Curious About Board Games

PODCAST 253: CURIOUS ABOUT BOARD GAMES

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, AUGUST 6TH, 2023

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  OUR GOAL AT CURIOUS KID PODCAST IS TO BE FUN AND EDUCATIONAL.  WE HOPE THAT YOU LEARN LOTS OF NEW FACTS IN EVERY EPISODE OF THE PODCAST, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE LOTS OF FUN LEARNING.  WHEN MY FAMILY WANTS TO DO SOMETHING THAT IS BOTH FUN AND EDUCATIONAL, WE OFTEN OPEN UP THIS CLOSET IN OUR BASEMENT THAT IS FULL OF BOARD GAMES.  IN THE FIVE YEARS OF CURIOUS KID PODCAST, WE ONLY COVERED ONE BOARD GAME, THE GAME OF CHESS.  CHESS JUST HAPPENS TO BE THE BEST SELLING BOARD GAME OF ALL TIME, SELLING AT LEAST 3 MILLION SETS IN THE UNITED STATES ALONE EVERY YEAR.  THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER FUN BOARD GAMES TO LEARN ABOUT, INCLUDING ONE BOARD GAME THAT I SPENT LOTS AND LOTS OF TIME PLAYING WHEN I WAS A CHILD, AND THAT OLIVIA AND HER BROTHER NOAH LOVE PLAYING A LOT TODAY.  ARE YOU WONDERING WHICH BOARD GAME I’M TALKING ABOUT?  STICK AROUND TO FIND OUT!

O:  DOUBLE-MAILBAG!

D:  DOUBLE-MAILBAG!

“HI.  MY NAME IS STEFAN.  I AM FROM WOLLONGONG IN AUSTRALIA AND I AM 7 YEARS OLD.  I LOVE LISTENING TO YOUR PODCAST.  IN FACT, IM’ LISTENING TO ONE OF YOUR EPISODES RIGHT NOW, CURIOUS ABOUT FLAMINGOS.  I AM CURIOUS ABOUT BOARD GAMES.  I WANT TO KNOW WHO INVENTED THE VERY FIRST BOARD GAME IN THE WORLD.

THANK YOU, FROM STEFAN”

“HI.  MY NAME IS EMERY AND I AM 11 AND MY BROTHER OAKLEY IS 7, AND WE LIVE IN MICHIGAN AND I WANT YOU TO GET CURIOUS ABOUT FANCY GOLDFISH AND MY BROTHER WANTS YOU TO GET CURIOUS ABOUT BOARD GAMES.  WE LOVE TO LISTEN TO YOUR PODCAST IN THE CAR, PLUS IT’S MY BIRTHDAY.”

O:  WE ARE SO EXCITED TO GET CURIOUS ABOUT BOARD GAMES THIS WEEK FOR STEFAN, EMERY, AND OAKLEY, AND WE HOPE EMERY HAD AN AMAZING BIRTHDAY.  

D:  THAT’S RIGHT.  WE WANT TO COVER A BUNCH OF BOARD GAMES IN THIS EPISODE, SO LET’S KICK THINGS OFF RIGHT NOW WITH THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, HOW MANY SPACES ARE THERE ON THE BOARD OF THE GAME CALLED CHUTES AND LADDERS?

D:  WHILE YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT THE ANSWER, LET’S LEARN A FEW INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT SOME OF OUR FAVORITE BOARD GAMES.  FIRST UP IS A GAME CALLED GUESS WHO?

O:  GUESS WHO IS A GAME PLAYED BY TWO PLAYERS.  THE PLAYERS GO BACK AND FORTH ASKING EACH OTHER YES OR NO QUESTIONS TO FIGURE OUT WHICH ONE OF THE 24 CHARACTERS THE OTHER PLAYER HAS ON THE CARD IN FRONT OF THEM.       

D:  THE GAME GUESS WHO WAS RELEASED IN 1979, AND ABOUT TWO MILLION COPIES OF THE GAME ARE SOLD EVERY YEAR.  COMMERCIALS FOR THE GAME GUESS WHO USED TO FEATURE THE CHARACTERS ON THE CARDS COMING TO LIFE AND TALKING TO EACH OTHER.  BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION WASN’T HAPPY ABOUT THE COMMERCIAL BECAUSE THE CARDS IN THE REAL GAME CAN’T ACTUALLY COME TO LIFE AND TALK TO EACH OTHER.  THAT’S WHY THEY REQUIRED THE COMMERCIAL TO END WITH THE WARNING THAT THE “GAME CARDS DO NOT ACTUALLY TALK.”

