Games Night!
Two games Played
New Frontiers one poor guy couldn’t get his economy going
Rebel Princess, now this is a fun one. The round by round twists are great. The fact it’s Hearts++ is a great teahing aid too
5 Likes
I’m glad that the deluxe now includes a “shoot for the moon” deal. Which you can easily back port to your normal edition
Yup, that’s what I’ve done
Railroad Ink, Carson City, Sidereal Confluence, Res Arcana, and… the first one I don’t recognize.
4 Likes
First one is Clans of Caledonia
4 Likes
With Scotch
3 Likes
Played Skyrise (AKA Metropolys 2.0) yesterday. It’s an auction game, but in an unusual way, in that you bid by placing one of your numbered buildings on the board and the next player can pass or outbid you by placing a taller (higher value) building in an adjacent neighborhood so you have to consider both how much and where to bid. This can lead to a lot of shenanigans where people try and bid into neighborhoods with no clear adjacent spaces, to guarantee that they can’t be outbid. The end game scoring is a bit fiddly, which put one of the players off, but the other player really enjoyed it 
6 Likes
I didn‘t recognize Carson city.
Congrats on getting Sidereal played 
But I have one burning question: Why are there meeples looking like little old cars in Clans of Caledonia?
2 Likes
I have now played solos with all the new spirits from Nature Incarnate. I think they are all pretty cool. I have only played most of them once. So I don‘t have any favorites yet.
I really enjoyed my game of Wounded Waters Bleeding. It is a bit on the unusual side—even more than some others! You collect tokens each round depending on wether you had more blue or red in your played cards and then on round 3 and 5 you obtain new innate skills—like a dynamic „choosing“ of aspects. In truth I didn‘t choose circumstances made me go for the red powers. Also, I almost forgot that for the first 4 rounds you have to destroy a presence or forget a card. But I noticed on round 3 and was able to correct my mistake by removing presences that were not needed (I had 2 double presences and had no cards depending on them)
A lot of the more complex spirits generate a lot of fear in the solo spirit mode, so I won several games by activating the final fear card.
This morning I finished my first 2 spirit game in a long time with Wandering Voice Keens Delirium and Towering Roots of the Jungle. Both spirits have Incarna and both push and pull the invaders a lot and then when the invaders are under their influence they simply … destroy them.
Neither is big on Major Powers which doesn‘t make for a boring game. I had a total of 3 major powers only one of which got played once before I got to Terror Level 3 when in the previous round in the slow phase both spirits were able to use their powers to get rid of the last 2 cities—one each, which was a nice symmetry to finish the game. One more fear clinched the victory easily.
What I found surprising about the latest round of spirits was how well they each did in the solo. It was not the same with several of the spirits from Jagged Earth. I have no idea if it is me playing more games, the card / event / power balance subtly shifting or the spirits really being better suited for solo play. I would need to play more 1-spirit games with the older ones to verify.
5 Likes
Those are cows 
2 Likes
Talk about a cattle drive.
5 Likes
And giant war-hedgehogs, or possibly sheep.
5 Likes
New Frontiers again - hyped by last week, we played again with 3 players
Pax Renaissance - another week, another Pax Renaissance. 3 players. Spammed merchants all over the map and voted out kings left and right. Won via Imperial Victory. I fear that the club members might be getting a bit annoyed at my winning streak 
Anno 1800 + Die Erweiterung - 4 players and it was pretty fun. The expansion rules were an improvement to the base game. The new modules are fun too albeit very tactical because of the random card flopping out of the deck.
Boomerang: Australia - draft and write game. At least this is more interesting than the usual “X and Writes”. Still don’t like it enough
Bacon
7 Likes
I introduced High Society to three work colleagues, and then we tried to figure out when we might be free to play Brass Birmingham (which turns out to not be any Friday in the next month, but Tuesdays are apparently promising). I’ve played BB only once, so I’m hoping that I’ll remember some of it.
10 Likes
That’d be the sheep.
2 Likes
What is your take on 1e vs 2e? That debate seems about as fraught as any and there’s no answer in sight.
(Also happy to see New Frontiers growing in the world!)
1 Like
My preference is 2nd edition. I like the small rules update (e.g. no strawman Campaign on your own vassals to easily turn them into republics)
2 Likes
As I’d recently played the other three Helter Skelter factions, it only seemed right to take Nikolai Dante’s team up against the Dark Judges in the Crystal Canyons – the reverse side of the Warlock’s Tower map.
This map is once again replete with low/high ground transitions, but this time I have the winged Viktor Romanov at my disposal, able (given the right cards) to move two spaces at a time while ignoring these level changes.
I wrote a turn-by-turn session report...
