Game: Game of Life - 40th Anniversary Edition

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kin2x — 2008-08-16T17:34:11+00:00

the board

Thread: Re: New-and-improved with elegant and innovative mechanisms!

Aarontu — 2008-07-08T17:46:22+00:00

Barticus88 wrote:
sdiberar wrote:
Like San Juan / Puerto Rico, the card game has rendered the board game obsolete.
In this case, it's the breakfast cereal that has rendered the board game obsolete.
This is the best thing I have read, experienced, or eaten all day!

Thread: Re: New-and-improved with elegant and innovative mechanisms!

Barticus88 — 2008-06-30T20:15:02+00:00

sdiberar wrote:
Like San Juan / Puerto Rico, the card game has rendered the board game obsolete.
In this case, it's the breakfast cereal that has rendered the board game obsolete.

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handofachlys — 2008-05-20T02:16:29+00:00

The Game of Life by Alexander Shih-Fon Shen

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handofachlys — 2008-05-03T02:33:59+00:00

The Game of LIFE by ~SuburbanSickness

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Howitzer_120mm — 2008-03-03T16:49:43+00:00

Closeup of the cars with people, driving by the builidngs, onto the road

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Howitzer_120mm — 2008-03-03T16:46:58+00:00

The Auction Cards- 1 per person once you buy it

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Howitzer_120mm — 2008-03-03T16:45:00+00:00

Some Salary Cards, again, picked randomly

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Howitzer_120mm — 2008-03-03T15:40:24+00:00

Some different Life tokens (gotten for random deeds you did. Normally you get around 10 of these by the end of the game)

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Howitzer_120mm — 2008-03-03T15:37:43+00:00

Different Housing Options (you draw a random one)

Thread: LIFE will be the death of me...

Phaedre — 2008-02-24T21:49:41+00:00

So I played The Game of Life this afternoon with my 2 boys, Cameron age 7 and Brandon age 5, while we were waiting for their outside snow clothes to dry. And really wished I hadn’t played it. This game was not at all what I remembered, or maybe it wasn’t what I had idealized in my memory. Mind you, I never owned this game as a child, but I had always wanted it, and played it at friend’s homes at every opportunity.

The set up was tedious. The boys kept running around with the chintzy plastic houses and popped out the LIFE cards and scattered them to the four corners of the room. I had trouble aligning the stickers on the ramps, but that’s my own ineptitude. After locating all the money and putting it into the banker’s holder, we got started. Well, we tried to get started, anyway.

My youngest decided to go to college – and to be an artist. His salary was $40K. My oldest took the career path and became a computer tech earning $60K. I also took the career path and got Teacher and Entertainer (anyone who knows me will realize how funny that is!), making $30K. I misread the instructions and forgot to dole out Payday monies as we were advancing, so I just gave each of us $100K to cover lost wages.

I also never quite figured out how to handle the career cards. Something about when you land on the space with a certain symbol you pay the bank, the bank pays you, or the other players pay you – I have no clue. Luckily, having young kids, they didn’t notice that Mommy had no idea what she was doing, and just went along with it.

Additionally, I think I missed something with the Stock cards and the millionaire thing at the end when you retire. I ended up there first, with a station wagon loaded with myself, no husband, a set of twins (boy and girl, thank you) and another son. I finished with $685K. Brandon, being the bohemian artist, drove an SUV, had no wife, 4 kids (2 sets of twins, all girls) and a whopping $485K.

Cameron cleaned house. He stayed unmarried, got paid every time we spun the spinner off the spinner holder thing ($50K at a shot) since he was the computer tech, had no kids, drove a fancy sports car, sold his home for a profit of $100K and ended up with $710K.

Overall, it was relatively enjoyable. It held the kids' attention, and they had fun after the game seeing how fast they could get the spinner spinning, and how far it would fling the cars and houses across the room. I never did understand all the instructions, but I was also trying to read them on the fly – it’s not like I had a lot of time to really study them. I think I’ll wait a while before playing it again, though. I think it’s on to Sorry next time.

-Enjoy -
Mere a/k/a Phaedre

Thread: Re: New-and-improved with elegant and innovative mechanisms!

KrisVerbeeck — 2008-02-18T14:46:31+00:00

snicholson wrote:
Well, I haven't played it yet, but based upon your review, it's getting a 10 from me!

