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Fraser's Games played in 2005 - an Annotated List
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Well it is that time of year again. Consider this the companion list to Fraser's Games played in 2004 - an Annotated List http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist.php3?action=view&listi...The games appear in order that BGG shows them on a query, i.e. number of plays and alphabetical order within number of plays. Oh and nothing but face to face games listed here. I don't list computer games be that me against AI ( St Peterburg) or me against humans via the computer ( Euphrat & Tigris etc). If it is not face to face it doesn't get logged. In 2005 I logged 725 plays of 123 distinct games. Of these 123 games 88 of them were not played in 2004. For comparison in 2004 I logged 302 plays of 66 distinct games. 31, or 47% of the games played in 2004 were not played in 2005. However these 31 games only accounted for 20% of all recorded plays in 2004, so most of them were one offs anyway. Quite a few of these non return games were due to the fact that somebody else owns them and they have just not been available. For a comparison of games that were played in 2004 and didn't get played in 2005 as well as a discussion of the various groups that these games were played with see http://boredgamegeeks.blogspot.com/2006/01/gaming-in-2005.ht...
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Posted Wed Jan 11, 2006 12:17 am
Edited Mon Feb 26, 2007 10:20 am
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Mag-Blast Second Edition - 114 plays in 2005, 0 plays in 2004.
In the first half of the year this was the game of choice at lunch time. We have an hour for lunch and two player we could knock off six plays of this easily. With four players it was generally only two or so.
It is not a deep or meaningful game, but it is generally pretty fast and fun with our lunchtime group - and yes I have had a game where I didn't actually get to play a card and the true horror was that my opponent boarded and stole my dreadnought and delivered the coup de grace with my own ship 
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Gang of Four - 89 plays in 2005, 0 plays in 2004.
Gang of Four took over from Mag Blast Second Edition in the second half of the year. We play with the pictured Gamer Dealer's version because it is about one quarter of the price of the Days of Wonder version in Australia. We generally finish one game a day, sometimes two but on other occasions need to carry over to the next day. Depending on the number of people who turn up we play three, four or five players (although our five player version involves a rotating sitout).
Highlights include a two round game and somebody reaching 178 points to trigger end of game (one point off the mathematical maximum of 179). We are almost ready to retire our second deck of cards due to overuse.
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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TransAmerica - 36 plays in 2005, 4 plays in 2004.
Much maligned in some local quarters (hello Frank), this has been a hit at work, at home and with most other gamers and non-gamers alike. It was also the inspiration and first entry for my Games where the intial deal or position does *not* make you say "I can do great things with this" but instead makes you say things that would make the competitors at the Pirates Extreme Cursing World Championships bow down with envy and admiration. GeekList http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist.php3?action=view&listi...
(apolgies for the cross promotion)
I am yet to play TransEuropa, if somebody had a copy I would play it, but I certainly feel no need to buy a copy sight unseen.
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Puerto Rico - 28 plays in 2005, 8 plays in 2004.
An awful lot of these plays were actually in January when we were on holidays. Melissa and I played two player a lot and we played quite a bit with some friends too.
We love the two player Alea variant and also with four or five players (I don't think we have tried it three player). We are heading down to the beach next week and Puerto Rico is coming with us again. We got it down to under 45 minutes two player last year.
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Lost Cities - 27 plays in 2005, 13 plays in 2004.
Another game with wide appeal. This got played at work, with Melissa and also with Daughter the Elder. With Daughter the Elder the first few games were played with open hands and some discussion of what to, but we soon moved on to normal play.
Oh and of course to be logged each play had to consist of the recommended three hands 
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Mag-Blast - 27 plays in 2005, 0 plays in 2004.
Before Mag-Blast second edition we played Mag-Blast. The classic edition, if you will, is not as pretty and is probably a little more vicious.
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Balloon Cup - 11 plays in 2005, 11 plays in 2004.
This is still a big favourite with Daughter the Elder, she plays hard and is now winning about half the time against me.
We have never had a problem with lockup and enjoy playing on each other's sides. In fact this is usally started by Daughter the Elder.
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8.
Board Game: Bang!
[Average Rating:6.82 Overall Rank:336]
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Bang! - 11 plays in 2005, 0 plays in 2004.
Played quite often at Gamers@Dockers and occasionally during lunchtime. Usually quite quick and enjoyable (unless you have a stupid Renegade who thinks he is an outlaw) however every now and again it runs a tad too long.
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Cartagena - 11 plays in 2005, 0 plays in 2004.
We went through a flurry of playing this and then it seems to have vanished off the playlist. I have no idea why because it went down well with all the different groups we played it with. Must endevour to get this out more often in 2006.
Aren't those little pirates just the cutest?
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Finstere Flure - 11 plays in 2005, 0 plays in 2004.
We have the German edition courtesy of BGGer Gary James. It gets regular outings and is always enjoyed. Must add this to the list of games to try with Daughter the Elder.
I have been advised not to try the two monsters at one variant, it is just too much of a bloodbath.
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Naval Battles - 11 plays in 2005, 0 plays in 2004.
This was popular at lunch time for a while, we mainly played two player but occasionally three or four.
I have nothing against it, but do find it a bit too much of a dice-fest especially when there are carriers around.
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Oh Hell! - 11 plays in 2005, 0 plays in 2004.
Daughter the Elder likes playing this, so we do. We play the tricks down and up from ten but don't score the competitive bidding when playing with her.
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Circus Flohcati - 10 plays in 2005, 0 plays in 2004.
A game that Daughter the Elder competes with adult gamers very capably. A game that is good for all ages.
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Connect Four - 10 plays in 2005, 0 plays in 2004.
