Big Bang Burger Bar

Regular Burton Board Gaming at Spirit Games on Wednesday nights

We play a selection of new releases and old favourites, starting at 7.00pm and going on up to midnight. All are welcome, click on the articles link (http://spiritgames.co.uk/article.php) to get an idea of what we have been playing over the past year or two.

Contact Details:
salnphil@spiritgames.com

Always a lot of fun & more than worth going to. I will repost this to the face Palm groups as well

 >:DGinger

Wednesday 9th of January 2013

Did not intend to game to be honest but was lured in by a quick game of Perudo a dicy bluffing game which I did quite well in but did not win & then despite my arguing with myself vigorously was lured into the dungeons to play Decent 2nd edition. After which I made my excuses & left.


Now I know the papers are going to be late I will expand on this.

I had wanted to play Decent 2nd edition since it came out

(http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/image/comgames/6914.jpg)

having very much enjoyed my sadly one game of decent first edition even if it did take rather too long in a cold hall it was something I wanted to play again.

I was drawn into a campaign game, which Decent 2E supports right out of the box, but it was a well advanced campaign with well developed & upgraded characters with three other players who knew what they where doing so I had little to input being very much the newbie. It played at a fair clip despite the committee element and some discussion of what was the best move or action. The Scenario was rather a walk over but there was definite potential for it to have gone all wrong even so & it was done in about an hour & a half.

I would like to play it again preferably from the start of a campaign so I could see the character development elements of the game which seem to have been moved from in episode to between episodes in this edition.


I enjoyed Descent 2E but I feel its not quite as good as the first edition at least form my point of view though it plays very well smoothly & within a practicable time frame.

 >:DGinger

Perudo & that is almost certainly a miss spelling,  seems not to be avalible at the moment with the nearest equivalent being

Liars Dice

(http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/image/comgames/3042.jpg)

which is effectively the same game.

Ginger

Descent 2.0 is really easy to play, but Simon's right - that as we approach the end of the campaign, the characters have all acquired lots of extra skills and items.  Plus the campaign regulars know how to deal with each scenario's challenges after ten sessions or so.  Descent 1.0 had lots of extra rules and fiddly bits, and it takes a lot longer, but I'm not convinced that the extra length makes for a better game.  Although a couple of scenarios have felt like walk overs for one side or another, there's often a key moment or two where a wrong decision - or a couple of missed die rolls - where things could turn the encounter on its head.

Uchronia - or Glory to Rome - has become our "go to" game to start the evening with, while waiting for the Descent players to assemble.

The Descent campaign is over.  Five of us have been playing it for a few months now, off and on.  The Campaign included the introductory scenario, six two-part quests (each part takes about 90 minutes, with some time for setup and campaign admin), a long mid-point quest (which took us two Wednesday sessions to get through), and a two-part finale.  The finale was completed in about 90 minutes all-in, not least because the heroes have done pretty well throughout, collected a lot of gold and equipment, and finished the campaign as finely-honed, well-drilled killing machines.

Thanks to Philsy for being the Overlord, who refused to let things get him down even during the quests when we were steam-rollering his forces no matter what he used or how he planned it.  I'm going to leave Descent for a few weeks before starting a new campaign, this time with me as Overlord.  We'll see if I can cope with adversity, or whether I can put the new heroes under some pressure.

6th Feb 2013
Well we went out for a meal at the more then excellent Flora Thai restaurant (http://www.flora-thai-restaurant-burton-on-trent.co.uk/) in station street with Phil & Sal, so we sort of rolled in fashionably late to the Wednesday night games so we ended up playing Mermaid Rain (http://) which was apparently designed by one of [url-www.spiritgames.co.uk]Spirit Games[/url] customers from the old days in croydon.

(http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/image/comgames/5727.jpg)

So the components are of good quality as is the artwork. Essentially a set collection game where each turn players play cards to form melds that determine player order. Depending on the meld you may get some points as well as affecting your player order, then in turn order the players choose a wave tile on the board and this is then used to move around to collect the treasures strewn across the ocean. Beware that the more cards you spend in the bidding process to form the meld the less cards you have to use to move at this stage of the game. To move you discard a card with a symbol matching the wave tile or a shipwreck space, underwater cavern space or an atoll space. Final scoring means you have to give 1 of each type of treasure to the witch to "lose" your tail (losing 5 points for each missing one) and then you score majorities and monopolies on the treasure you have left. Really fin little game and more strategy involved then first appearances would suggest. We did have a bit of fun at the scoring stage as the crucial pay one of each treasure to the witch point had been missed, so we all suffered some minus points here!! ;) Phil:61, Caz:58, Paul:51 and Sally:50

Our second Descent campaign is properly underway.  Luke is playing a healer, Dan a necromancer, Carl a thief and Philsy is taking time out from previous Overlord duties to play a champion - although he still helps me out with useful reminders from time to time.  I am the new Overlord, and I'm clearly struggling with a few competency issues.

The first quest, First Blood, looked like a walkover for the heroes.  Though I managed to get four out of five goblins off the board as required, I think I handled things quite badly and the heroes ultimately had an easy win.  They also lucked out on treasures and shopping, picking up a suit of armour which makes one of them very hard to hurt, as well as some extra weaponry.

