New Pitstop Outlet

At Pitstop Cafe we are constantly thinking how can we reach more people and share with them the fun of board games.

After much deliberation, we decided to have a new outlet!

We are going to call this new outlet Pitstop Board Gamers Club. It was tough to decide what type of concept should the outlet have. I was torn between choosing something that people is more familiar with or going for something totally different. I finally decide on the latter. Hope you guys would like it too.

As we aims to share more of our passion in board games with the masses, it is extremely difficult to find a good location for the outlet. But we were fortunate to find a really good and easily accessible location at a rather low cost. This new outlet though limited in what we can do, definitely has a much much bigger capacity.

The new outlet is more or less done for the time being. Minor works are still ongoing to make sure the outlet has more or less the same feel as what you are currently seeing. Of course not forgetting to allow you guys to be able to put up pictures at this outlet.

Special thanks to some of the Pitstop Crew, like Smith who had taken the time to help out with some of the work at the outlet so that when it is available there will be interesting stuff for all you guys to take part in....

Ok will keep you guys inform more about the new outlet...

Pistop Cafe, the unique board games cafe

astroboy

Spendthrifts amongst our midst

Recently, two guys in Pitstop cafe have started adopting some very bad habit of spending money indiscriminately...


heh heh heh...boys with new toys...heh heh heh

They have absconded with the company's funds to buy lotsa toys. Everyday, the girls are getting very worried over the delivery after delivery of games into the cafe. The boys just seem to only clap and cheer over their new toys, totally ignoring the girl's worries and frowns.


come!play with our toys!

But of course, our extravagance is not merely self-pleasuring, but rather intended to pleasure you fellow pitstoppers. Having an increasing library of games means that every visit here will be refreshing!


play with us!

Just take for example, we have Spy Alley that allows you to assume the role of a secret spy going around uncovering other spy's identity. We have Smart Ass, the ultimate trivia game that plays up to 12 players! We also have Handy, that requires you to play with balls with three fingers!(uh..sounds wrong, but it's really handy!)

So drop by play with our toys!

Pitstop cafe, new toys, new toys!

Tim

Help If You Can

I receieve an email requesting for blood donation. I thought it was the usual spam mail. On closer reading of the email, the one requesting help is a student from NTU Hall 15. Not convince, i sms her to verify that this is not a spam email. It turn out that this girl Law Shu Hui, her dad is suffering from acute leukemia and she is seeking for blood donors. We hope we can help and make a difference by disseminating the following information.

Donors details
Blood Type: O+
Age: 18 to 50
Not donated blood in past 3 months
Not on anti-malaria pills in past 6 months
Has not been to rural areas in past 6 months

More information
Donors have to undergo a screening first. Once accepted, they will be called upon by the hospital to donate in the future (not immediately after screening). This is due to a 5-days lifespan for platelets, and they are administed in doses over a duration.

If you think you can help, do contact her at 9277 2531 or email her at ice_422 @ hotmail.com. If you have a blog and do think this is something worth helping, do disseminate the information to other readers too.

Pitstop Cafe, hoping to make a difference

astroboy

No White Horse

I like the "Happening Shots" section in the cafe. It has a couple of pictures. I like the studio shot i took with Evelyn. I think i look damm good in it which sadly was possible only after tons of photoshop magic done by the photographer.

Of course, there are other interesting photos. Photos of celebrities that happen to come to our cafe like Joanne Peh, Ezann, etc...


The popular Joanne...


Eileen, Ezann, Jenny. 3 pretty babes....


By now you should realise i don't care much about the guys...

We have also group of popular bloggers that come to our cafe, such as folks from Ping.sg and The Digital Movement. Even Kenny Sia, the famous blogger was at Pitstop Cafe as well thanks to Nadia for introducing the place to him.

So an interesting question would be

Did we treat have any "special package" for them because they are more "well known"

Well the answer is no as in they still order from the menu and pay for the bill just like any other regular customers. Everyone is black horse, no white horse treatment.

It seems like a wasted opportunity cos we could offer free stuff, get mum to bloat up their stomach and hopefully they will blog or say good things about us. Or maybe we impress them in other manners....

Imagine while teaching kenny sia how to play some board games, i could juggle 3 balls with one hand and with another, massage his fat tummy to help him slim down. I am sure he will blog about this special experience at Pitstop Cafe lor.

You know how big is the impact of a famous blogger blogging about Pitstop Cafe?

Assuming he feel so shoik that I manage to reduce his tummy by massaging that he blog about his visit at Pitstop Cafe and he has 20,000 readers a day:

Total revenue = 20,000 hits x 5 days x $10 spending each = $1 million / week!

