All the Rage and Amazing: Small World!

So, a new game came out about two weeks ago called Small World.

Some stores can get it, some can’t. It’s a remake of the game Vinci, which I had never heard of, but everyone talks about it. This game was designed by the same designer, only this time, with a Fantasy twist. I thought it looked interesting, and the design work on it is par none. But I put it off because the one guy who kept trying to get us to play it is someone I don’t like playing games with. But when Blue Highway Games announced that it would be the tournament game this month, I decided to check it out.

I went out on the game’s website at Days of Wonder. There I was able to download the rules and read them through. Which I did, several times. Overall, a very simple game. You get to choose a starting race (out of fourteen) each of which has a special rules. Each race also gets another randomized special rule out of twenty. Then you start invading the world. Thing is, you only get so many tokens for your race. (You get a starting number from your Race, anywhere from Dwarf (3) to Ratmen (8). You also get an additional number based off your other special rule (anywhere from 3 to 5.) There are a couple of races that get more through other various means. Once you’ve spread your race too thin, you send it into decline, and grab a second race and start invading more. Careful though, if you spread yourself too thin again, and you choose a third race, then the first that went into decline disappears forever. Unless you have a special rule that states otherwise. When you go into decline, the old race is simply an invadeable place holder, unless you have the Ghouls, aka Zombie, who, when they decline stay at full power and continue to lumber forward.

Overall and incredibly fun game. I wants it!!

Funny thing is, now that it is the Tournament game, everyone in the store is buying it and talking about it. Very exciting, to say the least. Please go check out this great, learnable, and infinitely replayable game.

Eeking out a Living

So, having traversed, as I always do on Fridays, to my local gaming store, I played a new game, and have decided to officially announce a new Gamer Terminology. That is “Eeking.” What is eeking? Let me explain no no few words.

Last night I played a game I’ve been wanting to play for some time called Khronos.

the purpose of the game is you take you two time travelers between the Age of Might, the Age of Faith and the Age of Reason. In those time periods you spend your cards and cash to build small, medium or large buildings that are Castles, Cathedrals or civic buildings. 

The thing is, to travel back in time takes money, and having buildings to your name makes money. If you build something in the age of Might is automatically exists in the future. But if you build in the past over where something else will be in the future, it makes the piece that was there cease to exist. Sounds fun huh? The goal of the game is to have money. It takes money to make money, thus, at the end of the game you don’t have a lot of money. Thus, you must “eek out a living.”

Two games I have mentioned before, Agricola and Shadows over Camelot help to portray this “eeking” as well. At the end of the game of Agricola, having worked hard to feed your family, you score your points based on all you accomplished. The thing is, you will have accomplished little since you have to feed you family. Thus, you “eeked” out a living. In Shadows Over Camelot you all work together to attempt to hold the tides of darkness at bay. “Tides” of darkness is a good representation, because it is like holding back water with nothing but a trowel. You work and work and work as darkness continues to close in on you, thus forcing you to “eek” along. 

I’ve begun using this word as a descriptive of games when I talk to others, saying, “Yeah, Khronos was very Eeking.” And you should too.

-Game Gorilla out

Catan Tourney

So, last weekend, at our Local Games store Blue Highway Games my wife and I played in a Settlers of Catan Tourney.

This required a simple $5 entry fee and our bodies present. (Bringing my own copy of the game for the store to use got me a free soda and candy too!

With everyone set up, they randomized tables for each of us and had a preset map. I played a game against three others players, only one I knew. Another player, who we shall call Snape was quite the jerk. Frankly, from the get go my enjoyment of the game was ruined. See, when he wanted to trade, he would stick out his jaw and almost snarl his plan. “I have a sheep I just got, I’m going to trade it to you for two wheat and a brick. Take it!”

Then, once you said never mind he would continue to hold it out with a look of “by all that is unholy I’ll kill you,” in his eyes. And, if you were able to avert your eyes, he would shake his head with a “gosh, what an idiot.” I then refused to trade with him, ever. Needless to say, I lost. I had 3 pts. I know. That’s bad.

My wife had ten victory points in her hand when another player won instead, so she took second.

The tourney runners then placed each player at a table reflective of their ability (all the #1s sat at a table with others, #2s with 2s and so-on) This meant I sat at the table of the #4s, e.g. losers. I had a much more fun game. Fairly co-op for a Catan game, trading fairly, and no problems. I still only got 6 pts, and lost. Yep. #32 of 32.

My wife though, won her second game. It took a lot of deliberating to figure out who went to the final table, basically, because my Wife tied in victory points with two others for fourth seat, and it went to the third tie-breaker, based on how well other players did against those players in prior games. Needless to say, my wife was the fourth seat at the final table. The other three guys, (including the jerk from my first table) were al, we found out later, from Olympia, and came all the way north for the tourney. my wife had played the board before (it was, in this case Catan:germanies,) which justified the other players to pick on her whenever 7s came up. Still, even with them stealing form her left and right, she held her own, and earned her own 9 points when the three of them began pickering over longest road. First one guy, then another, then a third took longest road, which guaranteed his victory. The other three, including my wife, tied for second. Took the pot for 2nd 3rd and 4th and split t three ways.

Yes, my wife, who was reluctant to play in a tournament in the first place took second, and I took last. I’m so proud of her.