Session Report April 3, 2007

Attendees (4): Steve, Andy, Joel, and Michael

We gathered at Steve's with a small group since it was Spring Break week here in Atlanta.

Nexus Ops

We got out Nexus Ops and started battling for control of the Moon. This is a light war game that encourages attacking and avoids the "turtle" strategy that is common in many war games. Victory Points are only earned when you attack and win a battle. The units are colorful (a bit neon) and flavorful of outer-space creatures. Each turn players purchase units (similar to Axis and Allies), place them on the board, and attack their opponents in order to claim victory points and capture mining spaces that earn additional income. There is also a Monolith in the center of the board that can be controlled by a player earning that player 2 energize cards that give various special abilities. Energize cards are also earned when you lose a battle if you are attacked so that the loser of battles gets some small reward. The game is fun and gets into the action quickly after a little bit of exploration. It plays in about 120 min or so once you understand the rules.

Joel and I fought each other most of this game while Steve and Andy did the same across the board from us. I tried a brief invasion of Andy's territory but was squashed by his Rubium Dragons. Andy took control of the Monolith from Joel and played some big victory point cards to pull out the victory! Final Scores: Andy 12, Michael 9, Joel 8, Steve 6.

Pirate's Cove
Argh! This is definitely a well-themed boardgame. You get to move to various Islands, build up your boat (Hull, Guns, Crew, and Sails), find treasure, bury treasure on Treasure Island, and visit the Tavern to drink and brag about all your Pirate adventures. Of course you have to avoid the other Pirates and the Black Pirate too or else you may have to fight them and try to damage their vessel before they sink your ship! This was my first time playing Pirate's Cove and it was a lot of fun (even though it has a lot of luck). Andy was the best Pirate as he sank the Royal Navy in one volley from his Six Gun Salute!

Final Scores: Andy 34, Mike 27, Steve 26