Thursday, March 29, 2007
Tuesday 27th March, 2007
I met Mal in a local pub for lunch. He asked that I take Fluxx along as he was desperate to play a few games. In the end, we started a game waiting for our meal to arrive, we finished it after eating, we started another waiting for dessert, then finished that one and three more games. I can't remember who won what, but we had a lovely time, chatting, eating and playing. A delightful way to spend an afternoon!
Monday 26th March, 2007
Monday night is games night! I was joined by Greg, Spencer and Vin. We decided to have a go at Tigris & Euphrates - a game I bought some months ago but had not yet played due to my neurological problems. Having read through the rules several times I felt up to giving it a go. Spencer had played it once before but didn't remember it that well. Vin and Greg had heard good things but had not played it.
We spent a good 40 mins trying to understand the rules but decided that we'd probably fair better just getting stuck in. I have to say that this is a good, abstract game. There are enough elements to make strategising challenging and, on a first play, it was often impossible to work out what your opponents were trying to do. The game lasted about 2 hours - slowed down I think by quite a lot of rules checking. Vin won in the end having 11 of each colour of victory cubes. Spencer was second, I was third and Greg limped home in last place.
I struggled to score blue points as I drew only 3 blue tiles during the entire game! Vin did very well by being the victorious defender in many battles which he didn't instigate... similarly Greg lost mainly because he was the defeated aggressor in these clashes. Vin did manage his goes well though to maximise his scoring.
In retrospect I got too attached to a kingdom as I failed to realise how fluid the game was. Just as I was starting to have a game plan I realised we were almost out of tiles and would finish in a couple of rounds! Despite this I did really enjoy it and would happily play it again. I did find it mentally fatiguing as I had to take in a lot of new information and apply it to a new context - activities my brain currently finds hard. Still, it was well worth the effort.
The next day I realised that the four of us could have finished the game of Britannia we started a few weeks ago....doh!
We spent a good 40 mins trying to understand the rules but decided that we'd probably fair better just getting stuck in. I have to say that this is a good, abstract game. There are enough elements to make strategising challenging and, on a first play, it was often impossible to work out what your opponents were trying to do. The game lasted about 2 hours - slowed down I think by quite a lot of rules checking. Vin won in the end having 11 of each colour of victory cubes. Spencer was second, I was third and Greg limped home in last place.
I struggled to score blue points as I drew only 3 blue tiles during the entire game! Vin did very well by being the victorious defender in many battles which he didn't instigate... similarly Greg lost mainly because he was the defeated aggressor in these clashes. Vin did manage his goes well though to maximise his scoring.
In retrospect I got too attached to a kingdom as I failed to realise how fluid the game was. Just as I was starting to have a game plan I realised we were almost out of tiles and would finish in a couple of rounds! Despite this I did really enjoy it and would happily play it again. I did find it mentally fatiguing as I had to take in a lot of new information and apply it to a new context - activities my brain currently finds hard. Still, it was well worth the effort.
The next day I realised that the four of us could have finished the game of Britannia we started a few weeks ago....doh!
Saturday 24th March, 2007
Our friend Helen came to visit us this afternoon. After Ellie had retired for the evening we three grown-ups decided to play some games. Being Lisa's current favourite we introduced Helen to Fluxx. Helen was suitably dumbfounded and befuddled during the first game (although much alcohol had been consumed by this point in the evening!). I won the first game with 5 keepers. Despite her bemusedness Helen was happy to play again .... I won again (money no taxes)....we played again.... Lisa winning with toast.
Lisa decided that Diamant may be a little more fun and less brain-aching. Helen really enjoyed this one, even though both the games we played were relatively low scoring. Lisa won the first one with 48 jewels. Helen came second with a respectable 21 jewels, and I assumed my usual spot, at the back with only 17 jewels
Following on from Lisa's cautious style of play, Helen won the second game with 62 jewels. I was not far behind with 54 and, for a change, Lisa was last with 28.
We decided to round off the evening with a couple of games of Carcassonne - a game Helen had heard us rave about but had not actually seen. We decided to play without farmers to make explaining it a bit simpler (given our alcohol intake!). Lisa won the first game with 71 points due to her usual trick of managing to place most of the monasteries! I came second with 54; most of these points came from a large city I didn't think I was going to finish. Helen managed a very respectable 43 and was keen to play again now that she realised that filling in the gaps to make it look pretty was probably not the best tactical approach to the game!
I managed to win with 79 points although I don't really understand how that happened. Helen did really well (and played quite aggressively) to come second with 74. Lisa suffered most from Helen's style of play as she had several meeples tied up for most of the game on features which Helen made impossible to finish. This hampered Lisa's score to 66.
A lovely afternoon and evening.
Lisa decided that Diamant may be a little more fun and less brain-aching. Helen really enjoyed this one, even though both the games we played were relatively low scoring. Lisa won the first one with 48 jewels. Helen came second with a respectable 21 jewels, and I assumed my usual spot, at the back with only 17 jewels
Following on from Lisa's cautious style of play, Helen won the second game with 62 jewels. I was not far behind with 54 and, for a change, Lisa was last with 28.
We decided to round off the evening with a couple of games of Carcassonne - a game Helen had heard us rave about but had not actually seen. We decided to play without farmers to make explaining it a bit simpler (given our alcohol intake!). Lisa won the first game with 71 points due to her usual trick of managing to place most of the monasteries! I came second with 54; most of these points came from a large city I didn't think I was going to finish. Helen managed a very respectable 43 and was keen to play again now that she realised that filling in the gaps to make it look pretty was probably not the best tactical approach to the game!
I managed to win with 79 points although I don't really understand how that happened. Helen did really well (and played quite aggressively) to come second with 74. Lisa suffered most from Helen's style of play as she had several meeples tied up for most of the game on features which Helen made impossible to finish. This hampered Lisa's score to 66.
A lovely afternoon and evening.
