Top 10 Best Dice Games

Dice and games, games and dice...they just go together. Here are my nominations for the ten best dice games, in no particular order:

Qwixx

Fun to play, hard to spell. You move higher on 2 tracks, and at the same time lower on 2 tracks, hoping for the right die roll in the right color. And you can even score on your opponent's turn.

Rattlebones

In Rattlebones, you actually create your own dice, thanks to an ingenious method of replacable die faces, and then use them to collect tokens in a creepy carnival.

Sorcerer City

You choose which tracks to advance in order to score. Sounds simple, but since one track affects another, it's really a fun and challenging mechanic.

Roll For the Galaxy

Your dice give you choices of actions, from exploring new worlds to shipping planetary resources. The trick here is guessing which actions your opponents will pick so you can piggyback on their dice.

Super Skill Pinball

I've never been a pinball fan, but I like using dice to decide which bumpers to hit for maximum ball time. More fun than actual pinball.

Sagrada

Sagrada wins the prize for most beautiful game. Draft the jewel-colored dice by color and number to try to create the highest-scoring pattern on your stained glass window.

Pirates Dice

Yes, it's just Liar's Dice with a Pirates of the Caribbean overlay, but the barnacle-encrusted cups have a cool texture, and the classic gameplay is still fun. Get yourself two copies and play with eight people for an awesome experience.

Dice Town

A Wild West overlay makes this game interesting as you choose which of the six stations on the street to try for. You need to roll the most of one face to become the Sheriff, pan for gold, have a shoot-out...

Martian Dice

The Martians are the good guys here, trying to roll and capture chickens, cows, and humans without being overpowered by tanks. A push-your-luck game.

Dice City

Not to be confused with Dice Town, players buy cards to lay out in their town grid, creating mines to roll resources, public buildings to roll special powers, and armies to roll attacks on other towns.

Best Sherlock Holmes Actors

More actors have portrayed Sherlock Holmes than any other literary character in history. Some have been laudable, some, shall we say, less so, and everyone has their favourites. As a rabid fan of Sherlock Holmes, I present my list of the top three, based purely on my own opinion. Take that for what it's worth.

Please note: it can be difficult to separate the actor from the film, but I intend to try all the same.

Number 3:

Ronald Howard, Sherlock Holmes, 1954-55

Although the series is not nearly as accurate as it needs to be, sometimes devolving into unpardonable silliness, I am very fond of this portrayal of Holmes. Howard captures parts of Holmes's extremely complex personality that most screenwriters, with their superficial understanding of the Canon, completely miss. And he gave us the historic first meeting between Holmes and Watson, a treat for any Sherlockian.

Number 2:

Arthur Wontner, Sherlock Holmes' Fatal Hour, The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes and the Missing Rembrandt, The Sign of Four, Murder at the Baskervilles, 1931-1937

I haven't seen every one of these films, but the ones I've seen favorably impressed me. Wontner seems to have it all: the look, the manner, the voice...really, I can't think of a thing to change that would improve his portrayal.

Number 1

Jeremy Brett, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, The Sign of Four, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, 1984-1994

My favourite Holmes portrayal, bar none. Brett's Holmes has been beloved...and criticized, ever since his Sherlockian debut, and there is little for me to add. Certainly he was helped by some very Canonical scripts (and a pair of excellent Watsons); also it is difficult to watch his physical decline as the series progresses (I personally watch the episodes in reverse order so that Mr Brett grows younger and stronger). But the man himself deserves our eternal thanks for capturing so much of the Great Detective so brilliantly. To this Woman, he is always The Sherlock Holmes.

My Top 10 Party Games

Ever since publishing My Top 10 Favorite Board Games, I have been dissatisfied with the result. There are just too many fabulous games that had to be left out of the list. To solve that problem, I've divided the world's greatest games into categories, the first of which is presented here as the Top 10 party games.

Time's Up is a long party game, but the progressively harder rounds make it well worth it. Start out by describing a famous, or not-so-famous person, progress to giving only a one-word clue, and end up with sounds and body language only. There is also a version where you have to guess titles instead of names, and I enjoy it, but the original is still my favourite. Take a look at the elusive Fourth Round of this game.

Tags is probably the best 'see-how-many-you-can-name' party game I've tried. The changing letter tiles ensure the game is different every time, while the ability to pick up unguessed words after your friend has failed makes for lots of bragging rights. And unlike some games, this one is not dumbed down enough to exclude the tough letters. Can't think of a villain who starts with Q? Too bad, I can!

When you first try Puns of Anarchy, you may think it's impossible. But don't give up; you'll soon get the hang of it. Alter your cards by writing over parts of the song title, movie, celebrity, or whatever is written there to create phrases that fit the categories. This is easily the best of the "choose-the-funniest-answer" genre, probably because actual creativity is required.

Dixit is a very popular game, and deserves to be. The bizarre but beautiful cards are open to limitless descriptive phrases, but you have to come up with one that only some of your friends will guess. Make it too hard, and you score zero. Make it too easy and you score, you guessed it, zero. Bluff other players with a great card on your opponent's turn and you steal his points. And when the game is over, you can spend a long time just looking through the cards. One caveat: this game has a load of expansions, but some of them have better cards than others. You might want to search the internet for a preview before choosing your expansion.

