7 Ages on Memorial Day

I showed up about 10:15 to find Brian, John, and Mike ready and waiting, and by 11:00 we had the game setup, a brief rules summary under our belt, and we were on our way. We played till 4:30 with a break for lunch. For these monster games, I think this is the right way to teach: brief rule summary, then learn by doing.

I'll let the other guys chime in with details of our session.

As a brief summary, I like this game on balance. The fun part for me is watching the rise and fall of various empires. "Civilizing" your empire is one of the most fun things in the game, and at least as important as battles. I think this is a game where the pleasure is in the playing, although it was very disheartening to lose by more than a factor of 2. *sigh* Still, I killed Brian's Alexander the Great with my Attila the Hun, and that ain't bad.

My biggest complaint is that I don't understand the tactics of combat, but that's not really the game's fault. At the end of the game I finally understood the mechanics, but I had big stacks of buys wiped out several times. While I don't understand the tactics, the mechanics are kind of interesting with a 'fatigue' thing involved.

Other complaints are secondary to the pleasure of watching the game unfold. Is it more fun than 4-5 euros added together (same play time)? Not everyday, but once in a while, yeah I think it is. Some pleasures can only be attained after a significant committment.

I think 3-5 players is the right # for this game. 2 players would each have 7 empires, and I wouldn't be able to handle that. 6-7 players always gets very chaotic. 3 or 5 might be more "fair" because there are 15 colors available for empires. With 4 players, 3 players have 4 empires and the last guy only has 3. While this isn't 'fair,' I like the tension of trying to get that last one, even though I spent most of the game w/ only 3.

Overall, a really fun way to spend Memorial Day. Thanks to Brian for bringing the game w/ player aids, teaching us, and also for suggesting it early enough that I could schedule it with my wife. Thanks also to John, and Michael for playing.

Memorial Day .... and beyond

All right ... who is going to be at Dragon's Lair tomorrow and what time? I'll probably get there fairly close to 10am. And wargames will be had. Hopefully we'll know the rules after a bit. I believe we originally expect 4 or so players, is that still the plan? It would be nice if we get a game that we can dive into, but as with anything this long, we'll probably be digging up rules as we go. If anyone wants to re-read them, that would be helpful.
I'm planning on bringing:

• 7 Ages
• Sword of Rome
• Europe Engulfed

and a few shorter games. Should I bring anything else?

As it turns out, I have Tuesday night free, so I'm going to live at the Lair this week. Tuesday is Shadowfist. I haven't played recently (since I'm gaming mondays), but I've notched over five hundred games. The nice part is that game play matters as much as deckbuilding, and the theme is right on. If anyone wants to learn, stop by any tuesday (usually around 6:30) ... but I'll be there this week.

Gaming Rescheduled

Jacqui and I are hosting an emergencysession on saturday night (7pm). RSVP if interested.

Origins Convention: Interesting Podcast Episode

This morning while jogging I listened to one of my favorite podcasts, Slice of Sci-Fi. The 23 May 2006 episode features an interview with Anthony Gallela, Executive Director of the Game Manufacturer’s Association, who is also the organizer of the upcoming Origins gaming convention.

Mr. Gallela had some interesting things to say about the gaming industry and how he thought technological developments were spurring the recent game surge. The episode is definitely worth a listen. I almost tripped and ran smack dab into a tree though when Gallela said the most popular games right now at Origins were Blokus and Settlers of Cataan!

Are we just totally the earliest of early hardcore fringe adopters here in SABG? At least he didn't mention Monopoly. I suspect his observations were based on industry sales data, but I thought at least Days of Wonder or Fantasy Flight Games would have merited a mention.

Friday Night Gaming

Since I can't get off work friday, we'll be hosting a game night. Friday night, RSVP in the comments.

Friday, 26 May 2006: Memorial Weekend Kickoff

It doesn't appear we have enough Galactic Warlords available on Friday to play a good game of Twilight Imperium 3, so I am wondering who wants to get together for other gaming fun? Other options I might suggest are:

• Descent
• World of Warcraft
• Dungeoneer
• Wellington
• Down in Flames
• Twilight Struggle
• Miscellaneous light Euros
• Just about anything, really...

So, if you want to get together on Friday, just comment on this posting. My schedule is pretty open during 1000-1800 hours.