Scott the game is published according to the site. So you don't have to give the unpublished prototype the 10. You can give it to the game itself.

Thread: Re: New-and-improved with elegant and innovative mechanisms!

snicholson — 2008-02-18T12:32:35+00:00

Well, I haven't played it yet, but based upon your review, it's getting a 10 from me!

Thread: Re: New-and-improved with elegant and innovative mechanisms!

drmabuse00 — 2008-01-04T06:22:44+00:00

Morganza wrote:
I'm confused -- the version of Life that I got for my birthday in 5th grade had one major decision (whether to go to college or head straight for business) and a few minor decisions (whether to buy insurance and stock when you passed the appropriate spots on the board.)

We quickly figured out the optimal decisions (go to college, buy all the options as they became available) and turned it into a pure luck game.

There were no tiles or cards at all, just your little car holding your family and the growing stack of folded insurance certificates you slid your money inside.

Was there an actual edition of Life that had real choices to be made?

(I realize that this is a parody review, but it does make me wonder if you're parodying a game I never saw.)

I had that one as well, from the mid to late 70's. It's as you described with you chose 1 career path in the beginning (hoping for the doctor) and buying your various policies (fire, life, auto), stock certificates and you picked up a spouse and some kids along the way. I think the game changed in the late eighties or early nineties.

Thread: Re: New-and-improved with elegant and innovative mechanisms!

cferejohn — 2008-01-04T01:28:55+00:00

Hmm, maybe The Sims: The Board Game?

Thread: Re: New-and-improved with elegant and innovative mechanisms!

reapersaurus — 2008-01-04T01:17:10+00:00

Great review.

The scary part is - I've read similarly effusive reviews about games that make just as much fuss over not-incredible gameplay and mechanics as this article does.

So while this article is a great parody - we shouldn't be laughing TOO hard, because there's more insight in this unbalanced glowing review than many BGGers will admit.
(Kinda like how The Daily Show is more insightful/truthful than the news nowadays).

Thread: Re: New-and-improved with elegant and innovative mechanisms!

Spatulaguy — 2008-01-04T00:32:42+00:00

Great review!! I agree with this review and believe that The Game of Life is possibly the greatest game ever.*

*This is not actually true. I don't like the game, but I love the review!

Thread: Re: New-and-improved with elegant and innovative mechanisms!

Bromios — 2008-01-03T23:44:56+00:00

Grudunza wrote:
yankeeap wrote:
Bromios wrote:
So thumbs up on trying to give LIFE more credit than it's gotten, but I think you're taking it too far.

Apparently, your VIS* was turned off when you read the original post.

* Verbal Irony Sensor

I think you mean VSS (Verbal Sarcasm Sensor).

Funny review.

Thread: Re: New-and-improved with elegant and innovative mechanisms!

jeblucas — 2008-01-03T23:06:53+00:00

BoB3K wrote:
jeblucas wrote:
... what if they really did revamp the game and make it interesting? ...

I think you may be describing this: Funny FriendsThere it is. Nothing new under the sun, I guess.

Thread: Re: New-and-improved with elegant and innovative mechanisms!

yankeeap — 2008-01-03T22:47:49+00:00

((Cue Twilight Zone theme music))

Thread: Re: New-and-improved with elegant and innovative mechanisms!

Grudunza — 2008-01-03T22:39:34+00:00

yankeeap wrote:
Grudunza wrote:
I think you mean VSS (Verbal Sarcasm Sensor).

Excellent! Thank you, Eric, for pointing out the difference between verbal irony and sarcasm.

Ah gosh, I'm not sure sarcasm is entirely right, either. I think it's just a nicely subtle parody, with a bit of snarky sarcasm under the surface throughout.

George Carlin once explained about how we often misunderstand the term "irony" or "ironic": If a diabetic, on his way to buy insulin, is killed by a runaway truck, he is the victim of an accident. If the truck was delivering sugar, he is the victim of an oddly poetic coincidence. But if the truck was delivering insulin, ah! Then he is the victim of an irony. But he also describes irony as: "a state of affairs that is the reverse of what was to be expected; a result opposite to and in mockery of the appropriate result." In that sense, I suppose this review could fit the bill!

