2024 Session Reports

11/13/2024 – Berkshire Gamers Session Report #24-46

15 at the UNO Community Center for a session of closed drafting games (mostly pick and pass)
Our November 20 session will be a request night….please email Steve with your requests so that table leaders can be assigned and prepare to teach. Armando is eager to get Citadels and Under Grove to the table, Amy would like Tim to lead Zimbabwe. Steve would like to lead Mille Fiori and Foundations of Metropolis.
What games did you miss at a previous session that were intriguing? What games do you want to bring and/or lead?
Our November 27 session will be food themed in honor of Thanksgiving.
11/13/2024 @ UNO Community Center
 
IN: Steve & Sandy, Sean, Armando, Tim, Matt, Chris, Danny, Reimi, Rob, Zach, Anna, Julie, Lauren & Elliot 
 
ON OUR TABLES:
Sprawlopolis (led by Armando) 2018 Button Shy city building wallet game where players work together to build a new city from the ground up. Using only 18 cards and a variable scoring system, the game is never the same twice. Each turn, players will play 1 card from their hand to the growing city, trying to score as many points as possible. Players will have to communicate and plan without revealing their own cards in order to most efficiently develop large areas in each of the 4 zone types. Watch out though, the city hates paying for road maintenance so each road will cost players points in the end. When all cards have been placed, the game ends and players see if they have met the dynamically generated minimum score for their game. 

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/251658/sprawlopolis

Inis (led by Tim) 2016 area majority influence game that is deeply rooted in Celtic history and lore in which players win by being elected King of the Island (Inis). Players can try to achieve one of three different victory conditions:
  • Leadership: Be the leader — i.e., have more clan figures than any other player — of territories containing at least six opponents’ clans.
  • Land: Have your clans present in at least six different territories.
  • Religion: Have your clans present in territories that collectively contain at least six sanctuaries.

Over the course of the game, players also earn deeds, typically chanted by bards or engraved by master crafters, that reduce by one the magic total of six for any condition. At the start of each round, players draft a hand of four action cards (with 17 action cards for four players) during the Assembly. Action cards not played at the end of one season are not held for the next. Players also have access to leader cards for the territories that allow it and where they were elected leader during the assembly. Each Assembly reallocates those cards. Finally, they collect “epic tales” cards that depict the deeds of the ancient Irish gods and heroes. These will be kept and used to inspire the clans and achieve extraordinary feats…under the right circumstances. The cards provide a variety of actions: adding clans, moving clans, building/exploring, and special actions.

Careful drafting, hand management, bluffing, good timing, and a precise understanding of the balance of power are the keys to victory. 

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/155821/inis

Bunny Kingdoms (led by Sean) 2017 Richard Garfield (Magic the Gathering, Robo Rally) design featuring drafting, area control and card combos. Players lead their clan of rabbits to glory by gathering resources and building new cities across the land by drafting cards and picking the right ones to position their warrens on the 100 squares of the board, providing resources to their colonies, building new cities to increase their influence, and planning their strategy to score big at the end of the game. Settle in lakesides or fields to collect water and grow carrots, gather mushrooms in the green forest, and climb the highest mountains to discover rare and precious resources… Secretly rally rabbit lords and recruit skillful masters to make cities and resources even more valuable at the end of the game.

https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/184921/bunny-kingdom

Caper: Europe (led by Matt) 2022 two-player drafting game where both players take turns sending thieves to famous locations across Europe, vying for control through special card powers. These thieves have tricks up their sleeves, which players can enhance by adding gear to them. And controlling the locations isn’t everything because priceless stolen goods await the thief who’s clever enough to snatch them first. Win by scoring the most points by winning locations, collecting stolen goods, and equipping thieves with their preferred gear. The mastermind with the most points, tallied at the end of six rounds, wins.

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/328565/caper-europe

Planted: A Game of Nature and Nurture (led by K-ban) 2022 Phil Walker Harding (Sushi Go, Imhotep, Cities, Cacao, Barenpark)  pick & pass card game on the care and feeding of house plants. Players collect their favorite plants and then try to feed them every round with the right combination of light, water, and plant food. The game features 42 varieties of popular and exotic houseplants, each with their own requirements to grow. Players discover various planting tools and decorations to help them raise thriving plants, and score bonus points. 
Lets Go to Japan (led by Anna) 2024 travel game where players plan a 6-day trip to Japan and then experience their own dream vacation. The game consists of thirteen rounds in which players draw activity cards illustrated by Japan-based artists and strategically place them in different days in their week-long itinerary. These can’t-miss tourist attractions will have players bouncing between Tokyo and Kyoto as they try to puzzle out the optimal activities to maximize their experiences while balancing their resources. The game ends with a final round in which players ultimately go on their planned trip, activating each of their cards in order along the way. The player who collects the most points by the end of their trip wins!

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/368173/lets-go-to-japan

Shipwrights of the North Sea: Redux (led by Matt) 2024 drafting, hand management and simultaneous action selection game, set in the early years of the Viking Age, circa 800 AD. As Viking shipwrights, players compete to construct the greatest fleet on the North Sea. Players must collect oak, wool, and iron, as well as getting other craftspeople on board to help. Gold is a precious commodity, and must be spent wisely. The township is filled with an array of characters, bad and worse. Better hope they’re on your side!

The aim of Shipwrights of the North Sea: Redux is to be the player with the most Victory Points (VP) at the game’s end. Points are gained by constructing Longships and Buildings, recruiting Jarls, attracting Heroes, and collecting Gold. Over the course of 5 Rounds, players will draft Village Cards, and must carefully manage their resources and workforce to set their settlement apart as the most glorious amongst all the clans.

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/386366/shipwrights-of-the-north-sea-redux

The Great Split (led by Zach) 2022 card game that combines closed drafting with the “I Cut You Choose” mechanic and set collection. Players draft cards to collect riches such as gems, gold, artwork, and tomes, adding them to their collection to make it the most prestigious of all! Players start each round by splitting their cards into two groups, then pass their wallet to the player on their left — but only one group of cards will be given back to you. While your opponent is looking at your split, you also receive a similar offer from the player on your right, so choose wisely. When your hand is complete, play your cards to add all those riches to your collection.

Each type of riches awards prestige points in different ways, so one should maintain a balanced collection of gems, keep an eye on the value of the art market as it evolves, and pile up priceless tomes. Depending on how each player builds their collection, different riches will take on a different value for each of them. 

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/366752/the-great-split

Steve

15 at the UNO Community Center for a session of closed drafting games (mostly pick and pass) Our November 20 session will be a request night….please email Steve with your requests so that table leaders can be assigned and prepare to teach. Armando is eager to get Citadels and Under Grove to the table, Amy…

15 at the UNO Community Center for a session of closed drafting games (mostly pick and pass) Our November 20 session will be a request night….please email Steve with your requests so that table leaders can be assigned and prepare to teach. Armando is eager to get Citadels and Under Grove to the table, Amy…

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