Modern Art

Kendahl and I, with the help of two buddies from Brooks City-Base, had a rocking good time playing Modern Art yesterday. Although Kendahl and I benefited a bit from the learning curve of the two new players, by the end of the game you could practically hear the adding machines clanking away between each person's ears. I really think I need to go buy a lottery ticket tonight, because this makes the third game in a row I managed to win this week. This was also the first time I consciously avoided antagonizing the Brooks group with aggressive tactics, and thus I didn't experience the typical dog-pile beat down retaliation I've experience in the past at their hands. Ah, metagaming...

After playing Modern Art, I reflected upon how it seems the Knizia games I have played each seem to get better, deeper, and more enjoyable with each play, and I never seem to get sick of them. Colossal Arena, Lost Cities, Lord of the Rings, Lord of the Rings Confrontation, Blue Moon, Ra, and Modern Art are the few of his designs I've played, and each time I play these games I feel like I'm discovering a new level of strategy. Yes, Tigris and Euphrates is conspicuously absent from the list simply because I haven't yet played it.

I originally picked up my copy of Modern Art primarily because it looked like something I might convince my wife to play (i.e., art, auctions, only indirect confrontation, etc.). I now count this game as one of the favorites in my game library, though I still pretty much stink at playing auction games!

I regret nothing!

But, uh, I should mention that Byzantium might be my worst purchase in years. There are only five people on BGG who have rated it as low as I did (or lower) and one of them was sitting at the table last night. I'd write a session report, except I'd rather not.

At least Roma is a hit. Twenty plays and counting...

So, how was your night?

Update: I just saw this image and thought ... there you have it! Since I'm using their image, here's a t-shirt with it.

Twilight Struggle Tournament of the Geeks, Round 2

Last night Round One of the first ever SABG Twilight Struggle Tournament of the Geeks drew to a close with a victory for the good old USA. Premier Rob fought me tooth and nail through the conclusion of the late war where I finally captured a win for the US. I must give Rob high praise for his outstanding play during the match.

Despite just being introduced to the game for the first time, Comrade Rob had me fighting to survive through much of the game. In particular, Rob's effective implementation of his strategy of dominating Central America and Asia provided him with significant victory points throughout the game.

On one turn in the game, I dodged defeat by the narrowest of margins. Both the Korean War and the Arab/Israeli War cards reared their heads within a round of each other as the Commie legions massed for an all out assault. Chairman Rob annihilated my brave peacekeeping force in South Korea, placing I think 7 Red influence there during his victory celebration. Luckily, I had lots of friends to support me in the Middle East, and Israel managed to survive the determined Arab onslaught. Later, only through having timely luck of drawing the Europe and South America scoring cards at just the right time was I able to capitalize on my plans and turn the tide of battle.

Round Two kicks off immediately with Twilight Struggle veterans Michael and myself slugging it out in the top bracket and Dennis taking on challenger Rob in the consolation round. So, grab your gas mask, head for the air raid shelter, and get ready for some more nail-biting Cold War brinkmanship!

Last minute CR

I know it's a bit late, but anyone interested in a game of Crusader Rex? Wife is out to a meeting this evening, so I could play this gem tonight. Let me know. We could meet at DL or even my house. Heck, I'll go to your place. I'll check this post later when I go home today.

Memorial Day, Mon May 29

There's been lots of talk about a possible "big game" played on Memorial Day. My wife has recently blessed M-day gaming by talking about going to the sales with a friend of hers.

Brian has offered Sword of Rome (up to 4 players). We might be able to cajole him into 7 Ages (up to 7 players) if there's a lot of interest. Ben offered TI:3 (up to 6 players). I have no big multi-players, but EastFront & Pacfic Victory are nice and long. 7 Ages has the advantage that it can handle people dropping in and out of play.

Let's tentatively say we will play 10a to 10p M-day with breaks for food.

Some planning questions:

-- where? Is DL open? I would offer my place, but we won't be ready yet.
-- who? We need a reasonable committment. We understand about emergencies and priorities, but if you suddenly drop out of the game cuz you just remembered about re-runs of Bewitched, we will [insert ominous threat] to you.

As of today, I think I am available for that time slot. Both Sword and 7 Ages sound great to me. I give 7 Ages the edge only because it's a bit more flexible for people.

tmk

The Battle of the Dragon's Lair, 22 May 2006

Once again its time for our weekly gathering at Dragon's Lair on Monday, 22 May 2006. Rumor has it Rob may make an appearance, so this week's picture has a Crusader Rex theme to it in his honor.