Thread: Re: Ahh, The Game of Life - Still Not That Enjoyable

Morganza — 2008-01-03T22:38:25+00:00

It sounds like there are enough gameplay changes to truly deserve the separate database entry from the classic Game of Life -- it's a lot more than just updated artwork and prices.

And it's not "selling your kids at the end of the game" -- it's your kids supporting you in your old age.

Thread: Re: New-and-improved with elegant and innovative mechanisms!

Morganza — 2008-01-03T22:08:32+00:00

I'm confused -- the version of Life that I got for my birthday in 5th grade had one major decision (whether to go to college or head straight for business) and a few minor decisions (whether to buy insurance and stock when you passed the appropriate spots on the board.)

We quickly figured out the optimal decisions (go to college, buy all the options as they became available) and turned it into a pure luck game.

There were no tiles or cards at all, just your little car holding your family and the growing stack of folded insurance certificates you slid your money inside.

Was there an actual edition of Life that had real choices to be made?

(I realize that this is a parody review, but it does make me wonder if you're parodying a game I never saw.)

Thread: Re: New-and-improved with elegant and innovative mechanisms!

yankeeap — 2008-01-03T21:32:40+00:00

Grudunza wrote:
I think you mean VSS (Verbal Sarcasm Sensor).

Excellent! Thank you, Eric, for pointing out the difference between verbal irony and sarcasm.

Thread: Re: New-and-improved with elegant and innovative mechanisms!

Grudunza — 2008-01-03T21:27:00+00:00

yankeeap wrote:
Bromios wrote:
So thumbs up on trying to give LIFE more credit than it's gotten, but I think you're taking it too far.

Apparently, your VIS* was turned off when you read the original post.

* Verbal Irony Sensor

I think you mean VSS (Verbal Sarcasm Sensor).

Funny review.

Thread: Re: New-and-improved with elegant and innovative mechanisms!

BoB3K — 2008-01-03T21:21:33+00:00

jeblucas wrote:
... what if they really did revamp the game and make it interesting? ...

I think you may be describing this: Funny Friends

Thread: Re: New-and-improved with elegant and innovative mechanisms!

sdiberar — 2008-01-03T21:09:27+00:00

Like San Juan / Puerto Rico, the card game has rendered the board game obsolete.

*NOTE: This post guaranteed humour-free(TM)!

Thread: Re: New-and-improved with elegant and innovative mechanisms!

yankeeap — 2008-01-03T21:07:45+00:00

A real funny send-up of a game review, Aaron. Nicely done. And it makes you reflect just how "innovative" the latest batches of games really are (not), as we sit perhaps blinded by our eagerness to play something "new."

Thread: Re: New-and-improved with elegant and innovative mechanisms!

yankeeap — 2008-01-03T21:05:03+00:00

Bromios wrote:
So thumbs up on trying to give LIFE more credit than it's gotten, but I think you're taking it too far.

Apparently, your VIS* was turned off when you read the original post.

* Verbal Irony Sensor

Thread: Re: New-and-improved with elegant in innovative mechanisms!

Bromios — 2008-01-03T21:00:33+00:00

Aarontu wrote:
I suggest that LIFE isn't as bad as you once thought, especially the new-and-improved 40th anniversary edition, which has some rule changes so great and innovative that even the gamiest of gamers wouldn't be ashamed to bring LIFE to their gaming group.

Gameplay:
Players make strategic decisions throughout the game that affect their future, such as whether or not to attend college, what career they will have, and where they will live. You can even have children in the Game of LIFE!

I feel that the Game of LIFE could be a strong contender for Game of the Year, if serious gamers would only give it a long, hard look.

I agree with your first point the LIFE isn't as bad as a lot of people think, but game of the year??? That is giving it way to much credit. To me, this is a kids game through and through. From the look and theme to the Rondel (excellent word, btw) to the strategy. It's a kids game that gamers could enjoy playing once in a while and not feel like they're being tortured, but it's still a kids game.

The strategic elements that you mentioned are really not that strategic. If I'm not mistaken you should ALWAYS go to college (a good message by the designers, but not one that adds much depth), you should ALWAYS buy the cheapest house available, and there are 2 or 3 jobs that are dis proportionally better than the rest (Athlete comes to mind).

So thumbs up on trying to give LIFE more credit than it's gotten, but I think you're taking it too far.

