With the Community Center being closed for the Holidays for the next two Thursdays, this week's session would be our final one for 2008. We had strong attendance once again, a total of eight, including one newcomer (Chris) who joined Don, Ron, Paul, Mike, Jonathan, Clayton and myself for the session. We played a total of five different games, one game twice: Mississippi Queen, Can't Stop, Ra (x2), Agricola and Ticket to Ride.
First up were Can't Stop and Mississippi Queen, which Don had brought. Mike, Jonathan and I were the Can't Stop game, joined by Clayton starting the second round of turns. The game turned out to be a tough one after three of us got two markers each to the top. Mike, who was behind, battled his way back into contention. Clayton was just one space away but missed rolled the needed number, and I finally won it by rolling a 12 when needed. A really close game.
I was keeping my on the Mississippi Queen game which finished just about the same time as Can't Stop. Ron had raced ahead to an early lead, but at some point he was slowed down by picking up a passenger, facing the wrong way, running low on coal, maybe all three, and Don came blazing back from behind to take the win. I believe it may be possible that Paul, who was trailing most of the way, may have nipped Ron for second. Don't recall hearing anything about anyone ramming into another paddleboat, but who knows, anything was possible.
We then resplit into two groups, with Mike, Jonathan and Don playing a three-player Agricola game that took up most of the rest of the session. Ron, Paul, Clayton and I played Ra, joking that we might finish the game before Mike finished with the Agricola explanation. Well, this didn't quite happen, but as I recall they were still looking at their cards (not the Family Game this time) when we finished scoring the second epoch. We were close to wrapping up when Chris (whose daughter was in a ballet class across the hall) wondering in, having looked at one of our flyers. In part because I was distracted talking to Chris, I lost track of whether I had been given a proper 5-point scoring token, which wound up being the difference in the game between Paul and myself, who had the top scores. So, I was credited with the points but was quick to think my win might be tainted.
Chris had been watching us for the last few plays of the Ra game, and we readily agreed to include him in a second game since it fit his time requirement. The second game also ended in a five-point win for me with Paul again in second, 43-38, but at least this time I believe we got the scores right. Clayton was third with 26, followed by Ron and then Chris. We hope to see Chris back at future sessions of the club!
Clayton, Ron, Paul and I then had a little more than an hour left for the final game of the evening, and we played Ticket to Ride -- another close finish between Paul and myself, Paul winning 115-112. It was Ron's first time playing Ticket; he did really well, finishing in third with over 100 points. Finally, that left the Agricola game that had been going on for two hours or so. I recall Jonathan and Don expressing dismay when Mike played the "Ratcatcher" occupation -- apparently there were a couple of interactive-type cards that worked their way into the supposedly "easy" deck. Anyway, it was a close finish, and the final scores of that one were Mike 37, Jonathan 35, Don 28.
Wish everyone a Happy Holiday season -- our next scheduled session will be Thursday, January 8th -- next year, of course.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
December 11, 2008 Session Report
Total attendance of 10 tonight (despite some rainy weather): Jonathan was back for a second time, along with Doug, Paul, Nick, Ben, Ron, Mike, Clayton, Don and myself. We played a total of seven different games (one of them twice), and we had two tables going at once throughout the entire session. Games played this week: Can't Stop, Wasabi, Lost Cities, Power Grid, Ra (played twice), Dominion, and (for the second time in the club's history), The Amazing Labyrinth.
First game up was Can't Stop, played by Paul, Doug, Ron and Mike -- Paul won that one. Nick, Ben, Jonathan and I played Wasabi, which was played for the second week in a row. Final scores were Nick 26 John 23 Jonathan 19 Ben 11. Don and Clayton had arrived by this time, making it a literal three-ring circus; they played one hand of Lost Cities while waiting for the Can't Stop game to finish.