I'm still digesting my latest pile of new games, but I'll bring a few perennial favorites plus a few fresh ones for play:

Ra
Dungeoneer (and its various expansion decks)
Twilight Struggle
Family Business (this game rocks)
Colossal Arena (never get tired of it)
Zero (aka Down in Flames volume 3; Midway campaign anyone?)
Lightning Midway (light starter)

I should be there by 1730 hours.

Who wears the pants?

Game night! Michael showed up and we got in a quick game of Roma. Michael got a full board early, but was down to 2VP. His gladiators knocked all of my characters off, leaving me with a forum. Still, he started one turn (and me with 7 VP), so all I needed was a doubles, which would let me steal his last two VP ... but then he played ... the Legat (gain 1 VP for each empty slot). D'oh! Game quickly over.

Simon and Dayna had arrived, so we decided to break out Smarty Party. It's a flawed game, but fun. (If only the question cards were a bit better balanced/researched...). We played a few games, and then it was Marklin, Cash n' Guns, some more Smarty Party, and then the wind down with Geschenkt!.

Signature moment (for me, anyway) . As an unwounded Huggy Bear in the last round, I get all three people pointing at me. (And I wasn't even winning!). I don't withdraw, so that I can at least shoot Simon (who is winning). But no, I get "Bang Bang Bang"ed ... and shot twice more for the elimination! Ah Huggy, we hardly knew ye. Tino (Simon) laughs all the way to the bank.

PBEM's

Not being able to play games with the best group in town from 5/27 all the way to 7/15 is going to hurt. So in order to fight the looming withdrawal pangs, I want to give PBEM's a try.

Which ones do you recommend? Which ones would you try with me to help me suppress the withdrawal symptoms?

Diplomacy
I just joined. We'll see how that goes.

Vassal
Ben, Ted, Simon, Jon.... anyone wants to try one of the blockgames or any other wargame? VASL (which probably will require a lot of time to review the manual, etc.)?

Tigris and Eufrates
We can set up a 4 player game of SABG'ers on bbg.com.....sweet.

Gaming Friday 5/19

My house will be eerily quiet ... Jacqui and the kids are away! For once, I won't be able to blame my losses on the strangely hypnotic adventures on the TV. RSVP in the comments. If people want to show up a bit earlier (say 6pm), that's fine too.

And my new game orders arrived! (Yes, plural)

• TTR: Marklin
• Byzantium
• Battles of the 3rd Age
• Age of Napoleon
• Roma
• Indonesia
• Rage
• Smarty Party

A cornucopia of games! A smorgasbord! An all you can eat buffet! Which reminds me -- food not provided.

Once More Into the Space Cannon's Breach, 26 May 2006

Based on some preliminary discussions we had last night at Jeff and Amy's house, I was wondering if anyone is interested in joining me on Friday, 26 May 2006 for a game of Twilight Imperium 3? I have the day off, and Friday is the beginning of a long weekend for most of us, so I thought it might be a good opportunity to dust off this monster. The only things I would request are:

• We'd start as soon as DL's doors open at 1000.
• We get at least four and preferrably six players.
• Everyone review the rules at some point during the coming week.

Variants I'd recommend we play with are:

• Age of Empire (see rulebook)
• All objectives are revealed at beginning of game
  
• Ancient Throne (see official variants)
• ISC doesn't award victory points
• ISC does allow free extra build, plus claiming of multiple objectives in one turn

If you're interested, please reply to the blog post. If there's insufficient interest, then maybe we can set up something else slightly less hardcore...

History of the World, 15 May 2006

Dennis was kind enough to dig out his copy of Avalon Hill's History of the World (Hasbro version) and bring it to Dragon's Lair last night. I had seen the game played a few times on nearby tables over the years, and though always intrigued, I never managed to play the game. Based on random geeklists and other postings, my interest in the game has been rising recently, and I was quite surprised and pleased when Dennis suggested we play.

Chad, Dennis, Patrick (making a farewell SABG appearance), and I huddled around the colorful map of the world to guide our various civilizations through a classic epic struggle for global domination. After conducting one of the best rule explaining sessions I've witnessed, Dennis further took us to school by pulling out to a commanding lead. Chad and I were almost annihilated from the map during the first two epochs, and I was firmly in last place. Patrick put forth a solid challenge to Dennis by skillful play of the Roman juggernaut.

