Glassy-eyed

It was a sparsely-attended GNN again this week, with various members out of town, unavailable, or poorly (get well soon Adam). When I stumbled through Laura's back door a little after half-seven, there was just Laura and Martin sitting there, like shepherds with flocks misplaced. With Katy on her way as the fourth and final participant, we just had time for a quick bash at Hit. Fortune favoured me in the briefest of warm-ups, but it was pretty close:

Sam 83
Laura 70
Martin 29

Then Katy arrived, with biscuits, and we swiftly set up Mille Fiori. Martin was denied the opening salvo of the last time we played as things began slightly more cagily, with Laura and I getting in the way of his key strategy. I regularly found my cards offered little for me, but - as was noted later - I was sitting c**t-side of Martin. Katy professed some mild bamboozlement, but whatever was troubling her clearly lifted, as she eased away up the scoretrack like sportscar pulling away from three streetsweepers. Martin's voice pitch ran the gamut between disdain and despair, as Laura's percentage of professed understanding of Mille Fiori dropped from 80% down to 50, even as she shuffled into second place.

Katy in fact was so far ahead that it became a fight for second place, as Martin and I (green/red) recovered to catch Laura (orange). In the picture below you can just about make out Katy's valedictory fingers moving her own marker (purple) even further away from us on the fare side of the board. 

And the game concluded with Katy scoring a whopping 262 points, dwarfing previous high scores by regular Fiorians Martin and Joe Berger. She was sitting doofus-side of me though; maybe I should have played a more dickish game. In the post mortem, Martin realised Katy had concentrated her efforts on one side of the board only, ignoring keys and pyramids (or whatever they are). 

However she did it, it was a score for the ages.

Katy 262

Sam 230

Laura 214

Martin 198

Katy began making going-home noises, but we managed to coax another game out of her before she left, promising that Viva Pamplona would be less than half an hour. I didn't time it, but I think that was more or less the case. Everyone seemed to roll high at first, and found themselves too far ahead of the bull - except Laura, who took a cosy bovine strategy and found herself the chief beneficiary of the attacks, surging into a points lead. 

But if there's one thing GNNers don't like, it's a clear points leader, and Laura found herself the target of repeat pushing as jealous bull-runners ganged up on her. Even so, she was probably still decently placed for a possible win - until the bull sped up at the end, hurtling around the final corner to leave all of us licking our wounds and counting minus points. 

Sam 38

Katy 30

Martin 29

Laura 21

Brutal stuff. Katy then left, with plans for early-morning swims in glacial waters, and we changed gears somewhat with a revisit to Quirky Circuits, the pick-up-and-deliver game with an engine powered by The Mind-style table-reading and guesswork. Tasked with guiding our bee around the garden delivering pollen, we screwed up quickly as slight game-fade combined with engineered confusion caused misunderstandings. 

But with time - or battery power - running low, we finished the task by the skin of our teeth - and moved on to Spots, which Laura had never played. I made a dice dog while Martin explained the rules.

Then we jumped in to the dice-rolling fiesta. I think we all went bust, Laura at my hands - one action allowed me to increase the value of dice in her yard - and Martin most spectacularly, as he went from the verge of three complete dogs to a trio of crestfallen mutts. Meanwhile, I expanded my kennels...

After 15 minutes, only Laura had banked a single dog. But Martin changed all that by auto-banking three of them, and then repeating the same trick shortly after. 

Martin wins!

We felt we had one more game in us and, though Laura professed a hesitation to play a word game, mine and Martin's enthusiasm (-sorry Laura) for So Clover ended up trumping the alternatives.

But if Laura's hesitation was performance anxiety, it was misplaced. Her clover was our sole success, with Movember a great clue for Beard/Time and Patisserie giving us Dessert/Group. Only Fire for Pig/Lava gave us pause... In contrast, Martin and I struggled, even though I felt Mugtree was a decent clue for Cup/Forest and he was appalled that Laura and I settled on the Forbidden/Border combo for his clue of Rim. Sorry Martin - it's just not like you to pass up that kind of literary opportunity. 

So, a fairly paltry score of 12/18, but a nice way to end the evening all the same. Thanks to our host, Laura, and hope to see you all next week!

From Deep Sea to Deep Sleep (and back again)

I (Sam) broke my recent lazy habit of Voi-ing to Joe's house and actually got on a bike again, arriving ruddy-faced from the cold to find Laura already there and Martin, presumably, en route. Along with Joe that was it! A surprisingly player-lite games night of just four. We began by plunging into the watery depths to play Crash Octopus. 

the sea, the sea

This is a fairly silly dexterity game where players each have a boat, and are trying to collect treasure by flicking it into said boat (you can also spend a turn moving your boat instead). In your way is the furious octopus - and the other players. Whenever someone 'finds' treasure, they stack it on their boat and then the octopus might attack: all players take a turn dropping a die off the octopus' head and sending it hurtling, if you can, into the other boats. If it knocks stuff off, that's just too bad! 

