A quick list of what's on the menu (although it may not get ordered) for this weekend (current game rank on BGG in parenthesis):
Through the Desert (42)
Serenissima (329)
Cosmic Encounter (176)
Railroad Tycoon (66)
Lost Cities (90)
Star Wars Minatures (354)
Star Wars: Queen's Gambit (116)
I've been working on Avalon Hill's Civilization the last week (I've owned it for years, but never been able to break it out) solitare, but I don't think we'll have time or enough players for it, so I dropped that from the list. Puerto Rico and all the other heavy German games are out too.
Tab really wants to bust out Star Wars Mini's (he's certainly made a big investment), I'd like to get Railroad Tycoon out if they'll let me.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Saturday, December 24, 2005
In Depth Magazine
The Long Island Boardgaming Organization has been around for two years, and they produce a gaming "info magazine" which has reviews and recaps from their weekly/monthly sessions.Their magazine, Indepth, is a fantastic example of the kind of information and analysis that led me to building Brettspielcafe.
The screenshot at the right is of the 12 issues of their magazine, take a look when you get a chance. The december issue features Vinci, a fine civilization game (available for $20 at Fairplaygames right now), and also my favorite Mare Nostrum.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Jared discovers another way to win Power Grid
Gaming at Kevin's on Saturday, we played three: Power Grid, with the new Italy/France expansion map, Alhambra, and San Juan.
Mike, Jared, Kevin and I started with PG, and Kevin surprised me by introducing the new Italy map he purchased from a local store in Bethlehem (The Portal). Kevin met the owner through work, and he was kind enough to order the new expansion for him and even got him a "Fairplay" type price.
We decided to play the Italy side of the new map, and the game started with the normal small power plant purchasing, and with a tight concentration of plant sites on the north side of the board. Kevin and I started side by side in the middle, his plan apparently to expand to the Northwest. Since the connection costs were much higher to the South, I figured (rightly) that Mike and Jared would stay towards the top with the lower connection costs. I would then build one expensive connection South, and make it too cost prohibitive for them to jump connections over me. I was then able to jump connections over Jared, and even stole a no-surcharge connection right next to one of his plants that he did not notice. (He did the same thing to me last time we played a few months back). He was annoyed, and I thought I was pretty clever, but it turned out not to matter at all.
We continued to build up to 6 plants each, and we did our first PG stall. This strategy attempts to delay the 2nd phase of the game, by preventing expansion to the 7th plant by making expansion to expensive for distant players. (Check out this article on the Geek for more info on the "Step 2 Stall".) You clog up the board in one direction, and dare the other players to try to build over you. If they do, the idea is that you now have a good sized money advantage on them, as their triggering the 2nd phase means that you can build a second plant on existing sites for a much smaller surcharge. Your money advantage then allows you to out-bid them for new high-tech plants, and allows you to buy up resources, sometimes even giving them more of a disadvantage.
Jared is credited with discovering the need to build the "right size" power plants, winning several games on us early in our time with PG. He would ignore plants in the middle phases of the game, waiting for the first 5 or 6 sized plants, and would end up with a 1 or 2 turn powering advantage on his opponents.
In our game this time, Jared discovered something new - and built 11 plants in one turn (with over $200) when Mike broke the stall by building the 7th city. It was so late in the game, that the third phase happened immediately as well, and didn't even matter. Jared had enough energy to power 13 of his 17 plants, Kevin was second with 11, and I had only 8 or 9. The beauty of this play was that Jared store enough cash during our stall, that he was able to force the game to the end WAY more quickly that we had ever seen before. Ever other game we have played, ended with multiple players powering 15, 16, or 17 plants, sometimes ended in a tie broken by cash.
It was a stunningly beautiful move on his part, and frankly, I wonder what else we are going to learn about this game?
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Next up was Alhambra, the Spiel Des Jahres award winner for 2003. (The Spiel Des Jahres is the "German Game of the Year", the most prestigious award in the world for games.) A family game, Alhambra is a combination of tile-laying, card play, and majority/control scoring.
Angie jumped in on this one with the 4 of us, and Jared ended up winning with 76 points, I took second with 75, Angie, Mike and Kevin took 3 through 5.
The game has excellent looking pieces, and nice small board for scoring reminders and as a storage for tiles placed in reserve be each player. The main board has 4 spaces for tiles drawn from a bag, each with their own color marker indicating the type of money card needed to purchase them.
The money cards come in 4 colors, numbered 1 through 9. The game tiles which you purchase and use to construct your city are in 6-7 color groups, each of which has progressively higher scoring values. The higher with value, to more the pieces available (and hence the more possible competition for them).
Each turn consists of 1 or more of 3 types of actions: pay for a tile and place it on your city or in reserve, draw one (or more) of 4 money cards face up near the board, or rearrange your city tiles. Players are allowed a one more bonus action of the three types if they purchase a tile and pay exactly the price listed, without going over.
Strategy in tile purchases comes in obtaining a majority control of higher-value colors, or sneaking in with an inexpensive second place during the later scoring rounds. Points are also obtained for the longest wall connections in your tile-city that you've created.
The game round goes fairly quickly as players decide on their turn whether to overspend for a critical tile in an attempt to nab a majority or secure a lead, or wait and draw more cards to perhaps buy tiles at a later time for the correct exact amount, and perhaps get bonus moves. Tiles are replaced when purchased at the end of a players turn, and vary in price between 4 and 11.
It is very difficult to plan much in the game, it seems to be almost entirely tactics driven, at least in a 5-player game.
It is a satisfying draw, play, build, drink coke, munch chips, chat with host, draw, play, build game. Very light, it's pretty, and has a nice tactile appeal in the handling of colorful cards and tiles. Our game took about 90 minutes as we were pretty chatty and Mike and I were unfamiliar with the game.
I would definitely play it again if Kevin brings it out, but we both felt that there was too little that we could control. I suspect it will only come out as a "tweener" between other heavier titles. If we can get it down to 60 minutes it will have a much higher chance of repeat play.
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San Juan was our final game, with Mike, Kevin and I. Mike had never played, so we played the first couple of rounds with open cards to give him a feel for the moves. Mike had played Puerto Rico before (although it had been a while), so he was somewhat familiar with the role mechanism in San Juan. Obviously, it's hard to build a good strategy without knowing at the card abilities, however, so Kevin and I suggested a few moves on his first turns, which ended up being a game winner for him!
Mike built a silver-smith, gold mine immediately, and then build a second smith and another production building. He added more production, and snagged the powerful library. Kevin tried a councilor play with the prefecture, and I went with an el-cheapo builder strategy, playing quarry, market, poor house, aqueduct. I managed to play City Hall at the end, snagging 9 bonus points, but finished with 28 tied with Kevin. Mike landed the Guild Hall, with 10 points to finish at 30 and the win.
I love San Juan in that it is fast, and everyone is involved every play. I love trying to time the governor, and the tactics of when to produce, trade, pull prospector, etc. And you can play the game in 45 minutes, even with 3 players. Great game.
--------------------------------------------------------
As always, Kevin and Marcie provided great hospitality, thank you both for an excellent evening (and good tacos, cookies, bean dip, chips, and coke!).
Mike, Jared, Kevin and I started with PG, and Kevin surprised me by introducing the new Italy map he purchased from a local store in Bethlehem (The Portal). Kevin met the owner through work, and he was kind enough to order the new expansion for him and even got him a "Fairplay" type price.
We decided to play the Italy side of the new map, and the game started with the normal small power plant purchasing, and with a tight concentration of plant sites on the north side of the board. Kevin and I started side by side in the middle, his plan apparently to expand to the Northwest. Since the connection costs were much higher to the South, I figured (rightly) that Mike and Jared would stay towards the top with the lower connection costs. I would then build one expensive connection South, and make it too cost prohibitive for them to jump connections over me. I was then able to jump connections over Jared, and even stole a no-surcharge connection right next to one of his plants that he did not notice. (He did the same thing to me last time we played a few months back). He was annoyed, and I thought I was pretty clever, but it turned out not to matter at all.
We continued to build up to 6 plants each, and we did our first PG stall. This strategy attempts to delay the 2nd phase of the game, by preventing expansion to the 7th plant by making expansion to expensive for distant players. (Check out this article on the Geek for more info on the "Step 2 Stall".) You clog up the board in one direction, and dare the other players to try to build over you. If they do, the idea is that you now have a good sized money advantage on them, as their triggering the 2nd phase means that you can build a second plant on existing sites for a much smaller surcharge. Your money advantage then allows you to out-bid them for new high-tech plants, and allows you to buy up resources, sometimes even giving them more of a disadvantage.
Jared is credited with discovering the need to build the "right size" power plants, winning several games on us early in our time with PG. He would ignore plants in the middle phases of the game, waiting for the first 5 or 6 sized plants, and would end up with a 1 or 2 turn powering advantage on his opponents.
In our game this time, Jared discovered something new - and built 11 plants in one turn (with over $200) when Mike broke the stall by building the 7th city. It was so late in the game, that the third phase happened immediately as well, and didn't even matter. Jared had enough energy to power 13 of his 17 plants, Kevin was second with 11, and I had only 8 or 9. The beauty of this play was that Jared store enough cash during our stall, that he was able to force the game to the end WAY more quickly that we had ever seen before. Ever other game we have played, ended with multiple players powering 15, 16, or 17 plants, sometimes ended in a tie broken by cash.
It was a stunningly beautiful move on his part, and frankly, I wonder what else we are going to learn about this game?
------------------------------------------------------------------
Next up was Alhambra, the Spiel Des Jahres award winner for 2003. (The Spiel Des Jahres is the "German Game of the Year", the most prestigious award in the world for games.) A family game, Alhambra is a combination of tile-laying, card play, and majority/control scoring.
Angie jumped in on this one with the 4 of us, and Jared ended up winning with 76 points, I took second with 75, Angie, Mike and Kevin took 3 through 5.
The game has excellent looking pieces, and nice small board for scoring reminders and as a storage for tiles placed in reserve be each player. The main board has 4 spaces for tiles drawn from a bag, each with their own color marker indicating the type of money card needed to purchase them.
The money cards come in 4 colors, numbered 1 through 9. The game tiles which you purchase and use to construct your city are in 6-7 color groups, each of which has progressively higher scoring values. The higher with value, to more the pieces available (and hence the more possible competition for them).
Each turn consists of 1 or more of 3 types of actions: pay for a tile and place it on your city or in reserve, draw one (or more) of 4 money cards face up near the board, or rearrange your city tiles. Players are allowed a one more bonus action of the three types if they purchase a tile and pay exactly the price listed, without going over.
Strategy in tile purchases comes in obtaining a majority control of higher-value colors, or sneaking in with an inexpensive second place during the later scoring rounds. Points are also obtained for the longest wall connections in your tile-city that you've created.
The game round goes fairly quickly as players decide on their turn whether to overspend for a critical tile in an attempt to nab a majority or secure a lead, or wait and draw more cards to perhaps buy tiles at a later time for the correct exact amount, and perhaps get bonus moves. Tiles are replaced when purchased at the end of a players turn, and vary in price between 4 and 11.
It is very difficult to plan much in the game, it seems to be almost entirely tactics driven, at least in a 5-player game.
It is a satisfying draw, play, build, drink coke, munch chips, chat with host, draw, play, build game. Very light, it's pretty, and has a nice tactile appeal in the handling of colorful cards and tiles. Our game took about 90 minutes as we were pretty chatty and Mike and I were unfamiliar with the game.
I would definitely play it again if Kevin brings it out, but we both felt that there was too little that we could control. I suspect it will only come out as a "tweener" between other heavier titles. If we can get it down to 60 minutes it will have a much higher chance of repeat play.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
San Juan was our final game, with Mike, Kevin and I. Mike had never played, so we played the first couple of rounds with open cards to give him a feel for the moves. Mike had played Puerto Rico before (although it had been a while), so he was somewhat familiar with the role mechanism in San Juan. Obviously, it's hard to build a good strategy without knowing at the card abilities, however, so Kevin and I suggested a few moves on his first turns, which ended up being a game winner for him!
Mike built a silver-smith, gold mine immediately, and then build a second smith and another production building. He added more production, and snagged the powerful library. Kevin tried a councilor play with the prefecture, and I went with an el-cheapo builder strategy, playing quarry, market, poor house, aqueduct. I managed to play City Hall at the end, snagging 9 bonus points, but finished with 28 tied with Kevin. Mike landed the Guild Hall, with 10 points to finish at 30 and the win.
I love San Juan in that it is fast, and everyone is involved every play. I love trying to time the governor, and the tactics of when to produce, trade, pull prospector, etc. And you can play the game in 45 minutes, even with 3 players. Great game.
--------------------------------------------------------
As always, Kevin and Marcie provided great hospitality, thank you both for an excellent evening (and good tacos, cookies, bean dip, chips, and coke!).
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
PR on the web
Nice looking Puerto Rico game played on the web, here.
http://www.pr-game.com/
Entirely played on your computer screen, it can be played live, or by email - the game is updated when you hit "refresh" on your web browser. If you play a "slow" email game, moves are made whenever you log in, and you are notified by email when it is your turn. Gives you time to look over the moves everyone made, and chose your play.
Thanks to Mikko Saari's Gameblog, http://www.melankolia.net/gameblog/, for the tip!