Eventually, after several epochs of solid three-on-one dogpiling on the leader, Patrick managed to move close to Dennis in score. However, Dennis had an impressive stack of globe victory point tokens from his early dominance, so we weren't very hopeful. The one bright spot for me was when I was dealt the Mongol Empire. Now, if you play very often with me, you may notice I am chronically afflicted with a disease called badluckitis. Not last night! My Mongol hordes charged out of the steppes to sweep the board, conquering China, Europe, India, most of the Middle East, and even getting in to Africa. I won around 20 straight battles without losing a single army. Unfortunately, this only brought me up to third place!

At this point in the evening, as we were about to enter the last epoch, I had to leave. We called the game and awarded victory laurels to Dennis, who richly deserved them for his fantastic play.

My overall impression of the game initially was sort of so-so, feeling it was like Risk, only with fewer armies and thus less fun. I also had a hard time getting over the sentimental attachment to my empires, which were vaporized each turn before my eyes by the various new kids on the block. However, as I began to see the grand sweep of the game, especially as we entered the later epochs, I gained a greater appreciation for the design. Because Dennis had an experience edge on us, I'm not sure we would have let him gain such an insurmountable lead if we had known better what we were doing. Still, by the middle of the game it did seem like we were just fighting for second place. Overall, not at all a bad American-style global dicefest of a game!

SABG PBEM Diplomacy

Through careful study, I believe I've found a good way for us to try out PBEM Diplomacy within the club. A huge community, actively supporting hundreds of players, and many, many variations of Diplomacy is at The Diplomatic Pouch.

The Diplomatic Pouch has a handy dandy web-based PBEM judging service called DPJudge with way more bells and whistles than I ever could have conceived. The initial learning curve looks pretty short, and playing the game, once its set up, really just involves sending an e-mail to the server each turn to process your moves. Of course, there's all sorts of other deviltry affoot in the game as you lie, cheat, and backstab each other under the table...

To test things out and get everyone up to speed on the initial steps to play, I have set up a test game, called SABGtest here: link. Just register under the DPJudge website at The Diplomatic Pouch. Then, go to the test game's page at the above link and join. The password to join the test game is: sabg.

We need seven players for a good full game. Hopefully there's sufficient interest for this endeavor to move forward....

Doomin' Along!

Alrighty Doomers, I finished polishing up and transferring over the AE rules for a Doom: The Board Game RPG. Alls I need now is a group of about 3 or 4 loyal marines to help root out the mysterious anomalies of the Mars base installation... So who is in and what time do you vote for? The game should run the night alone, hence the separation from regular game nights. I can do Wednesday most weeks to fill in the recently vacated spot (Circle of Life) or host on the weekend like Saturday. Speak now or forever hold your peace...

Blogger Werewolf?

Hey guys, I am thinking about starting a blogger werewolf game. I haven't figured out all the specifics yet, but I'd like to see if there is interest before I probe too deeply. I plan to be the moderator, so that means we need at least 8 more people to play. Anyone interested?

Free at Last! Gaming on Monday, 15 May 2006

I had to spend my last day off on Friday completing a research paper on the 1967 Arab-Israeli Six Day War rather than gaming as I hoped. Now that I'm finished, I'm officially a graduate of US Air Force Air War College, and I can freely game without a guilty conscience! Woo hoo! This picture is actually depicts the 1973 war, but I thought it was cool.

Anyway, its time again for my favorite night of the week: Monday night board gaming at Dragon's Lair. I will bring a pile of fun games and hopefully arrive between 1700-1800 hours.

If anyone wants to play block games tomorrow night, just let me know. I'm interested in trying more of them out, plus engendering good will for future card-driven wargame play. :)

Free Pizza and Games!!!

Well, the pizza will be free, but you'll only get to play the games. We're moving out of our far-too-small apartment into a house!! And with that statement, the purpose of this post becomes all too clear: it's a cry for moving help. A couple of people Amy works with are bringing their trucks this coming Wednesday and Thursday and we figure if we can get two additional helpers each night, we can get the job almost completely done. I've got Thursday off, so anyone who wants to pitch in during the day is welcome then, too.