Thread: Re: New-and-improved with elegant in innovative mechanisms!

jeblucas — 2008-01-03T20:45:21+00:00

Obviously, the game sucks. But your review did make me think of something--what if they really did revamp the game and make it interesting? What if the Roles (which are things like "doctor" or "accountant") were actually more like what makes life interesting? And perhaps interesting in the Chinese curse sense? I'd like to see a game that had players build roles from keyworded cards, like, "ADJECTIVE" "JOB" with "CONDITION".

A player could be the Intolerant Dentist with Halitosis. Or the Pregnant Waitress with Alcoholic Spouse. The Gay Frycook with Money Issues. Ripped from the headlines! You could events that force awkward interactions, like the Frycook above needs dental work--will the dentist refuse to treat the frycook--will they attempt to mask their intolerance by claiming they know the Money Issues will make for billing problems?

Maybe the roles are hidden until revealed by events. There could be a game there--too bad this will never be it.

Thread: New-and-improved with elegant and innovative mechanisms!

Aarontu — 2008-01-03T20:09:49+00:00

So, most of you know about the Game of LIFE, and probably played it or have at least seen it. Many folks around here say they'd rather have a sledge taken to their sensitive spots than be forced to sit through this half-an-hour spinner-spinning and tile-drawing offering. But I suggest that LIFE isn't as bad as you once thought, especially the new-and-improved 40th anniversary edition, which has some rule changes so great and innovative that even the gamiest of gamers wouldn't be ashamed to bring LIFE to their gaming group. In fact, I'd say that the game has been majorly* overhauled and I exhort you to give it another chance.

The Game of LIFE (40th anniversary edition) is an elegant and somewhat exciting game about manipulating different factors and using cards in an attempt to collect the most points! Thematically, each player is a person living in today's society, doing things that grown-ups do; players must establish their career, get married, buy a house, and do many other things associated with adult life in today's world. A number of interesting mechanisms and components make up the Game of LIFE.

There is a strong connection between theme and the mechanics of the game, which is impressive for the gameplay and mechanics involved. You feel like you're actually getting older as you play!

Some of the mechanisms:
An elegant 'Rondel' mechanism** is used to determine different events that happen to players, as well as where they move and how quickly they age.]]>The 'rondel' mechanism in action. Picture by Matthew Marquand

The Game of LIFE's action selection mechanism allows each player a limited number of actions (1) per turn, thus reducing play time and analysis paralysis.***

There is a reasonably complex (but easily understood) scoring system used to determine the winner. Points are thematically represented by American dollars and can be earned in a variety of ways, providing multiple paths to victory.

A blind tile draw mechanism provides a way to reward players for lifetime achievements, like winning second place in a beauty contest, painting a picture, or becoming president of the United States. Point rewards for these achievements vary depending on different factors.

A clever, if somewhat fiddly, stock market mechanic allows players to buy and sell stock on the side, for extra points.

There are various roles in the game that players may select. These roles give players different abilities, and are the primary method used to gain points. Throughout the game, players may change roles, or even have two roles at once. Thematically, these roles are "Careers". There are so many different cards and career roles that it may take many games before a player has had an opportunity to use them all.]]>Some of the roles players may select during the game. Picture by paratrewpr

There is an interesting catch-up mechanism that allows players who are behind to take tiles (which are worth points) from the players in the lead after the pool of tiles to draw from has been exhausted.

Gameplay:
Players make strategic decisions throughout the game that affect their future, such as whether or not to attend college, what career they will have, and where they will live. You can even have children in the Game of LIFE!

The game starts with several important decisions the players must make on their respective turns, and then they receive a hand of cards that have different effects. From this, they must plan a strategy. Following is turn-by-turn tactical execution of the strategy that the players have devised, primarily using the elegant 'Rondel' mechanism. Tension really builds up throughout the game as different players manipulate various game features and collect points. The players' scores are hidden information until the game's end, allowing everyone to at least believe that they have a chance at winning.

In order to play optimally,**** players must learn to effectively manipulate multiple factors during play, such as their cards and careers, the "Rondel" mechanism, the stock market, and ambiguity.

I feel that the Game of LIFE could be a strong contender for Game of the Year, if serious gamers would only give it a long, hard look. I suspect that this incarnation of the Game of LIFE has real ultimate staying power (the kind of power that comes with things like 'Action Selection Mechanisms' and box art featuring grumpy old men). Seriously. A long, hard look*****. That's all I ask.