Wednesday 21st March, 2007
Mal came to spend the evening with us and, after eating a yumy dinner, we sat down to play a few games. To start with we re-introduced him to Carcassonne. We decided to play without farmers to make it a bit quicker and easier to play. Lisa did really well, placing most of the monasteries and finishing a high scoring city. I did atrociously and didn't manage to finsish much at all. Mal faired a bit better and managed to share points with Lisa for a few big scoring features. It was a satisfying game and the final scores felt suitably close. Lisa won with 89, Mal was second with 67 and I brought up the rear with 56.
Lisa and I then introduced Mal to Fluxx. I won the first game with 5 keepers. Mal initially hated this game; he just couldn't grasp it or see how to play strategically. When we reassured him that this was often how people felt after one go, and that it's best not to think strategically, he was happy to try again. He won this time with peace (no war) and was keen to play again. Lisa decided to head for bed at this point, but Mal was keen to play again. He and I had 3 more games with me winning 1 and Mal winning 2. He seemed to really enjoy it once he got his head around it!
Fluxx rounded off a pleasant evening.
Lisa and I then introduced Mal to Fluxx. I won the first game with 5 keepers. Mal initially hated this game; he just couldn't grasp it or see how to play strategically. When we reassured him that this was often how people felt after one go, and that it's best not to think strategically, he was happy to try again. He won this time with peace (no war) and was keen to play again. Lisa decided to head for bed at this point, but Mal was keen to play again. He and I had 3 more games with me winning 1 and Mal winning 2. He seemed to really enjoy it once he got his head around it!
Fluxx rounded off a pleasant evening.
Monday 19th March 2007
Monday night is games night! Lisa and I were joined by Greg and Spencer. To start with we had a quick game of Fluxx. This has really grown on me now that my brain has adjusted to it! Lisa has liked it since she first played. As it was I won this game with death by chocolate - still my favourite goal I think.
We then brought out Hey! That's My Fish! which we haven't played for awhile. I thought I'd done fairly well slicing off an expanse of ice for myself - but I hadn't oticed that I had mainly single fish floes! Oops....
In the end Greg won with 32 fish and Spencer was second with 26. They had something of an epic struggle to control a large ice floe which ended u;p with them sharing it fairly evenly. I managed third with 22 fish and Lisa, who fell fowl of Greg and Spence's penguin-empire-building, managed only 19. Still, we all agreed it had been a good game and that the scores were fairly close.
We all fancied something a little more involved next and Greg suggested Masons. It had been awhile since we had played this so Lisa did a quick rules refresher.... which was really useful. As we played I realised that I would score heavily for joining up the little cities that were starting and creating a large, central city. Everyone was surprised when I did this, as it denied usd all lots of scoring opportunities. But when I managed to score nearly 40 points off the 2 cards I played they realised why it had been a good tactic. It was quite an intense game after this. My lead dwindeled and Lisa overtook me and soon became uncatchable. She later admitted that she kept getting useful cards. I missed scoring rounds twice to enable me to swap my rather useless cards. On one memorable occassion the cards I discarded were replaced by identical ones! Lisa played really well and in the end was the clear winner with 115 points. I managed second, mainly due to my early high scoring, with 109. Spencer was next with 96 and Greg limped in with 79 points - he had had awful cards for most of the game.
As it was only 10pm we decided to have a quick game of Carcassonne. This lasted exactly 28 minutes! Greg and I spent lots of meeples contesting a big field... a contest which i finally won and which gave me the points to win the game with 65 points. Due to scoring nearly all the monasteries Lisa came second with 60 points. Greg lost out on scoring for the big field and this left him in third place with 47. Close behind was Spencer with 44 who didn't really get to place any high scoring farmers or build any monasteries. He did have a magnificent city though! A good game.
Another good evening of fun, frivolous conversation and enjoyable gaming.
We then brought out Hey! That's My Fish! which we haven't played for awhile. I thought I'd done fairly well slicing off an expanse of ice for myself - but I hadn't oticed that I had mainly single fish floes! Oops....
In the end Greg won with 32 fish and Spencer was second with 26. They had something of an epic struggle to control a large ice floe which ended u;p with them sharing it fairly evenly. I managed third with 22 fish and Lisa, who fell fowl of Greg and Spence's penguin-empire-building, managed only 19. Still, we all agreed it had been a good game and that the scores were fairly close.
We all fancied something a little more involved next and Greg suggested Masons. It had been awhile since we had played this so Lisa did a quick rules refresher.... which was really useful. As we played I realised that I would score heavily for joining up the little cities that were starting and creating a large, central city. Everyone was surprised when I did this, as it denied usd all lots of scoring opportunities. But when I managed to score nearly 40 points off the 2 cards I played they realised why it had been a good tactic. It was quite an intense game after this. My lead dwindeled and Lisa overtook me and soon became uncatchable. She later admitted that she kept getting useful cards. I missed scoring rounds twice to enable me to swap my rather useless cards. On one memorable occassion the cards I discarded were replaced by identical ones! Lisa played really well and in the end was the clear winner with 115 points. I managed second, mainly due to my early high scoring, with 109. Spencer was next with 96 and Greg limped in with 79 points - he had had awful cards for most of the game.
As it was only 10pm we decided to have a quick game of Carcassonne. This lasted exactly 28 minutes! Greg and I spent lots of meeples contesting a big field... a contest which i finally won and which gave me the points to win the game with 65 points. Due to scoring nearly all the monasteries Lisa came second with 60 points. Greg lost out on scoring for the big field and this left him in third place with 47. Close behind was Spencer with 44 who didn't really get to place any high scoring farmers or build any monasteries. He did have a magnificent city though! A good game.
Another good evening of fun, frivolous conversation and enjoyable gaming.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Sunday 18th March, 2007
Before heading back home in the evening we managed a few more games with the in-laws.... mostly whilst Ellie had a lengthy afternoon nap!
Valerie and Cara joined Lisa and I for two more games of Fluxx. Valerie won the first one with rocket to the moon and Cara won the second with 10 cards in her hand. We all agreed we liked this game but that it was quite mentally tiring!
