Alhambra (2003) |
| Archaeology: The Card Game (2007) |
| Asteroyds (2010) |
| Cargo Noir (2011) |
| Castle Panic (2009) |
| Loch Ness (2010) |
| London (2010) |
| Nuts! (2011) |
| Square Shooters (2010) |
| Sturgeon (2010) |
| Tichu (1991) |
| Word on the Street (2009) |
| Xanth (1991) |
Monday, January 23, 2012
Games Added to the Collection 2011
All Games Played 2011
2011 Five and Dimes Game Report
Dimes
Fives
| Race for the Galaxy | 59 |
| Dominion | 53 |
| Blood Bowl: Living RuleBook | 25 |
| Ticket to Ride | 20 |
| Carcassonne: Hunters and Gatherers | 13 |
| Carcassonne | 11 |
| Mille Bornes | 10 |
| Roll Through the Ages: The Bronze Age | 10 |
Fives
| 7 Wonders | 8 |
| San Juan | 8 |
| Ingenious | 7 |
| Alhambra | 6 |
| Sorry! Sliders | 6 |
| Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer | 5 |
| Bohnanza | 5 |
| Pandemic | 5 |
| The Rivals for Catan | 5 |
| Ticket to Ride: Europe | 5 |
| Word on the Street | 5 |
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Lucky Scales 2, Cannibus Rotters 1
The Lucky Scales open up season nine of Fun League South with a blood, err. . . puss bath - ew! By the end of the match the Scales had six casualties to the Rotters none and miraculously the Scales had even scored two touchdowns, both with Sauri!
The Rotters open the game by sending the kickoff short and the ball was taken in the air by the Skink Xah of Dispair who quickly moved into place behind a wall of Sauri. Xah took the ball up the left sideline into Rotter territory, handing off to star skink, Kai of Gold. The handoff went awry and the ball ended up in the hands of the Rotter crowd. After playing around with the ball for awhile they tossed it back in near the Rotter goal line where it was picked up by a Pestigor.
After a lengthy struggle for the ball, Mazdamun of Huatl, a Saurus blocker, was able to pick up the ball and score as time ran out in the half.
The second half began with the Scales kicking the ball short, just behind the Rotter front line where it was picked up by a Pestigor. The Scales countered with the first of a number of ferocious attacks. The Rotters maintained control of the ball and escaped the Lizard attack, launching a pass to the other side of the field leading to a Rotter attack on Turn 11 tying the game.
The ensuing kickoff was again short to the Scales left side with the pickup being fumbled by the usually reliable Kai of Gold. The Rotters took advantage of the situation to grab the ball and toss it into the center of their side of the pitch.Saurus blocker Oatlgor of Pahualaxa rushed in and grabbed the ball as the rest of the Scales again began to violently assault the Rotters who despite the beatings were able to regenerate nearly all of the injuries. Meanwhile Oatlgor sprinted towards the endzone and the go ahead touchdown.
The final kickoff went deep into Rotter territory leaving them unable to score.
Thanks to Psyper for a great game and for being a good sport as the only rolls of his that worked were his regeneration rolls.
The Rotters open the game by sending the kickoff short and the ball was taken in the air by the Skink Xah of Dispair who quickly moved into place behind a wall of Sauri. Xah took the ball up the left sideline into Rotter territory, handing off to star skink, Kai of Gold. The handoff went awry and the ball ended up in the hands of the Rotter crowd. After playing around with the ball for awhile they tossed it back in near the Rotter goal line where it was picked up by a Pestigor.
After a lengthy struggle for the ball, Mazdamun of Huatl, a Saurus blocker, was able to pick up the ball and score as time ran out in the half.
The second half began with the Scales kicking the ball short, just behind the Rotter front line where it was picked up by a Pestigor. The Scales countered with the first of a number of ferocious attacks. The Rotters maintained control of the ball and escaped the Lizard attack, launching a pass to the other side of the field leading to a Rotter attack on Turn 11 tying the game.
