I guess you are here because you have discovered one of my books and enjoyed it enough to find out more about the author, me. Either that or you’re a potential employer who is investigating me to see if I would be a good fit for your organization. In which case, surprise, I write books as well as teach. Some might look at that as a bad thing, and if so, please explain to me how.
For whoever finds my site, I want to welcome you, and also allow you the opportunity to follow me on a regular basis. Anybody is welcome as long as you keep your posts appropriate, and respect the other followers to this site. As long as everybody follows those two simple rules, I won’t have to kick anybody off. Let the friendly banter begin.
I am hoping to create an interactive site that everybody can enjoy. Of course, I will keep you up to date on the latest writings coming out of my head, and I will also let you know when and where I will be in the world, so someday you might be able to meet me in person. Most people regret that decision, but who knows, maybe you’ll be in the minority.
I will also tell you about my world-wide travels as this is something I do on a regular basis. I’ll show you pictures from places I have been (this one is from Dubrovnik, better known to fans of The Song of Ice and Fire as King’s Landing), and tell you the exciting stories that happen to me along the way. You are also welcome to ask me any questions you may have about the place I have been, and I will try to answer them in a timely manner.
I know it all sounds amazing, and I can see you wondering why you haven’t been a part of this fantastic experience so far, but let me tell you about the most exciting part of following this site – the interactive part. You were probably wondering when I would get to that part I had promised you earlier. Well, I plan to create a list every month, and I want you to participate in its formation. I do love countdowns, but I am always disappointed in them. So I have decided to take matters into my own hands. You will be able to post your top ten of each monthly list and at the end of each month, I will comprise the total list to give you the countdown for that subject. Look for each new subject on the first day of each month, and the final list of the previous month by the fifteenth.
Otherwise, it is very nice to have you a part of this experience, and I look forward to all of our future posts together.
Where I live in Peru, I am close to some ancient ruins that predate the Inca empire. It is a strange feeling to wander around town, and to stumble across these from time to time, and to think about all of the riches that they hold. These ruins are all over the place in Peru, and over my many travels throughout the country, I cannot marvel of what the civilizations in this part of the world might have been. I also think about the explorer that came out here, and explored these various sites, and took back to their countries the treasures they discovered there. It doesn’t help that my newest game that I have been recently playing, I believe was partly inspired by this dynamic in Peru.
In The Lost Ruins of Arnak, you play an explorer that has recently landed on the island of Arnak. As that explorer, you are tasked with finding the rumored ruins that lay somewhere on the island. You need to collect the appropriate resources required to exchange them for the knowledge and the bribes that the ancient monsters crave to be the one to discover this mythic location. You travel on foot, or take cars, boats and planes to different locations until you can make it to the lost ruins.
The landscape of Peru, and the history that I learn while living here reminds me of the game, and the game reminds me that I am living in Peru. Not only has it been a great game to play in South America, but its design and game play have also made it a fun game to play even if I was not living in this part of the world right now. So do not be scared if you live in a different part of the world that does not include ancient ruins, Amazonian rain forest, and exotic beasts, I am here to give you my thoughts and feeling as whether this is the game for you.
THEME
Even though the game is set in a mythical location, it is easy to imagine to believe that this place is somewhere in South America. From the jungle on the box, to the mythical creatures that you can meet along the way, it makes me feel like I am a part of an Indiana Jones adventure where you are competing against other ambitious archeologists. The big difference is that they are Nazis, but your best friends gathered around a game table. You are not only required to send people out to various dig sites to see if you can find the resources that you need in order to make your way to the final goal, but you also need to complete research on a track that rewards those who do the work.
There are a lot of fun details that add to the storyline that is created during the play of the game. There are items, and artifacts that you can pick up along the way that can be used to improve your ability to outwit your opponents. There are also allies that give you certain privileges on the island that can improve your chances to be the most successful archeologist. Their smiling faces join you in your quest, and as you gain more knowledge about what you are looking for, they also gain in their abilities.
