Space Corp blimey - it's Decacon!

Thanks to the brains and logistical skills of Joe, our autumnal getaway happened right here in Bristol this year, in the 'Chocolate Factory' of Centrespace studios. It was about 9.30am as I sailed down the Gloucester Road and spotted Katy ahead of me at the lights, similarly insulated against the weather. We rode the last section together, being honked at by an asshat in a van for the crime of existing, before arriving at the venue to find Joe and Pete already setting up. I'm slightly ashamed to say the first thing I did was go and have a coffee, though - pre-caffeine I am useless. 

When I returned there were as yet, no games happening, but an impressive library of them were gathering in the North wing. After another coffee run, more people had arrived: Martin from Easton, and from Bath, game reviewer Matt Thrower, and Kniziaphile Mark with his pal Andrew (2), and Decocon was kicking in. There was a game of Tower Up, and Joe and Katy's prearranged Fields of Arle was in progress. 

Martin waved Cascadero at me and we sat down with Matt to play it. We'd all played before, but Matt not very much and not recently. I started by monopolising a herald, and I knew this was a good start by the levels of profanity directed at me by Martin. Meantime, Jo and then Andrew arrived and they began playing a game I didn't recognise. 

In Cascadero I was doing quite well. I wouldn't normally dwell quite so much on my performance, but it was Cascadero, and it was Martin. His yelps of dismay were a balm to an oft-crushed gaming soul. 

I triggered the end by connecting cities of all colours and going past 50 points. It was something like 52-38-24 I think. We changed gears with a quick game of Wanted Wombats, which Martin won by correctly predicting a $10k card. 

Jo and Andrew had now finished their mystery game's best-of-five (I believe Andrew won 3-2) and they joined us for a bash at Magical Athlete. 

We had a brain-melting fourth race where the combination of Gunk (every roll is minus one) and Scoocher (moves whenever a power is used) and the Hypnotist (moves racers to their spot) and the Heckler (moves two whenever a racer ends their turn on the same spot or one away from it) combined to make every turn a kind of Rube Goldbergian experiment in x triggers y which does z which triggers x again type of thing. Demented fun. I don't recall who won now - Martin? - but Andrew and I were last. 

Tower Up had now finished and there was quite a bit of table rejigging whereupon I now entirely lost track of what got played for the rest of the day (with apologies, this report will be here on in even more Sam-centric than it has been thus far) but I do know that Joe talked Mark, Pete and I through the rules of Free Ride: USA...

And as we were playing, more people turned up, starting with Adam and Arthur, and Sarah and Effie, and the numbers swelled further with a bunch of people I didn't recognise who started playing Anomia. I regularly looked over to see Arthur with his arms in the air, though whether in triumph or agony wasn't totally clear. 

In Free Ride, Mark (south) Pete (north) and Joe (east) all began dominating different parts of the map and my plan to get nationalised a lot was compromised by people building around me. In fact my strategy could be best summarised as one of incoherence; a return to form from my heady Cascadero openings. 

Speaking of which, Cascadero was getting played again:

I've no idea on the scores for this but Andrew (2) was dominating the scoretrack when I took the picture. Did he make it to the top of his colour track though? Going by what I was to witness later on, I'm going to assume he did. He is Good At Games. 

I think Tumblin' Dice was seeing some action here and other tables were busy too, but during our late lunch, Mark mentioned to me he'd be keen to try SpaceCorp, and after a chicken sandwich my wariness at starting an afternoon chunker dissipated and we set up a 3p game along with Andrew (2).

This was new to both of them but, outside of what all the bases do, the teach is pretty straightforward and the actions are limited: move, explore, build. After the first (Mariners) board was completed, we were all hovering around the same place on the cash track (which doubles as score track) and fully engaged, even if Arthur would drop by occasionally - perhaps sent by Martin - to yawn loudly and announce he was bored. 

Elsewhere, Tumblin' Dice was seeing more action...

And at around 3pm (I think) Steve and Anja arrived with Louie and Lennon! There was an outbreak of Just One, and one table was occupied by digital gamers. 

In SpaceCorp I had a fairly disastrous second board (Planeteers) where Andrew (2) and Mark surged up the track whilst I dallied inconsequentially. Despite a mini recovery in Starfarers, I was never to catch them again: Mark had a production engine going that bought him about 20+ points and Andrew eschewed producing entirely but managed to build a SpaceCorp engine of the like never before seen (by me) as he almost lapped me and broke 100 points to take a convincing win. I now forget what Mark and I managed, I think Mark was on about 80 and I was back in the 60s, numerically and thematically. 

