Steppin' Out

Anja, Steve and Louie were our genial hosts at Stepney Walk this week (-Lennon was tucked up in bed) and we assembled at the slightly later time of 8pm - or just after, in my case. I walked in to find everyone perusing Louie's Star Wars cross-section book. As fascinating as the inside of a AT-AT is though, there were games to be played. Louie's pumpkin clock was ticking so Joe gathered the hosts along with Adam H and Gareth to play Kakerlaken Poker, whilst Martin introduced Ian and I to Wibbell creator Bez's A Game about selecting seven cards, speedily searching for synergies. Once you know the title, you kind of know the game, except how you get them: each of us begin with a stack of seven cards and one in our hand. Simultaneously, we can take (one at a time) cards from a shared tableau of nine, but must replace the cards we take from the top one of our stack. As soon as anyone's stack runs out, they count down from seven and that's the end of the game: the cards score as it says in the title, synergising - or not - with each other to harvest points. 

My card-in-hand I started with rewarded me for having creatures with eyes, so that was my main focus, and fortunately there was always a card with at least one eye on out there. I raced to the end and Ian and Martin ran out of time: which means they were forced to take what was left of their unknown stack as their hand. 

Sam 23
Ian 15
Martin 13

The whole game took about two minutes, so we cracked into one of my UKGE purchases from last week, Alpha Beasts Attack. This is a co-op word game where you must attempt to use as many letters as you can each round, with limited communication. If you can't, each unused letter becomes a scar, and if you receive x number of scars you lose. Winning involves cashing in your defeated monsters (ie used letters) in sets to reveal scavenge cards, which might be helpful tools, or brains. X number of brains wins you the game. I forgot to take photos, but this was me learning the game at the weekend...

We finished triumphantly - after a very tricky penultimate round, and an injection of beerspill from excited poker players - around the same time as Kakerlaken ended, with Steve, to Louie's delight, the unfortunate loser. I think there were some insults exchanged, although I can't now recall them specifically. With a quick reshuffle, Gareth and Joe joined Martin and I to investigate Inside Job, whilst everyone else played 7 Wonders.

Inside Job is a trick-taker where, not unlike The Crew, players have missions to complete. They're easier here than in the The Crew, but unlike the space/sea co-operative fundertaking, here one player is the Insider, on a secret mission to undermine the actual missions of the other agents. 

Suspicious

Standard trick-taking rules apply - except to the Insider, who can lie and pretend that they "can't" follow suit and were forced to do something terribly unhelpful instead. Whomever wins a trick gets an Intel token. If the Insider gets five intel tokens, they instantly win. If the agents complete x number of missions, they win. If neither happen, there's some ill feeling and accusations to decide things. 

Poor Gareth had to play his debut game as the Insider, retaining rules, forging strategy and feigning innocence all at the same time, and we figured it out when he not unreasonably just tried to win as many tricks as he could as quickly as possible. We played a second game and eventually realised it was Gareth again. Then on a third attempt it was a little more hazy, but I think we all suspected Joe to the point of near-certainty. Suspicion, however, doesn't guarantee victory: Joe grabbed his fifth intel to take an Insider win. 

I'm not sure what happened in 7 Wonders except Adam was slightly forlorn at the end, and Ian quietly triumphant. Louie went to bed, possibly in disgust. 

Ian 58

Steve 53

Anja /Team Adam and Louie 50 each

The time was pushing toward ten and I had to leave relatively early to get Stan to school for a madcap overnight dash to France. So whilst Gareth departed - also bound for bed - and the others set up Mille Fiori, Ian, Adam and I played a slightly protracted game of So Clover, all of us pondering at length and muttering resentful aspersions at our word combos. At the other end of the table, it was slightly more boisterous...

But So Clover was fun in it's own thinky, uncompromising way. Adam suggested Ian and I play a two-hander whilst he struggled on with his clues, but we were happy doodling on our clovers.  

"Is that a dog?" Adam said, peering over at Ian's drawings.

"It's batman" said Ian.

As it turned out, Adam's time spent proved worthwhile when it was the only six we got (mine and Ian's clovers were 4s). I didn't take any pics here but I do remember his clue of Sensed for Silence/Bouquet. Not a high-fiving score, but a reasonable one. 

I had to rush off at this point, but I'm told Mille Fiori ended with some colossal scores!

Steve 265

Martin 229

Joe 215

Anja 196

Incredible stuff. Sorry I wasn't there to see the glassblown madness. Thanks all, especially our hosts, and see you next week!