Take It Easy somehow became a genre

Take It Easy casts a shockingly big shadow. For such an honestly light and quick little game, its core mechanic of Bingo with strategy has been used in what has to be hundreds of designs at this point. And while many of those designs haven't made it to the formal publication stage (I look at a lot of design contests and free PnP files and other prototypes), there is no denying its influence.

While the term multiplayer solitaire gets used as a pejorative for games that have minimal or only indirect interaction, Take It Easy is an example of a true multiplayer solitaire. Nothing anyone else is doing has any effect on you. Everyone has their own board and there is no difference between a solitaire game and an auditorium where the moves are being shouted out to everyone over a loudspeaker. More than that, play is simultaneous, which makes playing with a big group actually viable.

There have a been a couple of waves of Bingo With Strategy games, with the first ones being from creators who clearly grew up with Take It Easy. Reiner Knizia's Take It Higher is a clear example of that. I think Karuba is a particularly creative use of the core mechanic. And the increase in Roll and Writes led to dice-based uses of the mechanic because that seriously cuts back on the amount of components. However, 2020 with the need for games that you could play while social distancing made the mechanic explode.

And, let's be honest. Multiplayer solitaires can be played as flat out solitaires without changing anything. Which is honestly what drew me to them. I could have the actual experience of playing the game without feeling like I was playing a lesser version. And, again, what with the explosion of interest in Bingo With Strategy games, I am sure I am not alone.

And some of these games can be surprisingly complex, using dice pools and economic systems. I am pretty sure there are some war games that use Bingo With Strategy as a core mechanic, even if that's not where my interests really lie. Creators have done a lot with the idea and I'm sure some of them haven't even heard of Take It Easy. Which makes me ask, how does Take it Easy, which just consists of trying to make colored lines cross a hexagon, hold up?

The answer is surprisingly well.

Personally, in addition to being a game I routinely go back to for solitaire play, Take It Easy is one of the most successful games I've found to introduce to non-gamers and I've even had it requested. In fact, while when I first tried to get a copy, it was hard to find, it seems to have been in print and easy to find for many years.

And I think the key to what makes Take It Easy work and what has always made it work is not that it is simple (And to be fair, it is very simple) It is that Take It Easy is unforgiving. Once a line is broken, there is no mitigating factors. That line is done. Since the tiles are a known factor, there is room to make educated guesses. However, its still always a gamble. The 'wrong' tile can bring your plans down like a house of cards in a hurricane. That means that there is tension and getting a good score is actually meaningful.

Take It Easy took a while to become influential. From what I can tell, literally a generation. Some ideas take time to catch on. However, it’s always been a good game.

Looking back and finding out Wurfel Bingo was a milestone

 I have been a big fan of legit multi-player solitaire games ever since I finally got my hands on a copy of Take It Easy more than ten years ago. Don’t get me wrong. There is a lot to be said for competition. Trying to kick each other’s teeth in is an important part of gaming. However, non-confrontation has its place too and can be the only way to get some people at the table.

In the past year, games that use the ‘bingo with strategy’ mechanic of Take It Easy have become more important because, hey, no contact. Perfect for social distancing.

And if your social distancing is over video conferencing, Roll and Write multi-player solitaire (and I have driven the jargon train off the cliff) is the  perfect format. I love Take It Easy and Cities/Limes and Karuba but everyone needs the tiles and the board. With R&W, one person needs the dice and/or cards and everyone else just needs the player sheet and something to write with.

These days, Roll and Writes have pretty much exploded. And, judging by the number of design contests focused on Roll and Writes, that’s not going away. (The fact that they have to be relatively easy to manufacture has to be a factor in that.) And a lot of them are multi-player solitaires.

I have yet to be in a position to actually play one via some form of video conferencing... but I’m ready if anyone ever asks me!

