Monday night is Games Night! Jack, Greg, Andy and I began the evening with a quick game of Guillotine. Andy got off to a roaring start on the first day and could not be caught. Final scores: Andy 24, Jack 19, Greg 18, Paul 14. We like this game; it is quick, fun and simple.
Vin then arrived and joined us in a game of Puerto Rico (Lisa was tempted to join in but decided to do the work she had brought home instead). This felt like a quick game and the final scores were fairly close: Greg 35, Paul & Jack 30, Vin 25 and Andy 23. Of note..... Vin ABANDONED his coffee-buying approach!
We rounded off the evening with a quick game of Diamant. Lisa joined us for this and much hilarity ensued. Fianl scores: Vin 28 (most of which he acquired in the first mine), Lisa 14, Paul 11 (he had no precious stones until the fourth mine), Jack 9, Greg 8 and Andy 5.
Also of note....Andy won a game...he assured us this is a rare event and so is worthy of note.
Sadly, this was our last Monday night until 2007 due to the forthcoming festivities etc. Merry Christmas everyone!
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Friday, December 08, 2006
Monday 4th December 2006
Lisa and I were joined by Jack (who brought games), Spencer, Andy and Greg for the ritual that is Monday Night. First up was Ticket To Ride. I had played this once before and I thought Lisa may enjoy it. She certainly did. Spencer, who arrived a little late, teamed up with her. It was a good game, although the board seemed to fill up quite quickly. Lisa got off to an early, and ultimately unassailable, lead. I rallied towards the end coming from last place to erm... second to last.... courtesy of several tickets I managed to complete. Lisa really enjoyed it she said!
Final scores:
Lisa 102, Andy 84, Jack 84, Paul 80, Greg 69.
Next up waas the classic Settlers of Catan, played with the 5-6 Player Expansion Set. Again, Lisa had not played this before. The game lasted for two and a half hours due mainly to rule changes within the expansion and the scarcity of grain and clay throughout the game. I still think this is an excellent game, although I'm more mixed about the expansion.
We had fun making silly comments ("I've got wood for sheep!") and realising that with a bit of letter re-arranging the game could be called 'Cettlers of Satan' (read Kettlers!) which made us chuckle!
Despite getting off to an appalling start and looking out of it for most of the game I finally managed to sneak ahead at the end of the game thus bringing it to a close.
Final scores:
Paul 10, Spencer 8, Greg 7 (with the most armies EVER!), Jack 7, Andy 6 and Lisa 4.
Lisa has not said much about this game except that she preferred Power Grid and Puerto Rico. She later conceded that it might be more fun with less players and hence no expansion. We shall have to see....
Final scores:
Lisa 102, Andy 84, Jack 84, Paul 80, Greg 69.
Next up waas the classic Settlers of Catan, played with the 5-6 Player Expansion Set. Again, Lisa had not played this before. The game lasted for two and a half hours due mainly to rule changes within the expansion and the scarcity of grain and clay throughout the game. I still think this is an excellent game, although I'm more mixed about the expansion.
We had fun making silly comments ("I've got wood for sheep!") and realising that with a bit of letter re-arranging the game could be called 'Cettlers of Satan' (read Kettlers!) which made us chuckle!
Despite getting off to an appalling start and looking out of it for most of the game I finally managed to sneak ahead at the end of the game thus bringing it to a close.
Final scores:
Paul 10, Spencer 8, Greg 7 (with the most armies EVER!), Jack 7, Andy 6 and Lisa 4.
Lisa has not said much about this game except that she preferred Power Grid and Puerto Rico. She later conceded that it might be more fun with less players and hence no expansion. We shall have to see....
Sunday 3rd December 2006
As Ellie enjoyed a Sunday afternoon snooze, Lisa and I enjoyed a game of Carcassonne - The Castle. It was a close game throughout, with no one establishing a clear lead. It came down to the final scoring to see that Paul had won with 89 points to Lisa's 81. It was a good game and we both enjoyed it, although Lisa was a little annoyed not to have used her tokens more effectively.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Thursday 30th November 2006
Lisa and I decided to try the two-player variant of Border Reivers. This was the first time Lisa had played and the first time I had played with only two. We both admired the quality of the pieces and the general production. Lisa felt that at times the rules were not as clear as they could be. She thought that the game was hard to get into for someone who does not have a history of board/wargames (apart from playing Risk once...an expereince she is keen not to repeat!). This was her enduring criticism of the game, particularly the combat system which she could not make sense of (although I think I found a way to explain it afterwards).
In the end I won with 46 gold to Lisa's 38. We are a little concerned that we were not playing it correctly. We both realised that we could easily sit and build our settled empires without fighting each other and see who was the first to get 40 gold. There appeared to be no incentive to attack each other (definately not the case with 3 or 4 players).
Interestingly we both chose the Market, Training Camp and Guildhouses cards to improve the chances of increasing armies and revenue. I later chose a Reiving Party card which I used twice to annoy Lisa and keep down her income from taxation. I also got hold of the Mine which was worth doing. There was only one battle (apart from the Reiving Party) which I won by using Siege Engines to reduce Lisa's Castle to a Fortress and having twice as many armies. I then went on to destroy her city just soon enough to stop her winning by gaining more gold.
Although we enjoyed playing the game together it felt a little unsatisfactory. Lisa could have won really quickly had she not bothered defending an area which I did later attack. Had she used the armies committed to this to create cities she would have taxed her way to victory much sooner.
We will try it again soon and Lisa did say that she would like to try the 3 or 4 player version as well!
In the end I won with 46 gold to Lisa's 38. We are a little concerned that we were not playing it correctly. We both realised that we could easily sit and build our settled empires without fighting each other and see who was the first to get 40 gold. There appeared to be no incentive to attack each other (definately not the case with 3 or 4 players).
Interestingly we both chose the Market, Training Camp and Guildhouses cards to improve the chances of increasing armies and revenue. I later chose a Reiving Party card which I used twice to annoy Lisa and keep down her income from taxation. I also got hold of the Mine which was worth doing. There was only one battle (apart from the Reiving Party) which I won by using Siege Engines to reduce Lisa's Castle to a Fortress and having twice as many armies. I then went on to destroy her city just soon enough to stop her winning by gaining more gold.
Although we enjoyed playing the game together it felt a little unsatisfactory. Lisa could have won really quickly had she not bothered defending an area which I did later attack. Had she used the armies committed to this to create cities she would have taxed her way to victory much sooner.
We will try it again soon and Lisa did say that she would like to try the 3 or 4 player version as well!
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Monday 27th November 2006
Monday night is games night! Paul and Lisa were joined by Andy, Greg and Vin. We played Powergrid, a new game for Lisa. Paul struggled with this a bit but still really enjoyed it. The good power stations proved elusive, however...
Greg eventually won being able to power 15 cities. Vin came second also powering 15 cities but having less cash! Andy came third after a stunning comeback. Lisa came fourth after leading most of the wayk and Paul came last after poor positioning at the start of the game.