5-10 Session Report

Oh, it was the very last Wednesday night gaming at Patrick's house. Well, in San Antonio anyways. Playing with you guys is definaly mixing with High Society. I answered the door at 7pm to find Jon and Michael. We promptly started a game of High Society, since we wanted a quick game before Kendahl showed up. First up was the Painting for 3. Before we were able to auction it off, Jeff showed up. What a pleasant surprise! Then, within minutes, Kendahl! So, we had a nice 5 player game going without having to start over. I believe Jon picked up the painting and next up was the Hooker for 2. After picking up the Hooker, Michael correctly pointed out that she clearly has more replayability than a painting and should be worth more. Turns out, if it did he would have won. Then came the 10. I've only played this game a few times, but I felt that investing a lot in the 10 could be worth it. I think I went to 38 big ones. Proved to be the last purchase I would make. Michael proceeded to pick up 2 2Xs. Kendahl got stuck with the Kill card. Jeff got the 9 and the -5. Then the game ended with the last 2X. 10 wins the game. I simply love this game. Lots of table talk makes it even more enjoyable. I thought I might lose because of too little money...a great mechanic from the great doctor. This game seems to have a little too much gambling in it though. I would really like to try a variant where you get to see what will be auctioned up next.

Next up, Succession. I had to break into my boxes to find this one. I think maybe we should have left it boxed up. This game seems like one of those games where everyone needs to have played it several times.

Quote from ynnen on BGG:
- Succession demands A LOT of its players. Since everything is open for negotiation, the haggling quickly overshadows other elements of the game. After all, the haggling is the game. However, the haggling can take a long time -- some sort of time limit should be imposed.

We didn't negotiate nearly enough, but the game definatly excels in that arena. Jon seemed to be running away with the game, but Kendahl put a choke hold on him with 2 well played cards, then it seemed that Jeff would win, but Michael pulled out a squicker with more money on the tie. It was fun...maybe too long and we were too amatuer for this kind of game night.

Then, the highlight of most game sessions: Ra. I love this game. It seems to have exactly the right amount of gambling. Kendahl's first time to play it, and he did rather well. I'm happy he finally got to play this one. First round left me holding my 13...never a good thing. Michael quickly turned his sun tiles into 1, 2, and 5. Jeff took a hit of -2 but ended with very good sun tiles which proved to be very benificial in the 2 epoch. In fact, after that second epoch I thought the game was his. Michael succeeded in picking up each of the monuments, but may have been playing under different interpretations of the rules, which proved to be his downfall. I think everytime I play this I hear new rules. The epoch ended with Jeff maxing out an auction all byu his lonesome. If I had gambled better, that could have been me! In the 3rd epoch I payed highly to pick up a pharoh, tying me with Jeff for the most. Maybe too highly, but I felt a Ra streak coming up and sure enough it must have been 8 out of the next 12 tiles were Ra. The epoch ended early and I pulled out the victory over Jeff due to high sun tile totals, or tied pharohs...however you want to look at it. This game is definatly a keeper. I like to keep my sun tiles high and make sure to get a Civilization every epoch. I also feel that keeping the lead on pharohs proves to be very beneficial. Those are the general strategies. If the opportunity presents itself, monuments can be very lucerative, but since they only score once, I don't put much effort there.

Then Kendahl left. It was really good to play with you on Wednesdays! I hope we can meet up some time in the future.

Then I managed to convince Jeff to stay and try out my umptinth version of Vices & Virtues. I really appreciate you guys helping me out here. The game still needs a lot of work. In fact, I've got one more change I would like to try. If it doesn't make the game fun, I may put this one on the shelf indefinatly. I like the partner/opponent mechanic and the passing message should prove to be fun if I can make it slick. Anyways, thanks for staying after Jon, Michael and Jeff!

I will definately make an appearance on Monday. I hope to see you guys there. Since I won't see you there Jon, thanks for showing up all those Wednesdays! It was great, I just wish we could have played some better 2 player games. Don't hesitate to phone me whenever you are in Austin.

I'm out!

Boardgaming/RPG crossover

While reading the previous post, I said to my self: "Self, bring Battlestations! monday night." It's a board game, but one of those semi-cooperative types. This was one of my "I just moved, yeah!" purchases, but it's languished in the closet. Now that we exist, though...

I may as well come out of the closet. I've LARPed.

