Somewhat Annual Fourth of July Gamefest - 2011 Edition

Each year we try to have a small potluck & game session on July 4th - some years we are more successful than others in arranging it. This year the event went off perfectly. Ann and Todd Smith came over bringing not only Steve Jackson Games' The Stars are Right game but Ann's famous pulled pork, potato salad, corn salad, and an ice cream maker to make what was easily the best vanilla custard I have ever eaten. Nick Gillispee arrived shortly afterwards bringing his new Faux*Cabulary game and more importantly, a dish of Rosie's rice pudding. We supplied a bowl of ambrosia, scalloped potatoes, and green beans. Everything was truly amazing!

Image from BoardGameGeek

We started the gaming with Lords of Vegas by Mayfair Games. Truly, I am beginning to love this game. The combination of interesting twists on area control mechanics and a strong theme are destined to make this a long time favorite. I pulled ahead quickly as the other players watched the Aqua casinos pay out repeatedly and when the Aqua looked played out I deftly switched to silver. This continued until Ann eventually wrested control of the nine tile silver casino from me in the end game. My large early lead lessened somewhat but I still won handily. I am looking forward to playing this more as we all become more comfortable with the rules. One criticism of the game, the included turn sequence card starts out after the rather complex card drawing procedure ends. A card detailing the steps in this procedure would have been appreciated.

Image from BoardGameGeek

After a break for a fantastic lunch we continued with The Stars are Right. I had been wanting to play this for some time and everyone really liked the game. Nick pulled out the win through deft manipulation of the stars but I finished as the only one to have summoned a Great Old One.

Image from BoardGameGeek

Next up was Ingenious, which Todd and Nick had not played. This game was tight throughout and I managed to win by a single point. I do believe I may have made Dr. Kniezia at least an iPhone sale to one or both of them. I'll be expecting my cut anytime that is convenient for you Reiner :-)

Image from BoardGameGeek

Last up was the deceptively simple co-op game, Castle Panic from Fireside Games. As Nick explained, "you start feeling confident as you take out the initial group of monsters but they keep coming". Things went well early on except for a nasty series of giant boulders rolling down on our castle from the forest. A few Draw Three Additional Token chits later and we were positively overwhelmed. Luckily we cooperated well and managed to save the castle with even a few walls standing. Great game. Simple, yet challenging and easy for less experienced gamers to pick up (though our four were all veteran gamers).

Thanks to everyone for a fantastic day of games and food and friends.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Updated 7/5/11 to add links,images, and to correct one misspelling.

iPhone Board Game Apps

A lot of my recent gaming has been occurring on my iPhone.  While I am not impressed with the iPhone as a phone but as a little computer it is fantastic!  Here are my current favorite iPhone apps that are based upon boardgames.  I also play a number of non-board game based iPhone games, chief among them, the excellent tower defense game, Fieldrunners.

Carcassonne: This is a fantastic app.  It is only the base game but all of the rules from the basic game are implemented completely.  The interface is easy to use and you can play against up to four computer opponents at a time from a list or seven or eight possible opponents.  You can also play two player games against friends or random internet opponents.  If you like Carcassonne this is a gr4eat app.

Hive: This is a neat little app where you play and maneuver various insects to surround the opposing queen.  Each insect moves in a unique manner leading to a variety of strategies.  Plays quickly.

Ingenious: Ingenious is an abstract tile laying game where you score points based upon what color rows you connect when placing a tile.  The winner is determined by the player whose lowest color score is the highest so you cannot focus on a single color.  This is a great implementation of the game.

Roll through the Ages: This is a single player adaptation of the dice game.  Lack of multiplayer takes a little away from the game but as a solo game it plays well.  The interface is well designed and all of the rules (other than multiplayer) are implemented.

Settlers of Catan: Fantastic app.  You can play “hotseat” with a friend or against three computer opponents.  The AI is somewhat lacking at times but the interface is easy to use and all of the features of the base game are included.  I understand that the Seafarers app is coming soon.

Funagain games has a deal where they will give you a copy of the iPhone app if you buy a copy of the game from them.  Check out the offer not only to consider purchasing but also to see a more complete listing of available iPhone apps.

Saturday Boardgames at Capitol Roasters

Jeff and I met up today at Capitol Roasters with Jim and Dana, two new math professors at the university where I work.  Unfortunately, Lissa was unable to play as she was working.

We started out with a quick game of Guillotine before Jeff arrived.  I believe that Jim won this game.

The next game was one of Jim and Dana's, Thurn and Taxis.  This is an interesting game where the players are building postal routes to various cities in Germany.  As routes are built, you score points based on a variety of factors, including the regions that the cities are in, and the length of the route.  You are also placing postal stations down as routes are completed.  These are used in the scoring process as well.  While I ended up placing very poorly in this game I rather liked it.  Dana won this game.

For game three we played one of Jeff's games, Steam.  This was a tight game that came down to the last turn where I would have won had Jeff and Dana not traitorously used some of Jim's track giving him the two points necessary to win :)  One problem that we had was that we badly misread the income rule and gave ourselves far more income than we should have.  Great game!

Our last game was another of Jim and Dana's, Ingenious.  This is a nice abstract game with an interesting twist in scoring.  As you play pieces, you score based on the number of matching colors/shapes that you can trace in a straight line from your piece.  You keep track of your score for each color/shape separately and your total score is equal to your lowest score.  This was another win for Dana.

It was great to finally get to play with Jim and Dana and to try out two new games.  Lots of fun!