Lisa really enjoyed this..almost as much as Puerto Rico she said! I just knew she would like resource management games!
A good evening.
Greg eventually won being able to power 15 cities. Vin came second also powering 15 cities but having less cash! Andy came third after a stunning comeback. Lisa came fourth after leading most of the wayk and Paul came last after poor positioning at the start of the game.
Lisa really enjoyed this..almost as much as Puerto Rico she said! I just knew she would like resource management games!
A good evening.
Saturday 25th November 2006
Whilst Eleanor napped Lisa and I had 2 games of Carcassonne The Castle (we had both missed this and regretted not taking it to Center Parcs!)
Lisa won the first game 108 to Paul's 90. She was greatly helped to do this by having tokens which allowed her to score an unfinished house (7) and an unfinished road (20).
Paul won the second game scoring 115 to Lisa's 84. This was due to having 2 'score 5 points' tokens and completing a very large tower and a very long road towards the end of the game.
It felt good to be reunited with our current, favourite game!
Lisa won the first game 108 to Paul's 90. She was greatly helped to do this by having tokens which allowed her to score an unfinished house (7) and an unfinished road (20).
Paul won the second game scoring 115 to Lisa's 84. This was due to having 2 'score 5 points' tokens and completing a very large tower and a very long road towards the end of the game.
It felt good to be reunited with our current, favourite game!
Friday 24th November 2006
Steer joined Lisa and I for dinner (Roast Duck!) and we then introduced him to Hey! That's My Fish over a bottle of wine (or 2). Steer enjoyed this and his mathematical mind seemed stimulated....
Steer 36, Lisa 33, Paul 27.
Lisa 46, Paul 32, Steer 21.
Lisa 36, Steer 32, Paul 31.
Steer 40, Paul 33, Lisa 23.
He was then persuaded to try Guillotine...3 times!
Paul 34, Lisa 30, Steer 29.
Lisa 19, Paul 17, Steer 16.
Steer 24, Paul 23, Lisa 21.
A fabulous evening.
Steer 36, Lisa 33, Paul 27.
Lisa 46, Paul 32, Steer 21.
Lisa 36, Steer 32, Paul 31.
Steer 40, Paul 33, Lisa 23.
He was then persuaded to try Guillotine...3 times!
Paul 34, Lisa 30, Steer 29.
Lisa 19, Paul 17, Steer 16.
Steer 24, Paul 23, Lisa 21.
A fabulous evening.
Monday 20th November 2006
Monday night is games night...even if we had only just got home from Center Parcs! Paul was joined by Jack, Greg and Andy. We decided to try Vlanderen 1302; a game only Paul and Andy had played before. It took everyone a while to get into it but then appeared to be enjoyed. The game felt even closer than the final scores indicate:
Greg 46, Jack 42, Andy 36, Paul 34, Neutral 8.
We all fancied something quicker and less mentally challenging next, so we had 2 games of Guillotine.
Paul and Jack drew the first game (17 points), Greg 12, Andy 11.
Greg 23 (quietly collecting palace guards!), Jack 22, Paul 19, Andy 12.
A fun evening once again!
Greg 46, Jack 42, Andy 36, Paul 34, Neutral 8.
We all fancied something quicker and less mentally challenging next, so we had 2 games of Guillotine.
Paul and Jack drew the first game (17 points), Greg 12, Andy 11.
Greg 23 (quietly collecting palace guards!), Jack 22, Paul 19, Andy 12.
A fun evening once again!
Sunday 19th November 2006
Whilst Eleanor napped, and Lisa S, Richard and Baby Emma were swimming, Lisa and I thought we would try the 2-player version of Finstere Flure. Lisa had previously tried this in a group and had not particularly enjoyed it. She found the 2-player version gave her the chance to better understand how the monster moves and how he can be lured towards the opposing pieces.
Paul won the first game by gettting 2 tokens out to Lisa's 1 (5 were eaten though!)
The second game was a draw (although Lisa had the moral victory!) as we each got 2 pieces out.
We played again in the evening and Lisa won easily, getting 3 of her peices to safety whilst Paul managed only 1!
Lisa S and Richard then joined us for 2 games of Diamant.
Lisa S 46, Richard 45, Lisa 0, Paul 0 (our worst game ever!)
Lisa 36, Lisa S 36, Paul 27, Richard 18.
We then moved on to Hey! That's My Fish.
Lisa S 35, Paul 31, Lisa 17, Richard 16.
Paul 40, Lisa S 22, Richard 20, Lisa 16.
Lisa and I then had a final go at Finstere Flure; Lisa won with 2 of her pieces making it to safety whislt Paul managed to rescue just 1.
Paul won the first game by gettting 2 tokens out to Lisa's 1 (5 were eaten though!)
The second game was a draw (although Lisa had the moral victory!) as we each got 2 pieces out.
We played again in the evening and Lisa won easily, getting 3 of her peices to safety whilst Paul managed only 1!
Lisa S and Richard then joined us for 2 games of Diamant.
Lisa S 46, Richard 45, Lisa 0, Paul 0 (our worst game ever!)
Lisa 36, Lisa S 36, Paul 27, Richard 18.
We then moved on to Hey! That's My Fish.
Lisa S 35, Paul 31, Lisa 17, Richard 16.
Paul 40, Lisa S 22, Richard 20, Lisa 16.
Lisa and I then had a final go at Finstere Flure; Lisa won with 2 of her pieces making it to safety whislt Paul managed to rescue just 1.
Saturday 18th November 2006
After another day of swimming and relaxing at Center Parcs, Lisa and I persuaded Lisa S and Richard to try Hey! That's My Fish. Depsite Lisa S observing that it used 'tictacs' they both really enjoyed this and did far better than Lisa and I (this is one game I am currently finding ridiculously difficult with my current neurological problems). We enjoyed 3 games:
Richard 27, Lisa S 27 (Richard had the most floes), Lisa 22, Paul 22 (Lisa had the most floes).
Lisa 2 28, Richard 27, Paul 22, Lisa 22 (Paul had the most floes).
Lisa 26, Paul 26 (tied for floes!), Lisa S 25, Richard 22.
Lisa S then requested another go at Diamant. The first game got off to a bad start; the first mine was infested with scorpions after two cards were drawn both showing scorpions...mine two caved in with two rock falls before any jewels were found!
Scores recovered after this, although Paul had no jewels until mine 4!
Paul 51, Lisa S 36, Richard 30, Lisa 29.
Game 2 went much more smoothly:
Richard 36, Lisa S 30, Paul 21, Lisa 20.
Richard 27, Lisa S 27 (Richard had the most floes), Lisa 22, Paul 22 (Lisa had the most floes).
Lisa 2 28, Richard 27, Paul 22, Lisa 22 (Paul had the most floes).
Lisa 26, Paul 26 (tied for floes!), Lisa S 25, Richard 22.
