Game Day June 3
June Game Day - June 3, 2006
Location: Jake & Lisa's Place
At the Table: Alec, Dave, Duane, Elise, Jake, Jim, Ken W, Kenney, Kevin, Lisa, Snoop, Steve, Terri, Tom, Valerie
On the Table: Age of Steam (x2), Balderdash, Bang, Ca$h & Gun$ (x2), Caylus, Dragons Gold, Hart an der Grenze (x2), Igor, In a Pickle, Julius Caesar (prototype), Musketierre, Nicht die Bohne, Nottingham, Ubongo, Verflixxt, You Must Be An Idiot
Holy cow, what a day! This may have been the best game day yet. Fifteen gamers showed up and played nineteen games (sixteen different ones). Personally, I didn't play one stinker. Some may have been better than others, and of course prototypes don't count, but for the most part I enjoyed every minute of my time at Jake and Lisa's pad -- even with an aching hole in my mouth.
Games, not drugs!
Presented in alphabetical order (for your protection):
Winners in [ ].
Age of Steam #1 (aka Age of Scream, aka Age of Death Spiral)
Players:
40 [Kevin]
27 Duane
17 Ken
16 Valerie
14 Steve
0 Lisa (bankrupt)
Wailing and gnashing of teeth seemed to be par for the course for this session. If I'm not mistaken, it was a table full of newbies, which is probably not the best way to go. Kevin and Duane, devotees of Railroad Tycoon, appeared to have a better handle on things than the rest. Much bellyaching was heard before this one would finally draw to a close.
Age of Steam #2 (aka What was all the fuss about?)
Players:
73 [Jake]
63 Jim
45 Snoop
43 Kevin
Despite the deafening warning cries from the huddled masses, four manly men set out to tame the steamy beast. No problem. None of us suffered the financial death spiral. It's so easy to make money in this game, isn't it? We snorted. We chortled. We clapped our hands. It was all a big party for us and I believe we finished in less than 90 minutes. We all agreed that we should make Age of Steam junction a regular stop. I beat Kevin. Whoo whooooo!
Balderdash
Players:
1st [Kevin]
2nd Duane
3rd Steve
4th Snoop
5th Kenny
6th Lisa
Balderdash is a great game, but I prefer BEYOND Balderdash with its separate categories (dates, names, movie titles, acronyms, etc..). In the games I've played, you voted simultaneously and you could NOT vote on your own pick. I don't know if the official rules changed, or if I've just been playing wrong all my life. Anyway, I came in 4th. They can all suck my murfles (which are not undigested peanuts found in fecal matter).
Bang!
Players:
1st [Jim]
2nd David
3rd Ken
4th Jake
5th Alec
Did this one officially end? Last I saw Jim and David were locked in some seemingly unending battle. I don't know much about the game, other than the fact that I don't remember being infatuated with it.
Ca$h & Gun$ #1
Players:
85 [Jake]
80 Terry
70 Alec
60 Tom
60 Snoop
25 Jim (dead)
This was great fun! This is basically a game version of the final scene in Resevoir Dogs, a four-way Mexican standoff taking place after a bank hold-up. Great movie. Great game. It comes with six foam pistols which really add to the theme. It's SO funny when everyone has a gun pointed at everyone else's head. Yes, I let my 12-year-old son play this. There's even an expansion (which we didn't get to try) which allows one of the players to secretly be a cop, which makes it even MORE like Resevoir Dogs. The makers of this game were obviously fans of the film. This was so good, we immediately had to play it a second time.
Ca$h & Gun$ #2
Players:
70 [Kenny]
65 Terry
60 Tom
55 Alec
55 Dave
40 Jim (alive)
Jake and I gave up our seats so Dave and Kenny could experience some gun-toting fun. Once again, poor Terry came just 5 points out of first place. I would have played this again, but we agreed to move on to something else. Unfortunately, Tom and Terry had to leave early and it was their copy, so no one else got to enjoy this. I know several people who will be putting this game on our next Adam Spielt order. I'm gonna make my own copy in the meantime...
Caylus
Players:
75 [Steve]
67 Dave
66 Duane
56 Kenny
THE gamer's game of 2006 made its way to our table. I didn't get a report. Maybe one of the players can chime in.
Dragon's Gold
Players:
59 [Ken]
57 Lisa
38 Alec
34 Valerie
Several years ago, Eurogames/Descartes came out with a series of blue box games that all tried to out-do each other in averageness (Democrazy, Castle, Draco & Co, Fantasy Business, and this). Draco was the only one even remotely interesting (don't you love my unbiased reporting?) Like many toys, some games are more fun when you try to break them. This is one of those games.
