Tuesday, October 23, 2007

When it comes to games, we Can't Stop!!!

For Monday, October 22, 2007

The Players:
  • Adam1 (victim)
  • Adam2 (ninja)
  • Alex (ninja)
  • Andrea (pirate)
  • Ashlei (pirate)
  • Chrissy (pirate)
  • David (ninja)
  • Fenwick (pirate)
  • Gordon (ninja)
  • Jesse (ninja)
  • Jon2 (ninja)
  • Mike1 (pirate)
  • Mike2 (pirate)
  • Patrick (b.pirate)
  • Paul (pirate)
  • Rob (victim)
  • Sam (ninja)
  • Sean (pirate)
  • Tim (victim)
  • Trevor (pirate)


19 peoples!


The Games [(*) means NEW]:
  • 10 Days in Europe
  • Anathema (*)
  • Can't Stop!
  • Ca$h 'n' Gun$ (*)
  • Cribbage (Saw it being played. Didn't get a record of it.)
  • Diceland
  • Kragmortha (*)
  • Mall of Horror
  • MixUp
  • Quiddler
  • Rumis (I saw people playing this, even though the results were not recorded! Oh, and at one point we needed to move their table, and totally crashed their pile before it was recorded. Sorry... I know I would be angry at that!)
  • Spite & Malice


12 Games! But most of them were played MULTIPLE times... Good gaming.





1:25 pm

Kragmortha


Players: Ashlei (p), Adam2 (n), Trevor (p), Fenwick (p)

This is a new one for game club, and is a fairly silly game. You are each goblins attempting to evade Rigor Mortis. You use cards to move around. If you are bumped into the bad dude, you get 'cursed', which physically changes you in some way. You might get Locked Elbow (you have to hold a card in you elbow pit), or Melted Arms (you have to hold a card between your forearms). It gets rather funny quickly... And the game is simple and fast. Wonderful artwork and bits. I can't wait to play it with the full complement of 8 people.



Ashlei wins! Triggered by Trevor losing. And Trevor was in lots and lots of arm pain, almost happy the game had ended...




1:55 pm

Diceland


Players: Rob (v), Sean (p), Sam (n), Alex (n)

I see this game being played at nearly every game club, now that we've found it. It has a GREAT cross-style attraction -- great for strategy/war gamers, but also great for the light/quick gamers, as well. Yes, there's dice, so it has a luck factor that we often don't like, but it has just enough strategy to make it engaging. It's really 51% strategy, 49% luck -- if you play a large enough board, you can be reasonably sure the strategist will win. Tactical, strategical, tense, quick, and fun. (I don't care WHAT Tom Vasel says...)



3 games were played...

Scores... (winners in bold)

Game 1: Sean vs. Rob
Game 2: Sam vs. Sean
Game 3: Sam vs. Sean vs. Alex





3:15 pm

10 Days in Europe


Players: Andrea (p), Jesse (n), Ashlei (p), Fenwick (p)

This is a game club classic... geographic, simple, wonderful bits. It's definitely got a lot of what we need.



Ashlei finished her tour of Europe first!




3:35 pm

MixUp


Players: Ashlei (p), Fenwick (p), Andrea (p), Sean (p)

This a clever take on the Connect 4 game mechanic. Whenever you place a piece it may help your opponent... tricky. As tricky as rockin' a rhyme, rockin' a rhyme right on time. Tricky.

Tricky.
Tricky.
Tricky.
Tricky.

Four games were played with varius opponents...

Here's how it went... (winners, as usual, in bold)

Game 1: Ashlei vs. Fenwick
Game 2: Ashlei vs. Fenwick (and she realized she COULD have won, and blocked herself! Look below for the moons on a diagonal, blocked by a blue lightning bolt.)

