10/16/2024 – Berkshire Gamers Session Report #24-42

18 at the UNO Community Center for Everything Old is New Again Night – games that have stood the test of time and been reissued, re-themed or re-implemented.
Our October 23 session is a request night – email Steve a list of games you’d like to play or lead….new arrivals as well as games you missed the first time around. Rumor has it that Tim is eager to lead the brand new version of Tokyo Highway. Steve has recently received Foundations of Metropolis – the less over-produced cardboard version of Foundations of Rome and is likely to get River Valley glassworks back to the table as an opener. Armando wants to get Under Grove back to the table.
10/16/2024 @ UNO Community Center
 
IN: Steve & Sandy, Sean & Quinn, Tim, Armando, Amy, Zach, Chris, Nicole, Reimi, Rob O. Kelsey, Lauren & Elliot, Tony & Rachel, Edward
 
ON OUR TABLES:
For Sale (led by Zach) Stefan Dorra’s 1997 classic auction card game of Real Estate and Checks that resolves in 20-30 minutes. During the game’s two distinct phases, players first bid for several buildings then, after all buildings have been bought, sell the buildings for the greatest profit possible. The original Ravensburger/FX Schmid 5-player edition (1997/98) has slightly different rules than later English editions (6-players) as the number of buildings expanded from the original 20 to 30. Rounding rules have changed with each edition but the author prefers rounding down. The game got a makeover in 2021 with an automobile theme and an optional extra round that introduces advisors to the mix. Most seem to conclude that the advisors add an unnecessary complication to an already classic, elegant opener or closer.
Category 5/ Take 5 (led by Sean/ Armando) Wolfgang Kramer’s 1994 classic card game 6 Nimmt that accommodates up to 10 players – and the first game we played together at Purple Dragon Games back in June 2021. To pay tribute to Helene and Milton, we played the Category 5 edition which used hurricanes and flags rather than the original bullheads. In all editions the 104 number cards are shuffled with four cards face-up dealt to the table to start the four rows with players being dealt a 10-card hand. Each turn, players simultaneously choose and reveal a card from their hand, then add the cards to the rows, with cards being placed in ascending order based on their number; specifically, each card is placed in the row that ends with the highest number that’s below the card’s number. When the sixth card is placed in a row, the owner of that card claims the other five cards and the sixth card becomes the first card in its row. In addition to a number,  each card has a point value. After finishing ten rounds, players tally their score and see whether the game ends. (Category 5 ends when a player has a score greater than 74, for example, while 6 nimmt! ends when someone tops 66.) When this happens, the player with the fewest points wins!
NY Slice (led by Zach) 2008’s Piece’O’Cake re-themed from fruit pies to Pizzas in 2017. A classic ‘I divide, you choose’ game with 11-slice pizza pies. With each selection made players decide whether to add slices to their display or ‘eat’ them for their pepperonis (originally whipped cream) and avoid penalties for anchovies. Special orders were added in this version as well.
Century: Golem Edition (led by Quinn) 2017 re-themed version of Century: Spice Road set in the world of Caravania. Each turn, players perform one of four actions:
  • Establish a trade route (by taking a market card)
  • Make a trade or harvest crystals (by playing a card from hand)
  • Fulfill a demand (by meeting a victory point card’s requirements and claiming it)
  • Rest (by taking back into your hand all of the cards you’ve played)

The last round is triggered once a player has claimed their fifth victory point card (6 cards with 2 or 3 players), then whoever has the most victory points wins. This is the initial game in a trilogy. If you love Splendor, give the Century series a try.

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/232832/century-golem-edition

 

Puerto Rico (led by Chris) 2011 game where players are plantation owners in the days when ships had sails. By growing up to five different kind of crops – corn, indigo, sugar, tobacco, and coffee – they try to run their business more efficiently than their close competitors: growing crops and storing them efficiently, developing San Juan with useful buildings, deploying their colonists to best effect, selling crops at the right time, and, most importantly, shipping their goods back to Europe for maximum benefit. The game system lets players choose the order of the phases in each turn by allowing each player to choose a role from those remaining when it is their turn. No role can be selected twice in the same round. The player who ends up with the most victory points – achieved by shipping goods and building – wins the game. We played on the original version, but the game has been reprinted with expansions several times. There is also a card game version, San Juan.
Skyrise (led by Tim) 2024 area control/majorities bidding game where players are building a magnificent city in the sky, dedicated to art, science, and beauty.  A very clever spatial auction system is utilized to win building sites, earning favor across Islands and factions, scoring secret and public objectives, courting mysterious Patrons, and building your own unique Wonder. This deluxe crowdfunded design has incredible table presence with 3D buildings and a unique modular board made up of islands. It is inspired by Sebastien Pauchon’s 2008 Spiel Des Jahres recommended Metropolys.
Harvest (led by Sean) 2024 reimplementation of the same title from 2017, that was set in a fantasy world. Players take on the role of a farmer, each with their own unique penchant for working the land, and choose a farmhouse with its own special round-to-round benefit. Each round, players draft sunrise cards that give them a one-time income and determine turn order for the round. Following that turn order, players place their 3 character figures around town to gather resources that they’ll use to manage their fields. Plant seeds, tend the land, and harvest crops to make money and score points. Clear land to expand one’s farm, and construct buildings that make the land more efficient and provide end game bonuses. By the end of harvest season, the farmer with the most points wins!
Archaeology: the New Expedition (led by Quinn) 2016 combination of set collection, drafting and push your luck card game re-implementing 2007’s Archaeology: The Card Game. It was expanded to 5 players and added tent cards as well as additional treasures and monuments. Players are archaeologists, working the dig sites of the Egyptian desert. Search for the right pieces to complete torn parchments, broken pots, and other priceless artifacts. Explore an ancient pyramid in the hope of uncovering a huge stash of treasure! Trade shrewdly at the local marketplace to increase the value of your collection. Sell treasures to the museum at just the right time for maximum profit. But beware, the desert also has its dangers! A devastating sandstorm can throw your expedition into disarray, and cunning thieves lurk around the dig site ready to steal your prize discovery!
The Estates (led by Tim) 2018 reimplementation of 2007’s Neue Heimat, by the same author. Players take on the role of investors seeking to make the most money by developing buildings. They bid for the various building pieces and place them in The Estates to their benefit. All buildings in completed rows score positive points, while all buildings in incomplete rows score negative points. Reviewers call this game MEAN as it is a super brutal, super elegant auction game that lends itself to tons of negotiation, politics, and clever plays.
Steve

18 at the UNO Community Center for Everything Old is New Again Night – games that have stood the test of time and been reissued, re-themed or re-implemented. Our October 23 session is a request night – email Steve a list of games you’d like to play or lead….new arrivals as well as games you…

18 at the UNO Community Center for Everything Old is New Again Night – games that have stood the test of time and been reissued, re-themed or re-implemented. Our October 23 session is a request night – email Steve a list of games you’d like to play or lead….new arrivals as well as games you…

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