Once at the house, there was a lot of, "do you want this?" And, while there wasn't a great deal of stuff left in the house, we ended up filling the moving truck up almost all the way with the main dining room set my wife wanted, a bureau, some small tables, an oak file cabinet, a rocking chair, etc. One of the reclaimed pieces of furniture was a table that I've always thought would be perfect for games. I assumed it had been claimed by a higher-ranking family member but, as it turns out, it did not yet have a home. It was my wife's sister's dining room table for a long time, so she was/is quite fond of it, and needed a moment to decide whether or not board games were a worthy mission for its new life. In the end, the image of games being played on her former family table pleased her, and it too was loaded.
Once home, and after a couple rounds of wrestling and ultimately a very simple solution, we managed to get the table down the stairs, into my basem*nt and finally, the game room. The time between the wresting and the moving solution however, provided me a few days to focus on my game room and give it a good spring cleaning, which was mostly dealing with piles of overflow from the main house. It also inspired me to do some trimming of my game collection. I started by posting some trade offers here on BGG. As usual, nine out of ten offers go unanswered, which always baffles me, but I managed a couple I was quite happy with. Acquiring Time of Crisis and Fields of Arle for several smaller titles felt good, and took a nice bite out of the fat in my collection. And while I wait to receive those games in the mail, I have been playing some great games this month. Have a look!
A Feast for Odin: The Norwegians x9 (14 all-time) - I'm afraid the time has come for me to take a break from this game. I seemed to have broken my brain. It's like I stopped speaking the language all of a sudden! Very frustrating. The last two solo attempts I've made ended in forfeit halfway through. I just could not get any traction. I'm also tired of feeling like I have to explore and acquire animals to be successful. In the base game, it felt like you could get away with mixing it up more. As I said, my brain is broken with this game and I can't make sense of any of it right now. Some time away will be good I think. Especially since I've committed to getting some other bigger and longer games back to the table (and since Fields of Arle will soon take its place . . . for the time being at least).
Aquaducts x6 NEW! - I had an unexpected day off due to snow a couple of weeks ago and decided to print and sleeve a copy of this. Nick of Meepleonboard has been playing this loads and it seemed the perfect choice to round out a trilogy of excellent, small, solo games - (along with Orchard and Sprawlopolis). I have not managed to get much of a feel for this game yet. With only a handful of plays under my belt, I expect this one will reveal itself as I play it more. Since all three games fit into a TCG deck box, there is no reason not to take them with me whenever I think I may have ten minutes to spare while sitting at a table somewhere.
Nusfjord x10 (17 all-time) - This was an excellent solo discovery. I posted about it HERE not long ago, so have a look to get more of my thoughts, but for now I'll say it was this game that finally turned me into a Uwe convert after resisting for an awfully long time. It wasn't just AFfO that I loved anymore. His solo challenges are something I quite enjoy, which is why I finally went out of my way to get a copy of Arle. We'll see if that makes three for Uwe . . .
Gùgōng x2 NEW! - My verdict is still out on Gugong. I played it 2p and solo so far and there is a lot I like about the game. But I can't say that it's grabbed me the way something like Yokohama or Trajan did when I first played them. I think of those games because of the action-chaining in Trajan, and the action modification bonuses on the player board in Yokohama. Both feel a bit similar in Gugong. As I said, there is a lot I like, just not sure it will rank among those two games and others that scratch similar itches
Battle For Souls (27 all-time) - This was a terrible play of this game. Very one-sided. The rich got richer and I could not draw anything to stem the tide. I thought playing the longer game with 21 souls would have balanced it out a bit, but when the right sin and relic cards combo with the right devils, there was nothing I could do. Very bummed. I know it was one game and that it is possible to mitigate some of these factors, but it wasn't this time, and it wasn't fun at all. Need to consider this one for the trading block I'm afraid.
Anachrony x2 (6 all-time) - I managed two games of this in the past couple of weeks and I am thrilled about it! The more we play this game, the more confident I get with the rules, making the play time shorter and making it easier to get back to the table. It's a glorious cycle! In the second game played, I was not able to evacuate which spelled certain doom for me, so when I only lost by five or six points, I felt pretty good about it. This game is really good. The decisions you are faced with and need to balance can be agonizing in the best way. Really glad this hit the table. Now to do the same with Trickerion!
A Long Overdue Reunion
My brother arranged for us to get together with our old friend Demetri to play games in Newington, CT at The Tabletop Gaming Center. An excellent shop not far from his house in Manchester. We had a terrific, and long overdue day of gaming together. See below for the how's and why's.
Magic: The Gathering x2 (8 all-time) - This was my brother's inspiration for the get-together. It's been ages since we've played Magic or have gotten together with Demetri at all while he has been opening and running his bar non-stop for five years. I was glad he made time to get away and hang out with us for the day because Demetri is the one who introduced us to Cosmic Encounter 20 years ago. He is the one who introduced me to board games! Once it became too challenging to continue getting the Cosmic group together to play, we moved on to MtG. Which lasted until 2012, when I moved on to board games pretty much exclusively. So now, seven years later, I'm not sure how or why, but my brother has reacquired an itch to play Magic. So part of our day was spent refamiliarizing ourselves with it. I have to say, I had a great time. As gifts, my brother got us each one of the new tribal preconstructed decks from the recent set. Red and Green were always my strongest colors, so naturally, I played that deck. If there were four of us, I would have played more, but with three, it was more important for me to spend time reconnecting with the people than the games, so only two games were played. But it opened me up to playing it more, and my gaming expereince since has made me see the game in a different, more strategic light, which was great.