Game 3: Andrea vs. Fenwick
Game 4: Andrea vs. Sean




3:50 pm

Anathema


Players: Ashlei (p), Fenwick (p)

Ashlei and Fenwick have grown quitye fond of this game. It's a new one, basically got for the approaching Halloween, since it is based on a theme of Salem Witch Trials. It is TOTALLY based on Scopa, which is played with Italian playing cards (they mention in the instructions that it is based on Casino -- which can ONLY be stolen from the older Scopa). BUT, it has some additional elements of being able to build on cards that make it just enough different that it is a wonderful game on its own.



We played two hands... at the end of it --
Ashlei: 8
Fenwick 17





3:54 pm

Mall of Horror


Players: Andrea (p), Adam1 (v), Gordon (n), Sean (p), Jesse (p), Fenwick (p)

This has QUICKLY turned into a game club classic. There are a bunch of steps to each turn, but, if you can step people through it, they can catch on, because everything makes sense. As much sense as a mall being invaded by zombies can make!!

Deal making, deal breaking, co-op, and screweage. You can't survive without cooperation, you can't win without betrayal. Great bits, clever play, unpredictable results. This is Game CLub Love.

It's getting ugly in here...



After the zombies have munched on enough of us to end the game, Sean wins with his FULL COMPLEMENT of 3 people (15 points). Jesse came in 2nd with 8 points. Fenwick came in 3rd with 7 points (just his pin-up girl). Everyone else was completely killed.

This is a wonderfully gruesome game.




6:00 pm

Diceland


Players: Chrissy (p), Sean (p)

SEE?!?! Already a Game Club Classic! Played again already today!

Two more games were played...



Game 1: Sean vs. Chrissy
Game 2: Sean vs. Chrissy




6:40 pm

Can't Stop!


Players: Mike1 (p), Mike2 (p), Ashlei (p), Fenwick (p)

I usually hate dice games. But games like Can't Stop (and Diceland! See above!), have changed my mind at times. This wouldn't be a game I would play every day, but I can definitely be convinced to play it at almost any time.



You roll 4 dice -- break 'em into 2 groups of 2. Try to push your luck to claim that pair's total before others do.

Fenwick claimed 4.
THEN Fenwick claimed 12.
Mike2 got 11.
Ashlei got 5.
And then Ashlei got 9.
Fenwick got 7.

Since you need 3 of 'em to win... Fenwick wins!




7:35 pm

Ca$h 'n' Gun$


Players: Mike2 (p), Ashlei (p), Chrissy (p), Mike1 (p), Sean (p), Fenwick (p)

Another one destined to be played to death. A great one to drag out near the end of Game Club when we need to get up and move around. Bonus, you get to pretend to shoot people.

All the playeres are gangsters who just returned from a heist. And now it's time to split the take. Each of you has a gun, and on a count of 3, everyone points a gun at another person. You have a little window of oppotunity to duck away from the guns (costing you $5000), but then the guns go off! Some are blanks, some are not. You get shot 3 times, and you're dead. You duck out or get shot, you miss out on that share of the booty. Richest survivor wins!



It has a lot of cool psycho-strategy...

Everyone got shot at least once, but everyone did survive the game.

Ashlei left with $30,000.
Mike1 had $55,000.
Chrissy had $60,000.
Fenwick had $65,000.
Mike2 had $70,000.
Sean won with $80,000!





A bunch of games were played with no time indicated... I'll just cram the results randomly in here...




Spite & Malice


Players: Adam1 (v), Gordon (n)

All I know is that Adam won...




Quiddler


Players: Adam2 (n), Ashlei (p), Alex (n), Trevor (p), Paul (p)

The out-of-context single entendre of the day goes to Ashlei during this game! Itwas: "Yours is longer than MINE?"

Trevor had to leave after the second hand. Then Adam2 had to leave, filled in by Fenwick. Then ALEX had to leave, and Paul sat in. Ashlei was the only player to have played the whole game. And she won with 310!

AND, during the 10th round she broke into a full-voice rendition of the Halleluia (sp?!) chorus!