Turn 1
This (poorly-focussed) photo shows the remarkably promising start position I found myself in, with every single member of my team within a single space of a fragment of reality!
Jena Makarov and Nikolai Dante are in the north of the map on either side of the canyon walls above one of the fragments. Directly south of them, past Judge Death, Victor Romanov is in the centre of the map, down in the canyon with another fragment lying on the high ground to the west. Judge Fire stands in the north-east, a likely danger to Makarov and Dante. A fragment in the south-west corner of the map should be easy pickings for Elena Kukarin who is positioned next to it. Finally, Lulu Romanov (and her demons) are positioned in the centre on the western edge of the map with Judges Fear and Mortis to her north; all three of them surrounding another fragment, and with the final one lying close by.
One of those fragments required climbing to reach, but I’d placed Viktor Romanov there for this reason (the only character to start on low ground), and right at the outset he was able to fly up and grab the first fragment. This alone cost four cards from my starting hand of seven, so I ended my turn here and drew the maximum three cards.
The Dark Judges didn’t manage to do much on this turn, but after defending a long-range attack I was down to five cards.
Turn 2
I decide to spend just one card to move Elena Kukarin to the bottom-left corner space where another fragment awaits. At this point my plan is to make a grab for a total of three fragments before going for a single kill, which will double that count to the winning threshold of six. Collecting fragments is expensive, though, so I will need to conserve cards for that purpose.
The Judges prove to be more threatening this turn. Judge Fire moves towards Nikolai Dante, while Fear blasts Lulu Romanov (who deflects). Mortis then heads for Jena Makarov, and Death moves towards Viktor Romanov. In their second phase, Fear moves into Lulu’s space (where Fear’s Paralyzing Aura will make it harder for her to escape), and Mortis attacks Makarov who does not defend.
Turn 3
Jena Makarov now suffers the Cloud of Decay for an additional point of damage, due to being in the same space as Mortis, which reduces her to one health point. Briefly torn between retaliating as best I can or sticking to the original plan, I stay the course and send the crippled Makarov down into the canyon to gather a second fragment.
Ending my turn and drawing cards, I find that I’ll need to make a choice between Lulu Romanov (who now has the potential to take down Judge Fear), and Elena Kukarin (who could gather our third fragment, but at the cost of most of Lulu’s attack and defence).
Judge Fire now makes a double-move into Nikolai Dante’s space, and Mortis pursues Jena Makarov – which, in the absence of any interrupt cards, seals her fate on account of the accompanying Cloud of Decay. Dante deflects a shot from Fire, but Viktor Romanov eats a punch from Judge Death.
Turn 4
As Jena Makarov succumbs to the Cloud of Decay, Elena Kukarin collects a third fragment, completing the non-combative phase of my plan, but leaving me with just one card before redrawing. The three new cards include an interrupt and another two attacks for Lulu Romanov, who is engaged in combat with Judge Fear. It seems that Fear will be my target (with Viktor Romanov keeping Judge Death occupied, and Nikolai Dante doing likewise for Judges Fire and Mortis).
Judge Fire blasts Nikolai Dante at close range, and Dante takes the full force rather than sacrifice attack cards for Lulu – who herself absorbs a melee attack by Fear for the same reason. Mortis then joins Fire, putting Dante in a dire situation. I could interrupt and move Nikolai away at the cost of weakening my attack potential, but I think this would only briefly delay the inevitable. Fire now makes an area attack dropping Dante to one health point, and Lulu Romanov takes another melee attack from Fear which likewise reduces her to just one health.
Turn 5
Nikolai Dante now perishes from Judge Mortis’ proximity effect; but in dealing with him, Mortis and Fire have been kept at a distance from the others, and hopefully will not be able to cross the map in time to cause more problems. Lulu Romanov has the attack cards to finish things this turn, but no margin for error – if Fear defends, it will likely be down to Viktor Romanov or Elena Kukarin to try to finish the job. I cross my fingers as Lulu begins her attack…
Fear defends the first strike! However I feel there is no choice but to press the attack and hope for the best – it would take all of my remaining cards to move Lulu more than one space from Judge Fear, and she can still do some serious damage. The second strike is a hit, dropping Fear’s shields. The payoff rests on the final heavy melee attack, which will either drop Fear to a single health point, or else be for naught.
It’s a hit! Lulu is unable to move out, but has left Fear on one health point, vulnerable to defeat.
Drawing cards and finding little in the way of defence, Lulu proves unable to defend against a shot from Judge Fear, and she now falls. Judge Death meanwhile attempts to smash Viktor Romanov. I decide to defend this attack and then interrupt the Judges to move Viktor towards Elena, in case I need both of them to take down Judge Fear. This runs the risk of Judge Death getting involved with Elena, but both of my remaining team members are still at full health, and I feel I’ll be able to weather that storm for long enough, if need be.
