Name: Valley of the Kings
ISBN: 9780312868628

Valley of the Kings

Cecelia Holland has written an extraordinary novel that ranges between two eras thousands of years apart and between two cultures as different as can be imagined, yet with striking similarities. Valley of the Kings re-creates an ancient Egypt that for centuries has been shrouded in mystery. It was a time of religious and political upheaval - the heretic Pharaoh Akhenaten's religious reforms had been defeated by the power of the Priests of Amun, and the young Boy King, Tutankhamun, had been placed on the throne. There was famine in the land, and ongoing deadly intrigue in the Court, as different factions maneuvered to gain control of Egypt. It ended in the mysterious death of the young king and his hasty, secret burial. Nearly thirty-five hundred years later, in the 1920s, a young British archaeologist, Howard Carter, becomes obsessed with finding Tutankhamun's tomb. In the course of his quest, Carter duels across time with the devious minds of the New Kingdom of Egypt. His experience digging in the Valley of the Kings has given him an insight into how the ancients thought, and he is sure that he can locate the tomb that all Egyptologists know must exist but no one can find. But he must struggle with more than the secretive nature of the ancient Egyptians - his work cannot go on without the approval of the modern Egyptian bureaucracy and the continued financial support of a British peer who is looking for treasure more than knowledge.

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XaspR8dJul 2016

Oh there are so many; it'd be great to know what kinds of thigns you're into, but here's a generic list of modern classics that are tried and true:

Carcassonne - Really simple and elegant tile-laying game that is full of strategic decisions for players of all levels. (If you like the tile-laying, continue on to Castles of Mad King Ludwig or Suburbia)

Dominion - Introduced the "deck-building" mechanic where you buy cards for your own personal deck over the course of the game and manage probabilities of drawing what you need (this later blossomed into a HUGE genre; good next steps are Valley of the Kings, Arctic Scavengers, or Star Realms).

Pandemic - Cooperative game about battling disease outbreaks across the globe. In some ways it can be easier for new gamers because you're all working together to solve the challenge. Spawned many expansions, as well as the aforementioned "Legacy" version, which is effectively a campaign mode with permanent changes game-to-game. (Also check out Flash Point: Fire Rescue, and Forbidden Desert/Forbidden Island.)

Coup/The Resistance - These are social deduction/bluffing games where players have hidden roles. They offer slightly different experiences: Coup is slightly more strategic and about selecting the right roles to come out ahead, while The Resistance is a little simpler but brings out more tension (because it's team v team). (Also check out Avalon a Resistance spin-off. If you want a little more tactical structure behind the deduction, checkout Citadels)

Hanabi - A really unique cooperative game about communicating information effectively. You can see everyone's cards but your own, and as a team you are trying to lay cards down in a specific order, but you are limited in the kind of clues you can give to others, and clues are a limited resource. (There isn't much that's super-similar to Hanabi, but a more advanced and thematic spiritual successor is coming out in a few weeks called Beyond Baker Street)

Sushi Go - Elegant little "card drafting" game where you take a card from your hand and then pass the hand to the next player, trying to collect sets of sushi to earn points. Despite its simple mechanic, it's balanced, quick, and fun for all types of gamers. (In this genre, I'd really recommend 7 Wonders, which is based on the exact same mechanic, but involves building an ancient civilization and brings rich resource management challenges into the game. One of my favorite games to this day; you could even start with this, but it's definitely a higher complexity level and it would be very helpful to have someone teach.)

Ticket to Ride - Very straightforward game about collecting sets of cards and using them to place trains on a map. One of the few games I can get my dad to play that we all find fun -- new players can get into the game quickly. Spawned a ton of spin-offs, so it's definitely loved.

Lords of Waterdeep - Great introduction to the "worker placement" genre. Players move tokens to take actions, as well as preventing others from taking the same action. The actions let you collect followers, construct buildings, and send them on quests (the game takes place within an official D&D setting). I don't personally love this one because I got into more advanced worker-placement games before I played it, but I can understand why it's adored by so many people. (Interesting next steps: Viticulture or if you want to jump off the deep end Caverna/Agricola, which are punishing but both have spent time rated as BGG's highest ranked game)

If that's not enough to look up, here are some other games I don't have time to describe, but I'd also recommend for newbies: Splendor, Takenoko, Ra, FUSE, Survive: Escape from Atlantis, Bohnanza

And some more excellent "next steps" that are a bit higher in complexity: Power Grid, San Juan, Dead of Winter, Cosmic Encounter

(And in all this I hardly listed any party or dexterity games, so if you're looking for those, check out the resources below.)

Good resources to read/watch more:

- There are a ton of news/gameplay/review sites, but I think Shut Up & Sit Down[1] really takes the cake on having entertaining pieces that explain exactly what's interesting about each game. They also do a lot to earn the title of "ambassadors to board gaming" and target much of their content at newbies. They have a really good video titled "New to Boardgames"[2] that's great at getting people excited about the hobby.

- reddit.com/r/boardgames has been a really positive and helpful community in my experience

- BoardGameGeek[3], which is THE reference point for the board game community. The interface is clunky, but you can't beat the comprehensiveness of the database.