Lisa S then requested another go at Diamant. The first game got off to a bad start; the first mine was infested with scorpions after two cards were drawn both showing scorpions...mine two caved in with two rock falls before any jewels were found!
Scores recovered after this, although Paul had no jewels until mine 4!
Paul 51, Lisa S 36, Richard 30, Lisa 29.
Game 2 went much more smoothly:
Richard 36, Lisa S 30, Paul 21, Lisa 20.
Friday 17th November 2006
We spent a long weekend at Center Parcs with Lisa S, Richard and their little baby daughter, Emma (who is gorgeous!). Lisa and I managed to persuade them to have a go at a few games we happened to take with us....
This evening we introduced them to the joys of Diamant. Lisa S liked the jewels (shiny!) and both liked the easy rapidity of the game.
Amidst the consumption of alcohol we had three games:
Paul 52, Richard 37, Lisa S 28, Lisa 25.
Paul 44, Lisa S 36, Richard 23, Lisa 11
Lisa S 24, Lisa 11, Richard 2, Paul 2.
There are some shockingly low scores in there....
This evening we introduced them to the joys of Diamant. Lisa S liked the jewels (shiny!) and both liked the easy rapidity of the game.
Amidst the consumption of alcohol we had three games:
Paul 52, Richard 37, Lisa S 28, Lisa 25.
Paul 44, Lisa S 36, Richard 23, Lisa 11
Lisa S 24, Lisa 11, Richard 2, Paul 2.
There are some shockingly low scores in there....
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Monday 13th November 2006
The usual Monday night fun took place...
I was joined by Spencer, Greg and Andy. First up was a quick game of Hey! That's My Fish. Despite not having played before Spencer won! (Spencer - 32, Paul - 27, Greg - 22, Andy - 15).
Vin then arrived and we built the Pitch Car track shown above! Despite not having played this before Andy won and Vin came second. Paul was next with Spencer then Greg bringing up the rear.
We then sat down again for a go at Niagara. Vin impressed us all by winning this (eventually) with 7 gems. Greg and Spencer each had 6, Andy had 5 and Paul had 4 (although he only needed a yellow one to have one of each colour). This game took longer than usual as there was a lot of tactical 'stealing' going on!
A great evening!
Monday, November 13, 2006
Saturday 11th November, 2006
Our routine at weekends seems to have become that whilst Eleanor has a nap Lisa and I play a game. Today we returned to Canasta. My impaired thinking does not seem to spoil my results at this although I do find it harder to play than normal. We had three hands with Paul winning the first two and Lisa the last one (Paul - 1205, 1310 and 495; Lisa - 470, 920, 1290). This was a new game and the final scores were Paul 3010 and Lisa 2680. Lisa currently leads 3 games to 1. Paul was a little annoyed with the final hand as he miscounted his wild cards and could have scored nearer 1500 points! Oh well....there's always next weekend.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Friday 10th November 2006
After Eleanor had gone to bed, Lisa and I had a game of Carcassonne - The Castle. It was a close game; itwas not clear who had won unitl the final scoring. Lisa won with 102 to Paul's 96. Her tactic of scoring a few points repeatedly and collecting more of the tokens from the early part of the scoring track paid off. She ended up having an 'add 5 to your final score' token, as well as 'score an unfinished road' and 'add 2 to your largest house'. The latter also gave her the largest keep scoring her an additional 7 points. This galls a little as she won by only 6! Oh well....
Today I discovered that in January 2007 there will be another extension to Pitchcars! It will feature 2 straights, 2 flat ended curves (allowing for crossovers) and, most excitingly, 4 half-curves! I am already picturing track layouts in my mind.... However, Lisa insists that when I promised not to buy any more games until 2008 (!) this did include expansion sets. I have tried arguing, repeatedly, that this is not the case but...she gets scary!
Today I discovered that in January 2007 there will be another extension to Pitchcars! It will feature 2 straights, 2 flat ended curves (allowing for crossovers) and, most excitingly, 4 half-curves! I am already picturing track layouts in my mind.... However, Lisa insists that when I promised not to buy any more games until 2008 (!) this did include expansion sets. I have tried arguing, repeatedly, that this is not the case but...she gets scary!
Friday, November 10, 2006
Tuesday 7th November 2006
Before going to the cinema (to see Terry Gilliam's 'Tideland') Mal and I decided to have a quick go at Pitchcars. Mal had previously enjoyed this and had taken an early lead in our 'lifetime championship type thingy' 5 - 4. My challenged brain struggled to construct the track (as shown) as I kept gettting confused as to which track design I was following! It was harder than it looks to play on. The chicane on the straight was particularly challenging and held us both up repeatedly. We did manage to get one 'action shot'; Mal's car can be seen in the air just above the track. We were both rather proud of this.
In the end Paul won both games, bringing the running total to Paul 6, Mal 5....it could still go either way!
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Monday 6th November 2006
Monday was once again games night. I was joined by Jack, Greg and Vin (who arrived after our first two games of Hey! That's My Fish which Lisa played with us).
To be honest I can't really remember much of the evening. However, this is due to my current neurological problems rather than it being a forgettable evening. On the contrary I do remember that I had a really good time and enjoyed myself.
I do remember (sort of) playing Hey! That's My Fish. Lisa won the two games she played (Lisa 29, Paul 28, Greg 21, Jack, 20: Lisa 34, Greg 23, Paul 21 and Jack 18). Despite a poor showing in the first two games Jack confidently won the third (once Lisa left us and was replaced by Vin). Score was Jack 29, Greg 22, Paul and Vin 20 each. Vin and Greg had not played this before but both enjoyed the quickness and elegant simplicity of the game.
We then played Masons. I don't remember this much except that I was behind for much of the game but finished in 2nd place. Sadly, I can't remember how this happened. This is a game I enjoy but I have not yet found a good approach to it. Greg won 147, Paul 137, Jack 133 and Vin 121.
We rounded off the evening with a game of Niagara. Apart from teasing Vin who was weighing his options for .... a lengthy period of time, I don't remember this at all...which is sad as it was only the second time I have played it. Greg won with one jewel of each colour, Paul had 6, Jack and Vin had 4 each.
A fun evening was had by all and we hope to be joined again by Andy and Spencer next week.
To be honest I can't really remember much of the evening. However, this is due to my current neurological problems rather than it being a forgettable evening. On the contrary I do remember that I had a really good time and enjoyed myself.
I do remember (sort of) playing Hey! That's My Fish. Lisa won the two games she played (Lisa 29, Paul 28, Greg 21, Jack, 20: Lisa 34, Greg 23, Paul 21 and Jack 18). Despite a poor showing in the first two games Jack confidently won the third (once Lisa left us and was replaced by Vin). Score was Jack 29, Greg 22, Paul and Vin 20 each. Vin and Greg had not played this before but both enjoyed the quickness and elegant simplicity of the game.