I know everyone is pressed for time these days, can we handle a play-by-email game? Send me one or post here (click "x comments" below) if you are interested.
http://www.pr-game.com/
Entirely played on your computer screen, it can be played live, or by email - the game is updated when you hit "refresh" on your web browser. If you play a "slow" email game, moves are made whenever you log in, and you are notified by email when it is your turn. Gives you time to look over the moves everyone made, and chose your play.
Thanks to Mikko Saari's Gameblog, http://www.melankolia.net/gameblog/, for the tip!
I know everyone is pressed for time these days, can we handle a play-by-email game? Send me one or post here (click "x comments" below) if you are interested.
Monday, December 12, 2005
Power Grid: Italy/France
New Power Grid maps are now available on Funagain.com. $11.95 (not bad) for double sided map that includes Italy (pictured) and France. Sweet! (FYI: Fairplaygames.com has it for $10.55, $9.72 on Thoughthammer.com! Watch your shipping, however...)
Friday, December 09, 2005
Finally, a Puerto Rico win on BSW
Yeah! My first Brettspielwelt Puerto Rico win, a 4-player at that. Close, at 56 - 54 - 41 - 40, I beat out the 3rd place player due to a tobacco monopoly. I definately benefitted by a few questionable moves by the first player, as happens in PR. I am really pleased with my building choices (Factory/Harbor), although I picked the Fortress (1 vp for every 3 colonists) under duress, as I was never able to land a quarry, and missed the first buy of 10-point buildings. Nice screen-capture, no? (my name on BSW is Phuntom)
Capitol
I've been watching this game for over 2 years. Finally managed to get a copy from Funagain, used. A building game set in ancient Rome, Alan Moon the designer (New England, San Marco, Ticket to Ride, Canal Grande). Tom Vassel wrote a very interesting review here.Anyone interesting in trying this one with me?
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Caylus: Now in Stock at Funagain
The number two ranked game in the world (behind Puerto Rico and ahead of Tigris and Euphrates) is Caylus. It's now in stock at Funagain, for $39.97. Good to know. :)" In this game the players are project superintendents whose mission is to build a new castle for King Philip the Fair. For that, they will have to manage their money, manage the available resources, and especially develop the economy of the small village at the foot of the building site. Of course, the royal agents - the bailiff and the provost - keep a close eye on the progress of the work! "
Rick Thorquist sez: "
An excellent, excellent game. Tons of options for strategic and tactical play with multiple paths to victory, lots of interaction, practically no downtime, beautiful graphics and outstanding graphic design. Easily the best game I've played this year and in contention for my favorite game of all time (yes, I think it's that good). "
Hmmmmmm...
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Railroad Tycoon
Martin Wallace (Age of Steam, Struggle of Empires, Conquest of the Empire) is the brain behind a new Eagle Games boardgame, Railroad Tycoon. Published as a computer game by the legendary Sid Meyers, RT is a beautiful converstion into analog.I purchased this on a whim from my local store, The Unknown, for 15% - apparently snagging it an hour or so after they received the new release in their store (nice turntime guys!). Very heavy box, weighing probably 9 pounds. Very nice colored bits, cards, and huge board.
There are some really good and interesting reviews on the 'Geek, so I will defer to the review experts for more detail for now.
What I'd be curious to know is, would anyone be interested in playing this one with me?
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
In Depth
The Long Island Boardgame Organization (LIBO) has been printing recaps in a online 'zine called INDEPTH. Check out their December issue here. Excellent full-color recaps mixed with game reviews and a fantastic scoring/ranking system. Eventually, I'd like to develop something similiar for our group (Northampton Gathering of Friends, NGOF?)?
Monday, November 28, 2005
Board Game News
Rick Thornquist, writer of board game news for a long time, has created a new webstite: www.boardgamenews.com that you should check out.
Tom Vasel, Rick Thornquist, Ryan Bretsch, Patrick Korner, Greg Schloesser, Larry Levy, Valerie Putman are writing daily game news along with reviews in a site very much like what I had envisioned for BrettSpielCafe. If you've browsed Chessbase.com, they also have an excellent site focused on chess news and software that I've tried to imitate to a degree as well.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The purpose of BrettSpielCafe is to
* Bring together news, information and tips on game that I come across in the form of short articles and links.
* It is to share the fun of our gaming events, and spotlight a fun, healthy, and affordable pastime.
* It is to be a destination for our friends to keep in touch and communicate on past, present and future gaming events we have/are/will be participating in.
Thank you for reading, and commenting the last 11 months.
Tom Vasel, Rick Thornquist, Ryan Bretsch, Patrick Korner, Greg Schloesser, Larry Levy, Valerie Putman are writing daily game news along with reviews in a site very much like what I had envisioned for BrettSpielCafe. If you've browsed Chessbase.com, they also have an excellent site focused on chess news and software that I've tried to imitate to a degree as well.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The purpose of BrettSpielCafe is to
* Bring together news, information and tips on game that I come across in the form of short articles and links.
* It is to share the fun of our gaming events, and spotlight a fun, healthy, and affordable pastime.
* It is to be a destination for our friends to keep in touch and communicate on past, present and future gaming events we have/are/will be participating in.
Thank you for reading, and commenting the last 11 months.
Friday, November 25, 2005
Games as Art
Tammy was kind enough to help decorate my new "boardgamecafe" in the basement. She framed the map of Hansa (one of my favorites), and also made a shadowbox of the bits. Art? Yes.She also framed China, Merchants of Amsterdam, and Struggle of Empires, all stunning.
This "geeklist" has 90+ titles suggested as excellent looking maps to frame!
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Weekend in New York
A rare opportunity is spend a weekend in New York with Mike.
Good food will be involved in any event, but with the holiday weekend I doubt there will be opportunities to do any shopping. One store I thought of visiting? The Compleat Strategist.
We may visit Times Square (saw a movie there with Mike last year), and will certainly walk through Brooklyn Heights.
I've been trying to introduce Mike to gaming, and have been successful in introducing Twixt. Perhaps I'll bring San Juan, Lost Cities, Canasta Caliente, or Abalone?
Good food will be involved in any event, but with the holiday weekend I doubt there will be opportunities to do any shopping. One store I thought of visiting? The Compleat Strategist.
We may visit Times Square (saw a movie there with Mike last year), and will certainly walk through Brooklyn Heights.
I've been trying to introduce Mike to gaming, and have been successful in introducing Twixt. Perhaps I'll bring San Juan, Lost Cities, Canasta Caliente, or Abalone?
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Very helpful Play Aids
I spent a few hours hunting through various Play Aids from Boardgamegeek. I received Sid Meier's Civilization : The Boardgame as a gift from my wife last week, and hunting down information on the game I discovered new "tech trees", rules summaries, an excellent comparison of rules editions, a beautiful 2-page handout, and even an excel spreadsheet for managing each player's position and resources in the game!
I wanted to include a few links here, for you to check out some interesting and help links to some popular games that many of us own. Thanks to the Geek and to the authors of these amazingly helpful tools:
* Risk 2210 Turn Order and Commander rules summary
* Power Grid Summary Aid
* Puerto Rico 1-page Rules Summary
* Alhambra Player Aid
* Star Wars: Queen's Gambit Summary
There are many many more of these on BGG- have a look and let us know if you discover something particularly helpful.
I wanted to include a few links here, for you to check out some interesting and help links to some popular games that many of us own. Thanks to the Geek and to the authors of these amazingly helpful tools:
* Risk 2210 Turn Order and Commander rules summary
* Power Grid Summary Aid
* Puerto Rico 1-page Rules Summary
* Alhambra Player Aid
* Star Wars: Queen's Gambit Summary
There are many many more of these on BGG- have a look and let us know if you discover something particularly helpful.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Friday, November 18, 2005
Puerto Rico: position matters
There has been some debate about the importance of seating position in Puerto Rico. Results from the World Boardgaming Championship just held in Lancaster, PA seem to back this up:
#1 indigo: 42.18 ppg (11 wins)
#2 indigo: 41.77 ppg (13 wins)
#3 corn: 44.79 ppg (27 wins)
#4 corn: 43.71 ppg (23 wins)
These results were based on 74 games (1 game having double winners due to no tie-break being declared), and clearly indicates a big advantage for corn players in 4-player games.
Now, what to do about it... A monetary balance reward? Or perhaps a bonus victory point for players in the first and second position? (Source: John Weber, WBC GM @ BGG)
11/20 Update: I emailed John about the subject, and he took the time to craft a response. He gives an excellent proposal involving bidding. Take a look by clicking on "x COMMENTS" below.
#1 indigo: 42.18 ppg (11 wins)
#2 indigo: 41.77 ppg (13 wins)
#3 corn: 44.79 ppg (27 wins)
#4 corn: 43.71 ppg (23 wins)
These results were based on 74 games (1 game having double winners due to no tie-break being declared), and clearly indicates a big advantage for corn players in 4-player games.
Now, what to do about it... A monetary balance reward? Or perhaps a bonus victory point for players in the first and second position? (Source: John Weber, WBC GM @ BGG)
11/20 Update: I emailed John about the subject, and he took the time to craft a response. He gives an excellent proposal involving bidding. Take a look by clicking on "x COMMENTS" below.
Archives work, and other fixes/wishes
Well, I'm in the middle of a 3-week vacation of sorts. Part of my to-do list includes fixing the archive function of the blog. I've been storing the blog on my free webspace at Adelphia.net for almost a year now, and have never been successfully able to figure out the path for my blogger archives. I've toyed with the idea of hiring a web expert to assist, I've tried email and live chat with Adelphia. Finally, I decided to let Blogger to the hosting. You'll see them at the top of the blog now, a necessary evil.
Voila! You can now access blogs of the archive on the right hand side, by month. I may change this in the future, but for now, you can get a quick snapshot in 30-day increments. Also, by clicking on the "previous posts" on the right, you can view articles by header instead of having to scroll all the way down. I plan on reducing the number of articles displayed at one time to reduce load time.
Interestingly, I've discovered a new service called Google Analytics, which lets you research the hits on your website. It's scary the amount of information that you can harvest about someone based on a simple script that you paste into your HTML. The neat thing for me, is I can get some idea of who is lurking out there, reading but not posting, and from where they are from!
I've long planned on keeping this blog small and discreet. The intended audience is family, really, and friends. I asked Kevin and Tab to assist with some articles if and when they can find the time. Really, the blog is a convenient way for me to post some of the interesting things I come across in my daily websearching, and an outlet for all the boardgaming thoughts I've had over the years but never have been able to write down.
My new job will allow me significantly more time for the most important things in my life, but this little hobby will get a quality upgrade this year too. I'd like to post more in-depth articles, statistics, and analysis of various boardgame topics. I'd also like to expand this as a location for our groups to link up and discuss games to be played, along with post mortems, etc. I still have some good content from my efforts in 2003-4 that need a home. A new organization method of all of the posts, perhaps by subject would be helpful. And I must figure out how to increase the font size of the names on the contributors on the right! (Anyone know how?)
So here's my wishlist for 2006:
1) One in-depth article per month, on an advanced topic.
2) More posts from Tab and Kevin (can I get one a quarter guys?).
3) A subject tab on the right where articles can be stored and referenced by subject, not just date.
4) Links to previous and future "Gatherings" (e.g. Gathering in Clarks Summit, Gathering in Northampton, Gathering in Dayton, etc.)
That's probably enough for 2006 - Any comments would be appreciated! (click "x comments" below!)
Voila! You can now access blogs of the archive on the right hand side, by month. I may change this in the future, but for now, you can get a quick snapshot in 30-day increments. Also, by clicking on the "previous posts" on the right, you can view articles by header instead of having to scroll all the way down. I plan on reducing the number of articles displayed at one time to reduce load time.
Interestingly, I've discovered a new service called Google Analytics, which lets you research the hits on your website. It's scary the amount of information that you can harvest about someone based on a simple script that you paste into your HTML. The neat thing for me, is I can get some idea of who is lurking out there, reading but not posting, and from where they are from!
I've long planned on keeping this blog small and discreet. The intended audience is family, really, and friends. I asked Kevin and Tab to assist with some articles if and when they can find the time. Really, the blog is a convenient way for me to post some of the interesting things I come across in my daily websearching, and an outlet for all the boardgaming thoughts I've had over the years but never have been able to write down.
My new job will allow me significantly more time for the most important things in my life, but this little hobby will get a quality upgrade this year too. I'd like to post more in-depth articles, statistics, and analysis of various boardgame topics. I'd also like to expand this as a location for our groups to link up and discuss games to be played, along with post mortems, etc. I still have some good content from my efforts in 2003-4 that need a home. A new organization method of all of the posts, perhaps by subject would be helpful. And I must figure out how to increase the font size of the names on the contributors on the right! (Anyone know how?)
So here's my wishlist for 2006:
1) One in-depth article per month, on an advanced topic.
2) More posts from Tab and Kevin (can I get one a quarter guys?).
3) A subject tab on the right where articles can be stored and referenced by subject, not just date.
4) Links to previous and future "Gatherings" (e.g. Gathering in Clarks Summit, Gathering in Northampton, Gathering in Dayton, etc.)
That's probably enough for 2006 - Any comments would be appreciated! (click "x comments" below!)
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Thoughts about G.i.D.'05
A few days before our Gathering in Dayton 2005, I posted a list of things I was looking forward to. How did it pan out?
