Thanks to:
Josh, for hosting.
Lewis and Chris, for providing transportation.
Games played: Falling, Java, Dvonn, Magic: the Gathering
FALLING (0:08, 0:06)
Players: Gary, Don, Josh (dealer), Vitas, Lewis, Chip, Chris
Winners: Gary won the first game, and I won the second.
I feel I may be in the minority with this opinion, but I enjoyed this game. I think it's very light, fluffy, fun, and quick. My friends who enjoy Lunch Money would probably enjoy this game as well. I'm going to try to pick up a copy as soon as possible.
JAVA (0:20 rules, 1:52 playing)
Lewis: 96
Don: 93
Vitas: 93
Chip: 83
I liked a lot of things about this game, but I disliked a few aspects as well. I enjoyed the fact that the rules were very elegant and the cheat-sheet card made the rules transparent to playing. Despite the simplicity of the rules, there were still interesting and challenging decisions to be made. The scoring (before the endgame) was immediate, which eliminated the headache of keeping track of who played which tile. The immediate scoring also provided feedback on how each player was faring. Compared to Torres, for example, in which you only have a vague feeling about how well you are doing until the scoring occurs at the end of the year.
I had two main complaints about the game, however. The first is the length. Two hours is a long time to play a game that's has a strong puzzle-solving slant to it. The second is the endgame scoring.
In the last round, each player added almost as many points as he had gained during the rest of the game. I was left with a feeling that the first hour and 45 minutes had as much of an impact on the final standings of the game as the last 15 minutes of the game. It's worth noting that the eventual victor was in last place for most of the game.
I think that Java would be an excellent game if the end conditions were different. First, the game would end when half of the tiles were used (theoretically making the game take about half the time), and there would be no scoring round. That way the players would get to enjoy the elegance of the rules without experiencing the frustration of the end scoring round. Without this, or some other varient, I'd avoid playing this game again.
I may not have been clear in expressing my feelings on what went wrong with this game. I'd be happy to discuss it in more depth with anyone so inclined.
DVONN (0:10 x 3)
(starting player listed first)
Chip: 5
Vitas: 35
Vitas: 2
Chip: 28
Chip: 24
Vitas: 0
DVonn continues to fascinate me. I still haven't figured out a good strategy for winning (or even a losing strategy to avoid). I found, in a few games, that I had to actively resist the temptation to just make pretty patterns with the tiles. Of course, without a well-formed strategy, why not just make nice-looking patterns?
I try to look a few moves ahead, of course. Obviously, putting one of your tiles on top of one of your opponent's piles is adventagous, and cutting off large piles your opponent controls (sweeping them off the table with glee) is also fun. If you can surround one or more of your opponent's tiles with your own, then you can determine when he gets access to those tiles. I managed to do this in the second game, and I felt like it helped me win.
I look forward to playing this game again.
Magic (0:32)
Chip: 33
Vitas: 0
Vitas played a black "P" deck (all cards other then basic lands begin with the letter "P") that I constructed for him, and I played a green/white "A" deck.
Vitas started out well, getting the Peat Bog into play for quick early mana, and brought a Primeval Shambler into play.
However, I was able to bring in two copies of Armadillo Cloak, my new best friend. This creature enchantment gives +2/+2, trample, and a Soul Link (when the creature deals damage, its controller gains life). The first went on an Amphibious Kavu, whose bonus when blocked by black creatures was obviously a benefit in this duel, which wiped out most of Vitas's creatures early on.
I was able to get Aurification into play, but the it didn't have much of an effect on the game, so I'll have to wait to see if it's really as cool as it seems.
I'll play Magic anytime, anywhere (:
posted by FlyingSheep @ 4:56 PM
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