Made in Latvia. Brain Games: a penguin from Latvia flies around the world. Inventory for novus What games were added to your collection last

I decided to expand the range of my blog posts and start interviewing people I find interesting. My first “victim” was Vladimir from Latvia. He runs his own blogwww.boardgameslv.wordpress.com. He writes interestingly, my gaming tastes coincide with him, I have a good relationship with Latvia, so why not get to know each other better. Moreover, he is an active person on the Internet, many people know him and, I hope, this interview will be interesting not only to me.

Hello, Vladimir! I decided not to wait until the sitewww.boardgamer.ru a new “board hero” will appear, read his essay about himself and ask a question in the comments. I haven’t seen you on this list yet, but I always read everything you write, and I notice your activity on other sites. Moreover, you are from Latvia, which is still poorly represented in the tabletop world. So let's move on to the first question:

Well, to get on the list of Tabletop Heroes, you need, as they say, to earn a place in the sun: write sparkling articles, be an expert in gaming issues, a club organizer, a game developer, etc. I am an ordinary, average follower of this hobby, who a year ago came to the blog itself and still writes short notes. Therefore, it was doubly surprising for me to receive an offer to give an interview, but I will be happy to try to answer your questions and tell you about the life of a stern tabletop operator from Latvia :)

1. Is it difficult to be a tabletop maker in Latvia? Availability of clubs, people, availability of games, shops, etc.

It’s not difficult to be a board player here, difficulties arise with purchasing games, but I believe this problem concerns not only Latvia. Some games have to be ordered from abroad, and with the recent introduction of duties on parcels from America, I had to completely switch to German Amazon and English ebay.

As for stores, there are about three specialized (not online) ones, but I think that this is quite enough, since the assortment there is delayed, but is still updated. There are about the same number of open clubs, but judging by their attendance, there are enough board game lovers even in small Riga.

By the way, problems have recently arisen in our company personally, it is becoming difficult to gather in large numbers, so I decided to create a group on Facebook, to expand our gaming cell and lure new adherents!

2. How did your journey into the world of board games begin? On its own or someone pushed you into it. In general, do you consider yourself a geek or is this just one of your hobbies?

I don’t remember playing board games “suspiciously” a lot as a child. I remember chess, the Circus and a game of Monopoly at some birthday party.

I got hooked at the end of 2009 after I met Kingsburg thanks to a friend - I was so interested, then I thought about what had happened for a long time :) Initially, I didn’t even think about buying, the boards seemed something outlandish to me, and at first I was patient I was waiting for the next meeting and a new shipment to Kingsburg. Then I realized that I wouldn't mind playing something else. It all came down to a lack of information, and that’s how I got acquainted with our store, the largest Boardgamegeek website, Yuri Tapilin’s blog and the Pronastolki.ru digest, which subsequently led me to other sites and blogs. During the period of acquaintance, I read all the RuNet resources from cover to cover. I wanted everything at once, but after I purchased a couple of games that frankly didn’t work in our company, I began to pay more attention to reviews and rules. So, through trial and error, a taste was formed, which saved me from unnecessary costs.

I can’t call myself a geek - I don’t even really understand all these mechanics and terms, I’m not interested in diving into it, and I don’t have enough time to be a geek, I could just find an hour to play my favorite game. By the way, I generally have to write articles at night :)

3. Do you think tabletops have an adequate monetary value or the price does not always correspond to the quality of the product? How would you like to see the pricing of the games themselves, or maybe everything is fine and you don’t think about how much something costs?

If I like the game, then I’m ready to pay 50 or 70 euros for it, but only taking into account the fact that the quality, design and contents of the box will be at the proper level. For example: if a box for 30 euros contains only a deck of cards and a bunch of cardboard tokens, then the game will undergo a thorough analysis and will only be included in the collection if it seems worthwhile. I don’t really like it when people make money from practically nothing on an already promoted brand, but such are the realities of business in our country. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it, and that’s it :)

4. Can you name those desktops that you can’t live without, in the good sense of the word, of course =) That is. even after 5-10 you will be interested in playing them.

It’s just so bad without board games, I hope I won’t feel bad, but after a little over 2 years, I still want to play Arkham Horror, Ghost Stories are our first cooperative games. Of course, I would like to pay tribute to the publishers and fans who constantly fuel interest in these games by releasing new additions, scenarios, etc.

5. What games would you never play? And why?

6. Do you like the games that Russian companies produce? You might want to highlight some of them. And what do Russian board games lack, and what, on the contrary, do they have that games from other countries don’t?

Among the Russian board games, I played Evolution, Potions, Jam, Gobba, Leonardo's Riddle, Ordinance, and Coronation. Of all this, I liked Potions and Ordinance - good light card fillers.

It seems to me that it’s too early to talk about what Russian games have and what they don’t. There are not many games yet, but the most important thing is development and movement forward. I hope that soon the main features of Russian board games will become clear to me, and we will no longer talk only about the features, but mean a whole school, as we are now talking about German, American, French, Polish.

7. Are there any Latvian board games? How developed is everything in Latvia?

We've only encountered a couple of very childish games, a couple of economic and educational games. So far, I associate all this only with localizations of popular board games (Citadels, Energy Grid, Settlers of Katana) and individual enthusiasts. Let's hope that in the near future someone will shoot, and I will find out about it and write about it.

8. If you could instantly get your dream game (which doesn't exist yet), what would it be? Setting, mechanics, what is the game about?

Already thought about this :) It should be a role-playing game with a bunch of scenarios, beautiful figures, and maybe even a 3D terrain. So that you can play both in a team and alone, both against the game and with an overlord. Scenarios can be selected based on time, purpose, and difficulty. Well, and of course, preparation for the game should take about 5 minutes, and after the game everything was neatly folded into the box :)

9. You have your own blog. Does it bring you pleasure from leading it? Who do you think you are writing for, who will be interested in it?

It brings pleasure, but why, I would have abandoned it long ago. Judging by the feedback, my articles helped someone understand the rules, and someone made a purchasing decision. Thanks to the blog, I met many interesting people.

