11/6/2024 – Berkshire Gamers Session Report #24-45
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17 for a request night at the UNO Community Center…the Presidential Election portion of our session was cancelled, as no one wanted to play based on the previous evening’s events.
Our November 13 session will feature games that use a closed drafting system (usually pick and pass).
Expect to play from among: 7 Wonders, Sushi Go (Party), Planted, Moon, Inis, Between Two Cities, Carnival of Monsters, Caper Europe, The Great Split, Citadels, Let’s Go to Japan, Shipwrights of the North Sea, Mille Fiori, Bunny Kingdom, Kavango, Draftosaurus. …and more
Our annual holiday party is scheduled for December 11….including our very popular prize table. All paid-up members are expected to donate one or two games to the prize table. I will be adding 40 or so games to that (some from my personal collection and the rest from games that friends Drew Davidson and John McCallion recently made available at bargain prices) – resulting in all members walking away with 3-4 games – drafting order selected each round by random draw. Our table leaders will receive separate awards to recognize their contributions to the group.
11/6/2024 @ UNO Community Center
IN: Steve & Sandy, Sean & Wendy, Tim, Armando, Matt, Chris, Tony & Rachel, Zach, Rob, Danny, Reimi, Nicole, Kelsey, Julie
ON OUR TABLES:
Project L (led by Sandy) 2020 charming combination of puzzle solving with engine building. Players start with 2 acrylic puzzle pieces and earn additional shapes by completing puzzles. Players select from among several actions – drafting puzzles, upgrading pieces, placing pieces and the important master building action. The game rewards efficiency in the drafting and in use of their 3 actions per turn. There are two recently released expansions to try, as well as a spin-off similar game in the works called Square One that recently completed a very successful crowdfunding campaign..
To the Rescue (Chris) Prototype card game led by its author
Diatoms (led by Sean) 2025 tile placement pattern building abstract game (crowdfunded version arrived early) where players compete to collect and place diatom shapes into a mosaic form. Players take turns placing tiles representing algae colonies. From that placement they earn diatoms of different colors and shapes which are then strategically placed on their personal boards, taking care to consider how their arrangement will be scored at the end of the game. In the base scoring, players want to achieve matching colors, shape variety, and symmetry along their mosaic’s central lines. A “guest” judge card can be added that brings a unique scoring criteria to the game.
Knarr (led by Matt) 2023 race, set collection and drafting card game. Players are leaders of a band of Vikings that are sent to new destinations. Manage the recruitment of your crew, and choose the best territories to explore. Depending on the destinations reached (for trading or influence) and the Vikings who accompany you, players can increase their reputation to gain even more wealth. On each turn players either place a new member in their Viking crew, activate the effects of all of them with the same icon, and get another one from those available under the matching color on the central board, or they can explore new destinations, with the opportunity to trade with those places and get more gains or reputation.
Tokyo Highway: Rainbow City (led by Tim) 2023 3D dexterity/abstract positional game where players end up with a sprawling almost cityscape of little rubber cars on popsicle sticks connected to some neat little monuments/highway exits.. and is a revised edition of 2018’s Tokyo Highway with new gameplay elements and updated components that make the game easier to play. In this edition of the game, the roadways have small tacky pads on each end, which makes the sticks more stable than in earlier editions when you placed wood sticks on wood columns.
TransAmerica (led by Wendy) 2001 game of route building that comfortably handles up to 6 due to lightning quick turns to connect one’s 5 cities before the other players. We still haven’t added the ‘Vexation’ expansion that adds 3 player colored tracks for sole use of that player… to add to the tension. There was a sequel, the 2005 Trans Europa edition, set on a map of Europe and adding ferries.
Century: Golem Edition 2x (led by Tony/Wendy) 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.
https://boardgamegeek.com/
The Fox Experiment (led by Zach) 2023 Elizabeth Hargrave (Wingspan, Undergrove, Tussie Mussie) co-design drafting and dice chucking game, where players are breeding 5 generations of foxes with 4 character traits required for domestication. The traits are represented by colored d6s along with wild dice. There is also drafting that is similar to that in Cities – for parents of both sexes as well as for turn order positioning for the subsequent rounds. Trait tokens are earned that can be used to gain several advantages on each player’s board. Point salad scoring in a tense 5 rounds.
Hamlet: By the Lake (led by Tim) 2024 expansion to 2018’s tile and route network game, where players take their village building lakeside! Form lakes, build boats, go fishing, and feed Villagers seasonal meals that give them special abilities. Hamlet: By the Lake adds variability, customizability and more individual control of resources, taking the strategy levels for Hamlet well above sea level.
Potion Explosion (led by Wendy) 2015 set collection and pattern recognition game where players take an ingredient marble from the dispenser and watch the others fall. If marbles of the same color are connected, they explode and can all be taken as well. Complete your potions using the marbles you collect, and drink them to unleash their magical power. Remember, though, that to win the Student of the Year award, being quick won’t be enough: you’ll also need to brew the most valuable potions!
Banana Republic (led by K-ban) 1993 memory and bluffing card game where players use money (foreign dollars and the local bananas) to bribe voters to gain power. Players can use Killers, Bodyguards and Journalists to influence the votes. 20-30 minutes of card placement s mixed with peeking at either previously placed face-down cards for a single voter or of the actual voter’s value. There is much laughter when the cards are revealed at the game’s end.
Sushi Go Party (led by Tony) 2016 8-player version of the 2015 Phil Walker-Harding card game, that provides more Sushi choices for greater variety in this classic pick, pass and play family game. Pick a sushi card and add it to your tableau and pass the rest to your neighbor….rinse, lather and repeat until all cards dealt are played. Each type of Sushi scores differently. The base game is a great introduction to our hobby with very friendly artwork. Once explored, the world of 7 Wonders and other closed drafting games become easier to navigate.
Steve
17 for a request night at the UNO Community Center…the Presidential Election portion of our session was cancelled, as no one wanted to play based on the previous evening’s events. Our November 13 session will feature games that use a closed drafting system (usually pick and pass). Expect to play from among: 7 Wonders, Sushi Go (Party), Planted,…
17 for a request night at the UNO Community Center…the Presidential Election portion of our session was cancelled, as no one wanted to play based on the previous evening’s events. Our November 13 session will feature games that use a closed drafting system (usually pick and pass). Expect to play from among: 7 Wonders, Sushi Go (Party), Planted,…