Seeing Tab's Settlers record fall - did not happen. Tab crushed us in two 4-player games. It really wasn't close in either one. He has a real feel for the game, no doubt about it. One unusual aspect that I believe he benefited from was the "tournament start". Every player began with 1 Settlement and 1 City, and a 3rd road. Negotiation was minimized somewhat, and with excellent starting locations, and a balanced board, no one really struggled to get resources. Tab went right for development cards both games, and won with the largest army both games as well...
Revenge in Serenissima. We never seemed to be in the right cycle for a tough long game (2+ hours), so this never hit the table. I did scan the rules a bit with Tab one night, but I came away thinking we needed to print some play aides, and he needed to do a trial run to teach it to us as it's been years since I've played. One concern for me is the weird bonuses for exclusive use of ports and such - the game has little margin for error, and it seems that if you get behind, it may be extremely tough to catch the leader. I may need to set up a demo game solo, before taking on Taber...
Delighting them with... Through the Desert? Dad forgot to bring it, Mom brought my copy of Empire Builder (yuck) that I left there a month ago. Roborally? Kids did enjoy it, we only had one small game with adults. Should have left it for Tab to try with the kids again. E&T? I loved it, Bob found it interesting, Dad is still trying to figure it out. Tab? Not sure - he was so tired by then, I wonder if he even remembers our game... Nexus Ops? Needed one more play, with everyone awake. I think everyone enjoyed it, not sure if the group will be clamoring for it next time, as there are so many other good titles out there.
One monster game. Nope. Never made it. We talked about it, but never had the strength to break one out. Sigh.
The kids. Did great really. Grayson had most of his fun riding bikes, as did the twins. Austen did very well, playing China (twice), Roborally, Carcassone, Edel Stein & Reich, and Cartagena. Kim and Tab did tease him about "playing by mail" on his Cartagena game, as he could not sit still long enough during his downtime, and kept wandering in to watch the Muppet Show DVD that I had brought... I look forward to more playing with the younglings.
LPH: Our Laughs Per Hour meter shot the highest during... Pass the Pigs and Foosball. Translation? Keep the games on the simple side, and short. Odds are good we are never going to get enough sleep and have enough time with the diversity of our Dayton group to get a Monster Game in.
Seeing Tab's Settlers record fall - did not happen. Tab crushed us in two 4-player games. It really wasn't close in either one. He has a real feel for the game, no doubt about it. One unusual aspect that I believe he benefited from was the "tournament start". Every player began with 1 Settlement and 1 City, and a 3rd road. Negotiation was minimized somewhat, and with excellent starting locations, and a balanced board, no one really struggled to get resources. Tab went right for development cards both games, and won with the largest army both games as well...
Revenge in Serenissima. We never seemed to be in the right cycle for a tough long game (2+ hours), so this never hit the table. I did scan the rules a bit with Tab one night, but I came away thinking we needed to print some play aides, and he needed to do a trial run to teach it to us as it's been years since I've played. One concern for me is the weird bonuses for exclusive use of ports and such - the game has little margin for error, and it seems that if you get behind, it may be extremely tough to catch the leader. I may need to set up a demo game solo, before taking on Taber...
Delighting them with... Through the Desert? Dad forgot to bring it, Mom brought my copy of Empire Builder (yuck) that I left there a month ago. Roborally? Kids did enjoy it, we only had one small game with adults. Should have left it for Tab to try with the kids again. E&T? I loved it, Bob found it interesting, Dad is still trying to figure it out. Tab? Not sure - he was so tired by then, I wonder if he even remembers our game... Nexus Ops? Needed one more play, with everyone awake. I think everyone enjoyed it, not sure if the group will be clamoring for it next time, as there are so many other good titles out there.
One monster game. Nope. Never made it. We talked about it, but never had the strength to break one out. Sigh.
The kids. Did great really. Grayson had most of his fun riding bikes, as did the twins. Austen did very well, playing China (twice), Roborally, Carcassone, Edel Stein & Reich, and Cartagena. Kim and Tab did tease him about "playing by mail" on his Cartagena game, as he could not sit still long enough during his downtime, and kept wandering in to watch the Muppet Show DVD that I had brought... I look forward to more playing with the younglings.
LPH: Our Laughs Per Hour meter shot the highest during... Pass the Pigs and Foosball. Translation? Keep the games on the simple side, and short. Odds are good we are never going to get enough sleep and have enough time with the diversity of our Dayton group to get a Monster Game in.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Monday, November 14, 2005
G.i.D. Day 4 and Wrap
Somewhere during day four (my mind is still a blur), we played Pit, and Pass the Pigs. Pit only lasted a few rounds, but of course was hilarious. The kids struggled a bit, as they hung on to too many single cards in their semi-paniced state: there was a lot of shouting as there always is in Pit. We ended after only a few rounds because of this, but it was fun while it lasted.
Pass the Pigs was next, and turned out to be the final game of the weekend. I won a quick intro with Bob and Austen, then Tab joined an won our four-player. The highlight of the day was Austen's yelling "soooooeeee" and correctly guessing one of Tab's final rolls, sending him back 10 points and Austen ahead 10. For naught, as Tab won anyway, but it was a fantastic moment...
What an enjoyable four days. Grayson had a great time with the kids, we both got to visit Mom and Dad, Bob, Tab, Kim and the boys. Kim and Tab were fine hosts, and it was a really fun time.
Thanks to Julie for her famous salsa sent with Bob, and for the few cookies that Bob left us! And Bob for all the liquid refreshment...
Enjoyed the study, and meeting at the Miamisburg congregation, friends were very nice.
We finished Sunday evening with an excellent whupping of the Browns by our beloved Steelers, and got to witness Hines Ward's record-breaking catch against them. He is now the number one Steeler all time in catches, ahead of John Stalworth, and Lynn Swann. Joe Green, and Lynn were at the game, but I didn't catch Stalworth or any other old-timers on TV (although they may have been there). We learned that Troy Polamalu lands on the SI cover this issue.
We'll be packing up and heading home Tuesday, was great seeing everyone.
Pass the Pigs was next, and turned out to be the final game of the weekend. I won a quick intro with Bob and Austen, then Tab joined an won our four-player. The highlight of the day was Austen's yelling "soooooeeee" and correctly guessing one of Tab's final rolls, sending him back 10 points and Austen ahead 10. For naught, as Tab won anyway, but it was a fantastic moment...
What an enjoyable four days. Grayson had a great time with the kids, we both got to visit Mom and Dad, Bob, Tab, Kim and the boys. Kim and Tab were fine hosts, and it was a really fun time.
Thanks to Julie for her famous salsa sent with Bob, and for the few cookies that Bob left us! And Bob for all the liquid refreshment...
Enjoyed the study, and meeting at the Miamisburg congregation, friends were very nice.
We finished Sunday evening with an excellent whupping of the Browns by our beloved Steelers, and got to witness Hines Ward's record-breaking catch against them. He is now the number one Steeler all time in catches, ahead of John Stalworth, and Lynn Swann. Joe Green, and Lynn were at the game, but I didn't catch Stalworth or any other old-timers on TV (although they may have been there). We learned that Troy Polamalu lands on the SI cover this issue.
We'll be packing up and heading home Tuesday, was great seeing everyone.
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Words and phrases of G.i.D.'05
Some funny words and phrases that have come up during G.i.D.'05:
1. ham-fist·ed
(hăm'fĭs'tĭd) adj.
Synonyms: bumbling, bungling, butterfingered, ham-handed, handless, heavy-handed, left-handed
During a semi-epic game of foosball, I remarked that perhaps Bob felt "ham-fisted" due to a play where he was tied-up on the back rank.
2. "I sure glad I'm not playing me."
Meaning: Dad was talking some trash when playing foosball, faced me, and said the above. This elicited some major laughter, and was repeated in many variations over the next few days by all of us.
3. "The two of you are louder than the four of us."
During a game of Nexus Ops down in the basement, the ladies made their way down, and began chatting nearby. The guys were a little noisy, rapidly discussing the game rules, and talking about strategy, etc. Tab noticed our volume level rising steadily of our conversation, stopped talking, looked over to the girls and listend. The volume of Kim and Mom was actually LOUDER than the volume of the four of us! His comment, the above, was not appreciated!
1. ham-fist·ed
(hăm'fĭs'tĭd) adj.
Ham-handed. The adjective ham-fisted has one meaning:
Meaning #1: not skillful in physical movement especially with the handsSynonyms: bumbling, bungling, butterfingered, ham-handed, handless, heavy-handed, left-handed
During a semi-epic game of foosball, I remarked that perhaps Bob felt "ham-fisted" due to a play where he was tied-up on the back rank.
2. "I sure glad I'm not playing me."
Meaning: Dad was talking some trash when playing foosball, faced me, and said the above. This elicited some major laughter, and was repeated in many variations over the next few days by all of us.
3. "The two of you are louder than the four of us."
During a game of Nexus Ops down in the basement, the ladies made their way down, and began chatting nearby. The guys were a little noisy, rapidly discussing the game rules, and talking about strategy, etc. Tab noticed our volume level rising steadily of our conversation, stopped talking, looked over to the girls and listend. The volume of Kim and Mom was actually LOUDER than the volume of the four of us! His comment, the above, was not appreciated!
Saturday, November 12, 2005
G.i.D. Day 3
Big output so far, here's the list of today's titles as of 4:30pm:
1. Cartagena - 4 plays
I really like this game, especially with mixed groups. Played with Dad, Austen, Bob and I. I think I won three of them, and Bob snagged the last one. Fun little pirate game that plays fast.
2. Edel, Stein and Reich
I was excited to finally get to play this live, and was not disappointed, although I was beaten down pretty badly. Same group as above, Dad crushed us due to a last second tie-breaker buster (kingmaker). Game is fascinating due to blind action-bidding mechanism, which makes for some anxious moments and tense sub-bidding wars. In case of ties for one of three actions, you must offer your opponent on number of your precious gems (victory point creators) for the right to take the action. There's a big game of "who blinks first" as you sacrifice potential majorities for the right to take actions which may help you in other areas. Was a big hit, and "fun", as contrasted to what they thought of the next title...
3. China
Played it twice, first time I won a crushing victory with a huge disparity in points, which reflected everyone's lack of appreciation for the emissaries. These end-of-game point makers really pack a punch of you play correctly. The second game, scores were much tighter, winner was separated from fourth place by probably only 12 points, so any one move made at the end could have made a difference. Bob cleverly played a single house onto a region where Austen and I were tied, and managed to land an emissary scoring him another 4, which was the margin of victory between him and Austen. Austen caught on FAST, and finished second in both games - Dad finished last both times, and found the game annoying, as did Bob. I was surprised, as I really enjoy area control games. This was their first experience, and Dad/Bob just didn't think it was any "fun".
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4. Settlers
Okay, Tab is Lord of Catan. He won two tournament style games (start with 2nd building as a city, and a third road piece), decisively defeating Dad, Bob and myself. I came in second both times, but I really didn't think I was close. Tab won with what appears to by a typical strategy: cards. He won with largest army and/or victory points both times. What can I say? Should we retire this thing? His streak is amazing. I don't think he's ever lost. Probably over 12 plays. That's incredible.
5. Foosball
Another big match, we played 5-6 games, and Bob and I won one, Tab and Dad did very very well. Tab played the middle, Dad defense. I took the middle on our side, and didn't really feel comfortable till the last few games, but could not generate enough "shots on goal" in any event.
6. Cartagena
We played 2 games, one with Bob, Tab, Kim, Austen and me. I won due to a three card play thanks to a "ladder" that Austen did not roll up. Bob coined this term for the tactic of moving a piece towards the top of the board up further to a different labeled position, so as to not allow players behind to use your path. I won the second, 4-player game (minus Austen), using the same three card play only with Bob as the ladder. Tab would have won for sure to plays later had it not been for Bob's move. Neither he or Kim really were in position to win, and I was out for sure, until Bob made the fortuitous play. The only credit I give myself, is a good play the turn before, where I maneuvered deftly (if I do say so) to capture about 5 cards and ended up pulling a great combo to take advantage of Bob's situation.
7. Princes of Florence
We set it up, and Tab almost fell asleep during rules explanation. I know the theme is a little dry, but... Bob wasn't comfortable enough with the rules to teach it, and it has been over 2 years since I've played it. Since it was 1am, there was no chance for this one.
8. Gobblet
Tab and Bob faced off four times, and Bob came ahead 3 to 1. Tab was "too tired" which is how I feel even looking at this abstract. It's not worth the mental energy for me.
That was it for Day 3, and there was a lot. Doesn't look like the monsters are going to make it out. Day 4 is starting just as I write this, so we'll see.
1. Cartagena - 4 plays
I really like this game, especially with mixed groups. Played with Dad, Austen, Bob and I. I think I won three of them, and Bob snagged the last one. Fun little pirate game that plays fast.
2. Edel, Stein and Reich
I was excited to finally get to play this live, and was not disappointed, although I was beaten down pretty badly. Same group as above, Dad crushed us due to a last second tie-breaker buster (kingmaker). Game is fascinating due to blind action-bidding mechanism, which makes for some anxious moments and tense sub-bidding wars. In case of ties for one of three actions, you must offer your opponent on number of your precious gems (victory point creators) for the right to take the action. There's a big game of "who blinks first" as you sacrifice potential majorities for the right to take actions which may help you in other areas. Was a big hit, and "fun", as contrasted to what they thought of the next title...