Michal “Elwen” Stach and Michaela “Min” Stachova designed the game with the theme in mind. Everything that happens in this game lends itself to the story being told. It really immerses you in the world they created. It does help that I get to play the game in a place that reminds me of this world, so I feel very immersed in that world already. Still, it is so well imagined that I do not think you have to be in South America to feel a part of the game.
Rating – 9
GAME PLAY
The Lost Ruins of Arnak has won a lot of awards after it was released, and that is mainly due to the unique way that it blended a couple of mechanics into a new game system that has never really been seen before. It feels both familiar and fresh at the same time. It will instantly become a favorite of anybody who loves worker placement games as well as the ones who love to deck-building. It all works together to create a Euro-game with many paths to victory that will keep players trying new ways to gather the most points possible.
The game plays out over a series of five rounds. During that time you have two workers that you can send out to various sites to gather resources. You do this by playing certain cards that you have in your hand that allow you to reach different sites. The easier sites are ones that you can walk to; whereas, you need a car, boat or plane to get to the sites that are further on the island. You also need to collect some compasses to make to the deeper sites. The resources that you can gather there are better, but they are also protected by creatures that protect the riches of the ancient civilization. You can befriend these creatures with resources or you can just sneak in, steal those resources, and retreat with a little more fear that gathers up in your hand making it less powerful.
Still, there are ways to get a more powerful hand. While going out to find artifacts, you gather up some gold that you can use to buy certain items that help you in your exploration of the island. These items give you special powers over the other players, and adds depth to your deck. There are also artifacts that have to be found from searching the surroundings, but the power they give is slightly better than the items. There are fewer artifacts than items at the beginning of the game, but by the end of they switch though you will have less time to play what you have picked up.
There is one more thing that you have to think about while playing the game, and that is the research track. Just like any intellectual doing research, there is a race to see who can get to the top first. It requires for the person doing the research to lose some of the resources they have collected along the way, but there are also rewards as you move up the track, more for those who move up it quicker. There are also a lot of points available if you make it all the way to the top of the track, so this becomes one of the central focuses of the game.
For the most part, there are a lot of twists and turns in how this game is played with many paths that can lead to victory, and a balance to try and control your options along the way. It makes for unique gameplay that you will not quickly forget about.
Rating – 10
ARTWORK
A crew of artists were employed to create the artwork for the Lost Ruins of Arnak though when playing the game, it does not feel that way. Ondrej Hrdina, Jin Kus, Filip Murmak, and Jakub Politzer had a single vision when creating the feel of this game. First off, the board is big, and you will want a good table that will be able to house all of the people on it comfortably. Still the spread of the board gives you the feel of a large island just waiting to be explored. It looks a little bare at the beginning of the game, but as more sites are uncovered, the board really starts to come to life with the hidden temples that can be found in the jungles, and the creatures that protect them. In games with higher player count, the board really comes to life by the end of the game, but this is not the same if you are only playing a two player game. In those cases, the board still looks empty by the end of the game.
As for the temples that you discover along the way, they are a lot of fun to look at. Each one has its own distinct feel, and when you discover it out in the middle of the wilderness, it make you feel like a true adventurer exploring some unknown island. The creatures that are protecting them add another depth to the immersion that this game holds. They look like something you would see crawling out of the Latin American jungle, complete with the mythology that would be found by the people who live there. The creatures do not come with names, but they have sso much personality that you feel like you should name them every time they pop up on the game.
A lot of the game involves iconography to dictate what certain cards or spots can allow you to do. There are a lot of them, and each player is given a cheat sheet to help them decipher all of the different icons. It does make the game easier to figure out, but the icons do not always clearly portray what they mean, so the first few games, you will spend a lot of time referring to this cheat sheet. It works well, but it is not always intuitive.
