Review of 'Amsterdam: A History of the World's Most Liberal City' by Russell Shorto

This is one of my three holiday reads, from recent holiday to Amsterdam & Paris. I started each of the three books either just before or while on holiday, but finished none of them. Holidays after all are about more than just reading. This was the last one to start, and I began (or picked up where the sample left off anyway) when in Paris the day before catching the train to Amsterdam. Part of the reason for picking it was to learn something about the history of Amsterdam to better enjoy the visit, so thought I should really start before I got there! I consequently read this straight through, and didn't put down for another book.

Anyway, on to the book. This is a narrative history book, relating the story of Amsterdam from its founding in medieval times right through to the present day. It's also an exploration of the concept of liberty, which Amsterdam has for much of its existence stood at the forefront of. If this sounds a bit high brow and technical, don't worry. While the author shares some interesting views on this, it doesn't get in the way of the main event of telling the history of Amsterdam. It just gives it a subtle extra flavour, and adds a bit of weight to the book. The story of the city it told chronologically, picking up all of the important stuff along the way, and offers us portraits of some of the most significant figure in its history. The main chunk of the book covers Amsterdam's struggle against its Spanish Catholic overlords in the 16th century, and the city's subsequent golden age in the 17th century when it was arguably the richest and most powerful city in the world. This is probably the best part of the book, but the section of Amsterdam during and either side of World War 2 is also excellent. The story of Anne Frank is of course covered, but we also get the story of another girl, Frieda Menco, who used to play with Anne and her sister, who survived the war and recently told her story to the author of this book.

The author has an insider-outsider viewpoint which I find quite useful - insider knowledge but maintaining an outside perspective to properly be able to see the bigger picture. He's an American, but has lived in Amsterdam for a number of years. He's obviously undertaken a lot of research, but also conducted in depth interviews with Amsterdamer's which really add significantly to the last part of the book.

As well as this one, his other major book which was written a few years earlier is 'The Island at the Center of the World', a brilliant narrative of history of the founding and early history of New York (originally New Amsterdam as it was founded by the Dutch). Despite covering a much wider time frame, 'Amsterdam' is a significantly smaller book in size and scope. It doesn't quite reach the heights of the author's previous work, but is still a great read.

In conclusion, this is a great book if you are looking to visit Amsterdam or interested in its history at all. There are few cities that can lay claim to the historical significance or legacy of Amsterdam, and its achievement is all the more amazing because of the short time in which it did it. The smaller stories in the book are excellent too, my favourite probably being the story about the heroics and ingenuity of Dutch resistance members during World War 2, particularly Wally Van Hall.

Really recommended, 9/10.

And Amsterdam itself? Would I recommend that as a place to visit? Well that depends. If you really like your history then definitely. It has amazing history, beautiful architecture and a lovely canal network with great boat tours. It has its seedy side too, which you can't help stumbling over from time to time (okay quite a lot really), so you'd need to not be worried about that if you were going to enjoy the city. It's got great museums, including the Amsterdam Museum which is all about the history of the city, and lots of old canal houses which you can look round.

You don't even need to go round any museums to appreciate the history though, just by walking round seeing all the old buildings will do that for you. Look out for the pictoral signs on building facades, there's lots of really interesting ones.

Final words of advice? If you are going to visit Amsterdam, be careful not to get run over by bikes - they are everywhere (they have their own dedicated cycle lanes which look a lot like pavements - be warned). Oh and take this book with you, and you'll be wowing your friends and family with fascinating tales of Amsterdam's history.

Review of "The Game" game. Erm...

Back from a great holiday to Paris and Amsterdam. While I was there I randomly came upon an excellent board gaming shop, Descartes. Of course, it wasn't ideal for me personally, as most of the games were in French and my French is somewhat sub-par. However I did pick up a copy of a great little card game called, rather unimaginatively, "The Game". Or to give it its full title: "The Game": Spiel... so lange du kannst". It has no in game text, so is language independent apart from the rules which I already knew, so snapped it up.

In case you are wondering, Spiel... so lange du kannst is German and translates as 'Game... as long as you can'. Though my copy says "le jeu n'est pas votre ami!" which I think translates as "The Game is not your friend". Which is somewhat different. Anyway...