* And by "majorly," I probably mean something more like, "kind of, but not really", but I just couldn't find the right word for it.

** Rondel - noun. A rounded or circular object, also rondelle.

*** That one action being spinning the 'rondel' mechanism and seeing what happens next.

**** That just doesn't sound right. Not for this game, anyway.

***** As long as you don't actually play it. That would probably make the game seem not that good. Looking is alright, though.

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Andre_g54 — 2007-10-03T08:12:22+00:00

1999 THE GAME OF LIFE Board Game 40th Anniversary Edition by Milton Bradley

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RangerRob — 2007-07-23T22:01:23+00:00

Game of Life Plastic Terrain Pieces

Thread: Re: Ahh, The Game of Life - Still Not That Enjoyable

toonces — 2007-02-19T16:17:40+00:00

I just got to play the new version with my nephew this weekend...they did make things a bit more challenging then before. A few clarifications:

1) Careers - In the beginning, now, you have to decide whether to go for career or college. If you go career, you get a random career, and a few of the big careers (like doctor) say "require degree" and you must reselect. If you go to college, you start by immediately borrowing $100,000 which costs $125,000 to pay back (great realistic move). You get to choose between 3 random careers. Each career card has 2 salary ranges on them. For example, Yellow represents the top salary range and has a $100,000 salary in the deck. Doctors have a yellow range, but artists are only red and green. Also, each career has a unique special power which the player has to watch for. For example, the artist gets $10,000 everytime someone spins a 1 (i.e. stops to shop for art). The tech support career gets $50,000 every time the spinner comes off of the track (hee!) and the Entertainer gets to switch to a yellow salary card is someone spins 2 consecutive 8, 9, or 10 (they hit it big)

2) LIFE tiles - about 20% of the spaces in the game give you a LIFE tile. LIFE tiles are hidden money amounts ($10,000 to $50,000 with flavor text) so that noone knows for sure who is winning. Also there are a limited number of tiles, so when the pile is depleted and you land on one, you can take a tile from an opponent instead (a way to attack the percieved leader).

3) Finishing the game - As mentioned earlier, the endgame has been modified. It used to be that if you thought you were going to finish with the most money, you went to the millionaire acres, and if you thought you couldn't win, you could bet everything you owned on 1 number to win. I don't think that rule was broken, nor was it unrealistic. I just think that they decided that they didn't want to encourage that kind of recklessness toward your retirement savings, so they have a new ending. If you think you will finish with the most money, you go to millionaire acres, or you can go to the retirement home and get a single LIFE tile. At the end of the game, the person who goes to millionaire acres and does end up with the most cash gets 4 LIFE tiles, while everyone else gets none. Finally, you add the life tiles to your money to determine the winner.

I was surprised at the amount of decisionmaking and rules that have been added to the game. We played with my 6-y/o nephew and he enjoyed the game, but really wasn't able to make good decisions.

Thread: Ahh, The Game of Life - Still Not That Enjoyable

jar011 — 2007-01-08T03:18:30+00:00

We were visiting my parents this past November and my 8 y/o daughter was rummaging through the 'game closet'. She stumbled across 'The Game of Life' and asked if we could play. We said yes and had 5 people playing. It was brutally painful and lasted for what seemed like hours. This was the version my sister and I had received during some 70s or 80s Christmas, so it was pretty beat up and still as bad as I remember. But, for some odd reason or maybe the colorful wheel, my daughter fell in love with it and asked for it for Christmas. Without consulting me, my wife actually went out and picked it up.

So, I've played about 3 games of Life over the past week or two and thought I'd write a review on the new and improved version. They have changed the game since my 70/80's version and to be honest, the changes are actually pretty good. Here are my thoughts on the "new" Game of Life:

Board and Pieces
The board hasn't changed much since my 70/80's edition. The rolling hills, the little white plastic buildings, the really bad spinner wheel that flys off the board if you spin it too hard. To be honest, the board has changed a bit - slightly newer artwork and the majority of the spaces on the board have been updated. They've also changed the people. The cars are the same, but the people are a little blockier - I suppose this is to make it easier to handle. Although, they are still pretty small.