O:  IN THE ORIGINAL GAME OF GUESS WHO, THE CHARACTERS WERE NOT VERY DIVERSE.  FOR EXAMPLE, THERE WAS ONLY ONE CHARACTER WITH DARK SKIN, AND HER NAME WAS ANNE.  THERE WAS ALSO ONE CHILD CHARACTER, NAMED ANITA.  NOT ONLY THAT, BUT THERE WERE ONLY 5 FEMALES COMPARED TO 19 MALES.  IN THE YEARS SINCE, NEWER ADDITIONS HAVE FEATURED A MORE DIVERSE GROUP OF CHARACTERS.  

D:  DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE IS ACTUALLY A STRATEGY FOR BEING A GREAT GUESS WHO PLAYER?  IT’S CALLED THE BINARY SEARCH STRATEGY.  THE GOAL IS TO ELIMINATE EXACTLY HALF OF THE REMAINING CHARACTERS IN EVERY TURN.  AT THE START OF THE GAME, YOUR OPPONENT CAN HAVE ONE OF TWENTY-THREE CHARACTERS, BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE THE SAME CHARACTER YOU HAVE.  WHAT YOU SHOULD DO, IS TRY TO FIND A QUESTION THAT WILL ELIMINATE ELEVEN OR TWELVE OF THOSE CHARACTERS.  IF THERE ARE TWELVE CHARACTERS REMAINING FOR YOUR SECOND TURN, ASK A QUESTION TO ELIMINATE ANOTHER SIX.  WITH THIS STRATEGY, YOU ARE GUARANTEED A WIN IN FIVE TURNS OR LESS.  ONTO ANOTHER FAMILY FAVORITE BOARD GAME… CANDYLAND.

O:  IN THE GAME OF CANDYLAND, 2 TO 4 PLAYERS RACE THROUGH THE BOARD TO GET TO THE FINISH LINE.  THE GAME OF CANDYLAND IS GREAT FOR LITTLE KIDS BECAUSE IT DOESN’T REQUIRE READING OR COMPLICATED COUNTING.  THERE REALLY ISN’T ANY STRATEGY INVOLVED IN THE GAME, BECAUSE THE OUTCOME IS AUTOMATICALLY DETERMINED BY THE ORDER OF THE CARDS THAT ARE DRAWN.  THAT’S RIGHT - AS SOON AS THE DECK OF CARDS IS SHUFFLED, THE WINNER IS CERTAIN.  

D:  CANDYLAND WAS RELEASED IN 1949, AND IT SELLS ABOUT ONE MILLION COPIES PER YEAR.  THE GAME WAS INVENTED IN A HOSPITAL BY A RETIRED SCHOOL TEACHER NAMED ELEANOR ABBOTT.  SHE WAS SICK WITH POLIO, AND SHE WAS AMONG OTHER PATIENTS BATTLING POLIO.  SHE CAME UP WITH THE GAME OF CANDYLAND AS A DISTRACTION FOR POLIO PATIENTS.  

O:  WHEN CANDYLAND WAS RELEASED BY MILTON BRADLEY, THE COMPANY WAS BEST KNOWN FOR MAKING SCHOOL SUPPLIES.  UNLIKE IT’S OTHER POPULAR GAME AT THE TIME, CALLED CLUE, CANDYLAND WAS A GAME THAT COULD BE PLAYED BY KIDS ONLY.  THAT HELPED MAKE CANDYLAND POPULAR QUICKLY, AND ALSO HELPED MILTON BRADLEY REACH NEW HEIGHTS AS A BOARD GAME MAKER.

D:  WHAT IF I TOLD YOU THAT THERE WAS A MISTAKE ON THE BOARD OF THE CANDYLAND GAME FOR YEARS.  ON THE BOARD, THERE WERE TWO KIDS HOLDING HANDS AND SKIPPING.  THE KIDS WERE HOLDING HANDS LEFT HAND TO LEFT HAND, WHICH WOULD MAKE SKIPPING PRETTY DIFFICULT.  IF YOU’RE HAVING TROUBLE PICTURING WHAT I’M SAYING, TRY HOLDING HANDS WITH SOMEONE - BOTH HANDS HAVE TO BE LEFT HANDS, AND THEN SKIPPING IN THE SAME DIRECTION.  IT WON’T BE EASY.  IN 2010, MILTON BRADLEY CORRECTED THE MISTAKE.  NEXT UP IS THE GAME OF LIFE.

