Game: RattleSnake

Thread: Re: Cause clash and/or egg(s) to roll off the board - still complete egg placement?

Tobold — 2008-10-15T10:20:39+00:00

Thanks Roberto!

It is fantastic to have a rules query answered by the designer himself. I appreciate your taking the time to do so.

We played again last night and I am beginning to realise (I can be a little slow) that there is more to the game than first appears. By manipulating the egg you are placing, it is possible to create a space that seemed impossible at first, repelling or attracting one just enough to move it to your advantage. My son has not asked for the same game two nights in a row before and I think tonight he will ask for it again.

Thread: Re: Cause clash and/or egg(s) to roll off the board - still complete egg placement?

cybernex — 2008-10-14T18:30:43+00:00

You ruled it right, unfortunately some translations of the game are not perfectly clear on this point.
You indeed always complete the move no matter how much you fumble.
In this way the game is less unforgiving of small mistakes (because otherwise every small mistake would make you lose two turns, rather than one, in practical terms).

Thread: Re: Cause clash and/or egg(s) to roll off the board - still complete egg placement?

Great Dane — 2008-10-14T11:01:45+00:00

Tobold wrote:
We decided that always placing your egg on the colour you rolled, regardless of what happens before, during or after, was the most consistent and therefore easier to apply. I'd be interested to hear how others apply this rule.
We came to the same decision.

Thread: Cause clash and/or egg(s) to roll off the board - still complete egg placement?

Tobold — 2008-10-14T10:19:05+00:00

I realise that it may be ridiculous to have a rules question for so simple and light-hearted a game. My nature (yeah, I know the term for it) compels me to ask nonetheless.

I played this for the first time last night with my son. We had "clashes" as well as eggs rolling off the board. Sometimes this happens after the egg has been placed. Sometimes it happens as you're trying to place your egg, before you've even touched the board.

If a player causes a clash, and/or eggs to roll off the board, do they still place their egg, or end their turn immediately? Ending your turn immediately if you cause this makes sense, but what if you've already placed it when this happens? Do you leave it there or remove it?

We decided that always placing your egg on the colour you rolled, regardless of what happens before, during or after, was the most consistent and therefore easier to apply. I'd be interested to hear how others apply this rule.

Yes, I know I should probably be having fun with this game and not worrying about the rules. The thing is, even my young son wants to know. He needs to be sure that he is beating dad fair and square, you see.

Thread: Nexus looking for Demo Staff at the Essen show

cybernex — 2008-09-24T13:22:47+00:00

We are looking for serious, friendly and welcoming gamers to staff our booth in the Essen "Spiel" show from october 23rd to october 26th, making people play with our board games.

We plan to have staff there to teach people how to play Rattlesnake, as well as other games of ours such as Wings of War, Age of Conan, MotoGrandPrix, Micro Mutants, and more.

We need people able to speak English and/or German. Knowledge of both languages is preferable of course.
No specific prior knowledge of the specific games is necessary, we will provide rules and/or complete games before the show to the demo staff to learn the game.

If you are interested, please contact me directly by private message.

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jafferbatica — 2008-09-22T15:42:30+00:00

More scenes from the "Rattlesnake Tournament" at Gamer's Reunion 2008

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jafferbatica — 2008-09-22T15:40:10+00:00

Scenes from the "Rattlesnake Tournament" at Gamer's Reunion 2008

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wiewioora — 2008-09-20T12:36:58+00:00

Children playing at RattleSnake at Pionek VIII in Gliwice, Poland

Thread: Re: Ultra-quick ultra-light - good for the kids

risu — 2008-09-06T16:32:47+00:00

My 6 year old loved it and my 9 year old thought it was fun. My son liked playing with the magnets more though and ended up breaking one of em.

Was a good quick one to play after dinner.

Thread: Ultra-quick ultra-light - good for the kids

mrwendal — 2008-09-06T07:58:39+00:00

This was a nice ultra-quick way to start our gaming session last Friday.

There's so little to the rules, it's not really worth going into them again here when others have done well already.

Needless to say though, you need a steady hand and some good fortune to play this game of placing magnetic snake eggs (orbz) upon snakes of varying colours (dependent on the dice roll).

Naturally, after first connecting the eggs together and turning it into a temporary bracelet (!) for half the group to try on, the game commenced.

