The official date of the appearance of the game novuss. Novuss inventory Board games in latvia blog

Here is the first release of the new column. Let's Get Acquainted - a series of interviews with representatives of the Russian-speaking part of the blogosphere writing about board games. Readers will be able to get acquainted with information sites and their authors, and we will fill in the cards of the relevant projects based on the answers.

Our guest today is Vladimir Shlapakov, author of the board games in Latvia blog (and his charming assistant Ekaterina Bondarik).

Does your information resource have features that distinguish it from the background of the blogosphere Unique headings, special approach or design?

The main difference of 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 tell that we also play, develop, organize meetings, localize and love board games, I also wanted to expand my own game cell along the way. It is not for us to judge how informative the resource turned out to be, but new virtual and real acquaintances were not long in coming, and that's great.

If we talk about the features of our resource, then we are engaged in the translation of scenarios for Arkham Horror, FAQs, rules and materials for games, we publish notes on how you can “tune up” your favorite board game, and we also upload photos of our own painted miniatures. Oh yes, sometimes we also come up with all sorts of guessing quizzes, also on desktops, of course :)

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

As for the content of the site, the main headings are "Reviews" and "Reports". Everything is simple here - short description rules, photos, impressions, by type, what you liked and what you didn't. Reviews, by the way, for convenience, I took out 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 contemplate my art.

In "Quiz" this moment 9 mini guessing board games. Those who are interested can try their hand without looking at the comments.

Another separate page we have is the so-called Live!, where news from the "table fields" are published in one line, and "Collection", which lists everything that our game cabinet is full of.

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

I write about almost all board games that I have played, or games that have not yet been released, but are of interest to 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, the euro is less common. There are even a couple of notes about wargames, I would write more, but it is difficult to gather a company on them in one place and at one time. In the off-season, as, for example, now, we pay more attention to board games that you can easily take with you on the road, play outdoors, in general, somehow occupy a large company.

What information resources about board games do you read yourself?

Now the main ones for me are Tesera and BoardGameGeek, also with Katya we constantly watch video reviews from Tom Vesel and the latest show by Wil Wheaton TableTop. And, of course, we follow the updates of almost all Russian-language blogs. By the way, I sadly noted for myself that in Runet they write little about ameritresh, 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 co-op. I like Ameritresh because of the atmosphere, the story, the scenarios, the drama. AT card games attracts deckbuilding, the ability to play a card different ways. In European games, the placement of workers, the presence of a crisis, as a kind of help for action, impresses. Unfortunately, it is not so often possible to play wargames, this genre attracts me with a historical component, some kind of epic events or something.

What games make up your "eternal" top list, are your favorites? Why? What attracts you to them?

Probably Arkham Horror, Last Night on Earth and The New Era. In "UA" for so long, I just got 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 cheers up, but I love The New Era for countless strategies and fancy combinations of actions.

Are there any games you are looking forward to release? 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 escaping from zombies. Led to 100+ excellent miniatures. Well, Essen is just around the corner, I think there will be new items that will interest me.

What are the latest games in your collection?

The latest were the card games Freitag, Fairy Tale and Dragonheart. I decided, so to speak, to dilute the collection with fillers. Well, Katya got the long-awaited knuckles, similar to marshmallows, i.e. mahjong.

Tell us briefly about yourself. Do you have any hobbies other than board games? If so, which ones?

Vladimir Shlapakov. I live in Latvia, the city of Riga, I work in the field of finance. He became interested in board games in 2010 after a game in Kingsburg. In 2011 he started the blog "Board games in Latvia". I like to play everything, but I prefer ameritrash, card and cooperative games. In addition to table games, I go in for sports: tennis, cycling.

• “They also play board games in Latvia!” (“Board games in Belarus”);
• "Desk 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 that someday we will repeat that success.” 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 was officially the best children's board game in the world. Now the race of penguins is briskly walking around the planet: in China they do not have time print, championships are held in Europe, and in America they began sell in stores of the second largest retailer -Target. Well, in Riga, meanwhile, they are working on expanding the universeice cool.

