Mr. Poopy Butthole and Hank Hill

Winner: Buddy and Capt. Picard

Match 3.2 — darts

Reach 301 points exactly by hitting zones on a dartboard. First to do so wins.

#131 Steven Universe vs. #1000 Brian Griffin

Winner: Brian Griffin

Match 3.3 — runway walking

Strut gracefully down the runway wearing a silly costume.

��#442 the Joker vs. #102 Marty McFly

Winner: the Joker

Match 3.4 — algebra test

Take a written seventh-grade algebra test. Higher score wins.

#129 Phineas Flynn vs. #865 Big Bird

Winner: Phineas Flynn

Semifinal

Match 4.1 — red light, green light

Get to the other end of the field, but stop when the referee turns around. Failure to stop sends you back to the start. First to reach the finish wins.

#816 Buddy vs. #1000 Brian Griffin

Winner: Buddy

Match 4.2 — Mickey Mouse impersonation

Wear a costume, put on makeup, and make a silly voice to convince more people that you're Mickey Mouse.

��#442 the Joker vs. #129 Phineas Flynn

Winner: Phineas Flynn

Final

In the final match, the first player to win two contests becomes the champion!

Finalists

#816 William "Buddy" Hobbs ( Elf ) vs. #129 Phineas Flynn ( Phineas and Ferb )

Match 5.1 — cooking on a dollar

Cook the most delicious and nutritious meal on a budget of only 1 USD.

Winner: Phineas Flynn

Match 5.2 — Risk

Win a game of the world domination strategy board game.

Winner: Phineas Flynn

Match 5.3 — potato farming

Till the field and grow potatoes. Highest yield of potatoes at the end of ten months wins.

Winner: Phineas Flynn

Champion

#129 Phineas Flynn

As champion, Phineas receives a shiny star on his portrait and automatic admission into the next tournament!

Any player who wins three stars retires from Anyone's Game and into the Hall of Fame!

The state of the bracket at the end of the tournament. Phineas now has one star and is one step closer to the Hall of Fame!

Do you think any of these matches should have turned out differently? Send us your thoughts on Twitter or by email. We might even read them on the show!

Anyone's Game, tournament 2 recap

Sat, 07 Jan 2023 06:27:55 GMT

On November 26, we set up at KaPow Comics & Coffee ↗ to deliver some entertainment during their Black Friday sale. Participants joined us for three tournaments, all of which we're counting!

Here's a summary of tournament 2, the first of three on that day:

Ground rules

Contestants may use any reasonable means available to accomplish the goal, but any of the following will result in disqualification, except when required by the contest:

Use of outside help.
Coercion or threatening bystanders or faceless participants.
Escalating in violence beyond the level required by the contest rules.
Cheating or otherwise circumventing the goal of the contest by using objects or gadgets.

Round 1

Match 1.1 — emergency plane landing

Successfully land a plummeting plane, from instructions relayed over the radio. Safer landing wins.

#192 Snoopy ( Peanuts ) vs. #84 Dory ( Finding Nemo )

Winner: Snoopy

Match 1.2 — Luigi's Balloon World

Track down and pop a balloon hidden anywhere within 500 meters of the starting point. Best of five; first to pop three balloons wins.

#899 Pennywise ( It ) vs. #99 Juliet Capulet ( Romeo and Juliet )

Winner: Pennywise

Match 1.3 — world domination

Take over the world. Fastest wins.

#126 Westley ( The Princess Bride ) vs. #382 Gandalf ( The Lord of the Rings )

Winner: Gandalf

Match 1.4 — whittling

Carve a small useful object out of a stick, within three hours. More useful object wins.

Current champion #148 Miss Piggy ( The Muppets ) vs. #390 Wario ( Super Mario )

Winner: Wario

Match 1.5 — surprise party planning

Plan and execute a surprise party for a judge. Parties are judged on surprisingness × fun. Best party wins.

#1 Rufus ( Kim Possible ) vs. #442 the Joker ( Batman )

Winner: the Joker

Match 1.6 — lawn darts

Take turns throwing an oversized dart at a target drawn in the grass. Closer dart scores a point each time. First to seven points wins.

#594 Lucy Ricardo ( I Love Lucy ) vs. #815 Nick Wilde ( Zootopia )

Winner: Nick Wilde

Match 1.7 — staying awake

First to fall asleep loses.

