I’ve heard very few things about 1987 Channel Tunnel, but every single one of those things made me more interested in this seldom-mentioned game. Over the last few days, I’ve learned quite a bit more about it. First and foremost: it’s easier to get than I had previously realized.
I’ve been subscribed to this game on BGG for a while now; recently I saw it pop-up on a Denver fleamarket GeekList. Now, keep in mind Denver is a good 8 hour drive, and I’m not likely to make it anytime soon, but I figured at the very least, I have a friend who lives there and could likely act as a middleman if it really came down to it. I sent a friendly GeekMail and had a short conversation with the lister-for-sale; he agreed quite readily to ship it to me for a reasonable fee. I was actually astonished at how economical it all was.
Only after this exchange did I realize I could have paid just slightly more and ordered it from the European publisher (and even be, erroneously, charged VAT for my troubles!) Oh well, had I realized this, I probably would have also grabbed 1920 Wall Street (which has also been on my radar, but with even less coverage).
Regardless, a tiny little package arrived today. I knew this game was small… but I did not expect such a TINY little box! I can literally fit it in my pocket, which is good because I’m running out of boxes to pack boardgames!
The tiny box, the reasonably nice components and a clever little 2-player worker-placement-y mechanism has me smitten.
Well, the advantage of buying before we sell is that I’ll have TWO addresses for a while where packages can be sent. So I’m waiting until we actually take possession of the new property before updating any preorders/kickstarters/replacement orders/etc (I’ve maintained a list because I knew this day was coming!)
So, in actuality, since I have two valid addresses for receiving packages, I believe that means I should be ordering TWICE as many things!?
I went into an actual shop today and bought Letter Jam as a borthday present, and Stay Cool- the cognitive overload game by Scorpion Masque about doing two things at once. I’ve called that a work game as I’m going to see if I can use it to teach cognitive load theory (when people can sit in the same room as each other)
Except for the box which has some scuffs–probably from storage on a shelf, my FLGS has a copy of Bora Bora on the shelf that looks worse–this was good as new; the wheels weren’t punched and the cards were still wrapped in plastic I didn’t check prices before I bid but after and found out I paid an okay price for a new El Grande and one expansion (~20€ including postage). I had played before but did the included practice game anyway to remember the rules.
If I was only allowed to keep one Area Majority game, it would be El Grande, got my decennial edition for £40 from ebay. All the expansion cards are still in shrink and it’s the Big Box in a normal sized box.
game big box are usually hard recommends as the boxes are huge for the game inside. Especially Carcassonne.
The “Anniversary expansion”, where each player has a flag counter you place under your knight as a tiebreaker special power. Easy to proxy.
The other one are a small deck of “King and Intrigue” cards called “the Player’s Edition”. Only available in German separately. Not a big deal unless one love to play the “King and Intrigue” mode, like, really often.
I can see it being a big hit with my non-gaming friends, but we shall see. Looking to let a couple into our bubble eventually so that may actually happen sometime reasonably soon.
Gave in, and even though I am not very good yet at it, it is a game that I enjoy playing, so I bought myself a copy of Splendor + Expansion that I saw cheap online… Sales have that effect on me, they tip me over the edge so often.
Just ordered Food Chain Magnate second-hand for the equivalent of $65. A good deal in the land of crazy boardgame prices, and I felt like I should own a Splotter game, even if I can’t see it getting played… ever? Hmm, maybe not the most sensible of purchases.
I didn’t check prices before I bid but after and found out I paid an okay price for a new El Grande and one expansion (~20€ including postage). I had played before but did the included practice game anyway to remember the rules.