Hart an der Grenze #1
Players:
274 [Jake]
217 Jim
199 Alec
177 Snoop
166 Tom
155 Dave
This is the game that (IMO) should have been nominated for Spiel des Jahres 2006. I'm not saying it should win -- I'll go with the majority and be happy with a Thurn und Taxis win. HadG is a game in which players are attempting to smuggle illegal contraband across the border. Hmm. a Kosmos game with a Mexican theme? They didn't like the Pinata theme, but they're okay with this? Not fair. As much as I liked the negotiation/bluffing aspect of the game, I'd be happier if it were a little less ... busy. I've got cards in my hand, in my suitcase, behind my suitcase, under my suitcase ...whew. Still, a solid, fun game that didn't deserve the lackluster response it got at the Gathering.
Hart an der Grenze #2
Players:
154 [Ken]
140 Kevin
137 Alec
90 Lisa
Second verse, same as the first?
Igor
Players:
8 [Steve]
4 Valerie
3 Ken
I know nothing about this one. A report, please?
In a Pickle
Players:
1 Jake
2 Duane
4 David
1 Kevin
6 Lisa
2 Steve
I don't know anything about this game. Not sure who won, either. The game log sheet says Lisa had the most points, but David was ranked first. Huh?
Julius Caesar
Players:
10 [Snoop]
4 Lisa
4 Jim
2 Jake
A prototype cardgame of mine. Thank you for playtesting. As always, your comments were insightful and helpful.
Musketierre
Players:
105 [Snoop]
103 Jim
83 Alec
75 Elise
I've owned this cardgame for years but hadn't played it until today. All of the players work together as Musketeers (did you know there were four of them? I didn't) fighting against the Cardinal Guard. Each "trick" the group will either defeat the Guard or not. If you defeat them, the strongest player gets a bonus. If you don't defeat them, the weakest player gets a penalty. A clever, old-school German game that's not without a few issues. The way the scoring is set up to punish the weak, threre's almost no way to overcome a bad hand of cards. If you happen to have a bunch of low numbers, you're toast. Conversely, if you get a hand of 9s and 10s, you're sitting pretty. Interesting, but just missing the mark on brilliant. My initial suggestion would be to lengthen the game. As it stands, the victor is the first one to 100 points. Someone with a hot streak of luck could win in three or four hands. If you like the game (and I do), then it shouldn't be a problem to double that to 200 points to at least try and let the luck even out. At any rate, it's a keeper and one I'll happily play anytime.
Nicht die Bohne
Players:
186 [Alec]
128 Val
125 Jake
123 Ken
88 Jim
54 Snoop
The 'other' bean game. It's really an exercise in sticking it to your opponents. There's not a great deal of control, but it's fun - and there's beans! I will admit, toward the end of the game I was getting punchy (I blame Jim) and started playing cards at random. My "luck" in the game took a nosedive at that point, so it's not like the game is decision-free.
Nottingham
Players:
100 [Jake]
85 Jim
70 Snoop
This is the newest cardgame from Bohnanza-guy, Uwe Rosenberg. If I had to give you the concept in three words or less, I'd say it was ' Rummy Meets Carcassone.' You begin the game with a tiny little hand of three cards. You get more cards by turning over the top card in the deck and deciding to (a) add it to your hand, or (b) perform the action on the card. The actions are mostly variations on taking a card from another player and giving them the card you drew. You can play melds of three cards or perform special melds of five or more cards (for more points!) I don't think there are any earth-shattering ideas in the game, but it feels very comfortable.
Ubongo
Players:
7 [Duane]
? Steve
? Kevin
? Ken
I didn't see any other notes on scoring. I guess their brains were so scrambled after playing that they forgot. This game makes me want to hurt cute, fluffy animals.
Verflixxt!
Players:
1st [Alec]
2nd David
3rd Tom
4th Kenney
Hmm, this isn't the first time Alec has won this game. What is his die-rolling secret?
You Must Be An Idiot!
Players:
28 [Terri]
22 David
21 Tom
15 Kenney
11 Alec
Hey, they played this? Cool!
==
Outstanding day, boys and girls. Thanks for the fun, and a special thanks to Jake and Lisa for having us! Next month we'll be at Duane & Steve's and in August we'll be at my place. Probably my brother's again.
