Party on Wayne, party on Garth
February 9, 2017 11:11 AM   Subscribe

 
"Okay, I hope you guys are remembering your special sounds, and grabbing a 'party on' card. Anyways, whose turn is it? . . . Spin the spinner. If you spin a 1, 3, or 5, move ahead that many spaces. If you spin a 2, 4, or 6, move backward that many spaces. Cool, huh? Also, everyone hanging out at the Monkey Space may leave at their next turn."

Something about Wayne earnestly explaining board game mechanics makes me feel like I finally understand what it was like to be a basement gamer in the '80s. Fascinating.
posted by Think_Long at 11:33 AM on February 9, 2017 [4 favorites]


My prediction in the 1980s that shittily-produced VCR games would be the FUTURE OF ENTERTAINMENT was just one in a long list of dumbass ideas I was convinced of. Even the scenery-chewing flop Clue VCR Mystery Game could not dissuade me of this.

I think my brother and I played it two or three times, but the whole thing was so over the top that we watched the tape until we could recite every line of dialogue from memory. I emailed him once to let him know I'd found the video on YouTube, and he sheepishly admitted he'd bought a used copy of the game a few years before on ebay so he could watch it again.

Experience BIJ
posted by middleclasstool at 11:45 AM on February 9, 2017 [14 favorites]


In 2017 just waking up and checking the news is experiencing BIJ.
posted by rewil at 11:50 AM on February 9, 2017 [4 favorites]


There's a Robocop one that's basically just clips of Robocop, which admittedly was probably pretty great for bright young kids of the time.
posted by Artw at 12:08 PM on February 9, 2017 [1 favorite]


It's somehow very Simpsons-esque in its design.
posted by Kabanos at 12:26 PM on February 9, 2017


I owned Isacc Asimov's Robots. And yes, I never really played it as meant after a few efforts and like middleclasstool just watched the tape.
posted by linux at 12:46 PM on February 9, 2017




It's somehow very Simpsons-esque in its design.

I beleive that what you are seeing are the early 90s graphic design signifiers for "fun".
posted by Artw at 12:56 PM on February 9, 2017 [4 favorites]


We recently acquired a VHS based board game, the Gatekeeper, at a garage sale. No VHS player, but my son found the videos --- plus several expansion videos! --- on youtube.
I keep thinking about how somebodies real life acting gig was being the gate keeper and recording that video, which is just a talking head lit sort of like campfire horror story (flashlight from below), barking instructions in a deep voice.

The kids are now scheming to record their own gatekeeper instructions, proving they are the interactive generation.
posted by chapps at 1:00 PM on February 9, 2017 [5 favorites]


My prediction in the 1980s that shittily-produced VCR games would be the FUTURE OF ENTERTAINMENT was just one in a long list of dumbass ideas I was convinced of

Are there online or software/board hybrid games like this now? It was both expected that the superior indexing of DVDs would bring more life to such games but that surprising that everyone had not yet learned that futzing with the TV remote did not make for a great group experience. Nowadays, gosh, think of the cheesy good times to be had with a low budget production, a laptop and some VR markers.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 1:06 PM on February 9, 2017


schwing??
posted by jonmc at 1:18 PM on February 9, 2017 [3 favorites]


Did You Know There Was a “Wayne’s World” Board Game? Did you know said Wayne’s World game had a videocassette that was used for game play?

Why yes, yes I did. It was one of at least 3 VCR-based games that came out in 1992, a rather thin year, compared to the heady days of the late 1980s.


Ogre Lawless: Are there online or software/board hybrid games like this now?

As of 2004, there weren't many, when Electronic augmentation of traditional board games (PDF) was published. Now, it seems like most of that stuff is in the realm of "toys-to-life" and similar video games that use figurines, more akin to digital collectable card games, where you can buy more cards or figurines to increase your playing options, instead of "augmented" board games, where you might buy a complete kit and that would be that.

I vaguely recall the Penny Arcade guys getting some (role-playing?) game with an above-board camera that used some optical recognition to trigger computer events, but it's been years since I read about it, possibly pre-PAX, so it's hard to search for that vaguely recalled game without getting search results for their newer game-related events.
posted by filthy light thief at 1:25 PM on February 9, 2017 [2 favorites]


YES. YES I KNEW THIS. I HAVE IT. I HAVE THIS GAME I HAVE ALWAYS HAD THIS GAME I ALWAYS WILL HAVE THIS GAME.