Next up was a five-player Power Grid, using the US map but with the new Power Plant deck. It came down to a three-way tie on money, with Don winning ahead of Doug and Ron, as all three of them powered 15 cities. Doug and Mike also played. Clayton moved to the other table and joined Jonathan, Ben, Nick and I in a five-player Ra game, won by Ben with a whopping 56 points while Nick and I (who tied for second) had just 22 points. We then played Dominion with the new club game brought by Ben courtesy of John Goon. I managed to pull out a win with just 25 points despite having only two Provinces to four for Nick (who came home second with 22). Clayton took third with 18 points, followed by Ben (14) and Jonathan (10). We then wrapped up the session with a four-played Amazing Labyrinth game -- Clayton and I played as teammates against Ben, Jonathan and Nick. Ben, Jonathan and Nick got their six victory conditions first but successfully blocked each other from making it back to base, giving Clayton and me a chance to catch up. We abandoned the game -- calling it a four-way tie -- with just a few minutes left in the session.
The other table, once the Power Grid game was concluded, played Ra -- final scores in that one, which barely finished by 10 PM -- were Mike 36, Ron 33, Doug 30, Don 23 and Paul 21.
A reminder that this coming Monday, December 15, is a scheduled Family Game Night from 7 to 9 PM at the Laurel public library. We have one more regularly scheduled session at the Community Center, next week, before the Holiday season which happens to occur on Thursdays this year, causing us to cancel on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.
First game up was Can't Stop, played by Paul, Doug, Ron and Mike -- Paul won that one. Nick, Ben, Jonathan and I played Wasabi, which was played for the second week in a row. Final scores were Nick 26 John 23 Jonathan 19 Ben 11. Don and Clayton had arrived by this time, making it a literal three-ring circus; they played one hand of Lost Cities while waiting for the Can't Stop game to finish.
Next up was a five-player Power Grid, using the US map but with the new Power Plant deck. It came down to a three-way tie on money, with Don winning ahead of Doug and Ron, as all three of them powered 15 cities. Doug and Mike also played. Clayton moved to the other table and joined Jonathan, Ben, Nick and I in a five-player Ra game, won by Ben with a whopping 56 points while Nick and I (who tied for second) had just 22 points. We then played Dominion with the new club game brought by Ben courtesy of John Goon. I managed to pull out a win with just 25 points despite having only two Provinces to four for Nick (who came home second with 22). Clayton took third with 18 points, followed by Ben (14) and Jonathan (10). We then wrapped up the session with a four-played Amazing Labyrinth game -- Clayton and I played as teammates against Ben, Jonathan and Nick. Ben, Jonathan and Nick got their six victory conditions first but successfully blocked each other from making it back to base, giving Clayton and me a chance to catch up. We abandoned the game -- calling it a four-way tie -- with just a few minutes left in the session.
The other table, once the Power Grid game was concluded, played Ra -- final scores in that one, which barely finished by 10 PM -- were Mike 36, Ron 33, Doug 30, Don 23 and Paul 21.
A reminder that this coming Monday, December 15, is a scheduled Family Game Night from 7 to 9 PM at the Laurel public library. We have one more regularly scheduled session at the Community Center, next week, before the Holiday season which happens to occur on Thursdays this year, causing us to cancel on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
December 4, 2008 Session Report
Attendance tonight (7): Ron, Paul, Mike, Doug, Clayton, Rodney and myself.
Games played (7): Can't Stop, Daytona 500, Wasabi, Industrial Waste, We Didn't Playtest This Game At All, Dominion, Slide 5.
First game up was Can't Stop, played by four of us but Clayton subbed for Paul who wasn't doing very well, at least Clayton got one number to the top. Mike won after he and John had two each. Ron also played.
Next we split into two groups. Mike, John, Rodney and Paul took on the role of sushi chefs in Z-Man's new game, Wasabi. Final scores were Mike 27, John 21, Rodney 19, Paul 17. Meanwhile, Ron taught Daytona 500 and Industrial Waste to Clayton and Doug; no details, I heard Ron won both games, though.