We then played Masons. I don't remember this much except that I was behind for much of the game but finished in 2nd place. Sadly, I can't remember how this happened. This is a game I enjoy but I have not yet found a good approach to it. Greg won 147, Paul 137, Jack 133 and Vin 121.
We rounded off the evening with a game of Niagara. Apart from teasing Vin who was weighing his options for .... a lengthy period of time, I don't remember this at all...which is sad as it was only the second time I have played it. Greg won with one jewel of each colour, Paul had 6, Jack and Vin had 4 each.
A fun evening was had by all and we hope to be joined again by Andy and Spencer next week.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Sunday 5th November 2006
Whilst Eleanor slept we snuck in a quick game of.....Carcassonne - The Castle! Using the approach favoured by Lisa the previous evening (and being hugely lucky with tile draws!) Paul won. 118 to Lisa's 79. For the majority of the game it appeared that our keeps would remain tiny (3 tiles each) and so no one would score the points for the remaining space. Therefore neither of us bothered trying to shrink the remaining largest area. With my penultimate tile I managed to finish a seven tile house and get the extra 11 points...I was also fortunate with markets and scoring double for a large tower thanks to a token collected from the score track.
Saturday 4th November 2006
Whilst Eleanor was enjoying her long, afternoon nap Lisa and I enjoyed 2 games of Carcassonne - The Castle. This is firmly our favourite game at the moment. It is still new enough to feel fresh and is perfect for two people; a lot of games are less impressive in their two player form so we are pleased to have one designed just for two! Its also more complex than it first appears. We try different tactical approaches and are still learning how each other thinks. There are a lot of variables and the tiles run out quickly (30 each). I like the way the board offers a definite boundary...although it can start to feel claustraphobic.
The first game was close; Lisa won 102 to Paul's 96. It was not clear until the end who was going to win. Lisa's approach was to try to score small off every tile...if it could contribute to a larger construction then so much the better.
Lisa won the second game easily using this tactic scoring 115 to Paul's 79. In this game Lisa managed to score so that she picked up nearly all the tokens on the score track which gave her a massive advantage. Paul also committed two meeples early on to holding two market stalls each. In retrospect I think it wopuld have been wiser to keep the meeples in play and score more points the same way Lisa did!
The first game was close; Lisa won 102 to Paul's 96. It was not clear until the end who was going to win. Lisa's approach was to try to score small off every tile...if it could contribute to a larger construction then so much the better.
Lisa won the second game easily using this tactic scoring 115 to Paul's 79. In this game Lisa managed to score so that she picked up nearly all the tokens on the score track which gave her a massive advantage. Paul also committed two meeples early on to holding two market stalls each. In retrospect I think it wopuld have been wiser to keep the meeples in play and score more points the same way Lisa did!
Friday 3rd November 2006
Instead of collapsing in front of the TV Lisa and I decided to play several games of Carcassonne The Castle... before collapsing in front of the TV.
The first game was close; Paul won 77 to Lisa's 67. In the second game Paul was fortunate in that he collected 2 tokens scoring 4 points per market stall in one court. Paul had 9 markets in two courts netting 36 points! He also secured the largest keep giving him victory 120 to 57. Lisa's revenge was swift and she demolished Paul in the third game 108 to 53. (She managed this despite having consumed several mugs of mulled wine and looking a bit rosy-cheeked!).
The first game was close; Paul won 77 to Lisa's 67. In the second game Paul was fortunate in that he collected 2 tokens scoring 4 points per market stall in one court. Paul had 9 markets in two courts netting 36 points! He also secured the largest keep giving him victory 120 to 57. Lisa's revenge was swift and she demolished Paul in the third game 108 to 53. (She managed this despite having consumed several mugs of mulled wine and looking a bit rosy-cheeked!).
Friday, November 03, 2006
Thursday 2nd November 2006
Once again, whilst Eleanor snoozed, Lisa and I had 3 quick games of Carcassonne - The Castle. (It was a long snooze!). Despite Lisa obtaining most of the markets in the first game Paul won 92 to 86. In the second game Lisa once again dominated the markets but her pieces were tied up for too much of the game stopping her getting "quick" points. Paul took advantage of this (and having the larger keep) and won 111 to 94. Lisa returned to form in the third game and trounced Paul 93 to 70. This was an interesting game as both keeps were of the same size so no one picked up the 15 available bonus points.
As usual we both enjoyed playing this game. My current cognitive problems only affected my play a little bit (usually stupid tile-placement) and were counteracted by the amount of luck I received!
As usual we both enjoyed playing this game. My current cognitive problems only affected my play a little bit (usually stupid tile-placement) and were counteracted by the amount of luck I received!
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Monday 30th October 2006
Lisa and I were joined by Andy and Greg for games! Vin is off recovering from a weekend in Whitby, Jack phoned to say he was going to have a quiet night in with The Wife and Spencer is excused after his partner, Jessica, gave birth to a baby girl on Saturday night! Congratulations and welcome to the world Little One.
Once again aiming to keep things simple for my malfunctioning brain we kicked off with Diamant. After being victorious through recklessness last week I decided to go for overcautiousness this week. It paid off! Final scores:
Paul 37
Lisa 30
Andy 24
Greg 14
We then moved on to Alhambra, a game Andy and I had played before (although I can barely remember it). This is not as complicated as it first appears and is good fun. I am a sucker for tile-laying games though! My impaired cognitive abilities were evident however. I failed to apply a strategy, realising late in the game that I should have accrued more money earlier on to buy more properties towards the end. A few last minute purchases helped me pick up my score. Unfortunately Lisa's strong position was eroded by Greg and Andy buying odd buildings to reduce her advantage. Her really long wall could not save her! Despite it being his first attempt at this game, Greg clearly got the hang of it and romped to victory. Final scores:
Greg 103
Andy 83
Paul 81
Lisa 79
As it is nearly Halloween we decided to end with another go at Finster Flure (Fearsome Floors). Once again this was good fun but more mentally taxing than it appears. Despite everything, I managed to win...although to be honest.... I was not really thinking beyond "must move pieces....preferably away from monster...." ( a man-sized slime creature this time).
Once again a great evening much enhanced by Andy bringing green-filled chocolate rolls!
On a personal note, I really enjoy when Lisa joins in with us on Monday nights ...I can't put into words why, other than to say it is nice to do something together!