If the die didn't hit a ship you move the octopus instead: blank-side up is a tentacle, pink-side up is the head. The constantly shifting octo-parts mean your ship can go from comparative safety to immediate danger, as the head looms up beside you. But you can always try and move it with your own 'attack' by bouncing the die away from your boat...

Laura hides behind a tentacle

I wouldn't argue it's the most elegant design ever, but it was 20 minutes of chaotic fun, and supplied the surprise of the night when Joe's octopus attack saw the die spin around Martin's boat: without actually touching it at all, it nudged Martin's treasures into the sea!

The aftermath of the attack

Joe and I took the laurels here with three matching treasures each. I think Laura had one and Martin none. Next up was Sheepy Time, where one swapped one nightmare pursuer for another. 

nodding off

This was new to Martin and Laura, but is in essence a luck-pushing game of trying to get the most sleep: every time your sheep manages to complete a circuit of the course and jump the fence, you - potentially - score five points, but face the dilemma of 'waking up' 'calling it a night' -ie dropping out of the round and banking your score- or keeping going and risk getting nothing if the Nightmare completes a full circuit before you do. Appended to that are various powers around the edge of the board you can access by spending 'zees'.

final round tension

Additionally, each round sees your target of 'winks' - what you need to win - drop to more immediately-achievable levels depending on your level of success. Last time I played fairly conservatively and did really badly. This time I can vouch that ignoring zees and focusing entirely on movement is also a moribund strategy. In the final round I dropped out to propel myself from last place to a potential second, only to discover - as Joe won - that according to the rules there is no such thing as second. 

"You're a nothing" Martin clarified. It was karma for my making chicken noises at Joe, I guess. 

I didn't make note of the scores, but it was along the lines of

Joe something

Everyone else: nothings

Martin and Laura were keen to introduce Joe to Quirky Circuits, the game of navigating automated vacuum cleaners around tables and bees over anthills. Like The Mind, players play co-operatively but without knowing which movement cards they've played until all are revealed. The goal in each round is to navigate a thing (vacuum collects dust, bee picks up and delivers pollen) until it's tasks are complete. As well as the above catch, there's also the fact you have a hand of just four cards and - in some rounds - must play one, or even two of them, before the others. Everyone's also on limited time, as rounds are powered by a battery that's slowly running out...

the cat does nothing

We hoovered the lounge easily though, introducing Joe to the basic concepts, before stepping outside and taking control of the bee. Now our task was a little more difficult, as the teenage bee was still getting used to the concept of braking: if you went fast, it would drift another square. 

move one, move one, rotate 180º, move north (must be played first!)

On the other hand, cards that rotated the bee north could be very helpful. It was a close-run thing in our final game (of four) as the ants nearly carried off the pollen and the battery was in the red, but we completed the task with seconds to spare! On that note of triumph, Laura departed and the three of us settled on The Crew: Mission Deep Sea. 

Joe's task

We were hit with some devilishly difficult tasks, but managed to navigate them pretty well on the whole. I think we failed once, allowed me a do-over once, but broadly speaking sailed through a few rounds with comparative ease. 

Another mission

As the clock ticked past eleven we wrapped things up on a quiet, but satisfying GNN night. Hope to see a few more faces next week!

Bridge or Tram! Bridge or Tram!

I arrived this week at apparently the perfect time, just as they were about to decide which game I'd want to play but now I was there, I could do it myself. How convenient. My choice was clear. Bridge or Tram. Adam (H), for whatever reason, encouraged everyone to chant “Bridge or Tram” in an attempt at unsettling me. And it did. Especially after it went on for too long. Luckily Katy was more helpful and pointed out that “Bridge” involved playing against Adam, Martin and Katy whereas “Tram” was the less dickish group of Sam, Ian and Laura. I chose Tram.

But before I get too far into the details, a quick recap of the games played before I arrived. The group got 20 out of 25 in Cross Clues and then they played Fuji Flush.

Laura 0 cards left

Martin 1

Adam, Ian, Katy 2 each

Sam 3

So, “Tram” was Lisbon Tram 28 in which you pick up passengers and put them down at point scoring destinations, using cards to move around/get fares etc. It comes with its own bell which you can ring at certain moments in the game. Ian, Laura and I started out as total newbies, picking up passengers as our cards allowed but Sam - who’d played it before - swiftly went after the bonuses: extra move, bigger tram, etc. He’d got two before he’d even thought about slowing down enough to pick up any passengers.

