Some after hours Scarabs.

I (Chris) knew Jake was studying for his Microbiology final down in the Math lab. I also knew he was going to need a big break. So I dragged down my copy of Scarab Lords and talked him into a quick game.

It turned out to be NOT a quick game. I think we are both starting to see some of the strategic possibilities of this game. It's rather impressive.

Jake still had a couple misconceptions on win conditions, and thought he had one at least once during the game. He was dominating the board for a while, owning all of the right side of the board (from the point of view in the picture). He had actually run out of cards and was on the verge of losing due to that. Somehow, Chris managed to eliminated his power from two of the regions on that right side, claiming dominance in two regions on each side -- which is the main win condition. The picture shows the board at the end of the game.

I say again -- I like this game. Not just because I have been doing well. There is a lot to it, and you have to cover a lot of ground with little resources. It is well put together. There is a lot to remember -- it sort of helps if you recite your phases and what you can do during each as you play. I think one or two more times through could give me more of the flow. I could see this game being less fun playing against an unworthy opponent, or someone who was unwilling to concentrate on a lot of things at once.

But to me: it's fun. Strategic and vicious and frustrating and beautiful and fun.