Session Report: October 2, 2003
Games Played: Magic, Dvonn, Entdecker
Gamers: Vitas, Chip, (Sara, Shaun)
Thanks to Vitas and Shaun for coming.
MAGIC (0:21)
Chip: 11
Vitas: 0
(0:15)
Chip: 16
Vitas: 0
We started out by playing a sort of mini-sealed deck 4-player game. We each took 45 randomly selected cards from my collection (from the Mirage block) and created decks. Sealed deck usually involves 75 cards each, so the pickings were a bit slim. We had the right number of cards to draft, but we decided that drafting would take too long.
Our intention was to play best of three and then switch off, but Shaun had to leave before we could do so.
My new favorite card is Haunting Misery (remove X cards from your graveyard, deal X damage to target player), which ended both duels. In the first game, I had to destroy my own wall (with Chaos Charm) to have enough creatures in my graveyard to finish Vitas off.
Contrary to popular belief, it's not necessary to be in a constant state of purchasing cards to enjoy Magic. Replaying old cards ("What's phasing again?") is no less fun then playing with new cards.
DVONN (0:15, 0:13, 0:17)
Chip: 16, 27, 60
Vitas: 9, 11, 19
While Sara and Shaun continued to battle in the other room, Vitas and I decided to play a few rounds of Dvonn. Over dinner, we had a discussion about the difference between toys and games, and Dvonn, because of the smooth pieces, feels more like a toy to me.
At one point in the second game, I managed to put all three red Dvonn pieces into a single stack, and isolated most of Vitas's towers.
I enjoy this game a lot. It strikes a nice balance between short-term tactics and long-term strategy, in which players need to keep track of local details as well as the big picture.
ENTDECKER (1:29 + 0:08 setup and rules reminder)
Vitas: 125
Chip: 96
Vitas wanted to play something that he could win, so broke out Entdecker, another "45-minute game" that takes twice as long to play.
Early on in the game, I had plenty of gold and Vitas had to role almost every turn. I began to worry that I was hoarding my money rather then converting it into victory points, so I started spending it wildly. By the end of the game, I was stuck not having enough money to compete effectively, while my poor mid-game investment choices languished.
I had only played Entdecker once before, with three players, and I wasn't sure how it would play with only two. It wasn't a disaster, but I think it's more satisfying with 3 or more players.
I've got some exciting news! The Jedi Princess is going to start working with the famous illustrator, Rebecca Guay! If you've ever played Magic: the Gathering, you'll recognize that name (:
She called earlier this week to speak with my wife, and I'm sure I made a complete fool of myself. I transformed from mature, collected adult into blithering fan-boy in under 3 seconds.
The JP and I have already purchased a copy of R. Guay's latest work (we even have a signed copy). Buy your copy today!
Goddesses: A World of Myth and Magic
$15.99 at BarnesAndNoble.com
Another picture of
Unity Games VI. There's exactly one picture of me and the Jedi Princess, see if you can find it.
Some monthly stats for September
Total games played: 19
Unique games played: 17
Total gaming sessions: 8
Total Gaming Time: 16:55
Total Set-up Time: 2:30
Average Game Length: 0:53
Games played more then once this month (other then Magic):
Boggle 2
New games this month:
Alhambra
Penguin Ultimatum
Emerald
Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot
Option
New gamers this month:
Denise
Nate
Walter
Kyle (who is not Susan)
Andrew
Game of the month: Alhambra
This game is low on player interaction, but I really enjoy creating my own palace without any outside interference. It's possible that winning this game influenced my opinion of it, but it combines a number of elements that I've enjoyed in other games (e.g. tile laying, area-control). I'd really like to play this game again soon.
Computer Games played: Finished Oni
PS2 Games played: Kingdom Hearts
I spent about 37 hours so far playing Kingdom Hearts. I've solved it once, and now I'm going back to finish up all the hidden areas of the game. I would recommend this game highly to any Disney fan who isn't put off by occasional bad camera angles and lots of button mashing (:
Notes:
Sara's return to school for the semester has limited the amount of gaming I've done at home this month.
We enjoyed the Unity Games convention despite being puzzled (like others) about the prize table distribution. We were very fortunate, taking home a copy of Acquire and Who Stole Ed's Pants. All in all, it was a great day and I look forward to the next one!
Session Report: September 27, 2003
Games Played: Lost Cities, Modern Art, The Penguin Ultimatum, Transamerica
Gamers: Chip, Sara, Walter, Lewis, Kyle, Josh, Ben, Andrew
Thanks for Dave and crew for organizing
UGVI! It was a lot of fun (:
LOST CITIES (0:57)
Sara: -17, 24, 173
Chip: 24, 27, 137
Sara and I played three quick rounds of Lost Cities to start things off. I really like this game, but I find the cards too big to shuffle comfortably. *shrug*
Sara quickly got the hang of this game after the first round, and beat me soundly by the last round.
MODERN ART (1:10 + 0:16 rules/setup)
Kyle: 510
Walter: 353
Chip: 340
Lewis: 331
Sara: 248
I played Modern Art for the first time last winter, so I jumped at the chance to play it again. Kyle expressed some reservations about playing with so many newbies, but he didn't complain too loudly when he won (:
I mispriced a few of my auctions and ended up buying more of my own pieces then I would have liked. We played with the variant that double-auction cards were evenly (albeit randomly) distributed among the players. I should have done better, as I was fortunate enough to receive the extra double card.
I like this game, although I've still got a lot to learn about it. I'd play it again.
PENGUIN ULTIMATUM (0:23 + 0:10 rules/setup)
Chip: 71
Josh: 70
Ben: 60
Sara: 49
Josh introduced us to this tile laying game. The artwork is very funny, and the gameplay is pretty simple.
I tried to distribute my penguins evenly, in order to take advantage of as many performances as possible. I think taking last place in every performance would be ideal, as you'd be able to gather all the performers for a big bonus at the end of the game.
I'd definitely play this game again.
TRANSAMERICA (0:41 + 0:15 setup and listen to prize table raffle)
Lewis: 10
Josh: 0
Chip: 0
Andrew: -1
Sara: -2
This light rails game was a great choice, as it didn't require much thought and was very interruptible. Lewis did extremely well, and the rest of us sort of muddled along.