Location: Jake & Lisa's Place
At the Table: Alec, Dave, Duane, Elise, Jake, Jim, Ken W, Kenney, Kevin, Lisa, Snoop, Steve, Terri, Tom, Valerie
On the Table: Age of Steam (x2), Balderdash, Bang, Ca$h & Gun$ (x2), Caylus, Dragons Gold, Hart an der Grenze (x2), Igor, In a Pickle, Julius Caesar (prototype), Musketierre, Nicht die Bohne, Nottingham, Ubongo, Verflixxt, You Must Be An Idiot
Holy cow, what a day! This may have been the best game day yet. Fifteen gamers showed up and played nineteen games (sixteen different ones). Personally, I didn't play one stinker. Some may have been better than others, and of course prototypes don't count, but for the most part I enjoyed every minute of my time at Jake and Lisa's pad -- even with an aching hole in my mouth.
Games, not drugs!
Presented in alphabetical order (for your protection):
Winners in [ ].
Age of Steam #1 (aka Age of Scream, aka Age of Death Spiral)
Players:
40 [Kevin]
27 Duane
17 Ken
16 Valerie
14 Steve
0 Lisa (bankrupt)
Wailing and gnashing of teeth seemed to be par for the course for this session. If I'm not mistaken, it was a table full of newbies, which is probably not the best way to go. Kevin and Duane, devotees of Railroad Tycoon, appeared to have a better handle on things than the rest. Much bellyaching was heard before this one would finally draw to a close.
Age of Steam #2 (aka What was all the fuss about?)
Players:
73 [Jake]
63 Jim
45 Snoop
43 Kevin
Despite the deafening warning cries from the huddled masses, four manly men set out to tame the steamy beast. No problem. None of us suffered the financial death spiral. It's so easy to make money in this game, isn't it? We snorted. We chortled. We clapped our hands. It was all a big party for us and I believe we finished in less than 90 minutes. We all agreed that we should make Age of Steam junction a regular stop. I beat Kevin. Whoo whooooo!
Balderdash
Players:
1st [Kevin]
2nd Duane
3rd Steve
4th Snoop
5th Kenny
6th Lisa
Balderdash is a great game, but I prefer BEYOND Balderdash with its separate categories (dates, names, movie titles, acronyms, etc..). In the games I've played, you voted simultaneously and you could NOT vote on your own pick. I don't know if the official rules changed, or if I've just been playing wrong all my life. Anyway, I came in 4th. They can all suck my murfles (which are not undigested peanuts found in fecal matter).
Bang!
Players:
1st [Jim]
2nd David
3rd Ken
4th Jake
5th Alec
Did this one officially end? Last I saw Jim and David were locked in some seemingly unending battle. I don't know much about the game, other than the fact that I don't remember being infatuated with it.
Ca$h & Gun$ #1
Players:
85 [Jake]
80 Terry
70 Alec
60 Tom
60 Snoop
25 Jim (dead)
This was great fun! This is basically a game version of the final scene in Resevoir Dogs, a four-way Mexican standoff taking place after a bank hold-up. Great movie. Great game. It comes with six foam pistols which really add to the theme. It's SO funny when everyone has a gun pointed at everyone else's head. Yes, I let my 12-year-old son play this. There's even an expansion (which we didn't get to try) which allows one of the players to secretly be a cop, which makes it even MORE like Resevoir Dogs. The makers of this game were obviously fans of the film. This was so good, we immediately had to play it a second time.
Ca$h & Gun$ #2
Players:
70 [Kenny]
65 Terry
60 Tom
55 Alec
55 Dave
40 Jim (alive)
Jake and I gave up our seats so Dave and Kenny could experience some gun-toting fun. Once again, poor Terry came just 5 points out of first place. I would have played this again, but we agreed to move on to something else. Unfortunately, Tom and Terry had to leave early and it was their copy, so no one else got to enjoy this. I know several people who will be putting this game on our next Adam Spielt order. I'm gonna make my own copy in the meantime...
Caylus
Players:
75 [Steve]
67 Dave
66 Duane
56 Kenny
THE gamer's game of 2006 made its way to our table. I didn't get a report. Maybe one of the players can chime in.
Dragon's Gold
Players:
59 [Ken]
57 Lisa
38 Alec
34 Valerie
Several years ago, Eurogames/Descartes came out with a series of blue box games that all tried to out-do each other in averageness (Democrazy, Castle, Draco & Co, Fantasy Business, and this). Draco was the only one even remotely interesting (don't you love my unbiased reporting?) Like many toys, some games are more fun when you try to break them. This is one of those games.
