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Farm, sow, plow, harvest, and expand! Will you and your family prosper?
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In Rostock and Gedser, the harbors for the other ferry connection, players do not have to miss a turn, but can instead “roll again” and “move forward three spaces.” The fact that catching the ferry only takes longer when there is a competing tunnel on the same route seems at first like some sort of promotional trick, meant to disad- vantage the ferries in the game. But actu- ally, it turns out to depict a future real- ity: “The motorway A1, currently leading directly to the ferry terminal at Rødby, is going to be redirected to bring the traf- fic to the tunnel. Transport infrastructure planning withdraws our direct connection to the motorway,” says Morten Haure-Pe- tersen, CCO of Scandlines. So it is really the tunnel that makes catching the ferry take longer. The real question here is why Scandlines files a suit against the game rules when these seem to provide such an adequate representation of the real scandal...
At least for the coming ten years, but presumably even longer, the ferries will be the better opportunity to reach travel- ers, with games, information, distractions, and a pleasant change of location in a relaxing atmosphere.
Back to the game: The role of an individual rule is often overestimated, also in copyright debates. For this rule works in the context of an overall body of rules and is, therefore, not accessible through sensible, isolated observation. A possible cease-and-desist declaration could easily be circumnavigated by using cards or other components. Moreover, the “negative consequences” are not clearly
defined. For the competing players, it is actually quite positive when the active player has to skip a turn on the ferry space.
I The protection of
artistic freedom
Equally meager as the theme is the
gameplay of Komme zuerst zum Ziel: The “individual choices” of the travelers are generally prescribed by the die roll. They only have one choice to make at the beginning of the game, namely, which of the three routes they are going to take. And one of them is right out because of its length. And the entire return journey is also determined by die rolls. Once players have decided to travel to Denmark, they are bereft of any freedom of choice.
Bad games are, of course, also pro- tected by the laws of artistic freedom. But touting your assets is part of the general freedom of opinion, and part of business culture. However understand- able the slight anger on the side of the ferry company Scandlines is, this prac- tice is supported by Eu funds: When it comes to ridiculousness, their desire to outlaw board game rules beats even this nonsense.
It is quite impressive how an other- wise entirely insubstantial (and, frankly, boring) game can get to the heart of real- life matters. All the more, it allows us an insight into the possibilities games have to offer as advertising and information media, as well as into their role in a mind- ful debate about social issues...
Günter Cornett/cs
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Photo: Jukka Huotari
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