I HAVE MOVED ACROSS THIS GREAT COUNTRY MULTIPLE TIMES. I HAVE PACKED AND UNPACKED MY HOUSEHOLD GOODS FIVE TIMES TO MOVE THOUSANDS OF MILES. AND EACH TIME, I HAVE BROUGHT WAYNE'S WORLD VCR BOARD GAME WITH ME. I HAVE TAKEN IT FROM ITS STORAGE IN A CLOSET, I HAVE PLACED IT IN A BOX, AND THEN I HAVE TAKEN IT OUT OF THE BOX TO STORE IT IN A NEW CLOSET. IT WAITS THERE, FOR ME, ALWAYS.

MY HUSBAND DESPISES IT. WE HAVE NO VCR. IT IS A TERRIBLE GAME. BUT THERE ARE TIMES WHEN CAPS LOCK IS NECESSARY, AND THERE ARE TIMES WHEN EMBRACING STRANGE MEMORABILIA FROM YOUR CHILDHOOD IS NECESSARY, AND WAYNE'S WORLD VCR BOARD GAME COUNTS AS BOTH.
posted by meese at 1:43 PM on February 9, 2017 [31 favorites]


Are there online or software/board hybrid games like this now?

There are a decent slew of board games that use companion apps, usually designed to run through a tablet or laptop, but possibly phone-functional as well. The two I'm enjoying the most are the 2nd edition of Mansions of Madness, and the XCOM board game.

MoM 2nd Ed is spectacular - it takes the most exhaustingly precision-demanding and time intensive part of the original edition (being the DM) and absorbs it entirely into the app structure, so now all players are heroes playing against the scenario. Setup becomes much faster (no more face down stacks of piles of different cards, the app just lets you know what tile is behind the door and where to put search tokens, and then tells you what is under the search tokens), and it also allows for much *greater* detail in the playthrough (room descriptions, NPC dialog, ambient sound FX, etc). A+++ would recommend heartily, fixes the biggest issue in MoM 1st Ed and makes the rest even better.

XCOM is very interesting as well - each player takes on a different role of the XCOM org, from commander (handles budget, resources, etc) to chief scientist (researches buffs for the various roles), squad commander (deploys troops to alien threats) etc. The 'Central Officer' character actually uses the app as sort of a HUD that describes what actions need to be taken when - and the first half of every turn is timed, with penalties that accrue if snap decisions aren't made and executed. Then, in the untimed back half of the turns, you resolve all the choices made and reap the consequences.

One of the great things about both these games (and many app-tied BGs in general) is that they also allow for solo play, as you are generally working to resolve whatever scenario or hurdles the program is throwing at you, either as a single player or as a team of player roles. They also allow for a lot of variety in both the App presentation as well as the game board states.

tl;dr - app-enhanced board games are boss, for as long as the app is functional on a current OS
posted by FatherDagon at 2:15 PM on February 9, 2017 [2 favorites]


This 90s sitcom themed VCR game looks amazing.
posted by Artw at 2:47 PM on February 9, 2017


It's not quite in the same category, but this thread about electronically-enhanced board games reminded me of (and made me look up) the 1981 game Dark Tower, which was the absolute shit to the eleven-year-old me. Apparently there are a few Java and Flash recreations online...see you all next week.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 2:52 PM on February 9, 2017 [1 favorite]


Uh, I own a functional VCR and love these types of games. Star Wars Interactive from 1996 was especially fantastic. If anyone in LA is seeking a game night, or if meese is willing to drag Wayne's World out here, hit me up.
posted by holyrood at 7:30 PM on February 9, 2017 [1 favorite]


A post about VCR games and no mention of Pile of Bullets? Has Metafilter forgotten about Community already?
posted by crLLC at 7:24 AM on February 10, 2017 [1 favorite]


Aaaah, I got this game when it came out and I was a HUGE Wayne's World fan. The VHS tape gimmick seemed pretty brilliant at the time and even though I played it a bunch, the novelty never wore off somehow. The game came with me across the country to college and then back to Texas, where I ultimately (and ill-advisedly) gave it to my now-boyfriend's then-girlfriend before moving cross-country yet again. I'm sure she set it on fire after they broke up and he and I started dating. I miss it sometimes. SHE SHOOTS SHE SCORES!
posted by marshmallow peep at 12:03 PM on February 10, 2017


More of a CD-ROM game, but here's John Delancy putting in way more effort than strictly required for Star Trek: Borg.
posted by Artw at 11:11 AM on February 12, 2017


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