The ensuing kickoff was again short to the Scales left side with the pickup being fumbled by the usually reliable Kai of Gold. The Rotters took advantage of the situation to grab the ball and toss it into the center of their side of the pitch.Saurus blocker Oatlgor of Pahualaxa rushed in and grabbed the ball as the rest of the Scales again began to violently assault the Rotters who despite the beatings were able to regenerate nearly all of the injuries. Meanwhile Oatlgor sprinted towards the endzone and the go ahead touchdown.
The final kickoff went deep into Rotter territory leaving them unable to score.
Thanks to Psyper for a great game and for being a good sport as the only rolls of his that worked were his regeneration rolls.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Quick Catch Up Post
This summer has seemed to go very fast for us. Contrary to what the blog reflects, we have been gaming (though I more than Lissa). Simply put, it has been too dang hot to play many games downstairs. Hopefully that will change soon.
Last week Nick brought over his copy of Railways of the World and we played the Mexico map. This game is yet another version of Martin Wallace's train game idea. I consider myself a Martin Wallace fan and I enjoy Steam and to be honest there is not much difference between Railways of the World and Steam. The basic idea of building and claiming routes and using those routes to deliver colored cubes to like colored cities remains intact.
Railways adds several things to the basic mixture. First, you need to take out bonds to fund your activities. The mechanism works well and it introduces a step where you must decide if it is worth it to take out a bond to build a longer track or if you are better off trying to get by with a cheaper route. The second change is that where in Steam you bid on various roles and sometimes you may find yourself locked out of being able to restock a city or building a new city in Railways you may choose any of the available roles on your turn. The third major change is that instead of playing to a set number of turns you play until a certain number of cities have been exhausted of resource cubes so the game length is variable. I like this concept as it does away with what I like to call the "Swooping Hawk Maneuver."
Ok, what is the "Swooping Hawk Maneuver"? At one point in time the then current version of Warhammer 40k played to a set number of turns. The Eldar armies had a fast but weak unit type called Swooping Hawks - basically, Eldar guys with wings. SO, what often happened was that the Eldar player would "Fly Hi" with the Hawks, which according to the rules at that time made them untargetable by troops not also flying hi. Then, on the last half of the last turn the Eldar player would drop these guys onto the board on whatever objective was available claiming the objective and often winning the game. Realistically, had the game been extended another half turn the Hawks would have been shredded and all killed but as there was an artificial end point they could land in front of all the guns in the world safely. So, the "Swooping Hawk Maneuver" is doing something in the last turn that is sound rules and point wise but makes no logical, realistic sense.
Back to Railways of the World. . . Those three changes are the main differences between the two games. The other important difference is in regards to components. Steam is a great game with fantastic maps and pieces. Railways of the World just goes above and beyond though. The components in this game are amazing. When a city is cleared of resources you place a marker on it to show that it has been used up. These markers are little railway buildings or water towers and are very nice. As the game progresses and you place more of these on the board the map looks cooler and cooler.
Overall, I really like the game (and I won - big plus there). I also really like Steam. If you have one I cannot imagine spending the money on the other. They play very much alike as they share the core rules and as such they both "scratch the same itch" so to speak.
Other than our regular Wednesday night games I have continued to play poorly in my Fun League Blood Bowl online matches. Having fun but playing poorly :) This season playing poorly even in two seperate divisions with two teams! More on that later though.
Tonight we should be playing the new Star Trek Expeditions game and For Sale!, a game that I was able to win on Twitter from Gryphon Games and that I will review soon.
Last week Nick brought over his copy of Railways of the World and we played the Mexico map. This game is yet another version of Martin Wallace's train game idea. I consider myself a Martin Wallace fan and I enjoy Steam and to be honest there is not much difference between Railways of the World and Steam. The basic idea of building and claiming routes and using those routes to deliver colored cubes to like colored cities remains intact.
Railways adds several things to the basic mixture. First, you need to take out bonds to fund your activities. The mechanism works well and it introduces a step where you must decide if it is worth it to take out a bond to build a longer track or if you are better off trying to get by with a cheaper route. The second change is that where in Steam you bid on various roles and sometimes you may find yourself locked out of being able to restock a city or building a new city in Railways you may choose any of the available roles on your turn. The third major change is that instead of playing to a set number of turns you play until a certain number of cities have been exhausted of resource cubes so the game length is variable. I like this concept as it does away with what I like to call the "Swooping Hawk Maneuver."
