Game: Bausack

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Emil 109 — 2008-10-06T09:29:54+00:00

Alternative boxfront.

Thread: Re: Adding more pieces

herman_the_german — 2008-09-27T00:28:40+00:00

I've added pieces from Tinkertoy sets, wood train sets, wood craft pieces, wood clothes pins, wood block sets, odds and ends from drawers, etc. I've tried to keep them with the same unfinished wood look, but there is no reason why this should be.

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Firepigeon — 2008-09-04T14:16:11+00:00

Playing the single tower game

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avyssaleos — 2008-08-31T20:59:11+00:00

The third tower in the box cover made with actual Bausack pieces! VERY VERY unbalanced!!

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avyssaleos — 2008-08-31T20:55:59+00:00

The first tower in the box cover made with actual Bausack pieces! Not as easy as it looks.

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Thommy8 — 2008-08-29T02:54:50+00:00

All of the pieces in the new Zoch version of Bausack.

Thread: Re: Bausack exact pieces number

Zimeon — 2008-08-06T21:08:59+00:00

The 2008 version of the game from Zoch consists of exactly 66 pieces. It says 66 pieces in the manual too.

TBH i felt a bit ripped off ($100, which probably means $60 wherever the country code doesn't say "Sweden"), then I realised this game is completely immortal so I decided to just stop caring about the price and realise it's a good game even so.

But it would be interesting to know what pieces are "missing" from the original bausack/sac noir.

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boltongeordie — 2008-07-15T21:25:23+00:00

Original Zoch Bausac bag

Thread: Re: Which version to buy?

asti_spumante — 2008-06-21T17:27:07+00:00

since it is an expensive one anyway: do u a favour and chose sac noir!
looks outragous! gorgeous! cool!
I#d just wish every architect in the whole wide world would have one!

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kristopherjwolff — 2008-05-21T15:16:50+00:00

Holding it up with my mind...

Thread: Re: Our Bausack Rules

Sandy Petersen — 2008-05-14T19:13:12+00:00

we do not draw blind. How would you do that, anyway? Since you can feel with your hands and tell what you're about to draw.

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Dutch Boy — 2008-05-06T18:43:43+00:00

Nick took home the trophy (yes, his structure DID grow after this picture...he didn't get by THAT easy)

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oberjt — 2008-05-05T22:41:15+00:00

Admiring her handiwork

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Dutch Boy — 2008-04-21T13:04:45+00:00

Seriously, everyone - ELBOWS OFF THE TABLE!!! (and don't breathe)

Thread: Re: What's with the strings on some of the pieces?

steveburt — 2008-01-04T16:10:02+00:00

The clothes pin is used to mark the height of the highest (so far) tower. Then you can see easily if someone else has built a taller tower.
The rules say 'tallest tower at some time' so the winner's tower might have collapsed, but they could still win in this variant.

Thread: Re: What's with the strings on some of the pieces?

davidme — 2007-12-03T11:00:52+00:00

Cool.

So what's with the clothes pin then?

Thread: Re: Bausack: fun with off cuts...

KrisVerbeeck — 2007-07-10T13:41:29+00:00

mlvanbie wrote:
Note that I got a much better price than you were getting ... you paid more for Bausack than I paid for Sac Noir. I bought from Timewellspent.org, but they might have run out.

Only 5 sac noirs left at 56.75 dollars
Bausack is there 41.95

Thread: Re: Bausack: fun with off cuts...

Mr_Smallberries — 2007-07-06T23:32:46+00:00

Great review--I laughed out loud several times.

Thread: Bausack exact pieces number

fenainternet — 2007-07-06T20:55:29+00:00

I recently purchased Bausack lacking some parts. Jay at Rio Grande is mailing me the parts that lacked.

I'm very happy.

Thread: Re: Bausack: fun with off cuts...

Bluenose — 2007-07-05T16:51:24+00:00

I could always go to B&Q (DIY warehouse) and snuffle around their timber yard near the buzz-saw...I could probably get a couple of sacks full then!

