Photo of Jacob and Matthew

Benjamin Corliss' abstract strategy games.

I spent a few hours at Benjamin Corliss' place last Tuesday gaming with a small group of very nice folks.  Kevin Graham, who also hosts gaming periodically, was there so it was nice to see a familiar face.

Killer Bunnies

Kevin was given a free copy of this game on the condition that he would write a review.  Four of us played the game presumably as a light opener - this games a bit longer than you might think given the theme.  The card quality is very high in this game where you try to get bunnies out and keep them out while destroying your friends' bunnies.  The ultimate goal is to win the magic carrot at the end (your odds improve as you buy or win carrots throughout the game).  This game reminds a bit of Fluxx in that the play can seem chaotic at times, but I could see a bit of strategy lurking under the silly facade.  I may consider playing again, but I don't think it is worth adding to my collection.

Corsairs

I took out my newly aquired Corsairs game to introduce to the four folks I had just played Killer Bunnies with (the rest of the group were still entrenched in a game of Mare Nostrum). This is fun, light game that is easy to teach with a great Pirate theme.  I fell behind fast and finished a distant third, but had fun losing.

Condottiere

I finished with a quick game of Condottiere with the folks that had been playing Mare Nostrum. This game ended up going quickly, as one player was able to go for his third consecutive region nearly unchallenged.  This is a fun card game (I played it at Kevin's house for the first time) but I'm still not sure I want to own it.

Steps I used to mount English-language cards for the German version of Piratenbucht.

My adventure in Redmond with a fun gaming group.

Brief discussion of Matthew Sweet's new gig.

Tim Schutz has created an online group for discussing new games for the Alpha Playing Cards decks.  I reviewed some of those games in a previous post.  One new game to check out is Lost for Words, a game loosely based on Lost Worlds, designed by Tom Scutt.

We spent a great weekend in Newport, OR.  Our hotel was on the beach and the weather was perfect - 60s and sunny during the day.  Friday we took the behind the scenes tour at the Oregon Coast Aquarium - I highly recommend this, especially if you've been there before and want to try something new.  One highlight of the trip was sampling the various brews from Rogue brewery - I highly recommend the Yellow Snow Ale and the Buckwheat Ale.  The other big highlight was seeing migrating grey whales on our whale watching cruise with Marine Discovery Tours.  Jacob and Matthew each got turns at the helm of the ship.

Ken Rude and I spent a morning last Saturday with a local gaming group that regularly plays Advanced Squad Leader and is open to newbies interested in learning the game.

I played Squad Leader, along with the two expansions Cross of Iron and Crescendo of Doom, back in the late 70s / early 80s when I was very into the Avalon Hill war games.  I loved the scale of the game - squad level tactics, with counters representing single leaders, tanks, or small squads of infantry.  It was (is) a complex game, but it was clearly my favorite of the AH games.

The morning was a disappointment though.  The hosts were very kind, and one of the group members walked Ken and me through a simple scenario (infrantry only, a few machine guns, basic rules).  There is a price you pay for the realism of this game - rules complexity that almost demands you focus on this game in absence of any others.  Ken crushed me (he was the Americans, I was German) but we both walked away wishing we had spent the morning playing lighter games.

I think in the future if I want that level of realism in squad level tactics, I'll let the computer manage the rules and just play Laser Squad Nemesis.

Ken Rude and I traveled to Kevin's house for our first gaming session with the Portland Gamers.  Kevin is the gracious host for this group, and Jeff had gamed a few times before with Kevin.  Doug, Mimi, Ken, and I were all newcomers to the group.  Thanks to Kevin for hosting - I think everyone had a great time.

Attendees: Chris Brooks, Ken Rude, Jeff Fisher, Doug Walker, Mimi Walker, Kevin Graham

Games Played: Zendo, Dragon Delta, Fist of Dragonstones, Condottiere, Bohnanza

Zendo

Played By: Chris B. Ken R. Jeff F. Doug W. Mimi W. Kevin G.
Game Length: 45 min.
We played Zendo as an opener while we awaited possible late arrivals. Nobody turned up, but we had fun teaching Doug, Mimi, and Ken this Zen game with Icehouse pieces.
Winner(s):
Finish: Chris B. Ken R. Jeff F. Doug W. Mimi W. Kevin G.

Dragon Delta

Played By: Chris B. Ken R. Jeff F. Doug W. Mimi W. Kevin G.
Game Length: 60 min.
Chris brought this game of Chinese youths competing to lay planks to cross the delta. Everyone enjoyed this game, though we realized part way that I've been playing wrong: all players turn over their cards for the current round before the first player takes their action. This could certainly affect choices made when placing planks, removing planks, etc.
Winner(s): Chris B.

Fist of Dragonstones

Played By: Chris B. Ken R. Jeff F. Doug W. Mimi W. Kevin G.
Game Length: 60 min.
This is a game worth playing once, but possibly not more frequently. It has a nice theme, and interesting bits, but the blind bidding frustrates people. Poor Doug was frequently just barely on the losing end, which is most annoying. We only played to 2 victory points to cut the game short.
Winner(s): Ken R.

Condottiere

Played By: Chris B. Ken R. Jeff F. Doug W. Mimi W. Kevin G.
Game Length: 60 min.
Kevin introduced this game - Doug and Mimi had played before, but the rest of us haven't. This is a much more pleasant bidding and bluffing game than Fist of Dragonstones, and one I might consider adding to my collection. There does appear to be a strong luck element in the draw.
Winner(s): Ken R.

Bohnanza

Played By: Chris B. Ken R. Jeff F. Doug W. Mimi W. Kevin G.
Game Length: 60 min.
I requested this for a closer since I've heard so much about it but have never played. Definitely a light game, but I think my kids might enjoy it. One thing I like is that there is very little downtime with all of the trading going on.
Winner(s): Mimi W.

Session Report generated by GameTracker (©Goldraven 2002)