Game Logs: October 18th, 2003
It was a great Fall day in October and nine board gamers showed up to play some games. I'm happy to say that's two more than our inaugural meeting! The nine gamers were Bob, Marvin, Ruth, Dave, Rob, Keegan, Daniel, Josh and Mo.
The kind folks at 21st Century games provided the gaming space. Just as we finished getting Bob through the rules of Union Pacific, Marvin and Ruth joined us so we could play a five player game. They were already experienced and provided some great competition. -- Dave.
Jump To: [ Union Pacific El Grande Illuminati Through the Desert Game One Through the Desert Game Two ]Union Pacific
Union Pacific summary
We started off the afternoon by playing a 5-player game of Union
Pacific. The game was close the whole way. I (Rob) managed to lead
the whole way despite coming in last in UP shares in the 3rd and 4th scoring
rounds. A monopoly position in the Sioux Falls (purple) rail helped me get
off to a good start. Bob, who was playing his first UP game, was able to
take the Sioux Falls lead during the mid-game. Marvin was unable to play
his Denver Midland shares before the 3rd scoring card came up. This could
have tipped the scales as the final scoring was close.
Winner: RobScores: Rob: 96, Marvin: 92, Dave: 90, Bob: 86, Ruth: 76
Ratings: Rob: 10, Marvin: 8, Dave: 8, Bob: 6, Ruth: 7
Average Rating: 7.80El GrandeI've been eager to try out El Grande since I've read some great things about it on the web and since Rob recommended it to me. Bob and I were the first timers so we ran through a mock turn (we made it a mock turn once we realized that Bob could've scored 8 quick points with a little more experience). That worked out good and after a few turns Bob and I were in the groove. This is a game where you are trying to dominate (or at least have a presence in) various territories in Spain. There is an interesting supply chain setup where you have men go from your provinces into your court and then on the board. You bid for your turn order which affects the number of men that go into your court (lower bid, more men), but going first allows you to choose the action card of your choice and potentially get more men onto the board. There's a neat "secret" force that is hidden in a large tower and directed toward the land of your choice each time a scoring round occurs. With a little more experience I could have pulled out a real win, but I was still happy to settle for a tie as I was playing with some pretty savvy players. I thought this was a great game and gave it a 9. After a few more tries, I could see my rating change, maybe even up.
Winner: Dave and Marvin (tie)Scores: Dave: 97, Marvin: 97, Ruth: 91, Rob: 88
Ratings: Dave: 9, Marvin: 8, Ruth: 6, Rob: 9
Average Rating: 8.00IlluminatiThis is Dan's favorite game and he was eager to get his friend Keegan in on the action. It was also the first for Mo to play. After a bit of teaching they were on their way.....
Winner: JoshScores: Josh: Won, Mo: 4/5, Keegan: 5/8, Dan: 16/26
Ratings: Josh: 9, Mo: 9, Keegan: 10, Dan: 10
Average Rating: 9.50Through the Desert Game One
Through the Desert
At the end of the evening, just Rob, Marvin and Ruth were left so we pulled
out the Reiner Knizia game Through the Desert. Through the Desert is the
game of placing pastel camels on the board in search of water holes and
oasis.. Since neither Marvin or Ruth had played I gave them a quick run
through of the rules. Despite having suffered through my rules explanation
Marvin won a close game. Ruth and Marvin both commented that they didn't
realize a couple of points regarding scoring.
This was most likely due to my rules explanation and it being their first game.
Winner: MarvinScores: Marvin: 77, Rob: 70, Ruth: 69
Ratings: Marvin: 8, Rob: 8, Ruth: 7.5
Average Rating: 7.83Through the Desert Game Two
Through the Desert
Having quickly picking up on the Through the Desert rules and strategy
Ruth and Marvin far outpaced me (Rob) in our second game of Through the
Desert. Marvin managed to use up all of the pink camels, thus ending the
game, before Ruth or I (Rob) could enclose large areas that would have scored
well for each of us.
Winner: RuthScores: Ruth: 81, Marvin: 72, Rob: 57
Ratings: Ruth: 7.5, Marvin: 8, Rob: 8
Average Rating: 7.83
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