Sid Sackson (1920–2002)

This little compendium of card game rules is the work of pioneering game designer Sid Sackson. Most of these will not be found in the usual editions of Hoyle's. They are arranged regionally: Asia, Europe, more Europe, Britain, Latin America, and the US, with a final section of four original games, two of them by Sackson. The rules are all clear and playable, and there are some diagrams where needed, but most games pass without them.

Of the traditional games, I have played nearly all of the show more US games, and very few of the others. Ones I haven't played that interest me most are the French games Piquet and Ecarte, the peg-scored game of Cribbage (now enjoying something of a renaissance), and Casino, which I had heard mentioned, but never imagined to play in the way that the rules run.

Among the new games, I am not much tempted by the Sackson designs, which are both themed simulations of a sort: Card Football and Card Stock Market. But Ronald Corn's Buried Treasure is intriguing, and Claude Soucie's microgame Divide and Conquer looks even better. show less

Aug09:

A fascinating look into the mind of Americas best modern boardgaming designer. It's true that it contains rules to 30 some games, but that's not really what it's about. This is a book the gives Sid's insights into what made him a designer and how he viewed many of the current games out there.

He did include an interesting little review section on "modern" games. But sadly it was mostly just advertising space since I didn't see any of his opinions shine through.

I did discover the best game ever ! Lines of Action !

Approximately 6 games that you can play with the enclosed sheets and colored pencils. All games can be played with just one person. Some may be able to be adapted if you have more than one person playing.