After an inexcusable delay in compiling Border Board games game logs, BBG returns with this installment of the July Olympics of gaming. In addition to the usual crew of Kim, Homer, Beth, Dennis, St. Jay Mike, Mike O and I Rob popped in and Andrew returned for a second visit to the Derby Line Village Hall. Things got off to a fast paced start as we whipped out our newest game Toc Toc Woodman. The smash hit Korean game went over well even if some of us, most of us actually, never saw our scores rise out of the range of integers.
After a few rounds of Toc Toc we split up into two groups to tackle Thebes and Black Gold respectively. Kim, Homer, Rob and I plunged into the deserts of the Near East to plunder the treasures of the ancient world. It being Rob's first time playing, he appeared to be off to a strong start handily dishing out treasures. As it turned out, his luck would eventually dissipate like a mirage and soon he was pulling nothing but sand. Indeed, we began to suspect that Homer was the evil Sand Djinn sucking us down into his vortex of sand and despair. Who needs treasure when you can enjoy a beer on the beach? It eventually came down to a contest between Kim and I. Having scored a five point show on the final turn of the final year I was able to pull out a two point victory 58-56.
Over at the Black Gold table Beth, St. Jay Mike and Dennis drilled for oil. Dennis would emerge atop the heap amassing a sizeable fortune before the oil barons arrived. beth finished a close second while, as Mike exclaimed in his own words "I finished a distant fourth." In a three player game, such results are particularly dismal.
As the Black Gold game wound down, the Thebes table turned into a game of A La Carte. Kim, Rob, Mike O and I attempted to create the most resplendent dishes possible out of cigars, elephant trunks and beret wearing octopus. Rob demonstrated his early mastery of the game with Gordon Ramsay-like precision and attention to detail. Though it took him some time to get used to the "one shake" mechanic of the ingredient containers, he turned out three perfect dishes to earn his Michelin stars and victory. Indeed, he only ruined one dish and that early on. It was the first time that I have ever seen a victory by stars.
Next up we split again into two tables featuring Lords of Waterdeep and Le Havre. In LoWD Rob, Beth, Mike O and St. Jay Mike squared off to see who would rule the city. Rob would emerge victorious with a fair margin of victory. The table then set about playing a round of Thebes with Andrew, St. Jay Mike, Mike O and Beth heading to the desert. St. Jay Mike possessed the finest collection of Egyptian antiquities anyone could ever hope to see. Sadly, his collection paled in comparison to Beth prodigious talent at public speaking. On the strength of a pittance of treasures and a solid hold on the Congress cards, Beth ran off with the win.
Meanwhile, Kim, Homer, Dennis and I ventured into the shipping trade with Le Havre. Being a fan of Agricola, we thought this might be right up Dennis' alley. As it turns out, it was. Dennis boasted an impressive array of buildings and cleverly sniped the docks away from me and my mighty merchant marine. Homer, as per usual, constructed a fine fleet of steel ships falling just short of the time necessary to build the HMS Homer luxury liner. In the end Dennis claimed the win with a sizeable hoard of francs.
So concluded the July Border Board Games game night. Based on post-game chatter, it seems highly probable that Age of Empires III, Agricola and Bang! will be featured at the August game night scheduled for August 18th at 6 p.m. in the Derby Line Village Hall.
Showing posts with label Black Gold. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Black Gold. Show all posts
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Witches, oil barons and treachery oh my!
The March edition of Border Board Games saw the return of a lost son and a visit from the southern marches. We were pleased that Rob was able to rejoin us and Bradford Brad journeyed north to join our merry band. Also stopping by for the first time in ages was daniel, the chess guy. I'm sure Shannon remembers him well.
We started the evening with a round of base set Dominion that featured Brad, Beth, Rob and myself. It's been ages since we broke out Dominion and, not surprisingly, some of us had gotten fuzzy about what exactly each card did. Our card set up was also less than ideal lying sometwhere between a bastard and a punch in the face. We had only two 3 value cards and the awful thief made an early appearance. Needless to say, coin was scarce in the latter goings with Rob the only player to acquire more than a single Province. Despite being cash poor, my witches proved brutally effective clearing out the Curse deck as a way to spend a quick finish. As it turned out, despite his collection of Provinces, the big pile of purple cards dragged down Rob's final score allowing me to squeak in the victory.