The playing pieces though are an absolute joy. The meeples are big and chunky. They look like mini explorers and make the perfect worker for this game. I enjoy the fact that they are made of wood, so they feel great when you get to hold them in your hands. The resources you collect are also a treat to handle. The arrowheads, gems, and tablets are made out of plastic, but it is fun to collect them, and place them in a pile of your game-board which, by the way, is painted like a base camp.
Rating – 10
INTERACTIVITY
Like most worker-placement or deck-building games, the interactivity level is pretty low. You are mostly concerned about what you are doing in your play area, and you don’t really think about what other people are doing. The biggest interaction comes when thinking about the places where you are putting your workers, the cards you are collecting for you deck, and the path you are traveling on to get the most points possible. If you take the spot that another person wanted, it could make things a little difficult for them, and it requires them to rethink how they are going to accomplish what they want to accomplish. There is also a little bit of a race element associated with the research track. If you are the first person to move up the track in certain places, you get a bonus. This causes players to put a lot of focus on the research track. There is also the bonus of the person that reaches the top of the track first, as they get a bigger bonus then all of the other who come in behind them.
Basically, this game falls into the range of your basic Euro-style game, where players have their own thing going on in front of themselves which does not have a lot to do with the other people playing the game. Yes, it is a little bit of a bother if someone takes a space before you can, but there are so many paths to victory that you can find another way to set you on the path to victory. I still have fun hanging out with my friends while playing this game, but it is not high on the interactivity scale.
Rating – 6
REPLAYABILITY
As there are many games to choose from on the market, it is important to know which games are not going to get stale, and you will want to bring to the table again and again. Some games come with more difficult challenges within the box to make the game exciting again for those who have played the base game too many times, and then there are other games who offer expansion sets that add new twists or make the game asymmetrical. The Lost Ruins of Arnak do both of these things. The kind publishers at CGE games understand that for a game to become iconic, they must offer this to their fans in order to keep their game in their minds for and on their tables.
The game itself comes with a two-sided board, the Bird Temple side, and the Snake Temple side. The Bird Temple side is what is recommended for anybody who is playing the game for the first time; whereas, the Snake Temple side is for the more serious Euro-gamer who wants to try out something a little more challenging. It also breathes new life into the game after playing the Bird Temple side for so long.
If you still want more to the game, there are four expansions available for the game. The most difficult to find, Surprise Shipment, is a mini expansion that only adds new artifacts and items to the game. It switches up the gameplay a bit, but not enough to make it a must buy. The other expansions add more depth to the game, and extend the table presence that it will have. The first is Expedition Leaders which adds asymmetrical gameplay with the starter decks for each player. It also includes new artifacts, items, guardians, and research tracks to spice up the game a bit. The Mission Expedition adds a campaign mode, and two other players that expands upon the asymmetrical gameplay introduced in the Expedition Leaders expansion. It also introduces a cooperative mode to play and new research tracks, and resources that can be used in any version of the game. The Twisted Paths expansion also adds new mechanisms as well as two new maps, and new temples. Each expansions adds new life to the game, and adds multiple ways to play this game so that it may never get old.
Rating – 10
OVERALL RATING
The Lost Ruins of Arnak is a great Euro-game that adds some new mechanics that changes things up to make it one of the most unique games on the market. It is fun to build your deck with unique items and artifacts while also gathering your resources and using those resources to bribe guardians, move up a research track and eventually find those ruins that have been lost in the depths of the Amazonian-like jungle. It is one of those games where the mechanics work well with the theme to create an immersive experience for everyone playing the game. It has the same complaint that most Euro-games have that you spend most of your time creating something on your own, and not interacting much with the others around you. At the same time, everyone leaves the game feeling like they are still friends, and in the end that is the thing that matters most.
