arts // no. 8

Chairman of the Board: Out of luck

> ‘Kill Doctor Lucky’ game review

Ed Appleby
Illustrator

 

hether he failed you in
your ethics class, stole
your girlfriend in the second
grade, or took the last donut—
Doctor Lucky must die!
Kill Doctor Lucky (1997)

this feels more like you're playing
a board game version of the
movie A Shot in the Dark (1964).
The one thing I love about
this game is the simplicity of its
mechanics. Except for checking
sight-lines, play was very intuitive
and simple, and rivals the ease of
Clue itself. The learning curve was

is a board game for two-eight
and published by Cheapass

opposite of Clue (1949), and as
such you play a guest attempting

for thwarting your attempts.

alone with him and are out of
the sight lines of other players.

players try to thwart you by
playing cards that bolster the
doctor’s luck. Once an attempt
is successful, that player wins.
The game is very funny,
and holds true to its murder

games can be very serious, but

very low, which leads to a swift

players designed by James Ernest ame. Strategy is key, though,
and playing with friends who

games. The game is basically the just wander about may end up
leading toa very long game.
Kill Doctor Lucky just had a

to kill the titular Doctor Lucky, successful Kickstarter to release
who has a Mr. Magoo-like knack the 19 1/2 anniversary addition,
which expands the rules to

An attempt can be made on incorporate 2 and 8 players, and
the doctor if you are in the room adds different maps with which
to play. It is a great version, even
if the art may not be as strong as
Once an attempt is made, other some other versions of the game.
There is also a prequel to the game
called Save Doctor Lucky (2000).

This game makes a great
edition to any family board
game collection. I would highly
recommend it to more casual

mystery roots. Murder mystery and conservative players who are
looking to spice things up a bit.

The return of Bon Iver

> ‘22, A Million’ album review

Carlos Bilan
Contributor

OOOO

22, A Million is Bon Iver’s first album
in five years, so as soon as the
American indie folk band posted a
photo of the album cover last month,
fans rejoiced that, after this long
hiatus, they could finally hear Justin
Vernon’s soothing voice again. This
album was really worth the wait.

One can consider 22, A Million the
band’s most adventurous record yet.
Making a 180 degree turn by using
processed vocals, jittery glitches, and
an electronic sound, it definitely is a
departure from the solemn acoustic
sound of their critically acclaimed debut
For Emma, Forever Ago, which contained
Skinny Love, their most popular
song to date. In their second album,
Vernon conveyed subtle electronic
sounds, whereas in 22, A Million, he
went full force and embraced it.

When the album was being
promoted, the band released artwork
for each track, which can be considered
a visual representation of each song.
Bon Iver having a central theme in an
album is a technique the band has used
in their previous album, Bon Iver, Bon
Iver, where every title was the name of a
place or state—Calgary even gets a nod.

22, A Million covers philosophical
and divine themes. An example is
“715 - CRY YKS,” which could serve as

 

a continuation to the Blood Bank EP’s
“Woods,” the song Kanye sampled in his
epic “Lost in the World.” In “Woods,”
Vernon sings about being lost in the
world and feeling despair, but in this
sequel, he sings about the love of another
person, love of God, and loss of faith..

The album has an abstract
cover showing numerous symbols,
including hieroglyphics of pyramids,

a snake, mathematical symbols, an
upside down chair, etc. One can try

to make sense of the meanings. My
interpretation overall is that this album
represents the human knowledge and
how limited our thoughts can be.

The album’s sound can be
distractingly cluttered and an overall
mess, but I reckon that this is intended.
It could convey the various questions
and mysteries that humans try to
decipher, and that the only clarity
one has is in science, technology, or
literature. This record is like science
meets philosophy, which is conveyed
audibly through traditional folk
sound meeting the digital world.

Despite touching new ground,
what makes 22, A Million surprisingly
spectacular is that it is still a Bon Iver
record. You can still recognize Vernon’s
vocal vulnerability and solemn soul.
And that’s one of the reasons why 22,

A Million is an artistically innovative
album. One thing is clear: It is an
incredibly daring record. If you want
to hear something new and fresh,
then this album is a must-listen.

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