10 Days in Europe


Players: Sean (p), Gordon (n), Chrissy (p), Fenwick (p)

Sean was itching to play one of his faves. And I was more than happy to bring this one out again today!

Gordon thought he won pretty early on. He was mistaken.

Gordon then thought he won AGAIN. Also: sadly mistaken.

Soon after, Sean thought, quite correctly, that he had won. Sean wins!




Quiddler


Players: Andrea (p), Jesse (n), David (n), Jon2 (n), Gordon (n), Tim (v)

Ah, the king of game club makes a return... good ol' Quiddler.

David wins with 204! The only score to break 200. (No offense to the scores, but I'm not sure if they played a full game...)




Players: Jesse (n), Gordon (n), Adam1 (v)

OK. I have NO IDEA what game I am reporting on here... Here's the scoresheet...



No time. Not a biggie, that happens all the time.
No date. OK, I could have figured out it was from this week's session.
NO GAME TITLE LISTED AT ALL. Hmm... This makes it rather tough to record the result.

I can only tell you that Adam did better at this mystery activity than the others....

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Lots o' Zombies today. And it's not even Halloween yet!

For October 15, 2007.

This week's Players:
Ashlei (pirate)
Carlo (pirate)
Cathy Willms (pirate)
Chrissy (pirate)
Colin (ninja)
Faith (ninja)
Fenwick (pirate)
Gordon (ninja)
Jesse (ninja)
Joe (pirate)
Jon2 (ninja)
Mitesh (pirate)
Rich (ninja)
Sam (ninja)
Sandy (victim)
Sean (pirate)
Tim (victim)
Victoria (ninja)

We've been consolidating all the players at the top of each Blog entry for a while... We've never done it with games. Why? Don't know. I'm gonna start doing that now!


Games played list ((*) indicates a game new to the club):

Blokus
Can't Stop
Castle Keep
For Sale
Lotus
Mall of Horror (*)
Metro
Quiddler
Quivive
Spite & Malice
TransAmerica
Zigity


And now for the details... They won't be too deep this week, again. We have lots of games to play -- better to play than waste time reporting on playing!




1:25 pm

Quivive


Players: Sam (n), Joe (p), Victoria (n), Faith (n), Fenwick (p), Sean (p)

We played 2 games. The first one Sean was not in, the second Faith was not in.



Game 1 -- Fenwick caused the elimination of Faith first, Victoria eliminated EVERYONE else... she wins!

Game 2 -- Fenwick caused the elimination of everyone. He wins!




1:55 pm

TransAmereica


Players: Sam (n), Joe (p), Victoria (n), Faith (n), Sean (p), Fenwick (p)

Classic rail building. We need a speedy, speedy filler so we decided to play one round of TransAmerica...

That can't be good.



We played with the Vexation expansion, giving folks a few PRIVATE rails to put down. It definitely makes for more of an effort and a challenge -- we ALMOST ran out of black rails to play!

Briefly, Sean won!




2:30 pm

Mall of Horror


Players: Ashlei (replaced by Rich) (p), Sam (n), Joe (p), Sean (p), Fenwick (p)

New to game club! As soon as we saw this one we KNEW we would like it. Let's see, there's zombies, backstabbing, zombies, secret decision making, and zombies.

I thought there was going to be a lot more backtabbing, but we were all pretty cordial, except by necessity. I mean, a zombie gotta eat...



At the end, Sean, Fenwick, and Sam were the only survivors -- Sam had 5 points worth of characters left, Sean and Fenwick each had 7 to tie for the win!




3:50 pm

Zigity


Players: Sam (n), Sean (p), Chrissy (p), Cathy (p)

This is an old classic filler for game club. It's kind of a simple game, but nifty in that the game sort of changes -- sometimes a word game, sometimes a math game, sometimes a matching game. Even though it's simple the variety is kind of sweet. The plastic cards are kind of clever, also.



Two games were played...

Both were won by Sam.