Hart an der Grenze #1
Players:
274 [Jake]
217 Jim
199 Alec
177 Snoop
166 Tom
155 Dave
This is the game that (IMO) should have been nominated for Spiel des Jahres 2006. I'm not saying it should win -- I'll go with the majority and be happy with a Thurn und Taxis win. HadG is a game in which players are attempting to smuggle illegal contraband across the border. Hmm. a Kosmos game with a Mexican theme? They didn't like the Pinata theme, but they're okay with this? Not fair. As much as I liked the negotiation/bluffing aspect of the game, I'd be happier if it were a little less ... busy. I've got cards in my hand, in my suitcase, behind my suitcase, under my suitcase ...whew. Still, a solid, fun game that didn't deserve the lackluster response it got at the Gathering.
Hart an der Grenze #2
Players:
154 [Ken]
140 Kevin
137 Alec
90 Lisa
Second verse, same as the first?
Igor
Players:
8 [Steve]
4 Valerie
3 Ken
I know nothing about this one. A report, please?
In a Pickle
Players:
1 Jake
2 Duane
4 David
1 Kevin
6 Lisa
2 Steve
I don't know anything about this game. Not sure who won, either. The game log sheet says Lisa had the most points, but David was ranked first. Huh?
Julius Caesar
Players:
10 [Snoop]
4 Lisa
4 Jim
2 Jake
A prototype cardgame of mine. Thank you for playtesting. As always, your comments were insightful and helpful.
Musketierre
Players:
105 [Snoop]
103 Jim
83 Alec
75 Elise
I've owned this cardgame for years but hadn't played it until today. All of the players work together as Musketeers (did you know there were four of them? I didn't) fighting against the Cardinal Guard. Each "trick" the group will either defeat the Guard or not. If you defeat them, the strongest player gets a bonus. If you don't defeat them, the weakest player gets a penalty. A clever, old-school German game that's not without a few issues. The way the scoring is set up to punish the weak, threre's almost no way to overcome a bad hand of cards. If you happen to have a bunch of low numbers, you're toast. Conversely, if you get a hand of 9s and 10s, you're sitting pretty. Interesting, but just missing the mark on brilliant. My initial suggestion would be to lengthen the game. As it stands, the victor is the first one to 100 points. Someone with a hot streak of luck could win in three or four hands. If you like the game (and I do), then it shouldn't be a problem to double that to 200 points to at least try and let the luck even out. At any rate, it's a keeper and one I'll happily play anytime.
Nicht die Bohne
Players:
186 [Alec]
128 Val
125 Jake
123 Ken
88 Jim
54 Snoop
The 'other' bean game. It's really an exercise in sticking it to your opponents. There's not a great deal of control, but it's fun - and there's beans! I will admit, toward the end of the game I was getting punchy (I blame Jim) and started playing cards at random. My "luck" in the game took a nosedive at that point, so it's not like the game is decision-free.
Nottingham
Players:
100 [Jake]
85 Jim
70 Snoop
This is the newest cardgame from Bohnanza-guy, Uwe Rosenberg. If I had to give you the concept in three words or less, I'd say it was ' Rummy Meets Carcassone.' You begin the game with a tiny little hand of three cards. You get more cards by turning over the top card in the deck and deciding to (a) add it to your hand, or (b) perform the action on the card. The actions are mostly variations on taking a card from another player and giving them the card you drew. You can play melds of three cards or perform special melds of five or more cards (for more points!) I don't think there are any earth-shattering ideas in the game, but it feels very comfortable.
Ubongo
Players:
7 [Duane]
? Steve
? Kevin
? Ken
I didn't see any other notes on scoring. I guess their brains were so scrambled after playing that they forgot. This game makes me want to hurt cute, fluffy animals.
Verflixxt!
Players:
1st [Alec]
2nd David
3rd Tom
4th Kenney
Hmm, this isn't the first time Alec has won this game. What is his die-rolling secret?
You Must Be An Idiot!
Players:
28 [Terri]
22 David
21 Tom
15 Kenney
11 Alec
Hey, they played this? Cool!
==
Outstanding day, boys and girls. Thanks for the fun, and a special thanks to Jake and Lisa for having us! Next month we'll be at Duane & Steve's and in August we'll be at my place. Probably my brother's again.
posted by Stephen @ 1:34 PM
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