While the number of R&R multi-player solitaires might be in the triple digets, the first one I came across was Wurfel Bingo. I refuse to believe it’s the earliest example but it was only the third multi-player solitaire I had come across (and the second one was Take It To the Limit, the direct sequel to Take It Easy!)

Wurfel Bingo, also known as High Score, is a five-by-five grid that you fill out with the sum of two dice. You score lines basically by creating ‘poker’ hands with the numbers and the diagonals score double. Its origins are shrouded in a bit of mystery since Reiner Knizia published close to the same rules fifteen years before it was published.

When I first discovered Wurfel Bingo, it was a revelation. I did a lot of gaming out of a bag and having a Take It Easy experience where people needed a pencil instead of 27 tiles was an amazing space saver.

While the game is pretty abstract and simple by the standards that have developed over the last ten years, it’s still pretty strong. I particularly like how the odds of what numbers can be rolled with two dice means you can make informed decisions. Even if that does mean everyone tries to fill out the diagonals with sevens.

Since I first found and tried out Wurfel Bingo, I’ve found a lot of games that fill a similar niche. And it’s a niche that I think has become increasing important and valuable. It is no longer the top of my list for games I’d recommend. However, looking back, it was a milestone for me.

Take It Easy comes back to me

Of all the game apps that became obsolete and stopped working when iOS got an overhaul, Take It Easy was the one I missed the most.

In part, it was because playing it in the tablet or phone was pretty much like playing it in real life except I didn’t get to hear everyone else at the table swearing. But it was also because I really like Take It Easy.

So when I saw that it had either been updated or flat out replaced (The new version is by Ravensburger but I don’t know if they were the ones who put out the last app), I was quite happy.

For whatever reason, I quite like the Bingo With Strategy/Honest To Gosh Really Multi-Player Solitaire school of games. As near as I can tell, Take It Easy is the first of the genre, coming out in 1983. And, in some ways, I think it is still one of the best, by virtue of being one of the most pure and simple. 

Oh, I think games like Koruba and Rise of Augustus and Limes/Cities do really interesting things with the concept. And I am really glad that they exist and that I have played them and hope to play them again.

However, the brutal, straightforward idea in Take It Easy that you are making lines of specific colors and if a line gets broken, it is done, that creates a game that is very easy to understand and teach but is also very tense and unforgiving. The ruthless simplicity really gives Take It Easy some oomph. Out of all the games like it, it’s the one I go back to the most.

And now it’s back on my phone and my tablet. 

One thing I have realized is that playing against AIs can be interesting and educational but I don’t find it very fulfilling. It isn’t actually playing the game for me. But if it is a solitaire game, then playing it on a device is real for me. And Take It Easy is solitaire enough to be real.

At the same time, the app makes it easy to play multi-player when we feel like that. Particularly when space is a premium, like on an airplane or a car or such. So having it back also gives us an easy way to play a game we both like.

Honestly, a lot of games end up getting limited play as app for me. I have stopped really actively looking for them and getting them. But this is one that I’m glad to get back.

Evaluating Roll and Write games

While I have had an interest in PnP Roll and Write games for years, the Spiel Press kicked my interest in them up a couple notches. Then GenCan't basically dropped a library of them in my lap :D 

So as someone who is currently interested in casual games and whose interest in PnP has just been increasing, I have a feeling that I will be exploring this particular medium for the next few months.

So I have asked myself what am I looking for in a PnP Roll and Write Game, other than fun? I decided that the three most important elements are interesting choices, interesting mechanics (innovative is too loaded a term) and interaction.

Interesting choices is the most important thing that I am looking for. Because, quite frankly, I have played some games like this that actually haven't had any choices. Just roll the dice and see what happens. I want to have some agency in the game and some control over what happens.

I realize that this is a really basic requirement. However, since I have seen it not met, it is definitely one that I think needs to be addressed.

Mechanics, that comes down to this. A lot of the Roll and Write games I've seen harken back to Yahtzee and Take It Easy. And that's not a knock. Yahtzee is a very strong engine and I adore Take It Easy. However, seeing the game that breaks out of those frameworks is really cool.

