What game is hitting your table?

[Bix Conners]

Here's my list for the last week or so:

Discworld: Ankh-Morpork
It had been a few months since I'd brought this one out. Great game, but I'd forgotten how much less great it is with just 2 players.

Pandemic
I'm a big fan of co-ops, and I'd never played this... it was just embarrassing. Now it's remedied. I still prefer Forbidden Island: feels more tense and immediate to me, and the theme of Pandemic is less to my taste. I kept thinking about ebola and getting all depressed.

Barbarian Prince
Because I'm a sucker for fiddly retro hex-and-counter stuff, especially where there's a good narrative involved.

That is a very interesting assortment of games. I had to go look up Barbarian Prince on BGG.

[Jolo]

My last week is:
Wealth of Nations: I bought it new but never played it, easy rules but good economic game

Steampark : (2P)  I only had it for a couple of days before cracking it out, pretty light, but ok

Stephenson's Rocket: I last played it in 2006...

Red November:  interesting co-op, but we undoubtedly played it wrong

Power Grid : still awesome!

[R Newell]

Since last time I posted:

Dominant Species - I got my first two tries with this, once with four players and once with the full complement of six.  Great, great game.  Such a mind melter in the late rounds, especially with six.  Come to think of it, I hope there were no little ones watching over my shoulder at PGX, because I may have dropped a few (dozen) f-bombs trying to wrap my feeble brain around where to play the Catastrophe card with my final action of the game.

Monopoly - Played it with the in-laws over Christmas, because when else would a hobby gamer play Monopoly.  I can't remember the last time I played this, but it was earlier than 2007, since I'd never logged a game of it and that's when I started doing that.  Way better than I remembered!  Which isn't to say that it's a great game but -- PLAYED BY THE RULES AS ACTUALLY WRITTEN -- it's a pretty decent negotiation game that really doesn't overstay its welcome that much.  I'm glad I didn't toss my copy.

Eclipse - My wife and I aborted a game in round 5 because I had a bad headache and didn't remember the rules as well as I thought I did.  She was well on her way to wiping all trace of my alien race from the annals of history, so I conceded the win to her.

Court of the Medici - Played a quick game with Matt.  Super simple rules, tiny/inexpensive package, great strategic and tactical depth.

Carcassonne - Game one of the Chewsday Challenge tournament.  I lost to Nicole and Patrick.  I stink at this game, mainly because I do a poor job of investing my meeples.

Roll for the Galaxy - Like the card game, this dice game takes a simple premise and convolutes it with symbology and exceptions.  It's a hard game to learn because of that, which made the game last longer than I think it should.  However, I think it'd be a lot of fun once all players get past that initial learning curve.  Plus, you can't go wrong shaking dice in a plastic cup.

Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation - Two of my goals this year are to play more Renier Knizia games and to play some of the shelf toads in my collection.  This killed two birds with one stone.  Fantastic game with a beautiful production (I've got the deluxe version) that I shouldn't let collect dust again.

[Jolo]

So, since my last time posting (Dec 10th!, I am a slacker), I have played an assortment of games, I will go by amount played:

Heroes of Metro City - hey a superhero semi co-op deckbuilder! Man, was this hard, we played it 7 times and eked out one win. Tough game that punishes greediness. I got 7 plays in, all in a day.

Machi Koro - light dice and tile game, after 4 plays it has started to slide in my interest list. I will play it to teach others, but I am over it this dice rolling city building game.

Power Grid - 3 plays in the last 3 weeks! This is one of my favourite games and I am always glad to teach it. I played the USA, Quebec and Germany boards. I think I am going to aim for ten plays this year.

Love Letter - This is becoming my "go to: game for accessible gaming, short sweet and a little bit mean. 3 plays so far. Almost half are at Woods.

7 Wonders - It has slowly moved from a game I played a lot (16 plays in 2012) to one I barely played (4 in 2014). I still enjoy it, but much of the sheen has disappeared. This includes the 3 I had between Christmas and New Years.

King of Tokyo - fun game once in a while, but I don't want a serious diet of it. All the plays were at Woods Alehouse on a Monday night.

London I really like this game, it is a shame I don't play it more often. I think I will make it game of the Week at Woods soon. 2 plays, both at home.

Mississippi Queen - Racing paddle wheelers! One of my new favourite race games. lighter and quicker with less work to manage what you have to do with a touch of meanness. 2 plays, one of them at Woods.

Steam - I love the Martin Wallace line of train games and this one works well, smaller and more compact than Railways of the World, a little friendly than Age of Steam. 2 plays, both at home.

All with one play
Civilization - technically it was Civilization with the Advanced Civilization expansion but it is what it is. BGG says I have logged three plays since 2012, but I think I am close to 50 or more in my life. We played for 10 hours then called it with 2 or 3 turns to go. Still my #1 game.

Nexus Ops - fun dice chucking game with conflict, sort of like a quick risk. great fun, but I cannot roll to save my life (or my Rock Spiders!)