Raymond then joined us for 4 games of Diamant - the clear favourite with the family this weekend. My bold tactics paid off in the first game as I won easily with 56 jewels. Second was Valerie with 38. Vara was third with 25, Lisa fourth with 23 and Raymond occupied my usual spot with just 13!
In the second game, Cara had an easy victory with 41 jewels. Lisa and I tied for second with 27, whilst Vlaerie was next with 17 and Raymond got none.
Fortunes were reversed in the third game when Raymond won by miles with 72 jewels. Next was Cara with 45, then Valerie and Paul with 23 and finally Lisa with 22. The game felt closer than it actually was; Raymond got most if his haul ont he first mine when everyone else was overcautious and came out a bit prematurely!
Cara headed off for a nap at this point (she'd had a very early start with her niece!) but the rest of us carried on for a final game. It was low scoring with victory eventually going to me with just 25 jewels. Raymond was second with 22, Lisa third with 18 and Valerie last with 12.
We had to stop at this point as Ellie had woken up.
Valerie and Cara joined Lisa and I for two more games of Fluxx. Valerie won the first one with rocket to the moon and Cara won the second with 10 cards in her hand. We all agreed we liked this game but that it was quite mentally tiring!
Raymond then joined us for 4 games of Diamant - the clear favourite with the family this weekend. My bold tactics paid off in the first game as I won easily with 56 jewels. Second was Valerie with 38. Vara was third with 25, Lisa fourth with 23 and Raymond occupied my usual spot with just 13!
In the second game, Cara had an easy victory with 41 jewels. Lisa and I tied for second with 27, whilst Vlaerie was next with 17 and Raymond got none.
Fortunes were reversed in the third game when Raymond won by miles with 72 jewels. Next was Cara with 45, then Valerie and Paul with 23 and finally Lisa with 22. The game felt closer than it actually was; Raymond got most if his haul ont he first mine when everyone else was overcautious and came out a bit prematurely!
Cara headed off for a nap at this point (she'd had a very early start with her niece!) but the rest of us carried on for a final game. It was low scoring with victory eventually going to me with just 25 jewels. Raymond was second with 22, Lisa third with 18 and Valerie last with 12.
We had to stop at this point as Ellie had woken up.
Saturday 17th March, 2007
Lisa, Ellie and I went to stay with Lisa's family for the weekend. In amongst having a lovely, relaxing weekend, we also managed a few games.
On Saturday evening Cara and Valerie joined us to play Fluxx. Initially they found it rather hard going, but opted to give it a second go. It is strangely confusing when you first play. I won the first game by having 5 keepers. Lisa won the second with milk and cookies - her favourite combination!
We decided to play something less mentally taxing. Fortunately we'd taken Diamant with us as this had been popular before. Raymond joined us for this.
The first game was extraordinarily low scoring. Cara won with 17 jewels, Raymond had 16, Valerie 15, Lisa 14 and I managed.... erm.... none.
Things improved a little in the second game with Cara again winning but with 41 jewels this time. Valerie was a fairly close second with 33 and Lisa a slightly distant third with 26. Raymond managed only 13 and I scraped in last with only 12.
In the third game Raymond finished miles ahead with 29 jewels; Lisa second with 12 and Cara and Valerie drew for third place with 4 each. I again managed 0!
The family adjourned to watch TV leaving Lisa and I to have a few 2-player games of Fluxx. Lisa won the first one by having ten cards in her hand. I won the second with the rocket to the moon. Lisa won the third in only 2 goes by having peace (but no war). Lisa won the fourth and final go in just 4 moves with death by chocolate. An impressive display of randomness!
Later on, Ellie joined Cara, Lisa and I for a go at the Shopping List game - Ellie won this by several items....but refused to do her victiry dance!
In the evening Lisa and I had 5 further games of Fluxx; I won 4 of them but Lisa won hers in just 3 moves!
Whilst Lisa persuaded Ellie to go to sleep that evening the rest of us had 2 further games of Diamant. Raymond, Cara and I drew for first place with 30 jewels each; Valeries brought up the rear with 13. Frustratingly I would have won had I stayed in for one more card....
Flushed with his success, Raymond went on to win the second game with 65 jewels. Valerie was next with 56, Car third with 23 and I took my usual place at the rear with just 18.
Still, a lovely day and more games squeezed in than Lisa and I expected!
On Saturday evening Cara and Valerie joined us to play Fluxx. Initially they found it rather hard going, but opted to give it a second go. It is strangely confusing when you first play. I won the first game by having 5 keepers. Lisa won the second with milk and cookies - her favourite combination!
We decided to play something less mentally taxing. Fortunately we'd taken Diamant with us as this had been popular before. Raymond joined us for this.
The first game was extraordinarily low scoring. Cara won with 17 jewels, Raymond had 16, Valerie 15, Lisa 14 and I managed.... erm.... none.
Things improved a little in the second game with Cara again winning but with 41 jewels this time. Valerie was a fairly close second with 33 and Lisa a slightly distant third with 26. Raymond managed only 13 and I scraped in last with only 12.
In the third game Raymond finished miles ahead with 29 jewels; Lisa second with 12 and Cara and Valerie drew for third place with 4 each. I again managed 0!
The family adjourned to watch TV leaving Lisa and I to have a few 2-player games of Fluxx. Lisa won the first one by having ten cards in her hand. I won the second with the rocket to the moon. Lisa won the third in only 2 goes by having peace (but no war). Lisa won the fourth and final go in just 4 moves with death by chocolate. An impressive display of randomness!
Later on, Ellie joined Cara, Lisa and I for a go at the Shopping List game - Ellie won this by several items....but refused to do her victiry dance!
In the evening Lisa and I had 5 further games of Fluxx; I won 4 of them but Lisa won hers in just 3 moves!
Whilst Lisa persuaded Ellie to go to sleep that evening the rest of us had 2 further games of Diamant. Raymond, Cara and I drew for first place with 30 jewels each; Valeries brought up the rear with 13. Frustratingly I would have won had I stayed in for one more card....
Flushed with his success, Raymond went on to win the second game with 65 jewels. Valerie was next with 56, Car third with 23 and I took my usual place at the rear with just 18.
