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Gathering 2007
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I think this is the first of many GL reports on this year's event. I'll try to update the list as the event goes on.
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Posted On: 2007-04-01 08:16:46
Edited On: 2007-04-10 23:24:54
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Prev « 1 , 2 , 3 Next »
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Walking away from the last game, I saw SwedeLad setting this game up with his wife and Seana. I'd heard about this somewhere ... The Dice Tower? ... and wanted to try it so I invited myself  Lisa and I were both new to the game so Bryan tried to teach us. He did a good job, but it's a confusing game at first! But I (we) eventually caught on!
It's sort of like San Juan, but much more complicated. Players will be taking a variety of roles that allow you gather material (wood, rubble, concrete, marble, brick, stone), start/work on buildings, attract clients (who allow you to take these roles more than once a turn), attack their neighbors (demand material), and sell resources for money (VP). When the start player chooses a role (playing a card from their hand), others in turn can either follow (play same color card) or "think" -- draw up to hand limit (5), Jack (wild card for roles), or 1 card if already at hand limit. Then, starting with start player, resolve the roles. Pass the Leader (start player) card.
Every card (6 colors) has multiple functions:
- Role: corresponds to color, and is written on the left.
- Material: corresponds to color, and shown at bottom
- Influence: modifies how well you can do things; shown on top
- Building: description at center (usually gives additional power)
There's a unique mechanism where there are a pool of cards in the center of the table. After a role has been chosen and used, those cards are added to the pool. Roles allow you to move cards around: from pool to stockpile (under player mat), from stockpile to vault (right of player mat), from hand to stockpile or building sites (next to player mat), from pool to client area (left of player mat). When you start a building, you take the card and add it to a foundation card (taken from supply); this indicates how much material you need to complete the building. When it's done, the site card is flipped and moved to top of player mat -- shows influence (and VP).
There's more -- off site locations, bonuses for types of cards in vault -- but that's the gist.
The player mat takes some getting used to, but is actually quite a clever system. Having a pool of cards is also nice -- even if you don't draw what you need, you'll have access to cards that other players draw and use.
I may have to get this game, although with Race for the Galaxy (which also shares some mechanisms with SJ, but is also more complicated and interesting) coming soon I'm not positive ....
I ended up winning the game by 1 point. Bryan had a totally awesome engine going, where he could suck up a lot of cards whenever they became available. I won by a fluke -- the building I (finally!) built allowed me to steal cards from other players and add them to my vault ... hurray for colosseums!
7/10 |
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2 Comments []
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Posted On: 2007-04-04 00:16:58
Edited on: 2007-04-10 21:46:54
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This year, it's VIKINGS (where's the Viking smilie??)!!
This is supposedly about Vikings, but really it's a pretty abstract tile laying game with an interesting market mechanism (the spinny wheel thing!). It's another one of those medium-light weight games that plays in around an hour (or less?). It was fun, but not necessarily something I need to have. It seems a bit too chaotic, where your options can be limited significantly by luck of the draw and turn order. Still, it's quick enough and fun enough to be worth a play now and again.
Basic Game
Tiles are divided into 6 face down piles, one/round. Most show island parts (left, right, or middle); others show red, blue, yellow or green boats (with either gold or VP marked). Players all get money and left island tile to start game, along with their starting frame.
Start each round by distributing these around the wheel randomly, with island parts starting at 0 on the wheel (going upwards) and boats (pirates) starting at 11 on the wheel (going down): the numbers are the market prices. Then draw 12 viking tokens randomly from the bag, arranging from 0-->11 in order shown on board (0-->11 blue, yellow, green, red, black, gray). In turn order, buy a tile/viking combo. If there is a clump of like-colored vikings, you must buy the cheapest one last (does that apply only to 0 price viking?). If all vikings of cheapest color are sold, rotate wheel so the next color starts at 0 cost. As each tile/viking is acquired, place the island piece into your frame, similar to Entdecker: from anywhere on left edge (except top row) or orthogonally adjacent to a previously placed tile; of course, the island/water combinations must make sense. The viking must either be placed on THAT tile, if legal (each color needs to be in a specific row), or at the top of the frame. Continue till all tiles/vikings purchased.
At the end of rounds 1, 3, and 5, score the yellow vikings: get 3 gold for each. At the end of rounds 2, 4, and 6, players may discard 1 gray viking to move either all vikings of a color, or 1 of several colors, from the top of the frame to anywhere in their framed area. May repeat as often as you have gray vikings. Then, score all active vikings (if a boat is at the top of the column, it "attacks" down the column all the way to and including the row for the color of the boat). Vikings give different rewards: black --> reward shown on boat above them (gold or VP), in same column; red --> 2 VP each; green --> 1 VP + 1 VP for each viking BELOW them in the SAME column; yellow --> 3 gold. At game end, get additional bonuses for: longest island; most complete islands; money; most excess food (each blue viking feeds itself and 4 others). Lose 2VP per hungry viking.
Most VP wins!
7/10 |
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Posted On: 2007-04-04 00:23:31
Edited on: 2007-04-10 22:02:49
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As ScottT said, it's "Take it HARD!".
