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»Spiel des Lebens« in the old MB box
Photo:
Diana Doert
"Game of Life" then - now
What was it about again?
It was about nothing less than living your own life as successfully as possible and becoming rich.
In the end, you can either enjoy your retirement in a stately villa or spend it in a boring retirement home.
It was started, the car lobby probably cheered, lonely and alone behind the wheel of a car.
There was no childhood.
The first decision (and one of the very, very few of our own) that we were allowed to make in the game: Would you rather do an apprenticeship or go to university?
It was a little longer at college, but hey, it was all about having more dough than everyone else at the end of the day.
The little dangling could be worth it.
The next stop came when you had to get married.
Yes really, you had to.
Then a light blue-pink plopper was placed in the car and on we went, inexorably towards the end of our lives.
On the way you could collect a few status symbols and earn money.
The seven fields that said »You will have a son/a daughter/twins«, of course only after the wedding, sometimes made it really cramped in the car.
Escaping the blessing of children was hardly possible.
The winner, of course, was whoever had the most money at the end.
Is that still good today?
I remember the many, many games of »Spiel des Lebens« surprisingly well.
The anticipation of being able to build houses, bridges and above all the number wheel in the game board was always great and the number wheel was a highlight that distinguished this game from all the others in the game cabinet.
Anyone can roll the dice, but spin a wheel of fortune like that?
Wow!
But otherwise?
Honestly, how crazy was that?
You had to have a car.
You had to get married.
Without auto, life and fire insurance, winning was almost impossible.
With »The Game of Life«, everything was set in stone, not even thinking about alternative life plans or even friends.
After all, today's version comes with colorful pawns, you get friends and pets in addition to children, and the "harassment cards" have given way to "event cards".
Only the wheel of fortune remained from the beautiful 3D superstructures.
Incidentally, "blackmail by the butler" no longer exists as a playing field and the "status symbol cards" have been replaced by the vile "buying a house".
Playing the »Game of Life« again for reasons of nostalgia was fun, I doubt it will be on the table again in the near future.
Hasbro; 2 – 4 players; from 8 years
If you like the theme despite the old-fashioned life plan of the classic, the following games are worth a look. Here you have much more influence on your happiness in life.
"The pursuit of happiness"
What's the matter?
As with the classic, it's about optimizing your life.
However, the stubborn increase in money is not the only focus here, but everything revolves around the most important resource in life: time.
Used correctly, it promises the players many long-term lucky points that bring victory at the end of the game.
»The Pursuit of Happiness« is a worker placement game that takes place over several rounds.
This means that you use the available workers as effectively as possible for different actions, of which there are quite a number.
In addition to projects that can be completed in stages, there are activities, partners and pets, skills and life goals.
So everything is pleasantly differentiated.
There's a happiness barometer, a stress bar, and the rule that the only way to relieve stress is through rest, relaxation, and health, just like in real life.
If you ignore this, you risk that your character will die prematurely and be eliminated.
In the sixth round, the game moves to the "evening" section and the end of the game is initiated.
Especially nice: From here you can no longer work overtime.
Our legacy is valued for the win and how successfully we have shaped our lives.
Is that any good?
In contrast to the »game of life«, there are many choices here.
Sometimes even a bit of sociological insight shines through: As in real life, more success means less time.
The fact that there are factors such as the »stress level« and that projects have to be developed in stages makes the game significantly more realistic than its much older role model.
If you like the topic, you're in good hands here.
Kobold game publisher; 1 – 4 players; from 12 years; Authors: Adrian Abela and David Chircop
"Welcome to..."
So if you're already obsessing over perfection, then you'd like something tangible.
In 1950s America, as architects, we earn victory points.
However, the competition has also recognized the moment and is diligently building its own luxury estates.
Only if we manage to complete three streets full of parks, swimming pools and beautiful fences under the watchful eye of the municipal building authority will we finally win.
But one after anonther.
"Welcome to..." is a "Flip&Write" game, i.e. a game in which the specifications on the revealed cards have to be drawn on the game sheet as profitably as possible.
Three cards are revealed in each round, so that not only three house numbers between one and 15 can be seen, but also three action symbols.
All players now choose a house number and a symbol at the same time.
The house number is entered on the plan in such a way that the numbers increase, like on a real street.
You can leave gaps or omit numbers.
You can also pimp your settlement by building pools and parks.
With the help of the temporary employment agency, you can still turn the house numbers a bit and enter them a little higher or lower to suit.
These and a few other options bring a good number of points in the end.
Whoever has built the most points in the construction inspection of his settlement wins.
Is that any good?
The little optimization game is really fun.
It's easy to explain and quick to play.
The solo variant is also a nice pastime.
If after a few rounds you have the feeling that something is still possible, there are cards for a variant with additional development plans and the »Roundabout« building option included.
If not the whole life, at least this settlement will be a complete success.
Pegasus games; 1 – 100 players; from 10 years on; Author: Benoit Turpin
»Dungeon Fighters«
What's the matter?
How tempting!
Together we escape from the same everyday working life into the wonderful world of a dungeon, i.e. a dungeon full of gold and monsters.
Who says we can't find our happiness in monster hunting and plundering?
The game is played cooperatively, which is a huge difference between this variant and the classic.
First you assemble the target.
It is the center of the game, alongside the dungeon that is randomly assembled from cards.
The game goes over several rounds in which the monsters get stronger and stronger until we are faced with the boss monster at the end.
As soon as our hero troupe enters a new room, one of these nasty creatures appears as if by magic and has to be fought with the help of the dice.
Because it would be too simple to just roll the dice, the battle points are earned by skillfully throwing the dice at the target.
To make matters worse: In order for these hit points to count, the cube must have hit the tabletop exactly once before it lands.
In addition, each monster has its own ideas about how exactly we are allowed to throw the dice in battle.
Carnage brings us gold and healing if things go well with fine motor skills.
With the captured treasures we go on a shopping tour.
After all, we have a reputation to lose.
If we manage to defeat the three monsters in each of the monster levels and the boss monster at the end of the dungeon together, we will emerge glorious from the battle.
If not, we gather our scraps of self-esteem and start over.
Is that any good?
Absolutely!
Perhaps word has gotten around that it is easier to get through the imponderables of life together than alone.
It's no different in the dungeon.
Thanks to the special abilities of the characters, all players have different talents, so the game doesn't get boring so quickly.
For those who are missing the wheel of fortune from »Spiel des Lebens«, the mechanism with dice on a target is a comforting substitute.
This game is definitely lucky enough.
Only those who do not appreciate their own fine motor skills will not be happy here.
Horrible Guild; 1 – 6 players; from 8 years; Authors: Aureliano Buonfino, Lorenzo Silva, Lorenzo Tucci Sorrentino
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