We are nearing the end of basketball season for both boys (young men?). They've both progressed very well this year, and I've been able to spend a lot of time shooting games with various lenses (thanks to Pro Photo Supply rentals).

Matthew is playing on the Sherwood 7th grade classic A team in the most-competitive Three Rivers 3A division. They are seeing some very tough competition this year, and Matthew at 6' tall is finding himself looking up to other players in about half of their games. His team has several tall post players which has allowed him to play at least three different positions fairly regularly and helped further his development. The team isn't having quite the success they had last year, though they have won two tournaments and finished as runners-up in two others.

Jacob is enjoying his first year of high school (freshman) basketball and has truly surprised us with his development. He is regularly scoring in double digits and garnering similar numbers of rebounds. I think I've seen him take one shot outside of 8 feet all season, so everything is coming inside the paint and much of it through hard work on the offensive boards. He's developed a soft touch with a jump hook as well.

Unfortunately Jacob suffered a mild concussion after taking an elbow to the jaw last Friday night so he'll be out for this week at a minimum, and he may miss the rest of the season. This doesn't diminish the great progress he's made this year and I know he'll be back to play again next year.

Gaming, but obviously not blogging. Let's talk about a few recent sessions.

Matthew and I dug out Duel of Ages with the first two expansions and it was good. The components could be nicer, the cardboard tiles are warping in their old age, but the game was enjoyable though not terribly interactive. I think we fought against each other 2 or 3 times. Still, the time limit approach to the game keeps it bound and we think we'll keep this one around.

One of my un-played games was Risk 2210AD, a highly regarded Risk variant set in the future (oh, 200 years or so I guess). I can see why folks like it - similar to the Lord of the Rings Risk it is time-bound and keeps everyone moving. The special technology cards add a nice twist as does the moon, though only Matthew and I spent any time there. I think if we want to play Risk we're more likely to pull out Lord of the Rings.

Over the holidays we did a bit of family gaming and broke the shrink-wrap off of Buy Low Sell High. Classic but in my opinion underwhelming Knizia here. Maybe because I finished dead last?

Ken and Brandon came over for day of gaming and we enjoyed the cooperative game Red November and our first-ever play of Pacific Typhoon. Red November is a gnome-oriented (!) submarine survival game. There isn't much depth there but we had a good time, though I'm not I like the "bail out" option a gnome can take towards the end - seems to break the team spirit and doesn't feel as right as a the traitor in Shadows Over Camelot.

Pacific Typhoon is the redone, Pacific theater version of Atlantic Storm, a game I've never played. We all enjoyed it and I'd like to explore it some more to see if there's a durable game in there.

JD, Ken and tried out Hansa Teutonica, the only game I purchased at BGG.CON. I see why people are raving about this game - many ways to score points, quick turns, the game flows very well. Be warned though that this is a dry, mostly themeless classic Euro game. Writing this does make me want to pull this out again for another play, though.

A couple of weekends ago I ventured up to the GameStorm game day in Vancouver WA for some 18xx action. Chris Shaffer was kind enough to teach two full groups how to play the recent Mayfair games new look at 1853. Did I mention that my game group has gone a bit 18xx crazy lately? They have, and so have Jacob and I. In fact I might try to talk both boys into some 2038 action this weekend.

1853 is a bit wacky but very enjoyable. It has a very unique (to me) opening auction technique with sealed bids that determine the seating order (and initial priority deal). Folks overbid by much early on and we did a restart, but in the restart I was essentially forced to start a minor company. I had fun operating in the south and working my line up but was aided greatly when Chris Shaffer started building his hybrid line down south to join me. This opened up my minor to some big runs, and I raided and dumped the last major company to get some nice trains. The wackiest parts of 1853 (relative to other 18xx) are that dumping shares doesn't bring down the stock price, and you aren't obligated to hold onto a company if you are the director and sole shareholder. I managed a win by a small margin. It was great to play with some old friends and I think I'd like to add this one to my collection. The bits are very pretty but I wouldn't say the game was designed for function - some issues with colors and differentiation.

I'm only about a month late on this wrap-up. Maybe two.

Though my trip to the convention was shortened by a day and a half due to work commitments, I had a great time and experienced a great mix of the old and new (with more emphasis on the old this time around). Again, I did most of my gaming with good friend Jim Ginn.

Great Stuff

We the People - This is becoming an annual tradition for Jim and me and arguably has been the highlight for the past two years. This is just a great, simple card driven game that seems extremely well balanced. We both can't wait for Washington's War to come out next year. This time I played the American colonies and emerged victorious, partly due to some amazing card draws early in the game. Jim did a valiant job of trying to keep up, and even with that advantage I had some hard choices in the final turn to ensure my victory.

Havana - This is the card game derived from Cuba and I played twice. More expensive than it should be, this is still a fun little game with an innovative action selection and sequencing mechanism.

18AL - We played about 1/2 of a game on Sunday morning with the amazing graphic re-design by XYZ. This was Hamzy's first time playing 18xx and I think he enjoyed it enough to get the bug.