O:  IN THE GAME OF LIFE, PLAYERS TAKE TURNS SPINNING A SPINNER WHICH LET’S THEM KNOW WHERE TO GO NEXT.  THE JOURNEY ON THE BOARD TAKES THEM THROUGH THE DIFFERENT STAGES OF LIFE, INCLUDING GETTING MARRIED AND HAVING KIDS.  THE PLAYER WITH THE MOST MONEY AT THE END OF THE GAME IS THE WINNER.

D:  THE GAME WAS DEVELOPED ALL THE WAY BACK IN THE YEAR 1860 WHEN IT WAS ORIGINALLY CALLED “THE CHECKERED GAME OF LIFE”.  SINCE 1960, THE GAME HAS SOLD OVER 50 MILLION COPIES.  WHEN IT WAS NEW, THE GAME WAS LOVED BY SOLDIERS FIGHTING IN THE CIVIL WAR.  IN FACT, IT WAS BUNDLED WITH CHESS, CHECKERS, AND DOMINOES.  THE BUNDLE WEIGHED JUST FIVE OUNCES, AND MILTON BRADLEY ADVERTISED THAT IT WAS A GREAT GIFT TO SEND TO MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES FOR CHRISTMAS.  NOW ON TO ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOARD GAMES - SORRY.

O:  IN THE GAME SORRY, YOU NEED TO MOVE ALL FOUR OF YOUR PIECES FROM THE START TO HOME BEFORE THE OTHER PLAYERS.  WHILE YOU ARE PLAYING, YOU CAN HURT THE PROGRESS OF ANOTHER PLAYER.  I GUESS IT’S POLITE TO SAY “SORRY” WHEN YOU KNOCK ANOTHER PLAYERS PIECE BACK TO THE START.

D:  TO MOVE AROUND THE BOARD IN THE GAME SORRY, YOU DRAW FROM A DECK OF CARDS AND CARRY OUT WHATEVER THE CARD TELLS YOU TO DO.  THE BEST CARD TO DRAW IN THE GAME OF SORRY, AT LEAST IN MY OPINION, IS THE “SORRY” CARD.  THAT ALLOWS YOU TO TAKE ONE OF YOUR PIECES FROM START, PUT IT ON ANY SPACE ON THE BOARD OCCUPIED BY AN OPPONENT’S PIECE, SENDING THAT OPPONENT’S PIECE BACK TO THE START.  

O:  MY DAD IS ABSOLUTELY RUTHLESS WHEN HE GETS A SORRY CARD.  THERE IS SOME STRATEGY INVOLVED IN SORRY, BUT SOMETIMES IT’S TEMPTING TO JUST ELIMINATE ANOTHER PLAYER’S PIECE AS REVENGE FOR THAT PERSON DOING THE SAME THING TO YOU EARLIER IN THE GAME.  

D:  BEFORE WE GET TO THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK, WE HAVE THREE OF THE BEST SELLING BOARD GAMES IN HISTORY TO LEARN ABOUT.  SELLING MORE THAN 100 MILLION COPIES ALL TIME IS THE GAME OF BATTLESHIP.

O:  BATTLESHIP IS A STRATEGY GAME PLAYED BY TWO PLAYERS.  EACH PLAYER HAS THEIR OWN BOARD WITH A 10 BY 10 GRID ON IT.  THE PLAYERS RANDOMLY PLACE THEIR SHIPS ON THE BOARDS.  THEN, THE PLAYERS TAKE TURNS CALLING OUT SPACES ON THE BOARD TRYING TO LOCATE, AND THEN SINK, THE OTHER PLAYERS SHIPS.  THE FIRST PLAYER TO SINK ALL OF THE OTHER PLAYER’S SHIPS IS THE WINNER.

D:  BEFORE BATTLESHIP WAS PLAYED AS A BOARD GAME LIKE IT IS TODAY, PEOPLE WOULD PLAY THE GAME BY DRAWING A GRID ON A PIECE OF PAPER.  