The second quest was drawn from the new expansion.  Something to do with mining, it was a longish one, with the unusual feature being that the time pressures were on me as Overlord rather than the heroes as is usually the case.  Dan got picked on mercilessly, as my main monster group could target him very effectively and he was also vulnerable to some of the traps I'll be weeding out of my deck ASAP.  The annoying thing was, I very nearly won.  There were several crucial cards I misplayed (or forgot to play at opportune moments), I handled the other monster groups poorly (especially the kobolds, whom I had falling over one another down a narrow corridor), yet I was still just one space away from victory in the final turn.  I only needed to run one monster out through the exit, I had enough kobolds left to provide a "meat shield" to protect him, and I contrived things so as not to do that; result, heroes put the required damage into my named monster and killed him when he was standing adjacent to the exit.  So very, very close, and the result is yet more loot for the party, including another excellent suit of armour.

I shuffle back to my lair, to hatch more fiendish plots, muttering that I'll get them next time.

March 6th & 13th Wednesday Night Gamers

Last week Carole, Paul, Chris and I spent all evening learning and playing Bora Bora. It took a couple of turns to start to get the hang of things as there is so much going on. It's one of those games where you need to do more things in your go than you are able to (in this case lots more!) and it's very easy to get scuppered by the opposition. It was our first play, so learning the rules as we went slowed the first couple of rounds down, this meant we did not finish all the rounds, and this was reflected in the final scoring as I was gifted a second due to being next to so many fish at the end. After another couple of rounds I would most certainly have lost most if not all of the those points. We all got an idea of the different strategies needed to win, being able to execute them will not be so easy, but we are all up for another game while the rules are still fresh in our minds.

I cannot remember all of the games from the week before, but here are a few pictures of some of them.

Posted by Sally

(http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/image/Wednesday-events-etc/descent.jpg)
Descent

(http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/image/Wednesday-events-etc/eldersign.jpg)
Elder Sign

(http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/image/Wednesday-events-etc/Innovation.jpg)
Innovation

(http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/image/Wednesday-events-etc/innovation2.jpg)
How did Phil get so many cards? He's usually hopeless at it!

Very much like the new lay out & especially the pictures

 >:DGinger

Innovation (the original Asmadi edition, anyway) has now spawned two expansions, with a third due later this year.

So I'm partway through making a wooden box for my copy - though I doubt that it'll be finished in time for Weds evening, as I'm currently waiting for glue to dry before I can start with the three coats of finish.

We have a good crowd at the Wednesday night games at #spiritgames and there is a wide variety of games played, from quick filler style games up to longer more strategic affairs.

There is a friendly atmosphere and everyone there enjoys playing as well as teaching games, so if you new to boardgames or just want to find a friendly local group to join in playing games then come along and say hi.

Around the area there are plenty of 1 day or weekend events that happen throughout the year so keep an eye out on our calendar for forthcoming events you might be interested in attending.

Rather than go through each game that has been played over the last few months (as I have been a bit forgetful in writing them up lately) here is a quick slideshow of the last few weeks in the shop:

8th May 2013

Well we had our first games evening in the new shop and it was a great night with some new faces which is always good. The gaming area was roomy with plenty of light and the general atmosphere in the room was jovial with great banter.

All in all the new shop is going to provide an excellent space for gaming as well as shopping and has oodles of character. Excellent find by Phil & Sally and I will look forward to spending time in this new oasis of gaming goodness.

Tonight we Played Endevaour (http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/33160/endeavor) which is an old favourite that just has not made it to the table in a long time. Really enjoyed this, it has beautiful artwork and great pieces with plenty of choices to be made it makes quite a compelling game. It rattles along at a reasonable pace with no real downtime for players as well as opportunities to scupper other players options. Nice game that will definately have to be taken down to another games night. Chris:54, Paul:45, Caz:44 and Jason:40 which shows that despite people taking very different paths to victory the scores remained quite close.

We then played The Golden City (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=5061) which is a really interesting fun little game that falls into the deceptively simple category. The rules and mechanics of the game are quite simple but there is plenty of strategic choices to be made despite a small element of luck involving which cards become available to bid for each turn. There are chaneces to gain both hidden and visible scoring bonuses, plus the scoring changes for each turn all of which amounts to a game that can be revisited which each game feeling different. Good fun and quick to play. Jason:83, Caz:62, Chris:59 and Paul:55

So here are a few pictures from our first evening in the new shop:

(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ZA94urmVFC4/UYtHtAX0paI/AAAAAAAAH1g/ZkPmFHAXMrU/w369-h276-p-o/20130508_195729.jpg) (https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Xz1s7DbBT9M/UYtHtL5V3rI/AAAAAAAAH1g/h59ga4Y7mXw/w369-h276-p-o/20130508_195734.jpg) (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VRkqh4938zs/UYtHtJ5LZzI/AAAAAAAAH1g/vZXsQTbICl0/w369-h276-p-o/20130508_195741.jpg) (https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-gxjziD2Jb54/UYtHtO_YqZI/AAAAAAAAH1g/OVO-c8zbHfM/w369-h276-p-o/20130508_195751.jpg) (https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-3XnAvBrOUJI/UYtHtCxYKLI/AAAAAAAAH1c/glqgxcPWipY/w369-h276-p-o/20130508_195754.jpg) (https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-8-b8XZ4a27A/UYtHtKnxIGI/AAAAAAAAH1c/mUCXszZSpRk/w369-h276-p-o/20130508_201710.jpg) (https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-VrmIkECWgec/UYtHtOYmt1I/AAAAAAAAH1g/KKeSqH_ujNc/w369-h276-p-o/20130508_201717.jpg)

was in the shop earlier & heard the reports 22 people & you could still move - much better than the old shop where that number meant it was rammed to the gunnel's

Have to pop down on a non roleplaying week & have a go myself.


