Spirit Games Wednesday Night - 2010

[Zarniwoop]

Wednesday 7th April

Tonight we had a game of MagBlast which claims to be a 10-20min game but more realistically that is per person that plays!! This was at Pete's request as he had managed to escape from the computers this week.

After a few early culls (myself included) it was a fight between Phil, Carole, Pete and Sally, having pulled together a quite awesome fleet Pete had to bail so I took over for a brief period, followed by Phil after his elimination by the Girls. It was then a straight duel between the girls, where I believe Sally was victorious.

Whilst the Mag-Blast epic continued I took some of the vanquished into a game of Krysis which I am really getting to like a lot. I still have only played the basic game but at the moment there is enough gameplay and variety there is no great compulsion to try out the variants. Each player runs a team of extreme archaeologist's trying to get as many gems and artifacts out of a mine as possible. Sometimes stealing them from opponents campsites, selling some to the bank for victory or carrying them to home for safety. Always a fun little game, which is not too complicated and plays quite quickly.

[Zarniwoop]

Wednesday 14th April

This week Richard bought along his copy of Dominion: Alchemy the latest expansion for this card game. As usual the quality of the artwork is of a high standard and the gameplay sufficiently different to make this an interesting addition to this line of games.

You know have a Potion treasure card which is required in order to purchase certain cards, there is also the addition of new cards with some very interesting actions available. I will not go into these as quite frankly most of them I have already forgotten as they was a lot going on Suffice to say that I enjoyed this very much and would definitely like another go of it sometime, if only to try and get a higher score as I did rather appallingly in my game, Richard having gotten a fantastic combination of cards going scoring him most of the Province cards and leaving him with quite a significant winning score...

After this we played an older but still classic game "Thurn and Taxis" which Richard wanted to learn how to play, so after talking through the basics we got started. Both myself and Carole have played this game a lot as we really like this game, but despite this I managed to make some disastrous choices meaning I wasted my first two turns. I then spent the rest of the game trying to catch up, which I did not too bad a job of but Richard had made a firm grasp of some of the strategies of the game and forced the end game leaving Carole and me with nothing we could do on our last turns. Needless to say Richard won...

[carldjcross]

Wednesday 14th April

This week Richard bought along his copy of Dominion: Alchemy the latest expansion for this card game. As usual the quality of the artwork is of a high standard and the gameplay sufficiently different to make this an interesting addition to this line of games.

This was my experience from (I think!) the week before.

The potion cards seem to be mainly there to bulk out your deck allowing you access to some temptingly cheap cards but at the risk of either pulling a potion at the wrong time or not at all when you need them.

[Zarniwoop]

Wednesday 28th April

Tonight we had another go at Carson City but this time starting early so we could have a proper go

We had Phil, Sally, myself, Andy and Carole this time and having played before had a slightly better idea of what to go for. Various different approaches were made either grabbing points early or land etc. After a pretty good game where we had a lot more skirmished than before at key moments in the final round there was a lot of points added to the score for everyone......

The Winner (by only 1 point) was myself, then Carole, followed by Sally, Andy then Phil (? not sure if that is the correct order for the last 3).

A fantastic game which I will always be up for playing anytime as there is enough going on for it to remain interesting and there is always the variants that we have still to try and a mini-expansion.

Finally we played Infinite City, another classic that is always good to play. I seem to have lost my mojo on this one and I never really contended for this game, the eventual winner was Andy with Carole another close 2nd

[carldjcross]

Wedensday 5th May

First up tonight was an old Knizia game, Stephenson's Rocket which turns out not to be your typical railway game of shifting cubes around the board but something altogether more Kniziaish.

There are many ways to score in this game, oh so many ways; being the first to join towns, having the most stock in a given railway, having built stations along the way and probably a few more I've forgotten. Thing is if there are that many ways to score how come I consistently failed to score pretty much anything at all?

Some of the blame has to fall on other rail barons bypassing my preferred towns, something that Phil suffered particularly badly from despite peppering the South East with more stations than Connex South Central. Some of it almost certainly was down to me not "getting" the rules.