I have a fond connections to the game, but at the same time, a lot of that might have to do with living in an environment much like the one that I am playing in. Still, I do not think that this matters much. The game has a great engine designed into that allows for fun turns where it feels like you can do so much, and it is dripping with so much theme that you do not need to live in South America to feel like you are there. It is easy to see why it has won so many awards, and I can see it lasting around for many years to come. It should easily find a way on to your shelf because while it is there it will make that voyage to your table on numerous occassions.
Which broken promise will get you to turn? You keep buying into his constant lies While America continues to burn, And our international standing dies. It’s not like his old jokes are getting new; They just distract you from his blundering, And the only thing he knows how to do Is to inspire with his complaining. For his imagined media witch hunts That do nothing but uncover the proof, All he really gives are sniveling grunts Because the snowflake can’t handle the truth. History will not be kind to this man, But do not go down with him if you can.
Try as you might, the past is in the past, And I know you’d like to recreate it Just so you can make the great moments last, And live a life without any regret. So you go and book the same place again Even though the old friends that came last time Leave you now wondering where they have been As they have moved on to a different clime. It might be the same games and the same songs That occupy the time that you are here, But the feeling that you hope still belongs No longer resonates the same or clear. Though you try to return to that feeling, It’s new memories from which you are stealing.
I have watched my son grow into a man, And I made sure to guide him on the way. I taught him to walk and watched as he ran. I took the time to engage in child’s play. I watched him struggle and to thrive in school. I helped him decide on better choices. I shed tears when he was and was not cool As he tried out his various voices. He eventually grew up and moved on, Leaving me alone in an empty home. I learned to live in the years he was gone, Reaching the end of my narrative tome. Now, he has come back and in his return, I have found so much I need to relearn.
We started the day getting on the move, Leaving the hotel we stayed at behind, Just while the locals were finding their groove, So new adventure is what we could find. We traversed across the sacred valley, And hunted to find our nightly lodging, Yet we found that we needed to rally Because we have listened to the mountain ring. There is a city hidden in those clouds That is the main reason we have come here, And we are grateful history allowed To make it on a day that is so clear. So please raise you glass over this earned meal Because only a day like this feels real.
We have hiked to the summit of this peak, Through hanging clouds, early in the morning Just to see what the rising sun does seek, And the sights that we wait to see forming. The mist will cling to the top of the mountains, Fighting against the heat of this near star, But as the day progresses, what remains Is wisps dancing in the air for afar. Below is revealed the greatest sight, A town hidden from civilization Which, at one time, reached the greatest of height, But now hides in history’s rotation. The only way we know how it begun, To speak of memories with the day’s sun.
I can see down into all the valleys From my perch on the edge of the mountains High within the clouds up in the Andes. Like ants, the people practice their routines, Going about in their typical ways, Not even aware of my eyes above, Watching them as they bundle through their days. Have they been able to find what they love? Are they stuck in their eternal circle, Living each day like they have lived before? Do they even know that their life is dull, Not seeking out something with more allure? Does my position give me perspective That is different from the way they live?
Please, I would like another glass of wine For I am feeling the youth of the night. After we have had a moment to dine, We like to make an evening that’s light. We raise our glasses in toast to Bacchus So we can perform another story, A tale from the past that is about us In days we look back upon with glory. This courage comes to us from the nectar That we get squeezed from the fruit of the vine That makes our memory travel afar To a moment that we hold as divine. Thank God, that we have rented this table To rediscover our lost live’s fable.
This is the second time that I have been to Machu Picchu this year. During the first time I was there, I was standing on one of the terraces and a tour guide was trying to take a picture of a son with his elderly parent. He was asking for both of them to crouch down so he could take a great picture of them with the fame old city in the background. The older of the two crouched down, but then lost his balance and almost fell over the edge of the terrace before his son was able to catch him and settle him down. It was a scary moment that even brought the employees of the sight out from their hidden corners to make sure everything was okay. It was this moment that made me wonder if taking my dad, who is 86, out here to see the wonders of this amazing cultures heritage sight. There were many questions that I needed to ask myself about making sure this trip worked for him. Would he be able to enjoy the wonders of Machu Picchu? Could he handle the rough terrain that he will have traverse though in order to enjoy the sight? How should I schedule the time that he is out here so he can enjoy it while not feeling worn out?