#778 Mark Hamill ( actor ) vs. #61 Kevin McAllister ( Home Alone )

Winner: Kevin McAllister

Match 1.8 — Guess Who

Take turns asking yes-or-no questions to whittle down the field and guess your opponent's secret character. First to name their opponent's character correctly wins.

#584 Zorro, a.k.a. Diego de la Vega ( Zorro ) vs. #152 Edward ( Edward Scissorhands )

Winner: Edward

Match 1.9 — mountain climbing

Scale the mountain. Water is provided along the way. First to the top wins.

#317 Dewey Duck ( DuckTales ) vs. #237 Dark Helmet ( Spaceballs )

Winner: Dewey Duck

Match 1.10 — bingo

Win a game of bingo. First to correctly declare bingo wins.

#371 Optimus Prime ( Transformers ) vs. #995 Han Solo ( Star Wars )

Winner: Han Solo

Match 1.11 — reactor core maintenance

Maintain a nuclear reactor core. First to malfunction loses.

#3 Thomas the Tank Engine ( Thomas & Friends ) vs. #64 Jerry Mouse ( Tom and Jerry )

Winner: Jerry Mouse

Match 1.12 — dodgeball

Hit your opponent with a ball or catch one thrown by your opponent to score a point. First to 15 points wins.

#626 Sharkboy ( The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D ) vs. #688 Jabba the Hutt ( Star Wars )

Winner: Sharkboy

Match 1.13 — orienteering

Use a map and compass to get from point A to B to C to D to E. First to reach all five locations in order wins.

#140 "Macho Man" Randy Savage ( WWE ) vs. #555 Ignacio ( Nacho Libre )

Winner: Macho Man

Match 1.14 — monologue delivery

Memorize and deliver a monologue onstage to the judges. Best delivery wins.

#754 Johnny Bravo ( Johnny Bravo ) vs. #58 Pinky ( Pinky and the Brain )

Winner: Pinky

Match 1.15 — murder mystery solving

Solve the murder mystery. Fastest correct answer wins. Incorrect guesses each add 2 hours to your time.

#857 Simba ( The Lion King ) vs. #314 Vin Diesel ( actor )

Winner: Vin Diesel

Match 1.16 — Rubik's cube solving

Solve the scrambled Rubik's cube. Fastest wins.

#354 Carmen Sandiego ( Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? ) vs. #963 Kaa ( The Jungle Book )

Winner: Carmen Sandiego

Round 2

Match 2.1 — string figures

Copy the string figure shown on the screen for a point. First to 5 points wins. Players have four hours to prepare.

#192 Snoopy ( Peanuts ) vs. #899 Pennywise ( It )

Winner: Pennywise

Match 2.2 — bull riding

Stay on the bull. First to fall off loses.

#382 Gandalf ( The Lord of the Rings ) vs. #390 Wario ( Super Mario )

Winner: Wario

Match 2.3 — home run derby

Stand at home plate and knock as many pitches out of the park as possible. More homers wins.

#442 the Joker ( Batman ) vs. #815 Nick Wilde ( Zootopia )

Winner: the Joker

Match 2.4 — chess

Win at chess.

#61 Kevin McAllister ( Home Alone ) vs. #152 Edward ( Edward Scissorhands )

Winner: Kevin McAllister

Match 2.5 — burglary

Break into a house, steal valuables, and don't get caught. Players have 15 minutes and may re-enter as many times as they like. More valuable haul wins, but first to get caught loses automatically.

#317 Dewey Duck ( DuckTales ) vs. #995 Han Solo ( Star Wars )

Winner: Han Solo

Match 2.6 — speed typing

Take a typing test. Higher score wins.

#64 Jerry Mouse ( Tom and Jerry ) vs. #626 Sharkboy ( The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D )

Winner: Jerry Mouse

Match 2.7 — basket weaving

Create the best possible basket within two hours. Better basket wins.

#140 "Macho Man" Randy Savage ( WWE ) vs. #58 Pinky ( Pinky and the Brain )

Winner: Pinky

Match 2.8 — balloon animals

Twist a long balloon into the shape announced. First to do so gets a point. First to four points wins. Players get four hours to prepare.

#314 Vin Diesel ( actor ) vs. #354 Carmen Sandiego ( Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? )

Winner: Carmen Sandiego

Round 3

Match 3.1 — Pokémon battle

Train and care for a small selection of Pokémon, then set them to battle against one another. Last team standing wins.

