Don't Forget to get Bladdered My San! (Bladder)

Member Name: marandina

Product:	Bladder
Date:	11/03/05 (296 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Simple to play, Combines Chess and Football

Disadvantages: Only designed as a 2-player, No joy stick in site

Board games come and go with some showing a greater longevity than others. In recent times, the advent of PC based games together with the paraphernalia that follows the latest X-Box/Play Station/Game Boy release means that the good old board game has found itself somewhat relegated to more of a bit-part player these days. Even Subbutteo and Hornby railway sets have found the going tough although both appear to have survived by changing their respective target markets. In Hornby’s case their railway sets are now pitched at adults yearning to recreate their youth whilst Subbutteo remains alive in a cult market of plastic footie player flicking geeks who won’t let the table top football dream die.

I still feel that the traditional board game has a place in the family household as it encourages so much more interaction than PC based stuff so when I got a box with “Bladder” emblazoned across it with the tag line “The Root of all Football” I was intrigued. “Bladder” is billed as a strategy game for 2 players and is made by Purkess Brittain. I guess something that’s always important is knowing that the company you are buying from is reputable so that you know that you aren’t getting a bum deal as well as being a port of call for spare parts should you lose any of those all too important playing pieces.

Danny Perkis and Tim Brittain are the combination that forms the limited company, Perkess Brittain games. Having achieved a hit with the biking board game “Hell for Leather”, “Bladder” is the second game to be designed and issued by this relatively new company. Sales growth for both appears to be good enough to spawn further expansion and more games from PB so it’s seems a reasonably safe bet that the back up will be there for future reference although there are no guarantees in the cut throat toy market.

Basically, “Bladder” combined the pastimes of Chess and football in one board game. Inspired by the very origins of football where a pig’s bladder doubled as the football and whole villages knocked seven bells out of each other trying to score a goal, “Bladder” comes in the shape of a chequered board with 68 squares and 2 sets of playing pieces – 16 on either team. The pieces are moulded plastic in the shape of a rather ugly looking head with a nominal torso and feet with enough space on top of the head to rest a brown, moulded plastic ball with a flat base. The aim of the game is to score a goal with the respective teams moving their pieces one square at a time to gain possession of the ball and move it towards the goal. When in possession, the ball rests on the player’s head giving credence to the analogy of “On me ‘ead, san” which is, of course, a well-known footie colloquialism noting the Cockney inflexion with san. The pieces can take each other or in this case, “mame” each other as determined in the instructions (all sounds a bit violent doesn’t it?).

To be honest, it’s as basic as that although there are variations to the methodology contained within the instructions in case you get bored and there is an online version if you feel like playing against others in cyberspace making sure that your connection kicks ass, of course, otherwise that sharp shooter in Tokyo or some other far flung place may take you to the cleaners! (saying that, speed isn't the key here as long as folks take it turns to move) The resemblance to Chess is through the familiar, square playing board and the same number of pieces (32) involved although there is no differentiation between the pieces as in chess and they all can only move one square in any direction as long as it’s not backward whereas Chess pieces have different ways of moving. The spirit of football from centuries gone by is reflected in the imagery on the front of the box, which is of ye olde villagers forming a human scrum to reach the ball/pig’s bladder. This imagery is also used to decorate the perimeter of the playing board just to emphasise the point.

Games typically seem to last around 20 minutes to half an hour with the anticipated age group being 6 years and older. I suppose games might last longer if players take things more seriously and it's not inconceivable to see this take off in a big way resulting in league formats and maybe World Championships taking place in a village like Little Piddle or something!

I’ve had mucho fun playing “Bladder”. I suppose that may be no surprise as I used to play Chess a lot as a kid and love football. The biggest kick I’ve got from playing is having my 9-year-old boy oppose me and beat me on several occasions. He loves it finding the concept pretty easy to grasp. I should imagine you could have even more of a laugh playing after a wee few drams which might give the board game’s name a different connotation!

“Bladder” is available to buy online and it currently retails at Amazon for £19.95 although I’m sure some canny surfing might throw up a cheaper deal. Personally, I would recommend “Bladder” as a straight forward, fun game that you can choose to make more complex if you wish. Perhaps a downside is that it’s designed for only 2 players at a time but you can enhance this by doubling up as you might with table football. Like most things, it’s what you make of it. If you do decide to buy it then have hours of fun not forgetting to get bladdered, of course.

Thanks for reading

Marandina

“Bladder” is made by Purkess Brittain Games Ltd, 83 Braithewaite House, Bunhill Rd, London, EC1Y 8NQ and was copyrighted in 2000.

Connected web sites:

http://www.bladdergame.com/

http://www.pbgames.com

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