Articles are born for several reasons - when an opinion on the game matures (reports, reviews, first impressions), I do something with my own hands (towers for cubes, painting) and materials appear in the process of getting to know the game (translations of rules, scenarios, maps, FAQ -ov). Take, for example, the rules of the Angel of Death, they are written, to put it mildly, terribly, and in order to master them, I had to dig through 60 pages of posts on BGG. It helped me figure out the game, so why not help others?

10. If you're not into board games, then what?

Sports. It's better to combine it together. I myself constantly play tennis, ride a bike and go to the gym, just to stretch my bones :)

11. Will the CCG die or not? Will ZhKI take the place of CCI?

It’s good that recently, before purchasing Lord of the Rings, I specifically read what CCG and LCD are :)

I prefer the LCD format; I personally don’t understand the trick of throwing away a lot of money for the sake of a pig in a poke. But since the CCG is still alive, it means there is a demand for it. Although I agree that now most people are talking about the release of new Live games, therefore, talk about the decline of CCGs is not groundless. Death? Hardly.

12. You are lucky that your friend Katya shares your hobby with you. What do you think would change if Katya treated your hobby with contempt and tried to get you interested in cross stitch? =) I know that not all wives and girlfriends share the hobby of their other halves, so you're probably lucky with this =)

I was really lucky with Katya :)

I have friends whose other halves do not share this hobby, but this does not stop them from playing. A competent approach and mutual understanding help to find a compromise in such situations, and this has nothing to do with board games.

13. You play mainly with your other half, choosing games for two. What is the reason for this? Don't have friends who are interested in this? No board game clubs? Or is it very important for you that your opponent is pleasant to you in the first place and just so you don’t want to play with someone?

Everything is simple here. During the week I can only play with Katya, because... On weekdays everyone has business and work. Therefore, it is important for me that the collection includes games for two, because finding a good board game for a large group is not a problem. And so on weekends we regularly gather at home or in a club.

14. Do you think it's easy to attract a newbie to the world of board games? Have you ever done this?

There are a lot of different hobbies in the world precisely because people find what is closest to them. It’s the same with board games, some find them interesting, while others generally perceive it as purely childish fun. My goal is not to lure anyone, I achieved my goal - I managed to recruit the most important newcomer, Katya :) Rather, I just want to show what board games are like, because... From the outside, “this world” looks like some kind of underground organization where people secretly gather at night.

15. Are you planning to go to Essen this year? And was it there before? And in general, what conventions have you attended on the relevant topics?

After the last Essen, I only found out what it was. This year I seriously thought about going on a trip, but due to many circumstances it didn’t work out. Therefore, I plan to go to Germany next year and at the same time visit the exhibition.

16. Have you ever thought that someday the moment will come when you realize that you have played everything and it will be difficult to surprise you with something? Or is the world of board games so multifaceted that this is unlikely to happen?

My other hobbies are still with me, so for now I’m not thinking about giving up board games. If something covers me, it lasts for a long time :)

17. When you receive a new box of a game, after opening it, what can make you very happy and what can make you sad?

Pleased - a convenient organizer, disappointing - incomplete or damaged components. I immediately remembered the package when, instead of the addition to Ghost Stories, which I had been looking for for several months, they sent me the base game. I was very upset, but everything ended well.

18. That's all, it was a pleasure to talk, I wish you success, and you can say your final words, add something and maybe upload a picture of yourself with Katya so that we can get to know the Latvian board maker with our own eyes. Or you can draw yourself. Or whatever. So that I post this and sign it - this is Vladimir, this is Katya, nice to meet you) Thank you!

Thanks for the interesting questions. It turned out to be much more difficult to write about myself than about games - I’ve never given an interview before. I wish you success in developing your own blog, and everyone else - play games, it's interesting! 🙂

Good luck to you, Vladimir and Katya!

P.S. : because there was no question about what we are playing now, you can just paste our top 5 at the moment (if you want) :)

XI really want it =) So I’m putting it in =)

Top 5 from Katya:

1. Arkham Horror
2. Condotierre
3. Cartagena
4. 51st State
5. Neuroshima Hex!

Top 5 from me:

1. Mansions of Madness

For the first time, from warehouses in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Krasnoyarsk, you can buy the board game Novus from LATVIA

Like any other game “traveling” around the world, the NOVUS game has many names born over the last century: nous, crown or crown, slip, sharabashka, billiard game with chips, Baltic billiards, sea billiards, captain’s billiards, ship’s billiards, beach billiards, Latvian billiards, Scandinavian billiards, Chapaev billiards, ladies' billiards.

In addition to the name of the game itself, thanks to the development of this sport, terminology has appeared denoting the class of equipment. So today you can buy Novus in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Krasnoyarsk, Smolensk, Nizhny Novgorod, Lipetsk, Cherepovets and other cities of Russia.
Novus equipment can be purchased in three main versions:
Novus game table - MASS or AMATEUR
Novus game table - TRAINING or STANDARD
Novus game table - COMPETITIVE or PROFESSIONAL or PROFESSIONAL

A Novus board game set, like table billiards, usually consists of the following elements:
The table, which in turn consists of a table top and a base - supports
Pawns or chips or tiles, 8 pcs. red and black colors
Bits, washers, mothers, grandfather 1 pc. per player
Cues, 1 pc. for each player, they differ in length, usually from 1 to 1.6 m and sports level, gaming, mass.
Boric acid in powder, designed to improve the sliding of pawns and bats on the table
It’s not without reason that Novus is compared to billiards; it’s easier to buy the Novus variety of billiards than a full-size billiards.

The company "A Sport" is the official sponsor Novus Federation of St. Petersburg. Assistance in holding tournaments, organizing trips to international competitions and other support today has grown into closer cooperation - our company is pleased to offer you the opportunity to purchase equipment for this wonderful game by telling us about it on our website.

Novus, in the process of its development in Russia, acquired several other names, one of which is " Baltic billiards", which indicates to us an external resemblance to billiards.

