19 for our 6/4/2025 Vehicle Racing session at the Uno Park Community Center in North Adams.

Welcome to Julie’s Step-Mom and Amy’s friend, Star on their first visits.

IN: Steve & Sandy, Ethan & Amy, Tim & Khalid, Julie & Julie, Armando Candy & Gaius, Lauren & Elliot, Zach, Nicole, Rob, Danny, Sean K, Star

DownForce 2x (led by Ethan) 2017 revision of Wolfgang Kramer’s Top Race (1996) (which revised Formel Eins/Nikki Lauda’s Formel Eins/Daytona 500/Detroit Cleveland Grand Prix – from the 1980’s and early 1990’s). In the entire series, players are dealt a hand of movement cards, purchase car ownership via auction to the highest bidder and prize money is earned for placing.  Top Race and DownForce added predicting the winners at 3 strategic points in the race to earn more prize money. The race courses have choke points and card play can be vicious. DownForce also adds driver abilities, which finally were utilized. The base and marina courses were used.

Honey Bears (led by Armando) 1998 Knizia bear racing card game later rethemed as Bucket Brigade. The crux of the card play is that the same card used to move the bears in the race to find honey are also needed to score victory points. One round gets played per player with scores added up. All were fully aware that Bears are not vehicles but Armando went with the familiar for son Gaius’ sake – a wise choice.

Mahjong (led by Sandy) 1850 Chinese tile rummy game. There is a thriving Mahjong community that recently formed at the Williamstown Public Library on Monday afternoons.

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2093/mahjong

Castle Combo (led by Nicole) 2024 tableau building card game. Each player will spend coins to draft 9 cards from 2 open markets on the table, with the messenger pawn, determining which market is open this turn – creating a 3×3 square of people interacting with each other to trigger instant effects and end-of-game bonuses. Each turn, players add a character to their tableau—a seemingly straightforward action that packs a punch regarding strategic decisions. Carefully managing one’s keys will be needed to carefully manage one’s Keys to influence the Messenger pawn at critical moments, as it controls which characters are available for recruitment from two different areas – peasants and nobles. Balancing one’s Gold reserves is equally important, ensuring a player can afford the characters that best suit their strategy throughout the game. Selecting the right characters is crucial to maximising their immediate effects and the points they will contribute at the game’s end. Finally, carefully arranging these characters on one’s 3×3 board is key to unlocking their full potential.  This is a very accessible game and was on the 2024 recommended list for SDJ honors (German Game of the Year). 

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/416851/castle-combo

Knarr (led by Armando) 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.

Steve