- For other video shows, I'd recommend: "Rahdo Runs Through"[4] for game introductions and overviews, "Watch it Played"[5] for more in-depth tutorials, and Wil Wheaton's "Tabletop"[6] for general "let's play" content.

[1] https://www.shutupandsitdown.com/

[2] https://vimeo.com/70647384

[3] https://boardgamegeek.com/

[4] https://www.youtube.com/user/rahdo

[5] https://www.youtube.com/user/WatchItPlayed

[6] http://geekandsundry.com/shows/tabletop/

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dbzMay 2010

I hope this comment is taken the right way. I don't want to boast, but I have to say some things which will sound like bragging (even though it isn't) in order explain my 'ness' =]. Furthermore, a lot of what I say may be controversial to some and won't be appreciated. Also, I can't recommend you do anything I do, because even though it works for me, it will most likely have unintended consequences for you.

I use my street smarts every day. I may say the same thing to ten people ten different ways- not because I want to `change things up,` but because I analyze and judge everyone I meet upon every occasion I have. It also helps that my verbal IQ is off the charts (and therefore placed in the 99.99th percentile). This allows me to articulate and find words that accurately represent the people I meet, and understand them more. (Please note I am dyslexic and have processing difficulties which mean how I write is not representative of my verbal IQ because I can't process fast enough while writing to say coherently what I think like I can when I am talking. <- example there)

(1) Analyze every person and remember it

The importance of what I am doing is used when I get in a sticky situation. There are two types of people, those who give excuses, and those who solve problems. I use what I learn and assume(#1) about people to describe to them in the most effective way possible what needs to be done. When I present ideas to people, I don't present ideas- I present the problem and why the idea solves it. (#1 cont. Don't tell a person what you assume about his or her character- not only is it unbecoming, it will probably piss him or her off unless it is a special circumstance)

(2) Become the person who is (known for) immediately solving problems

I, unfortunately, break a commandment more than I should. I lie. When I lie, I don't think that the most important thing is not to get caught. I think about how the lie is helpful, and how I am going to expose the lie later ESPECIALLY if the person knows I am lying. For example, I had a tutor who was approaching a subject I could not talk about for a reason I will not explain. This is the kind of guy who will not accept an "excuse" for not talking about a subject regardless of the validity. In this circumstance, talking about the subject (it was personal) would be detrimental to our working relationship and the time would be better spent working on something else..So I lied. I did not lie elaborately, but I lied in a fashion where I knew he would believe me. Three hours after he left, I wrote him an email apologizing for my lie, explaining why I did it and the benefits it had. He was not upset about it, but understanding and appreciated the honesty, ironic huh?

(3) Choose your words carefully

Nothing is free. When you accept something from a friend, even if it is explicitly spoken that no strings are attached, you owe them. Of course this may actually be the kind of person where he or she truly believes that you do not owe them anything, but expect it. When you deliver a favor, unless explicitly stated and agreed upon, the person receiving the favor owes you nothing, so don't ask for anything in return. I know, I am saying "Be the person you do not expect anyone else to be". However, if you want to enter show biz and need connections and will have to rely on people to make your way to the top, make damn sure you can rely on who you are relying on.

(4) Low expectations cost you nothing, but let you reap the benefits of positive events

Unfortunately, a lot of the rules I live by don't allow me to be an open person. I don't like to talk about myself, ect. Today, I had a very in-depth conversation with a friend who I consider to be one of my closed friends. She is one of my closed friends because I know if were in another state- and I needed a way to get somewhere else, she would drop everything and drive cross country to help me. I talked to her today about some of my problems and I brought her to tears. She explained how she feels like she didn't know me very well and how she feels like she has failed as a friend because she didn't know me better, and she wished that she could have "watched movies and ate ice creme with" me during all the times I have had trouble because of depression or my pet dying ect. because that's what she would have done. I had to explain to her that it wasn't her fault but mine for being the kind of person who isn't sharing. At the moment, lots of bad things are happening to me even though I don't deserve them (I'm not going to talk to everyone about them, but I talked to her about them), and she got very angry, and didn't understand why I am so forgiving to others. Why don't I hold grudges? Why did I forgive her for being a "bad" friend? Why am I understanding when I shouldn't be? Why don't I just accept (things)? I responded with,

(5 part 1) Forgive and Forget(However, learn the lessons of the situation.), Cut your losses, Make your next plan, and execute. [I'm clearly an introvert] (5 part 2) Most heroes fail before they become successful

Most of what I have said applies to my weird social situations. One last piece of advice which is on my mind- I have purposefully saved for last. When you are in egypt, please don't accept a tour of the mountains in the valley of the kings from a kind local (long story). Again, when you are above under-ground tombs and locals want to give you a tour. Please don't take it (long story). Furthermore, if you are going to take it, PLEASE walk behind them. (Again long story).

(6) Just because you can, doesn't mean you should - Well, that is all I can think of off the top of my head. This is unedited and probably contains errors. I can also see you saying I am FOS. But you need to realize, We all live in our own world. I'd appreciate anything anyone has to say to me- especially if you think I am FOS, but please- respond tactfully.

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