Mike, Paul, Rodney and I played a couple of shorter games while waiting for Industrial Waste to finish. One of them, We Didn't Playtest This At All, ended real quickly, hard to say who won (either Paul or Rodney), as it depended on how you interpreted a particular card play. We threw up our hands and played Dominion, this one won by Rodney over Mike, 20-16, with Paul and I finishing far, far back with 4 apiece (and quite a few curses).
All seven of us participated in the final game of the evening, Slide 5, which lasted for five hands. Paul won with a score of 38. Ron, Rodney and Mike tried playing a hand or two at random, generally it didn't work too well, except for Mike, who managed to take zero points once.
Games played (7): Can't Stop, Daytona 500, Wasabi, Industrial Waste, We Didn't Playtest This Game At All, Dominion, Slide 5.
First game up was Can't Stop, played by four of us but Clayton subbed for Paul who wasn't doing very well, at least Clayton got one number to the top. Mike won after he and John had two each. Ron also played.
Next we split into two groups. Mike, John, Rodney and Paul took on the role of sushi chefs in Z-Man's new game, Wasabi. Final scores were Mike 27, John 21, Rodney 19, Paul 17. Meanwhile, Ron taught Daytona 500 and Industrial Waste to Clayton and Doug; no details, I heard Ron won both games, though.
Mike, Paul, Rodney and I played a couple of shorter games while waiting for Industrial Waste to finish. One of them, We Didn't Playtest This At All, ended real quickly, hard to say who won (either Paul or Rodney), as it depended on how you interpreted a particular card play. We threw up our hands and played Dominion, this one won by Rodney over Mike, 20-16, with Paul and I finishing far, far back with 4 apiece (and quite a few curses).
All seven of us participated in the final game of the evening, Slide 5, which lasted for five hands. Paul won with a score of 38. Ron, Rodney and Mike tried playing a hand or two at random, generally it didn't work too well, except for Mike, who managed to take zero points once.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
November 20. 2008 Session Report
Last session before Turkey Day, and we welcomed back a couple of attendees who had been MIA for way too long -- Abe and Brandon, who joined Mike B, Ben, Paul, Ron, Greg and myself for a total of eight gamers in attendance. We played a total of six different games, a couple of which were played for the first time at the club this week: Ingenious (played twice), Le Havre, American Megafauna, Can't Stop, Citadels and Cloud Nine.
Started off with a four-player Ingenious, and Paul won with 16 after everyone else's colors got shut down. Final scores were Paul 16 John 14 Mike 10 Ron 9. Greg and Ben had joined the group and, after much discussion, we split up into two tables to try the two games that were new to the club: LeHavre (a recent Essen release) and American Megafauna (which Ben had brought). Mike and I played LeHavre, first time for Mike, second play for me; some hard lessons learned in my first game (also a two-player short game version) paid off as I managed to outbuild Mike for a 156-117 win. Brandon and Abe joined the group, and played a two-player Can't Stop while waiting for the other games to finish. I had Abe down as winning that one, 3-1.
The American Megafauna game was a close win for Ben, not sure how well received it was judging from the reactions on some people's faces. Paul, Abe, Brandon, Mike and I played a five-player Citadels, which got off poorly for Paul as his first three character selections got assassinated, and Brandon won with 26 ahead of Mike in second with 22. Greg, Ben and Ron played Ingenious (also won by Ben) and then a quick game of Cloud Nine that was abandoned with Ben in the lead.
Again, a reminder that the Community Center will be closed next week due to Thanksgiving. I do recommend the special day-after-Thanksgiving gaming session at Damascus Community Center, which starts at 2 PM and should last well into the evening. Our next session at the Laurel CC will be two weeks hence, on Thursday, December 4.