Daughter the Elder discovered this game at school this year and she received a copy for Christmas. All ten of the plays were between Christmas and New Year. She is very good at it.
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15.
Board Game: Duell
[Average Rating:6.48 Overall Rank:1042]
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Duell - 10 plays in 2005, 0 plays in 2004.
To excuse the pun I really enjoy the cut and thrust of this game. Just typing this entry reminds me I should look out for a copy or at least borrow the copy I have played and try it with Melissa and/or Daughter the Elder.
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Lord of the Rings - The Confrontation - 10 plays in 2005, 0 plays in 2004.
This is highly praised in may quarters but for me it is just dropping lower and lower. After the first couple of plays I went out to try and buy it, but after a few more plays I was glad I hadn't it.
I don't know if it is just because the people I have played are evenly matched with me or it is something else, but almost every game has come down to the same end. We each have one or two characters left and it comes down to a final battle. If I play card A and they play card X I win, but if they play card Y they win. We really could dispense with the start and mid-game interesting as they are and just flip a coin to see who wins. I have observed this for seven games in a row.
From what I read it doesn't seem to be happening to other people, but it certainly does for me and is now permanently off my buy list.
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Louis XIV - 10 plays in 2005, 0 plays in 2004.
We got the Alea edition in the middle of the year and Melissa translated the rules into English and produced an excellent player aid (both of which are available in the files section).
We really like this game, especially with four. Melissa still wins it far too much, but one day.
Some people don't like the shields, we have no problems with them at all. Well actually I have one little problem Melissa usually gets twice as many as I do, but that is my problem not the game's.
The picture is of one of our games in progress when on the last turn of the game Louis was hotly contested.
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Guillotine - 9 plays in 2005, 5 plays in 2004.
This got the usual few plays at home plus made it out at work as well this year. An old favourite and another I think we should introduce to Daughter the Elder now that she is reading.
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19.
Board Game: Ra
[Average Rating:7.71 Overall Rank:28]
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Ra - 9 plays in 2005, 2 plays in 2004.
This doesn't seem to come out at home very often. I don't really know why. Has come out regularly at Gamers@Dockers sessions and occasionally during lunchtime.
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Snakes and Ladders - 9 plays in 2005, 10 plays in 2004.
The first game on the list to record a drop in plays from 2004 to 2005. The main reason for this is that Daughter the Elder turned seven this year and is getting a bit old for this and Daughter the Younger is still too young for it.
We would actually recommed this for playing with children around four to six. It can be used to help them with basic arithmetic and learning numbers to one hundred. See my review http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/59070 for futher details.
Our copy is the pictured one.
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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St Petersburg - 9 plays in 2005, 27 plays in 2004.
A big drop in plays this year. I attribute this mainly to we got a lot of new games and thus a lot of old stuff just didn't come out very often, it was usually played two player with Melissa and thus it became a bit of victim when Melissa discovered BBG Werewolf and I became a Werewolf Widower and the number of two player games we played dropped rapidly.
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22.
Board Game: UNO
[Average Rating:5.24 Overall Rank:5785]
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Uno - 9 plays in 2005, 25 plays in 2004.
Another big drop in plays. The picture you see is the reason for the drop. Daughter the Elder would forget to pack away her Uno cards. Daughter the Younger would find them and "play" with them. She also tended to lose some of them and on occasions chew on some of the cards too. Fundamentally after a few occurrences of this the Uno deck was pretty much unplayable and was not replaced until Christmas. There is the odd occasion that I feel Daughter the Younger should be renamed Daughter the Destroyer. Is it just in my family that the second child is the destructive one?
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Alhambra - 8 plays in 2005, 0 plays in 2004.
We picked up a copy of this when wandering into our FLGS and Pete said look marked down to AUS$39. Who could resist?
It is quite a quick game and underestimated as a gateway game in my opinion.
I have dabbled with the expansions once. I thought two of them were interesting, but the others were not and we have not bought the expansion.
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Around the World in 80 Days - 8 plays in 2005, 0 plays in 2004.
Another good gateway game - yes the eyes do glaze over a little when you are trying to explain the difference between getting to London first and getting London in the least number of days, but once that hurdle has been crossed it is a good light game.
Daughter the Elder enjoys it and has beaten us a couple of times too.
I just love this photo of it.
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Fraser
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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King Lui - 8 plays in 2005, 0 plays in 2004.
We have the King Lui edition. Nice little card game with some controlled push your luck aspects to it as well as player screwage. Daughter the Elder is a big fan and does quite well, although not as well as my supposedly non-gamer sister
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Posted Sat Jan 7, 2006 10:00 am
Edmonton
AB
Lakewood
Colorado
Our family group plays almost every Saturday afternoon – that’s five, six, or seven players. We keep track only of the games that at least the five adults play together. Our (just turned 8) grandson is a major boardgame fiend and is playing more and more of the games. Our (just turned 10) granddaughter plays an occasional game with us, but prefers games with her parents and brother or with us grandparents and her brother; she doesn’t seem to enjoy the seven-player games so much.
In 2005, we played 169 game sessions with 5 or more players. That included 24 different games, with Settlers of Catan accounting for 43 sessions (the current most requested game in this group). In the past month, I’ve acquired nine new boardgames. It will be interesting to see whether Settlers is the most played in 2006, with competition now from For Sale, Cartagena, Station Master, Boomtown, Hare & Tortoise, Through the Desert, Tongiaki, Alhambra, Hacienda, and Australia. We’ve only played two of these so far.
Lakewood
Colorado
Melbourne
Victoria
I don't know where it is right now, but it will be at the beach with us next week