Thread: Re: Bausack: fun with off cuts...

mlvanbie — 2007-07-05T12:14:12+00:00

Note that I got a much better price than you were getting ... you paid more for Bausack than I paid for Sac Noir. I bought from Timewellspent.org, but they might have run out.

Thread: Re: Bausack: fun with off cuts...

Bluenose — 2007-07-04T23:37:36+00:00

Damn! You guys have almost convinced me to go out and buy Sac Noir as well as Bausack...that'll be £70 worth of door-knobs and ash trays instead of the £30 worth I have now...No! I stick with my original preference; Bausack beats Sac Noir!

Thread: Re: Bausack: fun with off cuts...

mlvanbie — 2007-07-04T22:57:42+00:00

The San Noir edition has over 100 pieces. The red pieces are particularly hard to use, so there are several different games that make special use of them. Think of it as getting more and bigger games at the same time.

Thread: Re: Bausack: fun with off cuts...

Bluenose — 2007-07-04T22:16:14+00:00

Extra pieces would make sense, but for an extra 50% more I want more than a few pieces.
I like the idea of adding your own pieces though..."Here you go Kris, place this TV set if you're man enough!" Excellent!

Thread: Re: Bausack: fun with off cuts...

KrisVerbeeck — 2007-07-04T22:07:16+00:00

I believe there are some extra pieces in the sac noir edition that make it a whole lot more interesting.
You can add your own pieces though.

Thread: Bausack: fun with off cuts...

Bluenose — 2007-07-04T19:49:58+00:00

Now, I know what you’re thinking (and it’s smutty so stop it; you’ll go blind you know…)
a) Is this game worth playing?
b) Is this game worth buying?
c) Why is it called Bausack?

I can answer the first two for you, but as to the third…well…er…“bau” might be German for “What are we gonna do with all these off cuts of wood Hans?” and…um…it comes in a sack. OK I admit it. I don’t know. (And if I’m honest I don’t care either)
On to the first two.

First of all, what exactly do you get in the bag? Well, in typical Zoch stylee you get a set of rules that is rich in variation and seems overly complicated for what you actually get (You’ve got a bag full of blocks and it’s a dexterity game; you could probably make the rules up even if you didn’t know them) and you get a bag full of blocks. (If you buy the posher Sac Noir version, you get them in red and black rather than chavy browns, greens and reds…but it’ll cost you an extra £10 for the privilege)
What do you have to do? Well…that depends largely on which version of the rules you choose to play. The version that we prefer runs like this;
Each player starts with a base that is the same shape (Rectangular) although if the number of players creeps up then some players have to ad lib a bit; it’s part of the fun. They also start with 3 kidney beans…and we mean real kidney beans!
On your turn you choose a block and offer it to another player. They then have 2 choices;
• Place the block you have offered. It then becomes their turn to choose.
• Throw away a bean and give it you back, in which case you have to place it.
Another version (Infinitely inferior) involves passing the block to the next person who either places it or throws a bean to pass it further round the table. In English parlance, this is pants as it lacks the outright aggression and vindictiveness of the former version, but if you are playing it with a group of nuns you’ve invited over for a sesh or with someone whose will you are trying not to get cut out of, you might consider the second version. Pansy.
If whilst placing a piece your castle / Alhambra / tower / shambles falls down then you are out. You are then on tea detail. White no sugar for me please.
When all except one falls down, then the remaining player is the winner!
Yeh, yeh, rocket science it ain’t, but boy; is it fun!

So, is it worth playing? In a word, yes. If you and your NASA mates are bored of juggling complex algebra in your head or calculating pi to more than 23 d.p. and want some serious Analysis Paralysis…this is not it. Try Jenga. But if you want a light game that is fun, simple and surprisingly tense, then this is a top, top game.