Click - and the red penguin in pursuit of fish jumps over the wall of the dining room. Click - his classmate makes an impressive pirouette and rolls into the game room on a tricky trajectory. Click - the fugitive is intercepted by the attendant: stand, wings behind the head! Perhaps Brian Gomez from Brain Games (Egil Grasmanis, Janis Grunte, Edgar Zakis and Reinis Butans are hiding behind the pseudonym of Brian) came up with not the most highly intelligent board game, but definitely one of the most fun. Launched in 2016, IceCool has already garnered prestigious awards and has spread across Europe, Asia and is making its way to the US.

“There are a lot of publishers, there is a lot of competition. Thousands of games are released a year, only a few of them get into the top layer, ”says the co-owner brain games and Brain Games Publishing Egil Grasmanis.

Entrepreneurs are truants

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

For example, Joseph Friedrich Schmidt simplified the rules of the ancient indian game"parchisi", packed the inventory in a box, called the resulting Mensch ärgere dich nicht (you can translate "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).

In the midst of the Great Depression, unemployed Charles Darrow dreamed of getting rich soon enough that he created his own business world in which the only way to survive is to absorb all competitors. Charles first drew his Monopoly and sold it himself. And two years later, his game became the most popular in the world.

The latest desktop world hit was Klaus Teuber's game Catan or "Colonizers" - a strategy in which you can mine minerals, build roads, set up castles, build harbors and fleets, and bargain with other players.

“This game was brought to us in 2003 by friends from America.

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 acted as a trigger - that's when we realized that we wanted to do board games. So the history of our company began with unique emotions, with a wow effect,” the entrepreneur recalls.

From merchants to publishers...

So brain games engaged in wholesale trade. Now her clients are retail chains in all three countries Baltic States and specialized stores. Then came the turn of retail trade: they opened a store in Riga on Kr. Baron and in a few years built a small network that covers the Latvian capital, Tallinn and Tartu. The very first one moved a little closer to the center - inside the racks up to the ceiling, and on them are 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 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. Here is the office Brain Games Publishing board game publishers.

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. Something will be released very soon, something - in two years, and something - never. Here, on Terbatas, what adults and children will play is invented and tested.

“From the 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. Well, how? If a person managed to play only Monopoly, he has nothing to rely on. And in a few years - including, I think, due to our efforts - people got acquainted with what the industry offers today, their horizons expanded, 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 branched off Brain Games Publishing, which is engaged in publishing) represented 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 didn't survive - a game that Egil and Co. not only released, but also developed themselves. According to E. Grasmanis, game publishing houses in the world work in much the same way as book publishing houses: ideas are brought to them; most quickly end up in the trash, and the remaining 10% work on. But almost none of them come up with games themselves.

But brain games decided to break the scheme - they released their own development, and ... “I 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, there was a collective insight that turned the Latvian company into the creator of an international hit.

“In the back of the store at Baron Street, we thought about which chips to choose for some new game. And among the various options, I came across a small vanka-vstanka. Moreover, in the game from which we got him, he did not move at all - he just stood still somewhere on the field. Well, we and these tumblers arranged catch-up on the table. We felt that there was something here,” Egil recalls.

Born from catch-ups unusual mechanics, which in two years has acquired a nice design, history, rules. This is how IceCool was born - a game about penguin students who really wanted fish and about a duty officer whose task is to find them and neutralize them, taking away their school ID.

It was in 2016. The fact that IceCool turned out to be a shot in 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 became the owner of the title the best game for children at the UK Games Expo. And in 2017 - two wins: the best children's game according to the Deutscher Spiele Preis survey of "analogue" gamers 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 an authoritative jury .

“But we haven’t tested it on children at all. They did it in such a way that we adults liked it, ”says one of its creators.

Our mighty penguin flies

Actually, says Egil, even before the official presentations, it was clear that the penguin school would “fly”. “At first we thought about 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, adult players, as well as experienced figures of the world game 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 forms a school with several rooms.