Type of game: Co-operative card game
No. of players: 1-5
Age: 8+
Difficulty: really easy
Length of play: 20 minutes

"The Game" BGG link (you need the link otherwise you'll never find it)

This is a really simple game to play, one of those 'why didn't I think of that' games. It's also a co-op game which is interesting for a simple little card game like this. It reminds me a bit of Hanabi, purely because you are working together to put numbered cards on piles in some kind of order. It doesn't have Hanabi's twist though - in The Game you can see your own cards and no-one elses.

How to Play

The game consists of 98 numbered cards, going from 2 to 99, and four base cards. Two of the base cards start at 1 and cards played increase in number each time. The other two base cards start at 100 and you play cards in reverse numerical order. Each player gets a hand of cards, 7 with two players, 6 cards with 3+ players, and this hand gets replenished every turn.

On a players turn they have to play at least two cards, but can play more if they like (note however - when the draw deck runs out they only need to play one card)They can play on any of the piles they want, and can play on multiple piles in a turn. Each card they play must be bigger than the last card played for the piles going in ascending order, or smaller than the last card on the piles going in descending order. The only exception to this is that if you are able to you can play a card different by exactly 10 on a card to go back. For example on the ascending pile, if the last card played was 37, you either play a card greater than 37, or you can play a 27 card. Similarly, if playing on a descending pile and the last card played was 37, you would have to either play a card less than 37, or you can play a 47. This is really useful as it allows more cards to get played on a pile.

Playing the Game on the train to Amsterdam

The aim of the game is for everyone to successfully get rid of all of their cards (once the draw pile is empty your hand doesn't get replenished). Often this doesn't happen, as once someone can't play, the game ends, and then everyone adds up the number of cards in their hands, and the number of cards (if any) left in the draw pile. A score of less than 10 is good.

The trick to this game is getting the right amount of communication between players. You have to communicate with other players to co-operate in what cards to play, otherwise you'll lose badly. However too much communication will ruin the game by making it too easy. The rule is you can't mention numbers at all, but you can say things like "please don't play on that pile as I've got a good card for it", or "only go up a little bit on this pile if you can" but can't be more specific than that.



The Verdict

I really like this game. It is so simple to learn and play (after much pleading with us, we relented and taught my six year old daughter the game and she keeps asking to play it), but playing it well and winning can be really challenging especially if you stick to the minimal communication rules. If you are finding it too easy and you are winning too often, there are ways to make it harder too. It's good value for money (mine cost 12 euros), and has lots of replay value.

I've played this game with two, three and four players and it plays well with all player counts. It is an easier game with two players, communication is more complicated and with four players you can't as easily ensure no one plays on the pile you want to play on (sometimes they just have to, or ruin another pile completely). But even with two players it is a good, fun challenge.

Paris & Amsterdam, Books and (small) Board Games

Well having already mostly forgotten what work is (despite only being off 5 days so far), we're now off on holiday in the morning. First stop is Paris, then onto Amsterdam on Sunday. I think it is going to be board game-light week due to luggage constraints, though I am managing to squeeze a few small games into my bag.

Parade - A classic small card game. There's a parade of cards on the table 0 to 10 in various different colours (5 maybe?). You've got to put down a card each turn on the end of the card, but depending on what card you place you may be forced to pick up cards. The aim is not to pick up cards, but if you do, try to get the most cards in a colour to only score 1 point per card rather than the face value.

Province - This is a micro game which I kickstarted a couple of years ago. Only played once and can't really remember much at all about it, but it is tiny, so in it goes!

Fungi - A really nice card game about mushrooms for 2 players. Lovely to play, helps if you like mushrooms (or at least don't feel sick at the sight of them like some people I know).

Lost Legagy: Starship - Only played once or twice, is really small and comes in its own bag. Not supposed to be as good with two players, but we'll give it a go.

No theming there alas. I suppose I could have bought 'The Merchants of Amsterdam' (BGG rank 1021), Hotel Amsterdam (7754), The Chaps From Amsterdam (with an average rating of 3.2, probably not worth the excess baggage charge), or even 'Amsterdam' from 1973. As for Paris, there's 'Paris Connection' (rank 1014), Paris Paris (rank 2067) or Drive on Paris (rank 3365). If anyone's played any of these, let me know what they're like! As it is I'll stick to small games that fit in the bag!