Once again aiming to keep things simple for my malfunctioning brain we kicked off with Diamant. After being victorious through recklessness last week I decided to go for overcautiousness this week. It paid off! Final scores:
Paul 37
Lisa 30
Andy 24
Greg 14
We then moved on to Alhambra, a game Andy and I had played before (although I can barely remember it). This is not as complicated as it first appears and is good fun. I am a sucker for tile-laying games though! My impaired cognitive abilities were evident however. I failed to apply a strategy, realising late in the game that I should have accrued more money earlier on to buy more properties towards the end. A few last minute purchases helped me pick up my score. Unfortunately Lisa's strong position was eroded by Greg and Andy buying odd buildings to reduce her advantage. Her really long wall could not save her! Despite it being his first attempt at this game, Greg clearly got the hang of it and romped to victory. Final scores:
Greg 103
Andy 83
Paul 81
Lisa 79
As it is nearly Halloween we decided to end with another go at Finster Flure (Fearsome Floors). Once again this was good fun but more mentally taxing than it appears. Despite everything, I managed to win...although to be honest.... I was not really thinking beyond "must move pieces....preferably away from monster...." ( a man-sized slime creature this time).
Once again a great evening much enhanced by Andy bringing green-filled chocolate rolls!
On a personal note, I really enjoy when Lisa joins in with us on Monday nights ...I can't put into words why, other than to say it is nice to do something together!
Thursday 26th October 2006
In the 'quiet time' between Ellie going to bed and anything decent coming on the telly, Lisa and I decided to try Hey That's My Fish. I had played this before at Beyond Monopoly and enjoyed it enough to buy a copy. Upon unpacking it I was once again struck by what a stupidly big box it is for so few components. The wooden penguins are cool though!
The aim of the game is to traverse hexagonal ice floes with your flock of penguins and collect the most fish. It is surprisingly tactical as you can trap penguins and the ice floes have differing numbers of fish upon them (1,2 or 3).
Sadly my brain failed me and despite almost drawing the first game, Lisa won the second competently after she had got used to the game's mechanics. We both enjoyed it though and were impressed with how complex such a simple-seeming game can be..... we look forward to teaching it to Ellie!
The aim of the game is to traverse hexagonal ice floes with your flock of penguins and collect the most fish. It is surprisingly tactical as you can trap penguins and the ice floes have differing numbers of fish upon them (1,2 or 3).
Sadly my brain failed me and despite almost drawing the first game, Lisa won the second competently after she had got used to the game's mechanics. We both enjoyed it though and were impressed with how complex such a simple-seeming game can be..... we look forward to teaching it to Ellie!
Monday 23rd October 2006
Monday night is games night...after a considerable break due to my hospital stay etc. I was joined by Andy, Greg, Spence and Vin who kindly agreed to play simpler games as my brain is not functioning properly yet.
First up was Guillotine, which is becoming something of a favourite 'fast' game. Despite not really remembering how to play very clearly I managed to win! Poor Vin may have done better if anyone had remembered to tell him that the game takes place over only 3 days! Final scores:
Paul - 18
Andy - 17
Vin - 14
Spence - 13
Greg - 11
Next up was Finster Flure (Fearsome Floors)... a dungeon-based game in which you have to move your team of counters out of the dungeon whilst avoiding being eaten by a monster; in this case a tuxedo wearing giant eyeball! Part of the fun is in positioning your pieces to lure the monster towards other players' pieces. It turned out to be harder than it sounded. Spencer won convincingly and I was pleased to see that I was not the only person who failed to think tactically (although I have a good excuse!).
We decided to round off the evening with Diamant. My lack of tactical ability made me play rather more recklessly than I think I would normally do. However, this time it paid off as I won. Final scores:
Paul - 37
Andy - 33
Vin - 30
Greg - 25
Spence - 21
A fun evening was had by all, except Greg who bemoaned not winning!
First up was Guillotine, which is becoming something of a favourite 'fast' game. Despite not really remembering how to play very clearly I managed to win! Poor Vin may have done better if anyone had remembered to tell him that the game takes place over only 3 days! Final scores:
Paul - 18
Andy - 17
Vin - 14
Spence - 13
Greg - 11
Next up was Finster Flure (Fearsome Floors)... a dungeon-based game in which you have to move your team of counters out of the dungeon whilst avoiding being eaten by a monster; in this case a tuxedo wearing giant eyeball! Part of the fun is in positioning your pieces to lure the monster towards other players' pieces. It turned out to be harder than it sounded. Spencer won convincingly and I was pleased to see that I was not the only person who failed to think tactically (although I have a good excuse!).
We decided to round off the evening with Diamant. My lack of tactical ability made me play rather more recklessly than I think I would normally do. However, this time it paid off as I won. Final scores:
Paul - 37
Andy - 33
Vin - 30
Greg - 25
Spence - 21
A fun evening was had by all, except Greg who bemoaned not winning!
Saturday 21st October 2006
It has been awhile since I played any games due to my recent neurological problems. Although my cognitive abilites are still impaired Lisa and I took the opportunity to play Canasta whilst Eleanor had a snooze.
Despite my problems I managed to win 6 of the 9 hands and thus won my first game! Managing to obtain all four red 2's helped, scoring 800 points.
The scores were:
Paul 1735
Lisa - 315
Paul - 5
Lisa 1355
Paul 1045
Lisa 375
Paul 930
Lisa - 130
Paul 1830
Lisa 765
Paul 860
Lisa 755
Paul 950
Lisa 40
Paul 985
Lisa 490
Paul 950
Lisa 1050
Lisa leads 3 games to 1.
Despite my problems I managed to win 6 of the 9 hands and thus won my first game! Managing to obtain all four red 2's helped, scoring 800 points.
The scores were:
Paul 1735
Lisa - 315
Paul - 5
Lisa 1355
Paul 1045
Lisa 375
Paul 930
Lisa - 130
Paul 1830
Lisa 765
Paul 860
Lisa 755
Paul 950
Lisa 40
Paul 985
Lisa 490
Paul 950
Lisa 1050
Lisa leads 3 games to 1.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Sunday 17th September
Once again whilst Eleanor enjoyed a nap Lisa and I decided to have a go at Carcassonne - The Princess and the Dragon. We decided to play 'Speed Carcassonne' (ie no farmers!). We enjoyed this expansion but did not feel we saw its full potential with only two players.
The dragon was fairly powerless as we took it in turns to move it; this wouldn't happen with more than two players. (Despite this I did manage to manouvre the fairy a few times so that Lisa was forced to 'eat' her own meeples whilst moving the dragon...very satisfying!).
We both liked the wormhole tiles and the Princess tiles. In the two player game they added quite an advantage. I managed to score a large city which Lisa had previously been booted out of by the Princess. Lisa did manage to complete a huge city though!
The fairy was an....interesting addition. We struggled to remember the bonus point for still having the fairy at the start of your turn and we only scored a bonus three points for having her on a completed feature once.
I really liked the dragon meeple but was less sure about the fairy meeple. The tiles were lovely, although the road under the city seems a little pointless. I really liked the monastery (grrrr..cloister) in the city though. I look forward to trying it again with more players.
Final Scores:
Lisa 149
Paul 157
We wondered if we were missing something with the volcano tiles. After the first one has been placed and the dragon arrives what do the others do? We placed them but you cannot meeple them...but you do get control of the fairy....we wondered if the dragon should move to the new volcano?
