I've written two blog posts in recent weeks on board games on my personal site, in case you're interested:
Am I a board game designer? http://goplaylisten.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/am-i-a-board-ga...
Board game video guide: http://goplaylisten.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/card-and-board-...
Right, back to the games played...
March 4
Maori (Chris, Zoe)
We both love this game and Zoe picked it out to play, but about five minutes in she started feeling unwell and took her eye off the ball; she said at the end she was happy to play it out as she enjoys playing, so despite fading fast Zoe still had a good time playing (I won it 44-27). I know what she means; the game looks lovely and is relaxing to play, despite being dastardly beneath the colourful surface. I got a lot of boats early on while Zoe blew a lot of her shells getting an early leis – which ended up crippling her manoeuvrability and seeing her fall behind fast.
March 5
The Really Simple Rondel Game (Brett, Chris, Matt)
I was coming to dread playtests of our game a little, as each one seemed to find a new mini problem to replace the mini problem we’d found the game before. However, this was the smoothest run through so far and uncovered very few issues. The game was really close too, with me winning 9-8-7 (with Brett in second). It’s given me the confidence to start thinking of a final name, while also turning to an artist friend for some card design ideas. We’ve decided on a (pasted, admittedly) steampunk theme, as it fits the idea of the turning cards nicely.
NEW Sparkle (Brett, Chris, John, Matt, Tom)
This tile-laying game from Brett was a lot of fun, despite being a little hectic with the full compliment of six players. At the start I was sure I’d be last, by midgame I was in contention but by the end I’d dropped down to fourth – which I was happy with! The game sees you lay a tile each turn, with a coloured counter on top. These are chosen at the start of each round from a section the same size as the number of players (so here, six random tiles/counters per round). Points are scored by either getting different or the same colours in runs, but beware stoppers on tiles that finish your run. Poor description, good game; I expect it to find its way from the pub to the shops in future.
March 6
Uruk: Wiege der Zivilisation (Andy, Carl, Chris)
It was nice to get back to the midweek routine, although I would’ve chosen a better outcome – thrashed, I was. I had terrible luck, twice being the victim of vengeful gods appearing and immediately activating when I had no cubes. I ended on 17, behind Andy on 19 and a victorious Carl on 21. Nightmare.
The Really Simple Rondel Game (Andy, Carl, Chris)
This was a nerve-wracking moment; putting my game in front of the guys for the first time! Luckily it went really well and they both enjoyed it, which was as much as I could have hoped for. It probably helped that I played terribly, narrowly avoiding last place on 6 ahead of Andy on 5. Carl scored his second win of the night on a massive 14 points, but I really didn’t care; just coming away with positive reviews was enough to make it a great evening.
March 8
Ticket to Ride Map Collection: Volume 1 - Team Asia & Legendary Asia (Chris, Zoe)
By her own admission, Zoe hadn’t gotten the hang of this map – until today. One or two fatal moves and I was essentially out of it, with two of my initial three cards (up across the top of the board) left out in the cold. My chosen route was blocked, so I left them for a while to concentrate on my bog scoring card – which left Zoe time to screw me (not deliberately, mind, or so she claims…) on their only other route. I picked a few more and got them done but too much damage had been done; Zoe took a comfortable 104-80 win.
March 9
Plato 3000 (Chris, Tom)
It was nice to be back at Tom’s for a games day, although I was surprised to get there first – seeing as I’d travelled 60 miles and everyone else was already in London! Lazy bastards. Anyway, it gave me a chance to introduce him to Plato 3000, which I thought he’d like, and I was right – I even let him win (ahem). We didn’t play a full game, just to 50 points (four hands, I think), but it was enough to hook him in; I left it with him to see if it had a more lasting appeal.
Uruk: Wiege der Zivilisation (Chris, Jeroen, Tom)
I’d also brought Uruk so we set that up, and Jeroen arrived just in time to join in. It’s a game I always seem to be teaching, which I’m sure is stopping me getting g any good at it – I spend my whole time worrying about everyone else and don’t think enough about my own play. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it! Luckily near the end Jeroen got into an ill advised bidding war with Tom over a pretty useless card that essentially scuppered them both; Jeroen won it for the cost of all his cards, leaving Tom to a fruitless last round or so and me to score a few points at then end and win by two from Tom on 23. Jeroen finished on 18.
