September 13, 2006
Game Day, September 9, 2006
Participants (11): Me, Seth, Becky, John, Tristan, Darby, Ryan, Alan, Dan, Greg, Christian
Place: Seth and Becky's Place
Thanks to Christian for coming to Game Day all the way from Germany!
Attika
Players: Me, Becky, John, Tristan
I'm always surprised when I hear that some people haven't played this game before. It's really a great game and I think it's well on its way to becoming a classic. This was Tristan's first time playing, and I always enjoy teaching it. Of course, Tristan is one of the fastest game learners I've ever seen and he ended up winning the game. This was an extremely close game, though -- we each came very close to winning. Becky likes to lay low and pretend that she's doing horribly -- she almost got us.
Winner: Tristan
Category 5
Players: Darby, Ryan, Alan, Seth, Dan, Greg, Christian
Ryan is the only person I know that thinks that this game is better with as many people as possible. He wants to try it with ten sometime. Man, that would be chaotic. You almost might as well play your cards randomly at that point. Greg was the official winner, but the other players wanted me to note that he came in late and therefore hadn't accumulated as many penalty points as the other players. Greg, of course, was quick to point out that he did better than any of the other players for two rounds in a row. We may need a rematch.
Winner: Greg
Tales of the Arabian Nights
Players: Me, John, Seth, Alan, Christian, Tristan, Greg
This game is always a hit. Seth thinks that no one likes it, but we all love it. Who wouldn't love a game based on "Choose Your Own Adventure"?? Seth had to drop out after a while, so Greg took his position. I think at some point he turned into a man-beast and tried to court a hunchback. How many games have that situation?
Winner: Me, John (tie)
Gloom
Players: Ryan, Darby, Greg, Becky
Oooh, pretty cards!
Winner: Greg
Secret Tijuana Deathmatch
Players: Me, Seth, Becky, John, Christian
This game had to be played based on the title alone. Great art and characters. Game play is fairly beer and pretzelly, and it's definitely worth another few plays. I find that most Cheapass games have better themes than actual game play, and that's true of this one. But there are a few intricacies that deserve more exploration. John suggested that it might be a good strategy to recruit the lowest valued wrestlers that you can. That does ring true. Let's try it sometime.
Winner: Me
Posted at 09:18 PM | Comments (2)
April 03, 2005
Game Day, March 12, 2005
Participants (16): Steven, DavidM, Cindy, Daniel, Me, DavidK, Ryan, Shannon, Vy, Darby, Nate, Will, John, Brina, Linnea, Bryce
Place: DavidM and Cindy's place
Betrayal at House on the Hill
Players: Me, DavidK, Ryan, Shannon, Steven, DavidM
Many people were anxious to give this game a try. Tile laying + haunted house = cool. We found out later that we had misinterpreted some of the rules, but we still had a great time. I think this is a game that will get played a lot at upcoming Game Days. Steven was the traitor (I could have guessed that)—he was a little girl that had lured us into this place so that we could be the main course for her and her cannibal fiends. Luckily, Steven never used the "tastes like chicken" joke. He eventually overpowered us, but I'd like to try that scenario again with the "real" rules.
Winner: Steven
Titan: The Arena
Players: John, Darby, Will, Nate
I had thought this game was a remake of Titan, but it turns out that it's a remake of Galaxy: The Dark Ages. Or, at least it looked a lot like Galaxy. I like Galaxy a lot, so I'd love to try this game.
Winner: John
Canasta
Players: Ryan, Vy, Shannon, Nate
Vy was nice enough to introduce Canasta to those of us that had heard of it (I'm sure almost everyone), but had never learned how to play. I'd still like to learn it. It sounds like it would go well with drinking scotch. I don't know why I think that.
Winner: Vy and Shannon (team)
Ticket to Ride
Players: DavidK, Darby, Brina, John, DavidM
I didn't see this game being played because they were up on the top level of the loft. However, I definitely heard a blood-curdling scream at the end. I listened for a second and thought, "Hmmm... that was definitely Darby. She must have gotten totally screwed." Sure enough, I heard later that DavidK vaulted into the lead by taking tracks that were crucial to Darby. Normally, he's so nice!
Winner: DavidK
Ursuppe
Players: Me, Will, Steven, Linnea
Unfortunately, Will had to leave before the end of the game, so it's hard to say how the game would have eventually turned out. We tried to run Will's position as if his amoebae had suddenly become rather passive, but we made a few mistakes. And Steven made a mistake of his own that he couldn't really recover from. We decided to stop playing, but I had a comfortable lead and was declared the winner. By that time, my amoebae were fast and vicious. Like little shrews.