The dragon was fairly powerless as we took it in turns to move it; this wouldn't happen with more than two players. (Despite this I did manage to manouvre the fairy a few times so that Lisa was forced to 'eat' her own meeples whilst moving the dragon...very satisfying!).
We both liked the wormhole tiles and the Princess tiles. In the two player game they added quite an advantage. I managed to score a large city which Lisa had previously been booted out of by the Princess. Lisa did manage to complete a huge city though!
The fairy was an....interesting addition. We struggled to remember the bonus point for still having the fairy at the start of your turn and we only scored a bonus three points for having her on a completed feature once.
I really liked the dragon meeple but was less sure about the fairy meeple. The tiles were lovely, although the road under the city seems a little pointless. I really liked the monastery (grrrr..cloister) in the city though. I look forward to trying it again with more players.
Final Scores:
Lisa 149
Paul 157
We wondered if we were missing something with the volcano tiles. After the first one has been placed and the dragon arrives what do the others do? We placed them but you cannot meeple them...but you do get control of the fairy....we wondered if the dragon should move to the new volcano?
Saturday 16th September
Saturday was Beyond Monopoly at the Railway Institute in York. There was a good turnout and I managed to squeeze in 5 new games…which is a record for me!
Jon announced that the club will be playing games at the National Railway Museum in York on a Sunday in November. We don’t have to play only ‘train games’ though! I’m hoping to volunteer my services as I would like to do something to help out the club.
Jon also announced that we are going to be the first featured ‘Club of the Month’ in a new BBC games magazine! How cool is that! I hope that Jon is as proud of this as he should be….
First of all I got involved in a game of the Lord of the Rings with Andy, Mike, Adrian and George. To be honest I nearly bought this a few years ago but didn’t as it didn’t tie-in with the movies. Now, this seems refreshing. The game was excellent. I particularly liked the collaborative nature of it; I really felt that we were competing with Sauron and the evil hordes rather than against each other. In fact I was quite happy to sacrifice my character to increase the Fellowship’s chances. As it was my efforts were fruitless…
I also liked the interchangeable and reversible boards. The artwork was really good too. A solid 8 out of 10 from me. It was pointed out to us that we had played the idiot-level stupid persons version of the game…and still lost!
Next up the five of us were joined by Kevin for three hands of Who’s the Ass. This is a quick card game very similar to ….a standard card game whose name I can’t seem to remember (rummy?). It was good fun and I was pleased to come second. George did really well winning two hands, although he did have all four jokers in one of them! Final scores:
George 25
Paul 26
Mike 42
Kevin 66
Andy 80
Adrian 93
Kevin and George then headed off and the remaining four of us tried our hand at Hansa. In this game you play a fourteenth/fifteenth century trader in Scandinavia. You pay to move a trading ship, build trading booths in cities and buy and sell goods. I really enjoyed this. I particularly liked that you got taxed if you were doing too well and that it is not in your interests to stockpile goods too much. I felt this was quite a realistic aspect of trading at that time. (Monopolies seemed to become more economically viable 100-150 years later). The final scores were:
Mike 44
Paul 39
Adrian 35
Andy 35
Despite none of us having played this ever before we all enjoyed it.
Adrian then headed off to play something less mentally-taxing (I spotted him being introduced to Border Reivers) whilst the remaining three of us played Aqua Romana. I had not played this before but Mike and Andy gave clear instructions. Despite losing I really enjoyed this game and I hope to add it to my collection at some point. (I’m a sucker for tile-laying games!). It reminded me a little of Carcassonne: The Castle in that the board is a finite area and as tiles are placed it fills up rapidly. I quickly realised that my opening tactic of building straight pieces of aquaduct was flawed. I think I will do better next time. Final Scores:
Mike 33
Andy 32
Paul 28
I thought the quality of the board and playing pieces was outstanding and the mechanics were elegantly simple.
We decided on a final game before Mike and I had to head off. Mike introduced us to Adel Verplicht…which he said translates as Hoity Toity. I won this game but still enjoyed it a little less than the others. In essence you have to build a collection of antiquities to display at castles. Each turn you secretly choose to go to the auction house or the castle. Then you can buy new goods, steal money from the auction house, or steal part of a collection, display your exhibits or play a detective who foils any robbery attempts. There was a fair amount of bluffing and poker-facing going on….Mike consistently countered Andy’s moves! I fortuitously built the largest collection and then managed to arrest all the thieves leaving me free to exhibit my collection repeatedly and win the most points! Mike came second with Andy limping along in third. I think this may work better with more players. With only three it was relatively easy to work out what everyone was going to do.
All in all a really good day. It was nice to see Jack getting a go at Pitch Car and introducing people to Border Reivers. Also I think this was the first Beyond Monopoly when I have not played a single game with Jon!
Jon announced that the club will be playing games at the National Railway Museum in York on a Sunday in November. We don’t have to play only ‘train games’ though! I’m hoping to volunteer my services as I would like to do something to help out the club.
Jon also announced that we are going to be the first featured ‘Club of the Month’ in a new BBC games magazine! How cool is that! I hope that Jon is as proud of this as he should be….
First of all I got involved in a game of the Lord of the Rings with Andy, Mike, Adrian and George. To be honest I nearly bought this a few years ago but didn’t as it didn’t tie-in with the movies. Now, this seems refreshing. The game was excellent. I particularly liked the collaborative nature of it; I really felt that we were competing with Sauron and the evil hordes rather than against each other. In fact I was quite happy to sacrifice my character to increase the Fellowship’s chances. As it was my efforts were fruitless…
I also liked the interchangeable and reversible boards. The artwork was really good too. A solid 8 out of 10 from me. It was pointed out to us that we had played the idiot-level stupid persons version of the game…and still lost!
Next up the five of us were joined by Kevin for three hands of Who’s the Ass. This is a quick card game very similar to ….a standard card game whose name I can’t seem to remember (rummy?). It was good fun and I was pleased to come second. George did really well winning two hands, although he did have all four jokers in one of them! Final scores:
George 25
Paul 26
Mike 42
Kevin 66
Andy 80
Adrian 93
Kevin and George then headed off and the remaining four of us tried our hand at Hansa. In this game you play a fourteenth/fifteenth century trader in Scandinavia. You pay to move a trading ship, build trading booths in cities and buy and sell goods. I really enjoyed this. I particularly liked that you got taxed if you were doing too well and that it is not in your interests to stockpile goods too much. I felt this was quite a realistic aspect of trading at that time. (Monopolies seemed to become more economically viable 100-150 years later). The final scores were:
Mike 44
Paul 39
Adrian 35
Andy 35
Despite none of us having played this ever before we all enjoyed it.
