#inabind

Hey happy gamesters, in yesterday’s post I banged on about 8.5 games that I always grab to take to (now imaginary) game evenings, but crucially (and mainly because they were sat on another shelf when my addled brain was listing them) I missed out 2 other games that also (used to) go with us just about everywhere. In some respects, they are probably guilty of their own familiarity, so I’m not entirely to blame....

IN A BIND (now Yogi) - Stuff By Bez  Behrooz Shahriari  Apx £9  In the olden days, if we wanted to get all physically twisty and generally uncomfortable, we’d either go to Yoga run by our sadist friend Nigel, or play the classic game for making folk who don’t know each other well and yet physically engage with them more than on a 5th date, Twister. What Bez has done with the brilliant and hilarious In A Bind is to distill down what was funny and engaging about Twister, and yet strip away that uncomfortable grinding with a stranger. I’ve written much more about the brilliant Bez and her games here, but in essence, In A Bind is a set of cards which demand of the player to make life difficult for themselves, such as “Place this card between thumb and forefinger” or “Cover your left eye” or my most feared one “Elbow above shoulder” (honestly, try it, it’s a nightmare). In the next round, you draw another card (if you still can) and crucially must still fulfill all the criteria of your previous cards. This quickly gets out of hand (NPI) and has in past games led to people getting on tables, under tables, cards in clothing, under glasses, tucked into bra straps - you get the idea.  For the picky, In A Bind does rely on some degree of trust to ensure that everyone is still keeping track of what all their cards say, but honestly - no-one cares. Everyone will be laughing so hard and having so much fun, that it just doesn’t matter. Most folk will take the cards waaay further than they were intending, and strangely often make life actually more difficult for themselves than less. Simple rule, if you drop a card, you’re out. This can be a blessed relief sometimes and so this is the ONE game where I break my golden rule that I hate elimination games. Going out allows you to sit back, relax, rub on your favourite muscular salve and just carry on watching your friends keep torturing themselves more than a session with a physiotherapist called Patricia with a chip on her shoulder about why Brian left her for a dental hygienist. What Bez has created with In A Bind is a stroke of no minor genius. It is a game that immediately engages everyone round the table; doesn’t make anyone feel emotionally uncomfortable (unlike the bumping and grinding in Twister); doesn’t overstay its welcome, and will genuinely leave you with some of the happiest gaming memories you will ever have. The first time we played In A Bind was at UKGE a few years ago: we couldn’t find a table one evening for love nor money and so we ended up with a group of us (some we knew, some we didn’t) in a corridor near the bar, and we just went for it. Very soon we were all doubled up and helpless with laughter and looking like we were all auditioning for Quasimodo roles at Disneyland, and John Robertson (The Dark Room) wandered past. I know John, he’s a lovely and gloriously strange guy, and he looked at the scene, looked me in the eye and quietly said “You guys are weird” - yes, this game prompted John ‘Ya Die Ya Die’ Robertson to call someone else weird. It’s a great game, and deserves to go down as an utter classic. Sidebar: A while ago, In A Bind got picked up by Gigamic and re-released as Yogi, but I have a feeling if you find Bez at cons (and you really should meet Bez, she’s one of the loveliest people in gaming!) you might still be able to win one of the rare original versions with Bez’s brilliant handdrawn artwork. Bez has the best competitions and booths at any con.

n0t-a-nice-person asked: a moment of weakness

a moment of weakness meme 6. My muse is all tied up (how and why is up to the mun).

Go out and have a good time, he said.

Find yourself someone to take to a hotel for the night, he said.

This was the last time he was going to listen to Hoxton.

The night started out wonderfully. He had gone as far as dressing up in his best clothing not only to feel comfortable but to catch someone’s eye. He had drawn some attention as he sought out the dance floor or saddled up to the edge of a bar but, in the end, it wasn’t his clothing that did it. It was his accent.

She was a looker; tall, thick hipped with skin the color of caramel. If it hadn’t been for the intelligence behind those hazel green eyes he might not have sat down to have a few drinks with her. Nor would he have entertained himself with the suggestive comments she dropped now and then–ones that were becoming increasingly enticing with each glass he downed. He definitely wouldn’t have agreed to go back to her hotel for a little ‘fun’.

Her type of fun wasn’t what he expected but his inhibitions were waned enough where he shrugged and agreed to the rope she dangled from her finger. No harm in trying something new, right?

Wrong.

Waking up in a room that wasn’t his wasn’t entirely new. Waking up stripped down to his boxers, bound hand and foot to a chair without his wallet…now that was different. At least she was kind enough to leave his clothes behind. With a bit of intuition and a lot of rocking, he was able to land on his side and literally nose through his clothing until he was able to get to not only his cell phone but his pen.

Exhaling a slow breath, he poked the speed dial number to the safe house and then the speaker button before setting his forehead against the carpeted floor.