We use it as a warm down game when Puerto Rico / Princes of Florence / Fluxx has addled our brains completely and it is great fun, and using the variant of choosing your target, hugely aggressive! We play the rule that when you are offered a piece, if you touch it; you place it. So picking pieces that are OK for you to place and impossible for them to place is a great strategy. Are there any drawbacks with the game? Well yes, most games have at least 1. Table shake is always going to be an issue as it is with all dexterity games (Polarity, Jenga, Bamboleo, Villa Paletti, Gulo Gulo etc.) and although it is billed as being scalable up to 10 the game starts to break down after 5 when you know what you are doing. (Novices always grin and give away the wooden egg first, but this invariably means a thrown bean and the novice getting the egg straight back.) This is because the pieces tend to run out; you tend to give away the pieces that you know you can place yourself...unless they have no beans left, then it's eggs away!

Is it worth buying? On balance, I’d say yes. In terms of the dexterity games I’d say this is the best non-kids game (That honour goes to Gulo Gulo in my book) and works as a good after dinner game with non-gamers (Watch ‘em though; non-gamers are buggers for intentionally knocking the table. I find putting bleach in their drinks soon stops this attribute….and most others as well in fact, but that’s another matter) it also works as a good game after you’ve had a Daiquiri or two. It retails at £30 in the UK, and I would go for this over it’s more colour coordinated cousin Sac Noir. (an extra £10 just to have it in 2 colours? No thanks) I’m a big fan of having games that I regard as unique in their field or classics of their type, and whilst you’d have to have had a bath full of Daiquiri’s to class Bausack as a classic, it’s certainly unique.

Thread: Re: Bausack exact pieces number

Citadel — 2007-06-21T10:05:59+00:00

97 seems to be what people consistently say is the number of Sac Noir pieces. The game is so expensive that the inconsistency and missing pieces really doesn't feel right.

Thread: Are 29 pieces sufficient for a 4-player game?

Verkisto — 2007-04-18T02:37:36+00:00

I received a copy of Bandu that's only about 2/3 complete, and I was wondering if what I have is enough for a 4-player game. I understand that Bandu comes with 6 starting pieces, but this set has only 4. What do y'all think?

Thread: Stable/Unstable Babel

ccarlet1 — 2007-03-29T03:14:21+00:00

My wife and I were in need of a dexterity game, as we had none in our collection, and Sac Noir seemed to be one of the better choices. So far we have tried Tower of Babel and Building Chain with two players and both have been fun.

This session we played Tower of Babel, where you take turns building a common structure. I'm not sure how well Tower of Babel would work with a large group because you could place an awkward piece, and not have to deal with it for five turns. With only two, however, there is a strong element of one-up-man-ship.

In our first structure, my wife placed a good rectangular base, with lots of room to build, and build we did. Eventually though, there is little room at the top, and every nook and cranny gets filled. You could actually see this one wobble every time either one of us moved. Penny made it collapse after 22 pieces.

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Beans

Chris: 1
Penny: 0

I placed the base on the next one and I thought I would make it just a little more challenging by choosing the egg cup. Every piece has a piece that goes with it, and you can actually build quite high using mainly roundish pieces. This one consisted of nine pieces before Penny made it collapse.

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Beans
Chris: 2
Penny: 0

Penny then chose a very small base for the next structure. I put the egg on it, then Penny put a ring on top of it, but it didn't sit too well. I put the large rectangle on top, and it stayed long enough to take the picture.

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Beans
Chris: 2
Penny: 1

The next structure was a risky, short-lived affair as well. I chose a stable base, but Penny put a cyldiner in the base, and we just tried to mess with each other after that, and we couldn't build on it any more. Penny got the bean on this one.

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Beans
Chris: 2
Penny: 2

Then we went back to the stable, big structures when Penny placed a good old rectangular base. We fit in pieces wherever we could, and I collapsed it at 19 pieces.

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Beans
Chris: 2
Penny: 3

I placed the base for the next one, and it made it to 18 pieces. Penny placed the crazy flying saucer on top, which I tried to crown with a pyramid. It didn't work.