About 6 of us took part. This meant that there was definitely a definite advantage for those players going first as there was only a couple of eggs to offlay and plenty of boardspace to do so.

The game progressed clockwise and it wasn't long before the first 'snapping' together occurred causing the player (and others) to jump! Probably not a good one to play with drinks in hand! Play continued clockwise with others going out quickly leaving me and one other to duke it out.

It was all over rather quickly and I'm pleased to say that although I came 2nd to last - I felt like the victor leaving the 'loser' with all the eggs!

The game board feels a little too small so this makes for some very quick play amongst larger numbers although as the guidance is for 2-4, we can't complain. Of course, there was plenty of jumping to be had when the objects snapped together but as the board was so small and the magnets so strong, you could almost guess when this was bound to occur.

Nevertheless, as an ultra-quick no-brainer it was ok. Probably really good to get the kids playing.

...or to wear as a bracelet to ease travel sickness!

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xitoliv — 2008-09-05T01:10:06+00:00

All 12 magnets in playable positions on the board (a 'solo win' if you will....)

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xitoliv — 2008-09-05T01:08:56+00:00

the board

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xitoliv — 2008-09-05T01:08:38+00:00

box insert with magnets and dice

Thread: Re: This Game is Awesome

Surya — 2008-08-25T09:42:15+00:00

One let down for me was: I played 2 copies of this game, and one of them had very strong magnets -> fun. The other one had far less powerful magnets -> way less fun. Luckily the one with the strong magnets is my own copy

Thread: Re: This Game is Awesome

Oshio — 2008-08-22T18:55:41+00:00

Exactly.

Now, as for Jungle Speed, I can't play that damn game to save my life while stone sober, so I feel I'll stick with Rattlesnake

Thread: Re: This Game is Awesome

MUKid — 2008-08-22T17:57:04+00:00

I was a little confused by your review until I got close to the end. I played Rattlesnake, too. I found it clever, novel, fun to mess around with - but awesome? Eh, I don't know about that... until.....

And it makes a very, very fun drinking game.

Aha. Now I get it! You're right, it is an awesome drinking game!

Another good game that you might like as a drinking game is Jungle Speed. By itself, I find it kinda boring. But throw some beers at it, and suddenly it's hilariously fun. And I suspect Rattlesnake is, too!

Thread: This Game is Awesome

Oshio — 2008-08-22T15:17:13+00:00

So, while at Gen Con my buddies and I were demo-ing Battlestar Galactica, and my wife and my friends fiance were bored. When we finished the game and were thoroughly unimpressed, they came back with tales of this amazing game they got snared into as they wandered off. Skeptical, we allowed them to drag us over to the Rattlesnake table and played a few games.

All I can say is, this game is amazing. Over the course of the next day I bought a copy, 2 of my friends who were present at the demo bought copies, and, after we had played it that night in the hotel room, 2 other friends of ours bought copies. It should be noted that of those 5 copies, only one went to a family with kids.

Here's the lowdown:

There are 16 rattlesnake eggs in the game. Do not call them magnets, despite the fact that they look and act exactly like strong magnets. These are divided up among the players, 2-4. There is a board, this board is covered with snakes of 6 colors. On your turn you roll a die, each side has a different snake color. You must then place one of your eggs so that the center of the egg rests fully on a snake of that color. The first player to get rid of all of his eggs wins.

That's it.

However. When placing your egg there may be one or more eggs already on the board. This is where it gets tricky. In order to place it you will have to figure out which sides attract which eggs, and navigate said egg through several magnetic fields. If you cause any eggs to fall off the board, these are added to your hand. If any eggs clash together, these are added to your hand. Overall it can get very, very tricky.

And that's it. It is an incredibly simple game, but a lot of fun. It can certainly be played well with kids, but I have not done so yet and do not see myself doing so at any time in the future. And it makes a very, very fun drinking game.

Enjoy!

Thread: Re: Solution for first player advantage

Wapahala — 2008-08-20T11:26:13+00:00

I have thought about playing the game like this: You alternate placing eggs until someone makes a clash. Then, that player scores the number of eggs that clashed and the board is immediately cleared.

Next "hand" starts with the player who clashed placing the first egg.
Play ends when one of the players reaches a pre-determined high-score of clashed eggs. (30, 40, 100?)

It's kinda like the card game "Hearts" in its scoring method and it gives the game time a needed boost.

