issue 25 // volume 42

Chairman of the Board: Hazardous Space

> ‘Galaxy Trucker’ board game review

Ed Appleby
Illustrator

 

pace... there is a lot of it.

And we're going to sail
this convoy right across it!
Galaxy Trucker is a tile-
laying game for 2-4 players
designed by Vlaada Chvatil
and published by Czech Games
Edition in 2007. Players take
on the role of employees for
Corporation Incorporated, the
galaxy-wide leader in sewage
treatment facilities. It’s your
job to build a ship from pipes
and manhole covers and fly it
across the galaxy, all the while
protecting it from space pirates,
war zones, and asteroid fields.
Players sell their wares at the
end of their trip, scoring extra
points for arriving first and
keeping their ship beautiful.
The player with the most credits
after three rounds wins.
The game is divided into two
sequences—building and flying.
During the build sequence,
the players frantically grab
at tiles in order to build their

ship. Each tile has a function
as well as one of two types of
connections. The build is timed,
and once time runs out it’s time
to fly. During the flight stage,
the players have to test their
ship builds against the hazards
of space, as well as salvage any
cargo they may come across.

The build stage has a frantic
feel to it, as you try to make the
best ship you can and anticipate
any possible dangers you might
face. The flight round has sort of
a random, fatalistic feel where
you see all of your hopes dashed
before your eyes. Each round gets
more intense as you build larger
ships to face bigger challenges.

I loved this game for the
writing’s light, comedic edge.
It even manages to make the
destruction of your ship seem
almost comical. It is well
balanced between strategy,
chance, and player competition.
I would recommend this game
to anyone who likes the work
of Douglas Adams, or for
any group that needs a break
from more serious fare.

arts // no. 9

The movie adaptation of an iconic masterpiece

> ‘The Little Prince’ film review

Lauren Paulsen
Senior Columnist

 

OOOO

T Little Prince is a novel
written in 1943 by Antoine
de Saint-Exupéry. It is beloved
by millions, and still inspires
many people today. One of these
people was Mark Osborne,
who had been deeply affected
by the book and chose to
make a movie adaptation.
Osborne’s adaptation is the
first-ever animated feature film
adaptation of The Little Prince.
It blends the novel’s story with
a new narrative featuring a little
girl who becomes friends with
the now elderly Aviator after
moving in next door. The Little
Girl (Mackenzie Foy) is trapped
in a grown-up world for which
her Mother (Rachel McAdams) is
trying to prepare her, but in doing
so, she completely takes control
of the Little Girl’s life to the
extent of setting up an entire Life
Plan with every minute of every
day planned out. The Little Girl is
able to escape this tedious reality
through the story the old Aviator
(UJeff Bridges) tells her about the
Little Prince (Riley Osborne}.
The story is beautiful and
moving, bathed in symbolism
and philosophy with incredible
imagination. The narrative takes
the viewer on an emotional

Va
“a

journey that won't soon be
forgotten as the Little Girl learns
that human connections are
really what is important, and
that what’s truly essential can
only be seen with the heart.
Although that may sound cheesy,
the movie manages to deliver
its message wonderfully.
Interestingly, The Little
Prince uses a unique blend of
stop-motion animation for the

original story parts, and computer
animation for the Little Girl's

story. The stop-motion animation
is truly creative and aesthetically
pleasing. The desert scenes were
actually made mostly using paper,
which gives it quite a unique feel
since the majority of stop-motion
animated films are done with
clay. The colours are brilliant, and
it is really a feast for the eyes.
Although first cast with

English audio, The Little Prince
was produced by French studios.
It is the French version which
was released in the majority

of countries alongside their
local versions. Since its first
screening at the 68th Cannes
Film Festival in May 2015, the
movie has become the most
successful French animated
film of all time. Before it was
even released in Canada, it had

grossed $88 million worldwide.
Some of the story is really
deep and meaningful, with
enough hidden elements
to keep an older audience
interested, while the whimsy
and imagination will enthrall
a younger audience. The Little
Prince is truly a masterpiece
that all ages will love, and
should definitely be added

to every movie collection.

  

Illustration by Ed Appleby

Image via www.thelittleprince.com