Sunday, February 17, 2013

In the morass of 19th century politics, nice gals finish first

This month marked the unveiling of several new games from our collection.  The first to hit the table was the Kickstarter gem Tammany Hall.  History buffs and gamers alike will enjoy this rollicking romp through mid-19th century politics in New York City.  Joining me for the ride were Dennis, Kim, Homer and Mike O.  As this was our first play-through we had no idea what to expect and even less of an idea as to the best path to proceed.

What resulted was bizarre table-talk, double-dealing and treachery.  For anyone familiar with Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery, Tammany Hall maintains many of the same devices of wheeling and dealing.  Indeed, this element is what makes the game shine both for its crisp mechanics as well as a solid social experience.  Dennis and Homer jumped right in securing a deal that gave up wards to one another in exchange for considerations in other areas.  They also were the first to make use of their slander tokens, driving my poor, beleaguered gang bosses out of the largely Italian dominated Lower East Side.

Several battlegrounds emerged throughout the game as the mixture of immigrant populations ebbed and flowed.  As the German and English populations spread, the Italians became increasingly confined to only a few areas while the Irish presence remained hotly contested throughout.  In the end, Kim's practice of keeping her deals and avoiding using slander to best opponents as well as a single, well-timed deception enabled her to pull ahead of her less virtuous rivals and snag the victory.

At the second table St. Jay Mike, Beth, Sue and Noah competed in a good old-fashioned Power Grid throwdown.  Using the Germany map, Beth pulled ahead and St. Jay Mike admitted he saw the writing on the wall. Forty-five minutes before the game officially ended he said he could see that Beth's line placement and generation assets would propel her to the win.

After the first round of games we proceeded to break out At the Gates of Loyang where Beth once again displayed her vegetable mastery.  Though three plays, two being two-player games, Beth's unapparent strategy continued to serve her well.  Though Homer, kim and I managed respectable finsihes (all three of us tied for second place as it turned out), Beth's economic engine prevailed.

At the second table the Mikes, Noah and Dennis ran through a game of Navegador.  I am uncertain how it played through but it appeared that everyone seemed much satisfied at game's end.

I suspect that Tammany Hall will again return at the March Border Board Games game night as well as a few other favorites and new titles such as Urbanization and Netrunner.  I also suspect that if either Agricola or Ora et Labora were to be proposed it is highly likely that they too might hit the tables.