Why ELS Part 3: Let's Talk Strategy!

In Part three of our look at why we are called ELS Gameday, we’ll talk about the L in our name, and talk about strategy and Ada Lovelace.

Our ELS Day logo! Ada Lovelace in the center.

Her story:

Augusta Ada Byron was born December 10, 1815, the only legitimate child of poet Lord Byron. Though she was his only child with his wife, Lord Byron and Ada never interacted. He left her and Lady Byron when the girl was only 5 weeks old, and died when she was only 8 years old. Her mother’s terror that Ada would follow in her father’s “insanity” caused the woman to encourage her daughter to study mathematics and science above artistic endeavors.

At the age of 17, Ada met Charles Babbage through her tutor, Mary Somerville. Babbage was taken with her intelligence and analytical mind, and they began collaborating on his difference engine. He called her the “Enchantress of Number.” They worked together and were friends until her death.

Ada with the diagram considered the first published computer program!

In 1835, Ada married Baron William King. Due to her lineage, the queen named him the Earl of Lovelace, which Ada began using as her last name. That’s how we know her today (Ada Lovelace).

In 1842, she translated a paper written by Italian mathematician Luigi Menabrea about Babbage’s newest proposed machine, the Analytical Engine. She also wrote a series of notes on the paper that were published with it. In those notes, specifically note G, detailed exactly how the Analytical Engine could and would run, which was in essence the first computer program ever published.

Ada died in November of 1852, at the age of 36; the same age as Lord Byron when he died. The famous mathematician died from a long battle with uterine cancer, which was most likely exacerbated by the bloodletting practiced by her doctors.

Strategy… in Game Form: 

Strategy games are one of the more popular games at ELS Gameday. Whether it is cooperative or head to head, strategy games can be fun for all ages. Here are some of our favorites:

Pandemic: There are many versions of the game, but for the sake of this post we are going to talk about the original. In Pandemic, you are the CDC trying to prevent a worldwide outbreak of four very specific diseases (malaria, typhoid fever, typhus and cholera). This is a cooperative game and everyone has their role to play. On your turn you can do approximately 4 moves (there are cards that allow you to do more). These moves include building a research station, curing a disease, treating a disease and moving. By working together, you all either win when the diseases are cured or lose when the world is overrun by disease. It is a great teamwork game, which is very popular in the Lady Diceacorn household. 

Dinosaur Island: Know that copyrighted movie where someone was crazy enough to build a dinosaur theme park and cloned dinosaurs using DNA? This game is that… but without the intellectual property issues. Build the best dino island, earn the most points and win! Plus there are plastic dinos and specialized meeples. This game is not only fun, but it is gorgeous to look at and super tactile. 

This Month on the ELS Calendar: 

The Ladies have a fun dice box craft evening on August 10, and what better way for the women of the Boston gaming scene to make use of that then by attending the all women’s Try an RPG Day we have coming up this Sunday, August 11, 2019, from 12-6 at Comicazi! 

Until next time, may all your hits be crits!