Still, a lovely day and more games squeezed in than Lisa and I expected!
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Monday 12th March 2007
Before Monday Night is Games Night, Lisa and I had 3 hands of canasta. I won the first 2 bringing my total to 1935 to Lisa's 1445. I had a disastrous third hand which Lisa exploited really well. She forced me to finish on -180 (total of 1755) whilst she pulled ahead to 2620.
Spencer, Greg, and Jack then arrived. The five of us had 3 quick games of Fluxx. I had not played this before. My current neurological problems meant that I found this constantly shifting game rather hard. I can't even think how to describe it.... in the end, Lisa (who loved the game) won the first hand by having milk and chocolate (!). Greg won the next 2 with the pyramid and the eye and and then the eye and the brain. Just follow the link... I'm too tired to explain!
Lisa then left us and Vin arrived. We decided to settle down to a game of Caylus. Jack got off to an impressive start but was quickly eclipsed by Vin who built up an untouchable lead. Greg and Spencer were a bit behind and it took me ages to even get off the starting blocks. With all the prevaricating and pondering the evening wore on. Sadly Jack withdrew at 10.30pm as he had to be up early to catch a train the next morning.
The remaining four soldiered on for a few more rounds. We then decided we had all had enough with 3 rounds left to play. Vin was the clear winner with 62 points. Spencer was next with 41, most of them scored by manic castle-building in the final round. Surprisingly I came third with 32 points and Greg brought up the rear on 27. To be fair if we had carried on, Greg would have overtaken me in the next round and I think would have at least caught up with Spencer as he was all set to build a prestige building....
A good evening even if we did all seem a bit tired and jaded.
Spencer, Greg, and Jack then arrived. The five of us had 3 quick games of Fluxx. I had not played this before. My current neurological problems meant that I found this constantly shifting game rather hard. I can't even think how to describe it.... in the end, Lisa (who loved the game) won the first hand by having milk and chocolate (!). Greg won the next 2 with the pyramid and the eye and and then the eye and the brain. Just follow the link... I'm too tired to explain!
Lisa then left us and Vin arrived. We decided to settle down to a game of Caylus. Jack got off to an impressive start but was quickly eclipsed by Vin who built up an untouchable lead. Greg and Spencer were a bit behind and it took me ages to even get off the starting blocks. With all the prevaricating and pondering the evening wore on. Sadly Jack withdrew at 10.30pm as he had to be up early to catch a train the next morning.
The remaining four soldiered on for a few more rounds. We then decided we had all had enough with 3 rounds left to play. Vin was the clear winner with 62 points. Spencer was next with 41, most of them scored by manic castle-building in the final round. Surprisingly I came third with 32 points and Greg brought up the rear on 27. To be fair if we had carried on, Greg would have overtaken me in the next round and I think would have at least caught up with Spencer as he was all set to build a prestige building....
A good evening even if we did all seem a bit tired and jaded.
Saturday 10th march 2007
Lisa, Eleanor and I had a fabulous evening with Elen and her parents, Jason and Annette. After the kids had gone to bed I persuaded the grown ups to play Diamant. Lisa and I quickly explained the rules of the game - which takes longer than actually playing it! The game went down well. Jason and Annette kept asking to play it again so we had 4 games despite the lateness of the hour. I had a disastrous evening (I blame the wine); I kept staying in the mines too long....
That said, I won the first game with 26 jewels. Lisa was second with 20. Jason and Annette scored 11 and 8 respectively; they were a little overcautious to start with!
The tables turned in the second game. Jason romped to an easy victory with 32 jewels with Annette a distant second with 21. She pipped Lisa to second place who managed 20. I managed only 3....
Annette proved victorious in the third game amassing 36 jewels. Jason was next with 28. Lisa and I both got no jewels. Not a one...
In the fourth and final game Jason managed to haul away 39 jewels, just ahead of Annette with 32. Lisa came third with 21 and I brought up the rear with an embarrassing 6.
Still, we all had a lovely evening and Jason and Annette are keen to try another game.... they'll be playing Caylus by Christmas!
That said, I won the first game with 26 jewels. Lisa was second with 20. Jason and Annette scored 11 and 8 respectively; they were a little overcautious to start with!
The tables turned in the second game. Jason romped to an easy victory with 32 jewels with Annette a distant second with 21. She pipped Lisa to second place who managed 20. I managed only 3....
Annette proved victorious in the third game amassing 36 jewels. Jason was next with 28. Lisa and I both got no jewels. Not a one...
In the fourth and final game Jason managed to haul away 39 jewels, just ahead of Annette with 32. Lisa came third with 21 and I brought up the rear with an embarrassing 6.
Still, we all had a lovely evening and Jason and Annette are keen to try another game.... they'll be playing Caylus by Christmas!
Friday 9th March 2007
Lisa and I sat down to enjoy 4 hands of canasta. In the first hand I managed to go out quickly. I scored only 915 points but made Lisa have -45. I repeated this in the second hand, scoring 1290 for myself and -120 for Lisa. This put me in the lead, and within sight of victory, with 6545 to Lisa's 4970.
Although Lisa scored the most points in the third hand (1430) I got 1200 which put me over the 7500 victory threshold. This means that I now lead 4 games to 3!
We then played the first hand of a new game. I failed to adjust to the low melding and was whooped; Lisa got 1035 whilst I ended on -65. Oh dear!
We then fancied another game of Carcassonne - The Castle. Lisa won a resounding victory at this with 128 points to my 97. She did really well obtaining most of the tokens and managing to complete several large structures. A good evening.
Although Lisa scored the most points in the third hand (1430) I got 1200 which put me over the 7500 victory threshold. This means that I now lead 4 games to 3!
We then played the first hand of a new game. I failed to adjust to the low melding and was whooped; Lisa got 1035 whilst I ended on -65. Oh dear!
We then fancied another game of Carcassonne - The Castle. Lisa won a resounding victory at this with 128 points to my 97. She did really well obtaining most of the tokens and managing to complete several large structures. A good evening.