FITS - Brilliant Knizia design that feels like Tetris combined with Take it Easy. I love the different phases in the game that present unique ways to score. Got this one for Julie for a Christmas gift and she enjoys it as well.

Steam - My first time playing the new Mayfair / Wallace version of the classic Age of Steam. We played with the advanced rules and I think the streamlining choices were appropriate.

The Pillars of the Earth - Hadn't played this in two years and really enjoyed this play. A game that probably registers negatively with me because my first two plays were with the German cards and we would fumble through with translations, this is better than I have given it credit for.

Roll Through the Ages - I still wonder why I don't own this game - great quick fun with surprising depth for (just) a dice game.

Just Good Stuff

Power Struggle - This new Essen release was just OK for me. I think it felt too much like other Euros I've played and it didn't grab me. The mechanics seem solid though.

Homesteaders - I'm certain I need to give this another try and the comparisons to Lehmann's Phoenicia are accurate I think.

Canal Mania - Love the game, hated this instance of playing. We had three competent players and one, er, incompetent player. Every freaking turn he would ask again what his possible actions were and even by the end of the game I think he still didn't understand the basics.

Roma II - I love Roma but I'm not sure I see enough here to warrant a purchase. It felt like a redoing of the same game with some different cards and powers, though the extra action possibility seems like a nice addition.

My niece Meaghan and her husband Nick are in town for the weekend, up from Monterey CA where they are both attending the Defense Language Institute for a series of intense Russian language courses. We had intended to spend a few days out at the coast but decided instead to hang around Portland and explore the city with them. We were at a bit of a loss as to what to do on Friday (anything but shopping, right?) when Julie saw a timely Oregonian article on pub crawling in Portland with nod to bar games that even Jacob and Matthew might be able to play. What better way to give some guests a feel for Portland?

We started a Blitz Ladd in SE, a great sports bar that made me wish we had something similar out in the burbs in Sherwood. Unfortunately the shuffleboard is off-limits to minors but that didn't stop the adults from playing while Jacob and Matthew looked on. Make sure you order the tatchos (tater tot nachos) if you go there. The scottish ale was nice too.

Next up was the Green Dragon, a bar I'd heard about many times and was happy to finally visit. The shuffleboard table is in the main area so playable by the kids, but unfortunately it was in use the whole time. Fortunately there were three pinball machines and a copy of Apples to Apples to rescue us. The Abbot Ale on nitro tap was superb, and Meaghan's hefe was quite tasty as well.

We had the East Burn tap room on the itinerary next, but unfortunately only the restaurant portion was open with very little excitement at hand. Matthew did wish we could spend some time sitting in the hanging wicker chairs. Maybe a future trip is in store.

It was time to cater to the kids (young and old) and stay away from the beer for a bit, so we wandered over to Ground Kontrol across the river. This is a classic game arcade where you can actually play games with a single quarter and relive teen years spent playing Tron, Galaga, and Ms. Pac Man.

We had a blast there and burned through many quarters. I can only imagine what it is like there after 5pm when they start serving alcohol.

Our final stop of the day was at the Lucky Labrador Beer Hall in NW. Here we had some breadsticks and pizza, enjoyed some fine brews, and played a tense 3-on-3 game of cricket. The bar was surprisingly quiet for a Friday evening, I suspect because folks were out shopping or recovering from shopping. This made it even easier and more enjoyable for a family of six to camp out and play.

I've been busy lately.

About one month ago I joined WebMD Health Services as their new VP of Technology. I'm responsible for product development, customer integration, and hosting operations for the private portal business for employers, health plans, and providers. I have an amazing team to work with and great support from the executive management team. We are running fast with no signs of slowing down soon, so there may be limited posting here for a while. Football season is wrapping up today (check out my latest post over on A Football Coach in Sherwood) so hopefully some evenings and weekends will start opening up again for periodic gaming.

My good friend Brian emailed me about a month ago asking about Dungeons and Dragons. His son John started expressing interest in learning the game and Brian wanted some tips and suggestions. Brian had played only once during college 20-25 years ago, and while 4E D&D is relatively easy to learn I think it can be a tough game to bootstrap without a dedicated teacher. I proposed that they come out to Sherwood to join us in a game of Descent. Not quite D&D but a great opportunity to get a feel for this style of game. I also felt this was a game they could pick up on their own and play with 1 or 2 of John's friends.

Jacob and Matthew joined us, and we played the intro scenario for what seems like the fourth or fifth time. In fact, I'm not sure if I've ever played anything but the first scenario. This is a cakewalk for the heroes but Jacob still managed to die twice, adding some fun to the session. John absolutely loved the concept of adding skills to his character, even going back to town to spend 1,000 coins on a new skill card. This is a good sign he'll be a big fan of deeper RPGs.

Ken and I resumed what will hopefully be weekly Wednesday wargaming sessions. We've been playing through the Stalingrad scenarios for Combat Commander and loving it. We played scenario 37 which has a weak Russian force trying to hold out against a superior German force in an urban combat setting. I played the Russians, Ken the Germans.