Whaddya think?

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BudsBalkan — 2008-08-16T09:25:39+00:00

Not a lot of space left for the next one, but manageable

Thread: Re: Bitten by Rattlesnake.

wmshub — 2008-07-09T21:20:36+00:00

Definitely keep this away from your 2 year old until you're sure she won't eat the magnets. Magnets that strong can attract each other inside a person's gut, pinching the intestinal lining between them and causing some very severe problems. The ball-magnet-with-sticks toys that have become popular in the last few years have had trouble with that.

And on that happy note, thanks for the nice session report!

Thread: Bitten by Rattlesnake.

mbourgeois — 2008-07-08T08:03:57+00:00

I bought this for Kim my wife... supposedly for an airplane ride back home and to her 20 year reunion for school. I see now that it won't fit on the plane but it'll rock down at the beach. We unwrapped it tonight and played it out of the box without reading the rules. Not a terrible thing to do but it would have helped my game just an 'eensy weensy' bit.

We started rolling the dice and after a few plays I was in the lead... or at least i had the fewest of the snake eggs in my hand. I was finally down to one egg to place and i came up with a green snake... and then two extra eggs came to visit my one I placed. It all went downhill from there... by the end i had 8 eggs and Kim placed her last one to win the game. This was a tension filled game I must say.

The eggs when placed shiver like a living thing. They wiggle and writhe and creep closer and closer to the eggs being placed. I could feel the tension in my gut everytime an egg went down. Kim enjoyed the game as much as I but told me that we could only play when Karolyn was in bed because it was not suitable for a little on of her age. (she's a big girl of 2 but I have to agree.) Plus Kim watched a House episode I think or CSI where a child had magnets in their body and they watched on a screen as the magnets crept together in the childs body. Neither Kim or I would enjoy having a game hurt her... even by mischance.

I think this is a great quick game for those times when you're short on time but want a little oomph before doing something else. Play the game if you get the chance. I hope this never gets a computer game made of it... there is nothing like feeling your egg shiver in your hand as it's being placed to make you appreciate the hands on feeling.

Great game.

Thread: Re: Solution for first player advantage

grandslam — 2008-06-09T15:03:52+00:00

Roberto, Thanks for responding. I agree that it is not an issue for such a short game, and I think you made the right choice to keep the game simple. The only time it comes up is when everyone has placed all but one of their magnets and none of them have clashed.

It feels that if everyone plays well and no magnets clash, then there is a sense that the player who went first will win, depending on how many players there are. It is most often an issue for four players, as the ninth magnet is far easier to place than the tenth.

Thread: Re: Solution for first player advantage

cybernex — 2008-06-09T13:13:08+00:00

Another solution we considered during testing is that the turn order could rotate from clockwise to counter-clock wise when magnets clash, or that it could shift from round to round (so you go, for example, player 1, then p. 2, then p.3 - then back, p.3, p.2, p.1).

Or you could simply get the first player to place 2 magnets in the second turn instead of one.

As you can see, we thought several different things, but then settled into leaving the game as simply as it gets, because in the end statistically it is not really so significant as the randomness of the rolls often make up for the first player advantage - and the game is very quick, so you can always play another game changing the first player!

Thread: Solution for first player advantage

grandslam — 2008-06-09T11:14:52+00:00

Get four tokens - red, white, green, & yellow.

Give one to each player.

When you roll to place your magnet, you are also determining who goes next.

If the roll is blue or an unused color, turn passes to your left.

If you roll your own color, lucky or unlucky you.

This is just a preliminary thought that appears to work based on one trial, as everyone gripes about the turn order advantage in this one.

Thread: Kids and Parents (and Grandparents)

bnordeng — 2008-04-26T21:45:45+00:00

I've played this game a number of times with my kids (ages 2 and 4). They like it, but I think I like it more than they do. My wife won't play it with us because she really hates the sound these magnets make when they come together. My 2 year old has trouble with the noise too... so when it is someone else's turn and they start to play their egg, she runs out of the room. She says she doesn't want to hear them go "blaaaahhhhh" (the rattlesnake-like sound they make when they come together).

One night, the grandparents (my parents) came over for a game of Puerto Rico. They sometimes come over when the kids go to bed. My wife was busy putting the kids down so I broke out Rattlesnake to play a round or two with my parents as a "warm up" for Puerto Rico.

