One option available is to play games that you own via the free Open source software Vassal. It is not possible to play all games though but a selection of popular boardgames such as Carcassonne, Dominion or Risk and more advanced games such as Arkham Horror, the card game Illuminati or Axis and Allies are available as game modules.

A total of 886 modules are available for download at the official website. Not all are standalone games though as it is quite common to find expansions for games in the mix as well. The majority of games offered belong to the war gaming category but players will find different genres there as well.

Vassal players need to own the boardgame that they want to play online with other players since some of the common cards of each game are blanks to make sure the game is owned.

A game session basically works by connecting to the Vassals server and creating a new room for that specific game session. Friends and fellow players may join that room so that the game can be started once all players have joined it.

It is definitely a good idea to start with the tutorial map to learn the basic controls first to avoid problems during game sessions. The docs section offers several tutorials and first step instructions that are a must read as well.

Users who are still having problems should consult the forum or the wiki for help and additional information.

Vassal is not as easy to use as games that are offered on websites such as Brettspielwelt which are run on site.

Vassal offers a higher versatility as it is for instance possible to play games in a pbem like fashion. And the number of available games is a lot higher.

Vassal is available for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. It requires the Java Runtime Environment 5 or later to be installed on the computer system.

Legit customers sometimes cannot install or play a game because of the copy protection. It has happened in the past that a game could not be installed if a virtual DVD drive was installed on the computer.

The most common form of protection nowadays is an online activation that forces a legit buyer to activate the game online. This does mean however that the customer needs to have access to an Internet connection to activate the game. That was, until now, a one-time job.

Ubisoft now decided to up the ante by linking their games to the cloud which essentially means that games can only be played if the user has an online connection. If the connection breaks the game will stop working.

This obviously improves the copy protection of the game but to what costs?

• Games cannot be resold anymore because they are linked to an account (selling the account would work but one would have to create single accounts for every game)
• Users with no Internet connection cannot play the game
• Users with shaky Internet connection will have a mediocre gaming experience
• The game cannot be played if the master server drops (either because of technical problems on the server side, on the user’s Internet connection side or because Ubisoft decides to stop supporting the game or files bankruptcy)
• Users cannot play games while on the go
• Games cannot be lend to friends anymore

The main question here is if the protection will keep piracy at bay. History has shown that this is likely not to be the case. Until now every game has been pirated eventually. It might take a little longer for the first game or so to become available but it will happen eventually. And the score again will be Pirates:1 Legit Customers:0.

What’s your opinion on this always online copy protection? Do you think it is the right step in protecting games from being pirated or do you see it as another fruitless idea that will only punish legit customers of the game?

The following seven flashgames are games that I enjoyed playing in the last weeks. The gameplay ranges from puzzle games to action games which means that everyone should be able to find a suitable game to waste his precious time with.

Most games offer fun for a short period of time while Xeno Tactic, the only Tower Defense game, needs a bit more because of its complex nature and mission based goals.

Oshidama Monthly:

Oshidama Monthly is a game that requires a calm hand and good reactions. It is your task to move the ball within a certain time limit into the goal. You move the ball by moving your mouse next to it and pushing the left mouse button, billiard style so to speak. Several obstacles such as holes make it extremely difficulty to reach the goal in time.

9 Dragons

9 Dragons is a MMORPG developed by Acclaim and this is the flash game to promote this game. The player has to connect a certain number of similar pieces with each other by swapping pieces on the board. Three pieces or more of a kind that build a line are removed from the board and new random peaces fall from the top which could result in combos.

Cube Tema:

Another one of the so called Girlfriend-games. You have to remove all blocks in a level to advance to the next one. Blocks can only be removed if at least two of the same color are connected to each other. Cube Temais a nice addictive game.

Turret Pong:

The player fights against a computer opponent in Turret Pong. The task is to shoot bullets with your canon at a red ball that slowly moves in the middle of the arena. If a bullet hits the ball the ball is changing its direction towards the computer opponent. The player gets one point if the ball crosses the line of the enemy canon. Upgrades can then be bought that let you fire more bullets or make them faster for instance.

Connect It:

Connect It reminds me of a similar game that I played on the Commodore Amiga. I can’t remember the name of the game but the gameplay was the same. Your task is to connect two blocks of the same color that can be connected by activating them. The blocks get removed if a line with no more than two direction changes can be build between the two.

Shield Defense:

Protect your base against all kinds of tanks, mobile artillery and other enemies that shoot bullets and rockets at it. You protect the base by moving a shield that blocks the enemy attacks and ricochets them back at them. All enemies have to be defeated to advance to the next of the 50 levels.

Money is earned during missions which can be used to buy upgrades or repair your base.

Xeno Tactic:

Finally a tower defense game with new game elements. The goal in Xeno Tactic is to complete all six missions each consisting of its own level and goals. The maps look different as well which motivates the player to go on and play just the next mission. Beware, each mission raises the difficulty level.