4:30 pm

Blokus


Players: Rich (n), Sam (n), Sean (p), Sandy (v), Tim (v)

CLASSIC Game Club stuff. The pretty Tetris-like pieces are super-attractive. Very cool game. Simple, sturdy, and satisfying. Most of us like this a lot.



Two games were played... Tim joined in game 2.

Sean won both games.




4:30 pm

Lotus


Players: Joe (p), Chrissy (p), Jon2 (n), Fenwick (p)

This is a fairly rare game, with simple rules, and wickedly nice strategy. Every one pile on your friends! And use them to leapfrog forward. Cool abstract strategy, with a different feel than any other game we play.



Jon2 was convinced that he was going to lose near the beginning of the game. He was so incorrect... Jon2 wins!




4:35 pm

For Sale


Players: Mitesh (p), Joe (p), Chrissy (p), Jon2 (n), Fenwick (p)

For Sale is swiftly becoming a Game Club regular. It's easy to learn, plays quick, and has decisions which are effected by everyone else's decision -- lots of psycho-strategy.



We played 2 rounds.

Chrissy won round 1 with $62,000.
Mitesh won round 2 with $54,000.

Overall, Chrissy won the game with $111,000!





5:10 pm

Can't Stop


Players: Cathy (p), Chrissy (p), Fenwick (p), Jon2 (n), Sean (p)

Ah, Sid Sackson's classic dice press-your-luck game: Can't Stop! Another short learning curve...

There was some musical chairs during this game. Chrissy had to run out quick, and Sean sat in. Then Jon2 wussed out of the game and CHRISSY sat in for HIM.



The changes didn't really matter... Cathy Willms won fairly easily!




5:20 pm

Castle Keep


Players: Rich (n), Tim (v), Sean (p), Sandy (v)

I would never have imagined this would be so popular... I chucked it into the Game Club bag o' games a few weeks back as just something different. It got played, and gets pulled out nearly every week!



One game was played. Tim won.




5:55 pm

Spite & Malice


Players: Cathy (p), Mitesh (p), Joe (p), Colin (n)

If Cathy's in attendance, at some point Spite & Malice will be suggested. If she can get 4 players, the team version will be played. This is exactly what happened this week!




The teams: Joe/Colin v. Mitesh/Cathy.

The Joe/Colin team wins!




6:10 pm

Metro


Players: Fenwick (p), Patrick (bp), Chrissy (p), Sandy/Sean (v)

Simple tile laying, route building, subway riding goodness. Not very deep, but will fill the time nicely. There's both intentional and unintentional screwage involved...



Final scores --
Sandy/Sean: 48
Patrick: 48
Chrissy: 56
Fenwick: 65




Quiddler


Players: Gordon (n), Jon2 (n), Tim (v), Jesse (n)

It wouldn't be a Game Club meeting without a game of Quiddler!



I can't read the score sheet, but it is prominently displayed to be Gordon. I will assume that is the case...




7:15 pm

Mall of Horror


Players: Chrissy/Carlo/Fenwick (p), Gordon (n), Ashlei (p), Mitesh (p), Joe (p), Sean (p)

Folks were begging to go back to another Mall of Horror session... so we did!

Quote of the day: Carlo's girl character was alone in the Parking Lot. Two zombies were there. He had no weapons. I said, "That zombie thinks your girl looks delicious!" Carlo replied, "Well, yeah. I'd eat her!" We laughed and laughed.

When the mall is being overrun with zombies, the Parking Lot is rarely a safe place to be. I don't know if a "Hidden" card is going to even help this dude.



Four players made it to the end -- Chrissy/Carlo/Fenwick, Mitesh, Joe, and Ashlei.

Ashlei had 12 points worth of characters left to win!




Another good day. 18 players. 17 games played. New faces, new games... Game Club marches on!

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Another good week... best week this semester.

OK, OK. First of all, I know I did NOT get last week's posted. I will try to get back to it soon. We just play too many games!! It's a daunting task!!