Novus is a game that appeared much later than billiards, perhaps for this reason, and also in view of the simplicity of the equipment, noticeable even to an inexperienced viewer, the smaller dimensions of the table, the asceticism of its decoration, the use of pawns instead of balls, it seems that Novus is some kind of simplified generation of billiards. It is obvious that the origins of billiards and novus are the same - China and Southeast Asia. Sailors brought cueless pocket “Asian” board games to Europe, and inventive Europeans added cues and created first billiards and then novus. The merit of the sailors in this process, especially for the novus, is more than obvious. By the way, novus is also called " nautical billiards“, apparently due to its “adaptability” to the natural conditions of playing on ships and its resistance to pitching.

To play you need a square wooden table with sides. There are 4 pockets at the corners of the table. The surface of the table is divided into several zones by markings. Each player has 8 pawns (wooden pucks, similar to regular checkers, only with a hole in the center), one is red, the other is black; one bat (the washer is large in weight and size) and a cue. Having placed the pawns, the player who received the right to start the game by lot strikes the bat with the cue so that, by hitting the pawns, it drives as many of its pawns into the pockets as possible. The game has a number of restrictions and penalties. The game consists of 6 or 7 sets. They usually play together, but can also be played in pairs.

The rules of the game are simple, learning the basic techniques of striking, even for those who have not previously held a cue in their hands, occurs in one or two games.

Novus develops the eye, develops clarity and coordination of movements, quick reaction, resourcefulness - after all, the same arrangement of pawns is almost never repeated on the table. Gradually the player learns patience and composure. At the same time, the playing field is a practical textbook of geometry and physics. A real game brings pleasure to both partners and spectators, therefore, there is an aesthetic element in it. Novus is an indispensable means of recreation. It relieves accumulated nervous tension in the first minutes. The player is almost completely distracted from everyday trifles and gives himself over to an exciting competition.

Novus balances emotions and develops a number of qualities necessary for a person in life. He teaches you to win by exerting all your willpower, to overcome the opponent’s resistance, and a real player perceives the win without gloating and indecent glee. Novus also teaches you how to lose - without panicking and without losing faith in yourself. Good Novussians do not lose heart or lose their cool in difficult moments, and if they experience failure, they do so with dignity and humor. A real player would rather lose than break the rules, and in life this is called honesty and integrity.

Novus is available at any time of the year. Their activities do not depend on weather conditions. It is for these reasons that in European countries many families have a novus table. into it old and young play, men and women, grandfathers and grandchildren. The novus table is the center of communication for family and family friends.

Play Novus, talk to your children while playing, communicate more and the children will not leave you to look for other activities and dangerous games on the street!

Irena Ivina, President of the Novus Federation of St. Petersburg.

Great interest in the game of Novus, picky buyers and increased sales of equipment for the sports game of Novus allowed us to increase the range of Novus equipment offered for sale.

You can now buy a table for novus (nous) from warehouses in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Smolensk, Krasnoyarsk, kits for playing novus and their components are available. You can buy Novus from Latvia, manufactured in accordance with strict Latvian requirements for this equipment.

Tables made in Latvia in stock. Centuries-old traditions of table manufacturing, European production culture guarantee: perfection of every little detail that can affect the accuracy of the strike, the adjusted geometry of each table, stability and ease of installation. These tables are completely identical to the tables that 35-time Latvian champion Guntars Bralitis selected for the international novus tournament in Moscow. For the first time in the history of international competitions in Russia, Imants Blooms became the champion of this tournament and the winner of the “Center Cup”.

You can buy ready-made sets for playing Novus in St. Petersburg and Krasnoyarsk at the prices indicated below *

Name	Price (RUB including VAT)
Novus or Baltic billiards or sea billiards or crown, mass table, tabletop covered with polymer film, edge color - dark, color of film and pattern on it at the choice of the supplier, TABLETOP ONLY, can be equipped with ASPORT9505, 9503, 9504 cues, ASPORT9506 pawns, ASPORT9502 bats , 9511, 9531, removable supports ASPORT9507-1 and ASPORT9507-2, pcs. ASPORT9532	4720 rub.
Novus or Baltic billiards or sea billiards or crown, a mass table, the color of the sides is dark with an improved finish of the tabletop (increased thickness of the coating and finishing sanding), TABLETOP ONLY, can be equipped with ASPORT9505, 9503, 9504 cues, ASPORT9506 pawns, ASPORT9502, 9511 bats, 9531, removable supports ASPORT9507-1 and ASPORT9507-2, pcs. ASPORT9500	4720 rub.
Novus or Baltic billiards or sea billiards or crown, training table, sides color - dark, TABLETOP ONLY, can be equipped with ASPORT9505, 9503, 9504 cues, ASPORT9506 pawns, ASPORT9502, 9511, 9531 bats, removable ASPORT9507 supports, pcs. ASPORT9501	7729 rub.
Novus or Baltic billiards or sea billiards or crown, competition table with increased tabletop thickness, with improved tabletop finish (increased varnish thickness and finishing sanding), sides covered with colorless varnish (sides color - wood color), TABLETOP ONLY, can be equipped with ASPORT9505 cues, 9503, 9504, pawns ASPORT9506, bats ASPORT9502, 9511, 9531, removable supports ASPORT9507, pcs. ASPORT9509, pcs.	9027 rub.
Novus or Baltic billiards or sea billiards or crown, competitive table. TABLETOP ASPORT9520 with UNDERSTAND ASPORT9519 with increased thickness of the playing field, with improved finishing of the playing field (the thickness of the varnish and finishing sanding has been increased), with improved finishing of the sides and base, the sides are covered with colorless varnish (the color of the sides and base is the color of wood) with a box for accessories, can be equipped with ASPORT9505, 9503, 9504 cues, ASPORT9506 pawns, ASPORT9502, 9511, 9531 bats, pcs. ASPORT9518	14868 rub.
Novusa accessories - birch bat (washer, “grandfather”), pcs. ASPORT9502.	59 rub.
Novusa accessories - beech bat (washer, “grandfather”), 14-15 g, pcs. ASPORT9511	159.3 rub.
Novusa accessories - beech bat (washer, “grandfather”), 14-15 g, pcs. ASPORT9512	236 rub.
Novusa accessories - 1.2m game cue, coated with colorless varnish (the color of the entire cue is the color of wood), carving is possible in the handle area, pcs. ASPORT9504	531 rub.
Novusa accessories - mass cue from 1 m to 1.15 m, coated with colorless varnish (the color of the entire cue is the color of wood), smooth surface without thread, pcs. ASPORT9503	413 rub.
Novusa accessories - set of pawns of 16 pcs. (8 black + 8 red), set. ASPORT9506	531 rub.
Novusa accessories - supports made of wood-based material, for tabletops ASPORT9500, ASPORT9532, black, adjustable, removable, folding, with fasteners, pcs. ASPORT9507-1	1121 rub.
Novusa accessories - supports made of solid pine of dark color, for tabletops ASPORT9500, ASPORT9532, adjustable, removable, folding, with fasteners, pcs. ASPORT9507-2	1121 rub.
Novusa accessories - adjustable, removable metal supports, set of 4 pcs. with fasteners, kit. ASPORT9507	1003 rub.
Novusa accessories - UNDERSTAND with improved finish, coated with clear varnish (color of supports - wood color) with a box for accessories, pcs. ASPORT9519	3894 rub.
Novusa accessories - professional rules, brochure, pcs. ASPORT9508	118 rub.
Novusa accessories - table polish "borka" 100 g, set. ASPORT9510	35.4 rub.
Novusa accessories - competitive TABLETOP with increased thickness of the playing field, with improved finishing of the playing field (increased thickness of varnish and finishing sanding), with improved finishing of the sides, coating with colorless varnish (color of the sides - wood color), pcs. ASPORT9520	7845 rub.
Novusa accessories - transport packaging - table top for a country table (turns the Novusa table into a dining table) without decorative trim, under an oilcloth tablecloth, pcs. ASPORT9500-2	1475 rub.
Novusa accessories - transport packaging (wood - fiberboard), pcs. ASPORT9500-3	601.8 rub.
Novusa accessories - transport packaging (fibreboard) for the ASPORT9519 underframe, pcs. ASPORT9519-1	1003 rub.