After Wikinger, we rounded up Mary (who'd started Caylus Magna Carta; our ride was leaving so we had to GO!) and made it to dinner. JS drove us out to Texas Roadhouse -- I LOVE their ribs! We spent a long while their talking, and JS convinced us to go to Graeter's Ice Cream store. I Googled the place on my handy Treo  . AH treated us to some ice cream (cookies and cream, and cookie dough, with whip cream and fudge ... mmm mmm good - THANKS!). It was a very nice, relaxing evening! We must have been out for a few hours, I think! By the time we made it back it was late and I'd hoped to get to sleep soon. But there was a new game about and so I joined the group!
There are apparently several rules included. AlanH kindly taught the 5 of us (Greg, Scott, Kevin, Rhonda, me) this game. It's like Take it Easy, but with a bigger board, more tiles, and a little side area where you have to score 60+ points (NOT added to your score) in order to avoid a -60 penalty! I'd played the original only once, some time last year, and not very well. I did OK this time: tied with Greg for third, behind Scott 416 and Alan 456 ... if only my tiles had come up!
Fun way to spend 45 minutes!
6/10 |
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0 Comments
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Posted On: 2007-04-04 00:27:47
Edited on: 2007-04-10 22:03:58
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Last game of the night.
This is Yahtzee in Settlers form. Each player has a map of a small island, with roads, settlements, and cities shown. Roads are always worth 1 VP but others increase in value. You roll d6 (5 resources & gold) as in Yahtzee. Then, mark what you build on your sheet, scoring those VP. Must build things in the order shown. Knights allow you to convert any dice to a specific resource; can be used once per game. Each game is 15 rounds. Whoever has most points at end wins.
Like Yahtzee, it's essentially solitaire play -- your only interaction is cheering/booing others' dice rolls. It's an OK diversion, I suppose, but I much prefer the other variants: To Court the King, Pickomino.
5/10 |
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Posted On: 2007-04-04 00:33:14
Edited on: 2007-04-10 22:04:29
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4 April ... Day #6
Woke up in time for the Tournament! We played the 1910 rules/cards (different destination tickets, 15VP bonus for most completed tickets). I won the first round, getting about half my points from big tickets -- got lucky and was able to build a main line in the center, from west to east. Didn't do so well in the next game (final round; winners from 5 tables) -- again, the winner got about 70 points from tickets. It always comes down to the tickets -- you'd think I'd learn that! But I don't play the game often enough, I guess! Is it best to draw tickets early on, before laying much of a network?
Oh well, another tourney loss for me; not the first, of course!
7/10 |
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Posted On: 2007-04-04 22:55:48
Edited on: 2007-04-10 22:05:12
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I was planning on going out for some lunch and wanted to squeeze a quick game in before leaving. GaryL, who I've played several games with at SpielByWeb (but never in person; just met him here!) was also free, and suggested this. It's the basic game, but tinified -- so cute! The one problem with this version is that the scoring track is difficult to use: the pins are small and easy to drop, and the numbers are hard to read (blend into the background too much).
I'm not an especially good player, probably not much of a challenge for him, but still it's a fun game! And we played it in about 10 minutes, too!
6/10 |
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Posted On: 2007-04-04 22:58:47
Edited on: 2007-04-10 22:06:48
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Well, everyone had been ignoring the food vendor in the back of the room, until today. All of a sudden, it seemed to be the thing to do -- maybe because it had suddenly gotten COLD here and no one wanted to spend too much time out there? After my hot pulled pork sandwich, which was apparently the way to go, I found Ava and Ulrich just finishing a game of some prototype. We wanted to play one of the newly available Viking games - Fire and Axe: A Viking Saga, but I couldn't find it anywhere. While Ulrich was off on an errand, Ava and I played a quick game of Gnip Gnop! It's just a toy, really; a dexterity game where you're racing to pop 3 ping pong balls from your side of the toy, through 3 little holes, to the other side. It's a lot of speedy tapping on levers trying to get your aim just right -- a fun way to kill about 3 minutes or so!
I won, humiliating Ava  !
6/10 |
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Posted On: 2007-04-04 23:04:24
Edited on: 2007-04-10 22:06:33
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GtR has what I think SJ is missing, and that is a fun-factor. SJ seems a bit dry at times, whereas GtR is just as interactive on others' turns, but has different goals for points as well as the normal route. I keep both, and look forward to Race for the Galaxy, and will keep both, but when asked to play one or the other it is GtR for now that I choose. I like the idea also that so few own the game, and I have to provide it if it is to be played in my vicinity.
GtR has what I think SJ is missing, and that is a fun-factor. SJ seems a bit dry at times, whereas GtR is just as interactive on others' turns, but has different goals for points as well as the normal route. I keep both, and look forward to Race for the Galaxy, and will keep both, but when asked to play one or the other it is GtR for now that I choose. I like the idea also that so few own the game, and I have to provide it if it is to be played in my vicinity.
I think I agree, although I'd like to play it again. It seems a bit difficult to learn at first, but then the system starts working and the game flows pretty well. I was hoping to get it off the Prize table as my second pick, but I just barely missed it! There were 2 copies left and Alan moved them to the 3-for-1 table!