 >:DGinger

I don't know whether the new shop actually *is* any bigger than the old one, but it *feels* bigger - more open, more airy.  But there was barely enough space on one of the collapsible tables for Terra Mystica.  I'm going to try and beat the rush tomorrow night and bag a larger table for this week :).  Definitely looking forward to playing it again. 

If I was not otherwise engaged doing the work I should have done today I would join you Terra Mystica does rather sound my type of game....


 >:DGinger

15th May 2013

So the 2nd week gaming at the shop proved to be just as good as the first, another good turn out of people with a great variety of games being played as you will see from the photos. I will try and arm twist the other Wed night regulars to actually post some reports of what they play here but I fear you will have to rely on my infrequent posts for updates.

(http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/image/comgames/7496.jpg)	I started the evening off with a 2 player game of Race to Adventure (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=7496) a quick filler game running at approx 30mins or so that handles 2-5 players. The artwork and components are of excellent quality and it is a really enjoyable game, which when played with a good number, can be quite tense as people compete for various actions to complete the missions on at the various world locations in order to collect stamps. The stamps , once you have collected them all, allow you to win the game should you be the first back to the Century club. The game is quite simple but there are tactics and plans to be made in order to make best use of your turn. The cards that form the world locations are dealt randomly to form a 3x3 grid, this makes for a different challenge each game with the addition that there is a Shadow side of each location as well as the century club. This should provide numerous combinations to keep the game fresh and interesting. Great design as I always enjoy playing this, though with 2 players the tension is somewhat lost as you can pretty much get the action you want as well as move (as you always get a move one as part of the 2-player variant). I would recommend a min of 3 or more to play this. Myself and Chris played this, with me winning but only I think based on the fact I had played before.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-sz7e1iRwrQyvCeqEVK1sGZYbiAGB_EXREyEIt1KOFA=w271-h203-p-no)	Well for me tonight I tried out the latest Bodger based outing from Privateer Press - BodgerMania (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=7492) this is a card game with a theme based around a wrestling match. This is played over 4 rounds with each round comprising 3 fights culminating in Title fight. Each fight fight involves a draft where players are dealt a hand of cards from which they keep one face down and play another face up next to one round of the fight in order to bid for which suit of cards will be the trump for that round. This continues until each player is left with a hand of 4 cards, then the trump cards are determined for each round by the most of a particular suit being there or in case of a tie the most valuable, if there is still a tie there is no trump for that round. Players then look at their cards and select a card to be played at each fight. Each fight has a different criteria on how the cards score, for some its the highest number, for others it is the lowest and some make the high cards worth 0 making the middle numbers the best. The trump suit will win over the others making the outcomes tricky to predict but fun. The winner of each fight is awarded prizes which can be used later in the Main Event to help sway the outcome of certain fights and gains the refs favour card. In each round the player with the refs favour card will determine the outcome of any ties. In the main event there is no refs favour so any tied 'bouts everyone gets to share, the winner of the most rounds in the main event is the winner. This is a quick fire game that plays quite quickly and is suited as a filler between games or a start or finish game of a session. There is not a lot of depth here and for me this is not my favourite of the Bodger series but is none the less a solid game which is fun to play. Myself, Phil and Caz played this with Phil using his vast gaming experience to basically trounce us to the WIN.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Qv30h6Ra3x5tgDBv35eF3D8TFU8k_U0yeukj3ADHSvU=w271-h203-p-no)	To finish the evening we played a game of Medieval Mastery (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=6111) which was the final production version of the game which had the upgraded components. I own the original hand produced version which was well made and good quality but this has definitely upped the bar, the new coloured artwork is top notch, the card art has also seen a similar improved workover and all in all the game just looks so much better. The fact I bought a copy of the newer version, to me, shows just how well this game is designed and plays. On a players turn they add 3 additional Knights to their Castle then they can make one advance, Knights can move out from the Castle through areas controlled by you own Knights into either empty areas or into an area controlled by another Player. If the area is empty those Knights take control and earn the player points (1-3), the first player to 13 points wins. Various tiles have special effects or conditions that need to be taken into consideration, but in general each hex can only have upto 6 Knights of that player. Battles are handled by cards each player choosing a Conflict Card (Valued 1-5), if they have one otherwise they are assumed to be playing a 0 value card, playing it face down. The conflict card value is added to the number of knights they have, support cards can also be played at this point which add to the total, the highest wins and the loser loses the difference in numbers from their Knights, the remainder fleeing back to their Castle. On a draw the attacking player loses 1 Knight, players can also use their Artifacts if appropriate, there are also cards that shatter these making them unavailable until the end of that players next turn. As cards are used you do not draw any replacements, the only time you make your hand back up to 5 is when you enter Combat, thereby encouraging players to encroach on occupied areas both to decrease players points but to gain those much needed cards. This is a brief overview, there is much more details to the tiles and cards. Myself, Phil and Caz played this with me managing to sneak a win as the others fighting amongst themselves failed to see my land grabbing ;) Luckily the universe did not collapse as I won one of my own games.

