We had a small but mighty band of six for this session, three days before Christmas: Greg, Ron, Mike, Doug H, Tim and myself. We played two games, all as one big group: Ticket to Ride - the new Asia map -- and then 7 Wonders. Ron went undefeated, winning both games although he had some help in the first one, and maybe a little bit of advice in the second one.
First up was the new Ticket to Ride - Asia expansion, which Mike had brought but Doug had played before. It goes up to six with the players playing as teams. We randomly selected teammates by pulling out the colored trains, you were the teammate of the person whose color you pulled. Mike was paired with Greg, Ron with Doug, and Tim and I were paired together. Each player gets 27 trains (the expansion comes with nine extras), and there's a common area where they can share train and destination cards. At the start, you share one destination card each and keep the others secret. When you draw train cards, one goes to the common area and one to your hand. Face-up Wilds (locos) go to the common area. You can forego a regular turn (laying track, taking train or ticket cards) to put some of your destination cards in the common area. This is what Ron and Doug did and it worked out well for them as they wound up winning the game, aided by some fortuitous ticket draws. Tim and I came in second after a rough start where it appeared we were getting blocked on a key West to East route that eventually opened up after we had to build through the Himalayas. I found the game to be a refreshing and challenging variant from the regular Ticket to Ride and am looking to try it again. The map is extremely tight with six players, and we didn't even get to the version that is played with the flip side of the map. Final scores: Doug/Ron 198, John/Tim 147, Greg/Mike 110.
The second (and final) game of the evening was 7 Wonders. Ron had to be talked into playing and needed a refresher on the rules. Then he proceeded to win the game, a close one, by two points with Tim second. Ron had a perfect 18 in Military and added a couple of Guilds worth 15. Final scores: Ron 59 Tim 57 Greg 47 John 46 Mike 45 Doug 43. Well done, Ron!
Hope to see everyone this coming Thursday. A reminder, if there is inclement weather, just remember to call the Community Center by around 5 that day to check and see if they are going to be open.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
December 15, 2011 Session Report
We had a group of six for tonight's session, as Mike, Tim, Neville, Greg, Doug H and myself were in attendance. We played the following games: Martian Dice, 7 Wonders, Power Grid - U. S., Tanto Cuore and King of Tokyo.
Martian Dice -- Tim got off to a great start, with a remarkable score of 12 his first roll. However, he could not sustain his lead as Neville passed him on the last of five die rolls -- we played to 20 instead of the usual of 25. Final scores: Neville 20, Tim 18, John 14, everyone else at 10.
Then we played 7 Wonders which used to be played every week but which we hadn't played for so long that some of us needed a refresher on some of the rules. Mike got 43 in Science which was enough to give him the overall win, just two points ahead of Doug. Scores: Mike 57, Doug 55, Neville 50, Greg 49, Tim 43, John 39.
Then we split into two groups to play a couple of longer games that really didn't last all that long. There was a three-player Power Grid, won by Mike with 15 (he had the most plant capacity and built out on the final turn) ahead of Greg and Tim who each had 14. The other game was Tanto Cuore, the Japanese-based Dominion knock-off featuring Maids and Chambermaids and Private Maids that drew lots of jokes from the other table. Anyway, it was a close finish with Doug and Neville each finishing with 38, while I trailed with 32. We looked up the tiebreaker -- which was most non-VP scoring maids, but unfortunately we couldn't figure that out since we had started to pick the game up.
Last game of the evening was, once again, King of Tokyo. Like last week, the game didn't last very long and it was a big free-for-all. Tim and I were first to be knocked out, then Mike won the game by delivering the final blow to the remaining players.
Martian Dice -- Tim got off to a great start, with a remarkable score of 12 his first roll. However, he could not sustain his lead as Neville passed him on the last of five die rolls -- we played to 20 instead of the usual of 25. Final scores: Neville 20, Tim 18, John 14, everyone else at 10.