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Beans
Chris: 2
Penny: 4

Penny thought she would be tricky by using the large black pawn as a base, but she didn't count on me crowning it with the small pawn. She could build no further and the bean was mine.

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Beans
Chris: 3
Penny: 4

The last structure was the craziest ever. I didn't think it would go very high because of the roundish anvil-shaped piece near the bottom (which I placed), but grow it did. We ended by placing rings over the top. I tried to place one of the small cylinders on the edge of the ring, but the whole thing came crashing down, after 23 pieces.

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Final Score

Chris: 3
Penny: 5

This is a very fun game when you don't want to exercise your brain any more. You definitely push your luck, especially when you think you have added the piece that no one can add anything to. But with careful selection and a steady hand, almost anything is possible.

Thread: Re: What's with the strings on some of the pieces?

JohnnyD — 2007-01-16T13:48:49+00:00

I thought it was dental floss!!!!!!

Thread: Re: What's with the strings on some of the pieces?

boltongeordie — 2007-01-16T09:40:02+00:00

Common mistake - that thing with the string (sort of a square piece plus a peg) is the measuring device for resolving the question of who has the tallest construction.

Thread: What's with the strings on some of the pieces?

davidme — 2007-01-16T09:27:10+00:00

My Bausack version has string attached to some small pieces. They don't seem to fit in with the rest of the look of the game.

Thread: Re: Our Bausack Rules

Milarky — 2006-12-13T12:41:08+00:00

do you draw blind?

we drew blind and the tower rarely got higher then 4 blocks.. as your tryign to make the tower unstable i dont see the point varient much. just place a large round piece and its game over mostly..

so a varient nto tested yet, but number of blocks on the tower = the number of point/beans the player gets when it falls

so for the 1st few turns your trying to make a stable-ish tower, but when it falls its worth more to your opponent.

another idea is youget more beans depending on the hight in cm. or number of reds maybe?

Thread: Re: Which version to buy?

Milarky — 2006-12-13T12:35:15+00:00

i got basic set its got more then enought pieces for 8 players it says i played it with 4 we had 4 tall very strange towers... and loads of pieces left over still..

so if your rich or get a good deal or have more then 8 players get noir!

if you have less then 8 players your only likely to play the game 5-6 time a year at family gatherings like me i'd go for basic and keep an eye out for interesting wooden bits in diy shops and bric a brack shops.

wonder if i can write off the to the company and say i didnt get all the bits in my bag..

Thread: Re: What are the best rules?

pallwood — 2006-12-11T22:46:28+00:00

The "Baukette" version plays well with two players. Each player gets a similar base and then selects 12 pieces and lines them up in a row. One player starts and in turn they pick and place one piece from the end of either players row. First player whose tower falls over loses or if all pieces are placed, the player with the highest tower wins.

Thread: Re: What are the best rules?

clearclaw — 2006-12-04T03:05:22+00:00

Give everybody 10 beans.

On your turn do one of the following:

a) Pick your choice of pieces from those left and add it to your tower

or

b) Pick your choice of pieces from those left and pay one bean to give it to your right-hand neighbour to add to their tower or two beans to give it to your left-hand neighbour to add to their tower.

or

c) Receive a piece from your right or left to add to your tower and add it to your tower

or

d) Receive a piece from your right or left to add to your tower and pass it on to the next player (can't go back to the player that gave it to you) for one more bean than was paid to pass it to you.

If your tower falls down, you lose. Last one standing wins.

Thread: Re: What are the best rules?

Phlegm — 2006-12-04T00:30:13+00:00

Give everybody 10 beans.

Draw a piece out of the bag. (no feeling around, snatch and grab)

If you don't want it it costs 1 bean to pass it clockwise. If that player doesn't want it, it costs him 2 beans to pass it. The next player pays 3 to pass it and so on.

When you are out of beans you have to use whatever you get passed or draw out of the bag on your turn.