Started off with a four-player Ingenious, and Paul won with 16 after everyone else's colors got shut down. Final scores were Paul 16 John 14 Mike 10 Ron 9. Greg and Ben had joined the group and, after much discussion, we split up into two tables to try the two games that were new to the club: LeHavre (a recent Essen release) and American Megafauna (which Ben had brought). Mike and I played LeHavre, first time for Mike, second play for me; some hard lessons learned in my first game (also a two-player short game version) paid off as I managed to outbuild Mike for a 156-117 win. Brandon and Abe joined the group, and played a two-player Can't Stop while waiting for the other games to finish. I had Abe down as winning that one, 3-1.
The American Megafauna game was a close win for Ben, not sure how well received it was judging from the reactions on some people's faces. Paul, Abe, Brandon, Mike and I played a five-player Citadels, which got off poorly for Paul as his first three character selections got assassinated, and Brandon won with 26 ahead of Mike in second with 22. Greg, Ben and Ron played Ingenious (also won by Ben) and then a quick game of Cloud Nine that was abandoned with Ben in the lead.
Again, a reminder that the Community Center will be closed next week due to Thanksgiving. I do recommend the special day-after-Thanksgiving gaming session at Damascus Community Center, which starts at 2 PM and should last well into the evening. Our next session at the Laurel CC will be two weeks hence, on Thursday, December 4.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
November 13.2008 Session Report
After a week off due to EuroQuest, gaming was back last week with a strong attendance of 10, including one first-time attendee. Jonathan joined Clayton, Ron, Paul, Doug, Greg, Mike, Don, Nick and myself and we played a total of seven different games: Power Grid-China, Qwirkle, Dominion (x2), Say Anything, Aquaretto, Hoity Toity and Turn the Tide.
Qwirkle was a three-handed affair played by Doug, Paul and Mike while waiting for others to turn up. Then one group (John, Doug, Greg, Nick and Clayton) played a five-handed Dominion which seemed to work out well even though the game is designed for two to four. John won with 30, Doug edging Nick for second (22 to 21). Mike, Jonathan, Paul, Ron and Don tried the Power Grid-China map, and it came down to a tiebreak on money between Jonathan and Mike, and Jonathan won his initial game at the club. Meanwhile, the other group played the party game, Say Anything, brought and taught by Nick; Greg won a real close one, 15 to 14 for Nick. Still waiting for Power Grid to finish, we played Aquaretto, and this time it was John in first (26) ahead of Greg (16) and Nick (15).
The two groups then re-split into the final games of the evening. Another five-handed Dominion, a low-scoring game won by Mike (only 13) ahead of Don, Ron, Jonathan and Clayton. The other table played Hoity Toity, an old favorite, Nick holding on to win after losing three pieces to thieves on the final turn, while John (with a 14-card set) could only close to second. Turn the Tide was the final game, but we didn't get in enough hands to declare a winner before the clock struck 10.
Saturday it was National Gaming Day and some of us (Clayton, myself and Bill Duke) attended a special gaming session at the Laurel library from 12 - 5. We played some light favorites, including Lost Cities, Can't Stop, Cloud Nine, Coyote, as well as Dominion, Sorry, the quick-playing Settlers variant, and the donated game (Pictureka). We were joined by some young gamers for several of the games; the Cloud 9 game was especially competitive.
Hope to see everyone for the session on Thursday next week.
Qwirkle was a three-handed affair played by Doug, Paul and Mike while waiting for others to turn up. Then one group (John, Doug, Greg, Nick and Clayton) played a five-handed Dominion which seemed to work out well even though the game is designed for two to four. John won with 30, Doug edging Nick for second (22 to 21). Mike, Jonathan, Paul, Ron and Don tried the Power Grid-China map, and it came down to a tiebreak on money between Jonathan and Mike, and Jonathan won his initial game at the club. Meanwhile, the other group played the party game, Say Anything, brought and taught by Nick; Greg won a real close one, 15 to 14 for Nick. Still waiting for Power Grid to finish, we played Aquaretto, and this time it was John in first (26) ahead of Greg (16) and Nick (15).