It all felt very abstract and again, Kniziaish and isn't a game I'd rush to play again.

Richard won by some stretch having merged a few lines forcing other players to discard valuable stock. Personally I was surprised Andy didn't score more (although he came second) since he seemed to be scoring consistently throughout the game. Those poker chips can be hard to read sometimes.

Sadly Andy's luck didn't get any better in our next game, Pirate's Cove where he suffered the longest streak of bad dice rolls known to man. And it had all started so well for him too since he managed to keep out of the firing line for the opening vollies as Phil, Tim and myself tore each other to pieces.

It was a close game but I managed to edge a victory  by forcing Tim to soften up the Royal Navy for me allowing me an easy couple of points. The last turn as always ended up with a jamboree on Pirate Island.

Light and full of luck Pirate's Cove was the perfect game to end the evening on as we all yo-ho-hoed our way home.

[Zarniwoop]

Wednesday 5th May 2010

We started the evening playing Chelsea I have to admit I liked the idea of this game but failed to play it very well (hmm shocker  ). The final scores were: Carole 28, Sally 25, Frog played 3 and Me with .................. 0

We then played Ad Astra I really like this game it is always good fun and each game is very different. This was quite a good scoring game but Philsy did romp home with 64, Carole with 49, Me with 45, Sally with 42 and Frog with 39.

We rounded the evening off with an Infinite City another fantastic little game that is firm favourite with our little group. Sally won this with 19, Carole 18, me with 9 and Phil with 8.

[Zarniwoop]

Wednesday 12th May 2010

Tonight we started off with an old classic Carcasonne: Hunters and Gatherers this is a tile laying game which is always very enjoyable and I really like this variant of the game. Phil won with 90, me with 84, Sally with 77 Andy with 63 and Caz with 51.

We then broke out Kingsburg one of my all time favourite games there is a lot of things going on here and lots of different ways to win. So Phil won with 51, Sally with 44, Carole with 38, Andy with 36 and me with 31. I think I need to play this a bit more   

[CrazyFrog]

26/05/10 – Wednesday Night


Roll Through The Ages
Pete: 30, Andy: 20, Phil: 16, Frog: 13
I liked this game very much and need to buy it.  I’ve seen it played but this was my first game.
It’s got a Yahtzee mechanic to the dice rolling and based on the result you can do things on the scoring sheet to get VP’s at the end.  On the way disasters happen reducing your score and you have to feed your population every turn (some don’t and let them starve).  Great game I want to play again next week.



 Ra The Dice Game
Sally: 33  Frog: 23
Another Yahtzee type game, where you’re rolling to score in different areas, with a Ra marker keeping track of the scoring and rounds,  This event is control via the dice symbol which you cannot reroll and a +/- 2 position movement during scoring to help balance out the players.



 Elk Fest
Winner: Sally
A real easy and fun game using no dice so that’s a winner for me.  Object of the game is to get your moose from one side of the river to the other, using stepping stones which you flick into position then your moose can move.  If your moose lands in the water or gets knocked over when stones are flicked, he stands up and your go is over.  You are allowed during your turn to flick any 3 stones and move the moose anytime during.

[Zarniwoop]

Wednesday 19th May 2010

Tonight we played a game that we were told had to be part of our gaming experience... That game was Junta.

This was Philsy's game and this was a a full evening game, each player represents a ruling family in a fictitious banana republic. Each family tries to gain power and money. You can either accept the current El Presidente payments or decide (in the right circumstances) to start a coup.Each family can try and assassinate another family preventing them from cashing their loot but only if they send the assassin to the correct location chosen from 5 possibilities.

Whilst this was a fun game in places it just did not really appeal to me, I found I it just a tad too long and not really engaged with the gameplay. I can see why it would appeal to some just afraid this is one of those few games that do not appeal to me.

The scores were: Me - 22, Phil - 20, Carole - 11 and Philsy - 8

[Zarniwoop]

Wednesday 2nd June 2010

We started the evening off with a game of Dragonriders which is a really good looking game of racing dragons
A pretty looking game with dragon mini's what more do you need to say .

Frog showed off his prowess at dragon racing to romp home as the winer of this game.