Ra (Chris, Csilla, Jeroen, Karl, Tom)
God I love Ra. Last time we played at Tom’s I stormed to a good win; this time I was on 12 points after two rounds, with Csilla way out in front on 30-plus. I of course finished last, but did at least manage respectability on 28 (with Karl) – just eight points behind a victorious Csilla who scored 36 on her Ra debut. She loved it though, which was great because she came into it thinking it wouldn’t be her thing. Always good to welcome another Ra convert to the fold.
NEWDetroit-Cleveland Grand Prix (Chris, Csilla, Jeroen, Karl, Tom)
I had to leave early to head off to a birthday do in Camden, but got to play one race of Detroit-Cleveland Grand Prix before I had to go. I’ve not played many racing games bur have enjoyed those I’ve tried, and this was no exception. Karl owned it, taking the final car for just £10k (bemoaning his “rubbish” hand) and then storming to victory with it for an unassailable lead. I got double the fun by paying way over the odds for two cars and somehow managed second and fourth out of six. The game play was simple, but it played out well and you had some interesting decisions to make and there was a satisfying amount of screwage – about everything you want in a race. Fun, but I’m still waiting for the racing game I want to buy.
March 10
Battle Line (Chris, Zoe)
I’d enjoyed this in Barcelona and saw it on Tom’s shelf the day before, so asked if I could borrow it to see if Zoe would be keen. It didn’t seem like a game she’d fall for, but as I was a fan I thought it couldn’t do any harm. Our first game was pretty one-sided, with me taking a win with three lines in a row. Zoe got the hang of it pretty quickly, but was non-committal after this play. We’ll give it another couple of goes before I see Tom at Eastbourne, but I don’t think it’s going to be a keeper. That said, plenty of people have got Battle Line, so getting a game should be pretty easy when I’m out and about.
Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar (Chris, Zoe)
Having just received this in a trade, it hit the table straight away; I’d only played once back at Essen and was dying for another game. Tzolk’in didn’t disappoint and any fears I’d had about the two player game soon evaporated (although the start player mechanism seems a bit broken with two). It was Zoe’s first game and despite me helping out a little it always looked like I’d win, eventually taking it 57-40 in a very low scoring and far from efficient game! This is a game I’m really looking forward to us both improving at over time, especially as it plays pretty quickly with just two of us. And there are so many strategies too – this game is far from just a gimmick.
March 11
Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar (Chris, Zoe)
As the game’s a bit of a pain to set up, and we enjoyed our first game, we left it on the table for a rematch. We both improved considerably, even on the one play, but I still managed to edge it 73-65. In truth, it was blind luck – I made a couple of daft decisions and really flukily got away with them. The best was being a round from needing to feed and having no corn – but being able to scrabble my way to the top of the temple, flip my board and grab the available start player free corn just in the nick of time. I was happy with the score as it was all temples and skulls; Zoe also did well on the temples, via a Tikal route, with a nice 21-point monument almost getting her back in it at the death. Brilliant game though – I’m happy to have traded it for Mage Knight, which I was only ever going to get solo play enjoyment from.
March 12
Jambo (Chris, Zoe)
It was pretty late, we both wanted to play something, but I wanted something a little above a filler – so Zoe consented to Jambo. It was close for most of the game, but I got a nice combo near the end – filling my stores with a six-point ware card knowing Zoe would steal it on her go with her Mask; then using the Rain Maker to take it back and pass 60 points. It finished 64-49.
March 14
Race for the Galaxy (Andy, Carl, Chris)
We ‘celebrated’ the news that the much anticipated Alien Artifacts expansion had been put back another month (FFS) with two games of Galaxies. I made the fatal mistake of going ‘green’ and failed as expected; I could’ve ended with a disastrous score if the two military guys had sped to the normal fast win. Luckily they duked it out a little, leaving me on an acceptable 35 by the end (Andy won it by four on 52).