Sam also triggered the end of the game just as Laura and I had one last drop-off set up. How frustrating. In a fun way.

Sam 12

Ian 11

Andrew 10

Laura 9

“Bridge” was Bridges of Shangri-la which looked totally baffling and was something about students migrating and blowing up bridges.

Adam 21

Martin 19

Katy 18

Then the three of them played In White and Black to fill the time until Lisbon Tram 28 had finished. Adam looked unconvinced throughout and it ended

Martin 14

Adam -2

Katy -8

Then there was a shuffling of chairs. Martin, Laura and Sam recommenced their Quirky Circuits odyssey while Ian, Adam, Katy and I struggled to chose a game (Flamme Rouge? Downforce? Tinners’ Trail?) before choosing The Quest For Eldorado since it was the right length and Ian felt semi-confident about explaining the rules. Luckily Adam soon found an English version on-line, so we didn’t have to squint at the German or the icons and make an educated guess about their meaning.

Adam went straight for the big cards, buying up the most powerful ones and hanging around volcanoes. I did the opposite: carried along by a series of fortuitous hands, I zipped through the first three zones with barely a moment’s pause. My luck continued as I passed through the “discard three cards” tile with three cards that I was totally fine about losing. By then I had only seven cards in my deck, so the few bought cards I had were popping up regularly. Katy had the opposite effect. She’d barely discarded anything and had a monster deck that frequently left her stranded. She wasted two turns moving sideways along one rank, trying to find a way through.

Ian was in second for most of the game and helped me by blocking off the quickest way through while he waited for the right hand before he could proceed. Adam, impatient to put his speed machine into action, could only wait. In the final hex, I was two spaces from victory and had a nail biting wait to see if the others could get to Eldorado one turn before me. Luckily Adam fell short and Ian’s astonishing collection of “pick up more cards” cards meant he had almost his entire deck in his hand at the end but couldn’t close the deal. I won, and with all those barrier things in front of me, I won the tie-breaker.

Ian, red, and Katy, blue, make Adam's life difficult.

Andrew, first to Eldorado

Adam, also arrived but lost tie-breaker

Ian, nearly there

Katy, some way back

Quirky Circuits was a pretty vocal affair. Sam began by saying he felt that “In ten minutes time, Martin will be angry with me” but then a few minutes later he had his arms aloft, declaring “I’m in the right!”

One of the circuits seemed to provoke a remarkable response, with Martin saying “I did not expect that to happen” while Laura, satisfied, simply said “smashed it.” It all ended with fistbumps and Laura being referred to as “Maestro”.

I think they completed three circuits, but not sure since once El Dorado was packed away, I was out of the door and heading home. A later text from Sam told me that they (minus Laura) had played Texas Showdown.

Martin 0+2+2

Ian 2+1+2

Adam 5+1+1

Katy 2+1+5

Sam 3+7+2

Thanks all. See you next Tuesday. No, wait… See you at the games weekend! Excitement!

Fast asheep

At eight o’clock I rolled into Joe’s to find the already assembled gamers (Joe, Martin,Ian, Laura, Gareth, Sam) finishing off a game of In Vino Morte, which I think I heard someone say that Laura won, but I was too busy sorting out my drinks, so who knows?

Before that they played Cross Clues and got 24 points. The one that got away was a clue from Gareth for “Painting” and “Water” which was “colour”. Unfortunately one of the other words was “Blue” and that was enough to put them off the scent.

Finally, I sat down to play a game. While Martin enticed Sam, Laura and Gareth to play a game of Profiteers, a war game only in the sense it is set during a war. The players are simply trying to make as much money as possible, without caring who is actually winning.

Sam 33

Martin 26

Laura 6

Gareth 3

Ian, Gareth,Joe and I played the far more cuddly Sheepy Time, in which our sheep run around the board, leaping over a fence while avoiding a nightmare and the first to catch forty winks wins. It was fun in a push your luck kind of way, trying to stay one step ahead of the nightmare while also making sure you hit the right bonuses.

I was in the lead for most of the game but then Ian leapt back into contention in the final round, doing laps at an unholy rate. Joe, though, one by going furthest past his pillow. My first round was dismal and I didn't get anywhere near enough winks.

Joe, two spaces past his pillow

Ian, on his pillow

Andrew, nowhere near his pillow

With uncanny timing, the two games ended pretty much at the same time. After the usual cognitive dissonance of choosing a game, Gareth, Joe, Ian and I chose Hardback, the letter building game with a Dominion style deck-building mechanic. Draw five cards, buy extra cards with ink (but you must use those letters) and make the best word you can. Letters score either cash or points. Cash gets you better cards and points wins you the game. Sixty of them, to be exact.