We then had a quick game of Infinite City a firm favourite of our group. A really easy game to teach but hard to master (well for some of us), a tile laying game where each tile tells you what to do. The artwork on this is superb. IN this game Carole romped home with a score of 27, with Sally on 18 and me finishing with 16.

Finally we had a go at Marrakech another favourite, I mean a game with real mini carpets whats not to like

The scores for this were Sally - 51, Carole - 48, Me - 37 and Phil - 28.

[carldjcross]

Wednesday 16th June 2010

Carpa Astra

Players: Phil, Andrew and me.

We started the evening with Andrew and myself looking and feeling bemused, not that there's anything wrong with Phil's rules descriptions just that it's an odd game to describe. You'll be pleased to know we felt much better after our first turn.

The game started as I suspect it often does with everyone being nice to each other, quietly collecting resources and keeping themselves to themselves. One or two clever clogs managed to grab both cards in a single turn and turn in a bonus or two so all was going swimmingly.

But eventually the gloves had to come off and they did so in spectacular style. I started things by nabbing Andrew's fifth money counter robbing him of a nice bonus at which point Phil and Andrew fell upon me in a pincer movement, mainly I suspect because they were too far away to slander each other.

It's a real disadvantage to go first in this game as I was forced to stand by while Andrew and Phil slandered my vps away in front of my eyes leaving me in last place, followed by Andrew and with Phil winning by a clear 4 point margin.

I'd also played a game of Dungeon Lord with Andrew, Peter and Richard a couple of weeks ago but it was sooooooo long ago I've forgotten all about it apart from how dismally I did, much worse in fact than on my previous and first play. Hmmm, I've not forgotten at all I've just blanked it from my mind in self defense.

[Zarniwoop]

Wednesday 9th June 2010

We started off the evening playing Airships this was a very enjoyable  game and the components are of excellent quality, something Queen Games seems to do very well. Each player takes it in turn to grab items from an available list, there are up to a set of three in various colours, which match slots on the players board. Each item has a target value you need to reach on one or more dice of different colours. If you meet or exceed the dice cost you can claim the item. If you already have one there it is discarded and replaced with the new one.

Each item grants different things, some of which are additional dice of different colours. You can also build Airships using the same mechanic and these give VP's, also some of the items also give VP's. It played really well and provides enough depth to make it interesting and warrant futher play.

We then had a go at a game of Montego Bay Once again this is a Queen Games production, the pieces are of excellent quality as is all the artwork. The board is maybe a tad larger than it needed to be.

The board is 2-sided which side you play depends on the number of players, this seems to be a new trend in games and is very welcome. Each player controls 2 dock workers and during the game there is an option to hire a 3rd called "Lazy Jack". There is a playing order track and each players docker has a corresponding marker to place there (at random) this then determines the play order. Each player has a hand of cards for each docker with values 1-5, they select one card for each and starting with the first docker on the track they are moved the number of spaces indicated on the card. If another player is on that space they are kicked to the space opposite, if that is filled the players piece is moved back to the next empty square.

In the middle is a series of rooms with barrels in, some are broken, some have coins etc. If after the movement they contain barrels the player places that many barrels on one of the ships in port, if they contain broken barrels they have to be removed from a ship.

Play continues in this manner until all players have emptied there warehouses, if a ship is filled it sails and is scored, at the end of the round the ship is port 1 sails regardless of whether it is empty or part filled and scored. The ships are replaced and the turn track is shifted down one so the last player piece now starts the next round.

Halfway through the game this turn order is randomised again and play then continues until there is only 3 ships during part of the round. I really enjoyed this, yes there is a bit or randomness here but there is also some chance of strategy. On the whole a really enjoyable game that I would certainly play again.