Race for the Galaxy (Andy, Carl, Chris)
I bounced back well in game two though, and could’ve got a record score if allowed to go another round (damnit). Carl got 50 points in a high scorer, well behind Andy on 67 and me on 79. I went Imperium scum and got two of its six-pointers – but had the last one in my hand at the death, which would’ve put me well over the magic 90 mark. Totally gutted!
The Empire Engine (Andy, Carl, Chris)
Well, here’s the scoop – our game has a name! We’ve decided on a steampunk theme, so the combination of William Gibson, the civ feel and the rondels acting like gears/cogs seemed to make this fit. We made a little rule change that worked nicely and the guys enjoyed themselves again, this time in a much closer game. It finished with us all on 8 points, with a win and a second place each; but I took the win on the tie-breaker, having one more total cubes on 21.
March 16
Ticket to Ride Map Collection: Volume 1 - Team Asia & Legendary Asia (Chris, Davina, Zoe)
Another evening in St Ives and another one where Morph failed miserably to get his shit together in time for a 7pm start. He really has no concept of time. Anyway, mustn’t grumble – it gave me a chance to grab a sneaky TtR win. Well, I say sneaky – it was all down to Zoe accidentally ruining Davina’s Legendary Asia debut (see a pattern emerging, hmm?) and my one extra route card giving me the edge, 108 to 101. Poor old Davina finished back on 49, but I’m sure she’ll make us pay next time.
Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar (Chris, Davina, Morph, Zoe)
While I didn’t improve on my best score, I was more than happy with this win in the end. Morph picked the game up very quickly in his first game and I was sure he was going to win it; I only scrambled home with a few late god track advancements in the last round. I won on 58, ahead of Morph on 50. Davina just beat Zoe by a point on 38 – the former enjoying the game and a gas, the latter enjoying the wine.
March 17
Arkham Horror (Carl, Chris, Howie, Matt)
It had been more than a year (for shame) since Arkham had left the shelf, but its slimy tentacles made it to Howie’s for a Sunday afternoon date with Cthulu him (its) self. We’ve done well four-player before and today was no exception; we got two Elder Signs early and nailed them, got lucky with cards clearing critters, had two nasty event cards but again got lucky with them (one we had the clue tokens to quell, the other a companion) and just when it was looking scary saw all critters removed from Arkham. We won with Cthulu only on 5 on his track, the terror on 6 and with no deaths – not even a time and spacer. That said, it still took four-plus hours – but it was great fun. It won’t be a year until the next game – but we said that last time…
March 18
Battle Line (Chris, Zoe)
Another game comes off my wishlist – hurrah! It’s not that I don’t like it; in fact, I’m a fan. However, it’s not one Zoe is keen on (despite tonight’s win) and as it’s a two-player game I just can’t justify adding it – especially when the likes of Tom (who leant me it) has and love it. We both made horrible errors tonight, which were to be expected as rookies, and I don’t think it’s a game I’ll ever be good at. Zoe managed her fifth battle (and third in a row) both at the same time, sealing my fate late in a close game.
March 20
Power Grid (Andy, Carl, Chris)
Can’t remember why I hadn’t introduced the guys to this one, but finally got round to it tonight. Carl struggled with it a bit – it’s very mathsy, so it’s not surprising – but he played pretty well regardless. I don’t think it’ll be a game he’ll choose, but hopefully he’ll be up for some more games. Andy picked it up fast and we also let him monopolise cheap coal, putting him in a strong position early and by the time he’d got his head around the game he was going strong. I did my best to peg him back and my experience only just got me the win; Andy and me powered 18 plants (Carl did 16) and I won by $2 on the tiebreak – my win, but a moral one for Andy.
March 25
Puerto Rico (Chris, Zoe)
Having realised I’d had this a year and not played it nearly enough, I got it straight to the table after a game-less weekend visiting my dad. Zoe welcomed me home by beating me 44-42, with me fire-fighting all the way. I’m just not quite getting the game yet; I’m trying to be terribly efficient, but it’s not working. By the end of this game I had half the various bits Zoe did and only one large violet building to her two, but was still within a few points – scant consolation, but a great game all the same.
