My First Geeklist: A Tribute to Magic Rat
Christa Haley
United States
Phoenix AZ
Tatooine
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Since I started frequenting BGG in 2005, I have been wondering what my first GeekList should be about. Now I have it: Your friend and mine, Jason Sato, AKA Magic Rat, whom we lost to a stroke on 06Apr07. I've known Jason for several years through various gaming events at Game Depot (Tempe, AZ), but I only really came to call him friend when Bobby Warren (Bobby4th) invited me to his Saturday game group about 2 years ago. Jason welcomed me with a smile, and proceeded to teach me a variety of games, and by that I do mean School Me. He never treated me like I was "just a girl," which had been my experience with past gaming groups, yet he always treated me with the respect a girl deserves, telling me on a weekly basis that he loves me. Of course that was generally when he was stealing my trick in Tichu, setting me with my misery color (and lots of it) in Sticheln, cutting me off at Blokus, or leaving the animals in simply horrid, completely untenable positions in Tier auf Tier, but that's neither here nor there. He loved me, I know it, and I loved him, even when he was being mean to me at the table...especially when he was being mean to me at the table.
So here's a GeekList for you, Jason. These are the games that most remind me of you. I invite you all to add your "Jason Games" to the list.
Edit: All contributions are welcome, even if the game already has been mentioned. Just add a comment to the game. We want to hear your story!
Edit: Quote: From the folks at Game Depot:
It was with great sadness and shock that we all learned of the sudden passing of our friend and fellow Arizona gaming hobbyist,
Jason Sato.
His friends believe the greatest tribute to Jason would be to gather together as a community and celebrate Jason's Life by playing the games he enjoyed so much.
Join Jason's family, friends and fellow gamers on Saturday evening, April 21st starting at 7:30 pm at The Game Depot. Please bring some games to play and share with others.
The Sato family wishes this will be a meaningful tribute that focuses not on Jason's death but rather on his life. So, at the request of the family: no flowers, sympathy cards or eulogy speeches.
Anyone who was touched by Jason's Life is welcome to join us for this unique remembrance.
Game Depot
3136 S. McClintock Dr. #11
N/W corner Southern & McClintock
Tempe, Arizona 85282
480-966-4727
Edit 06Apr08: It's been a year. I can hardly believe it. I still miss him. We all still talk about him. That will never change. He's still has a spot at our game table. I know he's still around because I very recently found the eulogy read at his memorial, which I thought I'd lost forever. I'd been told to post it here. I'm sorry it's so late in coming. Here it is.
Quote: Message from Jason Sato's Mother, read at his "Celebration of Life" tribute, Saturday April 21st:
I'm having Chris, a long time friend of daughter Lauren's and us, read this for me. I know my emotions will overwhelm me...no, not because of grieving our loss, but by being so touched by all of your expression of caring and appreciation of Jason. We had no idea he had touched so many people in such positive ways and all this from his passion for gaming. Truly awesome!
I know now that Jason was born a collector and gamer. At age 3, he had a collection of little metal cars, all neatly boxed in match boxes, of course. He told me then, "I'm going to be a taxi driver when I grow up." My reply, "Fine, but you're going to have to be the best taxi driver you can be!"
There followed other collections. Insects, because his father was then an entomologist and because he got such a kick waiting for his sisters' screams when they found the dead cockroaches he had placed in their rooms.
Dinosaurs, this was a biggie. Then games, all kinds, records, and books. Gatherings at Grandpa Sato's in Honolulu, always ended with poker for the adults and Grandma sitting on the floor playing "PIUTE" (a simplified version of poker) with the grandkids. Then came Lego and more games, book...non-stop.
I must admit there were many a time when I questioned my parenting of our "Peter Pan." With his fine mind, he could have "gone for the money" in any profession. I felt I failed in not pushing him to be more materialistic, in being more ambitious for wealth, prestige and power as the world (sadly, in my opinion) defines SUCCESS.
I want each and every one of you to know my deep gratitude for setting me free of all guilt and regret with your caring messages about Magic Rat. FREE, just as I bade Jason "to be FREE & go in peace," then first time we were allowed to see him in ER, 2 1/2 weeks ago. I thank you.