Ok, what is the "Swooping Hawk Maneuver"? At one point in time the then current version of Warhammer 40k played to a set number of turns. The Eldar armies had a fast but weak unit type called Swooping Hawks - basically, Eldar guys with wings. SO, what often happened was that the Eldar player would "Fly Hi" with the Hawks, which according to the rules at that time made them untargetable by troops not also flying hi. Then, on the last half of the last turn the Eldar player would drop these guys onto the board on whatever objective was available claiming the objective and often winning the game. Realistically, had the game been extended another half turn the Hawks would have been shredded and all killed but as there was an artificial end point they could land in front of all the guns in the world safely. So, the "Swooping Hawk Maneuver" is doing something in the last turn that is sound rules and point wise but makes no logical, realistic sense.
Back to Railways of the World. . . Those three changes are the main differences between the two games. The other important difference is in regards to components. Steam is a great game with fantastic maps and pieces. Railways of the World just goes above and beyond though. The components in this game are amazing. When a city is cleared of resources you place a marker on it to show that it has been used up. These markers are little railway buildings or water towers and are very nice. As the game progresses and you place more of these on the board the map looks cooler and cooler.
Overall, I really like the game (and I won - big plus there). I also really like Steam. If you have one I cannot imagine spending the money on the other. They play very much alike as they share the core rules and as such they both "scratch the same itch" so to speak.
Other than our regular Wednesday night games I have continued to play poorly in my Fun League Blood Bowl online matches. Having fun but playing poorly :) This season playing poorly even in two seperate divisions with two teams! More on that later though.
Tonight we should be playing the new Star Trek Expeditions game and For Sale!, a game that I was able to win on Twitter from Gryphon Games and that I will review soon.
Monday, July 4, 2011
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!
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.
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.
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 :-)
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.
 |
| 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 |
 |
| 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 |
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.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Day Four of Origins
Day four of Origins is a wrap for us. We played several new games today. First up was Lords of Vegas. This was a great game with a lot of interesting mechanics that are not present in the rest of our collection. I'll detail game play later but suffice it to say, we used one of our 50% off Mayfair coupons on this one.
Next up, after an amazingly long wait, was the Settlers of Catan dice game. Not a bad game and one I enjoy playing on occasion on their website but fir us really it was a way to try a new game and get the Clay ribbon we needed to complete our quests to become Knights of Catan. Thanks to Mayfair for running this fun promotion again this year. It is always at the head of our to do list for Origins.
On the way to the board room we stopped and played the deck building game, Ascension. We both liked this game, especially Lissa, and we plan to grab this on our way out tomorrow.
In the board room we checked Word on the Street out from the CABS library. I expected to enjoy thus one and after playing it I hope to grab a copy tomorrow as well.
Also, thanks to Rio Grande Games we each were given a free game for being in the board room. I received Asteroyds and Lissa got Loch Ness. We look forward to trying these out.
Over the next week or so I intend to flesh out these posts and add some links and pics and the like. Stay tuned.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Next up, after an amazingly long wait, was the Settlers of Catan dice game. Not a bad game and one I enjoy playing on occasion on their website but fir us really it was a way to try a new game and get the Clay ribbon we needed to complete our quests to become Knights of Catan. Thanks to Mayfair for running this fun promotion again this year. It is always at the head of our to do list for Origins.
On the way to the board room we stopped and played the deck building game, Ascension. We both liked this game, especially Lissa, and we plan to grab this on our way out tomorrow.
In the board room we checked Word on the Street out from the CABS library. I expected to enjoy thus one and after playing it I hope to grab a copy tomorrow as well.
Also, thanks to Rio Grande Games we each were given a free game for being in the board room. I received Asteroyds and Lissa got Loch Ness. We look forward to trying these out.
Over the next week or so I intend to flesh out these posts and add some links and pics and the like. Stay tuned.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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