O:  EACH PLAYER HAS FIVE SHIPS TO HIDE FROM THE OTHER PLAYER, AND THOSE SHIPS ARE A CARRIER, BATTLESHIP, CRUISER, SUBMARINE, AND DESTROYER.  THE SHIPS COME IN DIFFERENT SIZES.  WHEN HIDING THE SHIPS ON THE GRID, THEY CAN BE PUT ANYWHERE, AS LONG AS THEY AREN’T TOUCHING EACH OTHER, AND THEY AREN’T MOVED ONCE THE GAME STARTS.

D:  BACK IN THE 1980’S THE US MILITARY USED VERSIONS OF THE GAME BATTLESHIP ON THE ATARI GAMING SYSTEM TO TRAIN THEIR SOLDIERS FOR COMBAT.  

O:  EVEN THOUGH THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF SKILL INVOLVED IN WINNING A GAME OF BATTLESHIP, IT’S MOSTLY A GAME OF LUCK.  

D:  NEXT UP, WITH MORE THAN 150 MILLION COPIES SOLD, IS THE GAME OF SCRABBLE.

O:  IN THE GAME OF SCRABBLE, PLAYERS FORM WORDS USING LETTERS ON TILES, AND THEY SPELL THOSE WORDS OUT ON A 225 SQUARE BOARD, TRYING TO SCORE AS MANY POINTS AS POSSIBLE.  THE PLAYER WITH THE MOST POINTS AT THE END OF THE GAME WINS.

D:  SCRABBLE WAS INVENTED IN 1933 BY AN ARCHITECT BY THE NAME OF ALFRED BUTTS.  HE LOOKED AT THE FRONT PAGE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES FOR INSPIRATION WHEN TRYING TO DECIDE HOW MANY TILES OF EACH LETTER SHOULD BE IN THE GAME AND HOW MANY POINTS THOSE TILES SHOULD BE WORTH.

O:  FOR EXAMPLE THE LETTER Q IS THE LEAST COMMON LETTER IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.  FOR THAT REASON, HE DECIDED THAT THERE SHOULD ONLY BE ONE “Q” TILE, AND THAT TILE SHOULD BE WORTH 10 POINTS, THE MOST A TILE COULD BE WORTH.  

D:  HIS ORIGINAL VERSION OF THE GAME WAS NAMED “LEXICO”, THEN THE NAME CHANGED TO “CRISS-CROSS WORDS” A FEW YEARS LATER.  HIS FRIEND AND BUSINESS PARTNER CHANGED THE NAME TO SCRABBLE IN THE LATE 1930’S.  EVEN THOUGH SCRABBLE HAS BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME, THE SAME 100 LETTER TILES EXIST TODAY AS WHEN THE GAME WAS FIRST RELEASED, WITH THE SAME LETTER DISTRIBUTION AND POINT VALUES.  

O:  HERE’S A HELPFUL HINT WHEN PLAYING SCRABBLE.  IF YOU’RE UNLUCKY ENOUGH TO DRAW THE LETTER Q, IT’S HARD TO THINK OF A WORD WITH THE LETTER Q THAT DOESN’T HAVE A LETTER U ALSO.  THERE IS A TWO LETTER WORD, QI, SPELLED Q-I, THAT IS AN ACTUAL WORD THAT YOU CAN PLAY IN SCRABBLE WITHOUT HAVING A LETTER U IN YOUR RACK.  QI MEANS VITAL ENERGY AND IS A FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPT IN CHINESE MEDICINE.  OTHER HELPFUL TWO LETTER WORDS TO KNOW WHEN PLAYING SCRABBLE ARE ZA, SPELLED Z-A, AND XU, SPELLED X-U.

D:  CHECK THIS OUT:  YOU CAN SCORE 1,782 POINTS ON A SINGLE WORD IN SCRABBLE.  THAT WORD IS OXYPHENBUTAZONE, AND YOU WOULD NEED TO PLAY IT ACROSS THE TOP OF THE BOARD, HAVING THE WORD HIT THREE TRIPLE WORD SCORES, AND MAKING SEVEN CROSSWORDS DOWNWARD.  OLIVIA, DON’T TELL MOM ABOUT THAT WORD BECAUSE SHE IS REALLY GOOD AT SCRABBLE.  WHEN WE FIRST MET, WE USED TO PLAY SCRABBLE A LOT, AND MOMMY WOULD BEAT ME OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.  I FINALLY BEAT HER ONE DAY, AND I WAS QUITE PROUD OF MYSELF.  OKAY, NOW INTRODUCING, OUR FAVORITE BOARD GAME AND A GAME THAT HAS SOLD 275 MILLION COPIES - THE GAME OF MONOPOLY.