We'll all miss Jason in different and personal ways. I'll miss the butting of our heads. I would tell him not to be such a "Mr. Know-it-all" and he would suggest that I not be so judgemental. More often than not, we agreed that we could still learn from each other (the old and the young), as long as we worked on keeping our minds open. As a Mom, I, of course, had to have the last say with, "Work also on your sense of humor and sense of wonderment."
I sense Jason saying, "Okay Mom. Enough ALREADY. Let the geeks start gaming."
So, no more mourning. No more grieving. Believe me...Jason could NOT have scripted a more fitting EXIT for Magic Rat... Here at the Game Depot, gaming, and with his very good friends with him.
He did grow up to be the best gamer he could be, didn't he?
MAHALO and WARMEST ALOHA from Magic Rat's family.
Mama & Papa Rat and His 2 Sister Mice.
PEACE, OUT
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Jason Maxwell
United States
Arvada
Colorado
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One of the few true disagreements Jason and I had was after a game of this. The third player in the game was set up to make a nice run that I could only stop by sacrificing my whole game and assuring myself of third, but giving Jason an almost equal chance to win. I decided to play for second and allow the third person to win. Jason found that to be poor strategy, while I felt that I shouldn't sacrifice my own game to help him. We never did come to an agreementy over it, but its one of those things that I'll remember, that we could have a pretty loud argument over a game, and still end up facing each other over a board the next time without too many hard feelings.
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Terri Higgins
United States
Mesa
Arizona
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The first night I ever met Jason was at Gamer's Edge about 4 years ago. We played Medieval Merchants, Attila and Guillotine (we might have played one or two others but these are the games I clearly remember based on what I am about to tell you).
In MM, I don't remember anything in particular, but I must have pissed him off by doing things that hurt his position a few times (it was my first game of this and, of course, Jason did a great job of teaching me - enough so that I made some good moves, I guess!).
Then in Attila, we had a disagreement about a rule interpretation (if one province is all one color when the fifth piece is placed, all pieces are removed, because the rule states that the weakest tribe removes its pieces). I was partially to blame for not clarifying this when we went over the rules (something I have made sure to do whenever I taught the game after that!) but since he had said he played the game before, I assumed he knew how it worked.
Finally, we closed the night with Guillotine. Not long into the game, I had the opportunity to play a card against an opponent. I quickly scanned the cards on the table, and doing a quick eenie-meenie-minie-moe in my head, chose Jason as the recipient of the card. Well, this was obviously the last straw. He quit the game and accused me of going after him all night based on the fact that we had just met, instead of hitting Steve Bauer (the other player - there might have been others playing but I don't recall... the funny part is that I just met Steve the week before!)
He left the store moments later and I was dumbfounded. I knew he was a bit steamed about the Attila thing, but I had no idea hitting him with a card would set him off like that! When I got home I really felt bad about what happened and wanted to apologize for any misconceived wrongdoings. I sent a long e-mail stating such. The next day, I received a reply from Jason apologizing for his behavior and we cleared the air. He explained that he was in a bad mood when he got to the store based on something that happened earlier in the day, and he had taken things personally when he shouldn't have.
Thankfully we were able to move past that initial meeting, because over the next four years I had a great time pitting my gaming skills against his time and time again. I grew to consider him a friend, and always enjoyed gaming with him becuase I knew that a win in a game that involved Jason was well earned. In fact, the last game I ever played with him was The Princes of Florence, one of his all-time favorites (and mine). I won the game for the first time ever, and was proud to say I beat Jason - he was a tough oppponent at many games, but this one especially. His enthusiasm, intelligence and sense of humor will be sorely missed.
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28.
Board Game: Samurai
[Average Rating:7.48 Overall Rank:81]
Neil Cook
United Kingdom
Burton on Trent
Staffs
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I never knew Magic Rat, or indeed spoke to him. In fact, as far as I recall, I never even completed a game against him either.
My contribution to this list is based on the fact, that we were midway through a 4 player game of Samurai on Mabiweb, and waiting for him to take his go, when I noticed this geeklist.
R.I.P.