The default setup and victory conditions has the primary objective for Germans close to the front line - a dividing road near the German setup location. We drew additional objectives that made the two buildings near the rear line worth an extra 14 VPs, which is a huge strategic change in the scenario. Ken was sufficiently aggressive, running up my weaker left flank in an attempt to capture one of the bonus buildings. In short order he was also moving up my right front or the 12 point bonus and there wasn't much I could do with my garrison near their front lines.

Some early time triggers put the screws on Ken pretty hard but he stayed with his plan. He only managed to capture a single objective by the turn 6 trigger that brings in my reinforcements plus an extra squad/LMG for each objective I still hold (4 total). We both felt like this was probably game over for the Germans but Ken persisted and I made at least one tactical error by having my front garrison run for the sewers. I forgot about his hero that could dash across the map at will and this allowed him to capture the building. It then became a race of casualties vs. time, and as you can see from the photo below we were both up against our surrender limits.

Unfortunately for Ken the sudden death time trigger came before he could eliminate another unit and the Russians were the victors.

This is a very well balanced scenario (considering a single play) with loads of tension and a classic attacker/defender posture. The time-based reinforcements force the Germans to act quickly which keeps the pace brisk.

Jacob and I were eager to play Roads and Boats again, so persuaded Matthew to join us for a Sunday afternoon game. I was a bit hesitant, not knowing if Matthew would latch onto a game that can be a bit of a brain burner and would hardly be considered light. Given he enjoyed War of the Ring, I should not have been surprised with his pleasure playing this.

Jacob is very much a natural at planning ahead on both logistics and production. He once again mostly ignored the wonder and focused on working towards coins and stock certificates. I was more aggressive in updating my transporters, getting to 5 wagons fairly quickly followed by a couple of rowboats. Matthew went long on the wonder, earning points in just about every row while learning his way around the production tree.

Matthew and I were fairly convinced that Jacob would be the runaway victor (again), but I researched specialized mines and new mine shafts (after building a "normal" mine so that I could grab some ore) and got a nice steady flow of gold. Jacob worked his way to a stock certificate and would have had a second soon, but Matthew forced the game to end by racing the wonder. I had a nice mix of wonder points, raw gold, and two coins and edged out a narrow victory (204 to 186). Matthew loved the game and this might become a staple in the house.

I started a new blog relaying my football coaching experiences. Enjoy.

While I haven't had much time for gaming lately, the time I have made has been very good. Some meaty games and old gems that don't hit the table very often.

A few weeks ago the boys and I broke out Attack! with the expansion. Besides Nexus Ops (which we play when we want something shorter), Attack! is probably our favorite Ameritrash multi-player conflict game. It has a nice steady build-up, enough resource management to keep it strategic, and a fun but bizarre alternative-history view of WWII. The game must be played with the expansion in our opinion, and we may consider getting the the Attack deluxe expansion at some point.

In the good old days, Jacob and Matthew would go at each other's throats while I sat back and cleaned up the scraps. No more - the boys made a secret alliance against me and knocked me out early. Jacob held off Matthew for the victory. I think the game took about 2-3 hours total.

While Jacob was away at Philmont, Matthew and I were digging for something a bit deeper to play. Matthew has stayed away from wargames heavier than Memoir '44, but given his affinity for Lord of the Rings I thought War of the Ring might be a good next step for him. This is a game I absolutely adore but play too infrequently to quickly start, though this time around the rules came back to me more quickly and I'm starting to see the simplicity of the system. Matthew played the Shadow and I the fellowship.

Matthew was slow going on the military side, taking too long to siege Minas Tirith and get the Shadow armies rolling north. Still, I played fast and loose with the Fellowship, spinning off companions early and running as quickly as possible to Mordor. I pushed things a bit too hard (relative to Matthew's military buildup) and found myself in Mordor with a tad too much corruption to handle. I had to slow down a bit in hopes of getting some cards to help me heal corruption, but the rules force you to slog ahead even if slowly. In the end it came down to the last two tile draws - Matthew managed to draw the only tile in the bag that did not advance the fellowship just as I was sitting on the doorstep of destroying the ring, then on the next tile draw I had only a 1/3 change of surviving and alas I didn't. Score one for Sauron. Matthew loved it and hopefully we'll try again soon.

Last weekend Ken and Eric came over to join Jacob and me in a long overdue game of Roads and Boats. We used one of Sterling Babcock's fine scenarios that allowed the players to get rolling with minimal interaction, but forced some competition at mid-game for the mining resources in the middle.

Jacob is a natural at this game and spanked us all pretty badly. Eric and I both made poor decisions on our mining upgrades which kept us even further back. I quick-played the endgame by building out the wonder but that netted me a solid 4th place. It didn't help that my deep mine yielded three consecutive ore tiles - even one gold would have gained me 3rd place, and three gold 2nd. As I told the group, I love this game even when I finish last. Jacob, Matthew, and I plan to play a three player game this coming Sunday.