Then we played 7 Wonders which used to be played every week but which we hadn't played for so long that some of us needed a refresher on some of the rules. Mike got 43 in Science which was enough to give him the overall win, just two points ahead of Doug. Scores: Mike 57, Doug 55, Neville 50, Greg 49, Tim 43, John 39.
Then we split into two groups to play a couple of longer games that really didn't last all that long. There was a three-player Power Grid, won by Mike with 15 (he had the most plant capacity and built out on the final turn) ahead of Greg and Tim who each had 14. The other game was Tanto Cuore, the Japanese-based Dominion knock-off featuring Maids and Chambermaids and Private Maids that drew lots of jokes from the other table. Anyway, it was a close finish with Doug and Neville each finishing with 38, while I trailed with 32. We looked up the tiebreaker -- which was most non-VP scoring maids, but unfortunately we couldn't figure that out since we had started to pick the game up.
Last game of the evening was, once again, King of Tokyo. Like last week, the game didn't last very long and it was a big free-for-all. Tim and I were first to be knocked out, then Mike won the game by delivering the final blow to the remaining players.
Monday, December 12, 2011
December 8, 2011 Session Report
Seven in attendance for tonight's session, as it was Doug, Patrick, Ron, Tim, Mike, Neville and myself. We played three games: Belfort, Panic Station and King of Tokyo.
Belfort was a three-player game, with Patrick, Tim and Mike participating. Patrick overcame and early deficit and was the successful come-from-behind winner in this one. Final scores: Patrick 47, Tim 39 Mike 38.
Panic Station, a quasi-cooperative game was a four-player, with Ron, Doug, Neville and myself. Ron and Neville had played a few times before and tried to help us "newbies." Turns out there was a great deal of mistrust as Ron shot Neville's human early in the game before we were sure who was infected. But it turned out Doug was the Host, and I also became infected so it was Doug and I (the bad guys) against Ron and Neville (the good guys). Neville and Ron had all the keys and managed to lock one of each of our guys in a room while the key room with the Hive was on another side. However, it all came down to Ron's human survivor (Billy) who recovered from some earlier rooms and eventually won after making a mad dash for the Hive with three gas cans. With some more experience with the game, it seemed Doug and I should have won, but it was really close and down to the wire.
Final game of the evening had players from both games, six of us (Mike, Neville, Patrick, Doug, Tim and myself) playing King of Tokyo. Doug, Tim and Mike were the first ones to be eliminated, and then, with the session time about to run out, I bought a card that let me deal some more hits to the remaining players (Neville and Patrick) to win the game as the sole surviving creature. Otherwise, Patrick had collected more VPs and was set up to possibly win.
Enjoyable session, learned a couple of new games. Hope to see everyone next week.
Belfort was a three-player game, with Patrick, Tim and Mike participating. Patrick overcame and early deficit and was the successful come-from-behind winner in this one. Final scores: Patrick 47, Tim 39 Mike 38.
Panic Station, a quasi-cooperative game was a four-player, with Ron, Doug, Neville and myself. Ron and Neville had played a few times before and tried to help us "newbies." Turns out there was a great deal of mistrust as Ron shot Neville's human early in the game before we were sure who was infected. But it turned out Doug was the Host, and I also became infected so it was Doug and I (the bad guys) against Ron and Neville (the good guys). Neville and Ron had all the keys and managed to lock one of each of our guys in a room while the key room with the Hive was on another side. However, it all came down to Ron's human survivor (Billy) who recovered from some earlier rooms and eventually won after making a mad dash for the Hive with three gas cans. With some more experience with the game, it seemed Doug and I should have won, but it was really close and down to the wire.
Final game of the evening had players from both games, six of us (Mike, Neville, Patrick, Doug, Tim and myself) playing King of Tokyo. Doug, Tim and Mike were the first ones to be eliminated, and then, with the session time about to run out, I bought a card that let me deal some more hits to the remaining players (Neville and Patrick) to win the game as the sole surviving creature. Otherwise, Patrick had collected more VPs and was set up to possibly win.