Chao turtle, 1 million bucks leh. Can close shop go home la kopi liao leh.

But no, we give up the opportunity.

Why? For starters, i can't juggle and i also can't picture my hand massaging his tummy and i believe neither can he.

The most important reason is that when we think of doing "extra" for only certain individuals or groups we feel like there are thousands of eyes on our wall watching our every move and it become clear to us that we are able to come so far today is because of the great support from each and everyone of you!

Many of you have blog about us. Even more of you have brought new bring friends to the cafe. Some of you come so regularly that even my mum knows you! It just seem beh steady to provide special privileges for certain individuals/groups and forget the contribution of our millions of Pitstoppers...

So tell me, have we been foolish by not using the opportunity to generate more publicity for the cafe?

Pitstop Cafe, boardgames only, no massage...

astroboy

We are back!!!

After 12 days of well deserved holiday in Australia, we are finally back in Pitstop!


back in action!

Things back in Singapore feels different.It certainly feels good to pay 3 bucks for a meal instead of 10 and almost calming to see a street full of Singaporean girls instead of a street of ...uh..not Singaporean girls.


things are a bit different now...

Melbourne and Sydney was a real eye opener to us! Breathtaking sceneries, cosmopolitan streets, bustling street life and diverse culture. Though attractive in some ways, nothing beats home and nothing is better than staying in a place of familiarity where chicken rice cost 3 bucks, government only wear white, people understand Singlish and swear Chao ____.


very different indeed

As much as we were amused and amazed by the foreign land, nonetheless, we did not forget you folks! We brought some Aussie games (which i will do a review later on)off the shelves of a Mebourne games shop! So do hurry down and try these very unique games!

PItstop cafe, your zone of familiarity

Timothy

Cruel Boardgames

Boardgames just like any other games always have a winner as well as losers. Some of the boardgames you have to win by sabotaging people, or think of all sort of wicked plans to thwart their plans. If you get good at that, people will ended up calling you Chao Turtle. If you lose, don't be too sad. Every game needs loser so at least you know you play your role well...

But than again, these games are not exactly cruel because everyone still gets to play and enjoy the fun and excitment throughout the session.

The cruel boardgames are those that is based on the concept of elimination. In such games, loser gets elminated while the rest carry on playing. It can be quite painful as the loser has to suck thumb at a corner, while the rest of the folks carry on enjoying the game till the next player get eliminated.

Games like Blokus,etc are like that but they aint too bad because the game is only for 4 and the wait is not too long.

Other games can be quite cruel....


Management material

Cannot give excuses for your project? before you know it, you are out of the game and you can only watch while the rest carry on the fight.


Family Business

In this game, you try to wipe out each other triad. If you aint popular, your family triad will be the first to get wipe out.


Bang

Another elimination game. Get killed early, it will be a long wait for you before you get to play again!

So at Pitstop Cafe, we are ingenious. Instead of letting these poor losers sit there and watch while sucking their thumb, we let these losers has something to do too...

They can go fishing!


Not too bad right, losers get to go fishing...

So next time if you get kick out a game, don't suck thumb, go fishing instead....

Pitstop Cafe, be part of the fun

astroboy

The Story of Chao Turtle

I am a sore loser. Everytime i lose in games, i call people names. I remembered calling my little 6 year old cousin names and she always replied, "Say others, don't say yourself".

"Of course say others lar, why would i say myself", i retorted.

Anyway I have been mean recently because Eve keeps kicking my ass in our board games session. I am on a lossing streak! So i started to call people names like chao cookie, and for eve, i call her chao turtle. But hey, i think it is nicer than other possible chao "alternatives" right!

But Eve has been mean as well. The other day she called me at lunch.

I asked her, "Wassups?"

Eve, "No lar, saw a turtle soup stall. Reminds me of you..."

See she is a chao turtle right!?

Anyway the funny thing about all this is that one of our crew, CPR was asking why i call Eve chao turtle. I mean i just call people names mah, need to have reasons one meh?

So i asked her, "So why do you think i called her chao turtle?"

She looked at Eve, ponder for a moment, "Eh because she wears green???"

Eve:,"#%&$@!!!$%#...."


Back view of chao turtle???

Hmmm...CPR...what should she be? Chao ________???

Pitstop Cafe, wear green, be a chao turtle

astroboy

Pitstop Blog Feature

At Pitstop blog, we try to share interesting and fun stuff with you readers so that even if you are not at the cafe, we could share the fun with you.

