What's on the Hob? (Winter '25/'26)

Some while back, after the rousing success of its inaugural edition I decided that What's on the Hob? (WOTH) would become a quarterly feature, an edition for each new season. I think I even started writing one up for Spring 2025. But the keen-eyed reader will notice that it is nowhere to be found.

Still, better late than never, supposedly. Here is the Winter 2025/2026 edition, including the brand new features Corner of Shame and the Plinth of Glory. But those are the pudding; first off we must have our mains.

On the go

The current currentses:

• I have half-written a blog with design notes for my most recent card game Pippins Aplenty.
• As of yesterday I have just started fiddling with a new Looney pyramids game idea.
• I am working up to code up a version of Havilering in a way that is a bit more straightforward than other games, and could hopefully be more easily extended to furthers without so much work, and with more code re-use.
• I am thinking once again about my vague stab at an open-source card game database. My main barrier is finding a more sensible way to make it easily editable.
• I am in serious danger of picking back up a two-player card game I started piecing together last April, A Gallon from Our Lady's Well.

Corner of Shame

The Corner of Shame is where I shall put anything that was listed in previous WOTHs that I still haven't done. Some of them I may be working on 'actively' (meaning I have a vague sense of it being on a to-do list), whilst others are probably not getting knocked off any time soon.

• The Sussex Tarot page (from last Winter) is all but finished - just light editing to do, but I have not touched it since the Summer or thereabouts.
• New version of Kaiso and spinoff game remain undeveloped. (From last Winter).
• Pointless Havilering game blog post remains as written as it was last year. (From last Winter).

Plinth of Glory

The Plinth of Glory, in contrast, is where I get the mild satisfaction of posting the previous WOTH items that have actually managed to fruit since the previous edition.

I expect that the Plinth of Glory will be a much quieter place than the Corner of Shame, in general.

• The Scalade page has full rules, as well as strategy, and link to an online playable version. It is also listed at at BoardGameGeek
• I did write up that new version of Auction Calypso.