"Welcome to the Luxchine"
Are you tired of all those uber violent First Person Shooters? Do you need a break from Real Time Strategy? Is the PK crew driving you nuts in that Massivly Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game? Does online poker just not have the same fascination that it once did? Are you longing for the good old days of your favorite board games from when you were a child? Have you been seeking that perfect game to play while the boss is in the other room trying to fix the Xerox machine?
If you answered yes to any of these questions (or if you think I'm insane, which is more likely) I have the perfect game for you.
What is this wonder of modern ingenuity and technology that will eliminate that computer gaming funk your in you ask? It is none other than LUX!
Ok, I see those horribly confused expressions out there. And I can here you saying "Lux? Lux is the cure to my gaming funk? Are you insane? What in the love of Pete is a Lux?"
Well, those are all very fine questions, and here are some answers for you.
Ok, so Lux may not actually be the greatest game ever created, but it is my current computer game addiction. Lux is Risk. But it's not just Risk, it's Risk++. Lux can be played on your computer, or your friend's computer, or even your boss' computer (though wait till your boss is fiddling with the Xerox machine). Lux can be played solo against the computer, or, should you be blessed with a connection to that modern marvel, the Internet, you can play against actual living beings (Turing test not included).
"You sunk my battle-Lux"
Lux can be played on the traditional Risk board… well a computer representation of the traditional Risk board. Or, it can be played on any one of a lot of other boards. I say a lot because I haven't actually counted them. Besides, new ones keep popping up all the time.
There are Lux boards of Middle Earth, WWI Europe, WWII Pacific, Eddings Belgariad world, Cubes, Paint by Numbers pictures, Castles and many other variations of the theme. Each board has its own individuality and each board follows the basic rules of Risk -pPlace your armies and kick the other players' butts off the map.
I think my favorite so far is the Hawaiian Island chain. Even though it's a very small board, it can be a pain to win if you play it wrong.
"Speaking words of wisdom… Lux it be"
When you win, the game will congratulate you and give you a happy little saying that you can then go out and tell all your friends. Things like: "The cow says… Lux" and "You win! Now take off your pants". With an extra bonus like that, how could you possibly pass up such an absolutely amazing collection of sayings? Confucius and the Chinese fortune cookie will have to take a back seat to you once you have been properly educated in the wisdom of Lux.
"You take a lickin' and keep on …Luxin"
Lux has a great replay-ability to it, considering that no two games will ever be the same - even when played on the same board. Some of the smaller boards can be played out in a relatively short time so it's not a game that will take up your whole day - well that is unless you get addicted to it like I did. And if you want to play online against other people, you can almost always find someone to challenge.
"Caught in a Luxslide, No escape from reality"
Once you have become a master-Luxer you can load up the map utility and create your own games. Load in a background image to pretty it up or theme it, or just add a hoard of geometric figures. The map creation utility is fairly easy to use, and who knows, maybe you'll create one that will get you recognized at the next Golden Lux Awards dinner.
Head on over to sillysoft.net, try it out, get hooked on it and buy it. You know you want to. And if you don't you'll be kicking yourself for missing out on all the fun.
May the Lux be with you!
I've been gaming since the days of the original TSR D&D and have grown up playing just about every PnP RPG created. Eventually with the age of computers, I started getting into RTS and military strategy games. And then came the MMORPG Asherons Call which changed my computer gaming forever. These days when i'm not gaming I'm working with the Los Padre's Council BSA and my son's Cub Pack - when not conquering the virtual world.