Recently i came across this little gem. It is a really creative and funny blog recommended by one of our crew member, Mrs Reeves. I definitely enjoyed the author wicked humor and artistic talent. I am sure her comics would put a smile to your face too!


Please teach your kids to behave.

You can see more of her comics at Stickgal blog

If you have any fun stuff that like to share with our readers, do drop us an email.

Pitstop Cafe, fun beyond the cafe!

astroboy

Hello can I check, you got special or not?

In this case, the folk at the other end of the line is refering to Mum's special (which is mum's random creation every now and then).

A lot of folks do call us up every now and then to check on various stuff.

Most common is to check if the cafe is available for reservation. Some check if they can buy boardgames from us, our operating hours, prices, location, etc.

Once in awhile also got folks call to check if eve, margaret or tim is around. Damm how come no one see if i am around?

Anyway the most interesting call that we got is the following....

"Hi, i like to check if you recieve my online reservation or whether i should submit the online reservation again..."

Our online reservation seem to work fine so far but eh actually you can also make the reservation through the phone too....

Pitstop Cafe, be part of the fun

astroboy

Pitstop Dollars

At Pitstop Cafe, we have a reward programme for our members. Every $5 spend earns you a Pitstop Dollar. Using Pitstop Dollars, you can redeem for items like photos, finger food, ice cream and more. Our thought is that it more flexible and you guys get to choose what you want.
Any suggestions on what other stuff that you would like to redeem?

So how does a Pitstop Dollar looks like? Here it goes...





Cool right? Need more money? You can generate your own money here. Thanks to Nadnut for the link.

Pitstop Cafe, be part of the fun

astroboy

Trivial Detour of the Day

What is Tim doing with a bucket of water above his head?


Forfeit for the group below???

The story
For some reason, every once in a blue moon, there are alot of flying insects that will appear out of nowhere. I do not understand the occurrance. Perhaps it indicate that rain is coming, change in weather or perhaps got chio babes coming.

So when folks leave the balcony open, they come right into the cafe, particularly near the lights. The first time it happen, we were kinda of at a loss what to do. Though harmless, it is just unglam to have these insects flying around. So we actually tell all the customers in the cafe that we need of switch off the lights for awhile! So for a moment, everyone was sitting in darkness. When the lights came on, they are still around.

One pitstopper actually suggest to use a pail of water. It actually works! What happen is that the insects see the light reflection in the water and fly into the water instead. So there you go, some bits of interesting stuff that happened at Pitstop Cafe....

Pitstop Cafe, be part of the fun!

astroboy

Geeks from the Digital Movement

After been pinged by a group of cool geeks a few months back, we got visited this time round by some cool geeks from the digital movement

It was a nice surprise because i thought geeks would find Pitstop abit low tech. On one spectrum there is lots of fun toying with the latest gadgets, viewing digital videos and photos. On the other end, fun were achieve using simple stuff like cards, checker and dice. Photos were printed out and archive it on our walls with bluetacks. An interesting contrast i would say.

It was great to meet Kevin Lim again as well as Estee in person (check out her blog at our blogroll). I definitely prefer flesh and blood compared to pixels and polygons. The rest of the geeks are really cool as well. It is a pity i did not have the chance to join in their conversation, otherwise i could have learn alot from these guys.


Some of the cool folks from the digital movement

By the way who won the game Management Material and did the kid really place all the pieces in his first game of Blokus? Hope you guys had a good time.

Pitstop Cafe, dun play play, geeks come here too!

astroboy

Wassup?

Yeah finally got the time to do a quick update. The lack of update was mainly because we have tons to new games that come in. We have been busy trying to pickup the rules of the games so we can share with you guys rather than you going through the rules yourself.

New Games

• Monkeys on the Moon
• Ugly Dolls
• Thurn & Taxis
• Settlers of Zarahemia
• Management Material
• Bucket Brigade
• Hoity Troity
• Once Upon a Time
• Taboo with Singapore Words
• Imaginiff Revised Edition
• Balderdash

We have also some nostaglic games. We have added this interesting fishing game. The fishes goes round in circle, opening their mouth at intervals. You got to catch those fish using a fishing rod. Its a old game, but definitely lots of fun and sure to bring back fond memories of childhood for some of us.

We have also got a new sweetie crew named Peirong. So just say hi to her if you guys notice some new faces. We are still hiring, so do contact us if you got friends interested.

Tim and Mumu will flying off to Australia tonight for a 10 day holiday! So shoik, i want to go too! Anyway you guys take care, enjoy yourself and buy back presents for us. I think a sheep will look cool in our balcony...

