Spirit Games Wednesday Night - 2013

[Snakes in the Tiki Lounge]

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.

[RichardD]

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).

[EvilGinger]

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.

 Ginger

[RichardD]

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?

[Zarniwoop]

22nd May 2013

Tonight was pretty much just a game of Terra Mystica A slightly more complicated game than most and whilst some of us had played before, Guy was new so the explanation was necessarily longer.  Players are controlling races trying to build cities as well as building up status in various cults, each race has its own unique abilities and bonuses. Each player has their own board which controls all aspects of their game which is quite neat. Each round their is a specific goal which will earn you bonus VP`s, each race has to build on certain terrain so the first order of business is to terraform the landscape in order to build your city. I really enjoyed this, it is not a short game but the time passes by without you really noticing as you concentrate on your plans. There is plenty of player interaction, some of which involve actually helping other players to score whilst furthering your own efforts. It is not an easy game to summarise but it is great fun and a challenge to play and I look forward to trying this again with a different race. Richard:130, Guy:103, Luke:85 and Paul:65

12th June 2013

Tonight I was playing a game of Suburbia with Neil, it is sort of a sim city board game. Players are attempting to build their own district to encourage income and population. A tile laying game where what you place can influence both yourself and other players as each type of building hex has different effects as it is placed, as well as potentially triggering already placed hexes. A nice game with some interesting artwork and gameplay but I did feel it was maybe over-long to fully enjoy. That said, with more players I can see this getting a bit more interesting though not sure how this would effect the length of play. Would probably try this again but definitely with more players to get a feel for what this could play like. Paul:135 and Neil:123 (who owned the game so did the honourable thing and lost especially after helping me a bit!!)

[Zarniwoop]

24th July 2013

Started the evening off with a game of Undermining 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

We then went on to play Kingdom Builder 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 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 .......   

[Zarniwoop]

31st July 2013

Finally got one of my new games to the table this week in the shape of Kings of Air and Steam. This was a Kickstarter 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:


   

[Spirit Games]

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, Spartacus with the new expansion The Serpents and Wolf Expansion Set, Seasons, Suburbia, Terra Mystica, Uchronia, and Pax Piorfiriana, to name but a few.
Last night (17th July) one table were playing Innovation, with the new Echoes expansion . I'm not sure what else was played as I was so engrossed in the game of Belfort, 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.

[Spirit Games]

Well this week we had a new chap, Simon, who brought down one of our old favourites - 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. 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, and Kemet, both of which we would also have loved to join in with. So many games, so little time.

Sally.

[Zarniwoop]

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 A follow up to Forbidden Island 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 for Settlers of Catan 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 expansion. Richard:42, Caz:39, jack:35 and Paul 30

8 Min EmpireA really neat little area control game that is quick to play (though longer than 8m  ) and easy to learn.  Paul:12, Richard:11, Neil:10 and Caz:6

Race to Adventure 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 there is even more locations to explore!. Richard beat Paul, Philsy and Neil

Stone Age 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 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 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 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 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 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 My third game of this, the second having been played at Mini-B&P Phil:65, Philsy:41 and Paul:36

[EvilGinger]

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

 Ginger

[Dat]

I think you do...Deets? 

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?

[EvilGinger]

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.

 Ginger

[Zarniwoop]

23rd October 2013
Tonight we played a game of  Phantom League with the Mostly Harmless expansion, although there is now a Phantom League/(Mostly) Harmless combo 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.

[Zarniwoop]

30th Oct 2013

This week we played Endeavor 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


We ended the evening with a game of Room 25 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.