Acquire (8th)
Alles für die Katz (1st)
Die Fürsten von Florenz (8th)
Liars Dice (1st)
Ohne Furcht und Adel (1st)
Ra (1st)
Settlers of Catan (1st)
Wurmeln (1st)
Zirkus Flohcati (1st)
Ten this time, including five children. And Steve King had come back! I guess we couldn't have been as bad as it seemed. I can't think of anything dramatic that happened, but we got through the following games:
- Ra. Result: TC, SG, DH, SK.
- Settlers of Catan. Result: SO, JO+BH, GC.
- Ohne Furcht und Adel (Citadels). Result: MH, KB, GL, NC, SC.
- Zirkus Flohcati. Result: DH, TC, SG, SK.
- Wurmeln. Result: DH, TC, SG, SK.
- Alles für die Katz. Result: SK, SG, BH, DH, TC.
- Liars Dice (4 games). Aggregate results: SO, GL, JO, MH, KB.
Garry had this to say about the games he played in:
Ohne Furcht Und Adel
This is the second time we've tried this neat card game in the last few sessions. Mick and I had played before; Karl, Nikki and Steph were trying it for the first time. I really like the way the character cards work together. The Assassin and Thief appear very powerful in pegging players back, but this is only successful if you are able to work out what character your target player has picked up this turn. The Soldier is the only way you can guarantee getting at a leader, but that can be thwarted because the Soldier is just as likely to be assassinated as any other character.
In our game, Nikki, Steph and I seemed to constantly be attacking each other's plans, allowing Karl and Mick to build up their districts fairly quickly. I managed to build a couple of valuable districts to try and keep in with a shout. However,Mick was able to use an Architect to build his last 3 buildings, all very cheap efforts that the Soldier would have had a field day with, if Mick hadn't been protected by the fact that the Soldier can't attack an 8 district city (I think the Soldier had been assassinated anyway ). I'm not sure Nikki and Steph liked the cut-throat nature of some of the play, which was the very reason Karl loved it.
Liar's Dice / Bluff
We then had several games of Liar's Dice as nobody could be bothered to think of something better to play. Everyone enjoys this classic. This week's games had two points worthy of note. The first was how quickly Jonathan Ogden picked the subtleties of the game up. Either that or he doesn't know himself when he's telling the truth or lying. He came a close second in three or four of the games we played.
The second was Karl's classic performance at the start of one game, when challenging Jonathan's bid of 10 fours (out of 25 dice) to find there were actually 15 fours, none of which were under his cup. At that point, having lost all his dice on one turn, Karl decided we were not actually playing for money, in contrast to his eagerness earlier on to suggest we should. Come back anytime Karl, Jonathan will be waiting for you.
Eight again today, including another first-timer - John Hague-Moody. Welcome John.
As we split into two, I joined the group about to have another go at Die Fürsten von Florenz. This time we got all the rules right and we knew of the danger of downtime if players allowed the game to drag. Consequently it played much better than last time and, although it still complicated, it is also rather intriguing. I'm still not sure yet, though, whether what I see is the unnecessary complexity or indicates a depth to the gameplay. I'll keep trying. Result: GL, TC, BH, KB.
The others, instead had a game of Acquire, Result: MH, GC, SG, JH.