Snakes on a plan

This week I experienced the rare sight of an empty Discord server as, for a change, I was first to log in. Ian, Martin, Adam H and Katy joined me and we began a game of For Sale to entertain us until Andy B was expected in fifteen minutes or so.

Katy discovered that her newly mended internet (the one she has hand delivered by the postman every morning) didn't work at all. She played on her phone using 4G but she struggled with the tiny screen. "Is that a nine?" She asked before bidding. Despite all that hassle, she still didn't come last.

Martin 56

Andrew 52
Ian 51
Katy 46 (plus cash)
Adam 46

This result pushed my ELO rating for For Sale above 200 and for my efforts I got a slightly patronising message on-screen telling me I was a "good player".  Thanks BGA. I wonder if, should I drop below 200 some time later, I'll get another message telling me I'm a huge disappointment.

Katy left to solve her internet issues and Andy B did his usual performance of appearing and then disappearing before joining us for the evening. Six times this week.

We played 7 Wonders and Adam (whose ELO rating is above 200 and so must also be a "good player") went big on military and won.

Adam 59

Andy 56
Martin 53
Ian 43
Andrew 41

Katy, with internet fixed, came back during this game and said it was quite relaxing just being a spectator.  The six of us played Fuji Flush and enjoyed the short lived alliances and swift treacheries that this game encourages.

Andy won, while me and Martin were on their last card. Don't know about the other three.

Then Sam arrived and we split into two. Sam, Martin, Ian and Katy went off and played Decrypto. Adam, Andy and I tried out Alhambra, one of many old familiars now arriving on BGA in beta, ready to be playtested.

It worked well online, except it was a faff to scroll up and down to see what your opponents are doing.  I forgot any strategy I might have once known and came a distant last. 

Adam 156
Andy 125
Andrew 99

At this point I had to chop some vegetables for my girlfriend and when I came back, everyone was in the same Google Hangout, discussing what to play next. Everyone but Sam, that is, who must have decided to bail early.

I suspect that I was muted from this point on, since no one responded to anything I said. Then again, I didn't say anything worth responding to, so I couldn't say for sure.

First we chose Incan Gold as a fun party game we can all play together. But only if turning over cards illustrating deadly objects is your idea of fun. Martin (whose ELO in this game is zero) broke the habit of a lifetime and left the first temple early. It was to be the only points he scored all game. 

Round two was swift and brutal: spider, snake, snake. And then round three was cruel to anyone playing the odds of snakes being less likely to come out: 3 gems, snake, snake. Round four was only marginally nicer: rocks, spider, artefact,  rocks. Ian nabbed the artefact but it wasn't enough to overtake Andy who'd stayed in longest in round one and got 15 gems all to himself.

Andy 28
Ian 17
Adam 6
Andrew 4
Martin 3
Katy 2

"That was bullshit," declared Katy. And a few minutes later, she'd be insisting "This is bullshit," as we ended with 6nimmt. Katy crashed out early and then picked up a high scoring row, just so she'd go out in style. This unpredictable strategy appalled Martin who said it was "worse than going Dirk". 

Adam 65
Andy 56
Martin 49
Ian 22
Andrew 22
Katy -20

And so we were done. Another night older but certainly no wiser. Thanks all, see you next week.