Saturday, May 26, 2007

Session Report May 15, 2007

Attendess(12): Barbara, Michael, Steve, Troy, Cheryl, Warren, Sharon, Danielle, Chris, Jeremy, Andy, and Andrew.

We gathered at our house this week and got in quite a few games.
We started the evening off with Bang! This was Chris' first game and he was eliminated before he even got his first turn! I went to greet others and let him take over for me. It turned out that Chris (Outlaw #2) finished with a shoot-out against the Sheriff (Cheryl) after Andrew (Renegade), Jeremy (Deputy), and Chirs (Outlaw #1) were eliminated. This one ended in a cliff-hanger since I haven't found out who won... maybe next episode will reveal the exciting conclusion.

Barbara, Sharon, Steve, and Troy got started on this under-appreciated Knizia game. Most complaints I have seen on this game involve the luck of the power cards, but my experience has been that they tend to even out over the game and that careful bidding and planning can off-set most bad luck. Steve (45) proved himself worthy of Amun Re just ahead of Troy (43). Barbara (36) and Sharon (27) finished just off the pace.

This is still the highest rated game on BGG and for good reason. It is one of the most engaging, fun, well-themed, and challenging multi-player games ever created. Andrew edged Warren 54 to 53 with Danielle (44) and Cheryl (42) close behind.

I enjoy the changes that 1910 brings to TTR America and feel that it allows for more variety in play and strategy. More North-South routes are viable now and grabbing multiple tickets allows short ticket runs to get the 15pt Globetrotter bonus. Warren returned the favor and edged Andrew 138 to 134. Danielle (113) and Cheryl (82) trailed them in this one.

This is a great introductory game and also a fun one with kids since there is no direct way to mess with your opponent. Barbara pulled out the victory with 7pts, while Sharon had 3, and Troy went over the edge.

I've never played this one before. Steve (99) won followed by Sharon (64), Barb (50), and Troy (32).
I really enjoy this hybrid strategy/war game. It challenges players to build for victory points and attack/defend critical territories in the conquest to be the dominant Shogun in Japan. The game has a lot of randomness that feels like you can control. Combat is resolved with a clever dice tower mechanism that is fast but very bloody so you don't want to attack too often or you will have few troops remaining to defend anywhere. Also, the element of revolts restricts too much growth with very little defense. Lots of balancing mechanisms plus the multi-player interaction makes this a winner for me. Hopefully, we can get playing time down on this one so that it hits the table a little more often. I (52) was fortunate to hold onto the victory over Chris (49) followed by Andy (32) and Jeremy (27).

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