Can't Stop Shan't Stop

This week's GNN meet happened at Joe's cosy home. The six of us gathered around Joe's green felt table were Joe, Sam, Ian, Katy, Andy and me. Vague plans were suggested that we all play together, but instead we split into two groups.

Joe, Katy and I chose the Japanese themed card game Honshu. Meanwhile Sam, Andy and Ian broke open Ulm, described by Sam as a typical Euro game of gaining prestige in medieval Europe. It even came with it's own cathedral.

Honshu was substantially less ambitious fare. It's a trick taking, set collecting, city building game. Despite the three-pronged attack on our gaming senses it's quite a simple game. Each card has a number and a piece of the city on it. There are twelve rounds and in each round, every player plays a card face up. The highest card wins and that player may take whichever card they liked the look of and add that to their city with the proviso that it must overlap (or underlap) with another card.

There is a hint of other games in there. A bit of Between Two Cities. A smidgen of Isle Of Skye. But overall was quite a gentle laid back game, apart from the last minute panic from Katy when she realized she wasn't doing very well. This panic, as it turned out, should have been scheduled earlier:

Joe 61
Andrew 55
Katy 49

It was nothing to do with Japan, though.

On the other half of the table, Ulm was proving to be a bit of a steep hill to climb. In the early stages, I saw Ian shaking his head while laughing to himself and at one point it almost seemed like the game might be abandoned. Sam asked that it be given ten more minutes and apparently in that time it showed enough of its charms to convince people to last until the end.

Watching them play, I must admit it was one of those moments when I had a glimpse of what we must look like to non-gamers. The board was baffling, with a grid of 3x3 counters that shuffled around seemingly at random. There were boats and shields and icons and that cathedral which seemed to make Ian particularly angry, as he considered it to be, frankly, unnecessary and unhelpful.

But we had finished Honshu and we're pondering another game. Someone mentioned Botswana, but I didn't fancy it. It did, however, remind me of 10 Days In Africa so I asked Joe to dig it out. It was new to Katy, so she listened to the rules explanation with the same expression you might have if you were listening to a salesman you suspect is trying to steal your money. She had become increasingly concerned with her lack of form, and she didn't think this was the game to put things right.

And so it was. It's a game that doesn't encourage a great deal of banter so Joe and I tried to pep up our descriptions of winning journeys by building a narrative round them in the vocal style of Cary Grant. "I woke up in Morocco with no idea how I got there. All I knew is, I had to be in Somalia in ten days."

We played twice, with the second game happening at Katy's request, once she understood the rules.

Andrew 10
Joe 9
Katy 7

And then...

Joe 10
Katy 6 (wins on fewer transport tie breaker)
Andrew 6

Finally, Ulm finished with the scores at

Andy 53
Ian 45
Sam 37

Since we were all together again, there was a little talk of a six player. But instead we reorganized into new groups of three. I was lucky enough to have another of my suggestions brought to the table, and Sam, Joe and I played Can't Stop. Andy, Ian and Katy got busy with Port Royal.

Can't Stop was a cautious affair, with all of us keen to get counters on the board rather than push our luck. But as I took a 2-1-1 lead, with one row just one space away from completion. When it came to Joe's turn, he decided he had to go for it and, amazingly, he did. He finished two more rows to snatch the win.

Joe 3
Andrew 2
Sam 1

Since Port Royal was still ongoing, we brought out Land Unter. This trick taking game where it's usually better to not take a trick, had Sam baffled. We played through a single round while Port Royal ended.

Ian 12
Katy 11
Andy 5

At this point Ian and Andy left and we ended our fledgling game of Land Unter and began afresh with Katy on board. Katy won this game, which cheered her up considerably (or was it the ginger wine) now that her run of bad form was over and that there was one game that she could rely on to get her a win when she needed one.

Katy 10
Andrew 8
Sam 7
Joe 3

After this, we set off home. The division, with only two meetings left until the end of the season, looks like this.

I predict a riot

This week’s GNN goodness began without me, since I was running behind time. Martin, Joe and Ian began with 10 Days in Africa. I arrived halfway through, and the room was deep in silent thought. Joe was first to declare that he was one card away from winning. This was followed by Martin saying the same. Joe managed to get his journey itinerary in place first. Martin showed that he really was just one away from a win (he just needed Nigeria) while Ian’s journey started well but then degenerated into a crazy mess of missed connections and flights that made no sense. Like if Hunter S. Thompson played 10 Days In Africa.