As to books though, I have gone for a bit of a theme. The last book I read was a light military SF novel which was enjoyable enough, but I wanted something with a bit more substance next. So I've gone for some non-fiction history/travel books linking in to where I'm going.

First up is 'Parisians' by Graham Robb. The author has written a number of other non-fiction books, most notably 'The Discovery of France' is a book all about the French - the place, the people, the customs and lots of interesting stories. That book excluded Paris however, perhaps because he always intended this follow up book.

Parisians are a series of twenty stories (or vignettes to use a word of French origin) about famous Parisians, to narrate the story of Paris. The first story is from just before the French Revolution and continue up until recent times. Some of the stories are of famous Parisians you've actually heard of, some little known historical figures that deserve a bigger place in history. I've actually started this one, and it is already fascinating.

I've had mixed feelings about Bill Bryson in the past, there's some books that I've started but never really got into. I think the problem is that his books are a mix of informative and comic, and for me there's an ideal balance which is not always met. I don't mind erring more on the informative side, after all I enjoy reading straight travelogues too, but if the balance tips too much towards the funny at the expense of the information imparted he tends to lose me. I don't really like books that are funny but empty.

I recently read 'Down Under' though, his book on Australia, and thought it was fantastic. I learned a lot and laughed a lot throughout. So I am going to give 'Neither Here Nor There', an account of his travels through Europe ,a go. He stops in both Paris and Amsterdam (along with a lot of other places), so that fits in well with my holiday.

Finally, a history of Amsterdam. I had a choice of this book by Russell Shorto, and one by Dutch writer Geert  Mak. I opted for 'Amsterdam' by Russell Shorto, partly based on the sample first chapters I read (though both were very promising), but also because Shorto wrote one of my favourite history books, 'The Island at the Center of the World' about the early history of New York (when it was a Dutch colony known as New Amsterdam).

Amsterdam has a short but fascinating history. It is less than a thousand years old, but only several centuries after its founding was, for a while in the late 17th century, the most prominent and successful of European cities. I know relatively little about it however, so I am looking forward to learning more.



So that's what I'm taking with me. The trip isn't really about board gaming or reading of course, there won't be that much time for either. But hopefully after a long day's sightseeing there will be time to relax with a game and a book - and maybe a glass or two of wine in Paris, and a few beers in Amsterdam...

So Just Who Was Mad King Ludwig?

Following on from my review of the board game 'Castles of Mad King Ludwig' yesterday, today I'm going to have a bit of a delve into the theme and a bit of history to find out just who Mad King Ludwig was, and whether he really was mad.

Who Was Mad King Ludwig?

The eponymous mad king was in fact Ludwig II, King of Bavaria, sometimes known to history as the Swan King or the Fairy Tale King. He succeeded to the throne when he was only 18, after the death of his father (as an interesting aside for board gamers, as a young man his aide-de-camp and close personal friend was Prince Paul, a member of Bavaria's wealthy Thurn Und Taxis family. But that is for another time).

When Ludwig ascended the throne in 1864, he really wasn't ready for high office and simply wasn't interested in politics or affairs of state, much preferring his passions for art, architecture and music. He was a longtime friend and patron of Richard Wagner, the famous composer most known for his epic Ring Cycle. It is thought by many that without the support of Ludwig, Wagner would never have been the success he was.

Before we get on to Castles, a brief history lesson. At the time Ludwig became king, Bavaria was a separate independent kingdom, but not for long. Bavaria became embroiled in the Austro-Prussian war in 1866, unfortunately picking the wrong side. Bavaria sided with Austria, but when they were defeated, Bavaria had to sign a mutual defence treaty with Prussia which effectively meant Bavaria was under Prussian control. In 1870 after another war (the Franco-Prussian war), Bismark set about completing the unification of Germany. He gave certain financial inducements for King Ludwig to sign the Kaiserbrief, a letter endorsing the creation of the German Empire. Bavaria thus became a part of the German Empire which, while Bavaria was left with a certain degree of autonomy, left Ludwig free to pursue his favourite hobby - building Castles!

