3rd August 05.....................................................13 Players

With a turnout of 13 we decided to run one table in the bar downstairs. I always lead these summaries on a head count because it will make my job easier come the day I go through noting the attendance and how it has changed over the months. I might even get around to working out an average weekly attendance and putting this at the bottom of each of the monthly web pages.

We had new member Chas with us on his first visit. I gather Chas had fun and will be back.

Power Grid – 90 minutes

We played on the German side of the board. I ended the game on the 7th turn. My city count went 1, 2, 5, 5, 10, 11, 17. I powered my 5 cities on the 3rd and 4th turns using just one 2 coal plant, coal I was picking up for 2 or 3 Electros a piece. It was during these mid game turns I bagged a healthy amount of money. I think I only brought 5 plants thought out the game, every one a coal plant. Dave was the only player who got to react to me building my 17th city which allowed him to neatly take 2nd place. Mark had a good board position should the game have run another turn. 

Alhambra – 75 minutes

Mark’s table chatter convinced me that Alhambra is a game that has more depth than I had initially thought. I know that building Gardens is a bit of a lame theme but there is plenty of thought needed to play this game well. I particularly like the scoring of the walls at the end of every round because you get that lovely dilemma of enclosing your city to gain a good wall score verses keeping the garden open to allow more flexibility on which tiles you can place.

Just to show I am not a fool (in this regard anyway). I have quoted below the section from the English rules that instruct players to score the walls at the end of the game only:

“In each scoring round, points are awarded to whoever has the most of each type of building. Players are also given points for the length of the wall around Alhambra's at the end of the game.”

The German rules say to score every round and this is apparently how it is intended that it should be played. So the guy who taught me to play this at Baycon (thanks Keith) was right.

Puerto Rico – 90 minutes

Richard is even beating Toby at Puerto Rico. He is becoming unstoppable. Nice result Dean, PR is a tough game to do well at when playing more experienced players.

Quo Vadis – 50 minutes  bgg

Steve can chalk this victory up alongside his Sunken City win 3,000 years ago :)

Mississippi Queen – 90 minutes  bgg

Raj – 25 minutes

Four hands were played and the results combined to give the above totals. This is a neat, simple bluffing game which only takes a few seconds to explain and a few minutes to play.

Carcassonne – 40 minutes

10th August 05.....................................................10 Players

There were 10 of us tonight though I am not sure Ben counts as a full mark in the attendance register seeing as he only played a game on his own.

It was nice to see Lisa. I would love to get ladies to the club either on a regular weekly basis, once a month or just as a one off. One day Karen might be back with us, she is occasionally in touch with me (hello Karen). We would need things to be “nice” if we are to attract the fairer sex. We could look at some more social whole-group filler games like Apples to Apples. Maybe a themed night planned in advance where we just play Settlers or Poker or Ticket to Ride at least then visitors would know what to expect.

If anyone knows of a way to get their partners to come to the club please put your suggestion up for discussion.

There has been some conversation over the last couple of weeks about the suitability of the bar for use as an overspill room. For one off use it is ok. It is only really going to become an issue should we regularly get over 12 players. I am keen that if the club is to grow further that it should be free to do so without folk feeling they are putting us out by being the “one person too many” in the upstairs room. The message we need to put forward is that we have lots of capacity and everyone is welcome. We need the attendance to double again before we can seriously consider renting the function room. This is not an impossible prospect. It is a wonderful that the venue provides us with different room options.

Ra – 60 minutes

First Epoch was the longest with few Ra’s drawn. I got out first with a 5 bonus for 3 different civilizations. Dave came out with a lot of monuments. Chris got stuck with no pharaohs. Richard got most pharaohs. Steve got the most rivers. Richard must have been ahead at this point.

Second Epoch was unremarkable. I think Chris again got least pharaohs again. Richard was probably again ahead.

Third Epoch was the shortest. In a 5 player game the monuments are shared out more than when there are fewer players which reduces the impact of the end of game monument bonus. I think we all got monument bonuses of about 10 points.

This was a pleasant game of Ra, though not as dynamic as usual, with our positions set in the first epoch and not changing through to the end.

Ticket to Ride Europe – 75 minutes

This is the 3rd time I have played the Europe version Ticket to Ride and it was my favourite session to date. There was no going round after round drawing cards blind off the deck which I find happens a lot in the basic version of the game. Steve won without drawing extra destination tickets. Steve and I both got the longest route bonus.

Formula Motor Racing – 30 minutes

* I Presume ;-)

Ben happily played this on his own while the adults played PR. There was half a game of Niagara played towards the end of the evening which Ben did join in with but it was not finished or scored.

Puerto Rico – 100 minutes

This playing of PR ran a bit longer than usual. I have mislaid the scores. I know they were low. Matt was busy shipping lots of corn via a Warf. Dave and Chas drew for third place but Dave had more doubloons which is the tie breaker. This was Chas’ first ever game of Puerto Rico.

17th August 05.....................................................10 Players

10 of us tonight. There was a pleasant laidback atmosphere with the games starting a little later and finishing a little earlier than usual.

We have Debbie coming over next week with her soon to be released game “Cash Trap”. There is a web site with more details on the game www.cash-trap.com. I will not be around myself and unfortunately several others are off as well but hopefully there will be enough people about to see the game played a couple of times with different players.

In the Shadow of the Emperor – 120 minutes

There was a little discussion after the game about who came the most second. You all get equal points but for psychological reasons I have put Richard at the bottom of the table, it gives us all hope.

Niagara – 40 minutes

I had an evening playing with Steve’s two wonderfully polite and gentle children. They really were a pleasure to be with.

Sunken City – 40 minutes