3. China
Played it twice, first time I won a crushing victory with a huge disparity in points, which reflected everyone's lack of appreciation for the emissaries. These end-of-game point makers really pack a punch of you play correctly. The second game, scores were much tighter, winner was separated from fourth place by probably only 12 points, so any one move made at the end could have made a difference. Bob cleverly played a single house onto a region where Austen and I were tied, and managed to land an emissary scoring him another 4, which was the margin of victory between him and Austen. Austen caught on FAST, and finished second in both games - Dad finished last both times, and found the game annoying, as did Bob. I was surprised, as I really enjoy area control games. This was their first experience, and Dad/Bob just didn't think it was any "fun".
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4. Settlers
Okay, Tab is Lord of Catan. He won two tournament style games (start with 2nd building as a city, and a third road piece), decisively defeating Dad, Bob and myself. I came in second both times, but I really didn't think I was close. Tab won with what appears to by a typical strategy: cards. He won with largest army and/or victory points both times. What can I say? Should we retire this thing? His streak is amazing. I don't think he's ever lost. Probably over 12 plays. That's incredible.
5. Foosball
Another big match, we played 5-6 games, and Bob and I won one, Tab and Dad did very very well. Tab played the middle, Dad defense. I took the middle on our side, and didn't really feel comfortable till the last few games, but could not generate enough "shots on goal" in any event.
6. Cartagena
We played 2 games, one with Bob, Tab, Kim, Austen and me. I won due to a three card play thanks to a "ladder" that Austen did not roll up. Bob coined this term for the tactic of moving a piece towards the top of the board up further to a different labeled position, so as to not allow players behind to use your path. I won the second, 4-player game (minus Austen), using the same three card play only with Bob as the ladder. Tab would have won for sure to plays later had it not been for Bob's move. Neither he or Kim really were in position to win, and I was out for sure, until Bob made the fortuitous play. The only credit I give myself, is a good play the turn before, where I maneuvered deftly (if I do say so) to capture about 5 cards and ended up pulling a great combo to take advantage of Bob's situation.
7. Princes of Florence
We set it up, and Tab almost fell asleep during rules explanation. I know the theme is a little dry, but... Bob wasn't comfortable enough with the rules to teach it, and it has been over 2 years since I've played it. Since it was 1am, there was no chance for this one.
8. Gobblet
Tab and Bob faced off four times, and Bob came ahead 3 to 1. Tab was "too tired" which is how I feel even looking at this abstract. It's not worth the mental energy for me.
That was it for Day 3, and there was a lot. Doesn't look like the monsters are going to make it out. Day 4 is starting just as I write this, so we'll see.
G.i.D. Day 2
After a few hours of sleep, we were back at it. Dad an Bob joined us late in the afternoon, and we went after:
1. Nexus Ops
Tab one with a 4-point dragon jump on Bob. Final score: Tab 12, Dave 10, Dad 9, Bob 8. Bob held the monoment almost all the game, Tab took it at the very end with a huge force of heavies, and did the jump for the win.
2. Euphrats and Tigris (twice, 4p and 3p)
Our four-player game was marked by chaos, as players were all trying to understand the rules and possibilities. This is normal, and we played a 3-player (Bob, Dad, me) which went better. I think Bob won the first, and Dad the second. We played hidden victory points, which sped the game up some, but I think I would do better with open points...
3. Roborally (kids)
Four player, Austen and Gray versus Ethan and Ryan. Ethan snuck onto the second and last flag on his fifth impulse. Austen and Gray were hung up on the idea of upgrades (a common distracton in this game), and although they knocked the other boys' robots about, the game is about capturing flags, which they did not do, eventually losing. The boys were good sports, and I was pleased and surprised they stayed at this game for the 2 hours it took.
4. Foosball (yes it's on BGG)
Bob and I versus Tab and Dad. Best of three games, to 10 points. We split 1-1, and lost on the last game by a score of 10-8. The best game was the second, where we got up to 8-2, They came back bring it to 8-8, and we won 10-8 - amazing runs. Quite fun, hopefully we get a rematch today.
1. Nexus Ops
Tab one with a 4-point dragon jump on Bob. Final score: Tab 12, Dave 10, Dad 9, Bob 8. Bob held the monoment almost all the game, Tab took it at the very end with a huge force of heavies, and did the jump for the win.
2. Euphrats and Tigris (twice, 4p and 3p)
Our four-player game was marked by chaos, as players were all trying to understand the rules and possibilities. This is normal, and we played a 3-player (Bob, Dad, me) which went better. I think Bob won the first, and Dad the second. We played hidden victory points, which sped the game up some, but I think I would do better with open points...
3. Roborally (kids)
Four player, Austen and Gray versus Ethan and Ryan. Ethan snuck onto the second and last flag on his fifth impulse. Austen and Gray were hung up on the idea of upgrades (a common distracton in this game), and although they knocked the other boys' robots about, the game is about capturing flags, which they did not do, eventually losing. The boys were good sports, and I was pleased and surprised they stayed at this game for the 2 hours it took.
4. Foosball (yes it's on BGG)
Bob and I versus Tab and Dad. Best of three games, to 10 points. We split 1-1, and lost on the last game by a score of 10-8. The best game was the second, where we got up to 8-2, They came back bring it to 8-8, and we won 10-8 - amazing runs. Quite fun, hopefully we get a rematch today.
Friday, November 11, 2005
G.i.D. Day 1
Arrived in Dayton at about 9:30pm after a 9.5 hour drive from Clarks Summit. Was immediately greated by Tab, Kim and 3 of the 4 boys (Weston was sleeping). Naturally, after exchanging gifts and hugs and a quick chat, it was off to the games!
Game 1: Gobblet!
Tab crushed me, again. I always lose this game. I stink. I can never remember what is buried. I tried to use the pieces not on the board as sort of markers, to remind me which column (the board is 4x4, connect four nested pieces together) has covered pieces. Of course, this didn't help, and Tab crushed me in about the 8th move. Tab 1, Dave 0.
Game 2: Canal Grande
My first real game, Tab's as well. Neat little Alan Moon card game, Euro style (multi-language rule book, with English as the 2nd or 3rd choice). Gain control of territories, or voting districts. Cool cards, with names like "spy, Doge, traitor, gondola". Was really a practice game, and we folded it after a few districts were scored. Tab enjoyed it, as did I. We'll see if we can break it out once more later.
Game 3: Roborally
Tab's first again, and there was some confusion in the rules (he forgot that flags had to be touched in sequence). It was not super-important, but I did end up winning, with 3 flags to Grayson's 1 and his zero. Passed out one random technology, Tab ended up with rear-firing lasers, Grayson with double-barreled, and I had a 3-point shield (which Tab burned through on turns 1 and 2). There was some excitement when Tab blew up, after being pushed onto a conveyor after a bad lock-up. He tried to play spoiler and block the last flag, but I snuck in while he was powered down. Dave 1, Tab 1.
Game 4: Nexus Ops
Was 2am at this point, and we were somewhat tired. Busted out this sharp game, and little Grayson played with Tab and I. We ended up ganging up on him a little (I am ashamed to say), to sneak some cheap victory points. I had the 4-point "dragon jump" card, where you can score big with a 2-dragon swoop to an opponents home base, and won with 12 to Tab's 11 and Grayson's 6 points. Tab probably could have won it the turn before me, but was still a little shakey on how to get the last battle. We avoided a battle-royale all game - hopefully we can get one in a 4-player with Bob or Dad. We all enjoyed this one... Dave 2, Tab 1.
Game 1: Gobblet!
Tab crushed me, again. I always lose this game. I stink. I can never remember what is buried. I tried to use the pieces not on the board as sort of markers, to remind me which column (the board is 4x4, connect four nested pieces together) has covered pieces. Of course, this didn't help, and Tab crushed me in about the 8th move. Tab 1, Dave 0.
Game 2: Canal Grande
My first real game, Tab's as well. Neat little Alan Moon card game, Euro style (multi-language rule book, with English as the 2nd or 3rd choice). Gain control of territories, or voting districts. Cool cards, with names like "spy, Doge, traitor, gondola". Was really a practice game, and we folded it after a few districts were scored. Tab enjoyed it, as did I. We'll see if we can break it out once more later.
Game 3: Roborally
Tab's first again, and there was some confusion in the rules (he forgot that flags had to be touched in sequence). It was not super-important, but I did end up winning, with 3 flags to Grayson's 1 and his zero. Passed out one random technology, Tab ended up with rear-firing lasers, Grayson with double-barreled, and I had a 3-point shield (which Tab burned through on turns 1 and 2). There was some excitement when Tab blew up, after being pushed onto a conveyor after a bad lock-up. He tried to play spoiler and block the last flag, but I snuck in while he was powered down. Dave 1, Tab 1.
Game 4: Nexus Ops
Was 2am at this point, and we were somewhat tired. Busted out this sharp game, and little Grayson played with Tab and I. We ended up ganging up on him a little (I am ashamed to say), to sneak some cheap victory points. I had the 4-point "dragon jump" card, where you can score big with a 2-dragon swoop to an opponents home base, and won with 12 to Tab's 11 and Grayson's 6 points. Tab probably could have won it the turn before me, but was still a little shakey on how to get the last battle. We avoided a battle-royale all game - hopefully we can get one in a 4-player with Bob or Dad. We all enjoyed this one... Dave 2, Tab 1.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Things I am looking forward to at G.i.D. 2005
Things I am looking forward to at the Gathering in Dayton 2005:
1. Seeing Tab's Settlers record fall.
Bob agrees, Tab must go down, or prove to us that he's the champ. He claims to be unbeaten, in something like 10 plays. Granted, I cannot remember him not winning. But there is no way he wins every game against Bob, Dad and myself. (My strategy tips are posted on Microsoft's website, after all!)
2. Revenge in Serenissima
Not actually revenge. Maybe redemption is a better word. I want to show the fellas that I learned from my "nuclear" mistake. (That is, threatening to destroy the game by only attacking Dad for the rest of the game, handing the win to Tab, unless he allowed me to make a ridiculously advantageous play). I will be a good boy this game not play gunboat diplomacy.
3. Delighting them with...
Through the Desert. Roborally. E&T. Nexus Ops. They will love this batch of games. My prediction is that TtD wins the LPH award (laughs per hour, or entertainment for invested time), clocking in at under an hour with some really satisfying gameplay. Kids will love Nexus Ops with it's interesting bits, and guys will enjoy simple Euro-style wargaming. Roborally will be famous for it's chaos, mostly. I don't see how any real gamer won't be able to gasp in awe at the brilliance of E&T. It make take 2-3 plays to really see how beautiful it is, but it's a beauty.
4. One monster game.
Just one. Twilight, Axis, Mare Nostrum... just one. Please?
5. The kids
Our kids are getting older now, Grayson's 7. Tab's boys are between 8 and 10 (not counting little Weston). They can all handle Settlers, and many of the other games. It will be a hoot to see them going toe-to-toe with their Dad's, cousins, and uncle.
1. Seeing Tab's Settlers record fall.
Bob agrees, Tab must go down, or prove to us that he's the champ. He claims to be unbeaten, in something like 10 plays. Granted, I cannot remember him not winning. But there is no way he wins every game against Bob, Dad and myself. (My strategy tips are posted on Microsoft's website, after all!)
2. Revenge in Serenissima
Not actually revenge. Maybe redemption is a better word. I want to show the fellas that I learned from my "nuclear" mistake. (That is, threatening to destroy the game by only attacking Dad for the rest of the game, handing the win to Tab, unless he allowed me to make a ridiculously advantageous play). I will be a good boy this game not play gunboat diplomacy.
3. Delighting them with...
Through the Desert. Roborally. E&T. Nexus Ops. They will love this batch of games. My prediction is that TtD wins the LPH award (laughs per hour, or entertainment for invested time), clocking in at under an hour with some really satisfying gameplay. Kids will love Nexus Ops with it's interesting bits, and guys will enjoy simple Euro-style wargaming. Roborally will be famous for it's chaos, mostly. I don't see how any real gamer won't be able to gasp in awe at the brilliance of E&T. It make take 2-3 plays to really see how beautiful it is, but it's a beauty.
4. One monster game.
Just one. Twilight, Axis, Mare Nostrum... just one. Please?
5. The kids
Our kids are getting older now, Grayson's 7. Tab's boys are between 8 and 10 (not counting little Weston). They can all handle Settlers, and many of the other games. It will be a hoot to see them going toe-to-toe with their Dad's, cousins, and uncle.
Is this a game? Rubik's cube
I stumbled across this on slashdot.org, http://www.speedcubing.com/.
Did you know that the world record for "speed solving" a Rubik's Cube is 11.75 seconds?
Did you know that people regularly solve this puzzle with their... feet? (1 min 18 sec) one handed? (22 sec)
Stopped by Jamie and Jody's, saw that James was attempting to solve the puzzle, and reported difficulty finishing one side (!). At my suggesstion, through the power of the web, Jody reported he solved it two days later. James - how about going for a speed record!
Did you know that the world record for "speed solving" a Rubik's Cube is 11.75 seconds?
Did you know that people regularly solve this puzzle with their... feet? (1 min 18 sec) one handed? (22 sec)
Stopped by Jamie and Jody's, saw that James was attempting to solve the puzzle, and reported difficulty finishing one side (!). At my suggesstion, through the power of the web, Jody reported he solved it two days later. James - how about going for a speed record!
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
More on Gathering in Dayton...