First off, would my dad enjoy the wonders of Machu Picchu? And that was easy to answer. Of course, he would. I still have not met an individual that would not enjoy this historic sight. There is a reason that so many people have added a day at Machu Picchu to their bucket list, because there is not another place like it in the world. It is not just the amazing views, or the spiritual feeling that this places holds within its haunted stones, but it is the amazing story that is told by the buildings and the history of this place, especially when talking about the precise that it was constructed. There is another wonder around each corner, and it is easy to be caught up in the magic of the place. Of course my dad would love this place.
A bigger question was: Could he handle the rough terrain that he will have traverse though in order to enjoy the sight? Let me start off by saying that my dad did great though we had to take it slow, and there were a lot of breaks along the way. The tickets have a specific entry time to Machu Picchu, but there is an hour grace period to work in. If you are planning on taking it slowly, it would be best to get there as soon as the time opens up because the place allows for four hours to go through your chosen circuit. I would also suggest using the bathroom before you enter the sight. There are no bathrooms in Machu Picchu, but there is a pay toilet outside of it, and it costs two soles (a little over 50 cents) to use, so make sure you bring some change with you.
Now with all of that being said, there are some other points I would like to make if you are considering making this decision. First off, my dad is in pretty good shape for an 86 year old man, and he started walking on a regular basis six months before he came because he knew it was going to push him some. He also lives in Denver, Colorado, so altitude is not always a problem for him. Machu Picchu is almost 8,000 feet above sea level, so being so high up is something that should be taken into consideration.
Also, just because my dad did well, other elderly people we came across on the trail did not fair as well. We saw many people struggle on the paths, and hiking up the uneven stairs that are found in the ruins. Most of them had to get help getting up and down the hilly terrain, and almost all of them were fumbling around with hiking poles while doing it. I am not saying that hiking poles are a bad idea, but it looked like they were being used for the first time by most of these people. If you want to know if hiking poles are going to help or not, the person should get out and walk around with them for a few months before ever coming to Machu Picchu. This way, they will know the height that is comfortable for them, and they will know how they can help them through the difficult terrain.
How should I schedule the time that he is out here so he can enjoy it while not feeling worn out? I will admit that I did not do the best job of this. There are a lot of things to consider when getting out to Aguas Calientes, the town that is the gateway to this amazing sight. First, you cannot drive out to Aguas Calientes; you have to take a train. This is a four hour train ride from Cusco, and a two hour train ride from Ollantaytambo. There are plenty of places to spend the night in the town, and it might be best to plan for two nights to stay there with two of the days used to go to Machu Picchu so you can have enough recovery time. I thought it would be best that we should go up on the day of the train ride, and that was a little too much to do in one day for my dad. It would have been better to spread it out a bit.
I would also recommend an afternoon visit and a morning visit, especially on the day you are leaving if you are staying in Ollantaytambo that night. It might seem to be a bit much to get up, hike through Machu Picchu then catch a train, but if you are going up to see the sunrise, and then heading back down, you will only be at the sight for an hour or two, and the train station is not far from any of the hotels with most of the hotels willing to help you get to their hotel when you arrive, and back when you are ready to head on.
There are three different circuits that take you around Machu Picchu and you can only go in one direction on them. They all offer amazing views, but the most spectacular views come from Circuit One. This is the shortest of the hikes, but at the same time, it is up and can take a lot out of many people. It is possible to do, but just make sure you take plenty of breaks along the way. Also know that the steps are the original steps and can be difficult to navigate on the best of days. These steps are at all of the circuits though. The steps are also not uniform so it takes big steps sometimes to go up or down, and that is something that should be considered when coming to Machu Picchu.