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Jason Maxwell
United States
Arvada
Colorado
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I just had another memory. The AZ Boardgamers have tried Memoir '44 Overlord twice. Both times Jason and I faced each other as the Supreme Commanders of our forces. I pulled out a close win the first time, but the second time around he wiped the floor with me, while wearing a Burger King crown. It was interesting as Jason and I were both willing to take the Supreme Commander role, even though it didn't involve any direct game play, while the rest of the players weren't particularly interested in the role. I guess we both found the same thing about that role appealing, getting to control the full strategic level of the game instead of the tactical game in one section.
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Christa Haley
United States
Phoenix AZ
Tatooine
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I have more to add.
When I first started gaming with Jason and the gang, I felt like I was so behind the curve. I had never felt more like a newbie. Everyone had been playing all these games for years, and I was just getting used to all these new (to me) games in general. I always had fun, but I almost always lost, no matter what the game.
Jason's blog, I came to realize, was a sort of measuring stick for my progress. At first I didn't get much of a mention. I was just sort of there. One day I was catching up on his reports and I couldn't believe my eyes (05Aug06):
Quote: She’s getting so good at this game that I think I need to carve a new animal to give her a handicap. I’m thinking that an elephant would be perfect.
Of course he'd said they'd pulled out the game to molify me after playing a game I really didn't care for, but hey, I'll take the compliment! Even if it was a kids' game, there was finally a game I was good at!
*No, I didn't memorize the quote, nor the date. I looked them up. 
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31.
Board Game: Dune
[Average Rating:7.63 Overall Rank:91]
James Traicoff
United States
Phoenix
Arizona
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I met Jason in 1979, back when the Flying Buffalo was on Scottsdale road next to the Golden Eight Ball. The first Tuesday game night I showed up for, he welcomed me and invited me to play Dune. After that, it seemed like we played it for every other game.
Pretty soon I was in his regular D&D game at Don's house; we playtested Nuclear Escalation and played countless other games (I can't believe his Acquire set got fried), but Dune is the one I'll always think of first.
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32.
Board Game: Blokus
[Average Rating:7.14 Overall Rank:215]
D. L. Garner
Singapore
Singapore
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Jason Sato - What a great gamer! Jason was one of the 1st 'seasoned gamers' that made my entry into this world of strategy games so enjoyable....Jason always made me feel welcomed. I will always remember Jason for the games he introduced me to - and for the tactics and strategy he taught me... he was one of the best! For example, I remember Jason introducing me to Blokus for the 1st time at the Phoenix Con event a couple of years ago.... he had signed up to teach the game at the event and as usual did a great job of first completely describing the rules, the tactics, and then a few hints on strategy. Of course he destroyed the other 3 of us at the table....even though we were beginners, he reminded us that he wouldn't 'hold back'... he taught us well, ending the game with only a few squares left!
This is just one of many games Jason taught me. I also remember him teaching me Puerto Rico, Princes of Florence, Power Grid, History of the World, many of the GIPF series games, Samurai, Through the Desert, Ingenious, Reef Encounter, Maharaja, Tikal, and the list could go on and on.... Wow, I'm gonna miss him! He was an encylopedia of knowledge in the strategy game world. But more than that, Jason was a great teacher, a friend, approachable & considerate of others - especially the newbies.....I know from experience.
At AZBoardGamers, we have a great group of strategy gamers - I've learned so much from many in the group...especially from Jason. Jason always recorded and tracked the games we played - the players, the scores & a description of the game & strategy. I'm really gonna miss Jason - he was one of a kind! His legend will live on in the minds of those he touched and I'll always be grateful he shared with me his passion for these great games. I suspect he's playing a game right now, on the other side - and teaching his new colleagues a few strategy lessons also!
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Wayne West
United States
Cloudcroft
New Mexico
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I couldn't remember the German spelling, but Jason really liked this game. Usually he didn't play to win: he played for carnage. I believe he accidentally won once or twice, something that I haven't done yet.
He introduced me to this game, I bought it shortly thereafter via Bobby4th (IIRC) when a bunch of Phoenix area people put together a big order for German games.
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Scott Hagen
United States
Chandler
Arizona
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This is a game I would have loved to have played with Jason. One of the few he spoke about all the time as one of his favorites.
I'm happy I did get to play many other of his favotites with him over the years. Some of them also became some of my favorites.