My parents ended up giving me the reaction I was looking for from my kids. Here I was, just before a game of Puerto Rico, giggling like a 3 year old with two other 3 year olds when the eggs went "blaaaahhhhhhh." The 3 of us pointed, laughed and finished up two rounds. My mom won once and my dad won once. It was silly and fun.

I don't think this game will hit the table often, but it is a fun little exercise to goof around with when there are a few extra minutes to spare.

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janus — 2008-04-21T19:55:56+00:00

Father and son

Thread: Re: How does this play with young kids?

etherrider — 2008-04-06T03:20:40+00:00

My 4 year old loves it!!!!!

She understands it well (mostly) and all I have to keep in mind is where to place her at the board. I always place her at one of the long sides so that she can easily reach the eniter board. I also had to work with her about placing the magnets from above instead of reaching over the other pieces and drawing them in.

I also keep all the magnets and dish them out so as not to "rattle" the board. I pass them way away from the board.

She loves to roll the die and I do admit that I have to get inventive with that. I just have her roll the die (toss it is more like it) into the boxtop.

We have been working with her on taking turns in games like memory and ants in the pants...this one works well too!

We all giggle at her as she laughs when the SNAKES are BITING US!!!! And the sound that the rare earth magnets make when they clack together (the hum sound like something from star wars) we all love that!

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LucyJo — 2008-03-30T19:59:34+00:00

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LucyJo — 2008-03-30T19:37:30+00:00

Thread: Re: Anyone received this from Cardhaus?

nycavri — 2008-03-19T14:41:42+00:00

Paypal, but it seems you have to initiate a complaint within 45 days of the transaction. The pre-order nature of this item means that deadline is long past.

It's really not about the money, but the communication.

Thread: That's Terrible!

riska — 2008-03-19T08:12:20+00:00

nycavri wrote:
And now they've taken the game off the site altogether. No response to multiple calls and email, they took my money in November and seem uninterested in either giving me product or refund.

This is criminal.

Took my money for a product they apparently never had any intention of selling.

Off to start a new thread to warn BGGers of these crooks.

Aldie needs to tell them they can stick their advertising money.

How did you pay for the game? Did you pay cash, or were you able to use something like Paypal? I found Paypal to be quite helpful in disputing the charge.

Thread: Re: Anyone received this from Cardhaus?

nycavri — 2008-03-19T02:04:57+00:00

And now they've taken the game off the site altogether. No response to multiple calls and email, they took my money in November and seem uninterested in either giving me product or refund.

This is criminal.

Took my money for a product they apparently never had any intention of selling.

Off to start a new thread to warn BGGers of these crooks.

Aldie needs to tell them they can stick their advertising money.

Thread: Re: Anyone received this from Cardhaus?

nycavri — 2008-02-28T03:22:53+00:00

Is this kind of treatment normal with this company? If so, should BGG continue accepting their ads?

I understand if there are problems with an order, but the lack of communication is completely unacceptable. To claim that the publisher's release date is "late Feb" when the game has been generally available on retail shelves for over a month is borderline criminal. And now to hear that they do not even return phone calls is unbelievable.

*sigh*

Thread: Re: Anyone received this from Cardhaus?

riska — 2008-02-27T23:46:26+00:00

nycavri wrote:
Another email to Cardhaus has been ignored. How can I cancel my order if I can't even get in contact with these people?

If you payed by paypal, I suggest you file a dispute with them. If you payed by credit card, you may want to call your credit card company and see what you can do.

I documented my experience with them here: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/2116129#2116129

Good luck! I hope you're able to get some resolution.

Have you tried calling them directly? I tried twice and my calls were unreturned, but you may have better luck than I did.

Thread: Re: Anyone received this from Cardhaus?

nycavri — 2008-02-27T21:19:52+00:00

Another email to Cardhaus has been ignored. How can I cancel my order if I can't even get in contact with these people?

Thread: Re: [Review] Rattlesnake

Sagrilarus — 2008-02-22T20:34:30+00:00

Who would have thought cow magnets could be so much fun?

Sag.

