Sunday, November 19, 2006
Tuesday 8th November
In attendance:
Huw Morris
Ralph Grimble
Tom Fowler
Simon Canter
Joe Platt
Steve Sykes
Nicht die Bohne
Simon was going to be late, so while we waited, the five of us had a quick round of Night die Bohne. Steve, Ralph and I had played before, while the game was new for Joe and Tom. We observed a strict "no table talk" rule for the game, since I find it more fun to play that way. Steve won the game with a huge score. I was second. Beyond that, I can't remember, except that Joe had somehow managed a negative score!
After one round Simon arrived. We had six, so we split into two groups of three.
In the Shadow of the Emperor
I played this with Tom and Simon. I have to confess that the game started off as a bit of a shambles. I had only played this once before, and that was some time ago. The other two had never played. Thus, we started the game with no real idea of what to do. It was only in rounds 2 and 3 that we really started to pick it up, so it's probably fair to call this a learning game. Normally, I reckon I'm pretty good at describing how to play for new players. In this case, I'm afraid I made a right pig's ear of it!
I won the game, though I'm not at all sure what I did to win. Probably, since I'd played the game before, I remembered the quirky scoring, where you mainly score points for winning a new elector, rather than holding on to an existing elector. By the time the other two cottoned on, I already had a big lead. I don't think there's a huge advantage of actually being the Emperor, since it effectively takes one of your pieces out of play, and none of us were playing strategically enough to take real advantage.
In retrospect, I think this is one of those games which is much better with 4 than 3. I'll try to being it out again before we've all completely forgotten how to play, but only when there are exactly 4 players.
Ticket to Ride
Joe had brought along Ticket to Ride, so he played that with Ralph and Steve. I don't know what happened in that game, but I think Joe won. The three of them finished well before Shadow of the Emperor had finished, so had time for a game of Fluxx as well.
Huw Morris
Ralph Grimble
Tom Fowler
Simon Canter
Joe Platt
Steve Sykes
Nicht die Bohne
Simon was going to be late, so while we waited, the five of us had a quick round of Night die Bohne. Steve, Ralph and I had played before, while the game was new for Joe and Tom. We observed a strict "no table talk" rule for the game, since I find it more fun to play that way. Steve won the game with a huge score. I was second. Beyond that, I can't remember, except that Joe had somehow managed a negative score!
After one round Simon arrived. We had six, so we split into two groups of three.
In the Shadow of the Emperor
I played this with Tom and Simon. I have to confess that the game started off as a bit of a shambles. I had only played this once before, and that was some time ago. The other two had never played. Thus, we started the game with no real idea of what to do. It was only in rounds 2 and 3 that we really started to pick it up, so it's probably fair to call this a learning game. Normally, I reckon I'm pretty good at describing how to play for new players. In this case, I'm afraid I made a right pig's ear of it!
I won the game, though I'm not at all sure what I did to win. Probably, since I'd played the game before, I remembered the quirky scoring, where you mainly score points for winning a new elector, rather than holding on to an existing elector. By the time the other two cottoned on, I already had a big lead. I don't think there's a huge advantage of actually being the Emperor, since it effectively takes one of your pieces out of play, and none of us were playing strategically enough to take real advantage.
In retrospect, I think this is one of those games which is much better with 4 than 3. I'll try to being it out again before we've all completely forgotten how to play, but only when there are exactly 4 players.
Ticket to Ride
Joe had brought along Ticket to Ride, so he played that with Ralph and Steve. I don't know what happened in that game, but I think Joe won. The three of them finished well before Shadow of the Emperor had finished, so had time for a game of Fluxx as well.
Tuesday 31st October
In attendance:
Huw Morris
Ralph Grimble
Adrian Barnard
Simon Canter
Joe Platt
Halloween, and a surprise on walking into the pub - it was all decked out appropriately for the occasion: subdued lighting, skeletons and spiders on the wall, pumpkins, etc. This did make me fear that the pub was going to be busier and noisier than usual, but such fears were unfounded. The only slight problem was the darkness making it hard to distinguish the blue and green pieces.
El Grande
Simon and Joe had never played this before. Even though it's one of my favourites, I still had to scan the rules beforehand, it's been so long since we played it.
You know how there are some games you just never "get"? No matter how much you play, you never win the game? For some reason, El Grande is the opposite for me. I always seem to do pretty well at it. And so was the case tonight.
Right from the off, it was a straight battle between myself and Ralph. Adrian was stuck back with the debutants. Adrian actually had fewer pieces on the board, but was able to score more "efficiently" than either Simon or Joe.
By the end of the second scoring round (round 6) I had a big lead, and I feared that all the others would work together to deny me points. This didn't turn out to be a problem as Joe, Adrian and Simon were so far back that they knew they were battling for 3rd place, and left myself and Ralph alone to battle for the win. Ralph did manage to bring the lead down, but it wasn't enough and I held on for the win.
Final results: 1st Huw, 2nd Ralph, 3rd Simon and Joe, 5th Adrian.
Adrian adds:
There's evidently tactics better than I employ in this game given the lead Huw and Ralph took and increased upon during the game. Adrian managed to stay just ahead of the trailing pack throughout the mid game, gaining praise indeed for doing so well so economically! Read, hadn't managed to push many Caballeros onto the board, yet still somehow managed what was a good score with what I had.
From mid game onwards it was evident that there were two games, 1st / 2nd place and the following pack half way back round the track. The final scoring round saw my now just fourth place fall to last as Simon joined Joe 3 points ahead of me. Ralph made gains on Huw but ultimately Huw was too far ahead to reign in.
