CHIPPENHAM BOARDGAMES CLUB – 08/09/2011

1.       11 players attended so we split into 3 tables. On table 1 Tony led a group of 4 in “COSMIC ENCOUNTER”, the game where each player is the leader of an alien race. The object of the game is to establish colonies in other players' planetary systems. Players take turns trying to establish colonies. The winner(s) are the first player(s) to have five colonies on any planets outside his or her home system. Alister raced to an easy victory, so the group decided to play the game again.

2.       Table 2 saw 4 players playing the card-based game of “LONDON”, which has been reviewed before. Players build their city display in front of them until they are ready to ‘run the city’. This gains them victory points, or money, but also some poverty points. Astute selection of the cards available help to eliminate the poverty points, but you can’t always get the cards you want. Paul established a good display such that he was gaining money regularly and eliminating poverty points at the same time, and he ran out an easy winner.

3.       On Table 3 Mike introduced Richard and Rachel to “LE HAVRE”, which was played last week. With the 3-player shortened version the game took 12 turns in less than 2 hours and provided a good introduction to the game for the new players. Rachel controlled the Wharf and ship building franchises, and also took the commodities that Mike needed, much to the latter’s annoyance!. Richard played the ‘long game’ by storing enough commodities to build 2 steel ships, and late in the game he was able to deliver 2 loads which gained him 24 VP’s, a lot in one go. The final scores were Richard 107; Rachel 95; Mike 89.

4.       Table 1 played their second game of “COSMIC ENCOUNTER”, but the result was the same, with Alister coming out the victor again.

5.       Table 3 played a game of “TICKET TO RIDE EUROPE”, which Rachel had not played before. Mike took an early lead with routes built in the East but the other 2 soon caught up. Richard thwarted Mike by building a link that cut off his longest railroad. This enabled Rachel to build the longest railroad and she looked the likely winner until Mike realised that by ending the game early he could ensure that the others failed to complete some of their city links, and therefore lost VP’s. This duly happened and Mike ran out the easy winner.

6.       Table 1 played “MODERN ART CARD GAME”, which, whilst not as good as the original board game, provided a quick filler. Tim was the winner.

7.       The remaining  6 players then combined to play the ever-popular “7 WONDERS” with Alister playing it for only the second time. This time Richard gained a close win from Rachel with the final scores being 57,53,47,43,43,42.

Games played and Winners were:

Cosmic Encounter – game 1 – Alister Gittin;

London – Paul Bulpin;

Le Havre - Richard Piesse;

Cosmic Encounter – game 2 – Alister Gittin;

Ticket to Ride Europe – Mike Oakes;

Modern Art card game – Tim Havenith;

7 Wonders – Richard Piesse.