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Bobby Warren
United States
Glendale
Arizona
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Yes, I am early this week. It's because I decided on the game I was going to focus on getting played two weeks ago, but more on that below.
Last week's choice of Flash Point: Fire Rescue was easily the most successful to date. As a bonus, we played it again at Mike's on Thursday, splitting the two games even though Hilary continued to earn the name "Hot Spot". With the Saturday group, which is the one I aim these games at, it was a rousing success as well.
It was the first time I had played with any number of players other than three and I explained the game to Michael, Kevin, and Anne. We literally waltzed through the first game, winning it with ease. They loved the game and wanted to play it again at a harder level. I explained that it wasn't that easy and we should keep it at the level we played. As you can see from the picture, we battled an inferno with the entire middle third of the building being on fire. We managed to keep the building intact until a couple of explosions in the lower right corner ended the game.
We played a third game on the other side of my board, which looks more warped in the picture than it is, and we won that game. It was another odd game. We had the fire out most of the game and had probably 15 smoke counters showing at one time with no fire until right near the end. Is the game really that much easier with four than three?
I also need to come up with a nickname for Kevin because it seemed that any time he was in the building, someone would roll smoke on his location before it became his turn again. Any suggestions? I was thinking Smokey, but that makes me think of a cocaine addict.
Here's hoping that firemen meeples are made available to everyone at some point. I really can't imagine playing with the pawns and I would love to get them for Michael and Kevin & Anne when they get the game.
I decided that Through the Desert would be this week's game a couple of weeks ago when Nico and I spent the Saturday playing two-player games. We were playing Kingdom Builder and were talking about games it reminded us of and this came up. He said he had never played, which is a little shocking since he seems to buy almost everything. This is one miscarriage of gaming which has to be remedied.
For the two or three of you who don't know, this is one of the classic Euro games, and an early masterpiece from Reiner Knizia. It's a simple game which has one action that every player takes on their turn, and that is placing two camel pieces on the on the board. You collect five points for connecting one of your five (four in a five-player game) camel trains to an oasis, one to three points for placing on a water spot, points for enclosing areas with one of your camel trains equal to the size of the area, and 10 points for having the longest train in each of the five colors. That's the game.
It is a simple, agonizing game of tough choices and terrific game-play.
So two things have to happen. First, I need to find it in the boxes I have placed where the book shelves will be going and then Nico needs to show up this week. I knew he wasn't going to be there this past week, which is why I didn't make it the game of the week last week.
I sometimes regret getting rid of my original German edition for the first Silver Line edition pictured, but the amount of shelf space saved still has me happy I made the change.
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