Winner: Me (projected winner)
Pirate's Cove
Players: Darby, Nate, DavidM, Bryce
I didn't get to see this game being played, but it's nice to know that Darby won. I think she was crushed last time we played and I stated that her dreams of becoming a real pirate might not be practical. She certainly proved me wrong.
Winner: Darby
Betrayal at House on the Hill
Players: Me, Shannon, Ryan, Steven, DavidK
This was the first time that the same game won the play vote on the same day. Everyone was intrigued by the play mechanics and varied scenarios and wanted to try it again. This time, DavidK was the traitor and he was causing us all to age prematurely. We had to stop him before we died of old age. I think every sci-fi show has an episode with this plot. I don't like being a grup. Anyway, we misinterpreted a rule again, which basically let all the players max out their stats early in the game. Hmmm, let's try that one again.
Winner: Everyone except DavidK
Brawl
Players: Bryce, Darby, Nate
Bryce walked Darby and Nate through a few rounds of this game. He's always modest, so I showed them the cards that Bryce had done the artwork for.
Winner: ?
Clocktowers
Players: Me, Ryan, Steven, DavidM
This game seems to be about seeing who's the best at building clocktowers that are uninfested with mice and cats. But my question is, why are mice and cats so interested in the time?
Winner: Steven
Family Business
Players: Me, Ryan, Bryce, Steven, DavidM
A classic card game that I had never played before. I liked it—it was similar to Guillotine. I always enjoy games with exciting endings. As the game was winding down, it was impossible to call. Anyone could have won on the last turn. Ryan squeaked out a win—but then he's pretty obviously the one of us with the most mob ties.
Winner: Ryan
Posted at 08:12 PM | Comments ()
March 01, 2005
Game Day, February 12, 2005
Participants (22!): Linnea, Me, Chris, Darby, Matt, Becky, Daniel, Devin, Scott, Nate, Shannon, Seth, Vy, Ryan, SamI, Wendy, Mike, Bryce, Kat, Brina, John, Rachel
Place: Vy and Shannon's place
Wow, this was the biggest turn-out ever! Muchas gracias to Shannon and Vy for putting up with the inundation by welcoming us all and making homemade soup.
Pirate's Cove
Players: Linnea, Me, Chris, Darby, Matt
This game is always fun. It's light and chaotic, with just enough oomph to keep everyone excited and interested. Matt and Darby got wailed on in almost every round, while Chris got off scott-free a lot. Linnea went through a lot of parrots.
Winner: Chris
Den of Thieves
Players: Becky, Daniel, Devin, Scott, Nate, Shannon, Seth
It doesn't surprise me that Becky won this game, even though I know nothing about it.
Winner: Becky
Fluxx
Players: Linnea, Me, Chris, Mike, Darby, Matt
Fluxx is a nice game to just pick up and not really think about, while visiting with other players. Often, you will win without even realizing it. Such is the case when there are twenty people milling around and lovely snacks and drinks to be had.
Winner: Mike, Darby
Burn in Hell
Players: Me, Darby, Matt, Seth, Nate, Scott
The cards in this game were hilarious, witty, and informative. However, I felt the gameplay left something to be desired. Granted, none of us were familiar with the rules, having never played before. So, we might have missed something. I'd be willing to give it another chance, but I liked Darby's suggestion of keeping the main player as the focus for trades. Anyway, we got to watch Seth make a Circle of Lust.
Winner: Seth
Carcassonne
Players: Shannon, Becky, Ryan, Devin, Linnea, Mike
I'm always happy to see new people get introduced to Carcassonne. It's one of my all-time favorite games. However, I heard that some couples don't play it together because it gets to too contentious. Why can't all the Meeples just get along?
Winner: Linnea
Wiz War
Players: Chris, Matt, Me, Bryce
This game is high. I had played it once before and it was Matt's first time, but Chris and Bryce were pros -- as they quickly showed us, by mopping the place up with us. Bryce threw me into a dead end and then bricked it up behind me. This may have actually worked to my advantage because then I was out of the line of fire for a long time. The game ended by Bryce picking up my last treasure and carrying it to his lair. Unfortunately, he was losing life points with every step and he just so happened to run out at the exact time he reached his lair. Did he die at the same exact time that he won? Hmm. Where's a rules lawyer when you need one?
Winner: Indeterminate
Cityscape
Players: Kat/Brina (team), John, Seth, Scott
Kat and Brina worked as a team in this 4-player game and did quite well. In fact, they decided in the second game to make a personal goal of reaching 50 points. Since they did reach that goal, they decided that Scott's actual win shouldn't even count.
