2016 Holiday Gift Guide

Grant Rodiek | November 25, 2016
Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! Delightful Hanukkah! And other holidays!I love writing a yearly holiday gift guide. Reading them? Less so. I often find myself shaking my head at so many that I read as they simply recommend classics like Ticket to Ride and Carcassonne and Settlers of Catan.
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Q1: Inspired by Rex

Grant Rodiek | November 24, 2016
Dune is a very inspiring design and something that demonstrates many lessons. Although in our interview Olatka noted designers should create their own experiences, which I somewhat agree with, I think Dune can provide a great deal of instruction for those willing to read.
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Q1: Interview with Peter Olatka

Grant Rodiek | November 24, 2016
I conducted this interview with one of the original designers of Dune, Peter Olatka, via email. I reached out to one of the developers of Rex, but they were unable to comment for this article. Grant: I'm curious how [Dune] came about in the late 1970s.
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Q1: The Rex Strategy Guide

Grant Rodiek | November 24, 2016
Before you head to the troubled planet, I’d like to give you some strategic advice to gain the upper hand against your opponents. After all, what’s better than entering a fair fight with forewarning? Nothing, that’s what.
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Q1: From Dune to Rex

Grant Rodiek | November 23, 2016
This post was originally written in 2014 and can be found here. As I’ve provided other pieces of content, and to focus this, I’ve streamlined this article.Dune was originally released in the late 1970s, then rereleased as Rex: Final Days of an Empire in 2012.
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Q1: A Review of Rex

Grant Rodiek | November 22, 2016
I intended to post a visual walk through to teach you how to play, but unfortunately my website is misbehaving and I need to figure out why my images are screwing up. Hopefully I can post it tomorrow.Wheels within wheels.
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Q1: The Landscape at Release

Grant Rodiek | November 21, 2016
Special thanks to Joshua Buergel for his assistance in this article.Dune (the game) was released in 1979 by Avalon Hill and from the designers Bill Eberle, Jack Kittredge, and Peter Olatka. This is the same team that created Cosmic Encounter two years before.
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Q1: A Primer on Dune

Grant Rodiek | November 20, 2016
Before we can get to Rex, we need to get to Dune. Before we can get to Dune (the game), we need to briefly examine Dune, the landmark science fiction novel by Frank Herbert. Rex is so much fun, for me, because it is derived so beautifully from my favorite book, Dune.
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Quagmire Issue 1: Rex

Grant Rodiek | November 19, 2016
Welcome to the first issue of Quagmire! If you're not familiar with Quagmire, you can learn about it here. This first issue is somewhat atypical, as it's about Rex: Final Days of an Empire, but also Dune, its predecessor.
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My 2016 Games of the Year

Grant Rodiek | November 13, 2016
2016 is almost at an end, and the time has arrived to reflect on my favorite games of 2016, some misses, and some hopes for 2017. I’ll also ruminate upon my collection and other such matters that are no doubt compelling to you.
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