Wise and Otherwise repeats the game mechanic of Balderdash, but is a lot more fun. Instead of a word, you get a phrase to complete in order to bluff the other players, always beginning with, "There's an old Croatian saying..." Or Swedish, or Jamaican, or whatever. Maybe something gets lost in the translation, but the results are head-scratchingly hilarious.

This is an older game, but I've always liked it. The highest-scoring clues are the ones that use the fewest letter. You really have to stretch your mind to shrink your clues and still leave them guessable. Besides which, the other team can steal. And the write-on, wipe-off board with doors that open and close is cool.

Yes, it's pictionary. But having to incorporate cutout cats in your drawing sets The Cat Game above the rest. Cats are always funny.

Another impossible game, until you get the hang of it. You must give a three-word clue to the word on your card. But you must use the random word you get from another card. To get players to say 'bone,' you might have to start with "kid," as in, "kids eat this." Then the other players each throw out a one-word guess, one of which, say, "candy," you use in your next three-word clue. Thus, "candy causes these," can lead to "cavities hurt me," can lead to "pain when breaks," can finally get you to "bone." Whew!

That great old stand-by Taboo would've made the list if not for Banned Words. It's the same describe-the-word-without-saying-that-other-word mechanic, only the other team chooses the words you can't say. And you don't know what they are until you say them! Really!

In Funglish, you give clues by picking them out of a pile of tiles and showing them to the guessers. It's a mad scramble to find "dangerous," "European," and "dead," and hope they get "Dracula" from it.

No list would be complete without Honorable Mentions, in this case, Chronology, Sketchy, Codenames Duel, and Artbox. I haven't tried Pictures or Draw Your Own Conclusions, but I have high hopes for each of those.

My Top 10 Tabletop Games

Every serious gamer has a list of favourites, those games he can play over and over again and never grow tired of them. Well, almost never.

Here's my list of the best of the best, not in any particular order; it's tough enough to narrow it down to just 10 without worrying about who comes in first. If you're looking to get into gaming, or just need something new to add to your already-robust collection, these are my suggestions.

Note: I use the term "tabletop" because I'm including board games, card games, and party games, but not video games.

Dragonmaster is out of print and highly sought after. The trick-taking and not-taking mechanism resembles Hearts but is infinitely more satisfying, due to the strategical necessity of choosing the right time to play Staff of Power. And when you're through playing, you can just gaze at the artwork on the cards. Or try some of these Game Variants.

Time's Up is a long party game, but the progressively harder rounds make it well worth it. Start out by describing a famous, or not-so-famous person, progress to giving only a one-word clue, and end up with sounds and body language only. There is also a version where you have to guess titles instead of names, and I enjoy it, but the original is still my favourite. Take a look at the elusive Fourth Round of this game.

No one can beat my brother-in-law at Quacks of Quedlinburg. It's a testimony to the fun of drawing ingredient tokens out of a bag without (you hope) making your cauldron explode that I keep on playing, even when I know I'll lose.

The movement system in Fearsome Floors is great fun, especially when it's the monster that's moving. Try to position your terrified investigators so the creature goes for the other guy and not you.

The goal and gameplay in Villainous is different for each player, so some characters are more fun to use than others. But I can't resist the Disney vibe. Every expansion comes with new villains to try out. Help the Wicked Queen create her potion, or Hades free the Titans, or Ratigan become King of England -- it all depends on which villain you choose. Plus the snippets of dialogue and phrases from my favourite movies printed on the cards give me a Disney thrill.

Tags is probably the best 'see-how-many-you-can-name' party game I've tried. The changing letter tiles ensure the game is different every time, while the ability to pick up unguessed words after your friend has failed makes for lots of bragging rights. And unlike some games, this one is not dumbed down enough to exclude the tough letters. Can't think of a villain who starts with Q? Too bad, I can!

Now here's a game I can win, and often do. Stone Age requires worker placement to get the raw materials to buy cards, tools, farms, and huts that all score victory points. Don't run out of food, or you'll be forced to spend those precious resources to feed your people. There are plenty of different strategies to try. I won't reveal mine, but only say that I'm always up for this game.

I couldn't leave out the Totally Insane Card Game. Think Uno on steroids. Alongside the familiar Reverse and Skip cards you'll find the Totally Useless Card, the This Hand Is Dead card, and everybody's favourite, the This Is Not My Card card. Fun, frenzied, and frustrating, play can take hours or, and this really happened, about a minute and a half. And it's only sold on their official website.

When you first try Puns of Anarchy, you may find it impossible. But don't give up; you'll soon get the hang of it. Alter your cards by writing over parts of the song title, movie, celebrity, or whatever is written there to create phrases that fit the categories. This is easily the best of the "choose-the-funniest-answer" genre, probably because actual creativity is required.

