The Fun Zone

Some time ago, I talked about some of the play-by-web options that are out there for playing board games. As getting out of the house to play has become more difficult, this option has become far more attractive. Imagine, then, my excitement at finding two more ways to scratch that gaming itch without needing to set aside a big chunk of time.

MaBiWeb was suggested to me by a friend after we had played a game of Amun Re at SpielByWeb. He suggested that I learn to play In The Shadow of the Emperor so I could join a game they were starting up. MBW is very similar to SBW, with a limited number of games (9). In addition to ItSotE, MBW features Richelieu (a great two-player game based on Web of Power), Hansa, and Samurai. The interfaces for the various games are very close to the board versions, and it's very clear what you need to do on each turn. My only complaint comes with In the Shadow of the Emperor, which runs very slowly for me. It takes a minute or to to make each move. Other than that, though, the system works very well.

Yucata.de is a new discovery of mine, based on a link from MaBiWeb. The basic site's in German, but a simple click switches everything over to English. There are more games here than at MBW, including Atta Ants, Masons, and Hey, That's My Fish. The interface has a different feel that what I'm used to, but so far the system works quickly, and you can't beat the game selection. There's even a ranking system and simple chat window on the home page. I'm looking forward to exploring this system further.

So... anybody want to play a game? I've started a game of Samurai for four players at MaBiWeb. You can use the link on the sidebar. Here's the info:

Title: The Zone of Fun
Password: funzone

Come on! Let's play!