GAMING SESSION

A couple of smaller games that we enjoyed playing at the last session:

Gheos - it got some press but then it wasn't heard from much. I enjoy this game where you play gods in setting and changing the land, and thus the fate of the civilizations below. As a player you are not tied to one civilization, but all of them if you choose. You score points from those that have the most power, and that you can manipulate into scoring possibilities that are half random, and half initiated by you. Your strategy can change on a dime as the fates of civilizations rise and fall with land changes, wars and famines. Unique mechanics make it very interactive.

Traders of Carthage - a small board game with great mechanics that make every move effect gameplay and strategy. Players bid for four different goods that are being shipped from Alexandria to Carthage. Every player scores who has the goods that make it first there. Other ships of products can be raided by pirates or sent back on their journey. The cards serve multiple purposes in the game: goods type, amount of goods, currency for purchasing, storage from pirates and coin values for scoring. Must plan for turns ahead to find success.

The Still Small Scratching

We had an "incident" yesterday morning. Caleb, Jonathan & Sarah were playing with our two robo-hamsters (Butterfly and Ladybug) that we got for Christmas '07, when the kids got distracted and one of the hammies went missing upstairs in the boys room. Everyone started freaking out (parents included), and kids tears were flowing, as we franticly started the search. We tore apart the beds, yet carefully as to not squish our little hammy. We systematically moved everything to find her, but to no avail. As I sat on the floor I heard a noise, and told everyone to be quiet as we listened. I heard a faint scratching, and I slowly slid open the closet and out trotted Butterfly, who had somehow squeezed through the sliding doors into the closet. Caleb, relieved as he was the last one to be watching them, tearfully told us how he had gone into the other room and said a prayer while we were searching. He told us that it was a lesson to him, and that we should always listen to the "still, small scratching" of the spirit.

GAMING SESSION

Small report on our last gaming session, we went old school (as far as euro-games go) with Seafarers of Catan. We like playing the basic Catan island with unknown tiles for the other smaller islands. The randomness and replayability of Catan is always a treat as you need to create a new strategy for every game. Settlers of Catan really started the publicity for the new wave of Euro-games that are aplenty today.

Top Ten Card Games

Here are my top ten card games I enjoy playing:

1. Dominion - new card game that is fun to play and is never the same game twice. Out of 25 sets of cards you only use 10 each game, so the combinations are always changing.

2. The Great Dalmuti - fun game of moving up in society for up to 8 players. A riot when you play with different chairs and hats according to ones role.

3. SET - a brain puzzle game that should not be played too late at night or your head hurts.

4. Danish 21 - I learned this game in Denmark using any set of cards. Fun for all as there are only winners and one loser. It is a variant of the game Agurk, which is "cucumber" in danish.

5. Coloretto - a simple card game that has a card collection mechanic that became the basis for the 2008 spiel de jahres winner Zooloretto.

6. Wackee Six - A fast paced card laying game that edges out PIT as one of the most chaos enduced and frantic fun games.

7. Lost Cities - the only strict 2 player game on my list, but challenging and fun with many decisions to make.

8. Illuminati - I used to play this a long time ago, and has many variations, but it is a free for all conspiracy game of alliances.

9. Citadels - fun game for 7 players where you choose a role each turn. Because you don't know each other's identity, you don't know who you effect with your moves.

10. G.I. Joe - the only collectible card game on my list (I loath most of them especially since Magic:TG went corporate and was watered down), it actually went out of print quick preserving its original state before greedy expansions ruined it. Good mechanics and fun to play with the kids.

Honorable mention: Guillotine, Saboteur, Milles Bourne, PIT

Anniversary

February 2nd, 2009, the groundhog poked his head up, stared into the sun, and said, "it looks like there are going to be even better times ahead." 19 years and counting.