Games World of Puzzles August 2020

Welcome to the August issue of GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES. At press time, much of the U.S. was still under quarantine due to COVID-19. But that hasn’t stopped gamers and puzzlers from getting their fix—often in ingenious ways. A quick flip through these pages will provide you with definitive proof that although you may be stuck at home, there are still plenty of ways to play your game(s) of choice.

You may notice that “What’s Happening,” our calendar of game conventions and tournaments, does not appear in this issue: While quarantine restrictions will eventually be lifted, large gatherings will most likely be prohibited for some time to come. In the meantime, check out “Games People Play…Online” by regular contributor Jonathan Schmalzbach (page 33). In this piece, Schmalzbach shares his favorite online sites for playing games with others, ranging from family-friendly favorites like Crazy Eights and Go Fish to more advanced fare such as Dungeons & Dragons and Catan.

Next, turn to “Lego Resources” (page 34), the third and final installment in Andrew Parr’s series of articles for Adult Fans of Lego (AFOLs). Here, he presents a variety of places AFOLs can find inspiration—books, websites, and even a YouTube series. Building with Lego is a perfect example of an activity you can do alone or with family members. Parr’s article will give you plenty of ideas to get started.

Also reflecting “the new normal” is Scott Appel’s Scrabble column, “Your Word Against Mine” (page 38). In this edition he provides resources for avid Scrabble fans whose favorite tournaments were either canceled or postponed. One notable competition that was canceled is the North American School Scrabble Championship. But in its place was born the 2020 Quarantined High School Championship Online, or QuaHSCO. Appel discusses the high points and some impressive plays from what everyone hopes will be a one-time event.

If you prefer puzzling, this issue’s Pencilwise section is packed with puzzles to keep you busy. For fans of logic and math, there’s “Strimko” (page 54) from the Grabarchuk Family and “Hiroimono” (page 64), a Japanese puzzle genre that appeared in GAMES once before, way back in 1985. Former GAMES editor in chief R. Wayne Schmittberger has brought it back with the puzzles in this issue. Word puzzle lovers will want to try “Stained Glass” (page 22), a clever crossword variant by Patrick Berry, and “3D Word Seeker” (page 49), a Boggle-like challenge from Raymond Young.
Enough from us…stay safe and healthy, and keep puzzling!