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Rick Pasquale
United States
Paradise Valley
Arizona
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Jason was the first person I began boardgaming with in Arizona, starting in the 1990's. Consistent with his competitive spirit, he won that game as well as many others. Not surprisingly, he also won the most recent game I played with him, a five player game of History of the World.
He will be missed.
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Chuck Paquet
United States
Phoenix
Arizona
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One of many Alan Moon games Jason truly enjoyed playing and another he'd play just about whenever it was offered. Usually the game play entailed watching someone else run away with the game but Jason and I never seemed to mind too much. One of the few games Jason played where he was not the most feared player at the table. Besides tweaking players who always invested too late (and you all know who you are) was sometimes more fun than the game play itself. I've won it exactly once and I really wish Jason had been playing when it happened. This will be one of those games I'll play in the future always thinking of Jason and maybe that's not such a bad thing, after all.
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Matthew Frederick
United States
Phoenix
Arizona
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I was just thinking about this game, and remembered that when I first played a prototype version a year ago, Jason was was of the people I most wanted to play it with. Just missed the opportunity.
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38.
Board Game: Fjords
[Average Rating:6.70 Overall Rank:625]
Greg Paul
United States
Phoenix
Arizona
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I thought quite a bit about what I wanted to contribute here. Union Pacific which he always seemed to outmaneuver us all in was already taken. The last game I played with Jason was Taluva where I proudly read in his blog that I had thwarted his game-winning strategy; of course in the process that caused us both to finish behind the winner. I used to threaten him from time to time that I would bring Titan to a future game session and force him to play after he remarked it was one of the highest rated games he'd never played and never wanted to. Or an old classic like Cosmic Encounter that he completely burned himself out on many years past.
In the end Fjords kept coming back to mind. I only had the fortune to know Jason for a couple years, but count myself lucky that I was able to play so many different games with him during that time. I can't recall the number of times I stared dumbfounded across a board trying in vain to invent some clever strategy to catch up with him whilst wondering how he'd gotten such a huge lead over all of us in the first place. Through all those gaming sessions though, I believe Fjords was the only two player game we ever shared. I fondly remember teaching him the game and playing a couple times. He of course promptly needed to add it to his game collection and I have no doubt after another play or two he would have been schooling me in it as usual.
You are missed.
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Although Jason liked to play complex games, and knew every rule thoroughly; he also liked to play light-hearted games such as Mama Mia and Can't Stop.
Can't Stop is addictive yet simple. When he introduced me to this game, it was out of print and he was the only gamer I knew who owned a copy. Reliant on Jason to bring it each time (sometimes he did, sometimes he didn't), I finally sewed my own Can't Stop quilt.
The quilt is functional and plays very well, but not the same as the original. Just like Jason. A true original.
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Bear Peters
United States
Arizona
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I've never posted like this before so please "bear" with me. Unfortunately I never took the time to go to Boardgame Geek before, despite Jason's repeated entreaties. I was too lazy, and let Jason do my "Geeking" for me, now I'm on my own/
Jason, Where do I start? Without his patient tutelage I would not have learned a tenth of the games that I now know, let alone have played them. Jason had a gift for patience in the explanation of rules and a concise easy way of imparting them that had new games (and those new to a game)"up and running" in short order.
Jason was long suffering, he could cheerefully put up with almost any gaming style. I know this because he endured my style with equanimity.
Jason knew all the rules, or so it seemed. A game night didn't go by that did not have some one "flex" the bounderies of a game. After frantic perusals of the rules a cry would go up, "Hey Jason..." and with Solomanical jurisprudance he would deliver us from confusion.
Jason was always the best. Whenever I sit down to game, I believe that I can figure out the game and win in the end. When I sat down with Jason my sights were always on him! You may begin to notice that a lot of people's favorite moments are of the time that who ever is talking got the better of Jason in some game. The reason for this is that did not happen all that often! It always seemed that he had a way of coming from behind, and snatching that elusive victory. He asked me once why I was "coming after him" in a game. What could I say but, "Because you are the dangerous one!" At the time he was in fourth out of five players, in the end he won, from behind, by three points!
I knew him first from Role Playing. Our styles were always conflicted. He had an edict knowledge of the rules, and a gift for precise character design that was the envy of his peers. My "heart" driven fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants, "we don't need no stinkin' rules" style was his cross to bear. In the end, though I might have the fastest gun in Tombstone, he had the most feared. I might have stopped the doomsday virus, it was he who got the Cosmic Cube. I wish he had gotten the real one!
