CalvinChess
I'm making lunch as the kids agree to play chess in the other room. 7yo smugly announces that he gets to go first because silver's more like white than gold is. 11yo has no problem with this. There's the sound of a piece moving. Then the 11yo says "My king calls in an airstrike!". 7yo replies "My king calls in an airstrike too!"
And just like that, they're playing CalvinChess.
Game 1 went well, and was a lot of fun to listen to. I wish I could remember all the moves. I do recall the protest "That's a castle! You can't take out a castle with an arrow!!" (the response was I believe to switch to using a cannon). Also, near the end, the pawns were taking over the opposition's horses and riding away on them. In response, the opposition shot their former horses. Both sides played both of those actions. Near the end it sounded a little tense so I suggested that it sounded like a draw, which suggestion both combatants accepted enthusiastically.
Game 2 never got played. They introduced a planning step, where they could each announce a new power. The arguments over the new powers were strong enough that the 7yo decided to stomp off and not play.
Lunchtime! While we ate (egg salad), I pointed out that the problem with CalvinBall is that it usually ends in fights -- after all, it always does in the comic strips. I also mentioned that I thought the problem with Game 2 is that they were trying to introduce powers that worked only for one army, that the other army couldn't use.
After lunch, they tried again. They managed to get through the initial rules discussion, but at the end of the game the 7yo introduced a tsunami, and the 11yo quite reasonably objected to the idea that it could sweep ALL his pieces off the board. He insisted on saving two, then employed a tsunami of his own, leaving two of the 7yo's pieces. 7yo decided he was done playing again.
Mommy decided it was high time the pieces got put away, and insisted both boys read an actual book after that was accomplished (fortunately, the 11yo had promised before the 3rd game to put them all away by himself, so that chore wasn't contested).
And now, 7yo has read an entire chapter book and is in a good mood listening to his Harry Potter on CD, and 11yo is still reading his book also in an apparent good mood. And I have half-an-hour to myself so I actually had enough time to type this up! :)
--TheMom
And just like that, they're playing CalvinChess.
Game 1 went well, and was a lot of fun to listen to. I wish I could remember all the moves. I do recall the protest "That's a castle! You can't take out a castle with an arrow!!" (the response was I believe to switch to using a cannon). Also, near the end, the pawns were taking over the opposition's horses and riding away on them. In response, the opposition shot their former horses. Both sides played both of those actions. Near the end it sounded a little tense so I suggested that it sounded like a draw, which suggestion both combatants accepted enthusiastically.
Game 2 never got played. They introduced a planning step, where they could each announce a new power. The arguments over the new powers were strong enough that the 7yo decided to stomp off and not play.
Lunchtime! While we ate (egg salad), I pointed out that the problem with CalvinBall is that it usually ends in fights -- after all, it always does in the comic strips. I also mentioned that I thought the problem with Game 2 is that they were trying to introduce powers that worked only for one army, that the other army couldn't use.
After lunch, they tried again. They managed to get through the initial rules discussion, but at the end of the game the 7yo introduced a tsunami, and the 11yo quite reasonably objected to the idea that it could sweep ALL his pieces off the board. He insisted on saving two, then employed a tsunami of his own, leaving two of the 7yo's pieces. 7yo decided he was done playing again.
Mommy decided it was high time the pieces got put away, and insisted both boys read an actual book after that was accomplished (fortunately, the 11yo had promised before the 3rd game to put them all away by himself, so that chore wasn't contested).
And now, 7yo has read an entire chapter book and is in a good mood listening to his Harry Potter on CD, and 11yo is still reading his book also in an apparent good mood. And I have half-an-hour to myself so I actually had enough time to type this up! :)
--TheMom