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-f8WXEsFJtd7Q9d-GbzEBt1JyxeEXzvFKgtq-lextpc=w271-h203-p-no) (https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/YcfNm9ttsxeoFVFQmAaKYSFwY7beNPfQ4mzbdbVJ0kU=w271-h203-p-no) (https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/jzvY7fKSjFulGNp9C4CnbsoXO_J8TimKu6Zv_2JBAow=w271-h203-p-no) (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QYbBmIuewfw-_nIQfW7TuDvbmxMwy_jEVmoeqNqTcOA=w271-h203-p-no) (https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/EPjjEKJYYlyAjQdd0gktcwGrjm4_BL83Gyq7FsvkJks=w271-h203-p-no) (https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/iXbUYPOEDv1LTZAJn2qmiFnEwZFz-NF8rhtYEkA8H_k=w271-h203-p-no)

Wonderful stuff..

I need to drop in to a wednesday but I cant do it & role-play the following night & this coming week I had promised myself a trip to Derby to harass the poor folks at the Bean Caffe. I do wish I could afford to employ some one so I did not have to do all the work.

 >:DGinger

Hey everyone, just needed to find out if there will be another Wednesday game night this week?

I turned up the first time on the 29th, and got involved with the World of Darkness Rpg that was being setup. I was looking forward to playing the character I made this week, but noticed that the event is not posted beyond the 29th. Is it running or did i just catching the end of it?

MN.

The Wednesday games have been running on a weekly basis for more than five years. maybe six or seven?
We tend not to post them as events here. The WoD game will be starting properly next week, (as it's alternating with another game).

Second that point & the only reason nothings bee posted here is that Zarni is off taking out his frustrations on several primitive life forms in an other galaxy...

I am so Jealous....


 >:DGinger

That's great  ;D thanks.

taking frustration out on primitive in another galaxy! don't we all wish we were doing that.

MN. 

 Because of mountaingoatninja's post is exactly the reason for a similar amount of time I have been asking you guys to post details of games. I know you organise at the table,  facepalm, sms, smoke signals etc but if we get new people interested in what's going on it looks like nothing.  So a post or event link here would help new people know what is going on and whether they can join in.  As I have said before real life gets in the way of groups so having new people join helps keep groups active and dynamic.  But hey who am I to interfere, I should be enjoying the sun ;-)

The group has been running at or above capacity for 90% of the last five years Zarni, and runs on an almost no-exceptions weekly basis. We have pretty regular injections of new wednesday players, too, simply from random chance and people being pointed our way. (To some degree hence the groups usually quite large size).

Thursdays are one thing, with the room and possibility of splitting off into further groups as necessary, but there just isn't any need that I see spend the time adding the wednesday RP to every week of the year, especially when the vast majority of the players, past and present, simply don't and/or won't visit the boards. Write-ups might happen, especially for my WoD campaign however, because it's looking like we could have some very interesting stuff going on.

I'm too lazy/disorganised to post session reports here.  I could say that it's too much like hard work - but the real answer is by the time I've found some space in the day to write anything, I've forgotten all of the details.

But the group has existed in one form or another since (to my knowledge at least) the mid-90s, without needing me to post anything bar the odd mention on BGG (or rec.games.board.uk back in the day).

The issue is role playing groups which first require mostly the same folks to turn up regularly & in my experience seem to be more volatile than board gaming or wargaming groups & harder to do pick up type games.

 >:DGinger

Last night it was a three-handed game of Pax Piorfiriana, involving Luke, Roy and myself.  We'd all played at least twice before, so the time spent referring to the rule book was still too much but at least the game flowed.  I missed a sure win when the first topple card went past, but nailed it on the second one.  It's an interesting tableau building game, but it's quite long and potentially a bit random - more of an experience game than a deep strategic/tactical one.

Then we moved on to Glory to Dinosaurs - sorry, Uchronia - to round the evening off.  It was a close game between Roy and myself, after Luke stalled with a bad start.  Roy won, in a round on which I was going to cross the finish line too. After playing Glory to Rome at the Talbot last week, my opinion that Uchronia is the better game is reaffirmed.

There might have been a third game, but I've already forgotten it.  See what I mean about forgetfulness?