Of course, that means different things to different people. For some, foam swords or fantasy settings. That's not for me. I'm more "Interactive Literature" or ILF. Weekend long games, non-fantasy. I particularly remember "Masks," "Nursery Crimes" (which had a great premise, but a blizzard cost us 75% of the attendees) and even Vampire (what is now the Camarilla) . I missed some great games ("Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee," "Cafe Casablanca", "Starship Edsel," among others). And I've played in a few puzzle/roleplaying/haggle crossovers. (One of which had art courtesy of Doris Matthaus) .

I've even written & run a large game. Ah, to be a student and blow off a semester or two.

Anyway, tomorrow night is gaming!

Doomers Ahoy!

I was thinking last night, partly commiserating over my RPG days of yore, when I got an idea. Would anyone be interested in playing a homebrewed RPG based on Doom: The Board Game (using its components of course)? The design would actually be based off of an old prototype game of mine from way back in the day dubbed A.E. (from when all I knew about board gaming was Monopoly, Risk, and Stratego). Basically, think customized stats, saving throws, skill checks etc. as found in your standard game of Palladium / GURPS / Rifts / D20. If there's any interest, I'll look into cementing a night in sometime soon for a full game that I'll most likely GM. So…

Michael? Jon? Chad? Jeff (Where have you been, man?!)? Anybody?

In search for Michael's missing 4/8 session report...

Where's Michael's session report? If no one can find it I'll just start off, but I'll make it short and sweet. These are busy days for me.... except for days like yesterday.



Bonaparte at Marengo
It was my weekly day off, so Simon came by my place to play this game early morning. It wasn't as smooth of a ride as I expected because we both were kinda rough on the rules, but it was a sweet game. Unlike the "traditional block game" a la Columbia Games, I felt that maneuvering was so much more important than actual battles. Good maneuvering leads to lots of punishment for the opponent; maybe the reason I like Rommel in the Desert so much. I found it very cool because it is so much different. And I value originality. We have to try it again (I'll reread the rules now that I understand how it plays).

So by noon Michael, Jon, and Simon went to have lunch while I took care of placating my conscience... which doesn't tolerate using up a whole day off just for games. I stayed home, and mowed the lawn.


Wyatt Earp
By 1:30pm or so, I met with the three above at DL. They were playing WE. I'm sorry Amy, but I thought this game was really cool. The theme? So pasted on on a super modifed Rummy game, you can see the Elmer's dripping. The luck factor? You know, light games with lots of luck I enjoy (it's the deep ones that require more time and energy investment, that can be frustrating). I actually almost won the game.

Family Business
Then I finally played this first with 4 players, then with 5 (Brian joined in). I have Tom Vasel to thank for this one. It is a fun light "take that!", or better yet "eat it!" game. Thanks to me this game led to expressions like "kicking him in the groin while down!?! you are evil!". Hey, it's not personal; it's business.

Cash n Guns
What can't I say about this game. So simple it's mechanics, such a great fun game. Another one that joins the ranks of games like Bang!, Family Business, etc. We played with the police variant...which made me realize, I'm a horrible Werewolf/Mafia player. I don't even know how many times we played (3? 4?). It's a great game, but I think I had my fair share for now. I didn't win, but by playing it quiet like in Wyatt Earp, I had somewhat decent scores.

No Thanks
A game that definitively goes in my category of best light short strategy fillers like Coloretto. It's probably better because of it's length. This will probably be my next buy at DL. It's the least I can do for the DL guys.

Crusader Rex
Thanks Rick for playing this with me. It's a great block game that needs some ironing out of the rules. And it seems to be working better with each revision. The duties of a playtester....

Ok I said short...so I'm stopping here. I know there was some WotR, TS, and Pitch car action.... anyone care to step up to the mic?

Gaming, Friday the 12th

Jacqui and I will be hosting this friday night! RSVP in the comments. There is a small, but non-zero, chance that I'll have a few new games.

And I'm going to drop a few wargames (etc) onto eBay in a few days, so if you have your eyes on anything drop me a line.