Thread: Re: [Review] Rattlesnake

Sprydle — 2008-02-22T01:22:35+00:00

With adults, this is a game to have out on the counter for playing while waiting to get into a game, or between turns, or just to have out when non-gamers come over. Pre-teens to young teens is probably an optimal audience. Young kids (4 to 6) can get frustrated if playing with adults because it is not an "even playing field"--most adults have a better understanding of how magnets work and will outplay a child every time. That said, if your child is interested enough to spend time really playing with the game solo (as I would've as a child!) they will quickly get at least as good, if not better, than you.

Really, if you want a dexterity-based game where, right out of the box, your child will be able to win, go with Gulo Gulo.

I think it's definitely a game worth owning for the circumstances where it is appropriate, and the powerful magnet are very cool, but it also is definitely not as ideally suited for the younger players as I thought it might be.

Thread: [Review] Rattlesnake

TomVasel — 2008-02-21T21:59:26+00:00

I gave Penguin, the last game in Fantasy Flight's Toy, a rather less than stellar review because it simply didn't stack up (literally!) as a toy or a game. But I'm still a sucker for toy/game combos, so the next game in the series, RattleSnake (Fantasy Flight Games, 2007 - Roberto Di Meglio), was still attractive to me - especially after I saw a video of it on the internet. Besides, RattleSnake has magnets - it's got to be cool, right? There already is a quite popular magnet game, Polarity, which I found merely a pleasant diversion - would RattleSnake be the same way?

RattleSnake is simply a game that utilizes "rattlesnake" magnets to produce a pleasant and quick children's game. Rattlesnake magnets are very strong thin egg shaped magnets. When they are drawn together, they snap with a rattling sound - hence their name. They're very durable, as I have had some in my house for several years - seeing heavy play amongst my children, with little or no damage. RattleSnake contains twelve of these magnets housed in a plastic insert along with a six-sided die and a board. The magnets are a little difficult to pry out with chunky fingers; but once you get one, the rest simply snap right out of the box.

The board shows a pile of snakes in five different colors (white, red, blue, green, and yellow) writhing around in the jungle. The board is fairly small, and probably good quality (I'm saying probably, because mine was slightly leaning off the table; and when I tried to bend it back into position, it snapped in half. I'm assuming this was my fault; the board pieces fit together well, so it's not been a big deal). The magnets are divided evenly between all the players, and the game begins.

RattleSnake is a very simple game; one that even very young players (four years and older) can handle. On a player's turn, they simply roll the die and place an egg (magnet) from their hand onto any part of a snake that matches the color rolled. The colors are all printed on the die once, except blue - and that works out fairly well, since there are more blue snakes on the board than any other.

The first magnet on the board is fairly simple; the player simply places it down. After this, however, the magnet being placed is going to affect the other magnets on the board. Since they are so powerful, there will likely be swaying and wobbling, which is okay. But, if another magnet goes off the board or snaps together with another magnet, the player takes all affected magnets into their hand.

Because of the sheer delicate nature of the game, you'll have to take precautions that players with magnets in their hands avoid the board, because the magnetic fields can and will affect the magnets on the board. Carelessly thrown dice can also wreak havoc; players must learn to be careful where they roll. It's hard, although not impossible, to get more than six on the board - getting more than seven I have not yet seen. Players will find the best way to put the magnets on the board, but sometimes they roll a color which gives them no hope. At that point they must place the magnet in such a way that they only get one or two added to their hands rather than a horrible snap, which can up to six to their stash.

Luck does play a role in the game, but really doesn't matter, since a game takes about three minutes. Games are so short that we've simply played them in sets, with the first player who wins a certain number of rounds winning the game. A four player game seems a bit disjointed, as players have only three magnets; and if you go directly after someone who takes most of the magnets on the board into their hand, it's very easy to lay down those last magnets. If four players want to play, they should be on teams, because RattleSnake works best as a two-player game with six magnets per side.

I enjoy RattleSnake, even though I would relegate it to my kids/teenager pile. With adults, it's tremendously amusing, but I don't know that I would pick it up on amusement factor alone. With kids, it's a great game that they can be on equal footing with adults and learn something about magnetic fields while they are at it. High quality components; fun, colorful artwork; and fast, simple game play make RattleSnake a great kid "filler" game that will produce lots of laughs and groans and keep folks entertained for fifteen minutes.

Tom Vasel
"Real men play board games"
www.thedicetower.com

Thread: Re: Anyone received this from Cardhaus?

riska — 2008-02-18T23:13:21+00:00

nycavri wrote:
I preordered this months back from Cardhaus. I have since started seeing it in FLGS, while Cardhaus has failed to respond to my emails.