I immediately regret this decision, as I have unwittingly moved Viktor into line of sight for Judge Fear who hits him with a long-range attack, which is followed by a melee attack from Judge Death who has followed him, leaving Viktor on only one health.
Turn 6
My fruitless interrupt having starved me of options, all I can do is draw cards and suffer the Judges’ actions…
Miraculously, neither Fear nor Death are able to attack me on their first phase, and I’ve acquired both another interrupt card and a flight option for Viktor. I use both to rectify my earlier error, sending Viktor flying away from Elena Kakarin and back into the centre of the map, out of immediate range of Death, and out of sight of Fear. Fear and Death both make moves, but can inflict no further damage this turn.
Turn 7
With that second successive interruption of the Dark Judges, I am once again starved for cards, and choose to do nothing but draw…
Judge Death continues to chase and attack Viktor Romanov and, with his stiuation looking impossible, I choose not to defend the attack (only to then find that he could have survived the next phase had I chosen differently). Romanov is defeated, and Fear and Death are now entirely focussed on my sole remaining team member, Elena Kukarin.
(Somehow in all of the drama Judges Fire and Mortis have barely moved from the fallen bodies of Jena Makarov and Nikolai Dante, and continue to pose no current threat – quite unlike Judge Death, who barely misses an opportunity to move! The closest the two of them have come to resuming their offensive was when they were near to Viktor Romanov, but down below in the canyon with no line-of-sight for an attack.)
Turn 8
Once again I do nothing but draw cards, and am desperately in need of the attack cards my deck has been withholding from me. Finally expending my deck with this draw and, reshuffling to draw anew, I can see that my fate rests upon… well… fate. I find that I do now have a better hand than before, but I am not yet confident of getting in the requisite two hits on Judge Fear in a single turn, and so things are still looking dicey (especially with Elena Makarov having no ranged offensive capability at all).
What I do have in my hand is an abundance of defence against ranged attacks, and Elena now easily shrugs off a shot from Fear. Fear then moves within one space, but Death moves twice and makes a melee attack. Elena accepts the damage; now down to two health.
Turn 9
At this point I could risk it all on an attack on Fear, but I have no margin for error, and would almost certainly be defeated if I failed. Instead, Elena moves once, to an intermediate cover space between Death and Fear, and yet again draws cards – and finally comes up trumps, acquiring two extra attacks as well as an interrupt. If Elena can just survive the first phase of the Dark Judges’ turn, there is now a good chance of success; but it is very much down to the wire…
Fear now obliges by stepping into Elena’s space and firing, while Death likewise obliges by remaining in place. Elena takes cover to avoid the shot, and then interrupts the Judges’ turn to unload on Judge Fear – and just like that it’s all over. The first hit takes down Fear’s shields, and Elena follows up with a smash attack which Fear does not defend, finishing the job Lulu Romanov wasn’t quite able to complete in turn 5, while she and Viktor were both still alive.
With the death of Judge Fear my fragments of reality are increased to the threshold necessary to banish the Dark Judges to their own reality, and Elena Kukarin stands victorious – a victory which was not remotely so assured as I had anticipated in the early stages, but a victory nonetheless.
I’ve also been pondering two-handing a pair of factions vs either double-health Dark Judges, or the combination of the Dark Judges and the Adventuring Party (who will make opportunistic attacks, but mostly will try to steal the fragments before I can get to them, and only relinquish them if defeated in combat). Or maybe I can use the Unquiet Dead rules to give a single faction a second lease of life. Thematically, there should be something fun to do when Judge Death and the Undead are both present…
3 Likes
Games over the last week:
Cafe, played a quick solo game of this. My score would suggest I still don’t know how to play this game well…
Sprawlopolis
Food Chain Island x2, won my first game of this - thought ‘gosh I hope its not too easy’ - then lost my second rather badly. I think there’s depth here, and it’s so breezy and easy to setup and play it’ll hit the table quite a bit.
Quadropolis, after a rough day this was a delightful escape at the end of it. Our winner dominated with the office towers as we all failed to prevent him from doing so… Good simple fun.
Iberia, played my new copy of this and confirmed it’s basically made base Pandemic obsolete for me. We won, so will definitely add some of those disease variants next time (and maybe the influx of patients mode), pleased to have them in the box!
Scoville, great fun here, lost by one point! So, one of my many overbids for last place basically…
Star Wars Armada, great game of this with a new bud who’s played a hundred plus games of this! I even won as the Imperials! Though mostly due to some lucky rolls on my part. Great way to spend an arvo though. Kinda sad it’s going out of print, but I’m happy with what I have though, so it’s mostly sad for others…
9 Likes