Ruling the Board: Shaw Gaming 2/2/13: Munchkin (DNF)

This was one that we decided to play without having anyone with experience first which didn't end up working out so well.  In the end, we played for an hour or so and didn't get very far.  We drew big monsters early and had to run away allot.  We weren't able to figure the game out well enough to really enjoy the goofy nature of the game.  Eventually, we were all loosing hope in the game and decided to shut it down.

Most of us agreed that we needed to learn a bit more about it and give it another shot, but at that time of the evening it was literally killing us.

Ruling the Board: Shaw Gaming 2/2/13: Citadels (DNF)

Citadels is a game where players take a role card as they go around the table that gives them a benefit for that turn.  They then use their gold to build buildings.  The first player to a set number of buildings wins.

The game started off well with themes starting to show themselves, assassinate the Architect, steal from the Bishop and the like.

We ended up getting about a third of the way through the game before we stopped. 

It seems like a fun game with a bit of strategy.

I wouldn't mind playing this one all the way through on our next play.  It just didn't work out this time.

Ruling the Board: Shaw Gaming 2/2/13: Elder Sign

This was my third playing of Elder Sign and the game is getting quicker to setup and therefore easier to bring up to play.

In our game, we were trying to keep Ithaqua from rising with the following cast of characters.

Me – Harvey Walters

Paul – Darrell Simmons

Simo – Michael McGlenn

Daniela – Monterrey Jack

Cindy – Sister Mary

Kelley – Joe Diamond

Doug – Ashcan Pete

This may have been the easiest victory that I have had so far in my three plays.  The dice were rolling well and everyone took to the strategy portion of which rooms to go after at what time really quickly so that we banged through room after room, allowing the more difficult ones to remain out.

No character died or went insane and with only a few doom tokens, we were able to shut the door on Ithaqua.

Final Thoughts:

I didn't know how well this game would play with our group who isn't too much into Lovecraft, but they all really seemed to get into the game and enjoy it.  The mechanics seemed to work really well for everyone and the dice are always a big hit due to the strategy involved and the rolling of symbols just adds a “mythos” to it.

I could see playing this one again at one of our game days, but the lack of difficulty so far makes it a bit of a beginner’s game.

Ruling the Board: Shaw Gaming 2/2/13: Zombie Dice

In a few game gatherings at the Shaw residence, Zombie Dice has quickly become the filler game of choice as everyone loves the simple and fun concept and the press your luck nature of the game.

We had seven players, but because if it’s speed we played first to 13 and it only took 3 rounds and maybe 15 minutes even will teaching 2 new people.

Simo took the lead early with 7 brains in the first round followed by Kelly and Paul with five.  In the second round, he maintained with 3 more brains for a total of 10.  I was next with 8 total with Paul and Daniela at 7.  In the third round, people expected things to end, so people were pushing it more than normal.  Simo got 4 more brains to win with 14.  Poor Doug went hungry, bringing in the big ole’ goose egg.

Final Score:

Simo – 14

Me – 8

Daniela – 7

Paul – 7

Kelly – 6

Cindy – 3

Doug – 0

Final Thoughts:

ZOMBIE EAT BRAINS!!!

This is a fun game that will take a while to get old as everyone knows what it is and enjoys it for that alone.  It is fun when you want a quick game without a lot of hassle.

Ruling the Board: Shaw Gaming 2/2/13: Dixit

Dixit is a game I had wanted to play for a while and was very glad that it made the table.  In the game, each player has 6 cards.  One player starts and says or does something in relation to their card.  All other players then play a card, face down, that others might think relates to what the person said.

They are mixed up and everyone but the giver votes on the card they think was the giver’s card.  The giver gets three points if at least one, but not all players guess their card and non if everyone or nobody guesses it.

All other players get 2 points if they choose the right card and 1 point for everyone that chose their card.

The cards are beautiful and can be thought of in tons of ways depending on the person, their mood, influences, and company at the table.  This leads to much variation on the same cards.

In our game, Paul jumped out to a small lead, while Cindy ate some grass in the back.  Once we made the turn, Paul really kicked it into gear ended up smoking us all in the end.

Final Score:

Paul – 31

Simo & Dani - 22

Stanley – 17

Kelly – 16

Doug – 14

Cindy – 14

Final Thoughts:

Once we played a round and people realized how fun it was going to be, things really picked up.  After Castle Panic opened well, Dixit seemed to hit it out of the park and people laughed allot from either phrases given or results of votes. 

Paul was on fire in this game.  He was getting his three every time as the giver and often times getting three, four, or five points when he was not the giver.  His bunny sprinted while ours loped a bit.

I had a ton of fun with this one and hope to play it allot more in the weeks and months to come.

Ruling the Board: Shaw Gaming 2/2/13: Castle Panic

We got the gang together once again at the Shaw abode for a night of gaming.  Paul, Doug, and I joined Cindy and Kelly and new comers for gaming Simo and Daniela for some fun games and good food.

The first game up was Castle Panic.  I had played it once before and had a decent idea of how everything worked, so the setup was quick and easy and it didn't take long for everyone to get into the game.

We started off well, beating down the monsters, but things turned bad for us around the middle of the game.  

We hit some bad tiles and before we knew it, a troll was storming the castles.  We drew in the hopes of getting to one of the couple of cards that could save us before he wiped us out, but after reshuffling the deck, the cards did not come.

After looking through, the first card to help us was nearly halfway through the deck, we weren’t even close.

This was my first defeat in a game that usually plays pretty easy, but it goes to show that if you let the wrong creature slip in, it can route you in the end.

Final Thoughts:

This was a fun game that just didn't end very well for us.  It was fun and a good way to start the night off by getting everyone involved and having fun.

Ruling the Board: Unterspielstadt 1/28/13: Outpost

After a quick game of Crokinole, I went directly into a much longer game, Outpost. 

In the game, you auction off cards while you build resource manufacturers to get more funds to win more auctions.  This game was a bit more complicated than the norm and I really didn’t start fully getting the hang of it until about half way through.  By this point, I was hopelessly lost, but kept fighting the good fight.

I had gone for slow and steady throughout the game which had me in the lead for a stretch in the middle, but as the game transitioned to phase three cards, Colleen ran away with things.

I was able to do just enough late to take 2^nd place, but we were all well behind.

Final Score:

Colleen – 92

Me – 58

Eric – 58

Matt – 52

Doug – 46

Final Thoughts:

This was an interesting game with a few interweaving pieces of strategy that makes for a unique experience.  You have to decide what types of cards you want to buy and how far you will go to buy them, you also have to determine how many of the entry type factories you are going to build and when you will use your workers for them on other positions and close the factory.

You also have to manage your resources to buy what you need when you need it without wasting turns.

This was a game with a deep strategy, but not too difficult mechanic so that it isn’t too hard to start playing, but it would take a decent bit of thought to really get good at it and build a winning strategy.

I enjoyed this one and although I wouldn't want to play it all the time, I would be willing to give it another play in the near future.