alex_doppelganger - Network

Regarding the blog posts: their main target is the Romanian public. Unfortunately the posts are many and in long-form so it's pretty...

Regarding the blog posts: their main target is the Romanian public. Unfortunately the posts are many and in long-form so it's pretty daunting to translate them manually. However, I've managed to get the Google Translate plug-in to work and you can translate them into English, French, Italian, Spanish, German or Dutch. Fortunately, at least when it comes to translating into English, it does a pretty good job and it should get across at least the general idea of the post. Hope you enjoy it. (2/2)

This evening Phil Eklund's crowning achievement (or at least one of them) is back on the table! High Frontier 4 All is a complex,...

This evening Phil Eklund's crowning achievement (or at least one of them) is back on the table! High Frontier 4 All is a complex, complicated, pretty long to play game, with a steep learning curve. But it's extraordinary! A "realistic space exploration in a box". Why do I love it so much? I wrote about it a few months ago on my website:

🟢 https://alexdoppelganger.com/high-frontier/ 🟢

❗ (1/2) ❗

#HF4A #HighFrontier4All #HighFrontier #BoardGames #Space #Universe #SpaceExploration #NASA #SpaceX #JAXA #Mars #Cosmos

Google Photos reminded me that the last time I played Lords of Waterdeep was 7 years ago. Now that's a long time, but not longer than...

Google Photos reminded me that the last time I played Lords of Waterdeep was 7 years ago. Now that's a long time, but not longer than the last time I played Catan.

Anyway, I still consider Lords of Waterdeep a very good worker placement, and I always enjoyed it, but I have other games with themes that interest me more, such as Viticulture or Uwe Rosenberg's games. It's simple and quite fun. Better get it back on the table.

#BoardGames #LordsOfWaterdeep #WorkerPlacement #Memories

❤️ Over time, the French people occasionally changed the portrait and meaning of the Queen of Hearts, but those were exceptions. Judith...

❤️ Over time, the French people occasionally changed the portrait and meaning of the Queen of Hearts, but those were exceptions. Judith remained the rule. (6/6)

❤️ This can be seen in works such as the painting "Judith Beheading Holofernes" by Caravaggio. It is a rather violent story,...

❤️ This can be seen in works such as the painting "Judith Beheading Holofernes" by Caravaggio. It is a rather violent story, featuring an incredibly bold and courageous woman, with a touch of romance. Just like today, people back then enjoyed such stories. But why is she on the Queen of Hearts card? What does she have to do with love? Because the heart symbolized courage, and at that time Judith was considered to be the most courageous woman in history. (5/6)

❤️ Holofernes was the general of the Assyrians, enemies and oppressors of the Jews. One night, Judith entered his tent with her faithful...

❤️ Holofernes was the general of the Assyrians, enemies and oppressors of the Jews. One night, Judith entered his tent with her faithful servant and beheaded him. With their leader lost, the Assyrians fell into disarray and fled, thus allowing Judith to save the Jewish people. Although she is an unfamiliar figure to most of us today, during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, she was a favorite subject among writers, painters, sculptors, and artists of all kinds. (4/6)

❤️ According to W. Gurney Benham in "Playing Cards - History of the Pack and Explanations of its Many Secrets", this practice...

❤️ According to W. Gurney Benham in "Playing Cards - History of the Pack and Explanations of its Many Secrets", this practice appears to have been borrowed from the trumps of the Tarot deck. The Queen of Hearts is particularly interesting because she does not represent a historical queen but rather a biblical character from the apocryphal Book of Judith: Judith herself. She was a Jewish widow who, in short, gained the trust of Holofernes. (3/6)

❤️ Several centuries ago, when the French adopted playing cards from other cultures, they simplified the deck, making certain...

❤️ Several centuries ago, when the French adopted playing cards from other cultures, they simplified the deck, making certain improvements. One of these changes was bringing the Queen back into the deck and assigning names and meanings to the "court cards" (Jacks, Knights, Queens, and Kings). Thus, each of these cards represented a historical or mythological figure, bearing either a portrait or simply a name. (2/6)

🟢 What’s the connection between the Bible and games like Spades or Poker? 🟢❤️ Since the XVth century, playing cards in Europe...