Anyone else had a similar/different experience? This has been my first time using this company, but not my first time with either online retailers or preordering. Looking unlikely that I would ever use Cardhaus in the future.

Suggestions? Thanks in advance.

I didn't order that specifically, but I ordered some Magic CCG stuff on 1/31 and I haven't received a shipment notification since. Nor have they responded to my email I sent 10 days ago inquiring about the estimated delivery time. I called them this afternoon and left a message.

I'm assuming my stuff was shipped on the slowboat, but I'm a little concerned that there hasn't been much response. I'm too spoiled by companies that allow me to track my order or who email me shipment notifications, I guess.

Thread: Anyone received this from Cardhaus?

nycavri — 2008-02-18T01:31:57+00:00

I preordered this months back from Cardhaus. I have since started seeing it in FLGS, while Cardhaus has failed to respond to my emails.

Anyone else had a similar/different experience? This has been my first time using this company, but not my first time with either online retailers or preordering. Looking unlikely that I would ever use Cardhaus in the future.

Suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Thread: Re: How does this play with young kids?

OusterX — 2008-02-15T16:11:54+00:00

My six year old wasn't into it as a two player game, but he really enjoyed a 4 player session. I think it has to do with the number of magnets (eggs) each player has to get place.

The biggest issue I find is getting youger players (I played with my 9 yr old son, 6 yr old son and 8 year old niece) to keep their pool of magnets away from the board.

Thread: Re: How does this play with young kids?

Sprydle — 2008-01-30T00:12:01+00:00

Easy to learn, hard to play well until a child can understand how the magnetic fields interact.

From what I've seen, this will play best at the recommended age of 8+.

Thread: Re: How does this play with young kids?

Yollege — 2008-01-29T21:00:04+00:00

My 5 yr old daughter wasn't overly fond of it.

She understood how to play, but was causing most of the clack togethers, and wasn't having fun due to it.

Thread: Re: How does this play with young kids?

Sagrilarus — 2008-01-29T20:13:45+00:00

Thank you!

Sag.

Thread: Re: How does this play with young kids?

cookinjr — 2008-01-29T19:48:25+00:00

I played it with a six year old (and another adult) this past weekend:

He understood the rules. While he often caused most of the clashes, he had fun.

Thread: How does this play with young kids?

Sagrilarus — 2008-01-29T18:53:34+00:00

Can someone give me a two-sentence review on how this game goes with kids?

Sag.

Thread: Re: WARNING - May induce manic laughter

Drez — 2008-01-25T15:33:01+00:00

Thanks for the session report. This game sounds a lot like a lighter version of Polarity. Once your son gets older I suspect if he liked Rattlesnake, Polarity will be a very natural game.

Thread: WARNING - May induce manic laughter

athmok — 2008-01-25T14:55:05+00:00

Last night my 5 year old son and I sat down to play his newest game Rattlesnake. He was really excited to play it after I explained it to him.

We opened the box and the first thing he said was “What are these things?” when he looked at the magnets. He quickly found out that they stuck to each other and used 1 magnet to slide across all the others to pick them up. This formed a long chain of 12 rattlesnake eggs stuck together.

After about 5-10 minutes of playing with the magnets and making them spin, slide, and move toward each other we were ready to play. I highly recommend letting the kiddos play with them for a few minutes to get them to understand some of the characteristics of magnets.

The rules are really simple to teach. Basically for 2 players you each get 6 eggs. You roll a die showing different colored snakes and place an egg on the corresponding snake on the board. Very easy. The trick is that if the eggs snap together, or roll off the board (that was how we played) you pick them up. The object is to get rid of all your eggs.

The first couple of turns went by easy, but by egg number 5-6 we started seeing the magnetic field tightening up. It was my turn and I had to place an egg close to 2 others. I slowly lowered the egg on the colored snake, but about 3 others started wiggling. He loved that. He frequently would say “Whoa. Watch out”, or his favorite line “You are going to lose”.

I was able to get the egg down with some concentrated effort. His turn was next and he rolled a snake that was a good distance away from a couple other eggs, so he got away with laying it down quickly. After his crazy manic laughter I picked up the die and rolled a snake color that was too close to everything. I tried with all my might to get it just right and it looked like it would stay until I removed my hand from it. My egg rolled into another egg which caused a chain reaction of snapping which ended with 5 eggs in one heap that I was forced to pick up.