You never get any beans back after you spend them.

Thread: Re: What are the best rules?

paulidale — 2006-12-04T00:16:19+00:00

We play with children aged 7-10 plus several adults and we generally play without the seeds and bidding/auctioning. Sit around the table, choose a piece and add it to your tower. Last tower standing wins. Tallest tower if there are several lasts.

We've tried the various auctions and didn't like the game anything like so much. We tried the build three red bits into your tower but that is pretty broken.

Keep it simple, lighthearted and fun.

We used to make all the adults use their off hand for placement but the children have improved to the point that this is not necessary.

- Pauli

Thread: What are the best rules?

Mr.Baggins — 2006-12-03T23:43:23+00:00

I just got Sac Noir, and I have to say: The pieces are top notch and does look like fun, but the rules do not seem to be "all there", if you know what I mean. So, I'm wondering if anybody has suggestions as to what the best rules are for a group of 5-7 people (mostly family), and what is the best variant or two players.

This is important to me, because I'm planning to drop this on my unsuspecting wife and family, and I really want the first impression to be a good one.

Thanks for the help.

Antonio.

Thread: Re: Which version to buy?

GeoMan — 2006-10-16T16:54:38+00:00

Noir: it has more pieces!

Thread: Which version to buy?

Castef — 2006-10-16T16:08:48+00:00

Ok, I decided that Bausack will be mine.

Now the question is: which version to buy?

Thread: Re: Bausack, Sac Noir Currently Available

steveburt — 2006-09-01T14:45:32+00:00

I have Bausack, and I added 8 foundation pieces cut from scrap timber; I painted them blue so they are easily distinguished from the other game pieces.
They can be used as foundations in games with lots of players, or they can be omitted if you'd rather have an egg as the base of your tower.

Thread: Re: Bausack, Sac Noir Currently Available

Solamar — 2006-07-28T20:59:24+00:00

Thanks for all the responses.

I think I have been waiting for the new games to come out for too long (Ave Caesar, To Court the King, Die Macher, Thurn and Taxis (they ran out)). The money was burning a hole in my pocket. Or something. I am between game groups this time of month, and itching to play games. Sigh.

Thread: Re: Bausack, Sac Noir Currently Available

alkaiser — 2006-07-28T20:26:47+00:00

I think both Bausack and the Sac Noir version were out of print for a while since several years back I was actively looking for a copy and it was rare for even the German only stores to have one or both in stock. Then it looks like they were republished and that is when Jay decided to be a distributor for them. He also picked up Hamsterrolle at the same time.

Thread: Re: Bausack, Sac Noir Currently Available

facesnorth — 2006-07-28T17:07:11+00:00

I own Sac Noir, and absolutely love it. It doesn't seem to come with near the amount of foundation pieces as the Bandu pictures (at least mine didn't), and the number of pieces varies. But Jay is known to hook you up if you fall on the short end of the stick piece-wise. Except now he may be too bogged down dealing with his Chinese contracts.

Anyway, these seem to have been reprinted at least 6-9 months ago and have been in stock everywhere since. I agree that the price point seems to be the issue.

Ryan

Thread: Re: Bausack, Sac Noir Currently Available

thesama — 2006-07-28T16:52:15+00:00

I must appreciated it, I jumped over and placed an order as soon as I read the post.

Man... I have a problem, I'd been looking at buying this game and you pushed me over the edge.

Thread: Re: Bausack, Sac Noir Currently Available

jtakagi — 2006-07-28T16:46:17+00:00

Yeah, I don't necessarily think that the post needs to be deleted. I think that it is helpful information. I always appreciate a "Good Deal" thread, in fact, I acted upon that 1825 one that was posted last night mentioned in the previous post.