At one point, Joe raised a few eyebrows when he announced he was paying an ink to draw another card from his deck. He made this plain, he said, so it didn't look like cheating in case the K (which he had just shuffled back into the newly-recycled discard pile) should come out. He then drew the K. This made it look like clever sleight of hand or an awkwardly accurate premonition.

Ian had his own moment of awkwardness when we realised halfway through the game that he’d been paying an ink to draw a card from the communal draw deck, not from his own. That did explain why his deck was so large.

However, it didn’t seem to help as he came in joint last with me. I would have been further behind were it not for a stroke of luck with my last word “FLOP” which got me 15 prestige points. Any hopes that I might pip the others to 60 were immediately dashed by Gareth who (having played PIXELS twice during the game) reached 60 points with his next word.

Gareth 60

Joe 53

Ian 51

Andrew 51

While we played that, Laura, Sam and Martin regrouped for another go at Quirky Circuits and they cleared two more tracks before Laura had to go, mindful of the changeable weather outside.

Sam and Martin then played Rosetta (twice?) and after we’d finished Hardback, as I was leaving, Martin finally guessed the word: Sacrifice. Then I set off into the evening, confident that my waterproofs would withstand the light drizzle, only for it to turn into a downspout before I got to the end of the road. After I’d left, I’m told, they played a tough game of So Clover.

Thanks Joe for hosting and thanks others for guesting. See you next week.

 

We Are Detectives

 When I arrived at Sam’s at eight, I found that the gamers already present (Sam, Joe, Laura, Martin, Ian and Katy) had just finished a round of Swat. It was suggested that I could just be dealt in and work out the rules as I go, especially since Martin was still on zero points, but I declined and watched. I absolutely would not have been able to work out what was going on. A number of cards, bad and good, are dealt out face up and when a player decides they want them, they slap the table. Like Ra, Joe explained, only more stressful. Martin made a decent comeback, but no one could catch Mr Consistency Ian. Although Sam almost did.

Ian 60

Sam 58

Martin 40

Laura 39

Joe 32

Katy 29

Then Katy left and won’t be seen again for a while as she goes on a cycling trip which is part of her Land’s End to John O’Groats journey (not being done all at once, of course).

The six of us then played The Detective Club, a game in a tin box. This is like Dixit except that there’s a word that the pictures have to relate to that everyone except one person knows - we are given the word on a little pad of paper, but the imposter gets a pad with nothing written on it. We chose two pictures (from a hand of six cards) and the word is revealed. At this point we have to explain our thinking behind our choices and then we decide who the imposter is.

In the first round this was made tricky by Martin turning to the wrong page on his pad, seeing nothing written, he assumed he was the imposter. Only after he chose his first picture did he see the word “message” on the back of the pad. This caused confusion and allowed the real imposter, Joe, to get away scott free. I don’t remember who the other imposters were but I have a clear memory of Ian mumbling some non-sequitors about why his picture meant “blockage” and also of Laura picking a card seemingly solely because she liked the spaghetti War Of The Worlds type monster on it. We stopped after three rounds.

Joe 11

Ian 6

Sam 4

Andrew 3

Martin 3

Laura 0

Now we split into two. Laura, Sam and Martin played Quirky Circuits which is, I’m told, like The Mind crossed with Robo Rally. I didn’t keep a track of how things went but Martin told me they’d completed all of the tracks they attempted.

Joe, Ian and I played Nidavellir. Ian had played it before on Board Game arena, but this was his first go with a physical set. And it was very physical in that it required quite a lot of setting up and fairly constant upkeep. The idea is to bid on cards and so collect sets of dwarves to score points. There is a theme. I think you’re building an army or something.

It was fun, once it got going and most of the icons are pretty straight forward. There was one card with so many icons it looked like someone had punched the keyboard while typing in Wingdings, so we ignored it.

Joe 293

Ian 269

Andrew 234

After Quirky Circuits ended Laura went home and Martin and Sam banged out a quick two-player Cross Clues. They were lucky to have “doctor” which linked nicely to Foot, Eye and Pig. I didn’t get all the clues but was impressed by “Achilles” for “Foot” and “Arrow” and “Barbeque” for “Zoo” and “Cook”.

Sam and Martin 19 points

Then I stayed up extra late, keen to play my first game of So Clover. I’d seen it often enough that I knew what was going on, but I had to be careful not to externalise my frustration when they guessed my clues somehow missing that “Tower” and “Bridge” go together quite well. Similarly we must have been completely discombobulated trying to get answers for Sam's clue "grey" that we missed the easy tap-in of "Guardian" and "magazine".

 But we did okay. 22 points in the end.

And then I left at almost quarter to eleven! They were setting up another game of So Clover and then played Cross Clues and Rosetta.

Thanks all. See you next Tuesday.