I'm also not making any requirements that every day be a different game, as we have some years. So, there may be a few days where I do play a quick game of For Sale with the kids, just to get a game in before going to bed.
Here's how the first week went!
Sunday, 1 September 2019
Sunday afternoon Brent came over to play Nautilus with me and Amanda. The funny thing is the game used to belong to Brent! He won it at Fallcon (in a raffle) played it once with his kids, years ago, then is sat on his shelf for years... So a couple years ago he brought it as his contribution to the prize pool for Freezerburn and I won it. Every time I've played it, Brent has come over to play it with me - so he's gotten to play the game MORE since he gave it away.
I've played it with the kids (and Brent) a few times, but never got in a game with Amanda. I figured she'd like it so suggested it as an option when Brent was asking if we'd like to play some games over the long weekend.
It is a fun little game - we got to build an underwater research station and send little subs out to look for things on the bottom of the ocean. I like the mechanics as you gain points for developing the station and you get points for finding things out in the ocean, but your final score is the product of these two numbers! So you REALLY have to balance the two of them or you will be left in the dust (can you be left in the dust in a game involving water...? Left in the wake, perhaps...?)
I ended up with nine points for research and eleven for stuff I collected up under the sea for 99 points (plus four for the remaining money I had) for a total of 103. Amanda had a lot of stuff she'd collected up from the sea bottom, but did less developing of the station and ended up with only 56. Brent totally rocked it scoring 165!!!
After Brent left Amanda and I played a quick game of Century: Golem Edition. For some reason this is the ONE game that Amanda doesn't totally trash me at... I'm not sure why....?
I ended the game with 99 points!! I think this may be my highest scoring game yet!!!
Amanda once scored 93 - one of the two times she's won. We've played this game 27 times, so far. I'd say it was definitely one of the most fun for dollars spent deals we've gotten!
While I was making supper, Amanda and Keira sat down and played a quick game of Patchwork.
Monday, 2 September 2019
Monday evening Amanda and I played 7 Wonders Duel again.
We actually TIED with the points!
I ended up winning as the tie-breaker is points in Civic (blue) buildings! Woo! She had so much money at the end - so glad she didn't get the Moneylenders Guild that popped up at the beginning of Stage Three - otherwise she'd have gotten ANOTHER SIXTEEN POINTS!!!
Tuesday, 3 September 2019
Tuesday evening, Amanda and I played a quick game of Patchwork.
Oh yeah, I totally played my best game so far! This was before I removed buttons for empty spaces - so my final score was 22! Woo!
Amanda just couldn't get buttons on her quilt... so when she scored she didn't pick up all that many and just didn't have enough to pick up the pieces she really wanted all game. At the end there was a piece Che could have fit in that would tie us up (at least for the number of empty spaces) but she just couldn't afford it...
Not that I'm developing any sort of killer strategy or anything - I think it had a lot to do with luck (for me, anyway...).
Wednesday, 4 September 2019
Back over to Kurtis' to play another game of Perikles, less John (who was there when we played two weeks ago).
Playing with less than five was a slightly different experience as you got to pick up five influence tiles instead of four... which put more influence in cities and gave you more armies to put out for battles... mind you, it gives your opponent the same, so...
The first two rounds I didn't get elected in ANY cities, so I got to play the Persians. It seemed like it might be an interesting strategy, as you don't have any cities that will suffer losses... mind you, you don't get any statues erected in any cities either, which can make your end point tally suffer... Ugh... just not getting this game. I like it, but I'm terrible at it... Kurtis, Brent and Darrin scored 57, 55, and 53 respectively.... me? 35...
Thursday, 5 September 2019
Thursday evening I played a quick game of Necromunda with Amanda - just to introduce her to the rules BEFORE we start our campaign on Sunday!
It was a quick 6-on-6 tunnel fight in Sector Mortis.
Both trying out our gangs for the first time. She's playing Escher, I had Delaque.
Smoko bombs and photogoggles means I can see you, but you can't see me!!
I took down her leader on the first turn... it went downhill from there... Not as quickly as one might assume, however, this is Amanda we're talking about - they all went down kicking and took two of my gangers with them (actually I only took three out of action, the other three bottled out and called it a day...).
Super stoked to start the campaign on Sunday!!
Friday, 6 September 2019
Friday our friend Laura came over to play a few games with the family. We started off with a game of Monarch just before Amanda got home (who had stayed pretty late at work... because... Amanda...).
Once Amanda was home and fed, she joined us all for a couple of games of Dixit. I've had to play a few games of dixit with the kids and, I gotta say, Dixit sucks as a three player game. I won't play it with less than five. But with five or six it's a GREAT game! Keira rocked the first game leaving us all in the dust.
By the second game I got into my stride (or... got lucky!?) and totally took that one!
Are there any games that you will ONLY play with a certain number of players (even though the game can, in theory, be played with more or less)? Which ones? Why?
Afterwards Amanda, Laura and I played another game of Monarch.
I started off going for Culture, but ended up with all the pretty dresses and felt pretty fabulous about that! I also ended up tying with Amanda! It was a SUPER close game, with Laura only being a couple points behind. I am always amazed with how quickly she picks up games and does terrifically well at them!
Saturday, 7 September 2019
Saturday Afternoon, Finnegan ran the second session of his new D&D campaign. Only half of the players were able to make it today. He was originally going to run a one-shot of something else - so they other players "didn't miss out on anything". I suggested that They should be aware they're going to "miss out on things" if they can't commit to showing up on a regular basis. Those that DID show up, showed up to play D&D - if that's what THEY want to play... that's what he should probably run for them, since THEY made the effort to come out! I understand when a player whose character is key to success in a particular adventure can't make it (though I generally try to devise adventures that DON'T REQUIRE any one in particular to show up - unless I know it's someone who will ALWAYS be there... or if only one player shows up...)
What is YOUR Role-Playing Game Quorum? What is the minimum number or percentage of the party/group that you will run a game for? I feel like it's two... Or I was thinking maybe for groups of six or more, (x/2)-1 where X=number of players in the group? (which is still two at 6 players... and I'm really NOT excited about running a game for MORE than six players)
In the evening I played a couple of games of Patchwork with the Grrlz.
First I played with Amanda - and I think I played my best game - so far - at least in terms of coving up the board!
I only had eight empty spaces. It was pretty awesome! Although I ended with only 25 buttons - less the 16 points for the empty spaces was 9 points. But it was enough! Amanda ended the game with 32 buttons, but had 14 empty spaces and so her final score was only 4!! Woo!
My celebration was short-lived, however, because my next game was against Keira, and she's like a little Patchwork Shark!
Ugggghhhh... just couldn't fill spaces OR get buttons... ended with 13 buttons, but FIFTEEN empty spaces for score of (-17)! Yikes!
(Actually looking at our boards we ended with the same number of buttons on our quilts - but she got more earlier and I picked up most of mine later in the game...).
Keira, on the other hand, ended with 30 buttons... and only seven empty spaces (even LESS than I had in that previous game, of which I was so proud) and ended with a score of 16 points!
Well played, little girl, well played....
And that was my first week of the September Game-A-Day Challenge! Success!
Coming Soon to Tim's Miniature Wargaming Blog:
Necromunda!! I'll probably have a report of the first games in our Necromunda Dominion Campaign we're starting Sunday (tomorrow!) evening... Plus a whole post on the background for the campaign and info on our starting gangs!