Where ever there was gaming Jason would be there. With extremely few exceptions what ever was being played he would play.
He was always courteous, and careing. Fur and I took him to a couple of Arizona Rattler Games, from then on he would always mention them, their performance, and standings. No one else cared but he knew we did, so he did. I could tell you a story about Jason's legendary soccer career, but I digress...
Games and the memories, I could have mentioned Hare & Tortoise. It was the third game in Jason's Gamer's Triathalon. I missed winning the Game and the Triathelon, by three F@#$ing Carrots! If I have to pick one game it must be Clippers. Often referred to by the cogniscenti as "Santa Fe Sails" I enjoy it. We played it on several (as these things go) ocassions, and despite it not being one of his favorites he would attack each game with genuine gusto. He would, more often than not, harness my chaotic proclivities to his own purposes.
Jason was kind, patient, very, very good, tolerant, wise, smart and he drove me crazy. Every game with him was fun and challenging, with the exception of a game of St Petersburg, twere ever thus.
I will miss him.
The distance traveled
Is measured by the vista looking back
And a missing friend.
Bear 4/21/07
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Jason Maxwell
United States
Arvada
Colorado
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While not a story about Jason, it will still remind me og him. Last night the Game Depot hosted a celebration of his love of gaming. Gamers from all over played games at the store last night. His family was there to see all the people that remembered him. I got to play this game for the first time last night, and I'll always link it to Jason in my mind because of that. Even now he's still introducing me to good games.
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Matthew Frederick
United States
Phoenix
Arizona
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Jason struggled with me in this game, and it's one of my clearest memories of him. We actually had a sort of blow-up, with Jason claiming that I was relentlessly attacking him, even though he was behind, and me claiming that I had to go after actually-achievable things, and he just happened to be the most vulnerable to my position. He decided to make me his enemy, to attack me every turn, even if it didn't help his position. This was who Jason was sometimes, and though it might not have been fun for me as a player, strangely, it's one of the things I'll miss most about him.
Hard to explain why I'll miss that. I guess sometimes we identify people by the things that stand out. Miss you, buddy.
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Christa Haley
United States
Phoenix AZ
Tatooine
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I never got to play this with Jason, but during a recent play I thought of him. A fellow player referred to the game's currency at Ducats. This reminded me of Jason because on one particularly silly day of gaming we were playing a game that had Ducats. As you may or may not know, Jason liked to call all currency Bucks, regardless of what the rules called it. We just laughed and laughed at calling the currency Buckets for that game. I've noticed more and more people being reminded of fun little things like this about Jason while playing.
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Bobby Warren
United States
Glendale
Arizona
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At our monthly game get together we pulled out this favorite of Jason’s. Normally I would play purple, but there were only four of us so that wasn’t an option. (There are only three purple pieces and you need four to play with four players.)
I ended up with the remaining color, which was Jason’s usual, yellow.
We started off setting up the board, and in the spirit of how Jason played the game I worked at getting the teleporters set up so the monster would be upon us immediately. I was successful and the monster was near our entrance at the end of the first turn. At that point, I channeled Jason and set up a mass carnage as the monster captured seven characters while moving only eight spaces. Everyone agreed that it was a Jason move. I also ended up winning the game which was something else Jason would pull off while still causing mass carnage by the monster.
It was a really fun game.
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I think the Magic Rat was my Supreme Commander both times.
Longmont
Colorado
Ok, I'm going to go WAY back to about 1982 or was it 1983? A bunch of us got together to play TSS and I don't remember exactly which command I got, I do remember it was a group that came in on the board on the NW and was a set of Mortars. I headed South after a bunch of Rebs with a unit of Infantry. I caught them in a position that they could not move from without being destroyed by my mortars, but, that I could not move from without releasing them. I recall Jason pointing out that it was a key move, which I knew but unfortunately the game was kinda lost on me for the rest of the battle (took several weeks mind) since my only command was thoroughly tied up.
Chandler
Arizona
I took several pictures at the memorial game night in his honor held at the Game Depot on April 21, 2007. I've posted them all at the following Xanga website:
http://www.xanga.com/cybercelt19
Thank you very much for posting these. I appear to be about 80% of these, but don't remember having my picture taken so often.
