1.
With 7 players
in total, we split into 2 groups. On
table 1 a group of 4 players played “WALLENSTEIN”
at Alistair’s request. This game is a conflict game which is played in a total
of 8 rounds, the rounds representing 2 years, each of 4 seasons. Each round the players secretly place their 10 action
cards face down on their personal display for subsequent
execution. In a clever bit of design these cards are multi-purpose, as they can
be used to gain income, construct buildings, grow wheat or increase military
strength. Once players have completed this task the control deck is shuffled
and each action numbered 1-10 is performed in turn. The player’s action cards
for the round are taken into consideration and resolved. This means that
players build houses, palaces etc and gain influence in certain regions, they
build up military strength for later conflict to seize control, they get money
to buy things, or they store wheat to feed their people at the end of the turn.
One of the
unique features of the game is the way of settling conflict. The game contains
a tower with ledges inside it, into which the competing players throw their
military units and the cubes which drop out into the tray at the bottom
indicate the result of the battle. Some cubes ‘stick’ in the tower, whilst some
left from previous conflict suddenly descend, which often leads to a surprising
result. It’s tricky deciding in which turn to take money, or exercise conflict,
and all the time as you expand your empire you need to have enough wheat to
feed all your people! The scores for area control , most buildings in a region,
most buildings of each type etc are taken at the end of each year, i.e. after
round 4 and 8. Alistair chosen wisely and with just a little luck he scored a
whopping 24 points in Year 1, which compared favourably with Roger’s 4 points,
but the latter suffered badly in conflict. Alistair also won year 2 with a
further 23 points, so he ran out a clear winner with 47 points, to Tony’s 35,
Paul’s 22, and Roger’s demise continued and he finished with 8 points.
2. Table 2 saw 3 players engaged in “WINDS OF PLUNDER”, a pirate game about sailing
around the Caribbean and visiting ports to enhance your fearsome reputation. In
doing so the players gain victory points and either increase their weaponry,
increase their crew strength, gain provisions or obtain a map of Buried
Treasure (this is a pirate game after all). However the game resolves around the
direction of the wind and in a clever system mechanic at the start of each turn
the players secretly dial up on their compass which direction they want the
wind to be for the next turn and ‘vote’ with a series of wind cubes. When all
players have done this the result of the vote is declared and that is the wind
direction applied. In this way some players may not get to go where they want,
and can even be landlocked. Each player
then sails to their next port and receives the appropriate resources for doing
so. If they wish they can plunder other players resources! They then perform
their choice of 3 Action Points to gain cards, or play cards, or gain extra
wind cubes. The game plays in 9 rounds and the leading player shifts constantly
throughout the game. Richard and Mike were running very close throughout until
the final round when Richard gained a large number of points, sufficient to
pass Mike and claim victory. Luke struggled at first after being landlocked
twice , caught up in the middle game, only for Richard to scupper his recovery,
the dastardly seadog!!
3.
Table 2 then played “METRIC MILE”, at Mike’s request, as he had turned a ‘pencil and
paper game’ into a board game about the classic athletics distance. In
the game players are dealt 2 famous athletes who all have different movement
abilities, depending upon which Running
Mode they are in, and indications of stamina, and a like or dislike of leading
the race. In current race running order the players choose the Running Mode
each turn in reaction to their position in the race, and throw 4 dice, 2 of
which determine how much stamina they expend that turn. The other 2 dice are
added together and the result compared with their athlete’s table of movement
for that mode. The player’s pieces are then moved around the track to indicate
the status of the race. The game plays in 10 turns, with the 4 laps represented
by turn 1, then turns 2&3, then turns 4,5 & 6, and finally lap 4 by
turns 7,8,9 &10. Sprinting gives the athletes a much larger movement but
can only be employed in Lap 4. If a player runs out of stamina they must
consult the Tieing-up chart and they slow down dramatically. The winner is the
athlete who advances furthest around the track. As he knew the game it wasn’t
surprising that Mike won the first game but only by 2 spaces from Richard, with
Luke a distant 3rd, but he had suffered some bad dice rolls. The
players decided to have another race and Luke resolved to save his Irish athletes
stamina for a Sprint finish and he was justified in this as he came storming
through from the back to gain a memorable victory. The game can be played by up
to 8 players and is a good simulation of the real thing as you have to
constantly alter your decision depending upon race condition at the time of
your go. Those with a lot of stamina might try ‘Forcing’ the pace to make the
others play catch up but if they lose a lot of stamina in doing so they have to
‘Ease’ back to have enough left for the Sprint finish.
4.
Some players then left at 10.30 so the 4
remaining players played the card game “HATRICK”
to end the session. The cards depict baseball caps in 3 colours Red, Blue and Green
and the players want to win tricks such that they gain lots of cards in one
colour, as these are positive points, but not in the other colours as each card
counts as a negative point so they have to keep this in mind when playing a
card to a trick. There was only time for 2 rounds so not a complete game but at
the end of play Mike had scored 18 points to Alistair’s 12, with the other players
a remote 3rd and 4th.
Games played and Winners
were:
Wallenstein
Alister Gittins;
Winds
of Plunder Richard Piesse;
Metric
Mile game 1 Mike Oakes;
Metric
Mile game 2 Luke Williams;
Hattrick
Mike Oakes.
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