Arcade Castle - Episode 15 - The Oregon Trail Board Game - Journey to Willamette Valley

09/01/18 • 73 min

In Episode 15 of the podcast, The Arcade Castle finds itself, once again, on a journey through another oregon trail licensed board game by Pressman in the form of The Oregon Trail Board Game: Journey to Willamette Valley. Having played The Oregon Trail Card Game and The Oregon Trail Hunt For Food Card Game in prior years (and on Episode 04 and Episode 08, respectively), The Arcade Castle has mixed expectations when bringing this game to the table.

In The Oregon Trail Board Game, players are uncovering the trail from Independence, MO to Willamette Valley, OR. As they traverse the wilderness of 1800s America, players will find hunting grounds, ford rivers, locate forts and towns, and brave the elements as they attempt to successfully reach Oregon. However, the trail is full of hazards and, as supplies dwindle in their covered wagons, will they best the calamities that befall them, or end their trip in a shallow grave on the roadside?

As players play the Oregon Trail Game they will place trail tiles onto the board as they attempt to get to Willamette Valley, OR. As they proceed along the trail, they will need to hunt, trade, buy, sell, and more as they attempt to ensure their family has the supplies it needs to make the journey, but also survive the calamities they encounter upon it.

Will this latest entry in the Oregon Trail franchise deliver like a delicious pizza? Or end up being only peperony and chease?

********************************** 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:

00:00-20:00: Arcade Castle talks about the Oregon Trail franchise as developed by Pressman over the years and how that can inform the player on how this latest entry was developed and published.

20:00-40:00: Arcade Castle talks about the gameplay of the Oregon Trail, and its contents.

40:00-60:00: Arcade Castle takes an in-depth look at the strategies inherent to the Oregon Trail Board Game, what the players can bring to the table to have a better chance at winning the game.

60:00-72:00: Arcade Castle compares this third entry in the franchise to the first two to see how the success, or failure, of them defined how the third game was developed and how the strategies reflect that development.

Apollo Approved!

Will this latest entry in the Oregon Trail franchise deliver like a delicious pizza? Or end up being only peperony and chease?

Episode Outline:

00:00-20:00: Arcade Castle talks about the Oregon Trail franchise as developed by Pressman over the years and how that can inform the player on how this latest entry was developed and published.

20:00-40:00: Arcade Castle talks about the gameplay of the Oregon Trail, and its contents.

40:00-60:00: Arcade Castle takes an in-depth look at the strategies inherent to the Oregon Trail Board Game, what the players can bring to the table to have a better chance at winning the game.

Apollo Approved!

Previous Episode

Arcade Castle - Episode 14 - F-Zero Knight League Real Racing Simulation Game

As the sun blazes down on Kentucky without mercy, Arcade Castle cools down by blazing down miles of asphalt at 900+ miles an hour as they play the early 1990s board game adaptation of F-Zero! Based off of the seminal Super Nintendo game that boasted Mode 7 graphics & wowed gamers in 1990, the F-Zero Knight League Real Racing Simulation Game does its best to capture the look and feel of F-Zero in a board game!

In the F-Zero Knight League Real Racing Simulation Game (hereafter FZKLRRSG), players race one another throughout the five courses of the Knight League, attempting to win as many races as they can to score the most points to win the game! Players have a 'hand' of cards to manage their speed and health as they navigate the hazards of each track in the Knight League. Players can push their luck to try and get in first place, but if they are not careful, they may find themselves a fiery wreck on the racetrack.

In Episode 14 of The Arcade Castle Podcast, John and Patrick play the first board game adaptation from the racing genre. Did TOMY successfully craft a game that captures the pace and feel of the iconic 16 bit racer? Or did it end up a twisted heap of metal and ash on the sidelines?

Episode Outline:

00:00 - 07:00 - John and Patrick discuss the workability of a listener's suggestion for improving the MegaMan Board Game (2015).

07:00 - 20:00 - John and Patrick talk about the racing genre and their top three racing video game titles.

20:00 - 30:00 - Turning their attention to the F-Zero franchise, they discuss the technology behind Mode 7 graphics, the history and cultural reception of the F-Zero games from inception to its current status in the field.

30:00 - 53:00 - Arcade Castle discusses the FZKLRRSG in depth; from looking at the components and rules to examining the strategies gamers can use when playing FZKLRRSM, they try and determine how successful this game is at capturing the essence of the F-Zero franchise in a board game format.

Next Episode

Arcade Castle - Episode 16 - Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Double Feature!

In Episode 16, Arcade Castle takes a look at another giant in the Edutainment industry: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? A facts based learning game at heart, WitWiCS has players tracking V.I.L.E. henchmen across the planet and, later, both time and space, as they attempt to stop these henchmen from stealing iconic cultural icons, items, concepts, buildings, geographic locations, and more by gathering clues, answering questions, and following the trail of the V.I.L.E. henchmen until they are captured and placed behind bars. If you are a good enough A.C.M.E. Detective you may find yourself on the trail of Carmen Sandiego herself and finally answer, once and for all, just Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, issue a warrant for her arrest, and place her in jail and stop her crime syndicate for good.

Additionally, Arcade Castle takes a look at a series of bookends, or sorts, for the Edutaiment franchise, by looking at the earliest and the most recent entries in the Carmen Sandiego board game adaptations library by playing and examining the Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Board Game from 1992 and the Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Card Game from 2017. Can 25 years make a difference in game design and how a company adapts a video game icon to the tabletop?

In Episode 16, Arcade Castle sits down to discuss the Carmen Sandiego franchise, its time and place in Edutainment history, and their ow connections with it as they play these two games to see how you can adapt an Edutainment video game franchise into cardboard and dice and, if after 25 years, whether all our knowledge paid off in the form of a better game in 2017 than in 2018 or if, as they say, history repeats itself...

Episode Outline:

00:00 - 35:00 - Arcade Castle talks for length about the Carmen Sandiego franchise; from video games and a game show to the numerous board games and animated series, they discuss Carmen Sandiego's impact not only in the video game industry, but culture at large. Arcade Castle also discusses the fate of Carmen Sandiego since the turn of the new millennium and its status as of 2018.

35:00-50:00 - Arcade Castle sits down and plays the Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego Board Game from 1992 and looks at how University Games interpreted the Edutainment title, how to play it, what strategies you can bring to the table when playing it, and how well it captures the franchise.

50:00-75:00 - After a quick break, Arcade Castle plays the latest entry in the series via the Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Card Game from 2017 by Pressman Games. By playing it and comparing it to the board game from 1992, it is Arcade Castle's hopes that they will see a difference in not only board game design, but how designers approach a video game franchise in 2017 and whether or not it is different than that of designers in the late 80s and early 90s.