Thursday 8th March 2007
Lisa and I fancied a change this evening and so out came our old favourite Carcassonne - The Castle! The game was closer than the final scores show; I won with 133 points to Lisa's 101. She scored for a large unfinsihed keep amd I managed to snag to extra points at the end. I managed to finish an impressive road network and have the most market stalls. A fun game.
Wednesday 7th March 2007
Lisa and I had a quiet evening to ourselves and so we decided to have 2 games of Carcassonne and the Traders & Builders expansion. Again, we both enjoyed the variation the expansion brings to the basic game.
In the first game I managed to have a monopoly on two types of goods and position my pig well in a big field. This helped me to my 219 points to 194 victory.
The second game was much closer. We both shared the largest field and Lisa did well with the resources. I managed to move my builder around alot and benefitted from the extra go he can bring. I just sneaked victory, 193 points to Lisa's 191!
In the first game I managed to have a monopoly on two types of goods and position my pig well in a big field. This helped me to my 219 points to 194 victory.
The second game was much closer. We both shared the largest field and Lisa did well with the resources. I managed to move my builder around alot and benefitted from the extra go he can bring. I just sneaked victory, 193 points to Lisa's 191!
Tuesday 6th March 2007
Lisa and I played 2 hands of canasta, winning one apiece. Lisa is now in the lead with 5135 to my 4340.
Monday 5th March 2007
Before Monday Night is Games Night Lisa and I enjoyed two quick hands of canasta. The first hand was pretty close. Lisa won it with 1010 points to my 560. This brought her total to 3155 and mine to 1710. In the next hand I went out really quickly due to picking up the deck at a good time! I scored only 975 points but forced Lisa to lose 190 points! (It's rare that I force her into a minus situation!). This put me back in the game with 2685 points to lisa's 2965.
Greg, Spencer and Vin then arrived and we set up Britannia. I played this once before and won (!) despite being fairly clueless about what I was doing. Still, it had been good fun. This is a 'sweep of history' game. Each of the four players represents several races who invade England sometime between the Roman occupation and the Norman invasion of 1066. The fortunes of the different races wax and wain roughly in accordance with history (although last time I managed to still have the Brigantes hanging around when the Normans turned up!). Every so often a race scores points depending on which regions they hold. Points are also scored for whacking the romans and killing opposition leaders - heroic figures who turn up occasionally.
As I had previously been victorious I was selected to play the Romans. This is quite hard as, although you have 4 subsequent races whereas everyone else has 4 in total, the Romans are your only really good one. Therefore you have to score most of your points early in the game and watch everyone else catch up and possibly overtake you later on. That said, I managed to amass 113 points with the Romans, which I think is quite good!
The Romans pretty much stayed out of Wales which allowed Spencer to consolidate his position there with the erm... Welsh! A little later and there was an epic struggle between the Angles and the Saxons for control of most of England. I did fairly well wresting control of most of Scotland from the Picts.
In the end we stopped playing at the end of Round 7; about halfway through. It had taken us 3 hours to get this far and we decided to conclude on another evening.
Scores thus far are:
Greg : 74
Spencer: 84
Paul: 143
Vin: 63
But we've got along way to go yet!
Greg, Spencer and Vin then arrived and we set up Britannia. I played this once before and won (!) despite being fairly clueless about what I was doing. Still, it had been good fun. This is a 'sweep of history' game. Each of the four players represents several races who invade England sometime between the Roman occupation and the Norman invasion of 1066. The fortunes of the different races wax and wain roughly in accordance with history (although last time I managed to still have the Brigantes hanging around when the Normans turned up!). Every so often a race scores points depending on which regions they hold. Points are also scored for whacking the romans and killing opposition leaders - heroic figures who turn up occasionally.
As I had previously been victorious I was selected to play the Romans. This is quite hard as, although you have 4 subsequent races whereas everyone else has 4 in total, the Romans are your only really good one. Therefore you have to score most of your points early in the game and watch everyone else catch up and possibly overtake you later on. That said, I managed to amass 113 points with the Romans, which I think is quite good!
The Romans pretty much stayed out of Wales which allowed Spencer to consolidate his position there with the erm... Welsh! A little later and there was an epic struggle between the Angles and the Saxons for control of most of England. I did fairly well wresting control of most of Scotland from the Picts.
In the end we stopped playing at the end of Round 7; about halfway through. It had taken us 3 hours to get this far and we decided to conclude on another evening.
Scores thus far are:
Greg : 74
Spencer: 84
Paul: 143
Vin: 63
But we've got along way to go yet!
Sunday 4th March 2007
Maisy's parents Sarah and Stuart and my god son Henry came over for Sunday dinner. After we had stuffed ourselves with a huge leg of lamb the grown ups and Maisy played 3 games of Diamant - again at Maisy's request.
The first game was low scoring as 2 mines collapsed early on. In the end Stuart won with 23 jewels. Sarah was next with 18. Paul had 16 to Lisa's 15 and Maisy, now a bit sulky, was last with 7.
Lisa then left to play with the littlies. I convincingly won the second game with 58 jewels; I had stayed in longer than others on 2 occasions and reaped the rewards! Stuart came second with 31, Sarah third with 28 and Maisy was again last with 20 (beware the sulky child!).
Sarah then headed off to help Lisa with the littlies who, by now, had placed every toy imaginable somewhere on the floor. I won the third game with 56 jewels, again due to staying in some mines a bit longer than the others. Stuart tried this tactic but left it a little late; he came second with 47 jewels. Maisy played sensibly and safely, although this netted her only 34 jewels. Her mind had been elsewhere throughout the three games as she was in charge of dividing the jewels - a job she did admirably.
In the evening, when our guests had departed and an exhausted Eleanor was sound asleep clutching a teddy in bed, Lisa and I sat down to a game of Carcassonne, again with the Traders & Builders expansion.
