Game Review: Guillotine by Paul Peterson

Guillotine designed by Paul Peterson

Guillotine is a card game set during the French Revolution where players are competing executioners. The game takes place in three rounds, representing three days. Each day twelve people line up for Madame Guillotine, represented by twelve cards from a deck. Each player takes turns executing the person at the front of the line. Before the execution, a player can play one of five action cards from their hand that either alters the line (hopefully making the front one more valuable) or effects the players in some way (e.g., making certain types of cards more valuable).

Sample action cards

The cards range in value from 5 to -3, depending on how worthy the person is of execution. They run the gambit from the King and Queen (worth 5 points) down to the Innocent Martyr and the Hero of the People (both worth negative points). The different background colors indicate different classes, such as light blue for the nobility or red for soldiers.

Sample nobility cards

Play continues until the line is empty. Then twelve new cards are dealt out and a new round begins. After the third round is complete, everyone totals their numbers to see who wins.

A two-player game in progress

While the theme of this game is rather grim, the cards are fairly cartoony and have more humor than horror. For example, one action card makes people "stumble forward" in the line. The game can be fun if players embrace the gallows humor. Play is light and quick, hardly lasting more than half an hour.

Zombie Apocalypse Appropriateness: While the game is very compact, it is not very solitaire-friendly. It plays okay with two players but is more fun with one or two more players. I don't know if it would make players feel better, i.e. I don't know that the French Revolution (as bad as it was) is worse than a zombie apocalypse.

Movie Review: Pacific Rim (2013)

Pacific Rim (2013) directed by Guillermo del Toro

Pacific Rim is one of those summer blockbusters that I regretted not making more of an effort to see on the big screen. It's clearly designed for the big screen, featuring gigantic monsters (called kaiju and similar to King Kong, Godzilla, and the classic Japanese movie monsters) and robots (called jaeger, though they are much larger than any Transformers or other such big screen robots) who battle in the waters and the great cities of the Pacific Ocean. Everything is larger than life.

The story follows jaeger pilot Raleigh Becket who fights a kaiju near Alaska. In the battle, his brother is torn from the jaeger they co-pilot and he dies. Since they pilot the machine through a psychic link (which doesn't make a lot of sense but is a dramatic contrivance to make the movie more exciting) he experiences his brother's death more deeply. Raleigh retires from piloting and becomes a drifter, working on the gigantic fences being built on Pacific coastlines to stop the kaiju from attacking. He's called back to piloting when the jaeger program is on its last legs. Marshall Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba) runs the program and wants to make one last ditch effort to close the rift in the bottom of the Pacific from which the kaiju are emerging. Raleigh needs a new partner and the respect of the other jaeger pilots if the mission is to be a success.

The story is fairly boiler-plate and the characters are not very deep at all. The real enjoyment of the movie is seeing the jaegers and the kaiju fighting in Hong Kong or in the ocean or under the ocean in the finale where they try to close the rift. The movie delivers in spades on this front. The kaiju are imaginative and make a great menace. The robots are as big as buildings and tear through property and kaiju with amazing visuals. Gone are the days of guys in rubber Godzilla suits trashing models of Tokyo. This movie looks great. Also, the design of the kaiju and the jaegers are a departure for del Toro, whose work is often very recognizable--Cronos, the Hellboy movies, Pan's Labyrinth, and a few other of his previous works definitely have a similar aesthetic which is not continued in Pacific Rim.

The movie also keeps a good sense of humor. It doesn't take itself too seriously and finds plenty of light moments. There are nice visual references to other previous works like Jurassic Park and Voltron and other genre classics. Unlike World War Z, these references are fleeting and fun--not a distraction but a grin. Much like Rise of the Planet of the Apes, this movie is a lot better than I was expecting. I recommend it as good popcorn-munching fun. This is what a summer blockbuster is supposed to be like.

Bocca della Verita, Rome

A famous landmark in Rome is the Bocca della Verita, located in the portico of the Santa Maria in Cosmedin church. The fame comes from the medieval tradition that the mouth would snap shut on the hand of whoever told a lie (Bocca della Verita means "Mouth of Truth"). The tradition is depicted in the movie Roman Holiday, where Gregory Peck pretends to lose his hand. Here's the famous scene in a different language:




J and L were dying to try it out. They came away with all their fingers intact.