Here's a couple of ways to look at our game list for the Gathering in Dayton:
By Rank / Play Time
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1. Euphrats & Tigris (2) 90 min
2. Twilight Imperium (17) 240 min
3. Through the Desert (40) 45 min
4. Carcassone (49) 60 min
5. Acquire (51) 90 min
6. Roborally (72) 120 min
7. China (100) 45 min
8. Queen's Gambit (107) 120 min
9. Edel, Stein & R (157) 60 min
10. Settlers (5-6p) (162) 120 min
11. Cosmic Encounter (165) 90 min
12. Axis and Allies (171) 240 min
13. Formula De (191) 120 min
14. Chess (w/clock) (234) 15 min
15. Nexus Ops (252) 60 min
16. Serenissima (313) 120 min
17. Mare Nostrum (348) 120 min
18. Cartegena (372) 45 min
19. Canal Grande (942) 45 min
20. Canasta Caliente (969) 60 min
21. Pit (737) 90 min
22. Pass the Pigs (2331) 30 min
By Play Time
---------------------------------
2. Twilight Imperium (17) 240 min
12. Axis and Allies (171) 240 min
17. Mare Nostrum (348) 120 min
8. Queen's Gambit (107) 120 min
6. Roborally (72) 120 min
10. Settlers (5-6p) (162) 120 min
13. Formula De (191) 120 min
16. Serenissima (313) 120 min
1. Euphrats & Tigris (2) 90 min
5. Acquire (51) 90 min
11. Cosmic Encounter (165) 90 min
21. Pit (737) 90 min
15. Nexus Ops (252) 60 min
20. Canasta Caliente (969) 60 min
4. Carcassone (49) 60 min
9. Edel, Stein & R (157) 60 min
18. Cartegena (372) 45 min
19. Canal Grande (942) 45 min
3. Through the Desert (40) 45 min
7. China (100) 45 min
22. Pass the Pigs (2331) 30 min
14. Chess (w/clock) (234) 15 min
Games that Need Lengthy Explaination
------------------------------------
2. Twilight Imperium (17)
7. China (100)
9. Edel, Stein & R (157)
11. Cosmic Encounter (165)
12. Axis and Allies (171)
15. Nexus Ops (252)
16. Serenissima (313)
17. Mare Nostrum (348)
19. Canal Grande (942)
By Rank / Play Time
------------------------------------
1. Euphrats & Tigris (2) 90 min
2. Twilight Imperium (17) 240 min
3. Through the Desert (40) 45 min
4. Carcassone (49) 60 min
5. Acquire (51) 90 min
6. Roborally (72) 120 min
7. China (100) 45 min
8. Queen's Gambit (107) 120 min
9. Edel, Stein & R (157) 60 min
10. Settlers (5-6p) (162) 120 min
11. Cosmic Encounter (165) 90 min
12. Axis and Allies (171) 240 min
13. Formula De (191) 120 min
14. Chess (w/clock) (234) 15 min
15. Nexus Ops (252) 60 min
16. Serenissima (313) 120 min
17. Mare Nostrum (348) 120 min
18. Cartegena (372) 45 min
19. Canal Grande (942) 45 min
20. Canasta Caliente (969) 60 min
21. Pit (737) 90 min
22. Pass the Pigs (2331) 30 min
By Play Time
---------------------------------
2. Twilight Imperium (17) 240 min
12. Axis and Allies (171) 240 min
17. Mare Nostrum (348) 120 min
8. Queen's Gambit (107) 120 min
6. Roborally (72) 120 min
10. Settlers (5-6p) (162) 120 min
13. Formula De (191) 120 min
16. Serenissima (313) 120 min
1. Euphrats & Tigris (2) 90 min
5. Acquire (51) 90 min
11. Cosmic Encounter (165) 90 min
21. Pit (737) 90 min
15. Nexus Ops (252) 60 min
20. Canasta Caliente (969) 60 min
4. Carcassone (49) 60 min
9. Edel, Stein & R (157) 60 min
18. Cartegena (372) 45 min
19. Canal Grande (942) 45 min
3. Through the Desert (40) 45 min
7. China (100) 45 min
22. Pass the Pigs (2331) 30 min
14. Chess (w/clock) (234) 15 min
Games that Need Lengthy Explaination
------------------------------------
2. Twilight Imperium (17)
7. China (100)
9. Edel, Stein & R (157)
11. Cosmic Encounter (165)
12. Axis and Allies (171)
15. Nexus Ops (252)
16. Serenissima (313)
17. Mare Nostrum (348)
19. Canal Grande (942)
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Gathering in Dayton
I'll be visiting beautiful Ohio this weekend, spending time with my brother and family in Dayton. A long overdue gaming session is in the planning stages. Below is a list of titles we are working on playing (with BGG rank in parenthesis). I'd be curious to see what Tab/Dad/Bob thinks we will actually get to play on this list.
1. Chess (234)
Always fun, especially with a timer. Will try to play a game or two, but mostly try to encourage Grayson to play with his cousins. Good for the brain, to me it's a mental sport.
2. Acquire (51)
This one brings back memories of all the great plays with Bob Oberheu and his brothers in Benton Harbor, MI. They introduced this one to us back in the late 1980's (the game is from 1962). I still have an older copy from that time, well played. Might be one of the most played games in my entire collection, although almost all of those players were between 1986 and 1991.
3. Queen's Gambit (107)
Tab owns this one. My only two plays were in 2001 during a visit to Bob's. Emma and Sarah played with us if I remember correctly. Fun 4-player theme heavy game. My first game review (posted on Funagain.com) was of this title. It inspired me to start my German boardgame hunt on the internet, where I stumbled upon Funagain, and the 'Geek. The rest is history.
4. Twilight Imperium (17)
Played this twice solitaire, and once face-to-face against my Dad and brother earlier this year. It's a monster, and pretty complicated for a weekender with all the likely activity around (5 kids, wives, etc.), but I would really like to break it out. Austen is probably old enough now (10 years... wow) to give it a whirl. If Bob comes we'd definitely like to try it.
5. Cosmic Encounter (165)
Purchased this in Dayton on one of my visits late last year (?), I've played it 2-3 times with Dad, and once with Tab. Really enjoyed it, the variable powers are a completely unique element. Good because it's not balanced, and it will lead to a lot of discussion. Not sure about playing it three players, but then again, the random draws prevent you from ganging up on one player, really. I'm bringing this one...
6. Axis and Allies (171)
Mostly for me a nostalgia pick, my brother actually brought this one up (for the same reasons). None of us have played the new version (although I own it), so there may be some rule-book fiddling. Might be an interesting 3-player, problem would be length. Enjoyable because of the multitude of "what-if?" scenarios. I'll bet if we do play, it's me and Dad as the Allies against Tab as the Axis.
7. Canal Grande (942)
I like this little card game, based on San Marco. Have only played solitaire, but I think I will bring it to see if I can get it in-between some of the other titles.
8. Canasta (969)
Again a huge nostalgia play, I have played this game hundreds of times, mostly against my grandfather, David Barlowe. He passed away about 20 years ago, and I miss him very much. Tab and I can still do all his classic lines, an ancient trash-talk he used against us in his Southern gentlemen kind of way. He was a wonderful grandfather, and I hope to see him again...
9. Carcassone (49)
Tab has only a few dozen games (that I know of), and I am proud of him for picking this one up. Grayson and I have played this one more than any other together, and Tab has introduced it successfully to his kids. You can play it "aggressively" blocking other players, or "passively" and more non-competitively as a building type of game. Guess which style I will use against Tab?
10. Cartagena (372)
This one takes up little space in the trunk, which is starting to become a factor based on the length of this list. I love this small game, and play both versions (hidden cards and open), although I like the more random game a little better. Fun to make pirate noises when you win, and good for a diverse group of people (e.g. wives, kids, non-gamers).
11. China (100)
I've written a little about this one. I like this very much, but have only played it solo. Card-driven area-control game. Simple, clean and bright components. Hard to see the depth initially, but this one has a lot of subtlety in the various ways of scoring: majority-area, road length, connected areas. Supposedly really good for three players, so this one's coming.
12. Edel, Stein and Reich (157)
Another card game, with neat little gems as bits. A German translation (which makes it somewhat mysterious), I've laminated some play aids, and played it solitaire a few times. I like auction games, which this has, plus a bunch of agonizing decisions on how to big and play the special cards. So many other titles, I don't know if I can convince them to play this one.
13. Euphrats and Tigris (2)
Perhaps the greatest German game of all time, in my opinion. It's components are kind of dry, as is the theme, but there is enough there to catch an eye. Can I get them to devote a couple of hours to this? It will require more than one play to really get the flavor. Would be a blast to try this with Bob, Tab and Dad... I love this game.
14. Formula De (191)
This French game about Formula One racing can be played with up to 10 players. Not mechanically difficult, it would be fun to play with all the kids, in teams. No one in my family is into racing (my brother and I went to Michigan for a Nascar race once), although I TIVO Formula One and World Rally races through the year. We'll see.
15. Mare Nostrum (348)
Another one of my favorites, this one really needs five players. I know they would like this, but it takes 2+ hours, it's new, has some tricky non-intuitive rules (especially the trading phase). I'll bring it, but we will probably end up playing...
16. Serenissima (313)
There was a classic game of this about 4 years ago at Tab's (he owns this one, I grabbed it just recently but have not assembled it), where I used old-school tactics to try to bully my dad into not attacking me. There was an ethics debate about this, which never did get settled entirely... I probably was in the wrong. Anyway, we do agree that there needs to be a rule about not attacking anyone in the first couple of turns. If this one comes out, will be tense at the beginning to see if our aggressive play continues...
17. Nexus Ops (252)
Just grabbed this, see the post below. This one's coming, and will be played. Reason? Short set-up, short rules explanation, quick-play time (60-90 minutes), no-elimination required, great bits. Winner.
18. Pass the Pigs (2331)
Yes, it's dice. Yes, they're pigs. How can you resist playing this? A good "in-between breakfast and the first game of the day", or "you're exhausted but need a 20 minute diversion before bed-time" game.
19. Pit (737)
You have to be in the right mood, but if we can get the women to play with the guys and kids, this could be a big hit. Had a ton of fun with mixed-age groups in Benton Harbor years ago. Plus, it's a small box.
20. Roborally (72)
Eight players. Cool robots. Lots of chaos. This one's in for sure.
21. Settlers of Catan, The 5-6 Player Expansion (162)
Gotta remember the middle-turn build phase. We will probably play this with the kids, which will require the expansion. Tab claims to be the king of this one. I highly doubt he wins with more than 4 players.
22. Through the Desert (40)
Dad has my copy. See some of my earlier posts. This is a great game.
Wow - big list. Next I will post the games I own that won't be coming, and why.
1. Chess (234)
Always fun, especially with a timer. Will try to play a game or two, but mostly try to encourage Grayson to play with his cousins. Good for the brain, to me it's a mental sport.
2. Acquire (51)
This one brings back memories of all the great plays with Bob Oberheu and his brothers in Benton Harbor, MI. They introduced this one to us back in the late 1980's (the game is from 1962). I still have an older copy from that time, well played. Might be one of the most played games in my entire collection, although almost all of those players were between 1986 and 1991.
3. Queen's Gambit (107)
Tab owns this one. My only two plays were in 2001 during a visit to Bob's. Emma and Sarah played with us if I remember correctly. Fun 4-player theme heavy game. My first game review (posted on Funagain.com) was of this title. It inspired me to start my German boardgame hunt on the internet, where I stumbled upon Funagain, and the 'Geek. The rest is history.
4. Twilight Imperium (17)
Played this twice solitaire, and once face-to-face against my Dad and brother earlier this year. It's a monster, and pretty complicated for a weekender with all the likely activity around (5 kids, wives, etc.), but I would really like to break it out. Austen is probably old enough now (10 years... wow) to give it a whirl. If Bob comes we'd definitely like to try it.
5. Cosmic Encounter (165)
Purchased this in Dayton on one of my visits late last year (?), I've played it 2-3 times with Dad, and once with Tab. Really enjoyed it, the variable powers are a completely unique element. Good because it's not balanced, and it will lead to a lot of discussion. Not sure about playing it three players, but then again, the random draws prevent you from ganging up on one player, really. I'm bringing this one...
6. Axis and Allies (171)
Mostly for me a nostalgia pick, my brother actually brought this one up (for the same reasons). None of us have played the new version (although I own it), so there may be some rule-book fiddling. Might be an interesting 3-player, problem would be length. Enjoyable because of the multitude of "what-if?" scenarios. I'll bet if we do play, it's me and Dad as the Allies against Tab as the Axis.
7. Canal Grande (942)
I like this little card game, based on San Marco. Have only played solitaire, but I think I will bring it to see if I can get it in-between some of the other titles.
8. Canasta (969)
Again a huge nostalgia play, I have played this game hundreds of times, mostly against my grandfather, David Barlowe. He passed away about 20 years ago, and I miss him very much. Tab and I can still do all his classic lines, an ancient trash-talk he used against us in his Southern gentlemen kind of way. He was a wonderful grandfather, and I hope to see him again...
9. Carcassone (49)
Tab has only a few dozen games (that I know of), and I am proud of him for picking this one up. Grayson and I have played this one more than any other together, and Tab has introduced it successfully to his kids. You can play it "aggressively" blocking other players, or "passively" and more non-competitively as a building type of game. Guess which style I will use against Tab?
10. Cartagena (372)
This one takes up little space in the trunk, which is starting to become a factor based on the length of this list. I love this small game, and play both versions (hidden cards and open), although I like the more random game a little better. Fun to make pirate noises when you win, and good for a diverse group of people (e.g. wives, kids, non-gamers).