24th July 2013

(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/3eLY1c3C9PMh026_2bWmBPBaJe-TABjxE9cPVYEHrHQ=w252-h188-p-no)

Started the evening off with a game of Undermining (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=5911) which we have not played in quite a while but is always a firm favourite when we do. The game plays quite quickly, even with more players, and tonight we played using the more complicated side of the game board. The game whilst simple to play has a lot of room for strategic play and differing routes to scoring. Final Scores on this one were : Caz:32, Paul:31 and Carl:27

(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/OH-MWe-UDplhVSspVKmlv8xamviHOcGOAhdiYjqt2wY=w252-h188-p-no)

We then went on to play Kingdom Builder (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=5926) which is another fantastic game which has seen a LOT of table time since I bought it. This has to rank as one of my all time favourite games and is always enjoyable to play. I have the Nomads (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=6056) expansion which is mixed in permanently wi the main game now, as I see no reason not, as it adds some nice new options without complicating the game any. Final Scores for this were: Caz:53, Phil:52, Carl:49 and Paul:42

Another week goes by and the Universe is safe as I managed to not win any of my games .......  +:beer=+::beer:  +:drunk_smile=+::drunk_smile:

31st July 2013

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/xZYzN3YZGsiTDoKP-HN3TTGfIhlYWFaDPRge8l_2chg=w253-h188-p-no)

Finally got one of my new games to the table this week in the shape of Kings of Air and Steam (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=7577). This was a Kickstarter (http://www.kickstarter.com) game but is now in general distribution, the quality starts with the box itself which has great artwork and feels well made. The components are also of high quality and the artwork throughout is of a high standard. The rules are split into a basic game, there to teach you the core mechanics, and a more advanced game which adds to the basic game to enhance the gameplay. The player boards are two-sided to reflect these differing versions and for tonight's game we played the basic game in order to get a feel of how this plays. I really enjoyed this and it has a lot of potential especially with the ability to factor in the more advanced gameplay. The board itself is modular, made up of various large hexes, the number laid out depends on the number of players. The game can play with up to 7, though I suspect the sweet spot will be around 3-5. The basic idea is that players use their Airships to pick up and drop goods to their depots from which they use trains to then transport the goods to Cities demanding these. During the game you get the option to upgrade your Airship, which allows for using better cards and carrying more goods, or to upgrade your train, which allowsyou to transport goods over more stops. Money is used to upgrade and money is obtained by shipping good, the value of which is determined by the market which is updated every turn. Great fun and even though this is not a short game, as it was the only game we played that evening, there is little downtime so it does not feel like it drags. There is plenty of player interaction as you have to pre-plan your moves for the whole turn, meaning that sometimes you have to alter you actions as another player beats you to your destination. Excellent game and will certainly see more table time in the future.

other games being played that evening:

(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/VjDPK3Ea5EwPV9RVBCxXQOO4VYnBddQiHPZB4WEiEgc=w252-h188-p-no) (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/BanBnVxKxQmW8kkhFL_NFRmu3CCXlfPCZlIT5Xrroo4=w252-h188-p-no) (https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Q7RkXXVcaVX1OyaCsIpsImc7bnQjquFppisd3itzaLA=w253-h188-p-no)
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/1ZYUUcHEiPNnyxuJ5tQ_lG5XlbTW4p7PbsgVHB8vv3M=w252-h188-p-no)  (https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/LEJI3b1KM5jQPYctub41O5xS5vrDhVBO1pXEu-HHGyc=w252-h188-p-no)  (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/F7EcnCtGJVKNRaY1ij7C3TiIaMje-7HMfq4DzF9NCv4=w252-h188-p-no)

We have been very busy with our shop move which has meant our write-ups for Wednesday night gaming have fallen by the wayside, but hopefully we are past the worst of it now. Although the write-ups haven't happened the gaming certainly has (even though Phil and I have sometimes had to miss out due to too much work - shock, horror!), our regular group have been playing Legendary: Marvel Deck Building Game (http://spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2%E2%8A%82=4&game=7441), Spartacus (http://spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2%E2%8A%82=4&game=7139) with the new expansion The Serpents and Wolf Expansion Set (http://spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2%E2%8A%82=4&game=7558), Seasons (http://spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2%E2%8A%82=4&game=6998), Suburbia (http://spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2%E2%8A%82=4&game=7134), Terra Mystica (http://spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2%E2%8A%82=4&game=7479), Uchronia (http://spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2%E2%8A%82=4&game=7224), and Pax Piorfiriana (http://spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2%E2%8A%82=4&game=7122), to name but a few.
Last night (17th July) one table were playing Innovation (http://spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2%E2%8A%82=4&game=5914), with the new Echoes expansion (http://spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2%E2%8A%82=4&game=7603) . I'm not sure what else was played as I was so engrossed in the game of Belfort (http://spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2%E2%8A%82=4&game=5872), we were playing.

It is a fairly long game, it only consists of 7 rounds but there is so much to try and do in that time and you can never fit everything in.

The guilds available to visit change from game to game so strategies have to be altered to suit every time you play, you can never afford more workers and get all the supplies you need, someone will always go on the space(s) you needed for your strategy, the taxman looms at the end of every round, if you cannot pay you lose victory points, and you're always having to watch where other players place their buildings so that you're not pushed out of the points in the scoring rounds.

All in all a very closely fought game with me beating Richard in the tie break by one piece of wood, and Phil, Paul and Carole following on behind.

Sally.

