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Anthony Boydell
United Kingdom
Unspecified
Unspecified
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Peter:
Good morning and welcome to board-gaming from Wycombe. You join us for the Pickle Dining Room Derby and the field is, like Katie Prices' pudenda, 'wide open'.
In Trap 1: "Strasbourg" by Stefan Feld accompanied by an indecipherable title on BGG and following (excuse the pun) 'hot on the heels' of No-treurgh Dam (aka 'Noter Dayme'), Luna, Macao and In The Year Of The Dragon from the same stable. An unknown for this race and coming with high expectations, though his coat is quite glossy and reflective on this glorious Spring evening.
Next, in Trap 2, is "Dixit" by Jean-Louis Roubira, out of Marie Cardouat (who should've got a major front-box credit too). Ridden by the Dixit 2 expansion and sporting a fresh 'newly-opened box' aroma. A steady performer, this, but untried on Wycombe turf with this group. High expectations for some filthy puns and dirty references, here.
In Trap 3: "Power Grid: Benelux/Central Europe" - by Power Grid, out of expansion maps and green, green hair; Benelux is quick, light on its feet and perfect for the 5 player environment this afternoon. A familiar runner - but has he out-stayed his welcome?
In Trap 4: Absolute 80s radio, though this has been known to succumb to interference during the race. Prone to periods of Bucks Fizz and Imagination, Absolute 80s may come into stiff competition with Carl's iTunes Playlist, if it's not careful.
In Trap 5: (I'd give it a couple of minutes, if I were you) The partially-processed remains of a particularly-aggressive spiced melange.
These are the runners and riders for this evenings Pickle Dining Room Derby - over to you, Martin, for the betting.
Martin:
Strasbourg opens at 7, Dixit is at 15 to 9 and Power Grid the favourite at any time you like.
Peter:
I can see they're ready for the off - the Starter has raised his pistol...aaaaaaaannd....
*bang*
Oh, dear - it seems the Starter has shot Iain in the foot and he won't be able to participate this evening. How desperately sad for the rotund so-called 'student' on this, the day that the others finally agree on getting a curry for takeout instead of the usual chinese. They've removed his squealing body from the course (the handlers are very good here at Wycombe - you have to admire how expertly they pull a man off)...they've settled the riders once more...the Starting Pistol is raised...aaaaaanddd...
*bang*
They're off!
Strasbourg takes an early lead with Carl explaining a simple game of multiple auctions in the most confusing and complicated way possible with Ray chipping in every now and again to explain the mathematics behind each players deck of 24 'bidding money' (influence?) cards that you select any number of at the start *breathe* of an auction round (there are five) and then separate into any number of bidding piles...
(they all jump over the first hurdle)
...moving down each auction in the round (their are nine) players decide if they want to bid using one of they're bidding piles and then, depending on the type auction *breathe*, there may be one two or three 'winners' (or, at least, people who 'get something')...
(they all jump over the second hurdle; Absolute 80s takes an horrendous tumble and is decapitated by a carelessly-discarded antique scythe)
...players win resources which can be sold for money which is used to place dobbers onto a segmented map of Strasbourg for points other auctions allow you to place doubling Church pieces or place markers on a City Council section of the board which is worth end-of-round points and may award special chits too *breathe*...
(they all jump over the fourth hurdle; a runner without a rider trots merrily behind the main field..singing to itself)
...its very light compared to Felds previous offerings and would be an accessible auction game for the more casual group though one could argue that the money and resources aspect seem a little under-developed and its another one of those Eurogames that works, looks pretty but doesn't have that spark to make it a 'must play' or a perennial favourite...*gasps*...over to you, Martin (reaches for inhaler)
(they all jump over the fifth, turn around, jumo over it again the wrong way, turn around and then deliberately run around it)
Martin:
...and Strasbourg seems to have run himself ragged and has fallen behind to Dixit who has been making an astonishing run up the outside (as he did in the Spiel Des Jahres last year) and taken the lead...
(Martin breaks wind in all the excitement)
...a tight game this with nothing to separate them as we approach the 30 point marker and Carl has it by a nose despite the growing protestations from Ray who believes his hand has been tampered with...
(they all jump over the seventh)
...and now we have the challenge from Power Grid with the Benelux map, pushing Dixit aside (although I'm sure we've not seen the last of him this evening) and thrusting forward into the cooling gloom - a typical game, this, with Tony convinced he was (for once) in the running only to find himself 6 money short of building and powering a 15th city for a good 2nd place finish only to find himself relegated to 4th ahead of a now visibly-perturbed Ray; partially-formed adult, Blaine, takes the honours here...
(they all jump over the eighth, crying 'hup-hup!' as they do so, despite the underlying mutters of Fong-al discontent)
...while I enjoy the process of playing this game immensely I cannot shake this nagging feeling that it's like doing a crossword where someone else has already completed it, rubbed out the answers and you're struggling to solve it but everyone else can see the indentations left in the paper...*hyper-ventilates into a used sick-bag* over to you, Peter...
Peter:
...thank you, Martin, and as we come to the final part of the course Power Grid, as predicted, tails off and becomes a distant memory as the previously-dismissed Dixit finds a second wind within him and pulls away from the field to end the evening the Champion!
(sounds of cheering, pictures of hats thrown into the sky, smells of that 'second wind')
Martin:
...so Dixit takes first place, ridden to a convincing victory by a deeply-frustrated and self-flagellating Ray* (despite Tony getting two straight rounds of maximum 6 points), followed by the much-loved Power Grid and bringing up the rear, the still-to-prove-itself Strasbourg.
Continuity Announcer
And now on BGG2, The Likely Vlaadas - the hilarious everyday story of a Czech games designer and his pet Moose; in this weeks episode, Vlaada gets mistaken for a tramp** AGAIN!
*it's his choice next week - and we all know what a 'Gric Teaser he can be, don't we: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/1620/the-rape-of-the-g...?
**aka Hobo, bum, 'mendicant' (often abbreviated to...'Mendi')
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