Training Games

Tonight's games saw four players begin with two helpings of 7 Wonders, a game that was once considered medium length challenge and is now treated like a piece of light hearted fluff that fills ten minutes or so. I set up two games with Ian, Katy, Adam T and myself. In the first one, Ian won by being the quietest, I think. In the other one, Adam T finally clocked up a win. Unfortunately I’d set it up as a training game and Adam’s ELO score remained untouched.

Ian 59

Andrew 51

Katy 49

Adam 39

Adam 59

Ian 49

Ian 44

Katy 43

After this Martin and Andy B arrived and we split in two groups. Adam, Katy and Martin went off to play Ninety-nine while after some idle indecision, we remaining three chose Russian Railroads. It’s been a long time since this was seen at GNN and Ian got a rules explanation that I also listened to, trying to get back up to speed. 

It was possibly not the ideal choice for an already exhausted Ian, but he quickly showed his tactical nous with some astute moves. I, on the other hand, made the same mistake that I used to do: forgetting about the engineers. 

Andy 320

Ian 222

Andrew 190

As for the other group, once they’d worked out which Google Hangout that Katy had gone to, played Ninety-Nine, which I kept an eye on long enough to see Adam T get off to a slow start and also note that Sam had arrived and was watching them play too.

Martin 374

Katy 233

Adam 154

After this they played Yokai. Technically, they played twice, but Martin quit the game that he set up and the result showed that he’d lost and everyone else had won even though Yokai is a co-op game. The second attempt ended in a shared defeat for all.

Then Steve and Anja arrived while Sam bowed out. The five of them now played For Sale.

Martin 57

Katy 57

Steve 53

Anja 45

Adam 42

Finally, the weary Russian Railroaders joined up with the rest and they ended on 6nimmt, in which Ian crashed out in two rounds, picking up an impressive forty cards in the process. In the closing stages, it was very close with the standings at Anja 59, Andy 58, Steve 56, Martin 55 with two cards left. It ended

Andy 58

Anja 56

Martin 55

Steve 55

Katy 36

Andrew 27

Ian –22

And that was all for this week. See you all soon.

I put the alarm in Alhambra

This week, our attendance bounced back up into the high units with seven of us online for our gaming fix: Martin, Sam, Andy, Adam H, Ian, Laura (returning after a long time away) and me.

Our first game, before Andy overcame his usual dodgy connection and joined us properly, was Incan Gold. It was a mean game, with temples two and five not paying out any gems at all. Martin started well, getting out of temple one just before the second rockfall. "I've never done that before," he remarked in disbelief. But his early lead didn't last as Laura stayed in longest on two temples, winning big on both. In fact, she was probably quite glad that the last temple was a wash out.

Laura 36

Martin 18

Sam 16

Adam 9

Andrew 6

Ian 3

With Andy among our ranks, we split into two groups. Four of us (Andy, Adam, Sam and I) played Alhambra while the other three ran through a trio of games.

Sushi Go

Martin 53

Laura 45

Ian 37

Coloretto

Martin 53

Ian 50

Laura 40

Kingdomino

Martin 78

Ian 48

Laura 40

While they gambolled happily across Board Game Arena, the four of us spent a frequently silent game of Alhambra. If we hadn't kept ruining each others' plans then there might not have been a reason to speak at all.

As we approached the end of the game, the fire alarm in my flat went off and I had to go and make sure I wasn't about to perish. 

At the final reckoning I blamed my poor showing on the distraction, although the truth is the damage had been done long before that. Everyone else had a very exciting game, though.

Andy 111

Adam 106

Sam 104

Andrew 72

After this, we were all back together for one last party game together: 6nimmt. It was Laura’s first experience of this game, but she didn’t have long to enjoy it since I crashed out in two rounds. How desperate. Could I still blame the fire alarm?

Laura 56

Adam 52

Sam 48

Martin 47

Ian 36

Andy 17

Andrew -2

Laura and Sam bowed out and the rest of us banged out a quick For Sale, which Martin felt had gone very well for him a couple of rounds before we'd even finished. His confidence was not misplaced.

Martin 67

Ian 52

Andrew 49

Andy 43

Adam 39

And with that, we were done. Thanks all.

Niagara Falls, attendance plummets

The world outside might have been churning up a froth over the US Election, a new lockdown in the UK and Wimbledon AFC returning to Plough Lane after 29 years, but GNN ploughs on regardless like a short sighted old aged pensioner driving the wrong way down a main road.

Tonight there were just three gamers crammed into that car: Ian, Andy and myself. Elsewhere, Katy, Sam and Joe were grabbing a few minutes of quality time together before social mixing is outlawed again and Martin was taking a break from screens before launching himself into some early-morning news coverage.

The first game of the evening was Kingdom Builder. This was played in almost complete silence and it was only Ian's sighs of disappointment that reassured me that I was still connected. Andy, meanwhile, hoovered up the tiles and quickly ended the game.

Andy 76
Andrew 53
Ian 46

After this, I was in the mood for something a little more conversational, so I suggested Niagara. Andy had mentioned several times recently and I had vague memories of it being slightly combative and silly, so Andy ran through the rules for us, and away we went.  

It was fun, trying to judge what the likely lowest card might be (and therefore how quickly the river will move). I'm pleased to say that no one went over the falls. I'm even more pleased to say that just as Andy got back to shore with his fourth identical gem, I arrived back too, carrying the final gem for a last minute game winning set of five different gems.

Andrew wins on tie breaker
Andy a close second
Ian, one gem short

Next was Piraten Kapern, a luck-pushing dice game. Roll eight dice as often as you please to collect sets or coins and diamonds, but skulls are frozen and once you get three skulls, you go bust. On the plus side, if you roll four skulls on your first roll, you go to the Island of Skulls (figuratively speaking) and now have to roll as many skulls as possible, which will take points off your opponents.

So it went as you’d expect luck-pushing dice games to go, until Andy hit the game-winning 5000 points. Then I rolled four dice and I was off to the Island of Skulls! In the end I did 1200 points of damage to my two opponents and the game didn’t end after all. And then I sailed to 5400 points and the game ended with my victory. Andy seemed puzzled as to why they hadn’t had a chance to roll some negative points against me, but put it down to the game still being in Beta.

Andrew 5400
Andy 4400
Ian 1600

Next was 7 Wonders, just to finish off. Ian said he’d screwed himself over in round two and then spent round three burning science cards for money just so I couldn’t build them. It worked.

Ian 52

Andy 50
Andrew 44

Thanks all. See some of you next week, I expect.