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Games I'm Playing
Crokinole
We recently purchased a Crokinole board from Sawdust-Jim on eBay, and it arrived in great shape. We transported it to Tom and Dana's house for some gaming, and Tom and I sneaked in two early games. Tom, who's never played Crokinole before but who does own Carabande, smoked me twice in a row, winning 105-55 and then 130-60. It was humiliating. After Mark and Amy arrived, I managed to exact a small measure of revenge by teaming up with Mark to defeat Tom and Dana, 50-40 in a shortened game.
Villa Paletti
Tom and I played this building game which won the 2002 Spiel des Jahres as Germany's Family Game of the Year. Actually, it would be more accurate to say we played with it since we really just tried to build as high as we could. Eventually, Tom (who, I feel compelled to point out, has a degree in physics) placed a piece in such a way that there was no way I could do anything. I tried, and the building collapsed much like those implosions you watch on television when major structures are brought down -- the top floor fell, then there was a momentary pause, then the next floor fell, then a pause, then the next floor...
Wheedle
Dana's a fan of Pit, so we thought this Pit variant might be a hit. It's an interesting game, sort of Pit turned into a stock game (instead of commodities) with one company always being bankrupt. But Wheedle, although I still recommend it for fans of Pit, just didn't catch on like I thought it would. It does move quickly and so we were able to play two 5-player games.
Scores (game 1): Mark, 48; Erik, 47; Tom, 36; Beth, 31; Dana, 25.
Scores (game 2): Beth, 46; Erik, 44; Dana, 39; Mark, 38; Tom, 33.
Can't Stop
Mark loves this Sid Sackson classic, as do Tom and I. But ever since I once won on my very first turn (that would be in the spring of 2002) -- sealing off the 6, 7 and 8 columns -- I really can't stop. So this game ended with Mark winning by controlling 8, 9 and 12. Tom had captured the 10 column, and I had captured... none.
Fist of Dragonstones
Tom won a 6-player game of this new design from Bruno Faidutti and Michael Schacht. You definitely have to enjoy blind bidding games to like Fist of Dragonstones (full review), which I do. Tom won by earning one point early and then cleverly positioning himself for the two-point card. The general feeling around the table was that there are better auction games, so I'll probably have to find other gamers to play with when I'm ready for another round of this one.
Settlers of Catan
We played a 5-player game of Settlers, and my strategy of producing as much brick as possible while securing control of the 2:1 brick port didn't do nearly as well as I had hoped. I love this game, but have never won...
Amy won this game, mainly because Tom let it be known that he would win if she didn't and so Mark offered her a sweet trade to ensure that Tom didn't win another game.
Scores: Amy, 10; Dana, 9; Tom, 9; Erik, 6; Mark, 6.
Wrap-Up
Tom, the one among us who always appears to be a bit clueless about what's going on in any given game, always wins more than his fair share. During this get-together, he won four games (Crokinole twice, Villa Paletti and Fist of Dragonstones) and most likely would have won five if he hadn't revealed that he was about to win Settlers. So if you ever play games with Tom, don't be lulled into a false sense of security by his "my only strategy is to win" speech.
Board Games Survivor Island - Amazon Edition
This week in the Board Games Survivor Island game, Modern Art was eliminated. We're now down to just six games remaining -- so next week all five remaining games will merge into one tribe.
Games I Can See While Sitting At My Computer
There just hasn't been much action around the computer lately. Lots of piles of paper, few games. Cave Troll is nearby, as is Sunda to Sahul.
Game Review of the Week
The Rio Grande Games / Kosmos line of two-player games is filled with winners, and Odin's Ravens is no exception.
About Board Games Forum Post of the Week
From JulesPeck:
Boardgames Poll of the Week
Which version of Carcassonne is your favorite?
Last Week's Poll Results
Which of these games, rated highly by Randy Cox, do you enjoy most?
It's never too late to add your vote!
About Something Else Site of the Week
Did you ever wonder what happens to POWs when they are returned to America, like Army PFC Jessica Lynch? About.com's Guide to the U.S. Military, Rod Powers, tells us here.
Green Bay Packers Notes of the Week
The Packers signed Kabeer Gbaja Biamila to a long-term contract this week, wrapping up their last targeted free agent. Packers defensive end Vonnie Holliday, an unrestricted free agent who had five sacks in one game last year but otherwise had a pedestrian season, is still available. However, the Packers are starting to bump up against the salary cap and need to keep room free to sign their draft picks. If they find a way to re-sign Holliday, it will have been an extremely successful off-season in terms of free agents.
Other Off-Topic Thoughts of the Week
Is it just me, or does Phone Booth, starring Colin Farrell (Bullseye from Daredevil), look fantastic? Keifer Sutherland (second straight SMG mention for Mr. Sutherland) has the perfect voice to be the guy on the other side of the line. And although some critics are panning it, the folks writing reviews for The Wall Street Journal, the Baltimore Sun and the Chicago Tribune all praised it. Roger Ebert gives it 3 stars out of 4. Heck, it's only 81 minutes long -- so even if you don't like it, at least it doesn't cause the same amount of pain as, say, AI (146 minutes).
What's That You Say?
Talk back to SMG in the About Board Games Forum.
--Erik Arneson
5 April 2003
I have a question re: the Vampire Hunter board game. I wonder if there are any suggestions for helping with the fact that you have to play it in almost total darkness. It makes it very difficult to see. I was wondering if using a black light would help? Has anyone tried anything that works? Your advice is much appreciated!
Post your response in the About Board Games Forum.
Vote now!
