A Railroad in the Wilderness

Howdy!

Well, I was having some technical difficulties with Blogger, but it seems to be fixed now, so we'll take a look at this week's subject!

I have a couple of books about a Walt Disney World subject that I knew almost nothing about...the Fort Wilderness train! Now, I've been to WDW many times, but I've never visited the Fort Wilderness camp grounds. Even if I had, these trains have been gone a long time. So why would I buy books about a subject I didn't even know existed? I didn't.

You see, a few years ago Dave (of Daveland Blog) had a drawing for these books. I entered..and won! Here's what he sent me...

We'll get to the second one in a minute.

This book, written by David Leaphart is an in depth (and I mean really deep) look at the short-lived Fort Wilderness Railroad. It is arranged creatively, like a production. Here is the table of contents...

The "scenes" have a "list of players" too. I didn't really understand the point to all of that, but there is some really interesting info in the book, including this map of Marceline Mo. with Walt's places marked on it...

There are also these arial view maps of the WDW railroads...

Now this book has details. LOTS of details. In fact, it probably is the most detailed book I've seen written on any of the WDW railroads. Want to know the track dimensions? No problem!

Want to know how all the fiddly-bits on the engines went together? We got you!

How about building a model of the train? You'll need dimensions for that! Ok, here you go!

And what about the paint and graphics? No problemo!

Now there is actually a lot more stuff in the book, including first person stories and such. In fact, there's so much stuff that all the images just wouldn't fit. So, he gives you the second book, the "Gallery Companion!"

In it (along with a bunch of regular pictures) we find Faux-D images of the train and tracks!

And, in fact, when I was looking to see if this 2010 book was still in print (you can still get it on Amazon), I found that there's a THIRD book that covers signage and graphics! I don't have that one.

So, what's my take on these treasure troves of info? Well, for me, they're a bit...much, but I can see how a total railroad nut would love them! I do like the graphic and paint charts quite a bit. And the stories are nice, if a bit sparce. I do appreciate Dave sending them to my library!

Interestingly, even though these books are labled "Part 1," I don't see any indications that there is a "Part 2" out there. Maybe I just haven't found it yet. Still, for me, these are plenty!

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

Clue- The Final Chapter

 Well boys and girls, we are at the end of my Clue collection (feel free to wipe your tearful eyes...I'll wait...) This week we go off the deep end a bit to collect the odds and ends (mainly odds) that don't really fit anywhere else. Let's dive right in, shall we?

U.S.A. Opoly is a company that makes different versions of classic games with new themes, under liscense from Hasbro (who now owns Parker Brothers.) As can be deduced from their name, they do Monopoly. But they also do other games such as...Clue!

Our first example is probably one of the most thematically fitting. The Alfred Hitchcock version!

The game is printed in "vintage film" black and white...

The back lays out the general concept. If only there were an actual studio where the sets were preserved! I like how they tie everything into the movies.

The board is interesting, although I was expecting Mother's Room from Psycho rather than the Bates Motel room. Of course the motel room makes more sense for a murder.

The cards remind you of what movie everything is from...

And although the player pawns are standard plastic pieces, the murder weapons are rather nicely done. I also like the clear die.

Here are the official rules. Gameplay is exactly like the original. The new setting and pieces actually do give it a new feel, though...

And if, at any time, you forget what movie you're dealing with, the note pad has you covered...

Ok, I think that version is very appropriate to the game, and slightly sophisticated. But what if you want to lighten up things a bit? Well, grab a bowl of cerial some Saturday morning and dial up this next version!

Yep! Scooby and the gang are here to solve a new mystery! The back of the box gives us the general idea of what we're doing here. There is no murder in this version (it's a kids' cartoon, after all) but, rather, someone gets grabbed. 

I like that the board is set up like a haunted house. The only other version that does that is the Haunted Mansion version.

The characters and weapons are right out of the cartoon. I'm pretty sure they're based on real episodes, but I never was an avid Scooby watcher, so don't quote me on that. This version does step up by having diecast character pieces.

Here are the official instructions. Again, just like the original.

The idea here is a little goofy, but at least the show is about solving mysteries, and you are in a haunted house.

But what if you want to say, "The heck with all of that! Let's get really silly!" Well, we got you!

Yep! Homer and the gang are here to solve a mystery! And there actually IS a murder in this version! You can read about it on the back of the box.

The board is a pretty good representation of various Springfield landmarks, which is fun.

Once again the weapons and characters are cast in metal very well. 

One interesting detail is that the die in this version is yellow- just like the citizens of Springfield!

Here are the official instructions. Again, just like the original game.

The Simpsons version is fun because it in no way tries to be serious or atmospheric. It wins on pure silliness!