Thread: Re: Bausack, Sac Noir Currently Available

RPardoe — 2006-07-28T16:36:17+00:00

While I already have the game, I appreciate posts like this. ~~However, I do think that they should be deleted once the offer has expired or the stock sold.~~

Besides, you are in good company with such a post. Other recent posts cover:

1825 Unit 1 (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/119439)
Villa Palleti (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/118250) < which still is just in the general forums instead of the game specific forums.

Edit -
I was one the fence about the deletion, but with further thought, I think they should be kept in as they become a record or archive of prices that might help folks determine the value of the games. Granted the older the post, the less useful the information, but it would help provide some historic pricing guidance.

Thread: Re: Bausack, Sac Noir Currently Available

Solamar — 2006-07-28T16:34:49+00:00

OK, perhaps I am not as aware as I thought. I will delete it after a few hours. Sorry about that.

Thread: Re: Bausack, Sac Noir Currently Available

jtakagi — 2006-07-28T16:04:03+00:00

Are you sure that this was out of print? I never noticed that it was hard to find. From what I've seen:

Fun Again: both versions in stock
Boulder Games: Bausack only in stock
Fair Play Games: both versions in stock
Game Surplus: Bausack only in stock
Thought Hammer: Bausack only in stock

I think a lot of people have Sac Noir on their want lists because it looks cool, but is hard to take the plunge because of the price.

Thread: Bausack, Sac Noir Currently Available

Solamar — 2006-07-28T15:54:33+00:00

Usually, one does not post when items are available, but looking at this entry I see a lot of people want the Sac Noir edition, and both the Bausack, and the Sac Noir are out of print for some time now I believe.

So, becoming interested in this game, was on a search for games on my want list at TimeWellSpent.org - - And they had both - - on sale!

I figured others might be interested in knowing this older game, especially Sac Noir, is still available.

Bausack, MSRP 74.95, on sale for 43.95, 21 copies left

Sac Noir, MSRP 99.95, on sale for 56.75, 11 copies left

If you are reading this, please consider posting a comment:

1 - If you appreciate hearing about this.

2 - If you think I am overstepping my bounds and should not be cluttering up the articles.

3 - If you think it was OK, but think the article should be deleted in a week.

If the #3's or #2's are all I see, and no #1's, I can delete the whole post and clean it up. Hey, as an admin, I can make it disappear!

Sterling

Thread: User Review

cardshark28800 — 2006-06-04T10:49:05+00:00

I first saw Bandu at a swap meet this year, even though it has been out of print for years. The remake of a German game called Bausack, Bandu is a great thrift store find, if you’re lucky.

My first recommendation is to read the rules through before playing. It’s not a hard game to grasp, but the mechanics can be daunting for people who are novices to bidding games, and this is a bidding game, despite the box art, and pieces, and so forth. Players, one by one, pick a piece, then hold an auction. Whoever ends up with the piece must place it somewhere on their starting block, or on another piece, and pray the stack doesn’t fall. Players have five bidding beans, which must last the entire game. In a “refuse” auction, the first player to bail out must use that piece. In a Use auction, the last player who bid gets the piece. Pieces come in many shapes and sizes, so finding out which is best for which style of auction is a key strategy. So is not letting your tower fall, because no matter how many bidding beans you have left, if your tower crashes, you’re out.

Bandu is an interesting game, or rather two games in one. In the first part, players try to bleed beans from the others, and hold on to their own. The end game has more of a “screw your neighbor” feel, since if a player is out of beans, you can feed him all the awkward pieces in the game. Since each placement can end your game, Bandu is exciting from the very beginning. Better than Jenga if for only the rules for winning are fairer, it’s a great game for four to six players, and good for two or three.

Thread: Re: A difference between versions? Bandu vs. Bausack

craniac — 2006-05-14T14:11:38+00:00

Topdecker wrote:
adobemoonlight (#71061),

Bandu has 54 wooden pieces, but 6 of those are starter blocks which each player gets, so it is really 48 playable bits.

Tim

So is it fair to say that it takes two Bandu sets to make one set of Bausack?