#899 Pennywise ( It ) vs. #390 Wario ( Super Mario )

Winner: Wario

Match 3.2 — escape room

Solve the nested puzzles within the room in order to escape. First one out wins.

#442 the Joker ( Batman ) vs. #61 Kevin McAllister ( Home Alone )

Winner: the Joker

Match 3.3 — first-touch boffer fighting

Fight with foam swords to make contact on your opponent for a point. Blocking with your weapon hand/wrist is allowed. Attacks on the head or groin do not count. First to five points wins.

#995 Han Solo ( Star Wars ) vs. #64 Jerry Mouse ( Tom and Jerry )

Winner: Jerry Mouse

Match 3.4 — American Idol

Choose and perform a song in front of a large audience. Judges award points based on subjective criteria. Highest score wins.

#58 Pinky ( Pinky and the Brain ) vs. #354 Carmen Sandiego ( Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? )

Winner: Carmen Sandiego

Semifinal

Match 4.1 — spelling bee

Take turns spelling words provided by the judges. Spell it wrong and get a strike. First to three strikes loses.

#390 Wario ( Super Mario ) vs. #442 the Joker ( Batman )

Winner: the Joker

Match 4.2 — miniature golf

Take turns tapping your golf ball toward a hole. Each tap earns 1 point. Start from the beginning of the hole if you knock the ball out of bounds or onto the wrong green. Move to the next green once your ball lands in the hole. Lower score after 18 greens wins.

#64 Jerry Mouse ( Tom and Jerry ) vs. #354 Carmen Sandiego ( Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? )

Winner: Carmen Sandiego

Final

In the final match, the first player to win two contests becomes the champion!

Finalists

#442 the Joker ( Batman ) vs. #354 Carmen Sandiego ( Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? )

Match 5.1 — elaborate criming

Commit a notable nonviolent crime with as many layers and as much convolution as possible. The more complex crime wins.

Winner: the Joker

Match 5.2 — duck calling

Imitate the sounds of ducks to lure them to you. You may not leave the starting position. First to make contact with a duck wins.

Winner: Carmen Sandiego

Match 5.3 — cartwheeling for distance

Cartwheel as far as possible, taking no more than 10 seconds' rest between cartwheels. Players are not allowed to increase their distance from the start by any means other than cartwheeling. Farther distance wins.

Winner: the Joker

Champion

#442 the Joker

As champion, the Joker receives a shiny star on his portrait and automatic admission into the next tournament!

Any player who wins three stars retires from Anyone's Game and into the Hall of Fame!

The state of the bracket at the end of the tournament. The Joker now has one star and is one step closer to the Hall of Fame!

Do you think any of these matches should have turned out differently? Send us your thoughts on Twitter or by email. We might even read them on the show!

Let's catch up!

Sun, 07 Aug 2022 07:46:31 GMT

I've been a bit busy since May, so I haven't had time to post. I have still been working on games, but the sudden turmoil of modern life has thrown a wrench into my plans to keep you updated.

New job

To start things off, in May I was able to move from a front-line position in the company to a scheduling one. While the pay per hour's a bit less than I was getting before, it's also a full-time position, meaning benefits! Unfortunately, it also means less free time to fully devote to game projects.

Starfest 2022

I was also able to go with Charles of The Fire Thieves Studio↗ to Starfest in Denver this year!

As is the time-honored tradition for someone who likes conventions but dislikes crowds, I mostly hung out in the gaming room.

The tabletop gaming room at Starfest, chock full of my kind of people: nerds.

I set up a few of my own games and invited people to play!

Me at a table at Starfest, all set up to play some Flanxiety!

Boxed copies of Asterism and Gordian Maps are also visible in the background.

Despite the apparent hustle and bustle of the gaming room, my table was pretty quiet, so I found a different open spot.

My new table after relocating to someplace a little more visible.

After a couple games I forgot to take photos of a nd another shift, I remembered my phone has a camera!

Two adventurous players (one pictured, the other off-screen to the left) learning how to play Asterism !

The white squares are corrections I'd made to my demo copy, due to my own error in uploading the files. This has since been rectified.

A close-up of some of the interlocking game tiles. Nearly every attempt we made to bring this shape closer to connecting just made it more difficult.

Charles even joined me for a few games of Gordian Maps !

C harles of The Fire Thieves Studio smiling for the camera as we await more players.