Neuschwanstein

The most famous of Ludwig's Castles was Schloss Neuschwanstein, a Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hilltop, overlooking Ludwig's childhood home of Hohenschwangau. 

Like Ludwig's other projects, Neuschwanstein was paid for from his personal fortune (as well as a few loans!), and Ludwig oversaw every little detail of the design and construction. It was built to be decorative rather than functional and was inspired by the works of Ludwig's friend Richard Wagner. It was supposed to have more than 200 rooms, but only 15 of them were ever finished, including the 'Hall of the Singers', The Throne Hall. The Bedroom and the Study Room.

Since Ludwig's death, the castle has been an extremely popular tourist attraction, with over 60 million people having visited it to date. It was also the inspiration for Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Linderhof Palace

Linderhof is the smallest of Ludwig's castles, and is the only one he lived to see finished. It took as its inspiration Versailles, the Palace of the French Sun King, Louis IVX (who Ludwig idolized). There were only four rooms of any significance: The Hall of Mirrors, The East and West Tapestry Chambers and the Audience Room (in which Ludwig never had an audience).

Herrenchiemsee

Herrenchiemsee was a Benedictine abbey which was created in the year 765. It was eventually purchased by Ludwig and turned into a royal residence known as the Old Palace. Not content with that though, Ludwig also built Herrenchiemsee Palace, which became known as the New Palace. It was never finished, but it took inspiration from, and was a partial replica of, the Palace of Versailles in France.

Ludwig's Death

Despite the fact he never used public funds for any of his building projects, Ludwig was extremely unpopular with his ministers, perhaps because he wasn't interested in governing, or because he was in a lot of debt after borrowing money from many of the royal families of Europe. His ministers sought to depose him, and did so by accumulating evidence that he was in fact insane and not fit to rule. The conspirators then approached Bismark with their 'findings' which he likened to "rakings from the King's waste-paper baskets and cupboards", but didn't actually do anything to stop them.

Only three days after he was deposed, Ludwig was out taking a walk in the grounds of Berg Castle where he had been taken, with a Doctor Gudden (one of the doctors who declared him insane). Neither of them were seen alive again, and their bodies were later found in a lake in the grounds). The doctor showed signs he had been strangled but there was nothing to suggest how Ludwig died. The mystery of Ludwig's death has not been solved to this day.

So Was King Ludwig really mad?

At the fact the time, no one really refuted Ludwig's insanity, but since them historians have considered the case in more detail and many have concluded that the evidence was largely fabricated. The records of the case were even studied by psychiatrists, and findings published in the journal 'History of Psychiatry' concluded he wasn't insane, only eccentric.

How Closely Has the Game Stuck to the Theme?

The game doesn't really have anything much to do with Ludwig himself, but in one sense it has stuck closely to the theme. The artwork on the box is of (or closely resembles) Ludwig's masterpiece, Neuschwanstein. The rambling nature and strange configuration of rooms which players end up creating in the game somehow fits well with the eccentricity of Ludwig as well.


The game sticks closely to the theme in the type of rooms which are in Ludwig's castles, or would have been if he had been able to finish them. In particular there are some specific rooms featured in the game which are taken directly from Ludwig's Castles, including the Tapestry Rooms, the Audience Chamber and the Singer's Chamber.

Overall, a great theme for a great game.

Castles of Mad King Ludwig review

Today I'm going to review one of my favourite games at the moment, 'The Castles of Mad King Ludwig'. First some details.

Publisher: Bezier Games
Designer: Ted Alspach
Age: 10+
Number of players: 1-4
BGG rank: 52
Length: 1-2 hours (two player can be played in an hour)
Difficulty: Easy-medium




What's it all about?

The game is all about designing your own crazy castle. You start off with an octagonal entrance foyer, and from there you buy rooms, corridors and stairs to add on to your castle. You are seeking to beat your fellow players to some shared goals, as well as working towards your own secret goals, both of which earn you victory points. You also earn victory points whenever you put down rooms.

How Do You Play?

