The place where Bracknell and Bristol meet

Tonight was an evening of glamour for the games night regulars as we hobbed and nobbed with Bristol’s literati to celebrate the release of Joe’s book of comic strips from the Guardian. Me (Andrew), Sam, Adam, Hannah, Steve and Anja all congregated to congratulate Joe (and his collaborator Pascal) on his success and to drink the free wine and eat the complementary nibbles (which included UK-caught Tuna among its ingredients, which is something of a rarity apparently). It was nice to all meet without a table covered in meeples between us.

But Sam and I sped back early to relieve visiting gamer Chris of his duties because he was kindly babysitting for Sam. Once there, we agreed to play a couple of light games to round off the evening. Chris was eager to try something new, but Sam was already a little too drunk to explain any rules and it was getting late so the familiar old box of Seven Wonders was brought out.

After being over-played and falling out of fashion, Seven Wonders has re-established itself as a quick game, perfect for rounding off an evening with three or four players. Not too taxing, but not too lightweight either. The first game was a exciting affair. Sam was perhaps distracted by having to cook pasta at the same time as playing, while maybe Chris had on eye on the England-Sweden game?

Chris went for the jugular and bullied his way to military might,. He insisted that he had no choice those were just the cards he got, but I’m not convinced. I quickly built up all the resources I needed in the first round, and before long I was the Mr Rockefeller of the table as people bought what they needed from me. This came in useful in round three, as I was able to spend this money and pick the choicest bluest cards. It ended:

Andrew 61

Chris 52

Sam 50

Curses! Just two points short of the highest ever score, I thought.

Sam suggested another go, since the game was already out. Even though I never win a game twice in a row, I agreed.

Once again Chris reached for his guns and fought his way into an early military lead. I went for sciences and managed to chain 5 symbols together for a healthy twenty-five points, while Sam scored highly in all categories. It was a very close game, and when my and Chris’ scores came up equal, we did wonder if it would be a three-way tie. In the end, though, Sam’s calculated play edged him home.

Sam 59

Chris 57

Andrew 57

But this week’s “official” games night will be an interesting affair. Postponed to Thursday, it consists of with two simultaneous games going on in two different venues, with carrier pigeons and semaphore to be used as means of communication throughout the night. And maybe our phones, too. I suggested that we all play one game and amalgamate the scores into one big five (or six) player game, and I think Seven Wonders may be the best choice: the top score doesn’t seem to be effected by the number of players. And it’s a lovely way to end an evening.