On Saturday, as we geared up to run and record Anyone's Game (link to the video below) , I discovered that Warehouse 13 star Eddie McClintock was one of the guests! So I grabbed a ticket for an autograph and a selfie.

Myself and Eddie McClintock ( Warehouse 13 ) at Starfest.

Interestingly, he was the only celebrity guest sitting in front of the autograph table, rather than behind it.

Later that day, it was literally and metaphorically showtime. Here's how Anyone's Game went:

Our first Anyone's Game live show!

As you can see, it was a blast! Everyone seemed very engaged, I'm proud of my hosting here, and I learned quite a bit about how to prepare and run these things for next time — and there will be a next time!

For example, I learned that drinks should not be placed on a table that you have to step around constantly. It's out of view behind the wheel on the other end, but early on I ran into the table (edited out by my good friend TJ Pownall↗ ) , and the cup fell over. I didn't notice this until after the show and caffeinated strawberry lemonade had already soaked through a notebook and a folder.

I also learned that batteries just up and die, even when you're not using them. I was supposed to have a handheld mic here, which would have improved sound quality and consistency drastically, but I'd neglected to check all of my equipment beforehand. …I may have been running on insufficient sleep, hence the caffeinated lemonade.

And I learned in watching this back after the fact that 1080p is not a good resolution to record a whole room in. It'll have to be 2160p next time, so it doesn't look grainier than a wheat field when TJ zooms in.

At the end of the video, you can hear someone say they wanted to take a picture of the final board from the game, and, y'know what? That's a good idea:

The final tournament bracket, complete with the contests along the way.

Drag the white handle to the left to view it, or keep scrolling to remain unspoiled.

No job

A little over a month later, I received notice from the company I worked for that I was being laid off, probably as part of the merger.

They'd already revoked my system credentials, and I wasn't to come in for work that day. But at least they'd still pay me for the two weeks' notice I didn't get to give, plus five weeks of severance, since I'd been there for five years.

Five years.

That's the longest I'd worked for anyone, and I had every intention of continuing for the foreseeable future. I'd just changed over to a position I felt more at home in, and I guess in doing so I'd forfeited any seniority I might have had.

So now I'm back to job searching. I'm trying to keep it consistent, filing at least one application every day in order to prevent burnout. Especially important since last time I was unemployed and searching, I stayed that way for over a year.

TactiCon and B-Con

In the meantime, I'm still looking forward to two more conventions this year.

TactiCon↗ is a tabletop gaming convention in Aurora, Colorado, and I'm already set to have a vendor table (and a lot of merch to put on it!) , as well as a two-hour slot for Anyone's Game ↗ so we're not rushed at the end like at Starfest.

And B-Con↗ is another tabletop gaming convention, but with more of an emphasis on game designers, prototyping, and connecting with publishers.

Creating games is really what I want to do with my life, so if I can somehow make even a modest living at this, I'll be living the dream.

Here's hoping!

It’s Anyone’s Game!

Tue, 03 May 2022 01:40:44 GMT

Introduction

In this ridiculous contest...

Anyone could be a contestant, real or fictional.

Anything could be a contest, no matter how silly.

The matchups are random. The results are yours to choose.

This is Anyone's Game !

Rules

Contestant names will be drawn out of a pool of hundreds of names from all sorts of fictional works, both mainstream and niche, as well as a few celebrities we think would be fun to watch.

At the start of the tournament, we draw 32 of these contestants and assign them randomly to positions in a tournament bracket. Then, in random order, we resolve one match at a time, reveling in the ridiculousness of the imagery involved. The winner is determined by majority vote, and if the vote comes to an exact tie at the end of polling time, both contestants are eliminated and an intruder is drawn from the pool to take their place!

The final match for the championship is a best-of-three battle, with the winner of at least two contests taking the crown. There are no intruders in the final match; ties are broken by short-lived polling extensions.

Where we left off...

The first 10 matches were held on Twitter, but with a change in its management being the final push I needed to leave social media altogether, I'm migrating all of the matches and their results to blog posts right here on this site. Here are the results of those first 10 matches, with new ones still to come:

The entire tournament bracket as it currently stands, after the first 10 matches have concluded. The next match to take place is highlighted in cyan.

Future contests will be revealed as those matches come up.

How this works

Once we're caught up to the present, the announcement for the new match will be followed by a link to a poll. Simply vote for the character/celebrity you think would win the contest described. Anyone can vote on the poll, so feel free to share it with your friends!

