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Gathering Threepeat
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Obviously, this was our third trip to the Gathering. Last year's summary is here. I'd initially bought tickets for a Friday arrival, but things actually began on Friday! So we payed our fees and changed the dates so we could maximize our gaming opportunities! Fortunately, we weren't on Skybus (which went bankrupt and suddenly shut down, leaving several Gathering attendees stranded en route, or in Columbus)! We were on American, which had its own problems later in the week: one of their plane types were grounded for inspection in the middle of the week. Fortunately, the planes turned out to be fine, and American had caught up on getting travelers to their destinations; we had no problems at all on the return trip. We arrived Thursday evening (April 3). Ken very kindly picked us up at the airport Robin, his finacee, was supposed to be arriving a bit before us. We'd planned on having dinner together. Unfortunately, her flight was a bit early and ours was rescheduled and arrived a bit late; so she'd already gone home! Thanks for driving us, Ken!! Mary and I helped with some of the setup (the badges/gift bags), but that was about it ... the first (and only?) night we went to bed at a decent hour!
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Posted On: 2008-04-16 14:06:55
Edited On: 2008-04-16 15:22:49
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1 , 2 Next »
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This was the first game of the event for me, and had 2 plays total. Before playing Brass, I'd thought Wabash was the best game of '07. It's still in the top 3, I think (along with Race) ... I just wish the published map wasn't so butt-ugly! TedA thinks the game is best with 3, but I'm not so sure: I hate being the one forced to keep the other guy in check (Attika syndrome). The game plays so quickly, though, that it should be easy to get several plays in, with a varying number of players. My guess is that 4 or 5 will be ideal, where you have a lot of competition for shares, and multiple train lines get built and developed.
I've seen a few different versions of the map out there, some prettier than others. Both my plays were on a pretty map  , about 45min each.
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2 Comments []
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Posted On: 2008-04-16 14:10:05
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In the Year of the Dragon
4/4/2008, 10:57 (67.9 min)
FTF
1 play, although I did teach it later to a different group. It's a decent game, but I just don't find myself having as much fun while playing it as I would have hoped for. Maybe there's just too much pain? I like building things up, developing an engine; in this game, the cogs (people) are throwaway -- use them when you need them, then toss them for whatever will help you with the disaster that's coming up next.
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1 Comment []
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Posted On: 2008-04-16 14:11:12
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Die Dolmengotter
4/4/2008, 14:49 (13.8 min)
FTF
1 play. An oldie that got overshadowed by the other Eggertspiele game released the same year - Antike. The board isn't particularly inspiring, but the gameplay is smooth and simple and quick.
Me: 59 (rank: 2)
JaffG (first play): 46 (rank: 5)
SophieG (first play): 58 (rank: 3)
PeterE: 60 (rank: 1)
PhilippE: 57 (rank: 4)
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1 Comment []
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Posted On: 2008-04-16 14:11:51
Edited on: 2008-04-16 14:12:02
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Lehman prototype
4/4/2008, 15:21 (117.3 min)
FTF
1 play. Fun, but needs some rules streamlining (which it apparently got; I wish I'd gotten to try it again!) and a lot of graphic design changes (it is a proto, after all!). I like several of his designs, but there sure are a lot of icons in this game!!
Me (first play): 21 (rank: 1)
JaffG (first play): 13 (rank: 5)
SophieG (first play): 16 (rank: 3)
PeterE (first play): 16 (rank: 3)
TomL: 17 (rank: 2)
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3 Comments []
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Posted On: 2008-04-16 14:13:34
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5.
Brass [Average Rating:8.08 Overall Rank:25]
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2 plays total, and 2 losses. I also taught it to a group at the end of the Gathering (although I'm not sure how well: at least one of the three seemed to be pretty confused!). I'd started recording a rules summary for my "podcast" before the Gathering, and will hopefully finish that some time soon.
This is a great game, strongly thematic and very engaging throughout. It's lighter and more forgiving than Age of Steam, so I'd expect it to have a wider audience. Unfortunately, there are a lot of rules and exceptions, which may make the first game a somewhat painful learning experience. |
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0 Comments
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Posted On: 2008-04-16 14:16:25
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Posted On: 2008-04-17 11:57:35
3 player is good, 4 player is also good but is much more focused on emergent player alliances. 5 starts to dim for me though I can understand how/why some people like it.
True, but only Wabash didn't involve drawing cards, so that wasn't much of a contest was it?
I think they're all 3 pretty good games. Brass has a few too many rules. Wabash is butt ugly and expensive. Race is a little solitaire-esque. Of the 3 though, I've found myself playing a lot more Race, so I suppose I should give the nod to it.