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The best kind of rage

> ‘Blood Rage’ board game review

Ed Appleby
Senior Columnist

 

kekkk

agnarok. Just the name brings up
images of burly manly men fighting
for honour, Valkyries swooping into
battle, and aliens voiced by Taika Waititi.
Blood rage (2015) is a land-
claiming strategy game for two to four
players, designed by Eric M. Lang
and published by Asmodee. In the
game, players build their clans, recruit
mythical creatures, and invade the
various realms of Viking mythology.
The game lasts for three rounds, after
which a realm is destroyed. Points
are awarded for quests accomplished,
the overall strength of your clan, and
the glory you may find in Valhalla.
Despite the very metal-sounding
name, the game plays like more of a
combination of Risk (1959) and 7 Wonders

(2010). There is a passed hand draw phase
at the beginning of each round, and the
multitude of ways to score points means
that almost every strategy is viable.
During my first play through, ] managed
to have my own “blood rage” moment

as my strategy completely fell apart in
the second round, only to regroup and
adopt a new strategy for the third that
allowed me to make a good showing

by the end. I also may have raged so
hard I woke my host’s baby... Sorry.

The depth of the rules may be a little
intimidating for first-time players, and
misinterpretations may occur during the
first game or two, but the overall gameplay
and multitude of strategies gives the game
a lot of replay value. Anyone interested
in the delicate art of miniature painting
will find another level of enjoyment, as
the game pieces are exquisitely designed.

I probably wouldn't recommend
the game to first-time players, but more
experienced gamers will find a lot of depth
and value in this game, especially if they’re
into complex, strategy-heavy games.

 

Poetry and activism 1n our city

> Spotlight on Jillian Christmas and Vancouver Poetry House

Katie Czenczek
Staff Writer

 

oetry isn’t dead, folks. It’s alive and

well and has made Vancouver a
staple for aspiring writers to flock to.
With all the numerous cafes in the city
acting as the perfect venues for spoken
word poets, Vancouver has become
known for its rich poetry scene.

Vancouver Poetry House helps
promote and engage the community of
poets and audience members through
youth initiatives, festivals, and events
that support poets. Events such as the
Verses Festival of Words, Hullabaloo,
and Word Play have all started as a part of
the Vancouver Poetry House collective.
Vancouver Poetry Slam is the longest
running slam in Canada, which has been
running for 21 years now and is how
Vancouver Poetry House came to be.

In an interview with The Other Press,
Jillian Christmas—Artistic Director of
Verses Festival of Words and Coordinator
at the Vancouver Poetry Slam—explained
exactly what makes Vancouver such
a unique landscape for poetry.

“T think that Vancouver, much like
London, [has become] a place that—for
whatever reason—people from all over go
to for poetry. I think there’s something
about the idea of the Wild West that
brings forth a lot of artistic minds and
independent creators. | also think that
there’s a lot of real richness of Indigenous
work on the West Coast, in part to do
with the [unceded] land that contributes
to the sort of resilience and resistance
found in their work. It crops up out of

 

Strathcona and the history of the black
community too. We [are] lucky to be at
the intersection of those historic stories.”
Christmas further added that
she made the move from Ontario to
Vancouver for exactly that reason.
“There’s a really wonderful and
warm community of people—not just
in the slam scene—but also across the
city. It’s a literary city that I have come
to learn from and support,” she said.
She also discussed Verses Festival
of Words and Vancouver Poetry
House and the importance of getting
people from communities who often
do not have a voice to contribute.
“We like to support artistry coming
out of communities that don’t typically
get the same amount of stage space or

promotion. One of the main goals of
[Vancouver Poetry House and Verses]

is to create and increase spaces for
marginalized voices; it’s fundamental to
what we do. Basically, my entire career is
based around speaking out through the
creative process. As an organizer and an
artist, I know how important it is to have
spaces for that kind of work. That, to me,
is where my activism lays, in creating
spaces [for marginalized people].”

For those who have never read their
poetry to an audience before, Christmas
suggested they come on out and see any of
the shows happening around Vancouver.

“T always say [to newcomers], first
come out to a show. Not necessarily
our show, but the Slam happens to be a
particularly good place to launch things.

Illustration by Ed Appleby

Photo of Jillian Christmas via The Great Black North

My advice is to take the leap, and, in small
increments, to detach yourself from the
idea of safety. What makes performing
poetry, as opposed to writing that’s only
on the page, is the sense of community
you get from saying your poems to

an audience. You can get immediate
feedback from the audience members
and are able to connect with people

in ways that you normally couldn't.”

Be sure to check out some of the slam
events happening around Vancouver,
such as the Vancouver Poetry Slam.
Running every Monday at 7 p.m. at
Café Deux Soleils, the slam consists
of three sections: Open mic, a single
feature poet, and ending off witha
poetry slam competition. Who knows,
maybe one day you'll go for the mic.