Lunchtime Lord of the Rings

Kendahl and I enjoyed a little lunchtime Lord of the Rings: Confrontation today. We played two games, switching sides after the first game. Unfortunately, the friendly, good forces of the Fellowship went down in flames as hot, smoking Warg chow both games. Several things struck me during our play:

• I really enjoy this game, especially now with the variety and richness added in the deluxe version. I've played Stratego since I can remember, and this game takes all the good things I enjoy about the genre and puts them into a package I find a ton of fun.
• From now on, I want to play with the extra power cards (e.g., Shadowfax, Gandalf the White, etc.). These seem to add a lot of good variety and strategic options to the game.
• Working in the same general area as a fellow gamer (Kendahl) is the best. I strongly recommend turning a coworker to the Dark Side if you haven't already. Kendahl has done a terrific job at this, going so far as to run a bi-weekly column in our base newspaper dedicated to board gaming.

Adios Amigos

Well, its been alot of fun! Jamie and I are moving to austin at the end of the month. I got a job at a game programming company that I couldn't pass up. I won't be able to make it to this week's Monday gaming, but I really hope to make it to next week's.

If anyone wants to come over to my place this Wednesday, I'll shift some boxes around for some gaming.

Christmas in May!

War of the Ring: Battles of the Third Age is shipping this week! I preordered this game back in November 2005, taking advantage of a great holiday sale by an on-line retailer. Since then I checked the shipping status on this sucker countless times, seeing the delivery date, originally December, move continually further out into the future. Tied up with this pre-order is whole pile of games I ordered, originally hoping to have by the Christmas holiday. Throwing caution to the wind, I now officially have my hopes up that Santa Claus is finally about to come.

Sweet Gaming Goodness, Monday, 8 May 2006

Weekly gaming at Dragon's Lair. I'll be there with a pile of games, including the ever-poplular Twilight Struggle, plus a variety of others. Depending on the response rate, we may go ahead and do the Twilight Struggle tournament bracket draw and kickoff on Monday as well. Hope to see you there. I should safely arrive by 7 PM if not a bit earlier. Have a great weekend!

Board Gaming Research Study

This appears to be very interesting....

http://tinyurl.com/fnfz3

I went ahead and spent a few minutes participating. A little tedious, but hopefully we get to see the results.

It's Friday night. Anything happening?

Anyone interested in playing a game or two somewhere tonight?

A Little Friendly Competition, Anyone?

Is anyone else interested in joining me in a little friendly running competition? I am proposing a double elimination Twilight Struggle tournament, played hopefully at the pace of roughly one round per week. Hopefully, this could serve as a model for future friendly, spirited competition within the group.

Seeing as this would be our first tournament, I propose a Twilight Struggle competition, a game which we have plenty of copies of and enthusiasm for. Yes, there's plenty of luck involved in the game, but this tournament is just for fun.

The winner will be crowned King Commie or Lord Uncle Sam, depending on their particular preference. Seeds will be randomly drawn. Players will bid victory points for side preference, with first bidder determined by a die roll.

If you have other ideas to make the mini-tournament more fun, just suggest them. The more players the merrier, though I'm shooting for 8 players to fill out a nice full bracket.

If you want to play, just add a comment to the post to indicate you're interested in participating and making this idea a reality.

Card driven games....food for thought

Check out this interesting post in Chris Farrell's blog. For those who have been discussing GMT's Twilight Struggle and its cards. Can't add much since I haven't played any of GMT's CDG's, but thought I would share this.

Block Gamers: Eastfront 2?

Howdy, Blockheads! Does anyone have Eastfront 2 on pre-order? This looks like just my kind of game, and apparently it's slated for release any time now...

Wargame Night.... Well, Perhaps Not Quite..., 1 May 2006

Ted's planned night of warfare, mayhem, and destruction was a well attended event with approximately 8 members of our fine society dropping in to do battle. Games I saw or heard played were Fairy Tale, Cash and Guns, Twilight Struggle, Vinci, Pitchcar, and War of the Ring... Not exactly wargame night, but... well, there was some serious butt-kicking, in particular Brian kicking mine at Twilight Struggle and War of the Ring. I tremendously enjoy both games, and I plan to keep bringing them to future meetings. Cash and Guns was a fun game, though I think I enjoy the cowboy theme of Bang! just a bit better.

All-in-all, a solid night of gaming. I can't wait until next Monday!

P.S.: One thing I noticed last night was how many interested on-lookers there seemed to be. In the future I'm going to produce an upgraded form of our club business card (with Gmail address) to pass out to anyone who comes by and expresses more than a passing interest.