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Thursday 27 December 2012

Bits 'n pieces

It was with a somewhat heavy heart that I 'agreed' to accompany my wife to Bluewater shopping centre this morning ... but in the end I came away with what I think was a great bargain!

After I had parked the car my wife announced that she wanted to have a wander around for an hour or so looking for bargains. This meant that I had some time to kill before the drive home, so I set off for my usual haunts in search of some bargains of my own. The branch of Waterstones book shop seemed to be full of people who wanted to stand about and chat to each other, and Modelzone had nothing new to offer.

It was as I walked out of the latter that I saw that the branch of Menkind that was next door was having a sale ... so I walked in to have a look around.

I am very pleased that I did.

One of the items that was included in the sale was a boxed game entitled PLAY 5. This was billed as being combining 'poker and a crossword puzzle', neither of which particularly appeal to me ... but the bits inside the box certainly did!


The playing pieces consisted of fifty six wooden square playing card tiles, fifty two of which represented one of each of the cards in a standard pack of playing cards plus four Jokers. (The playing card tiles come in a small black cloth bag.)


The box also contained a single D6 die, four tile trays, and forty eight poker chips (twenty four red and twenty four blue).


It was the playing card tiles that were of particular interest to me as I often use playing cards in my solo wargames to determine the order in which units are activated during a turn. (This very simple system was devised by Richard Brooks and Ian Drury, and has been used in almost all of the RED SQUARE game designs they have produced.)

The problem with even the smallest playing cards that I have used is their size ... but these playing card tiles are not only smaller but also easier to read and easier to pick up. (The thickness of the wood they are made from makes them much easier to pick up than a thin playing card.)

I was so pleased to have found such a useful supply of parts that I can use in my game designs that I bought two ... and then discovered that the sale price (£6.99 down from the original price of £12.99) had a further 25% discount on top. This meant that the two boxes only cost me £10.48!

A real bargain ... and one that made my day!

12 comments:

  1. Hi Bob,

    Congrats on your find. "No amount of planning will ever replace dumb luck!"

    Martin

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  2. That is a fantastic find. I have been meaning to try out some card dice I bought for the same reason. These sound even better. Love to see them in action so to speak.

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  3. Martin,

    How very true. I was not expecting to find anything like this ... and then voila!

    All the best,

    Bob

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  4. Sean,

    It was pure luck finding them, and as far as I can see they will do very nicely indeed!

    With luck I hope to put them to use in the very near future.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  5. Hi Bob

    I have just bought a 'mini-pack' of playing cards to use in a game sometime soon.

    Your 'find' has gazumped me. I'll have to have a poke around for a copy of Play 5.

    Thanks (I think).

    Jim

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  6. Jim Duncan,

    The mini-cards are great ... but I think that these tiles might be better. Time will tell (and hopefully I will find out very soon).

    All the best,

    Bob

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  7. Hi Bob.

    Just to show that I do read your blog.

    This game seems to be available in the UK via the MenKind web site, or, according to Board Game Geek, direct from the author Roger Yanagitar in the USA at yanagitar@aol.com.

    Steve.

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  8. Steve,

    I never doubted that you did read my blog ... and thanks for the useful information about where this game can be bought.

    I must admit that I might have just stretched to buying one if the price had been £12.99 ... but two for £10.48 was too good a bargain to miss.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  9. I've just ordered a copy online which including delivery cost me £10.24.

    The nearest shop is an hours drive away.

    Jim

    http://www.menkind.co.uk/gifts-gadgets-c112/fun-games-c16/board-family-games-c18/play-5-poker-and-crossword-puzzle-board-game-p114802

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  10. Great to get a bargain.A great purchase you have there.

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  11. Jim Duncan,

    Good for you! I suspect that the game is quite good in its own right ... if you like poker and crosswords.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  12. Tradgardmastare,

    It was a good buy ... and all the more so because it was a serendipitous find.

    All the best,

    Bob

    ReplyDelete

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