And it continues with chips: roly-poly penguins can be moved in any way - just lightly click so that he drives in a straight line, you can twist, you can send him flying through walls - along any route. That provides a lot of options for passing and, accordingly, a wonderful replayability.

The first print run of 50,000 copies quickly sold out, and so far about 300,000 IceCools have been sold. According to Egil, the game sells well in Germany and other European countries where the German language is spoken, in China, Greece, Japan, Poland, Italy, Russia, Ukraine. The share of the Baltic countries is vanishingly small, no more than 5,000 copies per three states.

Actually, the “IceCool effect” on the business of the Latvian publisher was reflected more than visibly: 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 was provided by tumblers)

Ice Cool already has championships. This year the tournaments will be held in 20 countries. And the world final - in the autumn in Riga. And in October, there will be a trick click video contest among fans. The main prize is a trip to Antarctica, to the penguins.

Some time ago, IceCool also came to America, and more recently it has been sold in Target- one of the largest retail chains in the United States. “Now for us the USA is the main market. AT recent times I only focus on it. The scale is huge, and we have just begun to turn around there,” says Egil.

This is partly why the first sales of the continuation of 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 final version his new brainchild.

What is the meaning of this game?

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

Meanwhile in brain games they are already thinking about a new sequel (albeit not very soon) and, perhaps, even about the release of 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 send us ideas - they want us to publish them. The plan is set for the whole next year, we recently signed a game that we will release only in 2020,” explains Egil.

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

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

“Many people think that board games are inferior to computers and phones, but in reality, one does not interfere with the other, but 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 still, we sell an alternative - a type of leisure in the company of friends and relatives, quality pastime, entertainment. The meaning of board games is precisely in this - in live communication between people.

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

In Estonia, this game (known as "Crown") also developed initially in port cities. And yet in Latvia, Novuss gained fans much faster and soon became a national sport. The first professional competition took place in Riga in 1932, Albert Raminsh 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. Men's and women's teams were formed. The significance of the game is also evidenced by the fact that professional Novus players were awarded the title of “master of sports”. Since 1971, 82 athletes and 45 athletes have received this title.

In 1980, there were 55,000 people in the sections of Novus. Currently, regional, city, republican and international competitions are 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 has been developed in America, Canada, Australia, England, Germany, New Zealand and other countries. International competitions between Latvia and Estonia are periodically held. Since 1993, Novus world competitions have been held, in which teams from all countries where Novus has become widespread take part.

Novus, the history of Novus

It all started with the fact that sailors addicted to billiards decided to take their favorite game with them to the sea. And everything would be fine if the billiard table was not so bulky. But the resourceful children of the sea did not lose their heads and made a square, meter by meter table.

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

Do you think that, having survived such changes, billiards pleased the sailors less? Not at all! After all, “going ashore” the game was not forgotten, but developed, and after a while it was difficult to imagine a sailor who could not play novus (from Latin - new). The sport denoted by this term took shape in Latvia and Estonia as a board game already in the 1920s.

In Estonia, the game was called corona. The game, which received national recognition, enjoyed ever-increasing popularity.

In the early years of the formation of this sport, there were no uniform rules. According to some rules, the one who scored more chips into the pockets in a limited time won, according to others - who scored all the chips in fewer hits. It was impossible to compare the skill of the athletes. Various variants were combined into single rules and they first appeared in Latvia in 1932. P. Tyutenikov published them. The first professional competition took place in Riga in 1932. In 1940, novuss and coroon sports sections were in most of the higher educational institutions in Tallinn and Riga, as well as in many large industrial enterprises.
The first Novuss Federation was formed in Latvia in 1963. At the same time, novuss was included in the register of sports of the USSR as the Latvian national sport. Men's and women's teams were formed. The title of "master of sports" began to be awarded in 1971. In 1980, 55,000 people played in novuss clubs all over Latvia. Currently, regional, city, republican and international competitions are held. It is interesting to note that since 1993 novuss has remained in the top three most popular sports in Latvia and Estonia.
Together with immigrants 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 Russia. Novuss World Championships have been held since 1993, in which teams from all countries where novuss has been developed take part.
Since 2000, the St. Petersburg Cup international tournament has been held annually in March. It takes part best players Latvia, Estonia and different cities of Russia.

