Ave, nice day

Joe’s on Tuesdays. But not the core four, more like the wee three, as Adam couldn’t make it. It was me, Joe and Sam in attendance. The first thing to catch our eye in the corner of the room was Das Exclusive, Joe’s sumptuous dice arena. We tried it a couple of times and Sam noted with approval that the underside also has a baize finish, allowing for another dice-rolling surface.

We were discussing what good three player games Joe has, when Augustus was suggested. This raised some interest in two of Joe’s daughters who, in an attempt at pushing back their bed-time, said that they wanted to play too.

And so it was that, suddenly, we were five. Joe explained the rules to Sam, and off we went. After my first dismal game, I felt like I was more involved, and the house rule of shouting “Ave Caesar” when you’ve finished a card made it more fun. But then there was a dry spell when I barely got anything and my competitive edge was blunted.

Meanwhile, Joe’s youngest, Martha, showed a propensity for cards which damaged her opponents, and whenever she had to pick up a card, she sweetly asked if there were any “evil cards”.

In the end, new boy Sam came second in a close game.

Martha 53
Sam 49
Andrew 48
Bea 47
Joe 47

After this, the youngest and most female part of the games group went to bed, while the old men ploughed on. After far too long in the games cupboard discussing what to play, we chose Africana as being deep but short enough that we could squeeze in another game afterwards.

My plan was to ignore the adventures, and just go for expeditions. Joe went for end-of-game multipliers, and Sam picked up two jokers. The game is one of those when you always have one less card/a little less time than you need. Fun but frustrating.

Sam 42
Joe 36
Andrew 32

It was still early. Not early enough for 7 Wonders or Lords of Waterdeep, but still time for a couple of light games. We chose High Society. And in keeping with the luxurious nature of the game, we turned Das Exclusive over and used it as a tiny table. Sam kept his bidding cards until the end, and it worked. I kept hoping for that final red-bordered card to end the game soon, and it didn’t.

Sam 20
Joe 19
Andrew OUT!

Then we had to play a dice game. We just had to. We chose Pickomino. Sam began, bafflingly, by rolling his dice from his hand onto the kitchen table, instead of using the dice arena and cups. Das Exclusive does not take kindly to insults like this, and one wonders if his lack of success at the game wasn’t a sign of Das Exclusive’s displeasure.

But it’s a great feeling, hurling your dice from a leatherette cup, knowing that they won’t fly off into unlit corners of the kitchen. And, as Sam noted, the slightly hollow sound of the dice landing adds to the effect. The game itself was almost superfluous. If only we’d been dressed in velvet suits that stank of cologne and cigars, we’d have been living the dream! The dream after eating a lot of cheese, that is.

Joe 11
Andrew 10
Sam 0

						Points
Steve	1	2	1	1	3	9
Anja	2	3	1	1	3	10
Sam	3	1	1	2	4	11
Joe	1	2	2	4	3	12
Andrew	2	3	3	3	1	12
Jon	2	1	2	3	5	13
Adam	2	2	1	5	3	13
Quentin	2	2	3	5	5	18
Hannah	3	4	4	5	2	18
Martha	1	5	5	5	5	21
Will	3	3	5	5	5	21
Bea	4	5	5	5	5	24

Gloop dynamics

Tonight saw the return of Joe, after a couple of weeks away. Joe and I arrived at Steve and Anja’s, raring to go. But Steve was still eating and no one else was there yet. Except Anja, of course, who was busy trying to placate Luther, who was crying about something. Perhaps he’d just found out he couldn’t join in with board games.

Slowly, the gang arrived, left for chips and then arrived again, and meanwhile while of us (me, Joe, Steve and Adam) played Augustus. A roman-themed game where tiles are drawn from a bag and its symbol matches (or may not) on a tile you’ve got in front of you. It is, effectively, Roman Bingo (or Bingus, as I quipped).

Steve flew into an early lead and stayed there, picking up bonuses left right and centre which gave him a commanding win over the other three. Adam’s dreams of a perfect five wins in a row stood no chance against this.

Steve 61
Joe 48
Adam 43
Andrew 33

I can’t say I was hugely convinced. I felt like I was watching the game being played, rather than being part of it. Plus, the game suffered from a lot of interruptions and so perhaps lost a lot of flow. It’s supposed to be a light half hour game, but we managed to stretch it out.

Now, with Luther showing no signs of giving up, and Sam and Hannah having arrived (with exciting gossip about Adam having categorised all the games he's played since GNN began), we went for a quick game we could play until Anja got the baby off to sleep. We chose 7 Wonders. It’s a bit of a luck-fest with six, but at least we all knew it and could get it started quickly. It was a high scoring, quick-fire game.

Steve went into Sciences in a big way, and I was best soldier, but only because those were the cards handed to me at the end of the game. Hannah kept “accidentally” building armies and Joe, once again, barely had any materials of his own. Steve ruined Adam’s game when he built a last minute army, without seeing the armies perched on Adam’s wonder. Instead of a five-point bonus for one of them, they cancelled each other out. Sam scored in every category (except Science) and that is how the game is meant to be played.

Sam 63
Steve 53
Joe 50
Hannah 49
Adam 48
Andrew 45

Then Anja arrived and Hannah bowed out of the next game, and we split into two groups. Kingdom Builder was the attraction on one table, and it was enticing enough that it looked like there’d be four on that table, while Sam and I played out a rematch on Lords of Waterdeep. But Steve joined us, and so the three of use strode, side by side, down the quaint medieval streets of Waterdeep, recruiting clerics and calling them wizards by accident, before setting off on our quests: studying arches, placating statues and doing things to undermountains.

It was another close game, and as round six began, we were all next to each other on the score track. In the end, though, Steve had enough in reserve to push through to the end.

Steve 193
Sam 186
Andrew 165

Hopefully, someone from the other table will tell us how Kingdom Builder went. The scores were

Adam 57
Anja 50
Joe 48

Anja and Joe rounded off the evening with a little Augustus: Joe 74, Anja 61. A score that Joe graciously called “not a whitewash.”

On the form table, Steve loses three four-pointers and jumps to the head of the queue. Three rivals stay in close contention, though, looking over his shoulder and tutting.

						Points
Steve	1	2	1	1	3	9
Sam	2	1	3	2	2	10
Anja	2	3	1	1	3	10
Joe	3	3	2	1	1	10
Adam	1	5	3	1	2	12
Jon	2	1	2	3	5	13
Hannah	4	5	2	1	4	16
Quentin	2	2	3	5	5	18
Andrew	3	6	4	2	3	18
Will	3	3	5	5	5	21

But will we ever find out the secrets of Adam's "Will Never Play Again" list?