J worried

L worried

The large circle is thought to be a drain cover dating back to the 400s BC.

Across the street are some other ancient works, the Temples of the Forum Boarium. These temples date back to the second century BC and have survived thanks to having been converted into Christian churches, though they no longer function as such.

The rectangular temple was dedicated to Portunus, god of rivers and ports, as well as keys, doors, and livestock.

Temple of Portunus

The circular temple was dedicated to Hercules, though it is often referred to as the Temple of Vesta since it is similar to the one in the Roman Forum.

Temple of Hercules

The area also has a nice fountain where J and L practiced magic tricks. The tricks consisted mostly of turning one small pebble into a fistful of pebbles. Usually their other hand was "off stage" so we wouldn't notice the switcheroo.

Fountains are magic!

Since coming home, L has taken to playing "Bocca della Verita" with me. The game consists in me putting my fingers in her mouth and then saying something. She'll bite if she thinks I'm lying. Apparently, I always lie.

Comic Book Review: Hellboy in Hell, in Wedlock, and in a Santa Suit

December saw a bunch of Hellboy stories come out after a long, dry absence. Three different stories in three different spots showed up.

Hellboy in Hell #5 tells a stand-alone story of Hellboy helping out a soul who's in trouble. As Hellboy wanders around in Hell, he runs across a fellow looking for a graveyard. This fellow made a deal with a demon who gave him a whip that would produce gold coins whenever it was cracked. But just for a couple of years then the demon would come to collect his soul. The demon did give the guy an escape clause: if he can guess what he will eat for dinner and what he will drink when he gets to Hell, the demon will let him go. The guy is looking for the graveyard in hopes another demon will help him. This is another of those Hellboy stories where Hellboy is more along for the ride than an active participant in the story. The story has nice atmosphere and humor. With Mignola doing the art as well as the writing, it is especially good.

In Dark Horse Presents #31, Hellboy is back in Mexico in the 1950s. He's on his bender with a luchador friend. Hellboy goes off with a mariachi band who has a fetching female in their retinue. He winds up marrying her, though she's not the woman she appears to be. This is only half the story, so I'll be picking up #32 when it comes out. It's frustratingly short though the atmosphere is nice. The art is by Mick McMahon who does a reasonable job aping Mignola's style. The issue has a bunch of other stories in it as well, some beginning, some ending, some in the middle. I flipped through but wasn't really taken by any of them.

On the Dark Horse app, they had a sale on Hellboy: A Christmas Underground (originally published in 1997). Hellboy goes to an English house on Christmas eve to help a family slowly dying out. The mother is the last to go. One of her daughters disappeared five years ago when she wandered off to a nearby graveyard at night. Her ghost has been coming back to bring the family one by one to where ever she went. Probably not a good place, right? Hellboy investigates. In a nice touch, the old lady mistakes Hellboy for Father Christmas. The story is pretty interesting and makes for a nice adventure. Again, Mignola does the art as well as writing and does a great job.

These comics are available through Dark Horse's digital store.

Piazza Navona Neighbors, Rome

Just outside the Piazza Navona is the Chiesa Nuova, a church rebuilt in the 1500s for St. Philip Neri's new order. He was a highly original and vivid character who loved humility. He had his followers, especially the rich ones, parade through the streets of Rome in rags or with a fox tail tied to their backs. He himself was a bit of a jester and remains one of the more beloved Counter-Reformation saints.

Chiesa Nuova

Also in the neighborhood is a statue dedicated to Nicola Spedalieri, a priest born in 1740 who died in 1794. He was a theologian and philosopher who wrote a treatise against Gibbons's claim that Christianity caused the fall of the Roman Empire. Another treatise Spedalieri wrote against the French Revolution's "Rights of Man" became very controversial. He died of poisoning, though who did him in is still a mystery.

Statue of Nicola Spedalieri

Nearby is a statue named Pasquino. The statue is thought to be from an ancient group of statues depicting a scene from the Iliad. The statue had been used for a long time as a paving stone but was eventually put up in 1501. A shoe-maker (or possibly a tailor, different stories tell different tales) named Pasquino had a shop nearby. He liked to make satirical comments about things and this was unpopular with local authorities. He took to writing out his comments and hanging them on the statue at night so he could plausibly deny it was him. The practice became popular and others hung their comments as well. Soon other statues in the area also had comments appearing overnight. At one point, the Pasquino statue had a dialog going with two other statues! Nowadays, signs only go up on rare occasions.