But I will definitely get this week's in now, and sort of work backwards if I have the time...

For October 8, 2007 --

The players:

Ashlei (p)
Cathy (p)
Don Phelps (p)
Fenwick (p)
Gordon (n)
Heather (p)
Jesse (n)
Jon2 (n)
Mike1 (p)
Mike2 (p)
Patrick (b.p.)
Paul (p)
Rich (n)
Rob (n)
Sandy (v)
Sam (n)
Samlette (p)
Sean (p)
Tim (v)
TJ (n)
Victoria (n)

And there was another guy playing Quiddler as we left, I didn't catch his name. It should be on the score sheet I get today.

That makes 22 people in attendance! Good day.

Quick descriptions today... lots of games played. Just want to get the Blog blogged, more than anything...

AND I didn't take as many pictures as I'd have liked. So some of them are the goofy random ones. I actually LIKE those a lot, though, for some reason...

Here goes!




1:30 pm

Hive


Players: Don P. (p), Fenwick (p)

One of the best two player games. Ever. Simple, clever, awesome bits. Great game.



We played three games. Don won them all quite easily.





2:00 pm

Quiddler


Players: Mike1 (p), Mike2 (p), Gordon (n)

Wouldn't be Game Club without Quiddler. One of our favorite games. Ever. Making words, pretty cards, simple, clever. Great game.



It wasn't a full game played, but it was more than half, so it has to count.

Scores --
Mike1: 40
Mike2: 92
Gordon: 116

Gordon wins! AS proven by having the greatest score listed just above there.




2:10 pm

Penguin


Players: Ashlei (p), Tim (v), Sean (p), Fenwick (p)

This is a new game for Game Club. It's a Reiner Knizia, a game designer who appears quite often in the Game Club reports. We like him. He's one of the greatest designers. Ever. He makes games that are simple, clever, and have great bits. Great game designer.



I have to admit that this is not his greatest game ever, but it was quite cute. We stacked penguins!! This is a good thing. Basically everyone has a set of various colored penguins. You each take turns making a "penguin pyramid", placing a penguin so that it's color matches at least one of the penguins beneath it. First person to rid his/herself of said penguins wins -- others suffer a penalty equal to the number of remaining penguins.

I can explain this, but must mention it: For some reason, during this game there was much ululating.

After the obligatory 4 rounds --

Fenwick: 8
Sean: 7
Ashlei: 5
Tim: 5

Since the scores are PENALTY points, low score wins. It's an Ashlei/Tim tie.






2:40 pm

Quiddler


Players: Gordon (n), Cathy (p), Jesse (n)

Wouldn't be Game Club without Quiddler. One of our favorite games. Ever. Making words, pretty cards, simple, clever. Great game.



At the end of the game...

Jesse: 216
Gordon: 264
Cathy: 270

Cathy wins!




2:45 pm

For Sale


Players: Sam (n), Ashlei (p), Tim (v), Sandy (v), Sean (p), Fenwick (p)

This has turned into a regular Game Club item. It's one of the greatest games. Ever. Very simple, plays quick, as good with 3 as it is with 6, cute and colorful artork. Great game.



We played 2 rounds.

The money earned after Round 1 --
Sam: $31K
Ash: $39K
Tim: $43K
Sandy: $48K
Sean: $53K
Fenwick: $56K

Fenwick takes the first round...

(Sean sat out the 2nd round...) The money earned after Round 2 --
Sandy: $39K
Tim: $50K
Sam: $51K
Fenwick: $57
Ash: $58K

Ash takes the 2nd round...

If you sum 'em up -- Fenwick made the most.




3:30 pm

Can't Stop


Players: Sean (p), Sandy (v), Fenwick (p), Ashlei (p). Sam sat in for the second half of game 1, and TJ sat in for HIM in round 2.

Another new one for game club. It's a Sid Sackson, who is pretty well known as an amazing designer. We have a couple of his in the collection. This one's quite well known as nifty one.