The game also comes with a money tray, new House, Career, Salary, Stock Market and Insurance cards. I'll discuss these under Rules and Game Play. Of note, the card stock is of decent quality.

Rules and Game Play
For those of you who have played Life in your youth and those of you who haven't, I'll go over the game play very briefly and spend the majority of my time on the new rules.

The object of the game is to have the most money at the end of the game. You do this by making your way through "life". You start out in you teens and decide to either go to college or go into the work force. After this decision, the game plays the same for either choice. You work your way around the board by spinning the wheel and moving anumber of spaces equal to the number on the wheel. Throughout your journey of life you get married, buy a house, have kids (maybe) and other assorted adventures until you wind up in retirement, where you can either go to shady pines or your millionaire's mansion. That's the game in a nut shell. Now, on to the new rules.

The first and one of the better changes they've made deals with your career. In the past, your career path was upto how well you could spin the wheel. In the updated version, you actually get to select your own career. You randomly select 3 career cards and pick one that you would like to be. The only difference between the college and non-college path is that there are a few careers that require a college education. Once you pick a career you get to randomly select a salary. If the color of your salary matches a color on your card, you keep the salary. This part is a little broken as you can have a doctor making $40,000 and an accountant making $70,000. But, all in all, this is a pretty good enhancement.

The second enhancement is that each career has a symbol on the card. There are now spaces on the board that correspond to your career. If someone lands on one of the spaces with the symbol for your career, they pay you money. For example, the accoutant gets money from any player that lands on the "Pay Taxes" space and doesn't have to pay any themselves. Again, I thought this was an interesting and a good enhancement to the game.

The third enhancemet is the housing market. In the previous version, you had to stop and pony up some cash to buy a house and that was it. In this version, you get to determine if you even want to buy a house or not. If you do, you randomly select two house cards and can buy one of them. You also get a chance later in the game to sell your first house and buy your second house. At this point, you spin the wheel and depending on the number you can either lose money, break even or gain money on the sale of your house. Again, another very good enhancement.

The fourth enhancement is with the various insurance and stock market cards. In the current version, they've done away with life insurance and only offer car and house insurance. The house insurance price varies on the house you purchase.

They've also changed the stock market. Now you have the option to buy a stock card (you can only have one of these during the game - unless you land on stock boom and then you can get an extra stock card). Unlike the original version, you don't have to bet your stock to make money. Your stock card has a number on it, whenever someone spins your number on the wheel you get money.

The fifth enhancement is the use of "Life" tiles. These are little cardboard tiles that you get when you land on certain spaces during the game. They have various things that can happen to you during your life and the corresponding money you would receive if it happened to you. When you pick them up, you can't look at them. They have to stay concealed until the end of the game. Then you can flip them over, add them up and tack the money onto your final score. I found this part to be a bit broken and a waste. I'm not quite sure why they introduced this except for maybe helping decide ties at the end of the game. But, for the most part, they don't add much to the game.

The last of the changes/enhancements were with the spaces and game play. There doesn't seem to be as many opportunities to have kids in this version. My daughter and I played one game and both of us finished with no kids. Not a big deal, but I remember when I used to play the older version you used to get kids left and right. (BTW - they've also done away with selling your kids at the end of the game. This was a rule I never quite understood and I'm glad they've gotten rid of it).

They've also done away with a number of the odd things you had to do prior to retirement (besides selling your kids). In the previous version, there was a spot you had to stop at and if you wanted to risk everything you could put all of your money on one number on the number line. You then had to spin the wheel. If it landed on your number, you won and it didn't matter what anyone else did. The game was then over. They've done away with this too. I'm assuming because it totally broke the game.

Conclusion
Anyway, I think I've typed way more than "The Game of Life" deserves. To be honest with you, the latest version isn't too bad. Don't get me wrong. I won't be busting this out on game night with the guys, but its enjoyable enough to play with your kids. My daughter is 8 and absolutely loves it (she also loves Carcassonne and TTR, so at least I've got her playing good games). The game plays to the stated time of about 30 minutes. I believe we played one game in about 20 minutes.

Would I recommend it? It depends on who you are. If you have kids, then yes. I'd recommend it. The new enhancements make it tolerable and whatever they've done to the game play its quickened the game, so you can finish a game in 30 minutes and go play Carcassonne or something. I'd give it about a 4 or a 5 on the BGG scale.