Pasquino statue

Piazza Navona, Rome

Piazza Navona is a long oval that once was the race track of Emperor Domitian's Stadium. When we visited, the Christmas Market was still in full swing, making it difficult to get a feel for the ancient use of the area.

The side of the market

The center of the market

The cold rain drove us to gelato (Italian ice cream), which L devoured too quickly!

L, wet and chocolatey

After a treat, we admired two of the fountains in the plaza. The most famous one is the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, built in 1651 for Pope Innocent X by Bernini. The Egyptian obelisk is surrounded by four figures representing four great rivers, each symbolic of a continent where Christianity had spread--the Ganges (for Asia), the Danube (for Europe), the Nile (for Africa), and the River Plate (for the Americas). The pope's coat of arms also features prominently.

Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi

Fountain detail

Get this bird off my arm (also the papal seal)

We came back a second day and got some more pictures!

Nile side of the fountain?

More papal seal!

Just across from the fountain is Sant'Agnese in Agone, another commission by Innocent X. Father and son architects Girolamo and Carlo Rainaldi were replaced by Borromini, one of Bernini's chief rivals, in 1653. The site is claimed to be a brothel where St. Agnes was stripped naked in an attempt to make her renounce her faith. Her hair miraculously grew long to protect her modesty. She was also martyred on this site.

Facade of Sant'Agnese in Agone

On the north end of the piazza is the second fountain we looked at. It represents Neptune, the Roman sea god, in action.

Neptune's fountain

The far side of Neptune

On our second visit, we saw the south-most fountain, which also had some whimsical styling.

J, L, and the fountain

Fountain detail

On the second visit, the children spotted the carousel and asked to ride. After dragging them into a dozen churches and other boring historical sites, we were glad to give them something they liked.

Carousel

J rides!

L was a little terrified of the other kid in the sled

The carousel also had some fancy plastic tickets that I assume they recycle. What a great idea!

Tickets to ride!

We took a final picture from the end of the piazza.

Farewell Piazza Navona!

Birmingham Airport, UK

Our New Year's trip to Rome started with a flight from Birmingham Airport, which was one bus and one train ride away from our Yorkshire home. We took an early bus to Leeds so we could catch an early train to Birmingham. We arrived around noon and had a yummy lunch at the airport. We also saw signs for the children's play area, which we went to right after finishing our food. Well, J and L dragged Mommy off while the rest of us finished our plates. (We traveled with some friends).

At the play area, the first, most obvious thing to play with was the large foam blocks on the padded floor. J wasted no time turning them into his favorite activity--an obstacle course!

Birmingham Airport's best feature

Ninja Warrior at BHX play area

The kids also wasted no time taking their shoes off, which led to unfortunate consequences. Inside a large, igloo-like tent was the promise of some light show or other fun. L raced in, not realizing the floor was slickly-polished wood. Her feet got out in front of her and she landed on her back, smacking her head into the slickly-polished wood floor. She cried for a bit but was soon okay.

Rainbow Pod...of Doom!!!

Just outside the rainbow pod was an interactive quiz where J was matching flags and cities to countries. He didn't do too well on his own but soon had help.

Where in the World?

Call a friend!

Just beyond the world quiz was the largest tablet computer ever, on which many different games could be played. In one, players had to put the planets back in order from the sun outwards. Another game matched animals to their natural habitats. A third was really tough, with balls connected by lines that overlapped. The goal was to arrange the balls so the lines didn't overlap. Quite tricky, I can see why a tablet app version hasn't taken off like an Angry Bird.

Hardest game won!

Another even tougher game was Buzz Wire, where players had to move a small ring carefully along a metal tube without touching the tube. I tried twice and was unsuccessful.

Dexterity required!

The play area was a great way to kill some time waiting for our flight to take off, which it soon did. The flight was uneventful and our cab took us to our apartment in no time at all, so all was well getting to Rome.

Sadly, this was the only playground we visited on the trip. Rome just doesn't have a lot of playgrounds near the famous sites. We only saw one playground on our adventures and that day was rainy so we couldn't play. Hopefully next vacation will work out better for the kids.