Thread: Re: Bausack exact pieces number

jtakagi — 2006-04-29T07:12:30+00:00

I bought Sac Noir from Time Well Spent - I counted a total of 86 pieces. I fired off an email to Rio Grande Games and Jay Tummelson immediately sent out 15 more. I couldn't be happier with that kind of service - truly exemplary.

Thread: playing with beans

MANYUSELESSSKILLS — 2006-02-04T08:14:07+00:00

tonight clinton and i tried each of the variants that come in the game's instructions. the building chain didn't really work with only 2 people so we moved on to the next one, Knock Out. With only 2 players'Chains to choose from we felt too limited. But I should probably give it another try, and i think i'd like it with more people. In knock out, once we got the hang of how the auctions affect the game i really like it. It makes for a very different game. after that we didn't try the next variant, Pile It High, because while i was going over the rules we decided that it wouldn't make for a good 2 player game either(it sounds like it would be lots of fun with 4 or more). So we went right to 3x Red to Win. While i really liked this one it did take some getting used to. the rounds are shorter and the towers less interesting and the auctioning is much more strategic. Because there is a clear goal it really is a different game. with all the choices between the different variants i think that there is something for everyone.

Thread: Re: a gateway game! or, how I got my friends to play games

MANYUSELESSSKILLS — 2006-01-31T12:50:50+00:00

If you like this kind of dexterity game you should try bamboleo. its not a 'building' game but its very cool. check it out.

Thread: Re: a gateway game! or, how I got my friends to play games

tornado — 2006-01-31T00:11:15+00:00

I've played Bausack which is essentially the same game as Bausack: Sac Noir, but the Sac Noir edition has extra pieces. I really enjoy this game for a few reasons:

People instantly 'get' the game. Don't let your tower topple is the general gist of it.
Deeper strategy than at first appearance.
There is an element of hope for almost every play. For example, I have landed and seen pieces landed on towers that I thought were for sure going to topple. It is at that moment - after you land it - when you feel a major rush of 'fun'.
The game generally makes you root for everyone. I play a lot of games and am pretty competitive, however I find myself rooting for the guy I just gave an evil piece to.
I've played Villa Paletti and Jenga. This game takes the cake for build/stacking type games. I'm anxious to try out more like this.

Joe

Thread: a gateway game! or, how I got my friends to play games

MANYUSELESSSKILLS — 2006-01-30T18:12:29+00:00

I got Bausack for my birthday, along with a few other games. As i am with
my non-gaming friends no one was very excited by any of them until I got
to this one and started to pull out the blocks and describe the game.
Everyone started to build little towers and play with the blocks.
At that point it was pretty easy to get a real game going. My wife
virginia even stayed up late and played.

The first round we were all playing nicely, no one was using any of really
hard pieces and we were basically trying for a tall tower. but that
didn't last forever. Once i put a few pieces lower down on the tower that
all changed. Suddenly virginia was out for blood, using anything that had
a round or pointed top. My friends mike and clinton were still playing
nicely but mike had to deal virginia's pieces.

In the end each round and the game was decided by virginia playing
something nearly impossible, my using the last reasonable space lower on
the tower and mike having to deal with virginia's difficult piece,
leaving clinton nothing stable to work with.

In my opinion this is an excellent game with great bits (that's
what it is after all, really nice bits). But best of all it got
my non-gaming friends interested in playing games(at least dexterity
games). They're even looking forward to trying Bamboleo next. I guess I asked
for the right kinds of games this year.

Thread: Re: Bausack exact pieces number

jody — 2005-12-11T16:35:07+00:00

I recently purchased Bausack with 69 building pieces (50 natural, 16 red, and 3 green). Jay at Rio Grande is mailing me 12 random pieces.

I'm happy.

Thread: Re: Staining Bandu Sets.

alkaiser — 2005-08-19T23:18:22+00:00

I don't see why not. The pieces are made of wood so you shouldn't have any problems even if you wanted to go with a pigmented stain (red, green etc.).