John "The Captain" Ryan: Christmas

Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts

Wednesday, 12 December 2018

A dog is for Life but so is Scrabble

Yes, we've heard the slogan a million times but it's so true, a dog is for life, not just for Christmas.

If you are thinking of getting a puppy for Christmas, think really hard - yes they are lovely and cute when they jump out of the box but it's a lifelong committment, you need to treat your new puppy as a member of the family, if you can't well don't get one.

If you are thinking of rescuing a dog wait until the new year and go to your local pound or SPCA. The contact details in Wexford are as follows:

Wexford County Council (Dog Warden & Dog Pound) - HERE
WSPCA - HERE

And on Facebook
North Wexford SPCA - HERE
WSPCA - HERE

If the new puppy is happening and if you haven't chosen a Vet yet, I couldn't speak highly enough of O'Shea & Bramley Veterinary Hospital in Distillery Road (just past Tesco's). They also do a huge amount of work for the WSPCA. You can find there website - HERE and of course they are also on Facebook - HERE

So, I've combined my love of Scrabble and Dogs and compiled the following list of allowed words in Scrabble. You are free to print it out and share it. Get the message out...

A dog is for life, not just for Christmas, just like Scrabble

Live Long and Prosper

John the Captain Ryan

Wednesday, 20 December 2017

My Blogs about Scrabble (a summary)

I love playing Scrabble and teaching other players so blogging about it came easy. I've done 5 blogs about Scrabble as follows:

(www.cartoonistgroup.com)

Being the son of a retired primary school teacher and working in the library, I know how literacy and the ability to read is so important. Scrabble can help with literacy skills so here's a little introduction with a list of clubs in Ireland: Scrabble & Literacy

You will find the basic rules of Scrabble & a variation of the game called Duplicate Scrabble to get started HERE

A dog is for life, just like Scrabble. Combining my love of Scrabble & dogs, here's an important message and a great list of words allowed in Scrabble A Dog is for Life

If you are thinking of starting a Scrabble club answer all the questions HERE

And finally, put more fun in your games by using these rule variations Rule Changes

Have a lovely Christmas and a fabulous 2018. Remember it's all fun and games until someone loses an I.

John The Captain Ryan

Tuesday, 19 December 2017

Making family fun more fun – Alternatives for Monopoly.

Playing board games at Christmas SHOULD be all about having fun with your family and friends, not war but the “go-to” traditional board games can cause arguments due to the flawed nature of the game mechanics and rules.

Following on from my post about some rule variations for Scrabble HERE, read on for some variations for playing Monopoly.

As of October 11^th 2017 there are 1,298 versions of Monopoly with new versions being shipped every year. There are some fab ones from our favourite TV series and hobbies including Game of Thrones, Star Wars & Mario.

My favourite of course was Star Trek The Next Generation complete with Gold Pressed Latinum, planets, ships and space stations.

The main problem with Monopoly is the game takes too long to get going and then drags on, especially if one player has amassed a huge lead. Or if four people are playing, 2 have gained a lead and are battling between themselves; the remaining 2 are left trying to be good humored losers. Most importantly of course, don’t change the rules mid-game. You can use one or a combination of these alternatives...

Alternative 1

Accelerated start. Each player gets 2 property cards dealt randomly from the deck. This helps things get started. (This is easier than the alternative rules packaged in the modern game that has an extra dice and extra rules). If there are 4 players, randomly deal the 4 stations also. This stops one player getting the full collection too early. If there are 5/6 players add in the utilities.

Alternative 2

Timed ending. Set an alarm clock with a time limit of about 60 minutes (go with 57 or 62 to keep people guessing a little). Hide the clock. When the alarm goes off each player has one more move. Add up money after this.

Alternative 3

Help the game end quicker. Remember the recession, nobody could get a mortgage. Don’t allow any loans from another player, “letting off” of a rent bill or taking out a mortgage. All bills should be paid, sell what you need back to the bank and go bankrupt. Let the game finish as quickly as possible. Not allowing loans or “letting off” of a rent bill also heads off what normally causes arguments with players helping each other to beat the other opponent. Don't allow exchange of property to settle a bill, sell the property back to the bank and have an immediate mortgage for it.

Alternative 4

Extra money at the start. Be careful with this one. Yes, it helps the game get going but the flip side is players have more money so the game will last longer.