To round the evening off we played one of the classics Carcassonne: Hunters and Gatherers I really like this game and it always goes down well. Suits 2-5 players and plays reasonably quickly, this is a tile laying game where you have a bank of meeples and a couple of huts which you place along with some of your tiles. You score for Gathering in the Forests, Fishing the rivers or hunting in the fields. The fields option loses you that man until the end of the game, the others once completed score and return your man for use elsewhere during the game. You also have huts which score for all the fish on the river system you control with it at the end of the game. Normally you can not occupy the same areas as another player but if separate areas merge during the course of the game then you will share the points. This is always fun to play and I fear I do not play it nearly enough as was reflected in the final scores:

Phil: 116, Andy: 102, Carole: 76 and Me: 54

I really need to work on my playing skills, this losing every game I own is getting harsh   mind you it was late so maybe I just needed more  

[EvilGinger]

 

Food, Drink and Games
Wednesday 30th June
at
The Brewery Tap Bar and Restaurant
The National Brewery Centre, Burton on Trent

This is in lieu of our normal Wednesday Night Gaming at Spirit Games. We will be eating between 6.30 and 7.30 to get gaming under way around 8.00 as usual. Eating is not compulsory but as much eating as possible is good to make it worth their while allowing us as much playing space as we need for free. No formal booking is required but please let us know if you intend to eat (pop into the shop or call on 01283 511293) so that we can give them an idea of number a few days in advance. The main meals are nice but quite expensive; they also do bar snacks. And the beer is excellent!

a little change of Scene  for next week as posted on the Spirit Games web site

 Ginger

[Zarniwoop]

Wednesday 16th June 2010

Tonight we broke out Stoneage which we have not played for a little while. This really is just one of the fun games that is is deceptively simple but which requires some thought. You have a number of people in your tribe who you need to allocate to various tasks, gathering food, wood, Clay, Stone, Gold or ploughing fields, making tools or increasing the size of the tribe ( ). With these resources you can then build huts for your tribe or collect Civilisation cards which give your tribe immediate benefits as well as counting towards vp's at the end if you get sets of cards. We had a three player game of this, which alters the placement rules slightly and you have one stack less of Huts. This is always a well balanced game and the final scores reflect this, and during the game the scores remained fairly even. The final tally was:
Paul: 199, Sally: 180 and Carole: 157.  Yes you read that right I actually won a game that I own, thankfully the world did not implode. It seems that occasionally I can actually do something right (  )

Finally we had a game of San Juan in this game you aim to build 12 buildings, each worth varying amounts of VP's. Each turn you pick a role which allows you a bonus when taking the role's action. In order to build a building you have to pay its value in cards from your hand, some buildings produce goods when that action is taken, others have special functions which aid you during the game, others just have VP values.

Once the first person has built the 12th building then everyone scores what they have built, the highest scorer winning the game.

This is another classic game, that maybe we should play more as I always enjoy this as well. The final scores were:
Carole: 31, Phil: 30, Paul: 27 and Sally: 26. Another close game which is always good.

[Zarniwoop]

Wednesday 23rd June 2010

Tonight we had our 3rd game of Fresco I was undecided as to whether to buy this game but I am very glad I did. This game is both extremely well made, the components and artwork are superb suiting the theme well and delightful to play. You each play a master painter with a team of Apprentices whose task is to help restore the chapel and Alter. Having not been playing board games all that long I can not comment on whether the mechanics in this game are anything new but they are certainly used well and fit right into the central theme of the game. There is plenty of things to think about on your turn and various actions you can take. I really enjoy this game and every game is different with the added benefit that the game comes with 3 expansions right in the box allowing for plenty of tweaking helping to keep the game fresh and exciting. The rules are short (always good) and mostly quite good and well explained. There are a couple of areas where the rules are less than clear and the examples given do not add much to the clarity, that said getting them wrong did not harm the gameplay that much, ad by this game I had read a thread on boardgamegeek that helped clarify the rule. Well for the 3rd game of this in a row I managed to lose but each game has been close. The final tally was:
Carole: 80, Phil: 79 and Me: 72. There was a lot of changes of first place on the score track during the game and it was turn order at the end that determined the final winner.

We ended the evening with another game of Montego Bay This game is quite fun and whilst on the surface it looks like a lot of random elements there is plenty of opportunity to scheme and plan. Another pretty close game where there was a lot of changes along the score track but the final outcome was:
Steve: 42, Carole: 40, Paul: 36 and Phil: 33