Well this week we had a new chap, Simon, who brought down one of our old favourites - History of the World (http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/224/history-of-the-world) - that we haven't played in ages. It was the Avalon Hill edition whereas ours is the original tea towel board version, but the rules are similar enough that it was easy to get stuck straight in. I've always liked the mechanics of the game, and being able to give away the card with an empire you don't want, whether it is too weak, or too late in the round is a nice touch. The game was fairly evenly balanced until I got the dream combination (which doesn't usually happen) of Romans with a leader, followed by going first in the next round which meant no one being able to whittle away any of the troops from the previous round. Unfortunately (though not for me) Simon had to leave after the 5th epoch so we had to finish the game before the others were able to gang up on me and catch up, so the final scores were:
Sally 130, Richard 102, Phil 97 and Simon 96.

The next game we played was Guildhall (http://spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2%E2%8A%82=4&game=7295). A neat card game where you are trying to collect sets of cards in one each of five different colours and cash them in for victory points. On your turn you have two actions where you can play cards and/or cash in unwanted cards and replenish your hand. There are lots of options, the different cards played will allow you to take extra actions and pick up extra cards, collect victory points, trade cards from your guild with another players guild, pick cards from the discard pile, assassinate an opponent's guild member(s), or add extra cards to your guild. Once played these cards can then be added to your guild if there is not already one of that colour and type in there. Playing the right combinations to make the most of the cards you have is the key, but it is remarkably easy to get the hang of, and Richard, being a sharp minded player new to the game looked as if he had it in the bag before Phil snatched an unexpected last minute victory, with me trailing in last. My last place were just deserts for the previous game.

Other games played included Settlers with the new Pirate expansion (http://spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2%E2%8A%82=4&game=7489), and Kemet (http://spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2%E2%8A%82=4&game=7431), both of which we would also have loved to join in with. So many games, so little time.

Sally.

Wow, I really have had a long break from session reports, a lot of things taking up my time lately, poor excuse I know, but the fact that no-one else from the group has bothered either saddens me slightly. Still here goes a rapid catchup to hopefully try and keep on top for future weeks:

August (7th, 14th, 21st and 28th)
Forbidden Desert (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=7533) A follow up to Forbidden Island (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=5071) this time with a bit more going on within the game. I really liked this and I certainly prefer it to the previous game as I felt that a little too light. This one is still light but there is a lot more going on and does provide a focus for the players to be running around the desert in the form of collecting parts to restore an ancient flying machine to escape death. Everything works well together and does provide tension and encourage team work to escape your collective fates. Great game, would definitely play again and the components are of excellent quality. Paul, Caz, Carl and Frog who all perished in the desert having failed.

We got to try out the new Catan: Explorers and Pirates expansion (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=7489) for Settlers of Catan (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=3641) which was very good, adds a lot of new twists to the basic game and has several scenarios that build in lots of different new mechanics. Really enjoyed the opening scenario that introduces the some of the basic new elements, later scenarios add in some more detailed options. Look forward to trying out more of these, in fact I liked it so much I bought a new copy of settlers just to play this with. Paul:8, Caz:7, Carl:7 and Frog:7

Guildhall (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=7295) a nice fun card game where you try to complete sets to use to then buy VP cards. By playing cards in front of you that you have in your guilds (sets) they can provide additional actions or benefits on your turn. There are also ways to interact, read scupper ;), your fellow players in your pursuit of the win. The artwork is pretty good and the games is fun to play and has seen a fair amount of table time on the Wed nights. Whilst I will certainly play this if asked, its not one I have a huge desire to buy for myself, that said it is a very pleasant game and will appeal to a lot of gamers. Caz:20, Andy:18, Phil:17 and Paul:15

Medieval Mastery (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=6111) I really enjoy this game, it is simple and elegant in how it plays and works. I have bought one of the hand made first run editions as well as the final production copy, both of which were well made. It is a great game that I really should get to the table more often, though that can easily be said about a lot of my games :). For the price it is a no-brainer and should be part of any ones collection. Philsy beat Caz, Paul, Andy and Phil

Kings of Air and Steam (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=7577) Great fun and even though this is not a short game, as it was the only game we played that evening, there is little downtime so it does not feel like it drags. There is plenty of player interaction as you have to pre-plan your moves for the whole turn, meaning that sometimes you have to alter you actions as another player beats you to your destination. Excellent game and will certainly see more table time in the future. Philsy:158, Caz:139, Martin:130, Phil:102 and Paul:84

Infinite City (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=4873) A firm favourite with the Wed night group, this simple elegant game plays quickly and is a dream to teach. There is such a variety of tiles, each of which provides different actions to take, that no two games are ever the same. Really great fun and worthy of a place in your collection.  Chris:19, Caz:18 and Paul:14

Drum Roll (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=5892) This has been in my collection for a while but I just do not get it to the table enough, which is a shame as this is a cracking little game. This is not a short game, which I really need to remind myself as I keep starting this late on a Wed and getting home late :(. Despite its length is does not really outstay its welcome as the turns move along at an even pace, and by the 2nd & 3rd shows people are really getting the hang of things. Players are building up their Circus to tour various cities to entertain and earn prestige. Players compete to hire the various acts on offer, whilst trying to obtain the kinds of kinds of acts the places they are about to visit really want to see. In addition players can hire personnel to assist them as well as invest to improve their Circus. Before each show players place discs on the actions they want to take to prepare for each show, hire/invest/sell tickets/obtain resources, Paul:50, Chris:49, Phil:48 and Caz:30