On December 10, 2000, the first Novus Cup of St. Petersburg was held in the SCC "Peterburgsky" and for five years now, competitions of various levels have been held regularly, once a month. On March 24, 2001, in the SCC, for the first time in Russia, the international Novus Cup tournament "St. Petersburg Cup" was held. The best players from Moscow and Latvia came to us. Then, in a tense struggle, a player from St. Petersburg nevertheless won - Sergey Platov, now a multiple champion of the city, a candidate for master of sports in novus. And now every year, traditionally in March, such a tournament is held, it attracts the best players from Russia, Latvia and Estonia. In 2002, the Cup went to Estonia, Gert Muil became the owner. In 2003, the legend of the Latvian novuss, 32-time Latvian Champion, Guntars Bralitis came to us. He won the cup. In 2004 and 2005 the Cup was taken away by the same Guntars Bralitis. In 2006, the Cup left for Estonia. Kaspar Raidlepp, silver medalist of the Second European Championship, became its owner.

The Novuss Federation represented its sport both indoors (SKK "Peterburgsky", Mikhailovsky Manege, Central Exhibition Hall on St. Isaac's Square, Sports Palace SKA, 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, Pushkin City, Zelenogorsk, Strelna, Petrodvorets, Lomonosov).

The federation continues its development, tournaments are regularly held. Clubs have been created where you can learn the game free of charge:
"Club of the Baltic Billiards" DK "Rybatsky", Rybatsky Ave., 2.

House of Creativity of the Young Primorsky District, Aviakonstruktorov Ave., 35

Military-patriotic club "Rubin", Vitebsky pr. 41

Kirishi, Leningrad region, youth club "Vityaz", st. Builders, 10

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

The number of novuss lovers is multiplying, the number of clubs is growing. The Federation helps them with the purchase of equipment, teaches them the basic rules, and helps to hold competitions.

Our best players find the time and opportunity to regularly travel to international competitions. There they acquire priceless gaming experience and skills, find new friends. Each such competition is a joy of meetings, new knowledge, new impressions. The circle of countries where novuss federations are being formed is expanding. We try to support them in this endeavor and, in turn, we are ready to share all our experience, come to tournaments and look forward to welcoming them to visit us!

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

Like any other game "traveling" around the world, the NOVUS game has many names that have been born over the past century: nous, crown or crown, slip, charabashka, billiard game with chips, Baltic billiards, sea billiards, captain's billiards, ship's billiards, beach billiards, Latvian billiards, Scandinavian billiards, Chapaevsky billiards, ladies' billiards.

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

A set for a board game in Novuss, like table billiards, usually consists of the following elements:
Table, which in turn consists of a tabletop and underframe - supports
Pawns or chips or bones, 8 pcs. red and black colors
Bits, washers, mothers, grandfather, 1 pc. for each player
Cues, 1 pc. for each player, differ in length, usually from 1 to 1.6 m and sports level, game, mass.
Boric acid in powder, designed to improve the sliding of pawns and bats on the table
Novuss is not without reason compared to billiards, it is easier to buy a kind of billiards Novuss than a full-size billiards.

Firm "A Sport" is the official sponsor Novus Federation of St. Petersburg. Assistance in holding tournaments, organization of trips to international competitions and other support have now grown into closer cooperation - our company is pleased to offer you to purchase equipment for this wonderful game, telling 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 the external resemblance to billiards.

Novuss is a game that appeared much later than billiards, which may be why, and also in view of the simplicity of inventory, 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 Novuss is some kind of simplified generation of billiards. Obviously, the origins of billiards and novuss are the same - China and Southeast Asia. Sailors brought cueless pocket "Asian" board games to Europe, and inventive Europeans added cue and created first billiards, and then novuss. The merit of the sailors in this process, especially for the novuss, is more than obvious. By the way, novuss is also called " sea ​​billiards", apparently due to its "adaptability" to the natural conditions of the game on ships and resistance to pitching.