11. China (100)
I've written a little about this one. I like this very much, but have only played it solo. Card-driven area-control game. Simple, clean and bright components. Hard to see the depth initially, but this one has a lot of subtlety in the various ways of scoring: majority-area, road length, connected areas. Supposedly really good for three players, so this one's coming.
12. Edel, Stein and Reich (157)
Another card game, with neat little gems as bits. A German translation (which makes it somewhat mysterious), I've laminated some play aids, and played it solitaire a few times. I like auction games, which this has, plus a bunch of agonizing decisions on how to big and play the special cards. So many other titles, I don't know if I can convince them to play this one.
13. Euphrats and Tigris (2)
Perhaps the greatest German game of all time, in my opinion. It's components are kind of dry, as is the theme, but there is enough there to catch an eye. Can I get them to devote a couple of hours to this? It will require more than one play to really get the flavor. Would be a blast to try this with Bob, Tab and Dad... I love this game.
14. Formula De (191)
This French game about Formula One racing can be played with up to 10 players. Not mechanically difficult, it would be fun to play with all the kids, in teams. No one in my family is into racing (my brother and I went to Michigan for a Nascar race once), although I TIVO Formula One and World Rally races through the year. We'll see.
15. Mare Nostrum (348)
Another one of my favorites, this one really needs five players. I know they would like this, but it takes 2+ hours, it's new, has some tricky non-intuitive rules (especially the trading phase). I'll bring it, but we will probably end up playing...
16. Serenissima (313)
There was a classic game of this about 4 years ago at Tab's (he owns this one, I grabbed it just recently but have not assembled it), where I used old-school tactics to try to bully my dad into not attacking me. There was an ethics debate about this, which never did get settled entirely... I probably was in the wrong. Anyway, we do agree that there needs to be a rule about not attacking anyone in the first couple of turns. If this one comes out, will be tense at the beginning to see if our aggressive play continues...
17. Nexus Ops (252)
Just grabbed this, see the post below. This one's coming, and will be played. Reason? Short set-up, short rules explanation, quick-play time (60-90 minutes), no-elimination required, great bits. Winner.
18. Pass the Pigs (2331)
Yes, it's dice. Yes, they're pigs. How can you resist playing this? A good "in-between breakfast and the first game of the day", or "you're exhausted but need a 20 minute diversion before bed-time" game.
19. Pit (737)
You have to be in the right mood, but if we can get the women to play with the guys and kids, this could be a big hit. Had a ton of fun with mixed-age groups in Benton Harbor years ago. Plus, it's a small box.
20. Roborally (72)
Eight players. Cool robots. Lots of chaos. This one's in for sure.
21. Settlers of Catan, The 5-6 Player Expansion (162)
Gotta remember the middle-turn build phase. We will probably play this with the kids, which will require the expansion. Tab claims to be the king of this one. I highly doubt he wins with more than 4 players.
22. Through the Desert (40)
Dad has my copy. See some of my earlier posts. This is a great game.
Wow - big list. Next I will post the games I own that won't be coming, and why.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Euphrats and Trigris by the Web: Private gme
As you may know, the Reiner Knizia game "Tigris and Euphrates" or "Euphrat and Tigris" is currently the #2 ranked game in the world (according to the 'Geek), at 8.3 on a 10 pt. scale (although the 'Geek uses a unique rating system). Puerto Rico holds the top spot at 8.6, Power Grid holds 3rd at 8.15, almost a tie with Princes of Florence at 8.15, and El Grande at 8.1.
Anyway, I have played 13 complete games of T&E online with the 'Geek over the last year or so (winning three times I might add), and have five or six going right now. I really love this game, it's one of the few I have ranked 10, and it is well suited to play "by mail" or "by web". Aldie (one of the webmasters of the 'Geek) gets credit for an excellent interface and FREE game-by-web system you can play there.
I have created a PRIVATE 3-player game, #20012, with a password of "clarkssummit". To join, simply create a profile at www.boardgamegeek.com by clicking "create account" at the top of the page. Then, click "game manager" on the left side of the main page (located below the "Online Games" header), and "join a game". Look for game #19742, click "join", enter password "clarkssummit" and you are in!
The great thing about "Play by Email" is you can play whenever you want! I log in almost every day, and look forward to my E&T turns eagerly. But players are patient, and sometimes I go several days before making a move. As it only takes 2-3 minutes to examine the board and play a turn, this is allows me to play several games at once, or just one depending on how busy I am. As you accumulate experience, you're able to play the game even faster. Games last about 14-16 complete turns, so if you play 1 turn every 3-4 days, you can play a whole game in 3-4 months at that pace.
For the complete rules to T&E, check out these links:
Euphrats and Tigris Quick Summary.doc (print and use as reference during game, or as rules)
Beginners color coded reminders.pdf (useful once you understand the basics)
Extended summary, two pages.pdf (somewhat more wordy, but excellent)
Audio rules, entire rulebook on a mp3 file.mp3 (save to a CD and listen in the car!)
Complete rules and FAQ (a user generated page devoted to E&T, well done)
See you there! (my 'Geek name is "Phuntom")
Update: as of 11/6 game has timed out since no one signed up - I have recreated game under a new ID# (which was changed in the post above), #20012, same password.
Anyway, I have played 13 complete games of T&E online with the 'Geek over the last year or so (winning three times I might add), and have five or six going right now. I really love this game, it's one of the few I have ranked 10, and it is well suited to play "by mail" or "by web". Aldie (one of the webmasters of the 'Geek) gets credit for an excellent interface and FREE game-by-web system you can play there.
I have created a PRIVATE 3-player game, #20012, with a password of "clarkssummit". To join, simply create a profile at www.boardgamegeek.com by clicking "create account" at the top of the page. Then, click "game manager" on the left side of the main page (located below the "Online Games" header), and "join a game". Look for game #19742, click "join", enter password "clarkssummit" and you are in!
The great thing about "Play by Email" is you can play whenever you want! I log in almost every day, and look forward to my E&T turns eagerly. But players are patient, and sometimes I go several days before making a move. As it only takes 2-3 minutes to examine the board and play a turn, this is allows me to play several games at once, or just one depending on how busy I am. As you accumulate experience, you're able to play the game even faster. Games last about 14-16 complete turns, so if you play 1 turn every 3-4 days, you can play a whole game in 3-4 months at that pace.
For the complete rules to T&E, check out these links:
Euphrats and Tigris Quick Summary.doc (print and use as reference during game, or as rules)
Beginners color coded reminders.pdf (useful once you understand the basics)
Extended summary, two pages.pdf (somewhat more wordy, but excellent)
Audio rules, entire rulebook on a mp3 file.mp3 (save to a CD and listen in the car!)
Complete rules and FAQ (a user generated page devoted to E&T, well done)
See you there! (my 'Geek name is "Phuntom")
Update: as of 11/6 game has timed out since no one signed up - I have recreated game under a new ID# (which was changed in the post above), #20012, same password.
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Good to Great quotes from the 'Geek
I scour the 'Geek just about every day (and have 5 games of Euphrat and Tigris going simultaneously right now), and often come upon really good quotes about gaming. My favorite are the ones that are funny in their own right, and can be pulled from the context of the article. Here's a sampling of some good stuff I have read recently:
Discussing recent years "Spiel des Jahres" (Game of the Year) award winners (Geeklist #10974):
"I like Torres quite a bit, but it is significantly heavier than a typical SdJ winner... I can't see a typical family with older children sitting down and playing this with anything approaching competence even after several plays. With KuK and maybe Metro, at least everyone has a reasonable illusion they have a shot (and that's important in a family game). In Torres, if someone gets it at all, it's going to be one smackdown after another. Which is great in some contexts, but...SdJ? I think not."
"Kardinal & Konig is one of my favorite games, but again, I don't think it would have been a good SdJ winner... What should have won then? Princes of Florence in all its fiddlexity, multiplayer solitaire glory?"
Regarding a game that I don't get, Bohnanza:
"Clunky is an appropriate word choice. Not only is the hand management thing silly and near painful to watch (think of the person who keeps habitually sorting his hand saying "dang it, I need to figure out how it looked before"), but the entire mechanic of trading is often counterintuitive. You darn near give things away just because they appear at the wrong time (and we're back to that "hold your hand funny" thing all over again).
Yep, clunky."
Regarding a game called "Hare and the Tortoise":
"Purely a thematic change is that in the English language versions of the game it's Hare and TORTOISE whereas in other languages it's Hare and HEDGEHOG. This is, of course, due to the appropriate tale for that language, being based upon either the Aesop fable or the Brothers Grimm story. I should also note that there is a significant difference between these two tales. In the English version the Hare is lazy and, assuming that he'll win, decides to take a nap. Of course, the "slow and steady" Tortoise overtakes the Hare who wakes up too late and loses the race. In the Brothers Grimm story the Hedgehog is rather devious and has his wife impersonate him in order to win the race."
"... and if I'm not mistaken, they run the rabbit back and forth in 'rematches' till he dies."
Discussing recent years "Spiel des Jahres" (Game of the Year) award winners (Geeklist #10974):
"I like Torres quite a bit, but it is significantly heavier than a typical SdJ winner... I can't see a typical family with older children sitting down and playing this with anything approaching competence even after several plays. With KuK and maybe Metro, at least everyone has a reasonable illusion they have a shot (and that's important in a family game). In Torres, if someone gets it at all, it's going to be one smackdown after another. Which is great in some contexts, but...SdJ? I think not."
"Kardinal & Konig is one of my favorite games, but again, I don't think it would have been a good SdJ winner... What should have won then? Princes of Florence in all its fiddlexity, multiplayer solitaire glory?"
Regarding a game that I don't get, Bohnanza:
"Clunky is an appropriate word choice. Not only is the hand management thing silly and near painful to watch (think of the person who keeps habitually sorting his hand saying "dang it, I need to figure out how it looked before"), but the entire mechanic of trading is often counterintuitive. You darn near give things away just because they appear at the wrong time (and we're back to that "hold your hand funny" thing all over again).
Yep, clunky."
Regarding a game called "Hare and the Tortoise":
"Purely a thematic change is that in the English language versions of the game it's Hare and TORTOISE whereas in other languages it's Hare and HEDGEHOG. This is, of course, due to the appropriate tale for that language, being based upon either the Aesop fable or the Brothers Grimm story. I should also note that there is a significant difference between these two tales. In the English version the Hare is lazy and, assuming that he'll win, decides to take a nap. Of course, the "slow and steady" Tortoise overtakes the Hare who wakes up too late and loses the race. In the Brothers Grimm story the Hedgehog is rather devious and has his wife impersonate him in order to win the race."
"... and if I'm not mistaken, they run the rabbit back and forth in 'rematches' till he dies."
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Lost Cities
Reiner Knizia is one of the most prolific game designers ever. On his website, you will find a link to a pdf file that is 15 pages long listing his game releases since the mid-1980's! Amazing.
I own three of his games, including one of my few "10-ranked" games, Tigris and Euphrates. Also, Merchants of Amsterdam which I like but have yet to play.
I grabbed a copy of Lost Cities, one of his card games at the Unknown the other day. What a cool game! It's ranked 86 currently on the 'Geek, and although it is somewhat simple to play, I have really enjoyed it. Grayson and I have managed about a dozen games, and he's picked up the strategies nicely. I played a few games on BrettSpeilWelt, and actually won a couple of rounds.
The basic idea of this two-player game is this: there are 5 suites of 12 cards, each player is dealt 8 and must draw from a discard area or the deck after playing a card to his side of the table. Cards are played to the table in numerical sequence by suit. Double, triple or quadruple bonuses are paid for playing up to three starter cards before beginning the sequence of 2 through 10. After the draw deck is exhausted, the total face value of cards in each of up to 5 runs is multiplied by any starters, then twenty points is subtracted. Negative values are often obtained, and a score for each round can vary between -60 and +156.
The game has a large "blink" factor, in that you may discard cards to the center in 5 different stacks, as you will likely not be able to get to twenty points in all 5 suits. You and your opponent play a game of chicken as to which runs you will start, and which you with ditch to the center. You are hoping your opponent will be forced to toss you a needed card before you have to start building on a run. Also, you have to make gutsy calls about whether to start with the bonus multipliers, even though you may not have cards to follow through. Negative scores are multiplied as well as positives, so you have many desperate moments trying to get your totals above 20 and avoid a large loss.
There is an "Indiana Jones" exploration and discovery theme pasted on the the oversized cards, which drew me to the box, and keeps my son interested. He excited hunts for 9's and 10's to add to his piles, and has favorite mission colors (suits) he likes to try to build. Meanwhile, Dad trys to calculate the odds of each play, and make good decisions about what to draw and discard.
The game can be learned in about 5 minutes, and it tickles a certain part of my brain that will make me pull this out frequently. I am considering adding this to the opening of one of our gatherings someday soon, perhaps using the winners to separate teams.
I own three of his games, including one of my few "10-ranked" games, Tigris and Euphrates. Also, Merchants of Amsterdam which I like but have yet to play.
I grabbed a copy of Lost Cities, one of his card games at the Unknown the other day. What a cool game! It's ranked 86 currently on the 'Geek, and although it is somewhat simple to play, I have really enjoyed it. Grayson and I have managed about a dozen games, and he's picked up the strategies nicely. I played a few games on BrettSpeilWelt, and actually won a couple of rounds.