Circuit Two and Three go more around the inside of Machu Picchu, and are best experienced with a guide. These can be found at both outside of Machu Picchu, and down in Aguas Calientes. If they are hired in town before the bus rides, they are great in navigating how to get on and off the bus and where to go for the trip. The can also help in making it around the more difficult parts of the hike while taking pictures for you at the same time. The other two circuits can also be difficult, but there are short cuts around some of the more difficult parts, but it also takes away from the overall experience, so this something else that should be kept in mind.
In the words of my dad, Machu Picchu is a magical place, and there is a reason that it is on many people’s bucket list. It is not for everybody though, and great consideration should be taken if thinking about taking an elderly person there. But if they are adventurous and are still mobile, with good planning, they can tap into that magic that is found there. It is also great to watch them as they start to experience that magic with you.
Until next time, enjoy getting out there and seeing what the world has to offer.
The Sacred Valley is the biggest draw for many people who come to visit Peru, mainly because of the attraction to its crown jewel, Machu Picchu. But there are many more things to see while visiting that lie along the path of Peru’s famous Peru Rail that travels from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, the small town where people stay before visiting Machu Picchu. But taking the train is not the only way to get between the two sights; there is also the option of hiring a driver that can take you all the way to Ollantaytambo. You can even arrange to have them stop at a couple of the smaller sights along the way to get more out of your Sacred Valley experience. Two of the easier stops along the way are Maras and Moray, and can make a travel day a great just by taking the time to go off the beaten path a bit.
First of all, know that it is off the beaten path. To get to these sights, you take skinny mountain roads that have not been paved, and drive through the back alleys of small towns hidden in the Andes. You could rent a car to make the drive, but it is not an easy drive. It would end up be a very stressful experience, and it would be much more relaxing to just hire a driver to take you the whole way. This way you can sit back and enjoy the scenery of the valley below you unfold in all its majesty.
If you are traveling from Cusco to Ollantaytambo, the first stop along the way would be Maras. Maras is a actually a small town in the mountains of the Sacred Valley, and it is not the real reason that people come to this area. The main attraction is the salt flats that can be found there. If you do come here, know that the Cusco Tourist Ticket does not include this location, so you will have to pay an extra twenty soles per person if you wish to visit. It is still an interesting place to see, and though the drive on the small mountain roads can be slow due to traffic, you can get some nice views along the way to make the drive worth it. The terraces out there have been around since the Incas, and are still in use today as a way to collect quality salt that is used all over the world.
The salt comes from an underground spring and is collected in an intricate system that allows the water to flow through various quadrants where the lips of each section collect the best of the salt. The water is slowly drained when enough salt is collected and a common salt is scraped together to be distributed to various stores in the region. It is a process that has been repeated for centuries, and you can come here and watch the slow process being done very similar to the way it was done before the Spanish ever made it out to this region.
Only a half an hour drive away is another sight that I think is even more exciting than Maras. This is the ringed terraces of Moray. There are three different locations where these were created by the Incas, and they are not only a marvel in architecture but also agriculture. The Incas built this sight as a way to experiment with their crops. They formed these co-centric terraces in the ground so that there would be different micro-environments that they could plant various crops in. It allowed for different levels of temperature to exist in a small area so they could see which plants would grow best. The plan worked so well that there is a fifteen degree difference between the top level and the lowest one. They even brought in different kinds of soil from the region to see how the plants would grow here.
The marvel of engineering goes even beyond the terrace to the various way that they could travel up and down them as they added rock staircases into the walls to allow for easy vertical maneuvring. Recent rains have caused some damage to the location, but for the most part, it is still intact, and an amazing place to see.
People come out to the Sacred Valley all of the time to see the wonders of Machu Picchu, but there are many other treasures held within the valley. If you have enough time out here, you should try to see as many of them as possible, and Maras and Moray are two easy additions to the trip.