This was a really close game. I finally won with 188 points to Lisa's 183. Lisa had monopolies in all 2 of the resources and we drew for the third; netting Lisa 30 points and me 10! I managed to sneak my pig into a field with 8 cities, thu scoring 32 points. Again we really enjoyed the tactics of this expansion; Lisa managed to complete far more cities and thus managed to amass the resources. I focussed on controlling the largest field. Both tactics are valid and a 5 point lead is nothing! Again, though, neither of us felt we used the builder particularly effectively as Lisa's got stuck on a road for most of the game and mine was stuck in a city....
The first game was low scoring as 2 mines collapsed early on. In the end Stuart won with 23 jewels. Sarah was next with 18. Paul had 16 to Lisa's 15 and Maisy, now a bit sulky, was last with 7.
Lisa then left to play with the littlies. I convincingly won the second game with 58 jewels; I had stayed in longer than others on 2 occasions and reaped the rewards! Stuart came second with 31, Sarah third with 28 and Maisy was again last with 20 (beware the sulky child!).
Sarah then headed off to help Lisa with the littlies who, by now, had placed every toy imaginable somewhere on the floor. I won the third game with 56 jewels, again due to staying in some mines a bit longer than the others. Stuart tried this tactic but left it a little late; he came second with 47 jewels. Maisy played sensibly and safely, although this netted her only 34 jewels. Her mind had been elsewhere throughout the three games as she was in charge of dividing the jewels - a job she did admirably.
In the evening, when our guests had departed and an exhausted Eleanor was sound asleep clutching a teddy in bed, Lisa and I sat down to a game of Carcassonne, again with the Traders & Builders expansion.
This was a really close game. I finally won with 188 points to Lisa's 183. Lisa had monopolies in all 2 of the resources and we drew for the third; netting Lisa 30 points and me 10! I managed to sneak my pig into a field with 8 cities, thu scoring 32 points. Again we really enjoyed the tactics of this expansion; Lisa managed to complete far more cities and thus managed to amass the resources. I focussed on controlling the largest field. Both tactics are valid and a 5 point lead is nothing! Again, though, neither of us felt we used the builder particularly effectively as Lisa's got stuck on a road for most of the game and mine was stuck in a city....
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Saturday 3rd March 2007
With Eleanor sound asleep, and Lisa busy preparing dinner, Maisy and I had a quick game of Diamant. Maisy did really well at this winning by 82 jewels to my 50. I kept staying in a bit too long....
A little later Lisa joined us for a go at the new Disney version of Monopoly. We played for a couple of hours before Maisy got bored. She was declared the winner as she had the most money (hhmmm?).
To be honest it was fun playing with Maisy but the game is flawed. It goes on way too long and the added features just make it longer not more fun....erm..... I think I've ranted about this before! I have.
Once both kids were off to bed Lisa and I brought out Carcassonne and, after last night's adventure, decided to try the Traders & Builders expansion! We really enjoyed this and agreed that it had far more of an impact onthe 2-player game.
It was close all the way through but in the end Lisa just sneaked ahead with 183 points to my 180! Both our builders got tied up early on in the game and so we didn't make as good use of them as we would of liked. I managed to position my pig in a field I controlled to score 44 points at the end (without this I would have suffered an ignoble defeat rather than a TCP-needing one!). Lisa really enjoyed this and said that it makes Carcassonne more like The Castle... I see what she means as it becomes a lot more tactical than normal. She initially did really well finishing cities to obtain resources. She changed tactics a bit later to sneak into the big field; this gave me a chance to get more resources. In the end I got 20 points for them whilst Lisa scored 10. We really enjoyed this expansion and felt it worked really well with the two of us. A great success.
A little later Lisa joined us for a go at the new Disney version of Monopoly. We played for a couple of hours before Maisy got bored. She was declared the winner as she had the most money (hhmmm?).
To be honest it was fun playing with Maisy but the game is flawed. It goes on way too long and the added features just make it longer not more fun....erm..... I think I've ranted about this before! I have.
Once both kids were off to bed Lisa and I brought out Carcassonne and, after last night's adventure, decided to try the Traders & Builders expansion! We really enjoyed this and agreed that it had far more of an impact onthe 2-player game.
It was close all the way through but in the end Lisa just sneaked ahead with 183 points to my 180! Both our builders got tied up early on in the game and so we didn't make as good use of them as we would of liked. I managed to position my pig in a field I controlled to score 44 points at the end (without this I would have suffered an ignoble defeat rather than a TCP-needing one!). Lisa really enjoyed this and said that it makes Carcassonne more like The Castle... I see what she means as it becomes a lot more tactical than normal. She initially did really well finishing cities to obtain resources. She changed tactics a bit later to sneak into the big field; this gave me a chance to get more resources. In the end I got 20 points for them whilst Lisa scored 10. We really enjoyed this expansion and felt it worked really well with the two of us. A great success.
Friday 2nd March 2007
Lisa and I enjoyed a couple of games of Diamant with Lisa's 8-year old god daughter, Maisy. She really likes Diamant and requested that we play it!
I won the first game with 66 jewels; most of these came from the first mine when Lisa and Maisy both came out too early. I also profited in the third mine as they stayed in and got squished whilst I beat a hasty retreat. Lisa came second with 31 and Maisy was third with 9.
In a reversal of fortunes Maisy dominated the next game and finished with a massive haul of 83 jewels. A lot of her stash was collected in mine 2 as Lisa and I came out far too early. there was then a run of nine cards without a disaster! Maisy played this mine really well, getting out just before the roof caved in! I caught up in the fourth and fifth mines to finish with 67 jewels. Lisa was more cautious than usual and so came last with 41 jewels.
With Maisy tucked up in bed, Lisa and I broke out Carcassonne. We decided to add on the Inns and Cathedrals expansion - our first time! In the end, Lisa won with 173 points to my 158. It had felt like a close game throughout. I caught up at the end, mainly due to winning possession of a field with 11 cities in it! Lisa completed a large city containing a cathedral for 48 points! This was finished about midway through the game, although neither of us thought it would be completed (in fact, I had banked on it not being!). Neither of us were happy with our use of the big meeples. The inns seemed to work well as we both finished all of our roads except one.
