Pharoah killer, Qu'est-ce que c'est?

 For the first time in years, I was first to arrive at Joe’s. I sat in the kitchen, anticipating playing one of those short little games that I usually interrupt on my arrival. Martin, Ian and Laura came in almost simultaneously but instead of playing, we chatted. Joe anguished over his new speaker not connecting properly, and some of his distress centered around the fact that he shouldn’t be this distressed about it.

Adam H and Katy arrived and now we were all present we began.

Adam, Joe and Ian played Knizia's temple building game, Tajuto while Laura, Katy, Martin and I chose Noli. Despite worries that it might be too loud with Katy playing, we promised to keep the noise down. I assured Laura of its simplicity - "there are only three rules," I insisted.

I started well. In the first round I split my 9 coins into three piles of three and each one succeeded. That, it transpired, was the high watermark of my game. Katy and Martin both overtook me on towers and then Katy persuaded Laura to remove one of Martin's two boats instead of one of her three, insisting that Martin was the one to attack.

.Katy's plan (if it was a plan) worked better than she could've imagined as she won lots of cash in the next race and built the fourth and fifth parts of her tower. After that, it was a bit of a victory parade until the end.

Katy 6

Martin 3

Laura 1

Andrew 1

With Tajuto still midgame, we played a quick Harvest. This is another game of ruining other players' chances and there seemed to be a little meta gaming hangover from Noli as Katy received more than her fair share of negatives.

Martin 140

Andrew 110

Laura 50

Katy 40

As Tajuto wound to a close, we finished off a quick one-hand-only game of Sea Salt and Paper with the extension (a few extra cards) “Extra Salt.” It was brief and I was poised to win until Martin stole one of my octopuses.

Martin 8

Laura 6

Katy 5

Andrew 4

Then Tajuto ended and a close finish – the final placings decided only on the final turn.

Adam 8

Ian 7

Joe 4

Then there was a brief reshuffling of chairs and groups before we reformed as Joe, Laura, Ian and I playing Ra (Luxury Ra, of course) while Katy, Martin and Adam turned their back on opulence and played the sparse, clip-art themed Muscat.

Lots of pointing in Muscat

I don’t know anything about Muscat except for something to do with turning elephants in burning sticks.

Adam 42

Katy 18

Martin 17

As for Ra, just like Noli, I started quite well. I collected lots of Nile tiles and then cleverly used my God to pick up a lone Flood tile so that they’d score. I was pleased with myself until loads of Flood tiles came out in the first epoch. I could’ve kept that God tile for something rarer, like a Civ tile.

Then, in rounds two and three, Floods all but vanished. My niles shrivelled up and died. Everyone else went for monuments. Ian hung on to his 13-tile for about two-thirds of the game. Ian ended the game alone on the auction track, although the round was almost over and he filled up the track with tiles. But only one Ra tile would end the round and we were begging him to stop. Which he did, and he scored ten points from just those tiles.

Turns out he should’ve kept going after all

Joe 40

Ian 36

Laura 31

Andrew 30

Joe maintains his vice-like grip on this game.

And then Me, Katy and Adam left. The rest stayed for what might have been a round of So Clover but who knows.

Thanks for the evening, everyone. See you next Tuesday.