O:  IN THE GAME OF MONOPOLY, PLAYERS TAKE TURNS ROLLING DICE TO MOVE AROUND THE BOARD.  AS THEY MOVE AROUND THE BOARD, PLAYERS BUY PROPERTIES THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO TRADE AND EVEN BUILD HOUSES AND HOTELS ON.  WHEN OTHER PLAYERS LAND ON YOUR PROPERTIES, THEY OWE YOU MONEY.  THE OBJECT OF THE GAME IS TO MAKE THE OTHER PLAYERS YOU ARE PLAYING WITH RUN OUT OF MONEY, WHICH IS ALSO CALLED GOING BANKRUPT.

D:  I LOVE PLAYING THIS WITH OLIVIA AND NOAH, NOT ONLY BECAUSE IT’S FUN TO PLAY, BUT ALSO BECAUSE IT IS A GREAT GAME FOR LEARNING MATH.  OLIVIA AND NOAH ALWAYS WANT TO BE THE BANKER, SO THEY HAVE TO DO A LOT OF MATH DURING THE GAME.

O:  THE HISTORY OF MONOPOLY IS VERY INTERESTING.  IT WAS CREATED BY A WOMAN NAMED ELIZABETH MAGIE IN THE YEAR 1903.  WHEN SHE CREATED IT, SHE CALLED IT THE LANDLORD’S GAME.  THE REASON SHE CREATED THE GAME WAS BECAUSE SHE WAS ANGRY AT THE COMPANIES THAT WERE MONOPOLIES AT THE TIME.  

D:  A MONOPOLY IS WHEN ONE COMPANY, OR ONE PERSON, CONTROLS THE SUPPLY OF A CERTAIN ITEM OR SERVICE.  A GOOD EXAMPLE OF A COMPANY THAT WAS CONSIDERED A MONOPOLY FOR A LONG TIME IS A COMPANY CALLED THE DE BEERS GROUP.  FOR MANY YEARS, DE BEERS CONTROLLED THE DIAMOND INDUSTRY.  BECAUSE THEY HAD SO MUCH CONTROL OF THE WORLDWIDE DIAMOND INDUSTRY, THEY WERE ABLE TO DECREASE THE SUPPLY OF DIAMONDS, WHILE DRIVING UP THE DEMAND.  BEFORE THEY CAME AROUND, DIAMONDS WERE PRACTICALLY WORTHLESS.  WHEN THEY TOOK OVER THE DIAMOND INDUSTRY, THE PRICE OF DIAMONDS SKYROCKETED.  

O:  THE REASON WHY MONOPOLIES ARE BAD IS BECAUSE IT GIVES COMPANIES TOO MUCH CONTROL.  IT’S IMPORTANT THAT COMPANIES HAVE COMPETITION, BECAUSE IT HELPS KEEP PRICES DOWN FOR CONSUMERS.  

D:  THAT’S RIGHT.  WELL, THE CREATOR OF MONOPOLY, LIZZIE MAGIE, DIDN’T LIKE MONOPOLIES AT ALL.  SHE CREATED THE GAME, THEN CALLED THE LANDLORD’S GAME, TO SHOW HOW BAD MONOPOLIES ARE.  EVEN THOUGH WINNING THE GAME OF MONOPOLY IS FUN, THE WINNER BECOMES THE MONOPOLIST, WHICH REPRESENTS WHAT LIZZIE MAGIE WAS TRYING TO EXPOSE WHEN SHE CREATED THE GAME IN THE FIRST PLACE.

O:  IN 1932, A MAN BY THE NAME OF CHARLES DARROW PLAYED THE LANDLORD’S GAME FOR THE FIRST TIME.  HE WAS INTRODUCED TO THE GAME BY FRIENDS.  HE LOVED THE GAME AND EVEN DECIDED TO MAKE SOME CHANGES TO IT.  ONE OF THE MAJOR CHANGES WAS THAT HE CHANGED THE NAME TO MONOPOLY.  AFTER MAKING HIS CHANGES, HE SOLD THE GAME TO PARKER BROTHERS IN 1955 AS IF HE HAD CREATED IT HIMSELF.  IN OTHER WORDS, HE PRETTY MUCH STOLE THE GAME FROM IT’S ORIGINAL INVENTOR, LIZZIE MAGIE.

