The Inside Scoop on Gaming

I like Cheapass Games. I'll go ahead and say it, objectivity and impartiality be damned. And I don't just mean poorly made games, although I happened to have LIKED "Don't Look Back" despite itself (insert flame here). I think that deep down, many old gamers (me included) look at companies like Cheapass (and Wingnut) and wish that we could accomplish something small, fun and noticed like they have (although I was on the Cheapass Games webpage and noticed that they are starting to sell dice and pawns. I predict a Hasbro takeover before December; you heard it here first).

Let me digress for a second and explain the process that I go through to playtest games for my reviews. I have a diehard and critical group of playtesters and friends that I organize specifically to run new games by. We have playtested such deep games as Deadlands, Call of Cthulhu, Lunch Money, and of course Kill Doctor Lucky (and played them hard). After we play one of these games once or twice, we sit back and discuss the game from all perspectives, pro and con, what worked and what could be improved. I then take this raw data, throw it away, and write what I think about the game. This is the scientific method at work, people, and the truth hurts sometimes. So, it was with eagerness that I brought "Devil Bunny" before the group one night, after a game of Warhammer Quest (a group fave). We sat down, read the paragraph or two of instructions and played, and then as usual sat back to discuss what we had witnessed.

That was two weeks ago; we still aren't sure what we think, although "What the hell was that" seems to be a reoccuring phrase.

Don't get me wrong, this is a typical Cheapass Game. The board is of (fairly) heavy stock, the rules are simple, and the counters (yes Virginia, there are counters here) are pretty cool too. The background possibly makes the least sense of any of game that I have ever played (and that's saying something; I used to play Toon), so much so that I can't even paraphrase it, and must quote it here instead. "You are a cadre of wily sous-chefs, trying to scale a very tall building. Devil Bunny is enthusiastically preventing you from reaching the top because he needs a ham, and because he erroneously believes that this will help him."

What. The. Hell.

If any of my students (and I'm a guidance counselor, so I should be used to this sort of thing) ever rattled this sort of phrase off to me, I would be reaching for a pamphlet on drug abuse with one hand and a psych referral with the other. It's pretty sad when the only phrase in the instructions that make any sense are "Devil Bunny" and "Ham". Having said that, gameplay is really straightforward. By die roll, players (the mystic sous-chefs) are trying to make their way up to the top of a building. In your way is the aforementioned Devil Bunny, who randomly moves around the building after you and your confused friends. If he reaches a player, that player falls (possibly to their deaths, depending on how far up they are), unless there is a friend below them to break the fall (so of course, this leads to players jockeying for positions out from under other players, so as to watch them fall).

The game is somewhat entertaining, but there is only so long that you will want to avoid each other and watch people fall to their deaths (Considering the theme of Falling, another Cheapass Game, I have begun to associate the game designers with a certain morbid fascination with gravity). This just didn't (for our group, anyway) have the level of fun that other Cheapass titles like "Kill Doctor Lucky" or even "Buttonmen" have. Of course, and this is the cool thing about Cheapass Games, the game is only $2.00, so either way you aren't out anything by getting it. Go out and try it, and if you can understand the premise, then you will no doubt love the game!

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 3 (Average)

Devil Bunny Needs A Ham
Author: Cheapass Games Category: Board Game Company/Publisher: Cheapass Games Line: Cheapass Games Cost: 2.00 Page count: n/a SKU: CAG018 Playtest Review by Jason Driver on 09/22/99. Genre tags: Comedy	I like Cheapass Games. I'll go ahead and say it, objectivity and impartiality be damned. And I don't just mean poorly made games, although I happened to have LIKED "Don't Look Back" despite itself (insert flame here). I think that deep down, many old gamers (me included) look at companies like Cheapass (and Wingnut) and wish that we could accomplish something small, fun and noticed like they have (although I was on the Cheapass Games webpage and noticed that they are starting to sell dice and pawns. I predict a Hasbro takeover before December; you heard it here first). Let me digress for a second and explain the process that I go through to playtest games for my reviews. I have a diehard and critical group of playtesters and friends that I organize specifically to run new games by. We have playtested such deep games as Deadlands, Call of Cthulhu, Lunch Money, and of course Kill Doctor Lucky (and played them hard). After we play one of these games once or twice, we sit back and discuss the game from all perspectives, pro and con, what worked and what could be improved. I then take this raw data, throw it away, and write what I think about the game. This is the scientific method at work, people, and the truth hurts sometimes. So, it was with eagerness that I brought "Devil Bunny" before the group one night, after a game of Warhammer Quest (a group fave). We sat down, read the paragraph or two of instructions and played, and then as usual sat back to discuss what we had witnessed. That was two weeks ago; we still aren't sure what we think, although "What the hell was that" seems to be a reoccuring phrase. Don't get me wrong, this is a typical Cheapass Game. The board is of (fairly) heavy stock, the rules are simple, and the counters (yes Virginia, there are counters here) are pretty cool too. The background possibly makes the least sense of any of game that I have ever played (and that's saying something; I used to play Toon), so much so that I can't even paraphrase it, and must quote it here instead. "You are a cadre of wily sous-chefs, trying to scale a very tall building. Devil Bunny is enthusiastically preventing you from reaching the top because he needs a ham, and because he erroneously believes that this will help him." What. The. Hell. If any of my students (and I'm a guidance counselor, so I should be used to this sort of thing) ever rattled this sort of phrase off to me, I would be reaching for a pamphlet on drug abuse with one hand and a psych referral with the other. It's pretty sad when the only phrase in the instructions that make any sense are "Devil Bunny" and "Ham". Having said that, gameplay is really straightforward. By die roll, players (the mystic sous-chefs) are trying to make their way up to the top of a building. In your way is the aforementioned Devil Bunny, who randomly moves around the building after you and your confused friends. If he reaches a player, that player falls (possibly to their deaths, depending on how far up they are), unless there is a friend below them to break the fall (so of course, this leads to players jockeying for positions out from under other players, so as to watch them fall). The game is somewhat entertaining, but there is only so long that you will want to avoid each other and watch people fall to their deaths (Considering the theme of Falling, another Cheapass Game, I have begun to associate the game designers with a certain morbid fascination with gravity). This just didn't (for our group, anyway) have the level of fun that other Cheapass titles like "Kill Doctor Lucky" or even "Buttonmen" have. Of course, and this is the cool thing about Cheapass Games, the game is only $2.00, so either way you aren't out anything by getting it. Go out and try it, and if you can understand the premise, then you will no doubt love the game! Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 3 (Average)

Devil Bunny Needs A Ham