Interaction is related to that. Both Yahtzee and Take It Easy are literally multi-player solitaire, unless you're playing by yourself. In that case, they're literally solitaire. Again, that's not a knock. We are talking about games that I have really enjoyed and had an easy time getting other folks to enjoy. For instance, I've had a lot of success with Wurfel Bingo.

However, interaction and direct conflict would definitely add some spice. I already have a nice selection of Roll and Write Games that are multi-player solitaire. Having something that I can print out and then go head-to-head would add additional options and audiences to the PnP library.

I have started to go through the GenCan't library and I'll probably blog my thoughts about them. It will be interesting to see how far I go through the library and what I discover.

Making a short list for non-gamers

I was recently asked to suggest a game as a gift for a family whose gaming experience was primarily Trivial Pursuit. 

Here's a spoiler: there aren't going to be any surprises on the list I gave them.

I went with the idea of games that were accessible and fun and relatively easy to find. I also wanted to make it a fairly short list, to keep myself from getting out of hand.

Here's what I came up with:

Ticket to Ride

Dixit

Can't Stop

Take It Easy

Out of that lot, not knowing the folks involved, Take It Easy would be my top pick. I've had a lot of success with it with folks who have no interest in games to the point of getting repeat plays in the same sitting.

They went with Catan.

Which was my real introduction to designer games and I do think is a great game, as well as revolutionary one. However, I have also taught to non-gamers who found it too heavy. I love it but I have to wonder if it's too big a step from Trivial Pursuit. 

If they had said Monopoly, though, my list would have started and ended with Catan :D

My takeaway from this is that I might be too conservative and too safe in my choices of games for non-gamers. After all, I know someone who used Puerto Rico as their game to break in new gamers. Although, they were dealing with folks asking for games. And I've seen folks who thought 7 Wonders would be the perfect introduction and that went up in flames.

I do sincerely think that people who play lots of games all the time often underestimate the complexity of games. (Teaching Race for the Galaxy with three expansions comes to mind. Seriously?)

At the same time, am I being too conservative? If folks have a regular game night with Trivial Pursuit, maybe they will want something longer and with more teeth. Maybe my bad luck with Catan just means I'm a bad teacher. 

It is a good question. Yes, an overwhelming game can spoil someone from wanting to play another game but it isn't helpful if they aren't engaged or challenged.

Cities the board game is a relaxing little vacation

As I have grown older, I have come to put a higher and higher value on quick, relaxing games. Actually, it doesn't have anything to do with growing older per se. It has a lot more to do with with being the dad if a two-year-old. :P

Honestly, it's not that hard to find games like that. I already had plenty in my collection so I haven't had to go looking very hard for too many more.

After reading about Limes, which reimplements Cities, I realized that Cities is a perfect example of the kind of game I'm talking about. It takes about ten, fifteen minutes to play. Not only does it not have any direct conflict, it doesn't have any interaction at all. It's a puzzle that everyone to solve and you just see who solves it better.

Cities belongs to what I call the Take It Easy school. That's when everyone has identical pieces and one player calls out what piece to use, just like bingo. The difference is that bingo offers no choices but Take It Easy and it's kin are all about your choices.

In Cities, everyone is trying create the ideal city for tourists. Everyone has twenty-four identical tiles but they'll only be using sixteen of them, which means you can't count on a given tile being in a game. 

Over the course of the game, you will lay out a four by four grid of tiles that will show a city made up of yellow attractions and green parks and blue lakes and burnt orange pavilions. 

And here's where Cities really breaks out into its own compared to Take It Easy. You have a set of meeples to act as tourists to populate your cities. After you place a tile, you can put a meeple of one the four sections in it. You can also jump a previously placed meeple onto a just placed tile or have a meeple walk from tile to tile.