The basic idea of this two-player game is this: there are 5 suites of 12 cards, each player is dealt 8 and must draw from a discard area or the deck after playing a card to his side of the table. Cards are played to the table in numerical sequence by suit. Double, triple or quadruple bonuses are paid for playing up to three starter cards before beginning the sequence of 2 through 10. After the draw deck is exhausted, the total face value of cards in each of up to 5 runs is multiplied by any starters, then twenty points is subtracted. Negative values are often obtained, and a score for each round can vary between -60 and +156.
The game has a large "blink" factor, in that you may discard cards to the center in 5 different stacks, as you will likely not be able to get to twenty points in all 5 suits. You and your opponent play a game of chicken as to which runs you will start, and which you with ditch to the center. You are hoping your opponent will be forced to toss you a needed card before you have to start building on a run. Also, you have to make gutsy calls about whether to start with the bonus multipliers, even though you may not have cards to follow through. Negative scores are multiplied as well as positives, so you have many desperate moments trying to get your totals above 20 and avoid a large loss.
There is an "Indiana Jones" exploration and discovery theme pasted on the the oversized cards, which drew me to the box, and keeps my son interested. He excited hunts for 9's and 10's to add to his piles, and has favorite mission colors (suits) he likes to try to build. Meanwhile, Dad trys to calculate the odds of each play, and make good decisions about what to draw and discard.
The game can be learned in about 5 minutes, and it tickles a certain part of my brain that will make me pull this out frequently. I am considering adding this to the opening of one of our gatherings someday soon, perhaps using the winners to separate teams.
Friday, October 14, 2005
Catan Tips Published!
Yes, it's true. Microsoft has published five of my Settlers of Catan Online play tips on their website. They recently asked for some ideas, and as I've played over 100 games (and have a ranking in the 1700's, with a 40%+ win rate) I thought I'd throw a few ideas in! Check it out here. My handle is "phuntomx" on SoCO. Here's a quick sample of tip #5:
Also, be wary of the 6 and 8 locations, as these often attract the thief; they are rolled 14% of the time. 5 and 9 come up 11% of the time, still quite frequently, and are somewhat less likely to draw your opponent's thief.
- Phuntomx
----------------------------------------------------------------
Got it! Whilst returning from Saratoga Springs on a business trip, I stopped in Albany, and found an interesting game store. It turned out the be the best stocked store I have ever been in! Despite a rough exterior, the store was very clean, probably the best merchandised yet. The owner was a little gruff, but I found a treasure:
GOA
This Rudiger Dorn game (think Traders of Genoa (57), and Louis XIV (71)) is sold out everywhere I've looked. Released last year in the U.S. by Rio Grande games, online stores have sold out for some time. Apparently a small print run, the game is currently 13th in the world (according to the 'Geek), and has been compared very favorable with Puerto Rico on other "heavies" from the last few years (Princes of Florence, Power Grid, etc.). Some highly respected reviewers rated it one of the best games of 2004.
With all the good press, I was really excited to pick this up. Found it on the bottom shelf and in the corner of the store, for only $32. Despite searching for the last year, I have only seen Ebay copies at $60+ so I was really excited to not only find it, but at a low price. Now... if I can talk Kevin into slipping this one in-between PG, PR, St. Petersburg, Alahambra, San Juan... So many good games, so little time!
Also, be wary of the 6 and 8 locations, as these often attract the thief; they are rolled 14% of the time. 5 and 9 come up 11% of the time, still quite frequently, and are somewhat less likely to draw your opponent's thief.
- Phuntomx
----------------------------------------------------------------
Got it! Whilst returning from Saratoga Springs on a business trip, I stopped in Albany, and found an interesting game store. It turned out the be the best stocked store I have ever been in! Despite a rough exterior, the store was very clean, probably the best merchandised yet. The owner was a little gruff, but I found a treasure:
GOA
This Rudiger Dorn game (think Traders of Genoa (57), and Louis XIV (71)) is sold out everywhere I've looked. Released last year in the U.S. by Rio Grande games, online stores have sold out for some time. Apparently a small print run, the game is currently 13th in the world (according to the 'Geek), and has been compared very favorable with Puerto Rico on other "heavies" from the last few years (Princes of Florence, Power Grid, etc.). Some highly respected reviewers rated it one of the best games of 2004.
With all the good press, I was really excited to pick this up. Found it on the bottom shelf and in the corner of the store, for only $32. Despite searching for the last year, I have only seen Ebay copies at $60+ so I was really excited to not only find it, but at a low price. Now... if I can talk Kevin into slipping this one in-between PG, PR, St. Petersburg, Alahambra, San Juan... So many good games, so little time!
Monday, October 10, 2005
PR for the PC
With all the rain lately forcing us indoors, there are a couple of excellent programs for your PC to allow you to practice Puerto Rico on your PC!
These two single-player options are an excellent way to learn (as I have) all the wrong moves that you are making in your PR games. I always wondered why I get completely crushed by the folks on BrettSpielWelt, and these programs (the spreadsheet in particular) have shown me why!
Geese's PR for Windows
Mitton's PR Evolver for Excel
Geese's program is very graphical, and somewhat easier to understand. It has (for example) descriptions of all the cards, and full color boards.
Mitton's PR game has no graphics, and is literaly an Excel spreadsheet that you play, or use to test various game strategies. I've used it entirely as a game, and have been beated soundly about 10 times so far. I've managed to get to third place as the first seat the last few plays, but it is clear that unless I pay more attention to the other players buildings, this game will destroy me every time. You can play with zero to five players in this one, and I highly recommend trying this one out. (Note: Make sure you ENABLE MACROS or this spreadsheet will not run)
These two single-player options are an excellent way to learn (as I have) all the wrong moves that you are making in your PR games. I always wondered why I get completely crushed by the folks on BrettSpielWelt, and these programs (the spreadsheet in particular) have shown me why!
Geese's PR for Windows
Mitton's PR Evolver for Excel
Geese's program is very graphical, and somewhat easier to understand. It has (for example) descriptions of all the cards, and full color boards.
Mitton's PR game has no graphics, and is literaly an Excel spreadsheet that you play, or use to test various game strategies. I've used it entirely as a game, and have been beated soundly about 10 times so far. I've managed to get to third place as the first seat the last few plays, but it is clear that unless I pay more attention to the other players buildings, this game will destroy me every time. You can play with zero to five players in this one, and I highly recommend trying this one out. (Note: Make sure you ENABLE MACROS or this spreadsheet will not run)
Thursday, September 29, 2005
New Template
Hope you enjoy the new template. This is an important upgrade, as with 3 columns we can now leave game information on the left (current hot games, GOF information, etc.), and important links on the right. The text is a lot more readable now as well. The next step is getting the archiving to work correctly.
Thoughts on the new format? Leave your thoughts/feedback by clicking "x comments".
Thoughts on the new format? Leave your thoughts/feedback by clicking "x comments".
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
How do you host a game night?
Being in the retail business most of my adult life (and being the son of a merchant as well), it has been traditionally difficult to have a regular schedule. Merchant's typically work when the customers shop (afternoons through evening), and especially on weekends. The schedule is frequently erratic, in a sense being on call 24 hours a day (alarm calls, unannounced store visits, other random events). For the past 11 years, I've also moved (changed residences) 13 times (!) which has tied up a lot of time.
Tammy and I are now settling in a bit up at Clarks Summit, and work is getting easier with my veteran crew in place in my store. We've been here over a year now, and it looks as if we may be here for the long haul. With that in mind, it has me thinking about:
How do you host a Game Night?
Some in our congregation play basketball every Monday night (and have for years). Others play wallyball (volleyball in a racquetball court) every Friday night. Some golf every week. Homeschoolers meet every Wednesday. Could a once weekly or monthly game night be possible?
It seems that weekends would be good as most are off work (except retailers like me), but often folks have various (and important) family or congregational events planned. Weekend events mean leaving a wife/family behind, or putting off something important at home. Weekday evenings are often devoid of serious activitiy (usually rest?).
Does that mean a monthly, or bi-weekly game night might be possible in the middle of the week?
Assuming that it could be arranged, what are some other things to consider? An excellent forum article on the 'Geek was posted by a regular, with some suggestions if found interesting:
"CONSISTENCY: Pick a date and time and stick to it like a glue, so everyone automatically knows when it is. For busy working adults, weeknights are probably best, since most people usually have family commitments or social/getaway plans on the weekends.
The gaming activities should also be run in a consistent manner. Non-gamers in particular, might be a little intimidated by games because they don't know how to play them, or they may think they are bad at games. If they at least know what the routine is every week, it will help to put them at ease.
COMMUNICATION: A weekly email inviting everyone to the game night is extremely helpful. You can also include a short summary of what happened last week, and even announce what will be played this week.
GAME SELECTION: Depending on your style of hosting, you may or may not want to have control over which games are played. 99% of the games we play are owned by me, mostly because the non-gamers don't really have any games, and because my collection just happens to be quite large. But just because I own the games, doesn't mean I pick them.
Each week we have a "main game". The player who won last week's main game gets to pick this week's main game. This has turned out to be a really great method of game selection, since it gives everyone a chance to express their gaming preferences and provides a small reward for winning. I email a list of my games to the winner, including links to the Geek, and have them make their pick ahead of time so I can announce the selection in my weekly email.
As for the other games that we play, I usually pick a quick opening game to start the evening, and any other games we play are picked "randomcratically" (everyone picks the game they want to play, and we a use a die roll to make the final selection).
STATS: I keep stats for my group, not because I'm a stat-geek, but because stats provide continuity and a fun metagaming component that everyone seems to enjoy. You don't have to get fancy, just track how many wins everyone has, for example. Most people in my group could care less about the stats, yet everyone seems to enjoying talking about them from time to time."
Any thoughts on this subject? Please leave COMMENTS below (click the "x comments" link at the end of this post, log in and post with your name or anonymously! Then, answer the poll question at the very end of this blog!)
Tammy and I are now settling in a bit up at Clarks Summit, and work is getting easier with my veteran crew in place in my store. We've been here over a year now, and it looks as if we may be here for the long haul. With that in mind, it has me thinking about:
How do you host a Game Night?
Some in our congregation play basketball every Monday night (and have for years). Others play wallyball (volleyball in a racquetball court) every Friday night. Some golf every week. Homeschoolers meet every Wednesday. Could a once weekly or monthly game night be possible?
It seems that weekends would be good as most are off work (except retailers like me), but often folks have various (and important) family or congregational events planned. Weekend events mean leaving a wife/family behind, or putting off something important at home. Weekday evenings are often devoid of serious activitiy (usually rest?).
Does that mean a monthly, or bi-weekly game night might be possible in the middle of the week?
Assuming that it could be arranged, what are some other things to consider? An excellent forum article on the 'Geek was posted by a regular, with some suggestions if found interesting:
"CONSISTENCY: Pick a date and time and stick to it like a glue, so everyone automatically knows when it is. For busy working adults, weeknights are probably best, since most people usually have family commitments or social/getaway plans on the weekends.
The gaming activities should also be run in a consistent manner. Non-gamers in particular, might be a little intimidated by games because they don't know how to play them, or they may think they are bad at games. If they at least know what the routine is every week, it will help to put them at ease.
COMMUNICATION: A weekly email inviting everyone to the game night is extremely helpful. You can also include a short summary of what happened last week, and even announce what will be played this week.
GAME SELECTION: Depending on your style of hosting, you may or may not want to have control over which games are played. 99% of the games we play are owned by me, mostly because the non-gamers don't really have any games, and because my collection just happens to be quite large. But just because I own the games, doesn't mean I pick them.
Each week we have a "main game". The player who won last week's main game gets to pick this week's main game. This has turned out to be a really great method of game selection, since it gives everyone a chance to express their gaming preferences and provides a small reward for winning. I email a list of my games to the winner, including links to the Geek, and have them make their pick ahead of time so I can announce the selection in my weekly email.
As for the other games that we play, I usually pick a quick opening game to start the evening, and any other games we play are picked "randomcratically" (everyone picks the game they want to play, and we a use a die roll to make the final selection).
STATS: I keep stats for my group, not because I'm a stat-geek, but because stats provide continuity and a fun metagaming component that everyone seems to enjoy. You don't have to get fancy, just track how many wins everyone has, for example. Most people in my group could care less about the stats, yet everyone seems to enjoying talking about them from time to time."
Any thoughts on this subject? Please leave COMMENTS below (click the "x comments" link at the end of this post, log in and post with your name or anonymously! Then, answer the poll question at the very end of this blog!)
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Desert, Chess960, Empire Builder
My Northwest airlines flight back from Detroit to Wilkes-Barre was cancelled on Wednesday night (apparently the pilots had spent too much time in the air and there were no pilots available). I called my Dad and he and Mom shot up from Toledo and picked me up!
Took a 2.5 day vacation in Toledo, and of course Dad and I had to get some boardgames in -
In two days we played about 20 games of Knizia's Through the Desert, a lovely little go-like game I have written about before. Victories went back and forth, we probably split the games, although I had a 3-game win streak going at the end. We tried to talk Mom into a game, but she wasn't biting.
We brought out Chess once, and tried Bobby Fischer's Chess960 (Fischerandom). We took turns picking pieces for a pseudo-random setup. The white queen was in the right corner, next to a rook, then king, then bishop and rook, then knight, knight and bishop. A bizarre battle took place on the opposite side of the board after Dad castled. We got to about 40 moves and I managed a queen-backed checkmate.