San Juan - we were looking for a quick filler at a meetup, so I pulled this one out and we played a quick form player game at a meetup group. I really like it, and I am always enjoying it. My wife does not enjoy it two player, as I consider this a race game.

Small World - January 26th's Game of the Week at Woods Alehouse. Easy to teach, fun to play with tonnes and tons of player interaction. You would think I would know how to win by now.

Sword of Rome - 5 player CDG on Rome. Another of my top five games I got to play lately. 5 hours, and a Carthaginian win (I was the Etruscan/Samnite player). Good intro into more than 2P CDGs.

Vegas Showdown - smart game and I think under rated when it came out. I should play this more, as everyone I taught it to has loved it. I had it as Game of the Week at Woods several weeks ago.

Xia: Legends of a Drift System - pretty bits and a fun space exploration game, more options than Merchants of Venus, and fast as well.

[R Newell]

Since last time I posted...

I hosted a six-player session of A Game of Thrones (1st edition).  I hadn't played this in about three years.  It turns out I'm missing a few of the cards, but luckily the expansions have alternate decks we were able to utilize instead.  I played as the Starks and lost badly.  I'd like to play this a few times in 2015 and gradually incorporate more expansion material.

We also played a few games of No Thanks!.  I won the second game with a positive score!  That makes me world champion, I think.

I followed that with a truncated game of Mage Knight that we had to call for time.  We did manage to play two full rounds, so I guess we would have played a complete game if we had selected one of the shorter scenarios.

I played my first league game of Twilight Struggle.  I hadn't played this since 2013, and my opponent also hadn't played for a few years.  It took each of us a while to pick up on strategy, especially because we had no familiarity with the cards and so couldn't predict what actions might completely derail our plans.  It was looking like I (the US) was going to lose near the end of the mid-war but I ended up squeaking out a 1-point victory in final scoring.  Epic game.  I'm glad I joined a league because this is one I would like to become fairly competitive at.

I soloed a game of Lord of the Rings, which I hadn't played since about 2007.  I have a personal goal to play a lot of Knizia titles this year.  Despite the fact that it was so influential by helping popularize the co-op genre, it still manages to be very unique within the genre.  I hope to play the base game a few times and then buy an expansion or two.

I played a few eight-player games of BANG! The Dice Game.  I think I like it a bit better than the original BANG! because it doesn't overstay its welcome but, as far as Yahtzee variants go, I much prefer King of Tokyo.

I got in my third game of Dominant Species in the last two months.  My score benefitted from new players who were trying to get a handle on the rules, let alone the fairly obtuse strategies.  Plus I was also able to do a devastating Blight action on the only other experienced player.  I ended up with a runaway score that was about 80 points higher than second place.

I took part in a western-themed game of Fiasco.  ...   What happens in Fiasco stays in Fiasco...

I played both Cyclades and Kemet, both great combat-heavy games from the same designer.  For both we used the expansion that allows some of the elements to be mixed (I released the Kraken into the Nile, for example).  In both games, every single player was at some point in a position to possibly claim victory.  Fun stuff.

I tried out Turfmaster in an eight-player game and managed to pull out the victory by scoring in all three races.  Neat game of hand management.

I took part in a five-player game of Merchant of Venus in which we used a hard time stop rather than play to $X.  I'd like to play again soon using the proper end-game since most of the time was used exploring rather than exploiting the revealed trade routes.  Great game, though.

I played a three-player game of El Grande, finishing in second place.  This is still probably the tightest design I've ever played.  It's more than a straight-forward abstract but there isn't an ounce of fat on it.  Just a well-olied machine.  Three players isn't optimal, but still an excellent game.

I tried The Bridges of Shangri-La.  The rules are very simple but, for some reason, it took me half the game to understand what the hell was going on.  I really liked it by the end, though.  It's like a dozen simultaneous Mexican stand-offs.  I hope to play this one again.

I taught a seven-player game of Cosmic Encounter.  I was Animal, with the power of throwing a hearty party.  The game dragged a bit, partly because I think with seven you start to stretch the seams on this one (we only made it around the table once before the game was over, but that still took a long time) and partly because some of the players at the table were unaccustomed to that one-and-done style of negotiation.  Still, I'd like the play it again soon and often.  Just not with seven.

Matt taught me the game ZÈRTZ, which falls under the Project GIPF label, a series of unique abstract games with impressive components.  Its heritage is in Checkers, but puts a few unique spins on that: a) the board diminishes in size as you play, and b) not every chip (or, in this case, marble) has equal value to the players.  It's a clever design that enables the players to be clever (or stupid).  I'd love to become more familiar with this one and to try others in the GIPF line.

I played in a three-player game of Tigris & Euphrates (to work towards the aformentioned goal of playing lots of Knizia titles).  I hadn't played this in almost seven years.  Such a fantastic design.  Even better than I remembered.  So many considerations to make with every decision.

[Jolo]

Because I always forget until Ryan posts here, these are mine, not including tonight.

Command & Colors: Ancients - 2 plays against Jason, currently the best of the C&C games.