After this fun-yet-chastening experience, I looked blindingly around at reality again to discover Mel was now here. Mark, Anja and Adam joined her in a game of Trans Europa:

As the kids, possibly leery of the types who hang about in the lane, set up a customs office at the doorway, with Arthur happily finding this more fun than SpaceCorp. 

The day had flown by and I soon needed to leave, but ended on the memory game of Memoarr, with Joe, Steve and a wounded Lennon, who creatively used a packet of crisps to protect his bruised elbow. This was fun to revisit, with all of us at some point cursing our lack of retention. I think if I play this in ten years time I'll be even worse, but on this particular evening Joe was the man to beat - and we failed. 

As I approached my eleventh hour of Decocon, I also had to sign out and leave for football, missing the last couple of hours as the hardier gamers continued into the night. Which is where Joe, mastermind of the day, will now take over...

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Thanks Sam! My intention to arrive bang on 9am was hampered by the dog deciding today was a good day to shit all over the kitchen, and I didn't feel I could disappear for a day of indulgence without first clearing that up, whilst the rest of the house slept. In the event I wasn't much later, but Pete, having stayed over at Anja and Steve's, was there waiting when I arrived. Despite having to rest his leg, he gamely helped me set up, and Sam and Katy arrived shortly after, with Martin not far behind. 

Sam's documented what happened next for the most part, but my first games of the dyay were Fields of Arles with Katy, followed by Free Ride USA. Both were delightful, and I was pleased to play Free Ride again, as it hasn't made much headway on Tuesday nights, after a first flurry.

After those two substantial numbers, I was hailed by Matt and Andrew (2) for a go at Take Time. After an abortive first attempt, Andrew was out and Jo replaced him. We lost again, and Martin replaced Matt, and we were joined by Pete, the four of us endeavouring to give it a proper go. It's a cooperative venture which I've heard compared to The Game and The Mind, though it reminded us most strongly of Bomb Busters, though with a far swifter set-up and ease of explanation. Like that game it has many unlockable levels, and we all enjoyed it enough to want to revisit. 

Martin disappeared at that point, and Pete and I tried one of Jo's prototypes, an excellent crossword game that I can easily imagine will see print in the not too distant future - I'll be after a copy!

Adam's friends, after playing Anomia, broke out Coup, and raucous cheers and cries of dismay ensued. Arthur bested them all, apparently by having a combo which allowed him to tell the truth - I think the Captain was involved - making his dad very proud. 

Refreshed after some light lunch, and Just One, Martin, Katy, Pete and I broke out Pete's Surfosaurus MAX! A game of dinosaurs, surfboards and building poker hands. It was fun, and then Martin won.

Katy disappeared for her second meal rendezvous, and when she returned with her friend Becky in tow, we, along with Adam and Arthur, played Trans Europa. Great fun, and Arthur trounced us all, though he did step in after the first round had finished (that said, even if we'd given him a middle of the pack score from the first round he'd still have won). While we were doing that, Martin and Mark played Andrew (2) and Pete at team Zenith.

Martin and I then stepped out to grab a burger, whilst Steve, Katy and Becky had another game of TransEuropa (I think); and when we returned, there were ten of us remaining. We decided on a 4-4-2 split, as Mark fancied Oranienburger Kanal, and I was keen to give it an outing after quite a hiatus. Steve, Andrew (2) and Pete played Downfall of Pompeii, while Martin, Katy and Becky played Farm Hand and Sea, Salt and Paper.

Oranienburger was great to revisit - it's a stripped-back Uwe two-player number, with a resource system akin to Glass Road and Black Forest, and a puzzly 4x4 grid to fill for each player. It was close, in as much as Mark thought I was winning for much of the game and then he beat me handily. Great to revisit after far too long. 

Martin was flushed with a classic four octopus win in SS&P, and I felt that whilst I could have played on, I needed to attend to some clearing up, and wanted to do that while there were some stragglers to help. We bade farewell to the Bath contingent, and Steve, Katy, Martin and Becky helped me shift games back to my studio and try to remember where tables went.  With their excellent help we were done and out just after 10pm, after a marathon 13 hours of great fun. Thanks everyone!