Session Impressions: Toc Toc Woodman

I was not around to record this podcast.  How unfortunate.  Toc Toc Woodman is an excellent game.  I’ve discovered that it takes a special game to tear serious Magic: the Gathering players away from their tournament, and Toc Toc has that in Plains.  The game is such a great distraction, that, shortly into this session impression, the group becomes fascinated with Toc Toc, start to play and cheer, then realize that they have to back up and explain what the heck it is they’re doing.

What they’re doing is taking a plastic axe and slapping it against a plastic tree in an attempt to knock all the bark off the tree’s side.  For each piece of bark you collect, you get a point.  Unfortunately, for each core you smack out of there, you lose five points.  It’s a cross between Jenga and Don’t Break the Ice.

At one point, the Myriad Cast mentions the ‘John-Michael Method’.  For those of you who are wondering, that involves turning the ax head around so that the flat of the ax is facing the tree, and smashing the top of the tree.  The core stays solid, since you’re hitting the tree right in the center, but the edges of the tree vibrate, sending any loose bark to the ground.  Don’t do that too much; players will accuse you of cheating, since there’s little risk involved, and the whole point of playing games like this to mess up and have fun.  Wait until someone is running away with a victory, then try to steal it away with this maneuver.  😉

There isn’t much to talk about when playing Toc Toc except for how much fun you’re having while playing.  This podcast entry is mostly a bunch of people giggling and having a good time.  That’s the rough equivalent of a four star review around here.