* the prices indicated on this page are not a public offer and are provided for informational purposes only. In the case of current values, prices are WHOLESALE and are valid when purchasing goods for an amount of at least four hundred thousand (400,000) rubles.
Check the current prices on the page
If there is a promotion, some products can be purchased at retail at wholesale prices, check this opportunity with managers.

TU 961129-001-56255249-2008 are intended to determine the parameters of equipment for playing novus in design and competition (tender) documentation when ordering the supply of goods, performance of work, provision of services for state and municipal needs.

To improve the quality and appearance, these Regulations approve the technical conditions further, according to the text of the technical specifications, and the requirements for the manufacture of equipment for playing Novus.

These specifications apply to sets for the Novus sports game. The kits can be used in gyms, residential premises, and in the case of their all-weather design, outdoors at temperatures from -40 to + 40 ° C.

1. Technical requirements

1.1. The kits must comply with the requirements of these technical specifications, as well as sample standards approved by the International Federation of Novus, hereinafter referred to as FINSO, in the prescribed manner.

1.1.1. The design of the table, a set for playing novus, consists of a table top, which is fixed in one way or another on adjustable supports of various designs.

1.1.2. The main parameters of the components of the kit must comply with the requirements for equipment, regulations of the rules of the game approved by FINSO.

1.1.3. Operating conditions – for indoor use, for outdoor use, for severe operating conditions – vandal-resistant.

1.2. Classification

1.2.3. The sets, depending on the quality of the tabletop, support parameters and design solutions, are classified into:

Competitive

Training

Massive

1.3. Completeness

1.3.1. The kit includes;

Table top - playing plate with sides and pockets;

Supports of various designs;

Pawns (usually 8 red and 8 black, or for doubles 16 red and 16 black)

Individual bat (usually each player has his own)

Individual cue (usually each player has their own)

2. Supports

2.1. The design of the supports and their connection to the tabletop should not be shaky, that is, the tabletop should not be allowed to move in any direction by more than 0.5 mm when touched with reasonable force by the player’s hand.

3. Marking

3.1. The markings must correspond to the dimensions and parameters given in Table 1.

3.2. Competition logos and sponsor logos are allowed on the playing field. The applied logos should not be applied in bright colors (so as not to merge with the pawns), not intersect with the marking lines, not carry negative information, and not interfere with the movement of pawns and bats.

4. Boards

4.1. For competitive tables. The sides are made of hard wood. There should be no chips, knots or other wood defects on the inside of the sides. The inside of the sides is covered with transparent varnish and is not tinted. The outer part of the sides can be tinted in various colors, the side outer part of the side can be decorated with decorative finishing, both in the plane of the side and in volume.

4.2. For training tables. The sides are made of any hard materials. There should be no defects on the inside of the sides in the form of protrusions, depressions, joints and other irregularities. The inner side of the boards and the outer part of the boards can be tinted in different colors, the side outer part of the board can be decorated with decorative finishing, both in the plane of the board and in volume.

4.3. For massive tables. The parameters of the sides are not standardized.

5. Playing field

5.1. For competitive tables. On the front side of the plywood of the playing field the following are not allowed: knots, knot seals, cracks, dark spots and lines of natural origin contrasting with the background that affect the clarity of recognition of the position of a pawn or bat relative to the marking lines. Plywood for making the playing field should be in light colors. The plywood of the playing field is covered with several layers of varnish. The front side of the playing field must be sanded and polished, without any roughness or unevenness.

5.2. For training tables. On the front side of the playing field made of any material that provides strength and a flat surface, the following are not allowed: joints, sealing of fasteners, dark spots and lines contrasting with the background that affect the clarity of recognition of the position of a pawn or bat relative to the marking lines. A large area of ​​the playing field should be in light colors. The playing field can be made of any number of layers of different materials. The front side of the playing field must be sanded and polished, without any roughness or unevenness.

