Chewsday Challenge - North Albert Boston Pizza - November 4, 2014 (18:00)

[prairieguy]

I will join Endeavour too

[Lori]

I'll play The Captain is Dead.

[omegadirective]

Beam me up! I'll try captain is dead.

[Bryce Robinson]

in for the captain is dead

[roxy72]

I'll take the last spot for the captain is dead. Also  it's the first Tuesday of the month which means it's draw night!

[Rye M]

My friend Barry and I will take the last spots for Endeavor.  Barry assures me he will show up this time. 

[silent_rob]

Please mark me down for Among The Stars - I've been wanting to try out the expansion.

[Dana_Tillusz]

My friend Barry and I will take the last spots for Endeavor.  Barry assures me he will show up this time. 

I'll take Barry's spot if he cancels again! 

[silent_rob]

I picked up a couple of shorter games so I figured I may as well bring them both out.

First up is the recent Spiel des Jahres winner Camel Up. This is a fun family game, fairly light, that involves racing wooden camels around a desert track and betting on which will finish a leg first or finish the whole race first (or one of several other ways to win money throughout the game). The movement of the camels is mainly determined by dice coming out of a "dice pyramid" (though there are other ways to have an impact on the camels) and if camels land on the same space they land on each other and form a stack. Then when a camel lower in the stack moves forward, it takes the rest of the stack with it.

It can handle up to 8 players but I'm going to keep it to 6. Fortunately its footprint is fairly small. It's really quick to learn so everyone's welcome to give it a try.

(6 players, 30+ minutes at 6:30)

Next is the card and dice game Machi Koro. Nicole was nice enough to bring it out a few weeks ago and I enjoyed it so I got a copy, too. Each player develops their own city by purchasing buildings and sites as shown on the cards you get. Rolls of the dice activate the cards you have or those of other players to make you either gain or lose money. You're trying to get enough money to build the larger landmarks - be the first to complete them all and you win.

This one is also quick to learn and play.

(4 players, 30+ minutes at 7:30)

Witness the craziest camel race of all time, as things really go topsy-turvy when camels stack up and entire pyramids turn upside down. As members of Egyptian high society, you gather in the desert with one simple goal: to gain the most money by backing the right camel to win a leg or even the entire race. However, in this race, it's not just the lucky ones who can beat the odds. Reading the dynamics of the race and having a good sense of timing is just as important when it comes to backing the right camels and taking the victory. Camel Up is a simple, quick and outrageously exciting family game that can be enjoyed by up to 8 players.

Welcome to the city of Machi Koro. You've just been elected Mayor. Congrats! Unfortunately the citizens have some pretty big demands: jobs, a theme park, a couple of cheese factories and maybe even a radio tower. A tough proposition since the city currently consists of a wheat field, a bakery and a single die. Armed only with your trusty die and a dream, you must grow Machi Koro into the largest city in the region. You will need to collect income from developments, build public works, and steal from your neighbors' coffers. Just make sure they aren't doing the same to you!

[Rosencrantz]

I would like to add Island Fortress to the schedule for 6:30.  I haven't played it for a while and I don't think it has been brought out to a Chewsday before.   It plays up to 6 but I will cap it at 4 for space and time purposes.  I will also toss in the promo card expansion that adds secret scoring goals for the players.  It should take 2 hours to play.

In Island Fortress, you play a master builder chosen by Governor Cortland Hansen to help construct the mighty Fort Aldenford using the penal colony on Alcott Island. Your goal is to become the most distinguished architect with the help of your Taskmaster, Workers, and the Governor himself! In the game, all players use identical decks of five Role Cards to plot their actions such as purchasing workers, building the wall, collecting money from the treasury, and more. In addition to scoring points for having built the majority of blocks on each row of the fortress wall, players can also gain various bonuses for completing favors for the Governor by building the walls in specific ways, following the Governor's preferred patterns.