Enjoyable session, learned a couple of new games. Hope to see everyone next week.
Monday, December 5, 2011
December 1, 2011 Session Report
Into the final month of the year, had a total of seven for tonight's session: Mike, Patrick, Neville, Eugene, Ron (back in town), Rembert and myself. Eugene said he could only stay for a short while so we played For Sale, after which Rembert arrived. The For Sale game resulted in a win for Mike, scores were Mike 51K, John 45K, Eugene and Patrick 44K, Neville 41K, Ron 36K.
After the For Sale game, Eugene left and so we split into two groups. Patrick and Rembert played Eminent Domain, which turned out to be a win for Patrick, 41 to 24. It was Rembert's first game. The rest of us played Junta, Viva La Presidente, a recent Z-Man release which is a shorter, card game version of the original Junta. After going back and forth for a few turns, Mike turned out to be the winner -- first to six points although Neville would have made it the same turn. Ron and I each had four points at game-end. We then tried Panic Station, a game Ron had brought that Neville had played once before at EuroQuest. Mike and I were new to the game. It was kind of a cooperative game but there was a traitor among us who was hosting an infected virus. The game never reached completion, but it turned out the traitor was Neville who had done a good job of convincing one of us (me) he was really with the good guys. Would have liked to see how the game would have played out. Oh, well ... see everyone next week.
After the For Sale game, Eugene left and so we split into two groups. Patrick and Rembert played Eminent Domain, which turned out to be a win for Patrick, 41 to 24. It was Rembert's first game. The rest of us played Junta, Viva La Presidente, a recent Z-Man release which is a shorter, card game version of the original Junta. After going back and forth for a few turns, Mike turned out to be the winner -- first to six points although Neville would have made it the same turn. Ron and I each had four points at game-end. We then tried Panic Station, a game Ron had brought that Neville had played once before at EuroQuest. Mike and I were new to the game. It was kind of a cooperative game but there was a traitor among us who was hosting an infected virus. The game never reached completion, but it turned out the traitor was Neville who had done a good job of convincing one of us (me) he was really with the good guys. Would have liked to see how the game would have played out. Oh, well ... see everyone next week.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
November 17, 2011 Session Report
It was a smaller crowd than usual for our last session before the Thanksgiving holidays: Ben, Patrick, Neville and myself were on hand. We played a warmup game of Martian Dice, then Olympus which Patrick had brought, then wrapped up the evening with another quick game of Martian Dice. Ben managed to win all three times.
Scores: Martian Dice Game #1 -- Ben 29 Neville 18 John 17 Patrick 15. Played to 25, Ben did not fail to score on any turn. Game lasted six rounds.
Olympus: Ben 42 Neville 33 John 30 Patrick 28. Ben won by getting more things to the end which picked up most of the bonus cards.
Martian Dice Game #2 -- Didn't quite finish but played five complete rounds. Final scores: Ben 19 Neville 13 Patrick 12 John 9.
Ben and Neville finished 1-2 in all three games, while Patrick and I brought up the rear.
Hope everyone has a nice Thanksgiving Holiday, next session will be Thursday December 1st.
Scores: Martian Dice Game #1 -- Ben 29 Neville 18 John 17 Patrick 15. Played to 25, Ben did not fail to score on any turn. Game lasted six rounds.
Olympus: Ben 42 Neville 33 John 30 Patrick 28. Ben won by getting more things to the end which picked up most of the bonus cards.
Martian Dice Game #2 -- Didn't quite finish but played five complete rounds. Final scores: Ben 19 Neville 13 Patrick 12 John 9.
Ben and Neville finished 1-2 in all three games, while Patrick and I brought up the rear.