Next up was a game of Black Gold, the newest addition to our collection. St. Jay Mike took one for the team replacing Dennis at the chess table. It's still a fairly new title for us but it is a surprisingly simple game to play. Hudson Oil appeared to fall on hard times throughout the game with its prices yo-yoing between average and terrible forcing most of the bid battles on Jet Oil and US Oil. In the end, a key win for Brad gave him the edge and the win. Despite a slow start including a noticeable lack of oil derricks, Dennis rebounded nicely to snag second place on the strength of a solid position of hi train in the final round.
Our final game of the evening proceeded after the departure of Brad and Daniel, one headed south, the other north of The Wall. Shadows Over Camelot, aka The Traitor Game, was the choice of the night, both because of its ability to accomodate a large number of players as well as not having hit the table in a long time. Not surprisingly, once again I was dealt the traitor card. For a game with so much randomness, it is positively uncanny how often I am selected to try and sabotage the efforts of the noble knights.
My efforts would be quickly foiled, however, since only a single lasting sepcial black card ever appeared, Morgan, and it was eliminated in a single round as the Saxons were routed from England's shores. The knights proved frightfully effective capturing both Excalibur and Lancelot's armor in addition to completing a few other quests. Though I remained undiscovered until the end, the loyal knights had banked sufficient white swords that even a sudden reversal of fortunes was unable to swing things my way.
The next edition of Border Board games will be the BBG Roadshow in Lyndonville. To everyone else it will be known as Spring Meltdown. We return to the Derby Line Village Hall for the May game night.
We started the evening with a round of base set Dominion that featured Brad, Beth, Rob and myself. It's been ages since we broke out Dominion and, not surprisingly, some of us had gotten fuzzy about what exactly each card did. Our card set up was also less than ideal lying sometwhere between a bastard and a punch in the face. We had only two 3 value cards and the awful thief made an early appearance. Needless to say, coin was scarce in the latter goings with Rob the only player to acquire more than a single Province. Despite being cash poor, my witches proved brutally effective clearing out the Curse deck as a way to spend a quick finish. As it turned out, despite his collection of Provinces, the big pile of purple cards dragged down Rob's final score allowing me to squeak in the victory.
Next up was a game of Black Gold, the newest addition to our collection. St. Jay Mike took one for the team replacing Dennis at the chess table. It's still a fairly new title for us but it is a surprisingly simple game to play. Hudson Oil appeared to fall on hard times throughout the game with its prices yo-yoing between average and terrible forcing most of the bid battles on Jet Oil and US Oil. In the end, a key win for Brad gave him the edge and the win. Despite a slow start including a noticeable lack of oil derricks, Dennis rebounded nicely to snag second place on the strength of a solid position of hi train in the final round.
Our final game of the evening proceeded after the departure of Brad and Daniel, one headed south, the other north of The Wall. Shadows Over Camelot, aka The Traitor Game, was the choice of the night, both because of its ability to accomodate a large number of players as well as not having hit the table in a long time. Not surprisingly, once again I was dealt the traitor card. For a game with so much randomness, it is positively uncanny how often I am selected to try and sabotage the efforts of the noble knights.
My efforts would be quickly foiled, however, since only a single lasting sepcial black card ever appeared, Morgan, and it was eliminated in a single round as the Saxons were routed from England's shores. The knights proved frightfully effective capturing both Excalibur and Lancelot's armor in addition to completing a few other quests. Though I remained undiscovered until the end, the loyal knights had banked sufficient white swords that even a sudden reversal of fortunes was unable to swing things my way.
The next edition of Border Board games will be the BBG Roadshow in Lyndonville. To everyone else it will be known as Spring Meltdown. We return to the Derby Line Village Hall for the May game night.
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