March 26
Unpublished Prototype (x3) (Brett, Chris, John, Matt)
This was nice play test evening with just four of us present, but three new games for me to take a look at – one from each of the other guys. John’s game showed promise but was very much a first try; a fields/feeding game with a large co-op element. Brett had a city building/Carcassonne style game at a more advanced stage; it has a nice feel and I’m looking forward to its next iteration. Matt had a clever small and quick game combining card drafting and dice collection that shows a lot of promise.
March 27
Ra (Andy, Carl, Chris)
This was a great win for me on 62 points, ahead of Andy on 47 and Carl on 24. Andy and me both had good first rounds but I dominated the second and held out on the third. Once again the game seemed different than any one we’d played before – it’s absolutely genius.
Race for the Galaxy (Andy, Carl, Chris)
You get a lot of games of Galaxies now, especially in its bloated version, where you simply get dealt crap and things don’t improve. This was such a game for me and Andy. Carl waltzed away on 59, leaving me to scrape past Andy 26 to 24. There is no better reason why we desperately need the new expansion – get on with it already!
Race for the Galaxy(Andy, Carl, Chris)
This game was a carbon copy of the previous one, but just dragged a little longer – letting Carl amass 73 to my 47 and Andy’s 38. Carl is a good player – I’m not upset that he won these games. I’m upset because there’s a new Galaxies challenge on the horizon, that hopefully addresses the game’s current issues, but I can’t yet play it. For the love of god(s), GET ON WITH IT!
March 30
NEWA Fool's Fortune(Chris, Zoe)
This was a game, like Uruk, that I read about and just had to have. I saw it online for £15 and snapped up a copy. The first play was fantastic. There are three ‘Acts’ – levels to the game that add more complexity to the rules – but even after one play of Act 1 we’re starting to see the subtle cleverness in this rummy style game. The cards are beautiful too. I won, but it was very close; Zoe would’ve won next turn. But as we played we started noticing all kinds of things we could’ve done earlier, so I think future games will be very different.
Am I a board game designer? http://goplaylisten.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/am-i-a-board-ga...
Board game video guide: http://goplaylisten.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/card-and-board-...
Right, back to the games played...
March 4
Maori (Chris, Zoe)
We both love this game and Zoe picked it out to play, but about five minutes in she started feeling unwell and took her eye off the ball; she said at the end she was happy to play it out as she enjoys playing, so despite fading fast Zoe still had a good time playing (I won it 44-27). I know what she means; the game looks lovely and is relaxing to play, despite being dastardly beneath the colourful surface. I got a lot of boats early on while Zoe blew a lot of her shells getting an early leis – which ended up crippling her manoeuvrability and seeing her fall behind fast.
March 5
The Really Simple Rondel Game (Brett, Chris, Matt)
I was coming to dread playtests of our game a little, as each one seemed to find a new mini problem to replace the mini problem we’d found the game before. However, this was the smoothest run through so far and uncovered very few issues. The game was really close too, with me winning 9-8-7 (with Brett in second). It’s given me the confidence to start thinking of a final name, while also turning to an artist friend for some card design ideas. We’ve decided on a (pasted, admittedly) steampunk theme, as it fits the idea of the turning cards nicely.
NEW Sparkle (Brett, Chris, John, Matt, Tom)
This tile-laying game from Brett was a lot of fun, despite being a little hectic with the full compliment of six players. At the start I was sure I’d be last, by midgame I was in contention but by the end I’d dropped down to fourth – which I was happy with! The game sees you lay a tile each turn, with a coloured counter on top. These are chosen at the start of each round from a section the same size as the number of players (so here, six random tiles/counters per round). Points are scored by either getting different or the same colours in runs, but beware stoppers on tiles that finish your run. Poor description, good game; I expect it to find its way from the pub to the shops in future.
March 6
Uruk: Wiege der Zivilisation (Andy, Carl, Chris)
It was nice to get back to the midweek routine, although I would’ve chosen a better outcome – thrashed, I was. I had terrible luck, twice being the victim of vengeful gods appearing and immediately activating when I had no cubes. I ended on 17, behind Andy on 19 and a victorious Carl on 21. Nightmare.