Winner: 1st game: Kat/Brina, Scott, and Seth (3-way tie), 2nd game: Scott (suspended, pending litigation)
Castle
Players: Mike, Devin, Rachel, Ryan, Shannon
Winner: ?
Colossal Arena
Players: Scott, Chris, Seth, John
Loser(?): Scott
Fluxx
Players: Matt, SamI, Linnea, Bryce, Me, Wendy
Ah yes, more Fluxx. The palate cleanser of board games. We played four times because it kept ending before some players had even taken a turn.
Winners: Wendy, SamI (x2), Linnea
Give Me the Brain
Players: SamI, Linnea, Bryce, Me, Wendy, Matt
Maybe six players is a little too much for this game. It did kind of... go on for a while. I think it's fun in a random kind of way. Who doesn't like to picture brains slipping and sliding around?
Winner: SamI
Bang!
Players: Linnea, Bryce, Me, Brina, Matt, Wendy, SamI
Sheriff Linnea kept the order well in our little town. She often opened up the General Store and let everyone partake of something nice and shiny. I don't rightly know why I became an Outlaw, but I suspect it was that little twitch her mouth gets right before she smiles. I can only take so much of that.
Winners: Linnea, Bryce, Matt
Great Brain Robbery
Players: Mike, Shannon, Ryan, Chris, John
Winners: Shannon
Early American Chrononauts
Players: Seth, Becky, Chris, Mike, Me
We came close to destroying the entire universe a couple of times, but I suppose you can say that about any Game Day.
Winners: Mike
Thing
Players: Vy (moderator), Shannon, Me, Wendy, SamI, Becky, Mike, Seth, Ryan
You know who runs a great game of Thing? Vy, that's who. You should invite her to your next shindig, if only to run a game of Thing. Shannon got killed off in the beginning because... well that's what happens to Shannon. I like this game, but it's a little too abstract. There's just not enough info to go on, especially since even after you logically figure out that someone is not a Thing, the next night they could be. But it's fun in a random, let's-see-what-happens way. Plus, I do like arguing my way out of a bind.
Winners: I forget -- I was dead by that time.
Posted at 09:36 PM | Comments (3)
January 16, 2005
Game Day, January 1, 2005
Participants: Chris, Beej, Mike, Shannon, Vy, Devin, Steven, Me, Brina, Matt, Paula, DavidK
Place: Brina and Davy's place
Robo Rally
Players: Me, Chris, Devin, Steven, Matt, Shannon, Vy (dealer)
This game suffered a little from leader breakaway syndrome -- Chris got out in the front and stayed there, unscathed, until the end. Next time, we want to try putting shields around the flags to slow the leaders down a little. Either that or make everyone do a shot whenever they are shot.
Winner: Chris
Dungeon Quest
Players: Me, Chris, Beej, Matt
As soon as Beej walked in the door, I held this game up and said, "This is your pick." I know how much of a Dungeon Quest fanatic Beej is. We recognize our own. This was an unusual session in that three of the four players survived! Chris was the only one to make it to the dragon's lair, but he was also the only one who died. What's the moral of this story?
Winner: Beej
Once Upon a Time
Players: Mike, Shannon, Vy, Devin, Steven, Brina, Paula
Winner: Shannon (x2), Devin
Democrazy
Players: Mike, Shannon, Vy, Devin, Steven, Brina, DavidK
Winner: Mike and Steven (tie)
Chrononauts
Players: Me, Steven, Shannon, Vy, Matt, DavidK
I think everyone came pretty close to winning at the same time. Not uncommon in this game. I'm inspired to become a chrononaut when I grow up.
Winner: Me
Early American Chrononauts
Players: Me, Steven, Shannon, Vy, Matt, DavidK
The Shiny, Clean Time Machine changed hands several times in quick succession—so quickly that it didn't even have a chance to get used much. I guess that's how it stays shiny and clean.
Winner: Matt
Bang!
Players: Me (Deputy), Steven (Renegade), Matt (Outlaw), Brina (Sheriff), DavidK (Outlaw)
When Brina's the Sheriff, it's a wild town. The Sheriff is just as likely to kill you as to kiss you. Of course, when Brina's involved, you don't much care. Congratulations, Steven, on the Renegade win. That was the first time I've seen that.
Winner: Steven
Carcassonne: The Castle
Players: Mike, Beej
Winner: Mike
Klunker
Players: Me, Brina, Steven, Matt
This is a fairly quick game with a few interesting strategic choices. It's a good one to pull out when the Game Day candle is burning low. It also challenges you to believe that a gold tooth is a fashion accessory.
Winner: Me
Posted at 06:40 PM | Comments (1)