It's a press-your-luck dice game a bit like Farkel, or Pass the Pigs.



For a dice game it's somewhat clever. One of the cleverest dice games. Ever. It's quite simple, has nice bits, plays quick and has a nice amount of tension. Great game.

We played 2 rounds...

Fenwick managed to succeed in round 1.

TJ managed to succeed in round 2.




4:15 pm

Tsuro


Players: Rich (n), Samlette (p), Jon2 (n), Victoria (n), Tim (v)

Ah, Tsuro -- one of the Game Club originals. It's easy to learn, and cleverly themed. One of our favorite games. Ever. Amazing bits, beautiful board, a little screwage here and there. Great game.



4 rounds played.

Samlette won 2 of them, and Rich and Tim each won 1.




some time in the middle of the game day. time unspecified.

Quarto!


Players: Jesse (n), Gordon (n), Cathy (p)

Quarto is a superb two player game. It has a wonderful twist of your opponent picking the piece you must play. It's one of our favorite games. Ever. Beuatiul wood bits, simple play, painful decisions, quickly finished. Great game.



8 games were played..

The first five games were between Jesse and Gordon. Game one ended in stalemate, but the next 4 were won by Jesse.

The next three were between Jesse and Cathy W. All three, ALSO won by Jesse.

I think we'll give this session of Quarto! to Jesse.




5:15 pm

Castle Keep


Players: TJ (n), Richard (n), Sandy (v), Sean (p)

This is a fairly new introduction to game club, but it's has turned into a regular! It is destined to be one of our favorite games. Ever. Colorful tiles, unique gameplay, simple to learn, tough decisions related to helping yourself or hurting others. Great game.



4 games were played (TJ had to leave after round 1).
Game 1: Rich wins (and TJ was totally eliminated).
Game 2: Sandy wins.
Game 3: Sandy wins.
Game 4: Sandy wins.

Looks like Sandy gets credit for the big win for this game.




6:15 pm

Coda


Players: Rich (n) v. Sean (p) for 2 games. Then 4 games were played with Ashlei (p), Rob (n), Fenwick (p), Paul (p)

This is another early-adopted Game Club game. Totally one of our favorite games. Ever. Simple play, clever concept, durable bits, and quite portable. Great game.



Game 1: Rich
Game 2: Rich
Game 3: Paul
Game 4: Fenwick
Game 5: Rob
Game 6: Fenwick

Both Rich and Fenwick won 2 rounds -- looks like a point for both Ninja and Pirate.




6:40 pm

Spite & Malice


Players: Jesse (n) [who missed the third game], Cathy W. (p), Fenwick (p), Patrick (bp) [who missed the FIRST game]

Spite & Malice is a fun slight twist on the classic Skip Bo. We haven't played it a lot, but for quite a few of us it has a strong following -- it was brought over this week by request. Maybe not for everyone in Game CLub, but for a select few it's one of our favorite games. Ever. Great artwork (killer cats!), simple play, unexpected moments. Great game.

Spite and Malice! Oh. Oops. Wrong game. Never mind.



We played a 3 player game in which Fenwick won.
We then played a 4 player team game in which the Cathy/Patrick team won.
We lastly played a 3 player game which Fenwick also won.




7:20 pm

Can't Stop


Players: Fenwick (p), Paul (p), Ashlei (p)

We went back to our newly played Can't Stop. It's definitely one of the best filler games we've ever played, and destined to be a Game Club favorite. Ever. Not too deep, tough choices, gambling-like excitement. Great game. There's something about chucking dice that has a certain charm.

Those dice are in MID ROLL!



Paul won this game.




Great game day. We played a bunch of different games, and if you count each of the individual plays of games during the whole session: we played THIRTY SIX games.

And when I left... there was still a game of Quiddler going on.

We played a lot of "Can't Stop" today -- a game title that accurately describes Game Club...