10/11/2023 – Berkshire Gamers Session Report #23-40
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13 on October 11, 2023 at the Uno Park Community Center in North Adams
(led by Nicole) 2003 set collection and hand management card games collecting automobiles (original game used chickens) and expanding from 2-player to as many as 4-player
(led by Matt) 2023 deck-building and drafting game where each player chooses a side, playing as either the Empire or the Rebels, and as the game progresses both strengthen the power of their starting decks and work to destroy each other’s bases. The first player to destroy three of their opponent’s bases wins.
2x (led by K-ban and Danny) 1995 Knizia game where players play cards in an effort to acquire tiles that are either color-coded or number-coded. Players take turns, first playing a card onto a tile that matches either the card’s number or its color, then drawing to refill their hands. When all cards have been played, each tile is evaluated, and whichever player has the most cards played to that tile gets that tile’s points. After calculating point totals and figuring in bonuses, the player with the highest score is the winner. It plays well with 2 players but shines with 3. There are some similarities to Knizia’s Schotten-Totten/Battleline.
(led by Tony) 2009 card game that has Knizia revisiting Lost Cities and making some interesting changes to play. Players have a hand of cards, playing or discarding one card each turn on piles of the same color then drawing one card. Each of the five colors includes two ‘finishing cards’, and these cards can be played on a stack of the matching color at any time, after which no further number cards can be added to that stack; once five finishing cards have been played, or the deck has been exhausted, the game ends. The important changes from Lost Cities are that one’s cards can either be in ascending or descending order and that playing two same numbered cards earn a player wishing stones. Add your points for groups of cards played and for wishing stones for your final total. I personally like this better than Lost Cities and it can expand to 3 or 4 players.
(led by K-ban) 2008 ‘I divide, you choose’ game with 11-slice fruit pies. With each selection made players decide whether to add slices to their display or ‘eat’ them for their whipped cream.
(led by Tim) 2023 area majority/influence game where players take on the role of a circus director.Your objective is to hire artists and offer performances in various towns and cities with the intention of gaining fame. In towns, features are easy to set up and give you starting resources to upgrade your cast; small cities are somewhat more demanding, but they allow you to come into contact with better artists; audiences in big cities are even more demanding and want to see very specific numbers, but performing there brings you much more fame!
On their turn, players can hire an artist or host a performance.The artist cards grant more or fewer benefits depending on the order in which they act, so one of the keys to the game is planning the shows that will be offered.
If they decide to act, the players must move to a free space on the map. If it is a town, they receive the most basic currency cards as a prize. If you perform in a small city, depending on the number of pedestals you have in your company you can claim more or fewer entry cards (the second most valuable) or fame points. In the big cities, you get a lot of fame points, but the public always demands a specific type of artist.
While your little circus tries to survive, the great and splendid Barnum Circus travels across the country, and when it arrives in a big city, a score is held in that region, and the circuses that have given the most performances there will gain even more fame
(led by K-ban) 2015 is a partnership-driven tile-drafting game in which each tile represents part of a city: factory, shop, park, landmarks, etc. You work with the player on your left to design the heart of one city, and with the player on your right to design the heart of another city. On each turn you select two tiles from hand, reveal them, then work with your partners separately to place one of those tiles into each of your two cities before passing the remaining hand of tiles around the table.
At the end of the game, each city is scored for its livability. Your final score is the lower of the livability scores of the two cities you helped design. To win, you have to share your attention and your devotion between two cities. The player with the highest final score wins the game.
(led by Armando) This 2020 worker bee placement game has players expanding their personal beehive by drafting various honeycomb tiles granting actions that are triggered throughout the game. Each tile represents a different action. Whenever a tile is laid so that it completes a certain pattern, a ring of actions is triggered in whatever order the player chooses. A tile drafted on turn one could be triggered up to three times at any point during the game. It all depends on how the player places their beeples (bee+meeple) and builds their hive. After all, in the honey business, efficiency is queen.
As you continually expand your hive, you’ll forage for nectar and pollen, make honey, sell different varieties at the bear market, host honey tastings, and attend to the queen and her court. There’s only so much nectar to go around, and finding it won’t be easy. Players will have to scout out the nectar field and pay attention to other players’ searches to try to deduce the location of the nectar they need for themselves.
(led by K-ban) third of the Azul series (after base game and Stained Glass versions) released in 2019. The similarities to the original game end with the tile selection mechanism. Score bonus points for completing clusters of 6 tiles in a color with bonuses for covering all lower valued locations on your board. If you’ve essentially ‘solved’ Azul, Summer Pavilion will challenge you while being familiar – all at the same time.
(led by Armando) 2023 game where players will be rolling dice each turn—pressing their luck to score more Chickens while avoiding those foxes.
13 on October 11, 2023 at the Uno Park Community Center in North Adams Our October 18 session will feature two themes – games rated 8.0 or above on BGG & I Divide, You Choose Games. Most 8.0+ games are complex and long….but we can squeeze in a 3 or 4-player game of Root or…
13 on October 11, 2023 at the Uno Park Community Center in North Adams Our October 18 session will feature two themes – games rated 8.0 or above on BGG & I Divide, You Choose Games. Most 8.0+ games are complex and long….but we can squeeze in a 3 or 4-player game of Root or…