Alternative 5

Auction off everything. Don’t forget the rule at the start of the game that when a property is landed on, the player can chose to buy it or IT MUST BE auctioned by the bank. Help get all property bought up as quickly as possible by auctioning all remaining property after all players have gone around the board 3 times. This brings an interesting tactic into the game, the player who has been unlucky in landing on property squares gets a chance to buy and also the players who has been frugal with their money gets an opportunity to buy up what’s left.

(image courtesy of www.maze.icomix.com)

Adults Only

Check out this nice printable A4 poster I've done up, played between consenting adults of course...

These alternatives should help, let me know how you get on or if you have any other variations. Remember make fun, not war and no throwing game pieces around the room (but it's ok to throw your clothes)!

John The Captain Ryan

Monday, 18 December 2017

Making family fun more fun this Christmas – Alternative Scrabble

Change the Rules (but not in the middle of the game)

(image courtesy of CBC News)

Old traditional board games are the “go-to” over the holiday period but the rules can sometimes descend into anarchy and arguments. Here are a few alternatives you can try this holiday period that address some of the inherent problems with Scrabble and will make the game more enjoyable. Remember playing board games at Christmas is about getting your family/friends around a table and having fun...not war. Let me know how you get on.

Bonus Points.
Give 25 extra points for Christmas themed words. Helps keep people in the festive mood.

Playing 5 letters (either making a 5 letter word by hooking or making a 6 letter word with one tile on the board). Traditional Scrabble gives a player 50 bonus points when they play all their tiles. This is difficult for beginners/kids so give 25 points when 5 tiles are played.

Handicap. At the start of the game give handicap points based on age/ability. For example, give youngest kid 50, middle kid 30, oldest kid 15. Parents get zero unless they are useless!

Time Limit.
One of the worst things about any board game is how long the game can take, how long a move can take or if one player has gained a massive lead and other players just want the game finished. This is when most arguments happen. Using an egg timer is handy but it can ruin the game for weaker players because they will feel rushed.

One alternative is to set an alarm, somewhere between 50-60 minutes and hide the countdown. When the alarm goes off every player gets one more turn. This helps with the end game because sometimes it can get very tight and difficult to play when you don’t know that DZO is a word.

Or, everyone gets a set number of turns, 8/10/15, whatever number you like really. It’s also a great way to set a “bedtime” time– “Ok let’s play Scrabble and everyone gets 5 turns”. It also does away with the difficult end game.

Duplicate Scrabble.I've mentioned this before but it's worth another go.

Supplies: 1 x complete board. Lots of paper to hand out. Set Up: Everyone sitting around a large table in view of the board.

* Leader pulls 7 tiles from bag and everyone writes down the 7 tiles (a bit like countdown)
* Leader starts a timer (egg timer or timer on phone). Allow 3 minutes.
* When the timer goes off each player writes down their word and declares it.
* Leader places the different words on the board and helps people add up the score.
* The highest word remains on the board.
* Leader should replenish tiles from bag to a total of 7 tiles. If remaining tiles are dreadful leader can opt to choose 7 new tiles and throw rubbish back in.

(Another option is that leader could have nice selections pre-prepared with the blank and usable combinations)

This a great way to see what words everyone found and gets everyone playing. It’s also a quick way of playing, play as many rounds as you like but if you play about 6 rounds the whole thing will be finished in about 30 minutes. It’s also a great way to learn strategy, particularly if you have a couple of really strong players in the group. This is the best way to get beginners and children playing, nobody gets bored and it’s finished fairly quickly.

Adults Only.

Check a dirty word HERE

Handy Printable A4 poster for Adult Scrabble

(Above played between consenting adults of course!)

Anyway, have a great Christmas and best wishes for 2018. Remember Make Love not War.

John The Captain Ryan

Friday, 15 December 2017

Christmas has arrived in work

It's been a mad year and December has flown by, normally I have my shopping done before the end of November and the decorations go up the first week of December.

This year none of that is done but work has helped to get me in the Christmas mood this week. We had a fundraiser for a great local charity, Wexford Marine Watch who patrol the quays of Wexford, they talk to people who might be considering harming themselves, help people who have fallen over the bridge/quay front and offer first aid during events on the quay front. Since their establishment in 2012 with the specific aim of reducing the numbers of people dying through suicide, NOBODY HAS LOST THEIR LIFE through self harm on the quays/bridge so they are a huge success. Today in work we all wore Christmas jumpers and collected money for this great group of volunteers. Here's my contribution

For the last few years the Environment Section in Wexford County Council has had a competition in all the schools for classes to create art/craft using recycled old material. Some of the creations are fantastic, here are my favourites...