For the game 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 by markings into several zones. Each player has 8 pawns (wooden pucks, similar to regular checkers, only with a hole in the center), one is red and the other is black; one bit (the washer is large in weight and size) and a cue. Having placed the pawns, the player, who has received the right to start the game by lot, strikes the bat with a cue in such a way that, having hit the pawns, she will drive as many of her pawns into the pockets as possible. There are a number of restrictions and penalties in the game. The game consists of 6 or 7 sets. Usually played in pairs, but can also be played in pairs.

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

Novus develops an 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 is accustomed to patience and composure. At the same time, the playing field is a practical textbook of geometry and physics. real game gives pleasure to both partners and spectators, therefore, there is also an aesthetic moment in it. Novus is an irreplaceable means of relaxation. It relieves the accumulated nervous tension in the first minutes. The player is almost completely distracted from everyday trifles and surrenders to an exciting competition.

Novus balances emotions and develops a number of qualities necessary for a person in life. He teaches to win, straining all willpower, to overcome the resistance of the enemy, and a real player perceives the victory without gloating and indecent jubilation. Novus teaches how to lose - without panicking and without losing faith in yourself. Good novusicists do not lose heart and do not lose their cool in difficult moments, and if they experience failure, they do it 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 many families have a novuss table in European countries. into it old and young play, men and women, grandfathers and grandchildren. The novuss table is the center of communication between family and family friends.

Play novuss, talk with your children during the game, 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 Novuss Federation of St. Petersburg.

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

Now you can buy a table for novuss (nous) from warehouses in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Smolensk, Krasnoyarsk, there are sets for playing novuss and their components. You can buy a novus from Latvia, made in accordance with strict Latvian requirements for this equipment.

Tables of Latvian production in stock. Centuries-old traditions of table manufacturing, European production culture guarantee: the development of every little thing that can affect the accuracy of the strike, the verified geometry of each table, stability and ease of installation. These tables are completely identical to the tables selected for the international novuss tournament in Moscow by 35-time Latvian champion Guntars Bralitis. For the first time in the history of international competitions in Russia, Imants Blooms became the champion of this tournament and the owner of the Center Cup.