September (4th, 11th, 18th and 25th)
Kingsburg (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=3700) A really solid game that is a lot of fun to play, not had this on the table for a while so it was good to get another game of this in. Mixed in the new building sheets and the random replacement strips from the Kingsburg: To Forge a Realm (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=4445) expansion. Richard:42, Caz:39, jack:35 and Paul 30

8 Min Empire (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=7713)A really neat little area control game that is quick to play (though longer than 8m  ;D ) and easy to learn.  Paul:12, Richard:11, Neil:10 and Caz:6

Race to Adventure (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=7496) I am still really enjoying playing this, it's a great filler game that plays quickly and is easy to pick up. There is lots of variety as the layout is different every game and with the cheap Dinocalypse and the Hollow Earth expansion (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=7649) there is even more locations to explore!. Richard beat Paul, Philsy and Neil

Stone Age (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=3874) Lovely game I am always prepared to play, though I must get round to trying the expansion.  Caz:167, Phil:139, Paul:127 and Colin 124

Franks Zoo (http://) A really fun little game that is sadly put of print, but it has proved popular over the years with the Wed night group as a quick filler game. Caz:12, Paul:10, Phil:6 and Sally:2

Alien Frontiers (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=5623) or Dicey Spacey Game as it has been nicknamed by the Wed group (In Particular Roy coined it). Fun game that is so well crafted it is a joy to play and whilst it involves rolling dice there are some nice mechanics and options to mitigate most of the luck. There are several upgrades/expansions and the 4th edition has just been kickstarted, well worth a play. Jack:9, Paul:7, Caz:7, Andy:5 and Richard:5

7 Wonders (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=5351) a firm classic with our gaming group and is one of those games that copes well with small or large groups of players without having a detrimental effect on the playing time or overall enjoyment of the game. There are a lot of cards in this game of differing types (Colours) providing resources, scoring, money, military strength etc. etc. all of which you have to decide what to play or deny your neighbour so there is a lot to consider. I really like this game as the quality of the cards and pieces is very good as is the gameplay to go with them. It plays quite quickly and with the Wonders having two sides there is a lot of options to keep the game fresh. Caz:66, Richard:53, Paul:42 and Andy:37

October (2nd, 9th and 16th)
Keyflower (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=7364) I am really enjoying playing this and have racked up 3 plays so far, I do not own a copy myself but as two of the regular group do I can get my fix easy enough. Great game that plays really, though it always plays slightly longer than you think. That said the turns rattle along at a decent pace, once you get a hang of things, and each game plays so differently it is always a new experience. Philsy:66, Chris:58 and Paul:37

The Witches: A Discworld Game (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=7747) This is simpler than Ankh-Morpork but it quick to teach and a lot of fun to play. You play an apprentice witch trying to resolve problems all over the land of Lancre, some more difficult than others. The artwork on the board and cards is superb with the cards performing multiple roles within the game. Good gateway game but with enough there, especially with some variants to make life harder, to keep gamers interested. Philsy:22 and Paul:17

Keyflower (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=7364) My third game of this, the second having been played at Mini-B&P Phil:65, Philsy:41 and Paul:36

The Next Pathfinder adventure booster is out need I say more.

 >:DGinger

I think you do...Deets?  ;D

How have you found pathfinder as a card game? Does much roleplaying occur when you played it, or is everyone more goal focused? What is in the expansion?

Not played the expansion yet as we still have the last adventure of the basic set to succeed at for the second time through. As for the game I will be posting a review in the morning but it allows as much or as little role playing as you want & it I find no more goal orientated than any role playing game game thought you do start the game knowing what you need to do but how you do it is very variable which makes the game so re playable.

The expansion is the next five adventures in the story ark with the appropriate gear monsters and other stuff needed to run them.

 >:DGinger

23rd October 2013
Tonight we played a game of  Phantom League (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=5488) with the Mostly Harmless (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=6015) expansion, although there is now a Phantom League/(Mostly) Harmless combo (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=7807) for those that do not own it already ;)

This has always been billed to me as Elite the boardgame so I have been intrigued for sometime to have a go at this to see if it lives up to this reputation. I finally got in on a game this week, though I was rather knackered after a solid week of walking as my Mum had been up for a visit. I said up front I was not sure I could last the whole game but wanted to sit in on a few rounds to get the idea, as it turns out I kept playing and I was glad I did. I enjoyed this a lot, it did have the feel of the computer game condensed into well designed board game mechanics. My only criticism is with the combat system, it did not feel particularly intuitive and seems far too long and leaves too much downtime for the other players. I am not sure what can be done to "fix" this, and by the sounds of it the game designers have been wrestling with this aspect for a while as well.

I would play this again but it's not one I would want to buy as I feel it plays too long for the enjoyment you get out of it. Maybe with more streamlined combat it might flow better, it certainly appears like it would play faster with people who have played before.

30th Oct 2013
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/bXRmUc-8EvWB7M201tMKS7bYGJuKq1Ki7FJnYLnN68g=w271-h203-p-no)
This week we played Endeavor (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=4646) which is an old favourite and I was glad to get the chance to play this again.