For now, please sit tight and fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a wild ride, because this is Anyone's Game !

EDIT – 2022/07/15

Anyone's Game will continue to be held on Twitter↗ . There's just no easier way to handle it right now, and a lot of life stuff suddenly got in the way all at once.

Party time?

Sun, 17 Oct 2021 04:21:20 GMT

Therefore

As I mentioned yesterday , inspiration can be a wild and unpredictable stimulus. There's no predicting it. The trick seems to be using that unpredictable process to move forward in a rational and methodical way.

In fact, earlier that very day, I had been struck with such inspiration — twice in less than a month! — and had to write out the rules to what's looking to be my very first party game ↗ .

Most of the party games I've seen lately involve filling in blanks from a hand of cards in your hand, usually filling in sentences , and very few games in general seem to focus on the concept of logic in a fun or humorous way.

So to that end, I've put together a rough draft (I call these α0, read "alpha zero") of the game to playtest on our weekly game night on Wednesday.

The basic idea is that you deal object cards (orange) and property cards (pink) to form two statements, like you see above. In this case, you have the statements "The dog can be folded." and "The dog is flammable.". These are the premises of a syllogism ↗ that the players must complete by writing a conclusion, such as "The dog is made of paper.". Players vote as a group for the winning conclusion, and its author gets a point. First to five points (or just the most when someone has to go home) wins!

Conceptually this seems pretty simple and fun, but the real measure of that will come when I have a chance to playtest this on Wednesday. More updates to come!

Inspiration is wild, man

Fri, 15 Oct 2021 23:32:50 GMT

Ever just get an idea seemingly out of nowhere? Or maybe a silly inside joke with your friends takes on a life of its own and now you have a full project clamoring in your brain to be unleashed?

Sometimes it's like inspiration just has a life of its own.

Capitable Letters

We all misspeak from time to time, but do you have one of those friends who seem to generate most of the most interesting, hilarious, and enduring malapropisms by themselves?

For my group of friends, that's Alex. From "orange Herbert" (a Herbert who is orange flavored) to "capitable letters" (letters that can be made capital but are not) , most of the best verbal typos come from him.

These jokes have sat around in our group for a while, a good year or so, occasionally getting used in Cards against Humanity or the like. But when I saw a listing on the Game Crafter ↗ for the McMeeple Gateway to Games contest ↗ , ideas began to percolate and bubble to the surface.

One of those was turning "capitable letters" the inside joke into Capitable Letters the potential gateway board game. Within minutes, my brain put some pieces and possible mechanics together, and that night I stayed up extra late throwing a prototype together.

Rough draft

The first prototype, board seen above, was intended to have a mixture of worker placement, auction, and set collection mechanics, all themed around buying letters and selling words for profit.

The board consisted of three main parts:

The value tracks, one for each letter and numbered from $1 to $10. Values above $10 would use a "+$10" token and restart from the bottom of the track.
A pool for words that players could make for extra money (they were allowed to make other words, but each one could only be made without a card once) .
A pool for letters that players could buy at auction.

Players would take turns placing one of their three pawns on an action they wanted to do, and there were some limits in play. At the end of the game, the player with the most money was the winner — whenever that would be.

I've learned that you don't need to have everything be perfect — or really, even good — the first time out of the gate with a new game. In fact, trying to make sure it is will often bog things down and keep you from producing anything at all.

So, with the understanding that this roughest-of-rough-drafts edition of Capitable Letters would likely be pretty bad, horribly broken, and easily breakable otherwise, we forged onward.

And it was awful . No one really liked it, especially Alex.

Turns took forever to complete, and it took multiple turns before anyone could even spell anything. It did not feel good. So after about an hour of playing, and with multiple rule changes applied on the fly, we called it quits, having not even gotten around to everyone getting to be the first player.

But that's fine. No need to play it all out when I already had what I needed. I spent the next week between game nights on the game forge, hammering things out, smoothing out wrinkles and knocking entire chunks of the game off until I had something that — at least on paper — appeared to solve all of the problems we had with the game.

Major revision

By the time I was done rewriting the game, nearly from scratch, I had stripped out all of the worker placement and all of the auctioning — the two original core premises of the game.

Instead of placing workers to take part in desired actions, everyone in turn gets a chance in each phase of the round.

Instead of auctioning each letter to drive the price up, it simply increases by $1 every time someone buys one — and decreases by $1 if it's in the market but no one touches it.