Hope everyone has a nice Thanksgiving Holiday, next session will be Thursday December 1st.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
November 10, 2011 Session Report
Missed last week's session because of EuroQuest, so no report from any club session. But here's a recap of games played at EQ this year:
http://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/74479/euroquest-2011-recap
This week there was a group of five -- Neville, Mike, Doug H, Tim and myself -- we were joined in mid-session by Michael who had come to EuroQuest last week but was new to our group. Played three games: Martian Dice, Potion-Making Practice and Belfort, but Belfort did not quite make it to the finish line.
Martian Dice, which we called after five turns apiece, went to Tim: Tim 18, John 13, Doug 9, Mike and Neville 7.
Potion-Making Practice, which was named as the best Russian-produced boardgame of the past five years in 2010, has recently been made available in an English edition through Right Games, LLC. Our game was won by Doug with 29 pts but Neville came from behind with a big 10-point play near the end to finish second with 26. Tim (22), John (19) and Mike (16) were also in the game, so to speak.
One more session before the Thanksgiving holidays.
http://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/74479/euroquest-2011-recap
This week there was a group of five -- Neville, Mike, Doug H, Tim and myself -- we were joined in mid-session by Michael who had come to EuroQuest last week but was new to our group. Played three games: Martian Dice, Potion-Making Practice and Belfort, but Belfort did not quite make it to the finish line.
Martian Dice, which we called after five turns apiece, went to Tim: Tim 18, John 13, Doug 9, Mike and Neville 7.
Potion-Making Practice, which was named as the best Russian-produced boardgame of the past five years in 2010, has recently been made available in an English edition through Right Games, LLC. Our game was won by Doug with 29 pts but Neville came from behind with a big 10-point play near the end to finish second with 26. Tim (22), John (19) and Mike (16) were also in the game, so to speak.
One more session before the Thanksgiving holidays.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
October 27, 2011 Session Report
Hate to admit it, but with all the EuroQuest prep stuff going on, I have managed to misplace the information from this week's session, so I will have to compile the report from memory. I know the group was Mike, Neville, Rembert and myself, plus Jonpatrick whom I knew from other gaming events -- conventions like EuroQuest and PrezCon -- but who was attending his first Laurel session. During the session, John Goon and Stan stopped in, with John picking up a Crokinole set that Stan and his brother Carl had put together.
The one game of the session was Ristorante Italia. It was one of eight new Essen games I had picked up the prior day (Wednesday) for this year's EuroQuest, courtesy of Alliance Game Distributors. Mike had borrowed the game and was scheduled to do a teaching demo at EQ next week, and he did an excellent job of explaining the rules. The game was about running a restaurant, securing ingredients and putting together starters, first courses, second courses, desserts and eventually complete meals served with wine. The best Italian restaurant won the game.
Can't recall exact scores, as I recall the game was between Mike and Jonpatrick, while Rembert and I were close for third, with Neville coming home a bit further back. It seemed very important to get a second chef's hat to do the more complex recipes, and unfortunately Neville was one spot short at the end of the game.
Anyway, while the club will remain open last week, expect attendance to be sparse. Mike and I, along with most of the club regulars will be at EuroQuest in Pikesville. Hope to see many of you there. Will return in two weeks.
The one game of the session was Ristorante Italia. It was one of eight new Essen games I had picked up the prior day (Wednesday) for this year's EuroQuest, courtesy of Alliance Game Distributors. Mike had borrowed the game and was scheduled to do a teaching demo at EQ next week, and he did an excellent job of explaining the rules. The game was about running a restaurant, securing ingredients and putting together starters, first courses, second courses, desserts and eventually complete meals served with wine. The best Italian restaurant won the game.
Can't recall exact scores, as I recall the game was between Mike and Jonpatrick, while Rembert and I were close for third, with Neville coming home a bit further back. It seemed very important to get a second chef's hat to do the more complex recipes, and unfortunately Neville was one spot short at the end of the game.
Anyway, while the club will remain open last week, expect attendance to be sparse. Mike and I, along with most of the club regulars will be at EuroQuest in Pikesville. Hope to see many of you there. Will return in two weeks.
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