Bored Games

Not Sure How We Ended Up Here
<casts aspersions at mindset> and not sure how we ended up in this hemisphere either, especially since we were looking at paid paragliding lessons.  Which can save your life, gentle reader, when the zombies take over the plane -
     Anyway, earlier this week I had somehow made a connection with a website (Hurstwic)which dealt with the Vikings, and then some.  Art?

Viking chess.  Or something.

     Given the 1,500 year gap between what they were doing and what we are seeing, No!  we do not know how this game was played, although we do know that the Vikings were quite up to speed on chess itself.  The fact that they had a gaming culture was also evident, since being up to speed on board games was a skill held in high regard; you could be a positive berserker who accumulated skulls by the dozen, and yet be held as only just on a par as a <adds in Viking equivalent of "Settlers of Catan" or "Monopoly"**>.  If I can add-in from a source whom is far more advanced than I -

Skill at playing board games apparently was held in some esteem. In Morkinskinna (chapter 71), King Eysteinn and King Sigurðr compared their accomplishments. Sigurðr claimed he was stronger and a better swimmer. Eysteinn countered, "That is true, but I am more skilled and better at board games, and that is worth as much as your strength."

     So nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah.

Another game

     That above appears to be a Viking version of Nine Man's Morris, where you have - ah No!  Not going to be sidetracked so ...

     Actually the word "bored" ought never to be applied to Viking games, because they were a right lot for random violence whilst playing sports.  And, because you could leave the game, whatever it was, at any time, if you suffered injuries or maiming then that was your fault.  There is the case of one six-year old killing another player (axe to the head) because the latter had been playing rough in an earlier game.  The dead man's family probably got compensation but the description of the crime committed by Egill has a sense of "Tut!  That lad!  What will he do next?" about it.

     Vikings.  Play hard, play harder.

CAUTION!  A broken spine can cause mobility problems

     Okay motley, let's wrestle to see who gets to open the Jaffa cake's packet first.

Geu Dong-An-E Dwi Eseo Nongjang ...
Which is Korean for "Meanwhile, back at the ranch ..." because Surprise!  we now have an item on Korean culture.  As mentioned in passing a couple of days ago, "Ask A Korean" has put up a list of 50 of the greatest K-Pop artistes, and you know Conrad - ever inquisitive about other country's music, and now armed with Spotify Premium*.  So, to the list -
     Dongmulwan and Solid - nothing on Spotify.  I may try Youtube at a later date but if I'm paying for SP then I'm going to get some use out of it.
     Then we have Clazziquai Project, whom I posted a picture of earlier this week.  Art?

     Because I am reductive and judgemental, and have listened to a couple of their albums, I can now put CP in a field that also contains Keane (another trio), in that they are a perky lightweight pop group.  We can tolerate a certain amount of these groups, can't we?  Confusingly, they also sing in a combination of Korean and English, so one can almost get the gist of what they're saying.
     And so to Delispice.  This lot are the apis's patellas and no mistake. 

Dance, honeybee, dance!

The lads, being all moody

        They remind me of something along the lines of Stereophonics or Feeder, and they put off a positively Blue Oyster Cult vibe at times.  Listening to their album "Espresso" I liked them from the outset, plus they only sing in Korean, which is less confusing than CP, and next time I'm in Fopp will definitely be enquiring about them.  Top stuff!  Of course this sudden discovery probably means they broke up years ago - the Curse of Conrad, don't you know.

I Wasn't Raving*** 
When I mentioned "Totopoly".  I have a dim memory of a friend having this as one of his board games, which he said was far too complicated to be fun to play.  Art?

Thus

     It is a game of two halves, where you first train your horse (the upper board side in the picture) and then race it, with bundles of cash to be won or lost.

     Conrad has never had the remotest whisper of an interest in horse-racing, and thus has absolutely no interest in the game, but I had to post proof that I did not make it up, because the truth is important to me^.

"Bad City Blue"
Conrad is unsure why this item popped up in his brain, except that it did at the bus stop last night, whilst waiting for the bus, and thus here we are.  Quite where "here" might be is open to question, however.
      Okay!  BCB was a serial strip in 2000AD, where "Bad City" is a slang term for "Bader City" and "Blue" is one of the city's 'Button Men', who calls himself a trouble-shooter - if anyone causes trouble, he shoots them.  Art?

An uncompromising chap

     Gradually, Blue begins to recognise that things are not right in Bad City.  All the "A" Class citizens have vanished, the remaining population are starting to revert to savagery, 80% of this city in space is now slum and the news consists of looped reports that may have been running for years -
     It has one of the bleakest endings imaginable.  Which was good!  Not everything can be fluffy bunnies and rainbows.

Finally -
Conrad is unsure what to finish with, yet he needs a short item to help hit and surmount the Compositional Ton.
     I know - have at this -

A Lancaster being loaded with some "cookies"

     One of the RAF's Giant Flying Mallets, about to make life miserable for the opposition.
     How do we stand now? 1,060 words?  That'll do nicely.


And with that, we are out the door and down the road.


*  Watch out, world!
**  This brings to mind a game called "Totopoly" - or am I imagining things?
***  At the time
^  This is a complete and utter lie!  <the ugly truth courtesy Mister Hand>