Stopped by a game store on Sylvania Ave. in Toledo (the Game Room) that I had never been too before, and the owner was actually one of the friendliest and nicest I've ever met. Mind Games (my 'home store') has been good to me for years, but all the owners and workers are generally very passive. They typically only engage you in conversation (despite the fact that I have been shopping there for 20 years) if you initiate it. Sometimes I wander around in total silence. Here, the well stocked store had 4-5 customers shopping, painting, reading, and the owner was chatting with everyone.
Sadly, and no doubt slightly under the spell of this nice game store owner, I grabbed a copy (at 10% off) of Empire Builder, from Mayfair. Published originally in 1980, it has spawned numerous expansions, and sold very well over the years. On the strength of reputation (and vacationish weakness), I plunked down my $35 and boy am I sorry I did.
Let me just say that this is a classic example of why I don't play American games anymore.
No, let me add some more: Too long ('Geek reports 1.5 hours plus .5 per player), ugly components (butt-ugly would be a better description), super dry theme and mechanics (move goods from point-a to point-b by drawing from point-to-point on a white board with a crayon), odd damaging random events, and the ability for a veteran to memorize ideal locations - forcing an inexperienced player to spend tons of time hunting for possible delivery locations that you might have missed, zero interaction, loads of down time waiting for your turn (which often consists of turning in 3 cards, and drawing three more - exciting!)... I mean come ON.
I have come to the conclusion that I need to stay out of game stores/never buy anything that I haven't thoroughly researched/never buy an American game again/stop assuming that the number of sales/expansions has anything to do with how much I will like the game. (Probably the only games with huge popularity that I enjoy are: Carcassone, Puerto Rico, Settlers)
One fact that was not published on the box (but was in the manual) was the original date of publication: 1980. This edition had different box art, and had a 2002 date on it, making me think it was perhaps something new that I had missed. Nope. The 80's were pretty sad overall for gaming (except perhaps some conflict sims that I no longer play due to length: Squard Leader, Star Fleet Battles, etc.). Empire Builder is proof. Fun maybe 25 years ago before the internet and modern publishing techniques reduced my attention span and raised my expectations (i.e. made actual quality important), but not today. Ebay, here we come.
Took a 2.5 day vacation in Toledo, and of course Dad and I had to get some boardgames in -
In two days we played about 20 games of Knizia's Through the Desert, a lovely little go-like game I have written about before. Victories went back and forth, we probably split the games, although I had a 3-game win streak going at the end. We tried to talk Mom into a game, but she wasn't biting.
We brought out Chess once, and tried Bobby Fischer's Chess960 (Fischerandom). We took turns picking pieces for a pseudo-random setup. The white queen was in the right corner, next to a rook, then king, then bishop and rook, then knight, knight and bishop. A bizarre battle took place on the opposite side of the board after Dad castled. We got to about 40 moves and I managed a queen-backed checkmate.
Stopped by a game store on Sylvania Ave. in Toledo (the Game Room) that I had never been too before, and the owner was actually one of the friendliest and nicest I've ever met. Mind Games (my 'home store') has been good to me for years, but all the owners and workers are generally very passive. They typically only engage you in conversation (despite the fact that I have been shopping there for 20 years) if you initiate it. Sometimes I wander around in total silence. Here, the well stocked store had 4-5 customers shopping, painting, reading, and the owner was chatting with everyone.
Sadly, and no doubt slightly under the spell of this nice game store owner, I grabbed a copy (at 10% off) of Empire Builder, from Mayfair. Published originally in 1980, it has spawned numerous expansions, and sold very well over the years. On the strength of reputation (and vacationish weakness), I plunked down my $35 and boy am I sorry I did.
Let me just say that this is a classic example of why I don't play American games anymore.
No, let me add some more: Too long ('Geek reports 1.5 hours plus .5 per player), ugly components (butt-ugly would be a better description), super dry theme and mechanics (move goods from point-a to point-b by drawing from point-to-point on a white board with a crayon), odd damaging random events, and the ability for a veteran to memorize ideal locations - forcing an inexperienced player to spend tons of time hunting for possible delivery locations that you might have missed, zero interaction, loads of down time waiting for your turn (which often consists of turning in 3 cards, and drawing three more - exciting!)... I mean come ON.
I have come to the conclusion that I need to stay out of game stores/never buy anything that I haven't thoroughly researched/never buy an American game again/stop assuming that the number of sales/expansions has anything to do with how much I will like the game. (Probably the only games with huge popularity that I enjoy are: Carcassone, Puerto Rico, Settlers)
One fact that was not published on the box (but was in the manual) was the original date of publication: 1980. This edition had different box art, and had a 2002 date on it, making me think it was perhaps something new that I had missed. Nope. The 80's were pretty sad overall for gaming (except perhaps some conflict sims that I no longer play due to length: Squard Leader, Star Fleet Battles, etc.). Empire Builder is proof. Fun maybe 25 years ago before the internet and modern publishing techniques reduced my attention span and raised my expectations (i.e. made actual quality important), but not today. Ebay, here we come.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
More on the Polgar record
Susan Polgar (the number one ranked female chess player in the world?), addresses some interesting topics regarding her recent world record in a chess simul event. Andrew Martin (IM), the previous record holder has some 'issues' with the event:
" I found this a really gruelling event and was only too glad when it finished. Yet Polgar seems to have taken this record to an entirely new level, but my question is.....how ?"
and
" I just don't understand this second record. How can one play so many games in such a short time? (16.5 hrs = 990 mins) That's less than 1 min per game overall! How long were these games, how many moves?"
The link to the answer is found at Chessbase.com, here.
" I found this a really gruelling event and was only too glad when it finished. Yet Polgar seems to have taken this record to an entirely new level, but my question is.....how ?"
and
" I just don't understand this second record. How can one play so many games in such a short time? (16.5 hrs = 990 mins) That's less than 1 min per game overall! How long were these games, how many moves?"
The link to the answer is found at Chessbase.com, here.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
The Rocketmen
The Rocketmen collectable/constructible game has been something Gray and I have been poking at lately. At $4 a pack, and includes everything one person needs to play a game: 2 complete spaceships, 1 asteroid, 1 mineral card, a crew card, one tiny die, rules and a one page comic.
The game is a kind of retro-science-fiction affair, with some Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, The Rocketeer, and Pirates of the Spanish Main thrown in.
The owner of the Unknown in Scranton was kind enough to take some old 1980s comics in trade, and we picked up a dozen packs and combined them the 8 or so we had already purchased. Although disappointed with the poor randomization (seems like half of my packs were dupes) of cards, the ships are interesting looking a fun to build.
I am not crazy about free movement minature games, and so I broke out my old black hex-map, that I used to use with Star Fleet Battles back in the day. I whipped up some rules for hexes, and recreated an impulse movement system from SFB. Pretty excited about the results, looking forward to trying a few more games.
One of the best ideas for the game is resource collection. The Pirate's series seemed to be a race to various islands to collect victory points with combat interspersed. In Rocketmen, their is s race to the center of the map, and a battle to secure resources. These are then raced back to the player's home base where they are cashed in to construct more ships. There are multiple ways to go about winning, but collecting and harvesting resources to build more ships (up to the size of your original fleet), or trying to strip/capture/destroy the opponents ships before this happen gives you some extra things to think about and adds considerable variety to what could be simply a basic "meeting engagement".
The game is a kind of retro-science-fiction affair, with some Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, The Rocketeer, and Pirates of the Spanish Main thrown in.
The owner of the Unknown in Scranton was kind enough to take some old 1980s comics in trade, and we picked up a dozen packs and combined them the 8 or so we had already purchased. Although disappointed with the poor randomization (seems like half of my packs were dupes) of cards, the ships are interesting looking a fun to build.
I am not crazy about free movement minature games, and so I broke out my old black hex-map, that I used to use with Star Fleet Battles back in the day. I whipped up some rules for hexes, and recreated an impulse movement system from SFB. Pretty excited about the results, looking forward to trying a few more games.
One of the best ideas for the game is resource collection. The Pirate's series seemed to be a race to various islands to collect victory points with combat interspersed. In Rocketmen, their is s race to the center of the map, and a battle to secure resources. These are then raced back to the player's home base where they are cashed in to construct more ships. There are multiple ways to go about winning, but collecting and harvesting resources to build more ships (up to the size of your original fleet), or trying to strip/capture/destroy the opponents ships before this happen gives you some extra things to think about and adds considerable variety to what could be simply a basic "meeting engagement".
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Geeklist: upgrades
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Fairplay Order: Want in?
I am putting together another Fairplaygames order. Excellent company (I've written a detail article about them several months back here at the Cafe) with fast shipping, great prices, no sales tax (outside MI), and FREE shipping on orders above $125.
Here's my wish list - call me or email me with yours and lets get an order together -
1. Through the Desert, $19.95 (reg $30)
2. Puerto Rico Expansion, $3.45 (reg $5)
3. Palazzo, $20.95 (reg $30)
4. Revolution, the Dutch Revolt, $59.45 (reg $85)
I gave my copy of Desert to my Dad when I was in Ohio (he really enjoyed it, and wanted to introduce to Tab on his next trip up), and this game is worth a 2nd copy. Really like it.
Puerto Rico Expansion is my second copy, Kevin was kind enough to print me a copy off his ink-jet a year ago when we were really into PR and it was pretty new. I have a sealed extra copy of PR, if we ever have a two-table PR night, I might need an extra expansion.
Palazzo I've heard great things about, was just release a month or so ago, and Revolution sounds amazing. Check out this really well written review here.
Here's my wish list - call me or email me with yours and lets get an order together -
1. Through the Desert, $19.95 (reg $30)
2. Puerto Rico Expansion, $3.45 (reg $5)
3. Palazzo, $20.95 (reg $30)
4. Revolution, the Dutch Revolt, $59.45 (reg $85)
I gave my copy of Desert to my Dad when I was in Ohio (he really enjoyed it, and wanted to introduce to Tab on his next trip up), and this game is worth a 2nd copy. Really like it.
Puerto Rico Expansion is my second copy, Kevin was kind enough to print me a copy off his ink-jet a year ago when we were really into PR and it was pretty new. I have a sealed extra copy of PR, if we ever have a two-table PR night, I might need an extra expansion.
Palazzo I've heard great things about, was just release a month or so ago, and Revolution sounds amazing. Check out this really well written review here.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Gaming in the Glass City
Dad came down sick, and Grayson and i drove out for a visit. I am creating this on my new PDA phone {!}. Picked up Roborally, Serenissima, and a few packs of the new Rocketmen CCG.
We played two games of RR, Dad won the first, would have won the second but I blew him up on the last leg!
Played a game of Through The Desert, was quite fun w/three players.
Tab is grand opening his new Old Navy store soon, too busy to post for a few weeks.
Great to have Dad out of the hospital, laughing and enjoying some time w/his grandson...
We played two games of RR, Dad won the first, would have won the second but I blew him up on the last leg!
Played a game of Through The Desert, was quite fun w/three players.
Tab is grand opening his new Old Navy store soon, too busy to post for a few weeks.
Great to have Dad out of the hospital, laughing and enjoying some time w/his grandson...
Friday, August 19, 2005
Random Catan tips
I have been doing pretty well in Settlers of Catan Online (current rating, 1771 with 22 wins in 49 three-player games, or 44.9% wins). I enjoy the game for a number of reasons, one of which being is pretty fast: most games end in 20-25 minutes. Not surprisingly for those who know me, I also enjoy being able to track my progress, and rank.
Lately I have been thinking of some "best practices" for playing Settlers, online or f-t-f. I have a document that I pour tips into when they come to me. Here's a sample:
-----
Lately I have been thinking of some "best practices" for playing Settlers, online or f-t-f. I have a document that I pour tips into when they come to me. Here's a sample:
-----
Catan Strategy tip #4 from Phuntomx:
When placing your City or Settlement, if all things are equal, make sure to place them on a number shared by your opponent. It would be VERY unlikely that your opponent would ever place the thief on a number that he shares with you. Sharing a resource location with at least 1 other player significantly reduced the odds by which you will have the thief placed on you, and great increases the odds that when he does, you will be able to remove it.
Also, be wary of the 6 and 8 locations, as these often attract the thief, as they are rolled 14% of the time. Five's and nines come up 11% of the time, still quite frequently, and are somewhat less likely to draw your opponents thief.
Catan Strategy tip #6 from Phuntomx:
When playing for the
Also, remember that it is extremely difficult to win a game of Settlers without having the
New players will almost always go for the longest road immediately, so use this to your advantage as well, by demanding favorable trading terms with them (when they are asking for Brick and Wood every single turn it can give you a clue). Also, cut their two initial Settlements in half immediately. This usually reduces their chance of having the longest road by 50% or so, and they will not always go right after the Largest Army, usually choosing to continue to find a path to the longest road. Sometimes this makes sense based on their setup, but often new players are playing other new players, and have not experienced as many Army wins are not as fearful of it as they should be. Use this to your advantage, especially at the lower rankings (i.e. below 1600).
------
There is a lot more to say about Settlers in terms of tactics, but I feel that I'm starting to reach the cap of what I can learn about the game. There are fewer tactics to explore, and many of them are begining to be flushed out. Against a well positioned player who does not make any mistakes, it often comes down to the dice, in my opinion.
Still waiting for Tab's feedback on when he 'never loses' (see July 25th post) in Settlers!?
Monday, August 15, 2005
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