I must say that the chain reaction I caused induced much laughter and cheering from him that was well worth the entire game. He ended up winning shortly after, since he had 2 eggs left after my chain reaction with lots of open space, while I had 7 in my hand.

This game was definitely worth picking up. My son enjoyed it and I have a good idea that a few adults I game with will enjoy it as well. It seems well suited for all ages. I loved this game and can’t wait to play again with him and my wife in a 3 player game.

Thread: Re: It's Hiss-Terical (includes video)!

pigeoncamera — 2008-01-23T18:08:19+00:00

I swear, Scott, you work harder at spreading designer board game awareness than anybody I can think of. Videos, podcasting, TV appearances, a game group, teaching, conventions, etc. When do you shop for groceries?

If you ever got on a national forum, look out... Oprah would be playing eurogames. ("You get a copy of Die Macher! You get a copy of Die Macher!")

Oh, and by the way, I'll be picking up RattleSnake for my family. Thanks.

Thread: Re: BookShelf Games Video Review

Francesco Nepitello — 2008-01-22T09:22:58+00:00

Subhuman wrote:
Video Review for RattleSnake
This a 5 min video Mira and I made and it covers the basic gameplay.

This is brilliant!

Just two things seem not to be clear from the video.

1) if a player causes two or more magnets to collide, he takes the magnets, then completes his move by placing one magnet on the board.

2) if a player causes one or more magnets to exit the board with his move, those are picked up by the player, not replaced on the board as seen in the video.

Finally, a house rule if you really feel you need to play the game competitively : with more than two players, reverse the order of play after one round, with the last player acting twice. For example, when player A, B and C have taken their turns, start with C again, then B, then A. Then A again, and so on. This eliminates the advantage of going first.

Francesco

Thread: BookShelf Games Video Review

Subhuman — 2008-01-22T01:57:46+00:00

Video Review for RattleSnake
This a 5 min video Mira and I made and it covers the basic gameplay.

Vimeo Video

http://www.archive.org/download/BookShelfGamesBSGEp24-Rattle...

(link opens straight to media or right click and hit Save Target as...to download.)

Thread: It's Hiss-Terical (includes video)!

snicholson — 2008-01-21T14:33:11+00:00

Rattlesnake is a light dexterity game in the Toy line from Fantasy Flight games. I'll start by pointing you to the TV segment where I demoed this - you'll see Rattlesnake at about 3:29 in the clip.
Youtube Video

The game has 12 magnets that are tapered cylinders about 2 inches long. There's a dice with different colors of snakes and a colorful board with lots of colored snakes.

You split the magnets up between the players evenly, then the start player rolls the die and places a magnet on the snake of the matching color. The next player repeats the process.

The goal is to put your egg on the table without causing a clash. If you cause 2 or more eggs to crash into each other, you have to take all of the eggs that clashed. If your actions cause an egg to roll off the table, you have to take that egg.

The goal is to be the first person to get rid of your eggs.

---------------------------
But how does it play with adults?

I've only played it with adults. I'm sure kids will love it, but the question is the grown-up factor.

This has been a hit with the gamers and non-gamers that I've brought it out with. The eggs are powerful magnets, but have poles. Once you figure out where they attract and where they don't, you can "feel" your way in between the magnetic fields to place your egg. As you get more and more eggs on the board, you'll see the fields affect each other so that a placement on one side affects the other side.

You can also be clever and use your egg to manipulate the eggs on the board (like in Polarity) to make a spot for your new egg. You can also be clever and make an egg roll off the table as to only add 1 to your stack (as compared to putting one down that would attract 2 others).

It is a lot of fun.
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Suggestions

- With 4 players, everyone only gets three eggs. That's not enough. It's much better to split into two teams, and each team is trying to get rid of a shared pile of eggs. In fact, using this method, you could play more people in two teams.

- If you read this far, then I'll let you in on Scott's Super Secret Trick. If you have someone at the table who can take a joke or is a little tipsy (and when you are on your 3rd or 4th game in a row), take one of your magnets and place it under the table. You can manipulate the eggs above the board this way. When the person starts to get close to the board, make the eggs move and wiggle. You can really make someone jumpy doing this.