Anyway we have more games coming your way, new additions to the menu (thanks to great research and development effort by mum). So do drop by Pitstop Cafe an enjoy a fun experience with your friends.

See you guys. I love Fridays!

Pitstop Cafe, be part of the fun

astroboy

Game Review: Blokus

Been a long while since i did a game review. There has been lots of exciting games at Pitstop Cafe but just couldn't find the time to do a review for them. This time i will review a pretty old but nevertheless a very popular game named Blokus. Not only i am doing a review, i am sharing a gurantee strategy to win this game...


So popular that some want to claim credit for bringing the game to our shores!

The attractive part of this game is that it is so easy to learn but yet extremelyu engaging.

Everyone has 21 pieces of different shape and size in their own color.


Look like tetris pieces...

The objective of the game is very simple. Everyone take turns to put a piece on the board. The winner is the one who can place the most number of pieces on the board and has the least number of squares remaining. The first piece must start at your own corner...


Remember, must cover the square at your own corner

On your subsequent move, you must connect to your own colored pieces using at least one or more corners. Your different pieces must never touch each other at the sides.


Its ok to touch the sides of other colored pieces, just not your own pieces

So as you go along, the board becomes filled up with different pieces, hence it will become more and more challenging to fit your pieces, hence a decent amount of strategy is required to win the game...


Eve, the self proclaimed Blokus Queen


Chao turtle, lose to her again!

Interesting Strategies

Base on how folks played their pieces, you will be able to gauge their skills. There are the beginners, who think small is beautiful....


Beginners like to cluster and compact their pieces tightly together thinking it is like tetris


The "ultimate" start move using the 1 piece square!

The intermediate players know that grabbing territory area is crucial to winning the game....


Aggressive move outwards by placing the big chunky pieces first

The more advance folks balance offensive with defensive. Notice those holes between the pieces? This make it difficult for your opponent to enter your territory as they will need that one piece square to make a connection and there is only 1 one piece square per player.


These holes are hard to penetrate...

Astroboy Sure Win Scam

Now for astroboy secret recipe to win this game impressively. First introduce this game to 3 newbies who never play or see this game before. Must act blur so that they will not gang up against you. Most of the first timers to this game will adopt the beginner approach by trying to cramp the pieces in a small area. So what you need to do is to go aggresive base on the concepts discuss above. Have a quick assessment of your opponents and target the strongest one first.

Using the above strategy, sure can win and if you focus in the game, you could easily "game" it too(meaning you manage to place all 21 tiles on the board)!

Now is the tricky part. By this time, most of them their bulbs will light up in their head and know what is going on.

Never play another game with them cos they will be out for your blood this time now. Excuse yourself saying that the water is boiling, you need to milk the cow, the sky is falling, whatever. Don't let your ego get the better of you and agree to a 2nd game that is if you want to keep your undefeated record.

Ok hope you guys enjoy this review and do try out this great game at Pitstop Cafe if you have not already done so. Perhaps you can to try out this scam on your unsuspecting friends...

Pitstop Cafe, be part of the fun

astroboy, trying to decieve himself that he is good in blokus...

Pitstop Blogroll

I have been trying to setup a proper blogroll (the current one is really in a mess) for ages and finally manage to get it done. Firstly, a great thanks to all for adding Pitstop Cafe link to your blog. Thanks for sharing our humble cafe with your friends. You know what? We like to add a link back to yours too and share your blog with other readers! So this is what we like to do.

If you have already have a link, jump right to Step 2.

Step 1:

You could either add the Pitstop sticker or our blog link to your blogsite.

or Pitstop Cafe

To add our blog sticker, just add the following snippet your blogsite.

<a href="http://pitstopcafe.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/121/273973730_1ecfc90147_m.jpg" border="0" alt="Pitstop Board Games Cafe Singapore"/></a>

To add the our blog link, just add the following snippet to your blogsite.

<a href="http://pitstopcafe.blogspot.com" title="Pitstop Cafe, be part of the fun">Pitstop Cafe</a>

Step 2:

Use the following form to provide information about your blogsite. Try to provide a short description on your blogsite so that the rest of the Pitstoppers can know more about you too. You can include a URL to your blog banner if you have one. Pitstop members will get an additional 10 Pitstop Dollars (even if you had previously added our blog sticker)

Click here or the Join Pitstop Blogroll link on the sidebar to submit your blog.

Step 3:
Check out Pitstoppers Blog. You should see your entry in a couple of days time.

Ok look forward to your submission. Any suggestions, just drop us a comment.

Pitstop Cafe, be part of the blogroll

astroboy