Arcade Castle: Episode 04 - The Oregon Trail - Card Game

01/10/17 • 51 min

Ignoring the advice of our guides, Arcade Castle sets out on the Oregon Trail in the middle of winter. Will this poor decision cause their journey to end before it even starts? The Oregon Trail: Card Game sets out to capture the early computing phenomenon that is The Oregon Trail. Created by Pressman and distributed exclusively by Target, The Oregon Trail: Card Game became a mini-phenomenon in its own right as nostalgia fueled gamers clamored for the card game based on the game they spent many an' hour playing in libraries and school computer labs. But does this card game deliver it's players safely to Willamette Valley, or does this game die of dysentery right outside the town gate?

In The Oregon Trail: Card Game, players attempt to traverse 50 sections of trail on their way to Oregon. However, players will face a variety of calamities such as disease, broken wagons, and privation. In addition, players will attempt for ford a number of rivers, with failure causing the loss of life and life-saving supplies. With forts and towns few and far between, will players see success on the Oregon Trail? Or will they simply find themselves another casualty along the trail, an epitaph their only reward?

In Episode IV, the Arcade Castle examines this 2016 card game based on the 1974 edutainment hit, The Oregon Trail. Fighting the crowds to locate a copy, Arcade Castle get the game to the table to see what all the hubbub is about. Did Pressman capture the collective nostalgia-fueled memories of many a' gamer and distill them into an exciting card game? Or is this yet another video game casualty in a long line of terrible licensed game adaptations that are more cash-grab than card-game?

********************************** Webpage: www.arcadecastle.com Additionally, you can find us on Itunes (and a number of podcast services), Facebook, BoardGameGeek, and Instagram! Check out our videos on Youtube! You can contact us at: [email protected] Also, if you like the new theme song, check out Tony Robot at: www.facebook.com/louisvilletonyrobot/ ***********************************

Episode Outline:

00:00-12:00: Arcade Castle discusses the phenomenon that was The Oregon Trail in the 1980s and 1990s, the gameplay, as well as touching upon the history of MECC and some of the other games they published beyond The Oregon Trail.

12:00-32:00: An in-depth examination of The Oregon Trail: Card Game, the contents, and it's gameplay. In addition, Arcade Castle compares and discusses how this card game captures (or fails to capture) the strategy and gameplay of The Oregon Trail.

32:00-49:00: Continuing their discussion, Arcade Castle looks at how the card game and video game dictate how the player interacts with, their assumed roles, and expectations placed upon the gamer when playing each game in turn. Can a middle ground be found between the two? Can the mechanics of the card game be tweaked to better represent The Oregon Trail?

Patrick's first experience with the game:

Episode Outline:

Patrick's first experience with the game:

Previous Episode

Arcade Castle: Episode 03 - Age of Mythology: The Board Game

During the sweltering summer days of July, Arcade Castle tried to escape the heat and humidity by escaping to the...identical climes of the Mediterranean. Failing to escape the weather, they decided to find out which ancient civilization of the old world was the dominant superpower and, since Arcade Castle has as of yet to finish their time machine, tried to determine the answer with a board game. Age of Mythology: The Board Game is an adaptation of the Real Time Strategy video game of the same name. Players choose between the Egyptians, Norse, and Greek civilizations to do exciting things like Explore! Trade! And Gather!

As players amass resources they can choose to militarize their civilization or become an economic powerhouse. Does this game reward players for turning their civilization into a trade hub? Or, does it reward them for become a military force to be reckoned with?

In Episode 3, Arcade Castle examines the first of many attempts by developers to capture a Real Time Strategy video game in a board game. With computers handing many of the multi-tasking details of a typical Real Time Strategy skirmish between players, can this board game handle translating these fine details into game rules and mechanics? How does Age of Mythology solve the problem that faces all Real Time Strategy board games: How can you create a board game to imitate the 'real time' nature of the video game genre?

Episode Outline:

00:00-05:00: Podcast Updates and Show News.

05:00-17:00: Discussing Real Time Strategy Video Games, the history of the genre, as well as some of the foundational mechanics that typify the genre.

17:00-30:00: Examining the components, rules, and gameplay of the Age of Mythology: The Board Game.

30:00-50:00: Comparing Age of Mythology to the Real Time Strategy genre at large. How does it compare? Discussing our final thoughts on the board game as well as potential fixes for some of the issues we encountered during gameplay.

50:00-66:00: Breakdown Discussion: Is it possible to accurately create a 'Real Time Strategy' board game? What would one have to do to capture the frenzy and multitasking the genre embodies?

Next Episode

Arcade Castle: Episode 05 - Portal - The Uncooperative Cake Acquisition Game

"The game has been in production for a long time, because we've been working really hard to make sure that it is something that Portal fans will enjoy. But it's not Portal. You're not playing the video game in a board game, because why would you want to do that? It's a separate experience, but it's still very much Portal." - Sara Miguel (Cryptozoic Games)

Ah...well...I guess we don't need this episode of the podcast then...

Grape Cake

Ingredients

1 9 inch pan

Butter and flour for preparing cake pan

2 eggs

2/3 Cup of sugar

4 Tablespoons (2 oz) unsalted butter, melted

1/4 Cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 Cup milk

1/2 Teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour

3/4 Teaspoon of baking powder

Pinch of Salt

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Grated zest of 1 orange

10 ounces of fresh, purple grapes

Confectioner's sugar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Generously butter and flour the pan, tapping out any excess. Set aside.

3. Beat eggs and sugar until thick and lemon-colored, about 3 minutes. Add the butter, oil, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix until blended.

4. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt into large bowl. Add lemon and orange zest to bowl. After dry goods are throughly mixed, add to wet ingredients. Mix until thoroughly blended. Let mixture rest for 10 minutes.

5. Stir about 3/4 of the grapes into the batter. Spoon prepared batter into cake pan.

6. Place pan into center of oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle the top with remaining grapes. Bake until golden brown and cake is firm (about 40 minutes, with a total baking time of around 55 minutes).

7. Let cake cool. Dust with confectioner's sugar. Serve at room temperature.

Episode Outline:

00:00-15:00 - Arcade Castle discusses the Portal video game series.

15:00-35:00 - Arcade Castle Turns it's attention to the Portal board game. They look at the components, rules, and gameplay.

35:00-50:00 - Examining the strategy behind Portal (the board game) they determine how well it succeeds at capturing the video game in a board game format. They discuss improvements and modifications to the board game (from components to rules) that would make the board game more closely align with the video game.

50:00-65:00 - In today's breakdown discussion, Arcade Castle talks about what developers should put more emphasis upon when creating a video game licensed board game: theme, or, mechanics.