The two groups then re-split into the final games of the evening. Another five-handed Dominion, a low-scoring game won by Mike (only 13) ahead of Don, Ron, Jonathan and Clayton. The other table played Hoity Toity, an old favorite, Nick holding on to win after losing three pieces to thieves on the final turn, while John (with a 14-card set) could only close to second. Turn the Tide was the final game, but we didn't get in enough hands to declare a winner before the clock struck 10.
Saturday it was National Gaming Day and some of us (Clayton, myself and Bill Duke) attended a special gaming session at the Laurel library from 12 - 5. We played some light favorites, including Lost Cities, Can't Stop, Cloud Nine, Coyote, as well as Dominion, Sorry, the quick-playing Settlers variant, and the donated game (Pictureka). We were joined by some young gamers for several of the games; the Cloud 9 game was especially competitive.
Hope to see everyone for the session on Thursday next week.
Friday, October 31, 2008
October 30, 2008 Session Report
One day before Halloween, a kind of a cold evening, we still had a total of eight gamers: Mike, Doug, Paul, Ron, Don and myself, joined a bit later by Nick and Ben. We played a total of six games, one game (a new one) was played three times, and there was one appropriately themed game given the time of year.
First up was Hoity Toity (aka Adel Verfplichtet aka By Hook or Crook), but the new Uberplay edition allows for a sixth player, and there were six of us (Ron, Don, Mike, Doug, Paul and myself) who took advantage of the opportunity to play. Don and Mike were new to the game, and Ron had played it before (years ago) so it took awhile for the cobwebs to wear off. Don proved being new to the game was not a handicap, winning with Doug second and Paul third. Ben and Nick had arrived and couldn't wait to try the newest release (which Mike had brought): Race for the Galaxy with the Gathering Storm expansion that added a number of cards and options to the regular game. Ben, who is somewhat of a self-proclaimed expert on the game, pulled out the win (24-20) and Mike (who had brought the game) was interested in joining them. Ben won the next game with Mike second, then finally Nick stopped Ben's winning streak with a close one point win in the third of three Race games played last evening.
The remaining five of us (Don, Paul, Doug, Ron and myself) hooked up in a five-player Vegas Showdown, which saw Paul experiment with a rarely seen strategy: no slot machines the whole game. Well, it probably won't be seen again soon, as Paul trailed most of the game and wound up last, with Doug taking the win, 67 to 56 for Don, followed by Ron (53) and yours truly at 51. Then we split into two groups of four for the final completed games of the evening: Car Wars, won by Ron with Mike in second -- it was Ron's first win in the two weeks he has been coming to the club! The rest of us tried (for the second time) an appropriately themed game brought by Doug called Wicked Witches Way which is a quick draw, guessing, bluffing kind of abstract game where you are trying to match nine different symbols that could form part of a formula based on a die roll. What was interesting about the game was how aggressive the two younger guys were about closing the box and making a quick play, while us older guys (Doug and myself) were more laid back. Well, the laid back approach paid off, as the final standings were in indirect proportion to who closed the box first: Doug (who won) closed the box zero times while I surprised myself with a second place finish, after having closed the box exactly once. Nick, who led most of the way, fell to third as Doug and I made a late surge. Ben, the trigger-happy one among us who was hell-bent on closing the box at just about every opportunity, was often wrong in his guesses and stuck at -2 until he got off the snide which let him exercise his box closing privileges as often as he liked. Final scores: Doug 29 John 28 Nick 20 Ben 11 (Doug wound up the winner after showing three bonus cards worth a total of 7 VPs while my two cards netted me just 3 VPs after I managed to cross the line first). Well done, Doug.