5.3. For massive tables are only regulated by marking the playing field in accordance with the requirements of the rules.

6.1. On the support structures and on the sides, it is allowed to apply logos and information that does not contradict the spirit of sports, the promotion of a healthy lifestyle and advertising of the Novus game.

7. Basic Basic Parameters

The main basic parameters of professional and amateur tables are given in Table 1. Drawings illustrating the inventory parameters are given in Appendix 1.

Requirements for amateur tables only are indicated by a separate item with a dash, for example 4-1.

Table 1

	Group of couples	Parameter name	Unit of measurement	Meaning	Maximum deviation
		height of the tabletop from the top of the sides to the base (floor) on which the table is installed
		playing field size, width, depth
		difference between the size of the diagonals of the playing field
		playing field thickness
		playing field thickness for training tables		not regulated
		width of the sides along the top side of the tabletop
		the angle between the surface of the playing plate and the surface of the side facing the center of the table
		height of the board from the surface of the playing field to the upper edge of the vertical part of the board facing the center of the table
		pocket diameter
		the distance between the edge of the pocket closest to the board and the side
		bevel radius of the pocket edge along the top and bottom sides of the playing plate
		difference in pocket diameter measured in any two directions
		the width of the game board marking lines, which are made in a color contrasting to the color of the main field of the game board for training tables
		distance from the edge of the marking line closest to the board to the board
		diameter of the circle in the center of the table measured along the outer edge of the marking line
		the angle between the lines that divide the circle in the center of the table into four equal sectors and which are drawn parallel to the sides of the table
		distance from the center of the circle and the intersection of the lines dividing it to the side
		range of adjustment of the tabletop support structure for training tables		not regulated
		deviation of the front surface of the playing plate from the plane, measured at any point on the playing plate relative to any other point on the playing plate
		bit outer diameter
		bit thickness
		bit hole diameter
		outer diameter of the pawn, provided that the side surface is rounded with a radius of 25±2 mm
		pawn thickness, provided that the ends of the pawn are lowered towards the center by 0.5±0.4 mm from each end
		pawn hole diameter
		the weight of the bat, provided that it is made of solid solid wood and does not have coating, foreign inclusions and inscriptions and drawings that cannot be removed
		the length of the thin end of the cue, provided it is made of round wood and the diameter of the thin end of the cue is 6-10 mm.
		the end of the thin end of the cue should not have any foreign inclusions, chips or inhomogeneities. The shape of the end should be as close to a circle as possible. End size in any two axes
		the pawn must be made of birch and coated with paint/impregnation without forming a glossy layer, color red and black
		the bat must not have any coating and must be made of wood and must not contain any foreign matter
		the weight of the pawn, provided that it is made of solid birch and does not have any foreign inclusions of inscriptions or drawings

After the adoption of the Regulations on Technical Specifications (TS) to competitive equipment, the FINSO Presidium determines the date from which all official FINSO competitions will be held on competitive inventory that meets technical specifications (TU).

This Regulation comes into force from the moment it is adopted at a meeting of the FINSO Presidium and published on the official FINSO website.

table 2

The use of any text and graphic materials from this site is permitted, while those who have used such information reserve the right for the creators of this site to have a similar right to use any materials from their web resources.

Here is the first issue of a new column. “Let's Get Acquainted” is a series of interviews with representatives of the Russian-speaking part of the blogosphere who write about board games. Readers will be able to get acquainted with information sites and their authors, and we will be able to fill out cards for the corresponding projects based on the answers.

Today our guest is Vladimir Shlapakov, author of the blog “Board Games in Latvia” (and his charming assistant Ekaterina Bondarik).

Does your information resource have features that make it stand out from the blogosphere? Unique sections, special approach or design?

The main difference between our blog is that it is the only Russian-language resource in Latvia entirely dedicated to board games. When we decided to create a blog, we pursued two goals - to talk about the fact that we also play, develop, organize meetings, localize and love board games, and at the same time we wanted to expand our own gaming cell. How informative the resource turned out to be is not for us to judge, but new virtual and real acquaintances were not long in coming, and that’s great.

If we talk about the features of our resource, we translate scripts for Arkham Horror, FAQs, rules and materials for games, publish notes on how you can “tune” your favorite board game, and also post photographs of miniatures we painted ourselves. Oh yes, sometimes we also come up with all sorts of guessing quizzes, also based on board games, of course :)

Can you briefly list and describe the sections of your information resource? What do you focus more on (reviews, reports, news...)?

As for the content of the site, the main headings are “Reviews” and “Reports”. Everything is simple here - a brief description of the rules, photographs, impressions, by type, what you liked and what you didn’t. By the way, for convenience, I put the reviews on a separate page so that you can quickly view the entire list of what we reviewed.

I also recently became interested in painting miniatures, so now in the “Painting” section you will have to see my art.

“Quizzes” currently has 9 mini-guess games on board games. Anyone interested can try their hand without looking at the comments.

We also have a separate page for the so-called Live!, where news from the “table fields” are published in one line, and “Collection”, where everything that our game cabinet is filled with is listed.

What type of games (wargames, party games, eurogames, etc.) do you write about most often?

I write about almost all the board games that I have played, or games that have not yet been released, but that interest me. Katya rarely spoils our blog with articles; she writes only about those games that she really, really liked. The lion's share of articles is devoted to Ameritrash, cooperative and card games; euro is less common. There are even a couple of notes about wargames; I would write more, but it’s difficult to gather a company on them in one place and at one time. In the off-season, like now, we pay more attention to board games that you can easily take with you on the road, play outdoors, and in general, somehow keep a large company busy.

What information resources about board games do you read yourself?

Now the main ones for me are “Tesera” and BoardGameGeek, and Katya and I also constantly watch video reviews from Tom Vasel and Wil Wheaton’s latest show TableTop. And, of course, we follow updates from almost all Russian-language blogs. By the way, I sadly noted that in RuNet they write little about Ameritrash, it’s not in order!

What games do you play more often and with pleasure now?