The Really Simple Rondel Game (Andy, Carl, Chris)
This was a nerve-wracking moment; putting my game in front of the guys for the first time! Luckily it went really well and they both enjoyed it, which was as much as I could have hoped for. It probably helped that I played terribly, narrowly avoiding last place on 6 ahead of Andy on 5. Carl scored his second win of the night on a massive 14 points, but I really didn’t care; just coming away with positive reviews was enough to make it a great evening.
March 8
Ticket to Ride Map Collection: Volume 1 - Team Asia & Legendary Asia (Chris, Zoe)
By her own admission, Zoe hadn’t gotten the hang of this map – until today. One or two fatal moves and I was essentially out of it, with two of my initial three cards (up across the top of the board) left out in the cold. My chosen route was blocked, so I left them for a while to concentrate on my bog scoring card – which left Zoe time to screw me (not deliberately, mind, or so she claims…) on their only other route. I picked a few more and got them done but too much damage had been done; Zoe took a comfortable 104-80 win.
March 9
Plato 3000 (Chris, Tom)
It was nice to be back at Tom’s for a games day, although I was surprised to get there first – seeing as I’d travelled 60 miles and everyone else was already in London! Lazy bastards. Anyway, it gave me a chance to introduce him to Plato 3000, which I thought he’d like, and I was right – I even let him win (ahem). We didn’t play a full game, just to 50 points (four hands, I think), but it was enough to hook him in; I left it with him to see if it had a more lasting appeal.
Uruk: Wiege der Zivilisation (Chris, Jeroen, Tom)
I’d also brought Uruk so we set that up, and Jeroen arrived just in time to join in. It’s a game I always seem to be teaching, which I’m sure is stopping me getting g any good at it – I spend my whole time worrying about everyone else and don’t think enough about my own play. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it! Luckily near the end Jeroen got into an ill advised bidding war with Tom over a pretty useless card that essentially scuppered them both; Jeroen won it for the cost of all his cards, leaving Tom to a fruitless last round or so and me to score a few points at then end and win by two from Tom on 23. Jeroen finished on 18.
Ra (Chris, Csilla, Jeroen, Karl, Tom)
God I love Ra. Last time we played at Tom’s I stormed to a good win; this time I was on 12 points after two rounds, with Csilla way out in front on 30-plus. I of course finished last, but did at least manage respectability on 28 (with Karl) – just eight points behind a victorious Csilla who scored 36 on her Ra debut. She loved it though, which was great because she came into it thinking it wouldn’t be her thing. Always good to welcome another Ra convert to the fold.
NEWDetroit-Cleveland Grand Prix (Chris, Csilla, Jeroen, Karl, Tom)
I had to leave early to head off to a birthday do in Camden, but got to play one race of Detroit-Cleveland Grand Prix before I had to go. I’ve not played many racing games bur have enjoyed those I’ve tried, and this was no exception. Karl owned it, taking the final car for just £10k (bemoaning his “rubbish” hand) and then storming to victory with it for an unassailable lead. I got double the fun by paying way over the odds for two cars and somehow managed second and fourth out of six. The game play was simple, but it played out well and you had some interesting decisions to make and there was a satisfying amount of screwage – about everything you want in a race. Fun, but I’m still waiting for the racing game I want to buy.
March 10
Battle Line (Chris, Zoe)
I’d enjoyed this in Barcelona and saw it on Tom’s shelf the day before, so asked if I could borrow it to see if Zoe would be keen. It didn’t seem like a game she’d fall for, but as I was a fan I thought it couldn’t do any harm. Our first game was pretty one-sided, with me taking a win with three lines in a row. Zoe got the hang of it pretty quickly, but was non-committal after this play. We’ll give it another couple of goes before I see Tom at Eastbourne, but I don’t think it’s going to be a keeper. That said, plenty of people have got Battle Line, so getting a game should be pretty easy when I’m out and about.
Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar (Chris, Zoe)
Having just received this in a trade, it hit the table straight away; I’d only played once back at Essen and was dying for another game. Tzolk’in didn’t disappoint and any fears I’d had about the two player game soon evaporated (although the start player mechanism seems a bit broken with two). It was Zoe’s first game and despite me helping out a little it always looked like I’d win, eventually taking it 57-40 in a very low scoring and far from efficient game! This is a game I’m really looking forward to us both improving at over time, especially as it plays pretty quickly with just two of us. And there are so many strategies too – this game is far from just a gimmick.
March 11
Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar (Chris, Zoe)
As the game’s a bit of a pain to set up, and we enjoyed our first game, we left it on the table for a rematch. We both improved considerably, even on the one play, but I still managed to edge it 73-65. In truth, it was blind luck – I made a couple of daft decisions and really flukily got away with them. The best was being a round from needing to feed and having no corn – but being able to scrabble my way to the top of the temple, flip my board and grab the available start player free corn just in the nick of time. I was happy with the score as it was all temples and skulls; Zoe also did well on the temples, via a Tikal route, with a nice 21-point monument almost getting her back in it at the death. Brilliant game though – I’m happy to have traded it for Mage Knight, which I was only ever going to get solo play enjoyment from.
March 12
Jambo (Chris, Zoe)
It was pretty late, we both wanted to play something, but I wanted something a little above a filler – so Zoe consented to Jambo. It was close for most of the game, but I got a nice combo near the end – filling my stores with a six-point ware card knowing Zoe would steal it on her go with her Mask; then using the Rain Maker to take it back and pass 60 points. It finished 64-49.
March 14
Race for the Galaxy (Andy, Carl, Chris)
We ‘celebrated’ the news that the much anticipated Alien Artifacts expansion had been put back another month (FFS) with two games of Galaxies. I made the fatal mistake of going ‘green’ and failed as expected; I could’ve ended with a disastrous score if the two military guys had sped to the normal fast win. Luckily they duked it out a little, leaving me on an acceptable 35 by the end (Andy won it by four on 52).
Race for the Galaxy (Andy, Carl, Chris)
I bounced back well in game two though, and could’ve got a record score if allowed to go another round (damnit). Carl got 50 points in a high scorer, well behind Andy on 67 and me on 79. I went Imperium scum and got two of its six-pointers – but had the last one in my hand at the death, which would’ve put me well over the magic 90 mark. Totally gutted!
The Empire Engine (Andy, Carl, Chris)
Well, here’s the scoop – our game has a name! We’ve decided on a steampunk theme, so the combination of William Gibson, the civ feel and the rondels acting like gears/cogs seemed to make this fit. We made a little rule change that worked nicely and the guys enjoyed themselves again, this time in a much closer game. It finished with us all on 8 points, with a win and a second place each; but I took the win on the tie-breaker, having one more total cubes on 21.
March 16
Ticket to Ride Map Collection: Volume 1 - Team Asia & Legendary Asia (Chris, Davina, Zoe)
Another evening in St Ives and another one where Morph failed miserably to get his shit together in time for a 7pm start. He really has no concept of time. Anyway, mustn’t grumble – it gave me a chance to grab a sneaky TtR win. Well, I say sneaky – it was all down to Zoe accidentally ruining Davina’s Legendary Asia debut (see a pattern emerging, hmm?) and my one extra route card giving me the edge, 108 to 101. Poor old Davina finished back on 49, but I’m sure she’ll make us pay next time.
Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar (Chris, Davina, Morph, Zoe)
While I didn’t improve on my best score, I was more than happy with this win in the end. Morph picked the game up very quickly in his first game and I was sure he was going to win it; I only scrambled home with a few late god track advancements in the last round. I won on 58, ahead of Morph on 50. Davina just beat Zoe by a point on 38 – the former enjoying the game and a gas, the latter enjoying the wine.
