But we’ll skip over that for now. In the meantime, we had five gamers who needed gaming. Which was it to be. Sam expressed a desire for an early night, so Railways of the World was out, as was Princes of Florence. In the end, the only game that felt right was Lords of Waterdeep.
Adam and Anja got a rule refresher and we got started. Five-player Waterdeep is a strange beast. Even with only two meeples each, options are limited. It seems that Intrigue cards are essential, since they give an extra “go” as you move your men out of Waterdeep harbour. And popular buildings, too, help in getting bonuses without doing anything.
Mid game, it looked like it was between Steve and Sam, with Adam bemoaning his fate in last place. But I couldn’t help but notice his large selection of cubes divided neatly into quest-completing groups. Before long, he took off in pursuit of Steve who had shot off into the lead thanks to some big-point quests. So great was his lead, that we felt no guilt at all in plundering some of his Christmas stash of chocolates to keep us going.
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| Steve's lead. |
In the final reckoning, Sam, Anja and I were all in close competition for last, and it was decided on our baron bonuses. At the business end of the scoretrack, Adam found that his healthy 36-point-bonus just fell short of catching Steve, who started this season with a win!
Steve 137
Adam 134
Sam 123
Andrew 115
Anja 109
We then debated our next game. Something short, so Sam could get his early night. Adam said he’d brought 6nimmt, so we happily agreed to a couple of rounds. Imagine our surprise when he brought The Walking Dead to the table. It turns out that this TV-tie-in is just 6nimmt with different graphics. Instead of some cows, it’s all about zombies and bullets. Otherwise, the game is identical.
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| Zombie ladies! Everywhere! |
It does have a certain thematic quality, as the rows of zombies spread across the table, it can be likened to massed hoards of the undead pushing themselves against the windows of the lonely cottage where you’ve all chosen to hide with only a shotgun and half a can of gasoline to protect you.
I didn’t have much luck with the cards, but who am I trying to kid? If it was about luck, then it wouldn’t always be between the same two players: Sam and Adam. Sam took the win this time.
Sam 13
Adam 14
Steve 28
Anja 44
Andrew 51
And so we at GNN celebrate the New Year a full 48 hours before anyone else! And 2014 begins with Sam sitting on top of the form table.
| Points | ||||||
| Sam | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 19 |
| Adam | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 19 |
| Steve | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 19 |
| Andrew | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 24 |
| Anja | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 24 |
Thanks Steve and Anja for hosting, and heating mince pies/raiding Steve's chocolate stash. Sorry Steve. At least Get The Leader occurred - mostly - off the board. I'd like to see more joy on Steve's face though as he crushes us in Waterdeep, even if it means returning the field of triumph again and again, like a forlorn ghost in search of a fallen comrade/orange cube.
ReplyDeleteGood to play 6Nimmt again too. Next week!