Phoenix
Arizona
[Above photo of Bear Peters (left) & Jason Sato (aka The Magic Rat) (right)]
I met Jason in about 1979 at the Flying Buffalo Game Store - when it was located on Rural road and Curry - right in between a bar and a poolhall. Jason used to frequent the 'game nights' held there every Tuesday (Wargame Night) and Friday (RPG Night). Our friendship grew quite close during the ensuing years when we were both working for Flying Buffalo and spending numerous evenings at work - being the few employees there pulling the 'all nite shift.' We took many meals together or I would accompany him outside while he smoked a cigarette - all the while having great conversations - usually about gaming. (I'll try to write more about Jason soon but wanted to get the following tale posted close to his Memorial event held this past Saturday).
This past Saturday (April 21, 2007), I met Jason's parents at his Memorial held at The Game Depot . At that time, Jason's Mom was asking if anybody knew how Jason embraced his avatar -'The Magic Rat' and I just so happen to know the answer to this - but let's see if I can tie it into a game for this list...
It all began with a PBM computer game called 'Galactic Conflict' by Charles Gaydos. http://www.flyingbuffalo.com/gcrules.htm. In the first playtest of the game, I was running a galactic empire named 'DarkLord'(what else?
Later, during one of our many 'late night' conversations at Flying Buffalo, I remember asking Jason about why he chose the Avatar of 'The Magic Rat' for himself He had begun to use it outside of the Galactic Conflict game, as well (e.g. as how he identified himself in our Mega-Champion's campaign).
Jason replied that it was a character in the lyrics of a Bruce Springsteen song called, 'Jungleland.' (off the 'Born to Run' album - 1975). He thought the character was cool, liked the way it sounded and somewhat identified with it so he took it on as his moniker - which lasted for over the next 25 years.
Of course, I'll always think of Jason when I hear this song...
Tribute to The Magic Rat...
Here are the lyrics to JUNGLELAND:
JUNGLELAND:
(Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run, 1975)
The Rangers had a homecoming
In Harlem late last night
And the Magic Rat drove his sleek machine
Over the Jersey state line
Barefoot girl sitting on the hood of a Dodge
Drinking warm beer in the soft summer rain
The Rat pulls into town rolls up his pants
Together they take a stab at romance
And disappear down Flamingo Lane
Well the Maximum Lawmen run down Flamingo
Chasing Rat and the barefoot girl
And the kids round therelive just like shadows
Always quiet, holding hands
From the churches to the jails
Tonight all is silence in the world
As we take our stand
Down in Jungleland
The midnight gang's assembled
And picked a rendezvous for the night
They'll meet 'neath that giant Exxon sign
That brings this fair city light
Man there's an opera out on the Turnpike
There's a ballet being fought out in the alley
Until the local cops
Cherry Tops
Rips this holy night
The street's alive
As secret debts are paid
Contacts made, they vanish unseen
Kid's flash guitars just like switch-blades
Hustling for the record machine
The hungry and the hunted
Explode into rock'n'roll bands
They face off against each other out in the street
Down in Jungleland
In the parking lot the visionaries
Dress in the latest rage
Inside the backstreet girls are dancing
To the records that th DJ plays
Lonely -hearted lovers
Struggle in dark corners
Desperate as the night moves on
Just one look
And a whisper, and they're gone
Beneath the city two hearts beat
Soul engines running through a night so tender
In a bedroom locked
In whispers of soft refusal
And then surrender
In the tunnels uptown
The Rat's own dream guns him down
As shots echo down them hallways in the night
No one watches when the ambulance pulls away
Or as the girl shuts out the bedroom light
Outside the street's on fire
In a real death waltz
Between what's flesh and what's fantasy
And the poets down here
Don't write nothing at all
They just stand back and let it all be
And in the quick of a knife
They reach for their moment
And try to make an honest stand
But they wind up wounded
Not even dead
Tonight in Jungleland
Phoenix AZ
Tatooine
Unspecified
Unspecified
It stinks. We lose the good guys and the bastards live forever.
Here's to you Sato-San! Hope to see you in Gamer's Heaven.
Larry DiTillio