Exploring the Website
Board Games
If you missed the message on the Home page, I’ll repeat it here: Explore this website on a laptop or PC. On a smart phone, some of the videos may not play and a few links will not work well. A few pages may become very confusing. Each page is laid out with the intention of being viewed on a bigger screen. Almost every picture may be clicked on to open up in a separate tab. Thanks!
If you open the column Board Games in the Main Menu you will notice the first item listed is Dice. I started with this topic because some of my first games were built solely with the intent of establishing a market for certain eight-sided dice I was working on. The board games themselves will require a physical “board” to use when playing, along with different types of eight-sided dice. There are links to five board games that are finished. Raider Rats will be updated (hopefully) in the future, along with a few other games that still need some tweaking.
Orbital Summation is the first game I ever invented. It is a math game designed to be played by kids on up to adults. I hate to suggest age limits for games, but to play this a person should be familiar with addition, subtraction, and multiplication involving simple numbers. It is a great learning tool for parents to use for teaching their kids arithmetic.
Aggarv8ion is an altered version of an old game most people know as Aggravation. The version shown here has a bigger board and uses eight-sided dice. The rules have been changed some.
Octosory, like Aggarv8ion and Straight Eight, is also a modified version of an older game. In this case that game is Sorry. Instead of drawing cards to move the game pieces, eight-sided dice are used. The board is circular instead of square and has 80 spaces instead of 60.
Rainbow Raceway was designed as a first board game for my two youngest children. It uses the basic concept that is seen in games such as Uncle Wiggily, which was invented in 1916, where game pieces are moved down a path to a finish line. The difference that separates this game from others is twofold: 1) Eight-sided dice are used to advance the Race Cars, and 2) There are six different versions to choose from, ranging from very simple to slightly advanced. As a child learns how to play the game and develops more cognitive skills they will figure out the harder versions with the help of an older child or adult. The original game and rules have been updated in recent times.
81 Squares is my latest game, developed in the Spring of 2024. At first glance it resembles a 10 x 10 square used for Super Bowl or NCAA basketball pools. It is explained in more detail under the Board Games heading.
Paper Games
The content in the Paper Games section has something for everyone to play, from little kids to serious thinkers. All of the games require scoresheets that can be printed off. The eight-sided dice required vary from game to game.
18 Circles is one of my favorites. Designed in July of 2022, it involves coupling arithmetic with a little reasoning. It is fun to play solo or with other people and is a great way to kill time in an airport or even on a plane when you want a change from watching a movie.
Straight Eight is the very old game of Yahtzee played with eight-sided dice instead of six-sided conventional dice. It requires a bit more thinking because there are five rounds for each player’s turn instead of three.
Circle 36 and Square 36 are both math games They are somewhat similar but also different when it comes to strategies involved. They are great for playing solo, just like LetterLimo below.
LetterLimo is a word game that was developed years ago. If you enjoy the game of Jumble that appears in newspapers and magazines, as well as newer games like Wordle, this game may be a good pick for you. There is a certain learning curve involved in mastering the mechanics of choosing words. Once the game has been played a few times, however, it becomes easy to master. It may be played solo when a little mental stimulation is desired or with a group of people for some friendly competition.
TRIPS is a very simple game of rolling three dice that some kids find addicting. Parents can play along with their children for some relaxing family time.
Dynodiscs 
The next column in the Main Menu is all about a toy I accidently discovered when playing around on a lunch break years ago. A DynoDisc is a variation of a spinning top. This ancient toy is one we have all played with at some time. The difference between regular tops and DynoDiscs is that these tops can be kept spinning indefinitely and can be modified in many ways to change their size and spinning characteristics. They appeal to children (and adults) in different ways. Athletically inclined individuals may love mastering the physical process of spinning and stacking the discs. Artistic people may enjoy decorating a disc and watching it spin. Others may find everything about them appealing, including creating, sharing, and trading discs with their friends or inventing unique additions or modifications to add more excitement to the discs.
GARsGarage
Moving down the menu, GARsGarage contains links to the pages that show actual instructions for making the board games and DynoDiscs. It is pointless to display all this stuff if a person can’t play the games or spin the tops in real life! These links are duplicates of the ones included on the individual pages associated with most of the items.
I found it very challenging at times to complete these pages. Most of the physical games and discs were made years ago on sophisticated equipment using skills acquired over my career. I had to reinvent procedures that anyone can perform using a few woodworking tools and possibly possessing beginner skills. Several times I would make something (such as a wooden gameboard) and then, when finished, realize there was a better way of doing it. That meant re-writing the instructions, taking more pictures, editing the pictures in Photoshop, and often buying more material.
Another example is that, when making the DynoDiscs models shown here in GARsGarage, I was frustrated at how relatively crude the final product was compared to something machined on a precision lathe or CNC milling machine. But that is just the way it is.
GARsGarage may prove to be interesting to a wide range of people. High school shop teachers, grandparents, youth groups, or even nursing homes may find a project everyone can participate in. And, of course, parents are constantly searching for different ways to keep their children amused and out of trouble.
Semi-legal stuff
Please Read:
All of my creations shown here may be copied and enjoyed by all.
I just ask that any of my property that is duplicated or modified be used for personal enjoyment only and none of it is to be sold commercially or redistributed with the intent of making a profit. (Unless you ask and I approve). I’ll try to answer any questions or respond to suggestions if you e-mail me at GARsGarbage@gmail.com.
Thanks and enjoy my Garbage Pile!
GAR aka Gary
p.s. As I wrote in the first paragraph, just about every picture, video, or emblem like the one below may be seen in a separate tab by clicking on the image. Return to the top of any page at anytime by clicking the red arrow on the bottom right corner. Click away!
G A R