Dixit is a very popular game, and deserves to be. The bizarre but beautiful cards are open to limitless descriptive phrases, but you have to pick the one that only some of your friends will guess. Make it too hard, and you score zero. Make it too easy and you score, you guessed it, zero. Bluff other players with a great card on your opponent's turn and you steal his points. And when the game is over, you can spend a long time just looking through the cards. One caveat: this game has a load of expansions, but some of them have better cards than others. You might want to search the internet for a preview before choosing your expansion.

Making a list of only 10 is exceptionally difficult. I regret having to leave off Fit To Print, Inklings, Last Will, Carcasonne, Wise and Other Wise, Istanbul, Museum Pictura, Galaxy Trucker, and so many others. But too many great games to name just 10 is a plus. So get out there and try these games. You'lll soon have your own list of faves to play again and again.

List of the Top 3 Sherlock Holmes Pastiches

When we speak of pastiche in the literary world, we refer to a story written by an author using the characters and style of another author. And no one has more pastiches written about him than Mr. Sherlock Holmes. Some are quite excellent. Some are hideously bad. Most fall somewhere in between. Here is a list of our top three:

1. "The Adventure of the Field Theorems" by Vonda N. McIntyre
   from Sherlock Holmes In Orbit
   This short story just seems to have it all
2. "The Adventure of the Deptford Horror" by Adrian Conan Doyle & John Dickson Carr
   from The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes
   An intensely creepy short story worth reading and re-reading
3. "The Madness of Colonel Warburton" by Carole Buggé
   from Resurrected Holmes
   Not sure why we like this tale intended to mimic Dashiell Hammett instead of Conan Doyle; call it a guilty pleasure

See the entire list of pastiches.

Sherlock Holmes Pastiche List

When we speak of pastiche in the literary world, we refer to a story written by an author using the characters and style of another author. And no one has more pastiches written about him than Sherlock Holmes. Some are quite excellent. Some are hideously bad. Most fall somewhere in between.

Although no pastiche could possibly take the place of the original canon of stories as written by Sir Arthur Conana Doyle, there are those of us who can't resist a new tale of the world's greatest detective. But the sheer number of extra-canonical writings is enormous, making it impossible for anyone to compile a truly complete list. Which doesn't stop some of us from trying.

View the list of pastiches.

New Game Added to the Sherlock Holmes Board Game List

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As both a gamer and a staunch fan of the Great Detective, I try to keep track of all the Sherlock Holmes games out there. Here's a new one that, although I haven't played it personally, garnered some fine reviews. More...

Best Dozen Christmas Movies and Specials

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Good-Bye, Princess

For the first time in forever, a princess has been removed from the Disney List. More...

New Commercial Joins the Top 5

It had to happen. A new commercial has forced it's way onto the top 5 list.

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Welcome Disney Princess Clara

Another princess joins the definitive Disney list: Clara Stahlbaum, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, 2018

Princess by: birth
True Love: none
Confidants: Drosselmeyer

"Maybe I have been spending too much time in the attic."

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Great Mouse Detective Pin Group

If anyone is familiar with the pin-trading website PinPics, you might remember how it looked before it was revamped. One of the features that was lost in the "upgrade" was the list of pin groups created by members to showcase their favourites. It will come as no surprise to learn that the Great Mouse Detective group was created by Whatsits Galore. For posterity as well as old time's sake, we recreate it here, with updates when new pins become available.

	Pin 55559: Adventures of the Great Mouse Detective pinback button This 3" button is an early example of the all-too-sparse memorabilia for a terrific film. The logo reflects the somewhat odd title change to "The Adventures of the Great Mouse Detective," a decision that continues to cause confusion. Basil and Olivia engage in one of their favourite pastimes: observing footprints through a magnifying glass.
	Pin 57324: Campaign Button This promotional button was available to retailers in Great Britain as part of Disney's advertising campaign for the first release. It was included with a packet of promo signs and clip art. At less than 2" across, a small but attractive button featuring a small but attractive Basil examining a clue and shouting, "It's Elementary!"
	Pin 5168: Walt Disney Home Video pin: Basil One of 6 Great Mouse Detective pins available only in Europe to contest winners. Basil is quite happy with his magnifying glass at the ready.

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Disney Lists

Are you a list-maker? They say internet-users love lists. So enjoy these: our very best Disney lists. You'll find Alien Experiments, Bouncy Things, Villains and Their Crimes, Hero Rules, and, well, the list is so long, you'll just have to see for yourself. More...

NOT a Disney Princess

The following are definitely NOT Disney princesses, no matter what anybody says or thinks. Sorry, girls. More...

New Disney Princess Added

Another princess joins the definitive Disney list: Elena Castillo Flores, Elena of Avalor, 2016

Princess by: birth
Significant Other: none
Confidants: Isabel

"They say every story has a beginning. Except mine. My story has two..."

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Whatsits Galore's Trading Post

Looking for more items for your collection? So are we! Why don't we help each other? If you have any of the items listed on this page, we may be able to trade them for the toys and collectibles for sale at Whatsits Galore's online store. LET'S TRADE! More...