Adrian then headed off to play something less mentally-taxing (I spotted him being introduced to Border Reivers) whilst the remaining three of us played Aqua Romana. I had not played this before but Mike and Andy gave clear instructions. Despite losing I really enjoyed this game and I hope to add it to my collection at some point. (I’m a sucker for tile-laying games!). It reminded me a little of Carcassonne: The Castle in that the board is a finite area and as tiles are placed it fills up rapidly. I quickly realised that my opening tactic of building straight pieces of aquaduct was flawed. I think I will do better next time. Final Scores:
Mike 33
Andy 32
Paul 28
I thought the quality of the board and playing pieces was outstanding and the mechanics were elegantly simple.
We decided on a final game before Mike and I had to head off. Mike introduced us to Adel Verplicht…which he said translates as Hoity Toity. I won this game but still enjoyed it a little less than the others. In essence you have to build a collection of antiquities to display at castles. Each turn you secretly choose to go to the auction house or the castle. Then you can buy new goods, steal money from the auction house, or steal part of a collection, display your exhibits or play a detective who foils any robbery attempts. There was a fair amount of bluffing and poker-facing going on….Mike consistently countered Andy’s moves! I fortuitously built the largest collection and then managed to arrest all the thieves leaving me free to exhibit my collection repeatedly and win the most points! Mike came second with Andy limping along in third. I think this may work better with more players. With only three it was relatively easy to work out what everyone was going to do.
All in all a really good day. It was nice to see Jack getting a go at Pitch Car and introducing people to Border Reivers. Also I think this was the first Beyond Monopoly when I have not played a single game with Jon!
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Monday 11th September 2006
Monday night is games night! We were a little depleted in numbers...Greg was away somewhere doing something work-related and Jack was busily constructing sets of Border Reivers. However, Andy, Spence and Vin did trek out to the wilds of Osbaldwick!
Lisa joined us for a quick game of Guillotine before disappearing to sort out her budgetary overspend. As always it was fun, if a bit silly. Vin arrived a third of the way through..and looked thoroughly bemused!
The final scores were:
Andy 17
Spence 23
Lisa 26
Paul 29
I made timely use of The Scarlet Pimpernel card to end the game when I had just taken the lead.
Lisa then disappeared to the realm of numbers and accountancy whilst the rest of us indulged in a game of Flanders 1302...or whatever it's called. I had played this once at Beyond Monopoly and so thought I may have something of an advantage as the other guys had not even heard of it. How wrong I was! I'm not sure where I went wrong....but I did! On reflection I think I spread myself too thinly across too many cities. We did not use the neutral pieces or church pieces to hamper each others scoring as much as I had anticipated. I was braced waiting for this to happen...but it didn't! I admit I played badly but I still think this is a fine game... a pity it has been discontinued. The pieces are beautiful and the mechanics are satisfying. My only question is ...why 1302?
The final scores were....
Neutral - 2
Paul - 32
Andy - 38
Vin - 42
Spence - 49.
All in all a fun evening.
Lisa joined us for a quick game of Guillotine before disappearing to sort out her budgetary overspend. As always it was fun, if a bit silly. Vin arrived a third of the way through..and looked thoroughly bemused!
The final scores were:
Andy 17
Spence 23
Lisa 26
Paul 29
I made timely use of The Scarlet Pimpernel card to end the game when I had just taken the lead.
Lisa then disappeared to the realm of numbers and accountancy whilst the rest of us indulged in a game of Flanders 1302...or whatever it's called. I had played this once at Beyond Monopoly and so thought I may have something of an advantage as the other guys had not even heard of it. How wrong I was! I'm not sure where I went wrong....but I did! On reflection I think I spread myself too thinly across too many cities. We did not use the neutral pieces or church pieces to hamper each others scoring as much as I had anticipated. I was braced waiting for this to happen...but it didn't! I admit I played badly but I still think this is a fine game... a pity it has been discontinued. The pieces are beautiful and the mechanics are satisfying. My only question is ...why 1302?
The final scores were....
Neutral - 2
Paul - 32
Andy - 38
Vin - 42
Spence - 49.
All in all a fun evening.
Sunday 10th September 2006
Taking advantage of yet another of Eleanor's afternoon naps, Lisa and I decided to play Carcassonne The Castle, a game we first played...only last Sunday. This time we remembered to display any of the little cards we collected. THis did make it a more open experience...
1st game:
Lisa won by 103 points to 71. Lisa completed a massive tower shortly after collecting the card which gave double points for finishing a tower! Good timing. I played poorly and failed to complete much...apart from a moderately lengthy road which I then scored and picked up the card allowing me to score for an unfinished road. Therefore it could have been even longer!
2nd game:
Paul won by 101 points to 99. This was a much better game with a nail-biting finish. We were neck and neck all the way through. I snuck ahead only by breaking up the large void for which Lisa received points at the end of the game (I admit I almost diodn't notice that the final tile could do that!).
Again we thoroughly enjoyed The Castle. My only gripes are that:
1) Some of the cards allow for potentially such high scoring buildings that they unbalance the game (although I'm just bitter).
2) The rules describe 'fountains' by roads, yet the illuistrations are clearly 'wells'. This annoys me! Is it a poor translation like 'cloister' instead of 'monastery in the original Carcassonne? (Okay, okay I know that 'cloister' is an archaic word for 'monastery' but, hello...ARCHAIC...as in 'not in current usage....or for about 200 years!).
I think this may be close to being the perfect 2-player game! I can't wait to play it again.
1st game:
Lisa won by 103 points to 71. Lisa completed a massive tower shortly after collecting the card which gave double points for finishing a tower! Good timing. I played poorly and failed to complete much...apart from a moderately lengthy road which I then scored and picked up the card allowing me to score for an unfinished road. Therefore it could have been even longer!
2nd game:
Paul won by 101 points to 99. This was a much better game with a nail-biting finish. We were neck and neck all the way through. I snuck ahead only by breaking up the large void for which Lisa received points at the end of the game (I admit I almost diodn't notice that the final tile could do that!).
Again we thoroughly enjoyed The Castle. My only gripes are that:
1) Some of the cards allow for potentially such high scoring buildings that they unbalance the game (although I'm just bitter).
2) The rules describe 'fountains' by roads, yet the illuistrations are clearly 'wells'. This annoys me! Is it a poor translation like 'cloister' instead of 'monastery in the original Carcassonne? (Okay, okay I know that 'cloister' is an archaic word for 'monastery' but, hello...ARCHAIC...as in 'not in current usage....or for about 200 years!).
I think this may be close to being the perfect 2-player game! I can't wait to play it again.
Saturday 9th September 2006
Whilst Eleanor enjoyed a lengthy afternoon nap Lisa and I decided to enjoy a few hands of Canasta. I use the word 'enjoy' somewhat reluctantly as Lisa well and truly wiped the floor with me! I must concede that she is the far better player of the two of us. She does seem to have an almost magnetic attraction for red 3's (worth 100 points each). I think she averrages 2-3 per hand! Scores were as follows:
Ist Hand:
Lisa scored 1555 (a huge score, helped by three red 3's!), bringing her total to 4570
Paul scored 775, bringing his total to 4670 (I was still ahead at this point!)