If offered now, I would immediately agree to play: Eclipse, Strike of the Eagle, Dungeon Petz, Mansions of Madness, Galaxy Trucker, Last Night on Earth, Claustrophobia, The New Era, King of Tokyo, Dungeon Fighter, Dice Town , Freitag, The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, Nightfall.

Do you have a favorite genre, mechanics?

As I mentioned earlier, I prefer Ameritrash, card games and cooperative games. I like Ameritrash because of the atmosphere, the story, the scripts, the drama. What attracts people in card games is deckbuilding, the opportunity to play a card in different ways. In European games, one is impressed by the arrangement of workers, the presence of a crisis, as some kind of help for action. Unfortunately, I don’t get to play wargames very often; I’m attracted to this genre because of the historical component, the epic nature of the events or something.

Which games make up your “eternal” top list and are your favorite? Why? What attracts you to them?

Probably Arkham Horror, Last Night on Earth and The New Era. In “UA”, for so long, I’ve simply gotten used to the heroes and horror stories of Lovecraft, LNoE is a classic zombie horror, one might say, a parody of films about the dead, it plays well with any cast, it perfectly lifts the mood, and I love The New Era for its countless strategies and sophisticated combinations of actions.

Are there any games you're looking forward to coming out? If yes, which ones and why?

At the moment I'm not expecting anything special, except for Zombicide, which I donated to on Kickstarter. In a nutshell, this is a cooperative game about people, again fleeing from zombies. I fell for 100+ excellent miniatures. Well, Essen is just around the corner, I think new products will appear that will interest me.

What are the latest games to be added to your collection?

The latest were card-based Freitag, Fairy Tale and Dragonheart. I decided, so to speak, to dilute the collection with fillers. Well, Katya acquired the long-awaited knuckles that look like marshmallows, i.e. mahjong.

Tell us briefly about yourself. Do you have any hobbies besides board games? If yes, which ones?

Vladimir Shlapakov. I live in Latvia, the city of Riga, and work in finance. I became interested in board games in 2010 after playing Kingsburg. In 2011 I started the blog “Board Games in Latvia”. I like to play everything, but I prefer Ameritrash, card and cooperative games. In addition to board games, I play sports: tennis, cycling.

• “In Latvia they also play board games!” (“Board games in Belarus”);
• “Tabletop heroes No. 26-27 - Vladimir Shlapakov and Ekaterina Bondarik” (Yuri Tapilin’s blog).

“There is nothing more prestigious in our industry. We can only hope to repeat that success someday." It's about the prize Spiel des Jahressays one of the founders of the Latvian board game publishing houseBrain Games PublishingEgil Grasmanis. His gameIceCool last year it officially became the best children's board game in the world. Now the penguin race is briskly marching across the planet: in China they can’t keep up with it print, championships are held in Europe, and in America they have begun sell in the stores of the second largest retailer -Target. Well, in the meantime, in Riga they are working on expanding the universeIce Cool.

Click and the red penguin jumps over the wall of the dining room in pursuit of the fish. Click - his classmate performs an impressive pirouette and rolls into the playroom along a tricky trajectory. Click - the fugitive is intercepted by the duty officer: stand, wings behind your head! Perhaps Brian Gomez from Brain Games (behind the pseudonym Brian are Egils Grasmanis, Janis Grunte, Edgars Zakis and Reinis Butans) did not come up with the most highly intelligent board game, but certainly one of the most fun. Released in 2016, IceCool has already collected prestigious awards and spread across Europe, Asia and is making its way to the United States.

“There are a lot of publishers, there’s a lot of competition. Thousands of games are released a year, only a few of them make it to the top tier,” says the co-owner Brain Games And Brain Games Publishing Egil Grasmanis.

Entrepreneurs are absentees

Truly legendary games rarely appear. but accurately - they withstand huge circulations and leave a mark on the culture of peoples.

For example, Joseph Friedrich Schmidt simplified the rules of the ancient Indian game “parcheesi”, packed the equipment in a box, and called the resulting product Mensch ärgere dich nicht (can be translated “Don’t be angry, buddy”). Since then, according to some estimates, more than 90 million copies of the game have been sold (in Latvia it is known as Riču Raču).

At the height of the Great Depression, the unemployed Charles Darrow dreamed so much about quick enrichment that he created his own business world, in which there was only one way to survive - to absorb all competitors. Charles first drew and sold his Monopoly himself. And just two years later his game became the most popular in the world.

The latest worldwide board game was Klaus Teuber's Catan or Colonizers, a strategy game in which you can mine minerals, lay roads, build castles, build harbors and a fleet, and trade with other players.

“Friends from America brought us this game in 2003.

It turned out to be so exciting that my friends and I played it for more than a day without a break. I didn’t even go to work, I took sick leave. Catan actually served as a trigger - then we realized that we wanted to make board games. So the history of our company began with unique emotions, with a wow effect,” recalls the entrepreneur.

From traders to publishers...

So Brain Games engaged in wholesale trade. Now its clients are retail chains in all three Baltic countries and specialized stores. Then came the turn of retail trade: they opened a store in Riga on Kr. Baron and over the course of several years they built a small network that covers the Latvian capital, Tallinn and Tartu. The very first one moved a little closer to the center - inside there are shelves up to the ceiling, and on them hundreds of board games, Rubik's cubes of all kinds, puzzles, comics, souvenirs. At the moment, according to its own estimates, the company occupies 20-25% of the board games market in the Baltic countries.

In the early 2010s, Egil and his companions decided that it was time to take a new step.

The invisible and main part of the business is concentrated in an inconspicuous two-story building at the very end of Terbatas Street. This is where the office is located Brain Games Publishing- publisher of board games.

Along the walls of the small room are shelves lined with colorful boxes and cardboard boxes. Some products cannot be removed. All these are prototypes of future board games. Some things will come out very soon, some in two years, and some never. Here, on Terbatas, what adults and children will play is invented and tested.