Instead of having to keep track of words people make on a list, they can now only make words showing on the cards — but they get one of those word cards to keep secret in their own hand.

Instead of each word card having one word on it, each now has two, usually of varying length, to prevent a bottleneck of long words (made of lots of letters) or short words (worth very little per letter) .

Instead of letter tracks, we use dice next to the piles.

Instead of discarding letters used to make words, they go back to the market.

And instead of using paper money from Monopoly , we just used poker chips.

The result? Everyone liked it, including Alex. The game was vastly improved, far more streamlined, far more competitive (even if I did get stomped pretty badly) , and much easier to understand.

Changing the names of the phases to start with a direct sequence of letters helped a lot in keeping the game on track, and having related information in one place also helped. It really does seem to be shaping up to take part in the gateway game contest after all!

The next steps from here are to:

Adjust the letter distribution to make common letters more competitive.
Playtest it with more players, fewer players, and strangers.
Create a prettier prototype to take to conventions.
Do a lot more playtesting and revision.

It's hard for me to explain my thought process sometimes, and that's a valuable skill to have. So I hope that by continuing this blog I'll get better at it, as well as being able to talk about the important points of my games and projects to people I've never met. For now, that's today's entry. Tomorrow, I'll tell you about the new concept I came up with this morning!

Setting the Stage

Thu, 14 Oct 2021 08:13:03 GMT

A little background

I've been making games since I was about six.

Not getting them out there or published, mind you — that's a much more recent endeavor — but just making them, primarily by modifying or combining games that already existed in strange or interesting ways. A deck of item cards for Monopoly , a version of Sorry! in which players capture each other's pawns, a version of chess where pieces didn't capture but rather slid the tackled piece backward three spaces, and so on.

Most of these were pretty terrible, but that's one of the ways in which you can investigate what makes a game tick — separating the elements of its rules, rearranging them, mixing them up with other games and seeing where things improve or go awry. I found it extremely helpful as a way to study games and game systems.

My family largely found this bothersome. "Why do you keep changing the rules?" my dad and grandparents would often ask. I didn't have the vocabulary or fuller understanding that I do now, obviously, so it was difficult to articulate that I was studying and learning. It was hands-on research.

Some of my best memories as a kid come from family game nights, where myself and my grandparents (and sometimes my dad and/or sister) would sit down and play Monopoly or Scrabble or Sorry! for the evening.

It didn't really matter to me who won, as long as we played together. My family also largely found this bothersome, since most of the other players hated losing, even when there was nothing at stake, and games were seen more as a frivolous waste of time rather than a way to interact with people and the world around us.

The first time I made a game whole-cloth came in about middle school, when we were instructed to make a five-spread pop-up book. It could be anything, the teacher said, as long as it popped up when you opened it (and was school-appropriate, naturally). So my pop-up book consisted of a different game — mostly roll-and-move with various twists that added agency — on each page.

Looking back, it wasn't awful as a first go, but it definitely wasn't anything groundbreaking. Some of the spaces were on top of pop-up structures, but that's about the extent of my innovation. I was still learning, catching up on the basics of this hobby.

Getting family to play anything I came up with was a difficult proposition, so I mostly settled back into modifying existing games for the rest of my school days, occasionally dabbling in writing out some rules for game show ideas that popped into my head. But that's a topic for another time.

Serendipity

A major motivational breakthrough for me came when I was playing with Lego and building a board in the style of Mario Party to walk characters around on. Expect Mario Party to keep coming up — it's a fantastic series and I have major problems with every installment and I love it so much. Anyway, as I was messing with bricks and dice, I'd left open a 2×2 gap on the board, and as I rolled a d6 (six-sided die), it just happened to fall neatly into the gap.

Fascinated by this, I pulled the die out and tried it a few more times, my play session having taken a hard turn into exploration. The die fit neatly. Just snug enough to hold it firmly and not be jostled but not snug enough to be difficult to remove. Surely this can be utilized to make some kind of game, right? I had all this Lego and all these dice...

And a direction. Not a clear direction, but things were working together in my head and on the floor in front of me. Soon I had created a game similar in goal and action to reversi, but using dice as the playing pieces, and for up to six players.

The game has grown and evolved in significant but small ways since then, but the hardest part was coming up with a name for it. It's sat around and been playtested and updated a lot over the last 13 years, and the feeling of having created something fun to play and accessible to most has kept me motivated to keep creating ever since.