Game Board - The Master Builder Chooses the cost of available rooms

Every round, each player gets the opportunity to buy a room and add it to their castle (or take money if they prefer). One of the neat things about the game is that each round, a different player gets to be the Master Builder, and set the price of the rooms available to buy. When the other players buy a room, they pay the Master Builder, thus earning him or her an income. The Master Builder still has to pay if they buy a room, but they pay the bank. So the Master Builder has to weigh up how to price the different rooms. They might want to make a room they really want cheap, but not too cheap that other players buy it first (they have to buy last after all other players have gone).

Here's a close up of one of the rooms

Players usually only to buy one room per round, which must be placed immediately, and a room cannot be changed once it is placed (fairly obviously, rooms aren't usually portable!). Each room scores a certain number of points when played, plus additional points are scored depending on the rooms adjacent to it. This usually fits in well with the theme, so that the Master Bedroom will score negative points if it is situated next to the Singer's chamber or the Lute room for instance.

Here's my castle at the end of a recent game

As well as scoring points, players can earn bonus for completing a room - linking all doorways with other rooms or corridors. Different room types have different bonuses, like having another turn, getting money, earning extra victory points etc.

So What's the Verdict?

As I think I've already said, I like this game a lot. It's a really easy game to learn, but there's a lot of strategy with players having to weigh up quite a few different factors. Despite this though, play is quite quick with very little downtime in choosing what to do, even for AP players (Analysis Paralysis). I haven't played the solo variant but it is excellent with 2, 3 or 4 players. In my opinion it is just as good with 2 players as with 4, which isn't the case for a lot of games. The only slightly tricky bit is making sure you keep up with the scoring and don't miss points.

As well as actual game play, there's a lot of fun to be had with the theme, which is present throughout. Several times we've played we've had a good laugh at the unusual combination of rooms we've built in our castles, and what the inhabitants might be getting up to!

If you've played the designer's previous game, Suburbia, you might be wondering how this compares. Well I've played both, but much prefer this game. It's easier to play and a lot less confusing, as you are building your own castle rather than contributing to one joint suburbs. In Castles you really get a feeling of satisfaction with your own creation that just isn't there in Suburbia. I also think the theme is much better, as is the artwork.

Compenents - 4/5
Ease of play - 4/5
Theme - 5/5
Replayability 5/5

Overall: 5/5

A very enjoyable, light strategy game that's easy to learn with tons of replay value.

So that's my review. Tomorrow however I'm going to try something a bit different as I delve a bit into the background to the theme of the game (now available - click here). Who was Mad King Ludwig? Was her really mad? What strange, crazy castles did he build?

Top 10 'Missed Out On' Games I Need to Play

I've played several games for the first time recently, only for a board gaming friend of mine to remark 'What, you haven't played that yet?' These are games that a lot of members of my game group have played multiple times but I've either not been there or playing a different game. I realise there's quite a lot of these, so here's my top 10 'Missed Out On' games I need to play. I'm deliberately not including really new games, just games that are at least a year old.

1. Trajan - I'm quite a fan of Stefan Feld games and have now played a few, but of his major games Trajan, ranked 38 on Board Game Geek, is a notable omission. 
   
2. El Grande - This is something of a grand-daddy of modern strategy board games, dating back to 1995 from one of Germany's first professional games designers, Wolfgang Kramer (he co-designed Colosseum which is a game I really enjoy). In the game you play a Spanish lord drafting in your knights (or Caballero's as they are known in Spain) to help you control areas of the board.
3. Claustrophobia - A decent two player dungeon crawler. I really need to get this, especially as my wife really loves dungeon crawlers (thanks to the Diablo series of computer games).
4. Railways of the World/Steam - I'm including these both together even though they are separate games but both train games. I always used to want to build model railways as a child, now I've moved on to wanting to build railroads in games. Both games by Martin Wallace, Railways of the World is the simpler game I think.
5. Lancaster - Given I live in Lancaster, I really should have played this game, particular as it has been a popular one that has been brought to club nights many times. Set in 1413, it's Area Control/Worker Placement and players take the role of powerful noblemen, vying to be the King's right hand man. 
   
