Some 2p gaming yesterday
Village Rails, first play. This is a competitive game of laying rail tracks. Your play area is a four by three grid, so you will play 12 cards in total, and seven lines. Every turn you must play a track card. There are always seven track cards to choose from. The one farthest away from the deck is free, but if you choose any other you have to place a coin on each card up to it. On the other side of the track card is a trip, which is a condition you can put on a line for extra points. For example, you may score points for having all straight tracks. There are always four trip cards to choose from, and the farthest one is free, just like the track cards. But it will cost you three pounds to play a trip card. Playing a trip card is optional. You score a line when it’s completed, meaning a track runs from a border piece to an edge of your tableau. When you complete a line, you play one of your terminus cards, which give you money for having certain features on the line, like barns, or particular terrain types. There are five different terrain types. Even if you have none of the required features, you still get three pounds, so you can get enough to play a trip card. I guess this game doesn’t do anything too amazing, but it’s pretty good fun. It’s published by Osprey Games, so it’s available on book depository with free shipping.
The Battle at Kemble’s Cascade. This is a pretty unique game that is based on a shoot em video game, like Galaxian, 1942, and no doubt hundreds more. The bad guys are placed in rows, at 2p the rows are three cards wide, and cards show up to two enemies or obstacles. After your turn the rows scroll down, so the bottom row disappears, and a new row is added. If you’re on the bottom row when it scrolls off, you are automatically moved up, which could be a bad thing. You also gain threat, which based on enemies shooting at you. As you move, you lose threat, which eventually costs you energy (if you run out you explode). There are all the things you expect from a shooter, like powerups, shopping for better gear, and of course a big nasty boss at the end. You can upgrade your weapons and equipment as well. It’s good fun!
Slide Quest, we wanted something quick and easy. This is a dexterity game, where you have to guide the knight through the maps. There are four levers, each one tilting the game board in a direction. We played 2p, so had two levers each. Levels can have traps to avoid, or guards you have to drop into the traps, or dynamite which kills you if you knock it over. Or all of the above. Lots of fun.