Creature Castle: Good Enough to Hang

 I reckon this is one of the best looking creepy board game boxes ever, from 1975, Creature Castle. 

I'd frame it for on my wall. Alas, I sold my example years ago. 

Can you think of a better box top?

A Halloween hoot. 

What would you play?

Anyone for Kensington?

 I'm puzzled about this.

The release date of Kensington was 1979 but I could have sworn I saw it one Christmas at home in the mid-1970's.

I must be getting mixed up. I even thought it was an LP until my older Sister said it was a board game. 

It's not one I've ever played.

You?

Das Spiel: Games in Germany

 Our month away in Germany is up.

Es ist vorbei.

On our way home, a few more reflections about games here in our friend's home.

Interestingly there's aln old Star Wars boxed board game, the Escape from the Darth Star one. It's a re-issue - I think there's an old version? - this one being dated 2018 Hasbro. From the price tag It's second hand, probably from Diakonie. I may well have bought this on a previous trip and forgotten it. It's staying here though, there's a new generation of fans in the house and besides, the exclusive retro Moff Tarkin carded figure is missing. Was it exclusive? Do you know the 2018 figure?

Another game here in the shelf was a bit of a light bulb moment for me. On Saturday I bought what I thought was an old metal footballer figure. Discovering the game at our friend's house I realised it's from a table football game called Tipp Kick and may not be old at all. Then again Tipp Kick may have been around for years? Anyone know?

Here's the modern game. My battered figure has yet to be photographed. He's retired. 

I love the goalie, with it's clever wire twisting buttons for diving left and right!

Finally, a card game I found lurking on a cupboard top. Dutch Blitz. I thought it was Dutch but it's American. A new one on me. You?

Ronin round the Boards

 Backpacking isn't conducive to toy collecting unless it's tiny stuff.

I did manage to shove a gorgeous 1960's Pippi Longstocking jigsaw in my rucksack, a bargain at 3 Euro.

I wanted to get an old board game called Shogun but the Japanese Emperor was way too big.

The Missus recognized it immediately and played it a lot on the floor as a teenager.

I actually had it mixed up with another board game I used to find at car boots in Blighty called Samurai.

I remember it because it contained really neat plastic mini Samurai Warriors as the playing pieces. Better than those boring magnetic squares in Shogun 😂

Did you have either of these or any other Samurai collectables?

O Ráio Laser: The Rays in Spain

I love the box art on this Estrela made board game, o raio Laser, which I guess means Laser Beam.

The game itself looks pretty basic but the art is where it's happening. A space jet, a Gemini and a flower pot laser canon.

Do you like?

Thunderingballs!

Hello Moonbasers, my pal Arnum is always mooching around Auction Halls and he's picked up some bargains over the years..

A case in point is this vintage James Bond board game. It's actually a very clever game, as it requires deductive reasoning as well as the element of chance.

As an agent, you have to collect clues that can reveal where the stolen atomic bombs are hidden.

The only thing missing from the game is booze and dames -so I set about fixing that!

I've added girl and drugged Martini hazard spaces and modified the rules accordingly.

I also reprinted the original Secret 007 Notebook page, to more closely resemble the paperwork seen in the film!

" Oh, the things I do for England! "

Looey

Oz Base

Black Hole Invaders

Another game new to me is this Black Hole Invaders.

I like the box art but they missed a trick with simple tiddlywink playing parts.

Anyone know this game?

Pony Space Race

I like the look of this Dutch space game, Space Race.

Beautiful graphics and little rocket playing pieces. 

Looks like the maker is Pony. You like?

Big Jim's Board

I've seen Action Man board games but not Big Jim's. This looks Italian or Spanish, SOS Emergenza.

Do any of you know Big Jim?

Z-Cars, Bottle tops and Höfner

Wandering round Oakham Museum in Rutland I spotted these old games.

Z-Cars was a great TV show. Don't think I had the game but I had the annual.

Did you?

They also had milk bottle tops! Remember those!

Out and about last night there I spotted a gorgeous electric guitar, another area I'd collect if I was rich.

A Höfner Colorama from 1961.

This is what it would it would look like in daylight! (Seen online in another shop).

Wow!

Italian Space Board Games

 Awhile back Looey reminisced about an Italian tin moon surface board game he had as a kid and couldn't find online. I've looked too and no luck yet, but I did find a whole flotilla of other vintage space games from L'Italia. See what you think.

Streets Ahead

Another news item today was the erection of a blue plaque on the house of the chap that invented Cluedo, one Anthony Pratt.

Interestingly the clip explained that Mr. Pratt was inspired to develop something by a neighbour who had invented the Buccaneer board game ten years earlier!

Small world! 

Do you or did you play either of these games readers?

Flight at the Museum

There is an interesting old board 

game called Sputnik I saw on a Museum's superb site about German space board games. I love its plastic rockets! They remind me of a project SWORD Probe Force 3! 

Is it a game you know readers?

You can check out the games site here

 https://www.wirtschaftswundermuseum.de/weltraumspiele.html

What do you think?

Invasores!

 This space game looks

 interesting!

The box art space gun is fantastic!

The plastic canons themselves are less so, but it's an interesting idea.

It comes with a neat grid board.

Not sure of the rules. You?

Game On!

Seeing this German board game, ÖL,  on one of my Kleinanzeigen searches reminded me how I used to collect vintage board games for the beautiful box art like this.

Always arresting and high quality, board game box art was fabulous in the Sixties and Seventies, standards which took these games around the globe. I guess you could call it boomer box art, when everything was still an adventure.

Here's the UK and Finnish versions, OIL and ÖLJY.

Other fantastic boxes I've found over the years include these Waddingtons beauties, all good enough to hang on a wall:

Do you have some favourite board game box art readers?