6. Euphoria - Everyone seems to talk about how this is a fantastic game, but I've not played it. It's a worker placement game where your dice are workers, and it is set in a dystopian future, but I don't know much more than that about it.
7. Twilight Struggle - It's the number one game on Board Game Geek and has been for a while. It's a strategic two player game about the Cold War. Why have I not played this yet?
8. Firefly: The Game - We love Firefly, and this game seems quite true to the series - travel round the galaxy, hiring crew, picking up cargo etc. Must play.
9. Terra Mystica - This is number two on Board Game Geek, and is an epic civilisation building game in a fantasy landscape, featuring 14 different races in seven landscapes. This seems exactly my sort of game.
10. Bora Bora - Apologies for putting two Stefan Feld games on this list, but I really do like his games and this is supposed to be one of his best. It was had the chance to get it on sale for £20 a while back, I really should have picked it up then.

What games have you missed out on playing so far?

The Human Story

What I'm Reading: The Penguin History of the World (33% through)
What I'm Watching - Castle Series 7
What's Cooking? - Paprika Beef & Sweet Potato Pie

I've always found it hard to reconcile the different interests I have, and nowhere is this more pronounced than it what I choose to read. My tastes shift from time to time and in any given week are influenced by how busy or stressed I am, but can be just about anything (excluding celebrity biographies and Mills & Boon perhaps!). On the fiction side I usually prefer science fiction, some historical fiction, and the occasional bit of contemporary veering towards literary fiction. On the non-fiction side it tends to be history, science, travel and a few other odds and sods.

The biggest contrast I always think is between history (-fiction) and science (-fiction), particularly when these sum up the core of what I like to read. Then it finally occurred to me the other day that they are far more similar than you might think. What links them, and what I love about both of them, is the idea of what I think of as The Human Story. History is all about what we humans got up to in the past, how we got where we are today. When you stop to think about it, the story is frankly an incredible and wondrous one in such a short fraction of a second in geological or cosmic time. Science, and especially science fiction, is forward looking and asks how might the human story continue in the centuries and millennia ahead? Thinking about this is every bit as exciting and wondrous as the story of how we got where we are today.

Well my reading tastes have - for now at least - shifted a little back to history (though one of the books I'm so looking forward to coming out this month is a science fiction one- more on that later). A visit to a museum recently gave me a hankering for history again. I started 'A History of the World in Bite Sized Chunks', but it was far too bite-size and not meaty enough for what I wanted, so I instead picked up 'The Penguin History of the World 6th edition' by J.M. Roberts and Odd Arne Westad. At well over 1,000 pages it is quite a read, but at least I've got it on Kindle to save me lugging all that paper around. History is so full of great stories, and I hope to share some of them with you soon.

A couple of books I'm looking forward to this month couldn't be more different from each other (and the book I'm reading):

'Go Set a Watchman' by Harper Lee - One of my favourite ever books is 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee. I think it helped that I read it as an adult and not at school, as most people who read it school didn't seem to appreciate it. It is one of great classics of the 20th Century, set in the 1930s Deep South and dealing with racism that was endemic in the American South at that time. It is the only book published by the author... until now. More than half a century later, she is releasing 'Go Set a Watchman' which is a kind of sequel, although it was actually written before To Kill a Mockingbird, and deals with the child characters Scout and Jem as adults. The book is published on 14 July.

'Armada' by Ernest Cline. A couple of years ago I read 'Ready Player One', Cline's first book and absolutely loved it. It was science fiction, and also a 1980s nostalgia fest. I've never read anything like it before. Well now he's written another one 'Armada'. This book is about a science fiction geek who really wishes he could help save the world like he does in computer games. Only now an alien fleet has arrived in orbit and needs his (and other people's) help to save the Earth. This one comes out two days after 'Go Set a Watchman' so I'm going to have a busy time reading! I'd also better get cracking on The History of the World, as I've still got about 800 pages to go...

Lastly for now, I've started a new feature on my blog, What I'm.... to let any blog readers out there what I'm upto, whether that's what I'm reading, listening to, watching, drinking. Will vary it depending on what I'm doing. And while I'm only an occasional cook, I did cook Paprika Beef & Sweet Potato Pie, a Pampered Chef recipe, and it was yum!