🟢 What’s the connection between the Bible and games like Spades or Poker? 🟢

❤️ Since the XVth century, playing cards in Europe have been divided into several types, mainly with Italian, Spanish, German, and French suits, each with its own particularities. The deck with French suits is what we now call the "standard deck" that you find everywhere (hearts, spades, diamonds, clubs). (1/6)

#PlayingCards #History #Culture #PlayingCardsLore #BoardGames #CardGames #Judith #QueenOfHearts

One of the pressing problems discussed in this issue (presented on the cover as well) is the year 1910's country budget, how it will be...

One of the pressing problems discussed in this issue (presented on the cover as well) is the year 1910's country budget, how it will be spent and how will the politicians profit from it, especially that it was so low at that time. On the cover the joke is that a Romanian politician goes to the Pope to ask for a blessing to receive a bigger budget so he can also get his hand on a part of it. Like politicians do. (2/2)

This is definitely one of my most prized possessions. It's a Romanian satirical newspaper called "Furnica" ("The...

This is definitely one of my most prized possessions. It's a Romanian satirical newspaper called "Furnica" ("The Ant") from January 1910.

I love this because it's a very good reflection of the people's problems from over 100 years ago and it shows that they were exactly like us. Nothing's really changed. This is 3 years after the Romanian Peasants Revolt of 1907 (an important event in Romanian history) and 4 years before WWI. (1/2)

#History #culture #Romania #worldwar1 #oldnewspapers

Hey, girl, let's open a bottle of wine and play...uh, a board game...about wine. And grapes!Viticulture is by far one of the coziest...

Hey, girl, let's open a bottle of wine and play...uh, a board game...about wine. And grapes!

Viticulture is by far one of the coziest board games around. If you've already played a few board games in your life, you can confidently add the Tuscany expansion. And some wine! I know it's a cliché, but there's a reason for it.

What are your favorite cozy board games?

#Viticulture #StonemaierGames #Tuscany #BoardGames #FamilyBoardGames #CozyBoardGames #ViticultureEssentialEdition

In "Libro de Juegos" there are also described some of the most popular gambling games in the Middle Ages, like Zara (a dice game)...

In "Libro de Juegos" there are also described some of the most popular gambling games in the Middle Ages, like Zara (a dice game) and Alquerque de Tres (a medieval version of Tic-Tac-Toe). (3/3)

This is also the earliest known work where these three types of games are described, and they are mainly discussed from an astronomical and...

This is also the earliest known work where these three types of games are described, and they are mainly discussed from an astronomical and astrological point of view.

Also, in "Libro de Juegos" the main focus is on chess, the work including over 100 exercises and variants of this game. "Ajedrex de los quatro tiempos" ("chess of the four seasons") is one of those variants and it was played between 4 people, representing a conflict between the 4 seasons and the 3 humours. (2/3)

In the second half of the XIIIth Century, Alfonso X of Castille, Galicia and Leon, a great admirer of board games, comissioned the creation...

In the second half of the XIIIth Century, Alfonso X of Castille, Galicia and Leon, a great admirer of board games, comissioned the creation of "Libro de los Juegos" ("The Book of Games"). This work was finished in 1283 and is basically a compendium of games played in the Middle Ages; mainly about three types of games: one of skill (chess), one of luck (dice games) and one that combines both of these (backgammon). (1/3)

#BoardGames #Backgammon #chess #dice #GameStudies #history #culture

Hello! My name is Alex Doppelgänger and I'm passionate about #science, #culture, #history and #boardgames. In my spare time I write on...

Hello!

My name is Alex Doppelgänger and I'm passionate about #science, #culture, #history and #boardgames.
In my spare time I write on my personal website and on Substack (in Romanian) about board games and their role in the development of culture, history and society.

Pleased to meet you!

#Introduction #BoardGames #GameStudy