March 17
Arkham Horror (Carl, Chris, Howie, Matt)
It had been more than a year (for shame) since Arkham had left the shelf, but its slimy tentacles made it to Howie’s for a Sunday afternoon date with Cthulu him (its) self. We’ve done well four-player before and today was no exception; we got two Elder Signs early and nailed them, got lucky with cards clearing critters, had two nasty event cards but again got lucky with them (one we had the clue tokens to quell, the other a companion) and just when it was looking scary saw all critters removed from Arkham. We won with Cthulu only on 5 on his track, the terror on 6 and with no deaths – not even a time and spacer. That said, it still took four-plus hours – but it was great fun. It won’t be a year until the next game – but we said that last time…
March 18
Battle Line (Chris, Zoe)
Another game comes off my wishlist – hurrah! It’s not that I don’t like it; in fact, I’m a fan. However, it’s not one Zoe is keen on (despite tonight’s win) and as it’s a two-player game I just can’t justify adding it – especially when the likes of Tom (who leant me it) has and love it. We both made horrible errors tonight, which were to be expected as rookies, and I don’t think it’s a game I’ll ever be good at. Zoe managed her fifth battle (and third in a row) both at the same time, sealing my fate late in a close game.
March 20
Power Grid (Andy, Carl, Chris)
Can’t remember why I hadn’t introduced the guys to this one, but finally got round to it tonight. Carl struggled with it a bit – it’s very mathsy, so it’s not surprising – but he played pretty well regardless. I don’t think it’ll be a game he’ll choose, but hopefully he’ll be up for some more games. Andy picked it up fast and we also let him monopolise cheap coal, putting him in a strong position early and by the time he’d got his head around the game he was going strong. I did my best to peg him back and my experience only just got me the win; Andy and me powered 18 plants (Carl did 16) and I won by $2 on the tiebreak – my win, but a moral one for Andy.
March 25
Puerto Rico (Chris, Zoe)
Having realised I’d had this a year and not played it nearly enough, I got it straight to the table after a game-less weekend visiting my dad. Zoe welcomed me home by beating me 44-42, with me fire-fighting all the way. I’m just not quite getting the game yet; I’m trying to be terribly efficient, but it’s not working. By the end of this game I had half the various bits Zoe did and only one large violet building to her two, but was still within a few points – scant consolation, but a great game all the same.
March 26
Unpublished Prototype (x3) (Brett, Chris, John, Matt)
This was nice play test evening with just four of us present, but three new games for me to take a look at – one from each of the other guys. John’s game showed promise but was very much a first try; a fields/feeding game with a large co-op element. Brett had a city building/Carcassonne style game at a more advanced stage; it has a nice feel and I’m looking forward to its next iteration. Matt had a clever small and quick game combining card drafting and dice collection that shows a lot of promise.
March 27
Ra (Andy, Carl, Chris)
This was a great win for me on 62 points, ahead of Andy on 47 and Carl on 24. Andy and me both had good first rounds but I dominated the second and held out on the third. Once again the game seemed different than any one we’d played before – it’s absolutely genius.
Race for the Galaxy (Andy, Carl, Chris)
You get a lot of games of Galaxies now, especially in its bloated version, where you simply get dealt crap and things don’t improve. This was such a game for me and Andy. Carl waltzed away on 59, leaving me to scrape past Andy 26 to 24. There is no better reason why we desperately need the new expansion – get on with it already!
Race for the Galaxy(Andy, Carl, Chris)
This game was a carbon copy of the previous one, but just dragged a little longer – letting Carl amass 73 to my 47 and Andy’s 38. Carl is a good player – I’m not upset that he won these games. I’m upset because there’s a new Galaxies challenge on the horizon, that hopefully addresses the game’s current issues, but I can’t yet play it. For the love of god(s), GET ON WITH IT!
March 30
NEWA Fool's Fortune(Chris, Zoe)
This was a game, like Uruk, that I read about and just had to have. I saw it online for £15 and snapped up a copy. The first play was fantastic. There are three ‘Acts’ – levels to the game that add more complexity to the rules – but even after one play of Act 1 we’re starting to see the subtle cleverness in this rummy style game. The cards are beautiful too. I won, but it was very close; Zoe would’ve won next turn. But as we played we started noticing all kinds of things we could’ve done earlier, so I think future games will be very different.