“From the very beginning we wanted to publish games. But at that time, the audience itself in the Baltic countries was so undeveloped that there were no authors - there was no one to generate ideas. So how? If a person has only managed to play Monopoly, he has nothing to rely on. And over the course of several years – including, I think, due to our efforts – people became acquainted with what the industry offers today, their horizons broadened, and the first worthwhile ideas appeared.”

The first worthwhile ideas were brought by Latvian and Estonian authors. And already in 2012 Brain Games(from which it later spun off Brain Games Publishing, which is engaged in publishing) presented the first games of its own publishing house at international exhibitions. However, none of them survived to this day.

...from publishers to creators

Just as Social Network, a game that Egil and Co. not only released, but also developed themselves, did not survive. According to E. Grasmanis, game publishers around the world work in much the same way as book publishers: they bring ideas; most quickly end up in the trash bin, and the remaining 10% are dealt with further. But almost none of them come up with games themselves.

But Brain Games decided to break the scheme - they released their development, and... “It didn’t go very well - that’s putting it mildly. We generally prefer not to talk about it,” he grins.

But already in 2014, according to the entrepreneur, a collective insight occurred, which turned the Latvian company into the creator of an international super hit.

“In the back room of the store on Barona we were thinking about what chips to choose for some new game. And among the various options I came across a small vanka-stand. Moreover, in the game from which we took him out, he did not move at all - he simply stood still somewhere on the field. Well, these tumblers and I played catch-up on the table. We felt that there was something here,” Egil recalls.

From catching up, an unusual mechanic was born, which in two years acquired a nice design, history, and rules. This is how IceCool was born - a game about penguin students who desperately wanted fish and about the guard on duty, whose task is to find them and neutralize them, taking away their school ID.

This was in 2016. The fact that IceCool turned out to be a shot at the bull's eye became clear immediately. As soon as it was born, the development of the Latvian publisher was immediately nominated in several categories in the Golden Geek competition, and in the UK it won the title of best game for children at the UK Games Expo. And in 2017 - two victories: the best children's game according to a survey of “analog” gamers Deutscher Spiele Preis and (they say the most prestigious award in the industry) Kinderspiel des Jahres - again, the best children's game of the year, but according to the authoritative jury .

“But we haven’t tested it on children at all. They did it so that we, adults, would like it,” notes one of its creators.

Our mighty penguin is flying

In fact, says Egil, even before the official presentations it was clear that the penguin school would “fly.” “At first we thought of raising money for its publication through Kickstarter, but when we showed the prototype to partners in the West, we realized from the reaction that funding would not be needed.”

Young and adult players, as well as experienced figures in the world gaming industry, were impressed by the unusual mechanics. Which starts with a box - it serves not only as packaging, but also participates in the game in the most direct way: it makes up a school with several rooms.

And it continues with the tricks: the tumbler penguins can be moved in any way - just click lightly so that it travels in a straight line, you can spin it, you can send it flying through walls - along any route. Which provides a lot of options for passing and, accordingly, excellent replayability.

The first edition of 50,000 copies quickly sold out, and currently about 300,000 IceCool have been sold. According to Egil, the game is selling well in Germany and in other European countries where German is spoken, in China, Greece, Japan, Poland, Italy, Russia, and Ukraine. The share of the Baltic countries is vanishingly small, no more than 5 thousand copies for three states.

Actually, the “IceCool effect” had a more than visible impact on the business of the Latvian publisher: if in 2015 the turnover Brain Games Publishing amounted to only 120 thousand euros, then in 2016 - already 700 thousand, and last year - 1.8 million euros (of which more than half were provided by tumblers)

Ice Cool championships are already being held. This year tournaments will be held in 20 countries. And the world final is in Riga in the fall. And in October, a video competition with trick clicks will be held among fans. The main prize is a trip to Antarctica, to see the penguins.

Some time ago, IceCool came to America, and more recently it began to be sold in Target- one of the largest retail chains in the USA. “Now for us the USA is the main market. Lately I've been concentrating only on him. The scale is huge, and we have only just begun to expand there,” says Egil.

This is partly why the first sales of the sequel to the hit, IceCool 2, took place there: the other day the Brain Games team returned from the large gaming forum Gen Con in Indianapolis, where they showed the final version of their new brainchild.

What is the point of this game?

To be precise, IceCool 2 is both a continuation and an expansion of the first “penguin school”: boxes from the old and new IceCool can be put together, so that you get a very large area, behind which not four people, but eight can fight.

Meanwhile in Brain Games they are already thinking about a new sequel (though not very soon) and, perhaps, even about releasing IceCool as a game for smartphones, about their own new developments and the release of games from third-party authors. “Now professional authors from all over the world are sending us ideas - they want us to publish them. We have a plan for the entire next year; we recently signed a game that we will release only in 2020,” explains Egil.

And at the same time, it would seem that computers and gadgets that have established a monopoly on our attention do not interfere at all with the “analog” industry and specifically Brain Games.

According to Egils Grasmanis, the global board games market does not feel a crisis at all and is growing by about 10% every year, and the Baltic market, due to its low base, is growing even faster.

“Many people think that board games are inferior to computers and phones, but in reality one does not interfere with the other, and even helps. Now, for example, there is one company that simply takes popular computer games and brings them to the table. And on the other hand, every classic desktop sooner or later acquires an electronic version.

But we still sell an alternative - a type of leisure time in the company of friends and family, quality time, entertainment. The meaning of board games is precisely this – live communication between people.”

The official date of appearance of the Novus game is considered to be 1927. P. Tyutenkov wrote about this in the first rules of the game, dated 1932. Novus originally appeared in the Baltic states. Sailors, visiting small taverns in English ports, played a similar game there. And then, according to sketches taken in England, the first table was made in Latvia. Initially, tables appeared in the ports of Ventspils and Liepaja
and Riga.

In Estonia, this game (known as "Crown") also developed initially in port cities. And yet, in Latvia, Novus gained fans much faster and soon became a national sport. The first professional competitions took place in Riga in 1932, Albert Ramins became the champion. The Novus Federation of Latvia was formed on December 6, 1963. Since 1964, republican individual championships have been held, and since 1966, team championships have been held. Men's and women's teams were created. The significance of the game is also evidenced by the fact that professional Novus players are now awarded the title “Master of Sports.” Since 1971, 82 sportsmen and 45 sportswomen have received this title.