My one little victory in the game was to pull Joe back four points on the scoring round to joint third given his pieces were highly concentrated to win in three areas and three areas only, all Caballeros from one region must return to the provinces hit him hard as the last card of the game.
Given the Pub that night was celebrating Halloween we got to play the counters using a positional method for the blue and green ones at least. Or maybe they were saving electricity, the inflatable skeletons would however suggest it was Halloween. Torches next week?
Huw Morris
Ralph Grimble
Adrian Barnard
Simon Canter
Joe Platt
Halloween, and a surprise on walking into the pub - it was all decked out appropriately for the occasion: subdued lighting, skeletons and spiders on the wall, pumpkins, etc. This did make me fear that the pub was going to be busier and noisier than usual, but such fears were unfounded. The only slight problem was the darkness making it hard to distinguish the blue and green pieces.
El Grande
Simon and Joe had never played this before. Even though it's one of my favourites, I still had to scan the rules beforehand, it's been so long since we played it.
You know how there are some games you just never "get"? No matter how much you play, you never win the game? For some reason, El Grande is the opposite for me. I always seem to do pretty well at it. And so was the case tonight.
Right from the off, it was a straight battle between myself and Ralph. Adrian was stuck back with the debutants. Adrian actually had fewer pieces on the board, but was able to score more "efficiently" than either Simon or Joe.
By the end of the second scoring round (round 6) I had a big lead, and I feared that all the others would work together to deny me points. This didn't turn out to be a problem as Joe, Adrian and Simon were so far back that they knew they were battling for 3rd place, and left myself and Ralph alone to battle for the win. Ralph did manage to bring the lead down, but it wasn't enough and I held on for the win.
Final results: 1st Huw, 2nd Ralph, 3rd Simon and Joe, 5th Adrian.
Adrian adds:
There's evidently tactics better than I employ in this game given the lead Huw and Ralph took and increased upon during the game. Adrian managed to stay just ahead of the trailing pack throughout the mid game, gaining praise indeed for doing so well so economically! Read, hadn't managed to push many Caballeros onto the board, yet still somehow managed what was a good score with what I had.
From mid game onwards it was evident that there were two games, 1st / 2nd place and the following pack half way back round the track. The final scoring round saw my now just fourth place fall to last as Simon joined Joe 3 points ahead of me. Ralph made gains on Huw but ultimately Huw was too far ahead to reign in.
My one little victory in the game was to pull Joe back four points on the scoring round to joint third given his pieces were highly concentrated to win in three areas and three areas only, all Caballeros from one region must return to the provinces hit him hard as the last card of the game.
Given the Pub that night was celebrating Halloween we got to play the counters using a positional method for the blue and green ones at least. Or maybe they were saving electricity, the inflatable skeletons would however suggest it was Halloween. Torches next week?
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Tuesday 24th October
In attendance:
Huw Morris
Rick Appleton
Simon Canter
Joe Platt
Ralph Grimble
Tom Fowler
Six players again, which doesn't naturally fit with all that many games. Once again we split into two groups of three.
Primordial Soup
Rick, Simon and I played Primordial Soup. Rick and Simon had never played before. I'd been bringing it for weeks hoping to get a game. To be honest, it's a better game with 4, one of my favourites in fact, but it's still perfectly playable with 3.
I went for an aggressive strategy combining Struggle For Survival with Spores, allowing me to plonk down my new amoebas next to my opponents. Since I had Division Rate as well, I could plonk them down cheaply, so I was always able to keep 5 or more on the board. Simon went for a mobile strategy, with Movement 1 and Speed, zooming around the board for the food. Rick tried to manipulate the cube supply with Tentacles and Holding. After I went aggressive, Simon bought Escape, while Rick bought the other Struggle for Survival - trying to beat me at my own game!
I was always able to keep ahead, thanks to Parasitism. When I upgraded to Aggression, it was game over. Rick came second and Simon was third.
Goa
Tom, Ralph and Joe played Goa. Goa can work with 3 players, although I'm aware there's an issue of one player getting shut out of the flag with experienced players. Anyway, since this was the first game for Tom and Joe, this was never likely to be a problem. Somewhat surprisingly, this game only just finished in time, just before we got chucked out. Tom did very well to win the game, with a score of 40.
Huw Morris
Rick Appleton
Simon Canter
Joe Platt
Ralph Grimble
Tom Fowler
Six players again, which doesn't naturally fit with all that many games. Once again we split into two groups of three.
Primordial Soup
Rick, Simon and I played Primordial Soup. Rick and Simon had never played before. I'd been bringing it for weeks hoping to get a game. To be honest, it's a better game with 4, one of my favourites in fact, but it's still perfectly playable with 3.
I went for an aggressive strategy combining Struggle For Survival with Spores, allowing me to plonk down my new amoebas next to my opponents. Since I had Division Rate as well, I could plonk them down cheaply, so I was always able to keep 5 or more on the board. Simon went for a mobile strategy, with Movement 1 and Speed, zooming around the board for the food. Rick tried to manipulate the cube supply with Tentacles and Holding. After I went aggressive, Simon bought Escape, while Rick bought the other Struggle for Survival - trying to beat me at my own game!
I was always able to keep ahead, thanks to Parasitism. When I upgraded to Aggression, it was game over. Rick came second and Simon was third.
Goa
Tom, Ralph and Joe played Goa. Goa can work with 3 players, although I'm aware there's an issue of one player getting shut out of the flag with experienced players. Anyway, since this was the first game for Tom and Joe, this was never likely to be a problem. Somewhat surprisingly, this game only just finished in time, just before we got chucked out. Tom did very well to win the game, with a score of 40.