2nd Hand:
Lisa scored 1170, bringing her total to 5740
Paul scored a lowly 400, bringing his total to 5070 (the tide turns...)
3rd Hand:
Lisa scored 1125, bringing her total to 6865
Paul scored 905, bringing his total to 5975 (I actually played better than the score indicates!)
4th Hand:
Lisa scored 1275, bringing her total to 8140 (overkill I thought seeing as we only play to 7500!)
Paul scored 1010, bringing his total to a pitiful 6985 (although I thought I played this hand really well!).
Lisa now leads 3 games to...erm...zero.
Any tips anyone?
Ist Hand:
Lisa scored 1555 (a huge score, helped by three red 3's!), bringing her total to 4570
Paul scored 775, bringing his total to 4670 (I was still ahead at this point!)
2nd Hand:
Lisa scored 1170, bringing her total to 5740
Paul scored a lowly 400, bringing his total to 5070 (the tide turns...)
3rd Hand:
Lisa scored 1125, bringing her total to 6865
Paul scored 905, bringing his total to 5975 (I actually played better than the score indicates!)
4th Hand:
Lisa scored 1275, bringing her total to 8140 (overkill I thought seeing as we only play to 7500!)
Paul scored 1010, bringing his total to a pitiful 6985 (although I thought I played this hand really well!).
Lisa now leads 3 games to...erm...zero.
Any tips anyone?
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Friday 8th September 2006
Mal came over and he played Diamant with Lisa and I. He quickly got to grips with the rules and appeared to enjoy himself. He even won the second game!
Game One:
Paul - 59
Lisa - 48
Mal - 42
Game Two:
Mal - 38
Paul - 34
Lisa - 7
Game Two seems low scoring but Mine 3 collapsed before we found any precious stones! Lisa didn't fair too well...she stayed in a little too long three times.
Mal and I then spent until midnight playing Pitchcars. Mal really enjoyed this. We decided to take some photos of two of the three tracks we played on (see above).
We decided taht we will have a lifelong championship goping...Mal has gone into an early, although assailable lead with 5 wins to my 4.
Mal did far and away the most impressive manouevres, including managing to clear the double jump in one flick...twice! His victory was well deserved.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Monday 4th September 2006
Monday night is games night! I was joined by Spence, Jack, Andy and Greg. We first played 'Guillotine' (see Jack's blog for details). It is a fun and light-hearted game...just what I needed after a stressful day.
Final scores:
Jack - 14
Greg - 13
Paul - 12
Spence - 8
Andy - 6
(although Jack's final move was...rather dumb!)
We then moved to a lengthy game of 'Caylus'. This was a lot more involved and complicated. It was a slow game as only Jack had played before. Whilst I did enjoy it I did not quite grasp it during this, my first play. As a result I lost...hideously!
Final Scores:
Jack - 65
Greg - 59
Andy - 56
Spence - 50
Paul - 47
All in all, a good night for Jack!
Final scores:
Jack - 14
Greg - 13
Paul - 12
Spence - 8
Andy - 6
(although Jack's final move was...rather dumb!)
We then moved to a lengthy game of 'Caylus'. This was a lot more involved and complicated. It was a slow game as only Jack had played before. Whilst I did enjoy it I did not quite grasp it during this, my first play. As a result I lost...hideously!
Final Scores:
Jack - 65
Greg - 59
Andy - 56
Spence - 50
Paul - 47
All in all, a good night for Jack!
Sunday 3rd September 2006
Whilst Eleanor had an extensive afternoon nap Lisa and I sat down to play a game (and eat chocolate and drink coffee).
We elected to play 'Carcassonne - The Castle' . This is a game I bought a few weeks ago but that we had not had the chance to play.
It is a two-player game set in a medieval castle (predictably). It is essentially a tile-laying game like 'Carcassonne'. Followers are placed to score points during the game or at the end. Whilst 'Carcassonne' allows for the 'board' to be extensive and spreading, 'The Castle' features an enclosing wall (which doubles as a scoretrack). Tiles have to be placed within this.
We thoroughly enjoyed the game and found it more challenging than 'Carcassonne'. The board quickly felt cramped; working out where to place tiles was much harder than in the original game. As unfinished features do not score it is tactically harder to place followers. After two games we realised that the cards you can collect for landing on the corners of the scoring track are supposed to be seen by both players....that will make us play differently next time!
The meeples differ from the original game. We were not sure that they needed to really but they are still pleasant pieces. The tiles are colourful but felt a little too 'regimented' for me; the paths don't bend much and the rooftops are all identical. I would give this one an eight out of ten (in fact I have on Boardgamegeek ).
Final scores:
Game 1 - Lisa 97, Paul 73
Game 2 - Paul 99, Lisa 91
We then decided to have a quick hand of Canasta. I 'won' this but Lisa scored the most points. This is starting to become a regular occurrence. Lisa is much better than me at holding out for natural canastas. She also has an uncanny ability to pick up around three of the four red 3's per game (each worth 100 points!). As a result Lisa scored 1420 points in that hand to my 930.
At present the scores are:
Lisa 3015
Paul 3895
Lisa leads 2 rounds to 0.
How depressing!
We elected to play 'Carcassonne - The Castle' . This is a game I bought a few weeks ago but that we had not had the chance to play.
It is a two-player game set in a medieval castle (predictably). It is essentially a tile-laying game like 'Carcassonne'. Followers are placed to score points during the game or at the end. Whilst 'Carcassonne' allows for the 'board' to be extensive and spreading, 'The Castle' features an enclosing wall (which doubles as a scoretrack). Tiles have to be placed within this.
We thoroughly enjoyed the game and found it more challenging than 'Carcassonne'. The board quickly felt cramped; working out where to place tiles was much harder than in the original game. As unfinished features do not score it is tactically harder to place followers. After two games we realised that the cards you can collect for landing on the corners of the scoring track are supposed to be seen by both players....that will make us play differently next time!
The meeples differ from the original game. We were not sure that they needed to really but they are still pleasant pieces. The tiles are colourful but felt a little too 'regimented' for me; the paths don't bend much and the rooftops are all identical. I would give this one an eight out of ten (in fact I have on Boardgamegeek ).
Final scores:
Game 1 - Lisa 97, Paul 73
Game 2 - Paul 99, Lisa 91
We then decided to have a quick hand of Canasta. I 'won' this but Lisa scored the most points. This is starting to become a regular occurrence. Lisa is much better than me at holding out for natural canastas. She also has an uncanny ability to pick up around three of the four red 3's per game (each worth 100 points!). As a result Lisa scored 1420 points in that hand to my 930.
At present the scores are:
Lisa 3015
Paul 3895
Lisa leads 2 rounds to 0.
How depressing!
Beginnings
In this blog I aim to record the scores of games I play as well as thoughts and comments about them. It is not really intended for public consumption (who would be interested?) but as a mental discipline for me!
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