In 1980, there were 55 thousand people in Novus sections. Currently, regional, city, republican and international competitions are being held. It is interesting to note that since 1993 the Novus game has been one of the three most popular sports in Latvia. The game was developed in America, Canada, Australia, England, Germany, New Zealand and other countries. International competitions between Latvia and Estonia are periodically held. Since 1993, worldwide Novus competitions have been held, in which teams from all countries where Novus has become widespread take part.

Novus, history of novus

It all started when sailors who were addicted to billiards decided to take their favorite game to sea with them. And everything would be fine if the billiard table were not so bulky. But the resourceful children of the sea were not at a loss and made a table, square, meter by meter.

But as it turned out later, the size of the table is not the only problem with billiards on a ship. Naughty balls rolled around the table even in complete calm, go and prove whether the ball moved from its place “on its own” or you touched it, and the sailors had no choice but to cut off the balls on both sides and play with the resulting chips.
Perhaps this aspect is one of the primary reasons for the emergence of the game itself.

Do you think that, having gone through such changes, billiards pleased sailors less? Not at all! After all, “having gone ashore” the game was not forgotten, but developed, and after some time it was difficult to imagine a sailor who did not know how to play novus (from Latin). The sport designated by this term took shape in Latvia and Estonia as a board game already in the 20s.

In Estonia the game was called crown. The game, which received nationwide recognition, enjoyed increasing popularity.

In the early years of the development of this sport, there were no uniform rules. According to some rules, the winner was the one who pocketed the most chips in a limited time; according to others, the winner was the one who pocketed all the chips in the least number of hits. It was impossible to compare the skills of the athletes. The various options were combined into single rules and they first appeared in Latvia in 1932. They were published by P. Tyutenikov. The first professional competitions took place in Riga in 1932. In 1940, Novus and Corona sports sections were present in most higher education institutions in Tallinn and Riga, as well as in many large industrial enterprises.
The first Novus Federation was formed in Latvia in 1963. At the same time, novus was included in the register of sports of the USSR as a Latvian national sport. Men's and women's teams were created. The title "Master of Sports" began to be awarded in 1971. In 1980, 55 thousand people played in novus sections throughout Latvia. Currently, regional, city, republican and international competitions are being held. It is interesting to note that since 1993, the game of novus remains one of the three most popular sports in Latvia and Estonia.
Together with people from Estonia and Latvia, the game began to actively develop in America, Canada, Australia, England, Russia, Georgia, Germany, Finland, Sweden and Israel, and since 2005 in Ukraine.
Every year there are international competitions between Latvia and Estonia and Russia. Since 1993, world championships in novus have been held, in which teams from all countries where novus has developed take part.
Since 2000, the international tournament “St. Petersburg Cup” has been held annually in March. The best players from Latvia, Estonia and various Russian cities take part in it.

The Federation of Novus of St. Petersburg was formed in 1999 by a group of enthusiasts, mainly from those who have been familiar with this game since childhood.
The first competitions among all comers were held at the Sports and Concert Hall in March 2000. To meet us at these competitions, guests came from Riga and Moscow: President of the Latvian Novus Federation Jānis Piebalgs, a player with more than 60 years of experience, President of the Riga Novus Federation Juris Kiriks, President of the Moscow Novus Federation Alexander Raver.

On December 10, 2000, the first “St. Petersburg Novus Cup” was held at the Petersburg Sports Complex and for five years now competitions of various levels have been held regularly, once a month. On March 24, 2001, for the first time in Russia, the international tournament "St. Petersburg Cup" on novus was held at the SKK. The best players from Moscow and Latvia came to us. Then, in a tense struggle, the player from St. Petersburg, Sergei Platov, who is now a multiple champion of the city and a candidate for master of sports in novus, still won. And now every year, traditionally in March, such a tournament is held, bringing together the best players from Russia, Latvia and Estonia. In 2002, the Cup went to Estonia, and Gert Muil became the winner. In 2003, the legend of Latvian novus, 32-time Champion of Latvia, Guntars Bralitis came to us. He won the cup. In 2004 and 2005, the same Guntars Bralitis took away the Cup. In 2006, the Cup went to Estonia. Its owner was Kaspar Raidlepp, silver medalist of the Second European Championship

The Novus Federation presented its sport both indoors (SKK "Petersburgsky", Mikhailovsky Manege, Central Exhibition Hall on St. Isaac's Square, SKA Sports Palace, Sports Palace "Yubileiny", Sports Palace "Zenit") at exhibitions and events of various profiles, and in open areas cities (Palace Square, Ekateringof Park, Peter and Paul Fortress, S.M. Kirov Stadium, Petrovsky Stadium, the city of Pushkin, Zelenogorsk, Strelna, Petrodvorets, Lomonosov).

The Federation continues its development, tournaments are held regularly. Clubs have been created where you can learn to play free of charge:
"Baltic Billiards Club" House of Culture "Rybatsky", Rybatsky Ave., 2.

House of Youth Creativity, Primorsky District, Aviakonstruktorov Ave., 35

Military-patriotic club "Rubin", Vitebsky Prospect, 41

Kirishi, Leningrad region, teenage club "Vityaz", st. Stroiteley, 10

Kirishi, Leningrad region, teenage club "Rovesnik", st. Energetikov, 23

The number of novus lovers is increasing, the number of clubs is growing. The Federation helps them purchase equipment, teaches them the basic rules, and helps them organize competitions.

Our best players find the time and opportunity to regularly travel to international competitions. There they gain invaluable gaming experience and skills, and find new friends. Each such competition is a joy of meetings, new knowledge, new impressions. The range of countries where novus federations have been formed is expanding. We are trying to support them in this endeavor and, in turn, are ready to share all our accumulated experience, come to tournaments and look forward to welcoming them to visit us!