10th Aug 2009 Session Report: 1st Ever Mass Gaming Session, Well Sort Of...

I have always desired to organize a boardgaming gathering at my place where multiple games run simultaneously. However, it has been difficult to find a regular time slot which is convenient for my friends and thus most of my gaming sessions have been restricted to a series of single games. I figured that this public holiday, I would attempt to get more over for games and in the end, there were 8 of us in total. However, different ones came later in the day so it took awhile before we got the second 'table' going.

Alhambra (Van-132, Ben-125, Me-115)

We started with Alhambra which was part of the trade of Twilight Struggle. I have heard good things about it as a gateway game. It didn't disappoint...I think. I realized that quite a number of turns were just spent taking currency and the game didn't get interesting for me till I started having difficultly piecing my estate together with the various buildings purchase. As the game progresses, the choice of buildings to buy takes on a different dimension as one needs to not only consider the building type relative to the number owned by your opponents but also whether its walls can fit nicely into your estate. All in all, a fine addition to my collection despite me getting routed in the game. Van won the inaugural game with 132 points while Ben and I had 125 and 115 points respectively.

Railroad Tycoon (Me-64, Van-59, Weilong-43, Xiumei-42, Ben-28)

With 5, I brought Railroad Tycoon to the table, desiring to see if there would be more conflict with an additional player compared to my first play. It wasn't much better and I suppose the sheer size of the map does allow you to largely build up your own network of tracks without much disturbance. I managed to dominate much of the north-east despite Weilong's presence, which gave me a lead I didn't relinquish. I rushed for the starting goals and managed to complete the major line from Boston to Washington.

I opted to keep the Major Lines in the deck this time round to avoid overwhelming the new players. The only rules I changed were for the auction and railroad cards. We played the auction so that the first player to pass would start last and so on. Only the first player had to pay his/her bid but the last player from the previous round would have to start the bidding. As for the railroad cards, I only revealed cards equalling the number of players together with the 3 starting cards, and introduced 2 new cards per turn. I didn't want the new players to be discouraged by all the information they had to read right from the start so as to allow them to familiarize themselves with the mechanics of the game. The game took about 2 1/2 hours which wasn't too long for 5 players but I would have appreciated something heavier for the time invested.

Meuterer x2 (Xiumei - 34/33, Me - 33/32, Lijie - 30/23, Ben-15/27)

We proceeded to split into 2 groups after RRT. I introduced Meuterer to my group while Van played Glory to Rome with Mun, Fang Ting and Weilong. Xiumei complained during the rules explanation that they were hard to follow and promptly went on to win both games, pipping me by a point in both. Playing this time with the correct rules, I noticed how the psychological aspect came into play. Choosing whether to reveal your conflict cards during the play of ware cards can be an important decision in garnering support or serving as a bluff. The order in which one plays his/her ware cards can also be important in ensuring the Merchant is left for you. While my issues with the game expressed in the earlier thread remains, the game has moved up a notch in my book regardless.

Glory to Rome (Van - W, Weilong, Fang Ting, Wai Mun)

Didn't hear much of the game except that Weilong and Van were both vying for a victory by Forum, which Van succeeded in finally.

9th Aug 2009 Session Report: Aye Aye Captain!

Traded Twilight Struggle recently for Alhambra and Meuterer. Had to make a small cash top-up, prob not the best deal in terms of finances I made but considering how TS wasn't gonna be easy to bring to the table, perhaps this will turn out to be a wise decision in the long-run.

Got an opportunity to pull out Meuterer for a play at a friend's BBQ. I had read the rules the night before but forgot to bring them along, which led to us playing a couple of rules wrongly. Firstly, I mistakenly thought the Mutineer moves the ship anti-clockwise if the mutiny succeeds. Apparently, I got it mixed up with the Pirate ship, but like the Captain, the Mutineer moves the ship clockwise so it's possible for the Captain and the Mutineer to pick the same destination for the ship to dock. Secondly, I assumed that once the mutiny is activated, each player starting from the Captain can play a maximum of one conflict card. A closer reading of the rules when I got back indicated that while each player had only one opportunity to add cards, they could add any number of conflict cards still in their hands. I was glad that I got the rule wrong because the actual rule made the game far more tense and interesting. While the mistakes were nothing game breaking, it would have been nice to get them right the first time round. Van ended with the win with 30 followed by Simon with 28, while I and Sylvia took up the rear with 26 and 15 respectively.

I thought that the game was good value, and packed some tactical depth for its supposed price and playtime. However, I did wish the wares deck came with more cards so that the deck needn't be reshuffled every round. It also gives the sense that one can sort of predict the kind of cards being dealt each round based on what was played two rounds ago. Nonetheless, I don't think anyone approached the game that intensely. The game also did seem somewhat random at times although I guess that's fine for a game of such short playtime. I realize that your ability to score points each round is heavily tied to the cards you receive. If you receive several conflict cards, then go for the Mutineer or defend your captaincy, choosing the island with the most points to dock. If you get a long suit of a particular good or goods, then grab points from selling them, taking the Merchant to break the tie if necessary. I know I'm approaching tactics somewhat shallowly, and timing plays an important part in getting the character desired but there were occasions I obtained 5 cards of different goods, and I resigned myself to scoring minimal points that round by taking the First Mate or Cabin Boy. This is probably the most unsatisfactory part of the game where there are times the card draw leaves you practically helpless. It would be nice if there was an opportunity to score more points regardless of card draw even if probability was low.

Lastly, the game supposedly plays well with 4, and only 4. While versatility is appreciated, I usually try to play games with the numbers they play at so this wasn't a deal breaker in any sense. Still, a game this portable with a short play-time and some depth seems a keeper. While the rules aren't easy to explain, most people do get them after a trial round or so.