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

Name	Price (rubles with VAT)
Novus or Baltic billiards or sea billiards or coroon, massive table, tabletop covered with polymer film, board color - dark, film color and pattern on it at the supplier's choice, TOP ONLY, can be equipped with cues ASPORTS9505, 9503, 9504, pawns ASPORT9506, bits ASPORT9502 , 9511, 9531, removable supports ASPORT9507-1 and ASPORT9507-2, pcs. ASPORT9532	4720 rub.
Novus or Baltic billiards or sea billiards or coroon, massive table, board color - dark with improved finish of the table top (covering thickness and finishing polishing are increased), TOP ONLY, can be completed with cues ASPORT9505, 9503, 9504, pawns ASPORT9506, bits ASPORT9502, 9511, 9531, removable supports ASPORT9507-1 and ASPORT9507-2, pcs. ASPORT9500	4720 rub.
Novus or Baltic billiards or sea billiards or coroon, training table, boards color - dark, ONLY WORKTOP, can be equipped with cues ASPORT9505, 9503, 9504, pawns ASPORT9506, bits ASPORT9502, 9511, 9531, removable supports ASPORT9507, pcs. ASPORT9501	7729 rub.
Novus or Baltic billiards or sea billiards or coroona, competitive table with an increased thickness of the tabletop, with improved finish of the tabletop (increased thickness of the varnish and finishing polishing), the sides are covered with colorless varnish (the color of the sides is the color of wood), ONLY THE TOP, can be equipped with cues ASPORT9505, 9503, 9504, pawns ASPORT9506, bits ASPORT9502, 9511, 9531, removable supports ASPORT9507, pcs. ASPORT9509, pcs.	9027 rub.
Novus or Baltic billiards or sea billiards or crown, competitive table. WORKTOP ASPORT9520 with UNDERSTAND ASPORT9519 with increased thickness playing field, with improved finish of the playing field (increased varnish thickness and finishing polishing), with improved finish of sides and underframe, sides covered with colorless varnish (color of boards and underframe - wood color) with a box for accessories, can be equipped with cues ASPORT9505, 9503, 9504, pawns ASPORT9506 bits ASPORT9502, 9511, 9531, pcs. ASPORT9518	14868 rub.
Novusa accessories - bit (washer, "grandfather") birch, pcs. ASPORT9502.	59 rub.
Novusa accessories - bit (washer, "grandfather") beech 14-15 gr., pcs. ASPORT9511	RUB 159.3
Novusa accessories - bit (washer, "grandfather") beech 14-15 gr., pcs. ASPORT9512	236 rub.
Novusa accessories - game cue 1.2m, colorless varnish coating (the color of the whole 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, colorless varnish coating (the color of the whole cue is the color of wood), smooth surface without carving, 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 countertops ASPORT9500, ASPORT9532, black, adjustable, removable, folding, with fasteners, pcs. ASPORT9507-1	1121 rub.
Novusa accessories - supports made of solid pine, dark color, for countertops ASPORT9500, ASPORT9532, adjustable, removable, folding, with fasteners, pcs. ASPORT9507-2	1121 rub.
Novusa accessories - adjustable removable metal supports, set of 4 pcs. with fasteners, to-t. ASPORT9507	1003 rub.
Novusa accessories - UNDERBOARD with improved finish, colorless lacquered finish (colour of supports - wood color) with drawer for accessories, pcs. ASPORT9519	3894 rub.
Novusa accessories - professional rules, brochure, pcs. ASPORT9508	118 rub.
Novusa accessories - means for polishing the table "borka" 100 g, set. ASPORT9510	35.4 rubles
Novusa accessories - competitive TABLE TOP with increased thickness of the playing field, with improved finish of the playing field (increased lacquer thickness and finishing polishing), with improved finish of the sides, colorless lacquer coating (color of the sides - wood color), pcs. ASPORT9520	7845 rub.
Novusa accessories - transport packaging - table top for a country table (turns a novuss table into a dining table) without decorative trim, under an oilcloth, pcs. ASPORT9500-2	1475 rub.
Novusa accessories - transport packaging (wood - fiberboard), pcs. ASPORT9500-3	RUB 601.8
Novusa accessories - transport packaging (wood fiberboard) for underframe ASPORT9519, pcs. ASPORT9519-1	1003 rub.

* the prices indicated on this page are not a public offer and are provided for information only. In the case of the current value, the prices are WHOLESALE and are valid for the purchase of goods in the amount of at least four hundred thousand (400,000) rubles.
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TU 961129-001-56255249-2008 are designed to determine the parameters of equipment for playing novuss in design and competitive (tender) documentation when ordering the supply of goods, performance of work, provision of services for state and municipal needs.

To improve quality and appearance, this Regulation approves the technical conditions further, according to the text of the TS and the requirements for the manufacture of equipment for playing novuss.

These TUs apply to sets for the sport game novuss. The kits can be used in sports halls, in 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 standard samples approved international federation novusa, hereinafter referred to as FINSO, in due course.

1.1.1. The design of the table, a set for playing novuss, consists of a tabletop, 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 inventory, the regulations of the rules of the game approved by FINSO.

1.1.3. Operating conditions - indoor, outdoor, heavy duty - vandal resistant.

1.2. Classification

1.2.3. Sets, depending on the quality of the tabletop, the parameters of the supports and the design and construction solution, are classified into:

Competitive

Training

Mass

1.3. Completeness

1.3.1. The kit includes;

Tabletop - 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)

The bat is individual (usually each player has his own)

Cue is individual (usually each player has his own)

2. supports

2.1. The structure of the supports and their connection to the tabletop must not be wobbly, i.e. the tabletop must not move more than 0.5 mm in any direction when touched with reasonable force by the player's hand.