D:  PARKER BROTHERS EVENTUALLY REALIZED THAT CHARLES DARROW WAS NOT THE ORIGINAL CREATOR OF THE GAME.  THAT’S WHEN THEY BOUGHT THE RIGHT TO THE GAME FROM LIZZIE MAGGIE FOR ONLY $500.  THAT’S RIGHT - THE WOMAN THAT CREATED THE GAME THAT HAS SOLD ALMOST 300 MILLION COPIES WAS PAID ONLY $500 FOR THE INVENTION.

O:  THAT’S TERRIBLE, AND IT’S ALSO IRONIC THAT THE GAME SHE CREATED TO TEACH PEOPLE ABOUT GREED WAS STOLEN FROM HER BY SOMEONE WHO SEEMED TO BE PRETTY GREEDY HIMSELF.  CHARLES DARROW MADE MILLIONS FROM HER INVENTION.

D:  HE SURE DID.  SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS HE DID TO CHANGE THE GAME, ASIDE FROM JUST CHANGING THE NAME, IS THAT HE HAD THE IDEA FOR THE ORIGINAL BOARD PIECES, WHICH WERE DESIGNED TO RESEMBLE FIGURES FROM HIS NIECE’S CHARM BRACELET.

O:  THE PROPERTIES IN MONOPOLY ARE BASED ON ACTUAL PLACES IN ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY.

D:  THE CHARACTERS ON THE MONOPOLY BOARD ACTUALLY HAVE NAMES.  THEIR NAMES ARE JAKE THE JAILBIRD… HE’S THE GUY IN JAIL, AND ALSO OFFICER EDGAR MALLORY, WHO APPEARS ON THE “GO TO JAIL” SPACE.

O:  PLAYING A GAME OF MONOPOLY USUALLY TAKES A FEW HOURS.  THERE ARE RIDICULOUS WORLD RECORDS FOR LONG MONOPOLY GAMES.  THE LONGEST GAME EVER PLAYED LASTED 70 DAYS.  THE RECORD FOR LONGEST GAME UNDERWATER IS 50 DAYS, AND FOR LONGEST GAME IN A BATHTUB IS 99 HOURS.  CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW WRINKLED YOUR SKIN WOULD GET IF YOU WERE IN A BATHTUB THAT LONG?

D:  HERE IS THE CRAZIEST FACT ABOUT MONOPOLY I WAS ABLE TO FIND.  THERE IS MORE MONOPOLY MONEY PRINTED EVERY YEAR IN THE UNITED STATES THAN ACTUAL U.S. DOLLARS.  HOW CRAZY IS THAT?

O:  THAT’S INSANE.  IT’S BECAUSE THEY NEED TO PRINT A LOT OF MONEY FOR EACH SET.  EVERY SET OF MONOPOLY CONTAINS $15,140.  ALSO, THE PROPERTY PRICES IN MONOPOLY HAVEN’T CHANGED SINCE 1935, SO EVEN THOUGH BOARDWALK WILL COST YOU $400 TO OWN, IT’S QUITE THE STEAL.

D:  NOW THAT WE’VE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT OUR FAVORITE BOARD GAMES, LET’S ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  HOW MANY SPACES CAN BE FOUND ON THE BOARD GAME CHUTES AND LADDERS?

O:  THERE ARE 100 SPACES IN THE GAME.  PLAYERS RACE FROM THE START TO SPACE 100, AND THE FIRST PLAYER TO GET THERE WINS.  IT’S A WHOLE LOT EASIER TO GET THERE BY CLIMBING UP LADDERS, INSTEAD OF BY SLIDING DOWN CHUTES.

D:  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  253 - BOARD GAMES.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB STEFAN, EMERY, AND OAKLEY FOR THE TOPIC SUGGESTION THAT DIDN’T MAKE ANY OF US BORED… GET IT - BOARD GAMES?  ANYWAY, JOIN US NEXT WEEK WHEN WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT KEYS AND LOCKS FOR LISTENERS IN ONTARIO, CANADA AND COLORADO.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.