Those meeples are what score you the points at the end of the game. There are three levels of scoring, with the simplest just scoring the areas of yellow attractions and green parks that meeples are in. The higher levels take surrounding features into account. My favorite being how meeples in pavilions score points for their view of parks and water.

What I particularly like about the scoring, and I have never played with anything but the level three scoring, is that as abstract as it is, it all makes perfect sense. Yes, the parks with plenty of lakes or the pavilions with great views or the attractions with plenty of places to get snacks are going to more popular with tourists.

When I first discovered Cities, I thought of it as the gamer's Take It Easy. After all, it has meeples and intricate scoring. However, I'm not sure if that's really what it has shaken out to be.

Take It Easy is a very pure and simple game, that is very easy to understand. However, it is also a very unforgiving game where one tile can completely break someone's game. Cities, on the other hand, between a more forgiving scoring system and your ability to move meeples about after you place them, is actually a lot more relaxing.

Cities makes me think of what Chicago would be like if it only consisted of Lakeshore Drive and the Miracle Mile. It is an idea of the city where tourists can cheerfully mosey around with nothing but beautiful things to see. Cities is a tiny little vacation for your mind.

Cities is not the brilliant masterpiece of tension and simplicity that Take It Easy is. It is not a puzzle that will keep you on the edge of kyour seat. However, it is a quiet little game that is very relaxing to unwind with. It is like a cup of hot cocoa at the end of the day.

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/38657/cities

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/128/take-it-easy

Take It Easy, a game that seems to have inspired a quiet little genre

For such a simple and inoffensive little game, Take It Easy has had quite an impact on my gaming life. For that matter, it seems that it has had a lasting influence on the hobby as well.

In case you haven't played it, Take It Easy is what I describe as bingo with choices or strategy. Like bingo, everyone has their own board. Everyone has a hexagram shaped board with nineteen empty spaces, along with an identical set of twenty seven tiles. One poor bastard gets to be the caller, drawing one random tile at a time, with everyone then placing that tile on their board. You're trying to form colored lines across the board but if the colors get broken up, those lines are worthless.

I'd read about Take If Easy for years before I got a hold of a copy and I've been playing it on a regular basis for years after that. It's been a hit with serious, lifestyle gamers and with folks who don't know Catan from Warhammer. If that's all there was, it'd be a good game that had proven that it has serious legs. (Which, to be fair, is still quite something)

Take It Easy came out in 1983 and, as near as I can tell, has been in print ever since then. And for the first twenty or so years of its life, it was fairly unique (Again, as far as I can tell. If someone can tell me different, go for it) However, in the last ten years, it seems like new games that use that bingo with choices mechanic have started coming out in a regular basis.

Some of them, Take It To The Limit and Take It Higher, are direct sequels to Take It Easy. And since Reiner Knizia designed Take It Higher, it's pretty easy to assume that Take It Easy was an influence on FITS and BITS. Other games, like Cities or Wurfel Bingo, I have a hard time believing that they weren't strongly influenced by Take It Easy.

Seriously, it has gotten to the point in which I can't even keep track of games where everyone has their own board and is doing their own thing. It isn't like an explosive genre like work replacement or deck building or maybe even card drafting (I swear I can't look at Kickstarter at any given moment without seeing a couple new cars drafters) but it does seem like a genre that keeps on going and going.

Literally two days ago, I came across both Limes and Karuba, which I had never heard of but both clearly use the Take It Easy mechanic. And at some point, I'd love to give either of those two games ago to see what they've done with the genre.

If you had told me 15 years ago that I would be a huge fan of what could be described as bingo variations or multi player solitaire, I would've thought that you were crazy. But these are games that I honestly just keep on playing.

They aren't heavy or life-changing or burn out my brain. However, as a parent of a hyper toddler, these are games that are relaxing and easy to pull out good and good for winding down at the end of the day.

I have a feeling that I'm going to be playing Take It Easy 20 years from now. There's hundreds of games that I played that I can't say that about.

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/128/take-it-easy