Well, that's it. That is all the boxed Clue games that I have (remember I already wrote about the Haunted Mansion version). What's that? You still want more???

Well......okay.

How about the traditional game...for home computer???

Yep! Now you can wander the halls of Boddy Mansion and try to solve his murder all on your computer screen! Providing you have a machine that still runs Windows 98.

How is it? Well, it's actually really good! Here is a great run-down of it that I found on You Tube. It's really worth a look...

Clue PC Game Review

I need to get one of my old PCs up and running so I can play this again!

But wait.... What if you don't want to actually play the game, but you want to just watch it??? No problem!!!

That's right! It's Clue- The Movie! This film is hillarious, in my opinion. This was the movie that I went to the sneak preview for and they gave us all free Clue games!

It has an A+ comedic cast, and was written in an British comedy style (think rapid banter and witty dialog) that really fits the game!

And what can you eat while you watch your movie? Boring old popcorn? Nope!!! May I offer...

Yes, you can munch on little murder weapons while watching the murders on the screen! Now, to be honest, I wouldn't actually eat these, since I've had them for over twenty years, but the thought is nice.

So there you have it! My entire crazy Clue collection! 

And on game night, you better watch out...because I actually am very good at the game...   ;-)

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

As the Clue Evolves...

 In the seemingly never ending Saga of the Clue Games, actually forgot that I had these, which would have meant that this week would have been the last week. Alas, when I went to the game room to get those last games, these were staring me in the face. Well, here we go then!

In 1988 Parker Brothers decided that Clue needed an update. Their solution was to add extra...well...everything! So, in celebration of "more is more," we have Clue, Master Detective!

The back of the box gives you a good overview of the extras included in this game.

The board has the typical rooms, plus additional ones! The Gazebo, Fountain, Courtyard, and Carraige House bring the number of places the murder could have happened to twelve! 

And what do we have here? New suspects and weapons! The four new suspects are Mme Rose, Sgt. Gray, M. Brunette, and Miss Peach. The new weapons are the Poison (as seen in the 50th Anniversary edition) and an apparently unlucky horseshoe. By the way, the weapons tokens are a bit larger than normal, cast in a bronze-like metal, and have great detail! The new characters are...wood. 

You might want to take some time to read the booklet that holds the instructions, since it has quite a few trivia facts about our favorite boardgame, including characters' names from around the world!

The cards are pretty straightforward...

The game is played exactly like it always has, except for the additional stuff. It can make for a slightly longer game, but it's fun! 

But in 2003 Parker Brothers introduced a version of Clue that kicked all the rest to the curb. Gone is the die and spaces. Gone are all the rooms, gone is...well just about everything about the gameplay. And then they introduced an electronic butler to control everything. The result was Clue FX.

It comes in a large, sleek blue foiled box with modern graphics. As far as the gameplay goes, I'll let the Boardgame Geek website describe it... 

The body of Miles Meadow-Brook, John Boddy's trusted attorney has just been found, and it's up to you to find out who did it...where...and with what weapon!

The Butler will help narrate your mystery and keep track of every move you make! When he calls out your turn, move your pawn and click on one of nine different locations to search for clues. Did it happen in the Swimming Pool or the Garden? The Tennis Courts or the Garage?

Search the grounds for your favorite CLUE suspects such as Miss Scarlet and Colonel Mustard and pick up additional hints. Perhaps they'll be able to show you that it wasn't the Garden Shears or the Horseshoe that was used in the crime...Keep track of the clues you find to help you solve the Meadow-Brook Mystery!

The board is large and even a bit 3D. There are no rooms, only areas. 

The electronic butler is controlled by these bushes (I know, that's a little weird)

The batteries (3 AA size) go in the back, next to the "on/off" switch.

The notepads look high tech as well...

Here are the four player characters. Note that they are NOT suspects! You have all the old regular characters for that roll.  The sculpts on these plastic pieces is actually pretty nice.

And here are the people you can "question." Their answers come in the forms of cards in their individual envelopes.

At least the solution envelope is pretty much the same...

And here we have all the new weapons, suspects, and areas. Note that you don't actually get tokens for these weapons and suspects. I think that's a downside to this version. 

The instructions...

As you can see, it's a little involved. It's not a bad game, overall, but I'm not sure that I would call it a real Clue game. There's just too much that is very different.

Another quibble I have is that although the game is set before the classic Clue game (Mr. Boddy is still alive throughout this game) the graphics seem far too modern. I think they went overboard with the whole wizz-bang electronic angle, and completely forgot the heart and soul of the original.

That being said, it's good for what it is, and it plays easier than you would think. 

Well, that's it for this week! Next week is REALLY our final Clue post! Of course, it IS going to get a little weird....

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!