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Anthony Boydell
United Kingdom
Unspecified
Unspecified
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I suspect that whenever there’s any level of (re-)decoration to be done in the house this makes any request I have to ‘go off for a bit and play some board games’ much more likely to be accepted (and positively shone upon). I am notoriously intolerant to indecision, mess and other peoples ideas in general in this area, so the missus just sends me out with a packed lunch and a portable Agricola. It’s so much calmer. And I invariably like the result of their labours anyway...ah, to be less opinionated and up myself (sad, but still handsome, face).
This weekend (well, this first bit of Saturday) saw one of the Paulls’ quatrannual Friends & Family Games Weekends and I felt sure I could fill 6 or so hours with some happy cerebral gymnastics. After an early awakening (and a dizzy stumble to bladder-drain), I bade farewell to the Von Trapp-like Boydell clan and – pausing only for a Village Shoppe red bull and cheese pastie breakfast – vroomed and dugga-dugga-dugga-ed around the lanes and up the Gloucestershire hillocks to Nailsworth. I tipped the nod to the lonely Nympsfield windmill and parked up Chez Paull with dew still a-melting and the whole mother-funtering ‘bon jouer’ ahead of me.
Yawning over sausages and Ankh Morpork, scrambled egg and Last Will, the residential delegates gobfull-ed a half-hearted (fried breakfast) halloo and I was dragged into the bottom, back bedroom for Ticket to Ride Map Collection: Volume 2 - India & Switzerland. This crowded, tense and rich board was designed by pal Ian Vincent who, possessing a mind like Viz Comics’ Mr Logic, finally has an outlet for his analytic overbearingness – it’s a beauty and no mistake (the map, that is, NOT his mind). The ‘Grand Tour’ mechanic of rewarding (unshared) multi-route ticket completions utterly distracted me from more basic ‘build stuff’ fayre and I ended up roundly pasted into last place – failing to score regular points AND being blocked out of the Grand Tour bonuses too! All congratulations must go to progeny of The Beard (who popped in for the day with the Carlossus of Wycombe), who completed almost the entire deck of tickets to take the laurels – exceptionally well done indeed, Ms Clyne!
Smarting from the humiliation received, my sulking into a strong coffee restorative coincided with the arrival of Mr Richard Breese – esteemed designer of many most-excellent tactico-mentalisms (look him up, the list speaks for itself). We chatted about prototypes and play-tests in general and he was just running me through a quick overview of Key Seven (the latest in the fabulous Key series, all cut’n paste and placeholder clipart!) when The Beard and Carlossus emerged from the chilly broken-ness of A Few Acres Of Snow and we were suddenly up to a foursome. Having thrown some Metro-ers off the largest available table, we were running through the rule-set once more for clarity when TTR:India victoirette, Halina, and Key Seven co-designer Sebastian Bleasdale (On The Cards, On the Underground) made up the fullest compliment.
Key Seven had not yet been given a six-player thrashing or, indeed, a name! Something I hope that I have rectified...never one to pass on the opportunity for a pun or two. Obviously, I cannot divulge most of what we got up to in the next two hours – broken for a 20 minute scrummy luncheon – but, fair to say, this is a fantastic addition to the canon: thinky, smooth, tense and rewarding. It’s worker placement, but with a sneaky twist. Put this one on your pre-order lists NOW, you will NOT be disappointed!
Hoovering up the last of the fatty ham, it was already 3PM and time for me to return to the family bosom. Only the two games ‘logged’, but both were tremendously involving and, like the olive pesto pasta meal I improvised later, quite delicious.
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