1. Joe
2. Martin
3. Ian

After this, since there were four of us, we decided it was the perfect time to play San Quentin Kings. This game of absurd jargon and feeble art has been hovering at the edge of the table for several weeks now. But it’s never been played, since it would inevitably cause other gamers to be jealous as we fought over drugs, bribed people, went to the gym or hung out in the cafeteria before having a jolly old riot at the end of the game.

The game is a bit Puerto Rico-ish in that when someone chooses an action, everyone gets to do that action. You can fight,or work out in the gym or bribe people. It’s such an accurate reflection of prison life that I started calling people “Fletcher” and banging my tin mug on the bars of my cell (that I had to bring with me).

That was all I did, though. My final score was so low, that it was more or less what you’d get if you did nothing all game. Ian had a large gang, and looked good for some bonus points at the end. Martin looked very strong, but it was the dark horse, Joe, who became king of the cells with his cast iron grip on the drug supply. Those bonuses (mostly stolen from Martin) gave him an unlikely win.

Joe 28
Martin 27
Ian 17
Andrew 12

Then we played Port Royal, the new card game that’s sweeping the nation. Joe, Martin and myself went for cutlasses (leaving Ian with none until the end of the game) and how useful they were! Joe, in particular, seemed to go on for ages, repelling ships, until his selection of cards covered most of the table!

Martin got past 12 points first, but I was hot on his heels, and in my last turn – the last turn of the game – I was able to buy two cards, which pushed me past Martin’s score. For the third time this evening, he’d had first place stolen from him at the last minute.

On the form table, despite being several thousand miles away, Sam rises to the top. Well played, that man!

						Points
Sam	1	2	3	3	2	11
Martin	2	2	2	2	3	11
Andrew	1	4	1	3	3	12
Gonz	3	1	4	1	3	12
Ian	3	3	3	1	3	13
Joe	4	1	1	5	2	13
Matt	4	2	2	5	2	15
Will	2	4	2	3	5	16
Anja	2	5	5	5	5	22
Steve	4	5	5	5	5	24

And as we enter the last month of the season, the Division looks like this...

I fought the Corn Laws and the Corn Laws won

First day of a new season, and we were just three: Myself, Adam and Joe.

Usually, when we three get together, it means something thematic. Epic, even. Brass, or Railways of the World. Games so immersive that we often end the game with a tan.

This time, we chose Agricola. Adam has been pining for this for years now, and with only Joe dissenting, it won a place on the table with a 2-1 majority. We set up, and it all looked very handsome thanks to Joe’s bespoke wooden items for each item. The wood looked like wood. The stone was suitably stoney, and fish-shaped food swam about in the pond.

Perhaps the slowest part of the game is the start, when you try to work out how to get your minor improvements and your occupations to work together. I decided to go for things that got me food. Joe went for a guy that got him vegetables with grain (or vice versa). I can’t remember what occupations Adam chose. He never seemed to use them much.

It was good to get the old game back on the table. It’s a satisfying game if you’re doing well, but agony if you fall behind. As Adam can attest. Far from being the easy win that we’d all assumed, Adam ended the game with begging cards, and a last minute occupation that absolved him of any minus points for a farm lacking in livestock.

I did much better, but I was still nervous about Joe’s huge pile of carrots and big family. In the final tally, I at first made a mistake, and called a draw, but a second count showed my farm of diversification had won the day.

Andrew 35
Joe 33
Adam 18

And it was still early. Half past nine. We considered a game of Railways of the World. Imagine the kudos! Agricola AND Railways in one evening! However, we couldn’t go through with it. Instead, we chose 10 Days in Africa. It was new to Adam, but since it was from the designer of Ticket To Ride, we thought he’d take to it quickly.

We didn’t realise quite how quickly, as he swiftly won the practice game, and then won the real game too, before Joe and I had even got going. I got into second by number of links.

1. Adam
2. Andrew
3. Joe

Finally, we chose for a nightcap of abstract gaming with Blockers. It’s been a while since this saw the light of day. It was interesting and certainly a nice change. Adam won again, though, with a perfect score of one, almost as if he were getting his own back for Agricola.

Adam 1
Andrew 5
Joe 7

Adam takes top spot on the fledgling form table.

						Points
Adam	1	1	3	5	5	15
Andrew	2	2	1	5	5	15
Joe	3	3	2	5	5	18

Meanwhile, the Division shows that a first place in a big game is better than two in small games, but also that a close second is also better. Of course I post this as an illustration of how the Division works. And also because it'll be the only time I'm ahead of Adam on Points and Points Ratio.