3. markup

3.1. The markup must comply with the dimensions and parameters given in Table 1.

3.2. It is allowed to apply logos of competitions and logos of sponsors on the playing field. The applied logos should not be applied in bright colors (so that they do not merge with the pawns), do not intersect with the marking lines, do not carry negative information, do not interfere with the movement of pawns and bits.

4. boards

4.1. For competitive tables. The boards are made of solid wood. On the inside of the boards there should be no chips, knots and other defects in the wood. The inner side of the boards is covered with a transparent varnish and is not tinted. The outer part of the boards can be tinted in various colors, the side outer part of the board can be with decorative trim, both in the plane of the board and in the volume.

4.2. For training tables. Boards are made of any solid materials. On the inside of the sides there should be no flaws in the form of protrusions, depressions, joints and other inhomogeneities. The inner side of the sides and the outer part of the sides can be tinted in different colors, the side outer part of the side can be with decorative trim, both in the plane of the side and in the volume.

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

5. playing field

5.1. For competitive tables. On the front side of the plywood of the playing field are not allowed: knots, patches of knots, cracks, dark spots and lines of natural origin that contrast with the background, affecting the clarity of recognizing the position of a pawn or bat relative to the marking lines. Plywood, for the manufacture of the playing field should be in bright 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, not have roughness and irregularities.

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, fixing of fasteners, dark spots and lines contrasting with the background that affect the clarity of recognizing the position of a pawn or bat relative to the marking lines. A large area of ​​the playing field should be in bright colors. The playing field can be made from any number of layers of different materials. The front side of the playing field must be sanded and polished, not have roughness and irregularities.

5.3. For massive tables, only the marking of the playing field is normalized in accordance with the requirements of the rules.

6.1. On the structures of the supports 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 the advertising of the novus game.

7. Basic basic parameters

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

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

Table 1

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

table 2

It is allowed to use any textual and graphic materials from this site, while those who have used such information leave the right to the creators of this site a similar right to use any materials from their web resources.

I decided to expand the range of my blog posts and start interviewing interesting people in my opinion. My first "victim" was Vladimir from Latvia. He keeps his own blogwww.boardgameslv.wordpress.com. He writes interestingly, my gaming tastes coincide with him, I have a good attitude towards 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 for me.

Hello Vladimir! I decided not to wait until the sitewww.boardgamer.ru there will be a new "board hero" to read his essay about himself and ask a question in the comments. I have not seen you yet in this list, but everything that you write, I always read, and I notice your activity on other sites. In addition, you are also from Latvia, which is in desktop world so far poorly represented. So let's get to the first question:

Well, to get into 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, organize a club, a game developer, etc. I, on the other hand, am an ordinary average follower of this hobby, who a year ago reached the blog itself and still writes small notes. Therefore, it was doubly surprising for me to receive an offer to give an interview, but I will gladly try to answer your questions and tell you about the life of a harsh board player from Latvia 🙂

1. Is it difficult to be a table maker in Latvia? The presence of clubs, people, the availability of games, shops and more.

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

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

By the way, personally in our company, problems have recently arisen, to get together a large number becomes difficult, so I decided to create a group on Facebook to expand our game cell and lure new adepts!

2. How did your journey through the world of board games begin? By itself or someone pushed you to it. And in general, do you consider yourself a geek at the same time, or is it just one of your hobbies?

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

I was 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 looking forward to the next meeting and a new party in Kingsburg. Then I realized that I would not mind playing something else. Everything came down to a lack of information, and so I got to know our store, the largest website Boardgamegeek, 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 resources of Runet from cover to cover. I wanted everything at once, but after I bought a couple of games that frankly did not work in our company, I began to pay more attention to reviews and rules. So, by 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 there won’t be enough time for geeking, I’d like to find an hour for my favorite game. Articles, by the way, generally have to be written at night 🙂

3. Do you think desktops 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 suits you and you don’t think about how much it costs?