Doug and I hooked up for the final game of the evening, a two-player Dominion (probably the last time for my already worn-out prototype set as the "real thing" is expected to be available next week at EuroQuest). We didn't quite finish, calling the game at right before 10, so maybe next time ...
Speaking of EuroQuest, for next week's session, I (and several other club members) plan to be there on Thursday evening, Nov. 6th which means the club session for that week is up in the air. I plan to survey past attendees and, unless more people commit to show up, I may cancel next week's session. However, for those of you who live nearby, I plan to be at the Laurel Library at 7 - 10 PM on Monday, November 10th, for the first of two sessions designed to bring boardgames to the library. Feel free to join me then, although I will be looking for many of you at EQ next week.
First up was Hoity Toity (aka Adel Verfplichtet aka By Hook or Crook), but the new Uberplay edition allows for a sixth player, and there were six of us (Ron, Don, Mike, Doug, Paul and myself) who took advantage of the opportunity to play. Don and Mike were new to the game, and Ron had played it before (years ago) so it took awhile for the cobwebs to wear off. Don proved being new to the game was not a handicap, winning with Doug second and Paul third. Ben and Nick had arrived and couldn't wait to try the newest release (which Mike had brought): Race for the Galaxy with the Gathering Storm expansion that added a number of cards and options to the regular game. Ben, who is somewhat of a self-proclaimed expert on the game, pulled out the win (24-20) and Mike (who had brought the game) was interested in joining them. Ben won the next game with Mike second, then finally Nick stopped Ben's winning streak with a close one point win in the third of three Race games played last evening.
The remaining five of us (Don, Paul, Doug, Ron and myself) hooked up in a five-player Vegas Showdown, which saw Paul experiment with a rarely seen strategy: no slot machines the whole game. Well, it probably won't be seen again soon, as Paul trailed most of the game and wound up last, with Doug taking the win, 67 to 56 for Don, followed by Ron (53) and yours truly at 51. Then we split into two groups of four for the final completed games of the evening: Car Wars, won by Ron with Mike in second -- it was Ron's first win in the two weeks he has been coming to the club! The rest of us tried (for the second time) an appropriately themed game brought by Doug called Wicked Witches Way which is a quick draw, guessing, bluffing kind of abstract game where you are trying to match nine different symbols that could form part of a formula based on a die roll. What was interesting about the game was how aggressive the two younger guys were about closing the box and making a quick play, while us older guys (Doug and myself) were more laid back. Well, the laid back approach paid off, as the final standings were in indirect proportion to who closed the box first: Doug (who won) closed the box zero times while I surprised myself with a second place finish, after having closed the box exactly once. Nick, who led most of the way, fell to third as Doug and I made a late surge. Ben, the trigger-happy one among us who was hell-bent on closing the box at just about every opportunity, was often wrong in his guesses and stuck at -2 until he got off the snide which let him exercise his box closing privileges as often as he liked. Final scores: Doug 29 John 28 Nick 20 Ben 11 (Doug wound up the winner after showing three bonus cards worth a total of 7 VPs while my two cards netted me just 3 VPs after I managed to cross the line first). Well done, Doug.
Doug and I hooked up for the final game of the evening, a two-player Dominion (probably the last time for my already worn-out prototype set as the "real thing" is expected to be available next week at EuroQuest). We didn't quite finish, calling the game at right before 10, so maybe next time ...
Speaking of EuroQuest, for next week's session, I (and several other club members) plan to be there on Thursday evening, Nov. 6th which means the club session for that week is up in the air. I plan to survey past attendees and, unless more people commit to show up, I may cancel next week's session. However, for those of you who live nearby, I plan to be at the Laurel Library at 7 - 10 PM on Monday, November 10th, for the first of two sessions designed to bring boardgames to the library. Feel free to join me then, although I will be looking for many of you at EQ next week.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
October 23, 2008 Session Report
We had a total of eight gamers tonight, including an old gaming buddy of mine who happens to live in Laurel, Ron Rector, who was making his first appearance, thanks in part to Don who also talked Ron into joining us. In addition, Mike B. was present for his third session, and Don, Nick, Paul, Clayton, Rodney and I rounded out the group. We played a total of seven different games: Race for the Galaxy, Puerto Rico, Vegas Showdown, Lost Cities, Boomtown, Hollywood Blockbuster and, for the first time at our club, the new hit, Agricola.