We decided to give it another go. This time I won with 182 points to Lisa's 122. I managed to complete a city with a cathedral for 36 points. I also pushed Lisa out of a field with 12 cities in it!
We are not sure if this expansion adds much to the 2-player game. We thought that being penalised for not finishing the roads and cities would make it more interesting. But it just meant that we worked harder to finish them! We got into the habit of placing the cathedral tiles to scupper a city for the other person. This didn't really work either. We enjoyed having the additional tiles but it felt like 'more of the same' really, although that isn't a bad thing! We don't think we've got our heads around effective use of the big meeples; we didn't get to use them as farmers where we expect they would be particularly useful.
All in all, a good game but not improved as much as we had hoped by inclusion of this expansion.
I won the first game with 66 jewels; most of these came from the first mine when Lisa and Maisy both came out too early. I also profited in the third mine as they stayed in and got squished whilst I beat a hasty retreat. Lisa came second with 31 and Maisy was third with 9.
In a reversal of fortunes Maisy dominated the next game and finished with a massive haul of 83 jewels. A lot of her stash was collected in mine 2 as Lisa and I came out far too early. there was then a run of nine cards without a disaster! Maisy played this mine really well, getting out just before the roof caved in! I caught up in the fourth and fifth mines to finish with 67 jewels. Lisa was more cautious than usual and so came last with 41 jewels.
With Maisy tucked up in bed, Lisa and I broke out Carcassonne. We decided to add on the Inns and Cathedrals expansion - our first time! In the end, Lisa won with 173 points to my 158. It had felt like a close game throughout. I caught up at the end, mainly due to winning possession of a field with 11 cities in it! Lisa completed a large city containing a cathedral for 48 points! This was finished about midway through the game, although neither of us thought it would be completed (in fact, I had banked on it not being!). Neither of us were happy with our use of the big meeples. The inns seemed to work well as we both finished all of our roads except one.
We decided to give it another go. This time I won with 182 points to Lisa's 122. I managed to complete a city with a cathedral for 36 points. I also pushed Lisa out of a field with 12 cities in it!
We are not sure if this expansion adds much to the 2-player game. We thought that being penalised for not finishing the roads and cities would make it more interesting. But it just meant that we worked harder to finish them! We got into the habit of placing the cathedral tiles to scupper a city for the other person. This didn't really work either. We enjoyed having the additional tiles but it felt like 'more of the same' really, although that isn't a bad thing! We don't think we've got our heads around effective use of the big meeples; we didn't get to use them as farmers where we expect they would be particularly useful.
All in all, a good game but not improved as much as we had hoped by inclusion of this expansion.
Thursday 1st March 2007
Lisa and I spent part of the evening playing four hands of canasta. I won the first 2, giving me a total of 8255; well over the 7500 winning threshold. I managed to keep Lisa's scores low, which was just as well as she also finished past the threshold with 7960 points. That made the series level at three games each.
In the first hand of the new game Lisa played exceedingly well to amass 1765 points to my -220!
I won the next game scoring 1370 (giving me a total of 1150) and limiting Lisa's to 380 (total: 2145).
A fun evening with some good strategy from both of us.
In the first hand of the new game Lisa played exceedingly well to amass 1765 points to my -220!
I won the next game scoring 1370 (giving me a total of 1150) and limiting Lisa's to 380 (total: 2145).
A fun evening with some good strategy from both of us.
Wednesday 28th February 2007
Lisa and I had a quick hand of canasta. I won with 1425 points, bringing my total to 6095. Lisa scored only 650 but is still in the lead with a total of 6145.
Tuesday 27th February 2007
Lisa and I spent the time waiting for 'Life on Mars' on TV playing canasta. I won the first hand scoring 1295 to Lisa's 1000 points. This brought my total to 3440, Lisa's to 3230. Lisa then won the next hand with 2265 to my 1230. This was actually a close game as I could have gone out on my next go....had it got that far! Final scores: Lisa in the lead with 5495 me with 4670.
Monday 26th February 2007
Monday night is games night! But before this.... Lisa and I had a few hands of canasta. I won both hands, scoring 580 in the first and 1565 in the second. This brought my total to 2145 due to my -415 score in the first hand of the game! Lisa scored 480 and then 585, bringing her total to 2230 - so she's still in the lead!
We were then joined by Jack and Lou (again!) and Greg for a game of Guillotine. Lou did really well, winning this with 24 points. Lisa came second with 18, Greg and Paul drew for third with 16 whilst Jack brought up the rear with 14.
Spencer then arrived, so all six of us spent the rest of the evening playing Powergrid with the US map. The game worked well with six and was a close run thing throughout - not neccesarily reflected by the final scores. We were all hampered by the good power stations proving elusive. In the end, Greg won as he could power 14 cities. Jack and Spencer could both power 13, although Jack had the most money. Paul, Lou and Lisa all could power 12, although Paul had the most money, followed by Lisa. As Lou had not played the game before she did really. Even though she was in last place it had been a close game and all of us really enjoyed it and had a pleasant evening.
We were then joined by Jack and Lou (again!) and Greg for a game of Guillotine. Lou did really well, winning this with 24 points. Lisa came second with 18, Greg and Paul drew for third with 16 whilst Jack brought up the rear with 14.
Spencer then arrived, so all six of us spent the rest of the evening playing Powergrid with the US map. The game worked well with six and was a close run thing throughout - not neccesarily reflected by the final scores. We were all hampered by the good power stations proving elusive. In the end, Greg won as he could power 14 cities. Jack and Spencer could both power 13, although Jack had the most money. Paul, Lou and Lisa all could power 12, although Paul had the most money, followed by Lisa. As Lou had not played the game before she did really. Even though she was in last place it had been a close game and all of us really enjoyed it and had a pleasant evening.
Sunday 25th February 2005
Lisa and I had a lovely afternoon with Jack and his wife, Lou. Ellie loved having more grown-up attention than usual and she definitely warmed to both of them (Lou's presence was even requested in the bathroom at bath time - a high honour indeed!).