Onward to Venus - Martin Wallace's SF game based on Greg Broadmore's graphic novels, fun with an different
looking "board", a little combat and a little economic engine. I may never win, but I do like
playing it. 2 plays

For Sale - I taught this at Woods Alehouse, great filler. 1 Play

Parthenon: Rise of the Aegean - Only 1 play, I am interested in it, but the sea hazards are brutal!

San Juan - 1 play, just like Puerto Rico, only better!

[R Newell]

The latest installment of What game is hitting Jolo or R Newell's table? is here!

I've owned it for about seven years, but it took me until last week before I FINALLY tried Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage... twice!  Just a fantastic card-driven wargame (this is an ancestor to games like Twilight Struggle, but with unit movement and battles).  The rules for the Valley Games edition aren't very good so I had to do a lot of rules referencing, but now I think I've got it down (though I should do another read-through of the rules just to make sure).  I lost my first session by taking Hannibal into Italy with too weak a force, making him easy pickings for Scipio Africanus' legion from Rome.  My second game was an epic that went to a tie-breaker.  I'd like to play this one fairly regularly, or at least occasionally.

I tried Mythotopia, a four-player conflict game using the deck-building-plus-map mechanics of the popular two-player game from a few years ago, A Few Acres of Snow.  My first impression was fairly ambivalent because of a few niggling issues I had with it: the setting and aesthetics are very bland, the pacing is kind of off because there's a strong opening (the deck-building) that pretty soon jumps right into the convoluted and potentially lengthy end-game.  Even though the scores shifted, I didn't feel a whole lot of ebb and flow.  I'd like to try it again, because I wonder if maybe we were too passive with invasions which contributed to that ho-hum feeling.  But I'm not dying to trying it again.

I blew seven-and-a-half years worth of dust off of Condottiere and played back-to-back five-player games with three new players.  I won the first game very quickly as the newbies were becoming accustomed to the nuances of managing their hands of cards to their advantage (and opponents' disadvantage).  The second game was won easily by one the newbies.  I think everyone liked it.  I plan on bringing this little gem out more often.

I played in a four-player Carcassonne league game that introduced the Inns and Cathedrals expansion.  It adds a few more considerations when placing tiles/meeples, so that was fun to try.  I came in second place but realized afterwards that if I placed my last tile in the other space I was waffling between, I would have won the game.  Whoops.

I tried Ra in a four-player session.  Fantastic auction game.  I really enjoyed it.  I'll be bringing this one out fairly regularly now.  I came in first place with a score that exceeded the rest of the scores combined.  Where's my championship belt?

[Jolo]

Since it is apparently my turn...
Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords – Base Set - 5 plays, fun light dungeon crawl card game with hand management, we have finished the Skinsaw adventures and are starting on the Giants one in a couple of weeks.

The rest are one play each
Age of Steam - Yes, I lose, alot, but I enjoy the cut throat aspect of this game every time I play.

Catan - played with Cities & Knights, Fisherman, the deck, still a subpar game. I know there are people that love it, I am not one.

High Frontier - we used some of the modules (Support mainly) and it took us 3.5 hours for a three player game, and I finished last, but I still want to play it again (6th play in 16 months).

[Bix Conners]

The latest installment of What game is hitting Jolo or R Newell's table? is here!

Well played sir.

Here is a sampling of what I have been playing lately.

VITICULTURE x3
I am really enjoying this game. I ended up backing this on Kickstarter along with the Tuscany expansion. The components are beautiful, the game is very thematic, and the game play is engaging. This game will get a decent amount of table time.

TWILIGHT STRUGGLE x2
I played two simultaneous games of Twilight Struggle against two opponents. What an awesome and tense 6 hours that was. I lost both games in late war, but oh the tension. Great fun.

MERCHANT OF VENUS x2
This is still my favourite game. I really enjoy the mechanics and the look of this game. This will be hitting the table with regularity. My pimped out version is getting some more cool additions soon.

FRIEDRICH x1
Simple rules / great tension. This is a very enjoyable design to play. I have been lucky to play this quite a bit in the last year. There are some other local fans too so it is never hard to get this to the table.

IMPULSE x1
What a cool design. Thanks Dale for bringing this to ChewsDay Challenge. I think this is Chudyk's best design yet. After one play, I went out and bought it.

XIA: LEGENDS OF A DRIFT SYSTEM x1
Beautiful game and what a sandbox system this is. I really enjoyed my first play and look forward to a proper 6 hours weekend game of this soon.

NEUROSHIMA HEX! x1
8 players in 4 teams of 2. Yea baby, that is the way to play this. Oh yea, add a timer for game play and it adds to the fun and tension.

STAR TREK FLEET CAPTAINS x1
Still the best thematic Star Trek game in my opinion. Now with the expansions, I would like to play some 3 and 4 player games of this.

[Jolo]

VITICULTURE x3
I am really enjoying this game. I ended up backing this on Kickstarter along with the Tuscany expansion. The components are beautiful, the game is very thematic, and the game play is engaging. This game will get a decent amount of table time.

One of the few WP games I will play, I originally bought it for the theme, but kept it because it is a good game.