Monday Post-Gaming
Jon and I arrived early ... and played two quick games of Notre Dame. After Michael woke up and dragged himself in, we broke out Phoenicia. I discussed this earlier, but I really must say it's got that "One more game" going. Jon, Michael and I played four games. Then we played some cards (Tichu and Flaschenteufel). Then Michael and I played our SABBL games (and the Yankees got swept, leaving them 6-6, with the Twins standing atop the AL at 7-3).
Meanwhile Jon taught Amy, Sean, Jeff and Al our latest addiction. While the Yankees were imploding, Phoenicia was being played. When we finished, two more games of Phoenicia. So for those of you keeping score at home ... seven games played.
Partially it's just that it's fast. If a runaway leader happens (and it does, especially until you get the feel for the game) it just ends quickly. Far faster than Scepter. We probably did our 4 (3-player) games in 3 hours. Two four player games were 1.5 hours. The five player game was also 1.5 hours, but 20-30 minutes of that was rules.
Anyway, it definitely wins Game of the Week award.
Labels: SABBL, session report
posted by Brian @ 12:04 AM
8 comments
8 Comments:
Tichu moment: after finishing a demoralizing game Sean and I vs. Jon and Brian we switch up partners to see whose Karma was screwing us up.
First hand out of the box, I pick up a decent if not spectacular tichu hand and say, ok it was Sean it turned out. Only to be overtichued by Jon, and have 3 bombs show up in the opponents hands that one.
Ok its me.
Except the cards really turned around after that one and Brian carried me to an aborted win.
Santana had another good start and Liriano had his first decent start of the year thanks to a huge assist by Joe Nathan.
Not much else to say about baseball that wasn't in my email. I'm very concerned about the usage rules and I don't want to mess things up.
Phoenicia: Scepter without the brain numbing math, but it also to some degree felt much more unforgiving. Sean, because of his position, got locked out of some early important auctions and never really recovered in both games.
I made one huge mistake in the first game of the night set (much to Al's chagrin) and it basically set Brian up for the win on the next turn. (I could have outbid you for the stupid city center and letting you grab 5 vps so easily right then was an obvious and huge mistake since I was the runaway income leader).
Also, one comment, and I know Brian addressed this at DL. New games are really good to play and it was nice to not stagnate with yet another tichu-baseballathon. Instead we just had the Phoenicia-athon which was much better.
Also Amy, 15 vps is not horrible I don't think. Obviously not a winning score, but in a 5 player game it seems like you might get locked out of some key auctions early and just lose it. Like Brian said though the game is short enough that that is an acceptable result.
I'm thinking in games with a larger number of players, you have to be willing to pay an early premium for stuff you *really* want, lest being locked out from getting anything that helps. What the things that merit such an early outlay of cash are in my opinion, I won't reveal, but it is all situational and going against the grain isn't terrible as long as the grain isn't taking all the good stuff.
Ok yeay, that fulfills my obligatory quota of words for a post on the blog, so gg.
I'll add up the Twins appearances later in the week (classes are starting, so right now isn't the best time).
I won my first game of Phoenicia, and almost didn't want to play it again last night, just so I could bask in my ego. But no, we had to play it twice more, and both times I was smoked. :) It's all good - it's a fun game and interesting to explore different strategies. In the games we've played the outcome is pretty much certain after about the fourth turn - it punishes you for early mistakes. But a lot of the game is knowing how to maximize your holdings, and each play teaches you a bit more about that.
Speaking of arithmetic intensive games:
I found out I'm really good at arithmetic on that test today....when I have a calculator. Maybe I should bring that for the next time we play scepter or tichu if for whatever reason someone tries to stick me with scoring.
Result was a pass (don't know numerical result for sure yet) though for what its worth, I believe I got 29/30 right. I didn't know how to do one, but was able to use some logic to narrow it down to 3 possibilities out of 5 for a (wrong) guess.
Congrats on your pass, Michael... now to find a job in the next two days! :)
I take it that they provided a z-table?
Yeah, there was a little button you could press at any time to have the z-table pop up on the screen.
Suffice to say I don't think I could have passed without it.
The job stuff will be speeding up when USAA's career website lets me register.
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