After a meal of build-your-own-tortillas (one of Ellie's favourites) the grown-ups retired to an evening of games. First up we tried It's Alive! - the prototype of the next game Jack's publishing. I had played and enjoyed this before, but it was a new experience for Lisa!
We both really enjoyed this and Lou and Jack, who I'm guessing have both played it rather a lot, seemed to enjoy playing it with us. The game is essentially a race to purchase body parts to complete a cadaver. The villagers can upset your plans and sometimes its best to auction body parts to the other Dr Frankenstein's to add to your bank role.
Lisa really took to this game, enjoying the theme and the straightforward mechanics. She won the first game with 51 points. She also got to shout out "It's Alive!" as she finished her body-reconstruction. Lou came second with 44, Jack just behind his wife with 43 and I brought up the rear with 37.
We all wanted to play again...which must be a good sign for the success of the game! Lou won this time with 57, Jack was second with 45, I came third with 38 and, in a reversal of fortune, Lisa was last with 34.
After this we elected to play Carcassonne - the first time Lisa had played with more than 3 players! It was a close game. Jack and I felt a bit put upon as our spouses kept muscling in on our cities and fields. It was a tense, satisfying game, which was reflected in the scoring. Lou and myself drew for first place with 59 points. Jack was next with 56 and then came Lisa with 53. She commented that she really enjoyed playing the 4-player version but had suffered as she had not finished several potentially high scoring features as the tiles simply ran out! As she doesn't usually play with farmers I thought she did really well.
We fancied something quick and simple next so out came Diamant, a game I think was new to Lou. Lisa won the first game with 42 stones. Lou was close behind with 39. I came next with 35 and Jack was last with 25. I won the next game with 28 jewels despite having no jewels until the fourth mine. Lisa was second with 23 and Jack and Lou drew for third place with 20 jewels.
Jack then requested Guillotine, another new game for Lou. This was a good, fun game to round off the evening with. I won the first game with 27 points, due to several palace guards. Lisa was second with 18, Lou close behind with 17. Jack did... not so well with 9 points. Before calling it a night we had another go. I won this one as well (!) with 20 points. Lisa and Lou drew for second place with 17 points - Jack.... did not so well again with 11 points.
A fantastic evening with lovely company and good games.
After a meal of build-your-own-tortillas (one of Ellie's favourites) the grown-ups retired to an evening of games. First up we tried It's Alive! - the prototype of the next game Jack's publishing. I had played and enjoyed this before, but it was a new experience for Lisa!
We both really enjoyed this and Lou and Jack, who I'm guessing have both played it rather a lot, seemed to enjoy playing it with us. The game is essentially a race to purchase body parts to complete a cadaver. The villagers can upset your plans and sometimes its best to auction body parts to the other Dr Frankenstein's to add to your bank role.
Lisa really took to this game, enjoying the theme and the straightforward mechanics. She won the first game with 51 points. She also got to shout out "It's Alive!" as she finished her body-reconstruction. Lou came second with 44, Jack just behind his wife with 43 and I brought up the rear with 37.
We all wanted to play again...which must be a good sign for the success of the game! Lou won this time with 57, Jack was second with 45, I came third with 38 and, in a reversal of fortune, Lisa was last with 34.
After this we elected to play Carcassonne - the first time Lisa had played with more than 3 players! It was a close game. Jack and I felt a bit put upon as our spouses kept muscling in on our cities and fields. It was a tense, satisfying game, which was reflected in the scoring. Lou and myself drew for first place with 59 points. Jack was next with 56 and then came Lisa with 53. She commented that she really enjoyed playing the 4-player version but had suffered as she had not finished several potentially high scoring features as the tiles simply ran out! As she doesn't usually play with farmers I thought she did really well.
We fancied something quick and simple next so out came Diamant, a game I think was new to Lou. Lisa won the first game with 42 stones. Lou was close behind with 39. I came next with 35 and Jack was last with 25. I won the next game with 28 jewels despite having no jewels until the fourth mine. Lisa was second with 23 and Jack and Lou drew for third place with 20 jewels.
Jack then requested Guillotine, another new game for Lou. This was a good, fun game to round off the evening with. I won the first game with 27 points, due to several palace guards. Lisa was second with 18, Lou close behind with 17. Jack did... not so well with 9 points. Before calling it a night we had another go. I won this one as well (!) with 20 points. Lisa and Lou drew for second place with 17 points - Jack.... did not so well again with 11 points.
A fantastic evening with lovely company and good games.
Saturday 24th February 2007
Whilst Eleanor had her afternoon nap, I introduced Lisa to my homemade copy of Hive. After getting over her fear of spiders Lisa quickly took to this game. The aim is to surround your opponents Queen Bee by positioning your team of grasshoppers, beetles, soldier ants and, yes, spiders. I won the first two games and Lisa set me up admirably to win the third! Lisa commented how similar this game is to chess; you position pieces to disadvantage your opponent several moves hence. It was a connection I hadn't made, but I see what she means!
We fancied something a bit longer and so we turned our attention to Carcassonne. Our set was recently returned to us and we hadn't both played for months. We decided to play with farmers - in the past we've often left them out.
It was a very close game. The scoring hinged on ownership of a large field with 9 completed cities in it. In the end, after careful positioning and some lucky tiles, we both managed to have 3 meeples in this field. Because of this titanic battle, 3 monasteries went unscored.
In the end Lisa was victorious with 118 points to my 117! We both really enjoyed this and were glad we had played. We decided not to play any other games after this as we were both quite mentally tired!
We fancied something a bit longer and so we turned our attention to Carcassonne. Our set was recently returned to us and we hadn't both played for months. We decided to play with farmers - in the past we've often left them out.
It was a very close game. The scoring hinged on ownership of a large field with 9 completed cities in it. In the end, after careful positioning and some lucky tiles, we both managed to have 3 meeples in this field. Because of this titanic battle, 3 monasteries went unscored.
In the end Lisa was victorious with 118 points to my 117! We both really enjoyed this and were glad we had played. We decided not to play any other games after this as we were both quite mentally tired!
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