Valley of the Kings x2 (6 all-time) - My brother recently introduced his friend to the DC Deck-Building Game and he loved it. So, when my brother planned a game day for us, I packed a couple of deckbuilders I thought his friend would like to try. Well, even though Johnny was too sick to join us, we still managed two plays of this one. This is a solid deckbuilding experience. There are lots of choices involved in managing your deck, there are interesting scoring mechanics and simple, intuitive play without the burdensome set up of other games in the genre. The game is also quite portable. Lots of pros here. Glad it stayed in my collection.
Super Motherload (15 all-time) - I always have a good time with this one. This game is just solid. It's simple, fun, the appropriate playtime, satisfying, nice to look at, and great with two players. Lots to like in this pseudo-deckbuilding, combo-riffic, sci-fi drilling game!
Sprawlopolis x5 (32 all-time) - Still horrible at this one. "I just want to make loops!!" This was my thought as I ignored the other seven ways to earn points. Man am I bad at this game! Still love it though.
Hanamikoji (38 all-time) - Johnny's friend Tatania joined us for a few games later in the day even though he stayed home sick. So she and I played a couple of 2p games while my brother and Demetri finished an epic game of KeyForge. When she realized the implications of having to give me cards, she laughed at her bad planning. It is always a joy to see the moment when this game dawns on new players. We had a great time with this one.
The Flow of History (10 all-time) - for the first time, John Lennon seemed ridiculously overpowered. My brother won easily when he used the card to help himself to two very powerful wonders in the last two rounds of the game. I won't overlook that card again. This one was a hit with both new players. VG game.
Crypt (5 all-time) - This was a bit of an icebreaker to get us all refocused on games again after a long time between sitting across from each other at the game table. I think this was a good choice. The game is simple and quick and offers some good decisions around a primary set collection mechanic. The small package and attractive production kick it up a notch. Good game, glad I own it.
Belratti (6 all-time) - This was the last game of the day and again, it delivered. Very fast to teach, fun to play, lots of laughs, a relatable theme . . . this game has everything going for it. One of the few co-ops that would be in my top 50 games. Just great in every way, and it comes in a tiny box!! Pefect!! I actually wasn't sure how Tim and Demetri would do with this one. Demetri is an artist by education and what we love most about him is that his brain does not work like most people. His ideas tend to be off-the-wall and out there, but here, his choices were right in line and we scored 26, which was pretty good. Tim, like me, is not into "performance" games, but Belratti does not do what many party games do by "forcing" you to be clever or funny. There are no wrong answers here and the fun is learning why the incorrect choices are made. It's incredibly good.
Neanderthal (5 all-time) - Ben and I continue to torture ourselves with this game. I was cursing before we even opened the box exclaiming, "I'm not using those Godd@mn dice!" And proceeded to dig out my own set from my dice stash.
It worked!! I finished with five trophies and my highest score yet!! Of course, we still have no idea how husbands and daughters work, even though we've read the rules 1,000 times and played the game five. Let me put it this way, we like the game the way we play it, and when we fix our mistakes, we hate it again, yet somehow, we still have a great time.
This game is a Godd@mn paradox!! (ooooh, let's play Anachrony)
KeyForge: Call of the Archons (6 all-time) - while we're on the topic of frustrating rule sets . . .
Shameful. Embarrassment. Shameless. Pathetic. Lazy. Unforgivable.
Just a few of the words descrbing the printed "rules" of KeyForge. I know how to play about 50 percent of this game, which apparently, is the exact amount they decided to include in the rulebook. The aggravation I felt as I flipped through the same six pages . . . desperate to find a simple answer! It's a shame too, because I think I would like the game if I could stop resenting it for five seconds! And no, I'm not going to look it up on my phone. I play games so I can avoid looking at my phone!
Strike x2 NEW! - This game was like a soothing balm on the rulebook road rash caused by those last two. Ahhhhhhh . . . smashing dice in an arena? Yes please. Thank you doctor. So simple, so preposterous, so much more fun than it should be. Bring . . . it . . . on!!! I have to say, the Game Night video series has sold me quite a few games of late. Namely, Belratti, this one, and the next one.
PUSH NEW! - also known as, "If Uno was Fun" (sorry Uno fans). A pure and simple push your luck game that plays quickly, and extracts a great deal of fun from a very small rule set. Order another round and shuffle that deck. Let play again!
Bumúntú NEW! - Ben and Jenn acquired this one recently and wanted to give it a try. This is a set collection, abstract game with great art and production values. It would make a nice counterpart to Azul, though the game isn't nearly as engaging, but the lovely plastic tiles and great art design are a pleasure. I'd happily play again.
Wir sind das Volk! (4 all-time) - In the years since I have first played this game, it somehow improved with age, and not just marginally, but significantly! This game is amazing! I played it last night and it blew me away. I avoided it for years because I remeber the ten-phase, end-of-decade scoring procedure being horribly difficult to grasp. Well, it IS difficult to grasp, but it's far from horrible. Even at its most counter-intuitive, this game is thoughtful, interesting, and incredibly thematic. I don't think "breathtaking" is overstating it. What a game! I wish Neanderthal would take a page from these designers/publishers to make that game, as complex as it is, as accessible -- with a bit of effort -- as this one is, because that bit of effort is so greatly rewarded! I can't wait to play this again soon so I don't forget how good it is and again decide it's too hard to figure out. That was a mistake!
March turned into an excellent month for playing games and for my game room. Thanks for reading and please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas here with me!