The main board represents areas of the world, rather than just a map they have gone for a more stylised representation which works really well with the theme. Showing trade routes, and cities as well as shipping tracks.

The aim of the game is to build your empire improving in various aspects of Culture, Finance, Industry & Political. These build towards your Glory points at the end of the game with the winner being the one with the most Glory at the end.

Played over seven rounds, marked cleverly by the fact the players have to build a building each round. These buildings can provide improvements to the four aspects mentioned above, or actions you can use later in the round. Your level of culture determines how much population growth you have and these are used to activate buildings and explore the world.

Players start in Europe & The Mediterranean and through their actions spread out to other areas of the world. As players occupy and ship they collect Trade tokens, completing trade routes also wins a player trade tokens. These tokens increase your Culture, Finance, Politics and Industry tracks which then give you various benefits during the game and provide Glory Points for the final scoring. Also amongst the Trade Tokens are blue tokens which can be discarded to take additional actions.

Each region has a stack of cards which provide a variety of rewards, the top card of most of the Decks is a Governor card which is gained by having the most pieces on the shipping track for that region when it is completed. Once a shipping track is complete the regions is OPEN meaning players can occupy cities, or draw cards as long as they have enough pieces in the area to match the cost of the card. These cards again, like the trade tokens increase your Culture, Finance, Politics and Industry tracks.

In the starting area you have two stacks, one of which is a slavery deck, this rewards the players in the normal way buthas a down side. If the players ever have to discard a slavery card it is kept face down as it counts as negative glory for final scoring. Also the other desk has an abolition of slavery card which when taken means all players with slavery cards have to discard them. This can be quite a useful tactic as not only will those players have glory taken away but when they lose the cards they also have to lose the track rewards they received as well.

This is a really good game, not overly complex but does require careful observation of other players actions as they will have an impact on what you will do on your turn. As this is only played over seven rounds you find the action ramps up in the final rounds as players have amassed extra actions and population.

Philsy:56, Bamber:45, Paul:43, Carl:39 and Chris:35

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/9QF6NoQQLWzfFgmlO36EBSFA4eT29cXr2pnAmYrLyQw=w271-h203-p-no)
We ended the evening with a game of Room 25 (http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2&sub=4&game=7413) with Myself, Philsy, Phil, Sally, Richard and Neil meaning we had a full compliment of 6 players. This is really a lovely fun game where you need to play it with the Traitor element to get the best out of it, in this game we had 2 Guards and 4 Prisoners with no-one knowing at the start who was who. The idea is for the prisoners to locate and move Room-25 out of the complex with them all in it, the guards have to stop this before the time runs out and/or kill two prisoners. There are various hidden dangers in the rooms and players have to figure out who to trust as they try and complete their hidden goals. As one of the guards I eventually killed Sallys character and revealed myself as one of the guards, this allowed me more choice in actions but sadly at this point I was so far away from the rest I could not catch them in time. The other guard, it turned out, was Neil who did a good job of scuppering the escape plans. In the end the guards won by the fact the prisoners ran out of time before they could all get onto room-25. All in all a really fun game that I will have to take down more often.

Wednesday Night Gamers 6/13th Nov 2013

For the last couple of weeks we have Mice and Mystics (http://spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2%E2%8A%82=4&game=7168). Starting with the first scenario, we got through the Guard Room OK and got into the Sewers where we were nearly swept away, but got out in the nick of time. Then having cleared the Dinning Hall Tunnels we decided to take on the challenge of the Dining Hall, having first picked up some catnip in case we met Brodie the cat. It was an interesting challenge having the roaches eating all our cheese so that we couldn't use our abilities, and trying attract the attention of Miz Maggie so that she stopped swatting us and gave us our achievement token, but eventually we made it to the Courtyard and managed to escape the castle intact.
The next week we played the second scenario. We only had 3 players this week, but as one characters was Lily who was caught in a trap and didn't count as one of the party until rescued, we just took turns in play the Lily character.

Having to start in the courtyard and face the crow at the start of the game didn't go well with one of our party getting an immediate hit. Then on to the Dinning Hall Tunnels, then we went to the Dinning Hall to collect the Dinner Fork that we would need to rescue Lily as we didn't have a tinkerer character in the party. As the cheese wheel was nearly full we decided not to hang around and try to get the Special Search: Whiskerfroth Elixir, big mistake!

Lily had spent most of the game firing her bow and rolling everything but bows managing to kill all of 2 roaches by the time we reached her. When rolling for defence she kept rolling bows! When we made it into the Crystal Caves she didn't fare any better and although we managed to kill the Skitter-Clak it had already done enough damage to us and we were all wiped out by the remaining Rat Warriors.

To finish off the evening we played Walk the Plank (http://spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2%E2%8A%82=4&game=7939). A fun little filler where you are trying to be the last 2 pirates not to Walk the Plank. You shove or charge other players off the end on the plank, retract it from under them, or try and save yourself.

Other games played were Trains (http://spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2%E2%8A%82=4&game=7705) and Dungeon Raiders (http://spiritgames.co.uk/single.php?menu=2%E2%8A%82=4&game=7901).