First up was Race for the Galaxy, and it wound up being a three-player game with Mike, Paul and Nick after some musical chairs action when a couple of more people showed up. Nick, who still claims not to have an overall strategic approach to the game, won going away with 55 points to 33 for Mike, who was playing for the first time. At the other table, it was Don, Ron and myself playing a three-handed Puerto Rico. Don got off to a nice start, and I was kind of surprised to wind up tied with him at 41 points, with Don winning on the goods plus doubloons tiebreaker. While both these games were going on, Rodney and Clayton arrived and got in a couple of hands of Lost Cities, each winning once.
Another game that down to the tiebreaker was Vegas Showdown, this one going to Rodney over Clayton by a couple of dollars after both finished with 64 points, followed by Mike at 60 and Paul at 52. Nick sat out this game, waiting to join Don, Ron and myself in a game of Agricola that literally took up the rest of the evening, even though we opted for the family version without the Occupation and Minor Improvement cards. Nick won with a score in the 30s, gaining 10 VPs for four Major Occupations, after getting off to an early edge with a Family Growth action before the second harvest. After being initially turned off by the luck factor of the cards, I am kind of regaining interest in this one, particularly the so-called Family Version which seems to have a bit less luck in it, although the scores are likely to be alot lower.
Meanwhile, Paul, Clayton, Rodney and Mike kept right on playing two more games, first Boomtown -- won by Rodney (152) ahead of Paul (95) in second, and finally another favorite, Hollywood Blockbuster, which saw Clayton emerge victorious, 92 points to 87 for Rodney. So, all in all, a fairly good night for Nick, Clayton and Rodney who won multiple games this evening.
Hope to see everyone next week, and then the following week will be at EuroQuest, which starts on Thursday this year.
First up was Race for the Galaxy, and it wound up being a three-player game with Mike, Paul and Nick after some musical chairs action when a couple of more people showed up. Nick, who still claims not to have an overall strategic approach to the game, won going away with 55 points to 33 for Mike, who was playing for the first time. At the other table, it was Don, Ron and myself playing a three-handed Puerto Rico. Don got off to a nice start, and I was kind of surprised to wind up tied with him at 41 points, with Don winning on the goods plus doubloons tiebreaker. While both these games were going on, Rodney and Clayton arrived and got in a couple of hands of Lost Cities, each winning once.
Another game that down to the tiebreaker was Vegas Showdown, this one going to Rodney over Clayton by a couple of dollars after both finished with 64 points, followed by Mike at 60 and Paul at 52. Nick sat out this game, waiting to join Don, Ron and myself in a game of Agricola that literally took up the rest of the evening, even though we opted for the family version without the Occupation and Minor Improvement cards. Nick won with a score in the 30s, gaining 10 VPs for four Major Occupations, after getting off to an early edge with a Family Growth action before the second harvest. After being initially turned off by the luck factor of the cards, I am kind of regaining interest in this one, particularly the so-called Family Version which seems to have a bit less luck in it, although the scores are likely to be alot lower.
Meanwhile, Paul, Clayton, Rodney and Mike kept right on playing two more games, first Boomtown -- won by Rodney (152) ahead of Paul (95) in second, and finally another favorite, Hollywood Blockbuster, which saw Clayton emerge victorious, 92 points to 87 for Rodney. So, all in all, a fairly good night for Nick, Clayton and Rodney who won multiple games this evening.
Hope to see everyone next week, and then the following week will be at EuroQuest, which starts on Thursday this year.
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