If I like the game, then I am ready to pay 50 and 70 euros for it, but only taking into account the fact that the quality, design and content of the box will be up to par. For example: if the box for 30 euros contains only a deck of cards and a bunch of cardboard tokens, then the game will pass a thorough analysis and get into the collection only if it seems worthwhile. I don’t really like it when money is made from almost nothing on an already promoted brand, but such are our business realities. If you don't like it, don't buy it and that's it 🙂

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

It's just so bad without board games, I hope I won't, but after 2 years or so, I still want to play Arkham Horror, Ghost Stories are our first co-op games. Of course, I want to pay tribute to the publishers and fans who are constantly fueling interest in these games, releasing new additions, scenarios, etc.

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

6. Do you like the games produced by Russian companies? You can mark some of them. And what do Russian board games lack, and what do they have on the contrary, but games from other countries do not?

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

It seems to me that talking about what is Russian games, and what is not, too early. So far, there are not so many games, but there is the most important thing - development and movement forward. I hope that soon the main features of Russian desktops will become clear to me, and we will talk not only about 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 met only very childish, a couple of economic and educational games. So far, I associate all this only with localizations of popular desktop games (Citadels, Power 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.

8. If you had the opportunity to get the game of your dreams in an instant (which is not yet available at the moment), what would it be? Setting, mechanics, what is the game about?

Already thought about it 🙂 It should be role-playing game with tons of scenarios, nice figurines, and maybe even 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 depending on the time, purpose and complexity. Well, of course, the preparation for the game should be about 5 minutes, and after the game everything neatly folded into the box itself 🙂

9. You have your own blog. Does he bring you pleasure from the fact that you lead him? Who do you think you write for, who will be interested in it?

It brings pleasure, but how, so I would have abandoned it a long time ago. Judging by the feedback, my articles helped someone to understand the rules, someone to make a purchase 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 (dice towers, 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 are not interested in 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, so, stretch the bones 🙂

11. KKI will die or not? Will the LCD take the place of the KKI?

It's good that recently, before buying Lord of the Rings, I specifically read what CCI and LCD are 🙂

I like the LCD format more, the trick of throwing a lot of money for the sake of a pig in a poke is not clear to me personally. But since KKI is still alive, it means that there is a demand for it. Although I agree that now the release of new Live Games is mostly heard, therefore, talk about the decline of the CCI is not groundless. Doom? Hardly.

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

I was really lucky with Katya 🙂

I have friends whose other halves do not share this hobby, but this does not prevent them from playing. A competent approach and mutual understanding help to find a compromise in such situations, and this is not at all about board games.

13. You play mainly with your other half, you choose games for two for this. What is the reason for this? Don't have friends who are interested? No board game clubs? Or is it very important for you that your opponent is pleasant to you in the first place and if only 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 things to do, work. Therefore, it is important for me that the collection contains games for two, because finding a good board game for a large company 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 newcomer to the world of board games? Have you been able to do this?

There are a lot of different hobbies in the world precisely because people find for themselves what is closer to them. It is the same with board games, some people are interested in them, while others perceive it as purely childish fun. I don’t have a goal to lure someone, I achieved my goal - I managed to recruit the most important newcomer, Katya 🙂 I just want to show what board games are like. from the outside, “this world” looks like some kind of underground organization where people secretly gather at night.

15. Are you going to visit Essen this year? And was there before? And in general, at what conventions did you attend the relevant topics?

After past Essen, I only found out what it is. This year I seriously thought about the trip, but due to many circumstances it did not work out. Therefore, I plan to go to Germany next year and visit the exhibition at the same time.

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

My other hobbies are still with me, so for the time being I don't think about abandoning tabletops. If something covers me, then it is for a long time 🙂

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

Please - a convenient organizer, upset - incomplete or damaged components. I immediately remembered the package, when instead of an add-on 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 nice to talk, I wish you success, and you can say the final words, add something and maybe drop a picture of yourself with Katya so that we can get to know the Latvian table maker with our eyes. Or you can draw yourself. Or whatever. For me to post it 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 had never given an interview before. I wish you success in developing your own blog, and to 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) 🙂

XOchu-I want =) Therefore, I insert =)

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