Berger update part 2

Unbowed by our late-night Twilight Struggle, Henry and I continued our mini game-a-thon on Monday morning, while the rest of the household gradually woke and brunched. Henry wanted a TS rematched, but graciously agreed to test out Hammer of the Scots with me, a block war-game based on the Scottish rebellion of the 1290s.

I had bought it when we were in Scotland on holiday, and it's previous outing is detailed elsewhere in this blog (or perhaps in the comments). Having now played it, I can see it wasn't going to work for Charlotte, but it is an excellent game. Each sides pieces face the player in question, so whilst you might be able to see forces amassing, you can't be really sure of how strong they are until you engage in battle. We played the Braveheart scenario, which is 9 turns, Henry as the Scots and me as Edward I, trying to pin down Wallace and the rebelling nobles.
Despite our inexperience, it's a very smooth playing game, and the ebb and flow of fortune was fascinating - at one point it looked as though the Scots would overwhelm the English - a turn later and the tables were well and truly turned.

The winner is the one with the majority of nobles on his side at the end, and the English win a tie if Wallace is dead or off the board. Sure enough we tied, and I was convinced Henry had won. In fact it turned out Wallace, who I'd been desperately trying to root out all game, had been taken off the board during a wintering round, and was languishing face down in the pool (the pool of available pieces, but the analogy holds), giving me the win.Great game, would love to play again - I'll bring it along to Septcon in case anyone fancies a bit of 2 player kilt-waving.

We squeezed in a quick game of Mr Jack (Henry's first - he won as Jack!), and then laid down sour gaming tools in order to be sociable and cook some food. But once the meal was over and the kids happily ensconced in The Incredible Hulk, more games hit the table. The four of us played two games of 10 Days in Africa, which feels quite different to its European counterpart. Charlotte won one I think, and I won one.
During those games, Henry had begun discussing an unholy idea: a couples game of Twilight Struggle. And more incredibly, Charlotte had assented. If it all sounds a bit pampas grass/bowl of car keys, it did feel a little bit like we'd strayed into odd territory. Luckily I had enough remaining faculties to realise that it would be impossible to explain the game to our respective spouses whilst trying to play against each other, and that, more importantly, it wouldn't be nearly as much fun as Lords of Vegas.

So we played Lords of Vegas again. I had some early luck, and it looked as though I would run away with the game. Charlotte looked to be in particularly poor shape, still waiting for a single point when the rest of us had got to the 10 point mark. But the great thing about Vegas is the reversals of fortune, and as the game came to a close it was a three horse race between Charlotte, Henry and me. In the end, Charlotte raced ahead by 6 points, with Henry and I joint second again - this time Rachel trailing in las place.

By this time it was nearly 1am, but Henry was hardly going to let the game-a-thon end without a Twilight Struggle rematch, so we made cups of tea, took neurone to fight off the encroaching hangovers, and waded in. This time I was the US, and had learnt from Henry's experience of the night before. I knew I needed to hold of the USSR until well into the mid-war, and I managed to do it. By turn six it was clear we were in for the long haul, and called it a night.

This morning  we returned to the board, and embarked on round seven. I looked at my hand and saw that I had the Europe scoring card, which can win you the game if you control Europe when it is played. I only needed to shore up Poland and East Germany before playing the card and I would, for the first time, win the game as the US. But surely Henry would see my plans and stop me. Fortunately for me, he was holding the Asia scoring card, which not only took his mind off things closer to home, but crucially had to be played at some point rather than playing an ops card. This meant that even when he spotted my plan, I was able, with the help of a couple of lucky high value ops point cards, to keep the pressure on. Before the round was out, I had complete control of Europe and won the game.

We both regretted not pushing on last night, since it turned out we were so close to the end, though I was so exhausted I may well have misplayed my hand, allowing the game to drift on in to the later rounds. Twilight Struggle is epic, awesome and deceptively simple - very very deserving of it's sometime number one ranking on the Geek.

We just had time to play a quick game of Manouevre before Henry and Rachel returned to London - Henry's Prussians beating my Spanish by a whisker, just a card away from nightfall.

A lovely weekend of gaming, more than making up for missing out on saturday's Shogunnigans and regular GNN games night tonight - and a special commendation for Charlotte for being such a good sport, given her natural antipathy for the gentle art of cubes and cardboard. I couldn't ask for more! JB