Tuesday, April 04, 2006
A traditional boardgame…
JUST in time for the annual parades and riots comes ‘Re-Route: The Marching Season Game’, covering “10 weeks during the 12th July Orange Marches in Northern Ireland when passions and sectarianism are inflamed”. Game inventor Dave explains that the crux of the game is in judicious playing of cards: The Loyalists play a March card in Armagh - will you, as the RUC player, allow it to go ahead and risk a Republican Riot; or do you Re-Route that March and risk a Loyalist reaction that may itself provoke a worse Republican reaction? Should have kept that Tear-Gas card…
Belfast Gonzo @ 03:37 AM
Wonder who will play the Civil Rights card - will it be a wild card or the Joker of the pack?
Posted by on Apr 04, 2006 @ 05:26 AMShouldn’t the Loyalist player and the RUC player be the same????
Posted by on Apr 04, 2006 @ 06:05 AMShouldn’t the Loyalist player and the RUC player be the same????
Someone just played their MOPE card early.
Expect all sides to claim the dice are loaded.Posted by on Apr 04, 2006 @ 06:13 AMHello All,
If anyone out there actually buys the game (a mighty US$3), can you give me some feedback at
The loyalist and RUC player are not the same as a lot of the rioting at this time is between loyalists and the RUC. I have a lengthy disclaimer (for the more “enthusiastic” of you) posted at:
http://www.kerpob.com/games/reroute.html
Thanks,
Dave Kershaw
Posted by on Apr 04, 2006 @ 07:45 AM“The game makes a heartfelt appeal to the cynicism of people whose lives are made more difficult by the behaviour of the protagonists. We can’t hit them back in any effective way, so we make the best of things and play a game to mock them all. If only everyone else did the same.”
Well said Dave! I’m off to buy the game!
Posted by on Apr 04, 2006 @ 08:01 AMDave
You’ve come a long way since the days of natural sciences and horrible call centres Dave, no doubt about it.
Posted by on Apr 04, 2006 @ 08:48 AMcarigeen,
We can’t hit them back in any effective way, so we make the best of things and play a game to mock them all.
My sentiments exactly. Newt Emerson was great, sadly missed. We need more spitting image type events/programmes to counter the malaise.
When I visit Belfast this summer I’ll be checking out the comedy circuit.
I got a link to a stand-up gig once a week, somewhere in Belfast
Ticket booked !Posted by on Apr 04, 2006 @ 11:50 AMSpirit level?
Once a week? Must be party conference season time in Belfast then....
Posted by on Apr 04, 2006 @ 12:19 PMYokel
Is the scene really that bad?Posted by on Apr 04, 2006 @ 12:35 PMBest I could come up on a search was some events in May at the Waterfront:
Dara O’Briain & Dylan Moran.
Local stuff ???Posted by on Apr 04, 2006 @ 12:44 PMI know the old run of comedy at the Empire (is it still on?) I think it took a break for the summer. Nah the scene is ok just got to dig for it sometimes.
If yu are really stuck, go to the Crown Bar at Belfast late afternoon, announce you are a foreigner (strike up any accent you care to mention) and you’ll get plenty of local yokels give you a laugh..not sure they always mean to mind you but a laugh all the same. I remember taking an Aussie and a Kiwi out there one afternoon after a business conference and they were collared the whole time by total strangers.
Local stuff..local stuff..oh yes listen to the following shows on Radio Ulster 1341 AM and 95.3 FM...Stephen Nolan in the mornings and talkback at around lunchtime. Some of those people phoning in are hilarious again i dont think they mean to be but if you didnt laugh you’d shoot them.
Posted by on Apr 04, 2006 @ 02:07 PMthanks yokel broadband radio ulster is perfect reception, I’ll look out for the shows.
I’ll have no probs with the accents as I do quite a few very well.
Once had a job on the phones in new zealand,
me and my mate kept betting each other on who could answer the calls keeping up a different accent.
It was hilarious, our team-leader didn’t mind what we did so long as we kept the customer satisfied ;)Posted by on Apr 04, 2006 @ 03:49 PMAnd we wonder where complaints about call centres come from eh....anything to relieve the monotany no doubt.
Posted by on Apr 04, 2006 @ 05:07 PMYokel,
It gets very exciting when you’re doing say your best south african accent, and it just so happens the guy/gal on the end of the line is from south africa, and you start exchanging pleasantries, and you’re bluffing yer ass off.
Yep relieves the monotony, but we did look after the client and solve the problem, so still professional ;)Posted by on Apr 05, 2006 @ 09:34 AMHello all - the game is featured on page 3 of the Belfast Telegraph this morning.
Posted by on Apr 07, 2006 @ 07:39 AMDavid
May I ask why you named the police RUC instead of PSNI?Posted by on Apr 07, 2006 @ 07:45 AM“David
May I ask why you named the police RUC instead of PSNI? “Yes - the game is set during the worst of the Drumcree disturbances, and the police were still called the RUC then.
I am thinking about doing a game for 4 players now, called “Assembly Assemble”, where each player takes one of the big 4 parties.
Each player would have a selection of objectives, which all other players knew, but would win by achieving a secret smaller sub-set of their objectives. So the players would have an idea what each other player was aiming for, but not what their essential objectives are. The player who gets the most of their secret objectives accepted at the end of the game wins.
I think it would be an auction style game, with regular “elections” to give the players “funds”. The objectives would be traded off and then voted for.
Trouble is, I am having a hard time thinking of what objectives each party could have. I think I will need about 10 per party.
Any help would be appreciated, either on this board or to my personal email.
Posted by on Apr 07, 2006 @ 08:48 AMHere is the link to the Belfast Telegraph article:
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=685923
Posted by on Apr 07, 2006 @ 09:43 AMGame will also be featured in “Ireland on Sunday” on the 9th
Posted by on Apr 07, 2006 @ 03:14 PM
