A rarity – we got in some family gaming this weekend!  After spending about 24 total hours on baseball fields this weekend (local tournament for both boys), I got some relief Sunday afternoon and managed to sit down and watch the US Open and play a game.  We pulled out a new acquisition – Winner’s Circle, the Face2Face games remake of Royal Turf.

Julie and Matthew had played this one before, but it was new to me and quite a good game. We played with the default rules where bets are open but only played two races.

The components are decent – I love the horses and the cards and board are decent quality, though my board had a printing smudge on one corner.  My only complaint, which is quite significant, is that it is quite hard to tell which horse matches which starting slot for the 3–4 horses that are close to a neutral grey.  I think I have some mild color blindess, but even Julie and the boys had problems at times figuring out which horse on the track matched which card.  Face2Face should have placed a number or some other matching / distinguishing mark on the horse to help keep everything straight – you shouldn’t have to work this hard when playing a game!

I suspect the hidden bet variant (including the zero bet chit) makes for a better game.

Trying out the MaBi web implementation of Samurai.  Game name: Samurai Deli.  Password: ripcity.

I first saw Axis & Allies Miniatures at GenCon 2005 and after hearing so-so playtest reports from Jacob and Matthew I decided to skip it.  Besides, it was near impossible to buy starter packs after the second day of the convention.

Last weekend KC, Rita, and I took a trip down to Medford / Ashland Oregon to spend some time with Jeff Deboer and the Funagain team.  We had a blast playing games (and prototypes), talking some business, and visiting the Funagain retail store.  I had a bit too much fun, walking away with about 8 or 9 purchased games.  On an impulse I picked up a starter and one booster of Axis & Allies Miniatures, and with Jacob eager to try it tonight we set out to play a quick scenario. He stayed up later than usual but with only 1.5 days of school left, no big deal.

We each chose 83 point armies.  Why 83?  Well, that’s all the armies the Axis could muster up with what I purchased.  As it was, I played the Axis with a blend of Germans, Japanese, and Romanians.  Jacob played the US, Brits, and Chinese.  So much for historic realism.  Guess I need to go out and buy more boosters.  Do you think that’s what WOTC wants me to do?

The game was quite fun – very simplistic combat system that I think we got mostly right.  There are no complex timing rules as damage is deferred to a casualty phase, though I suspect things might get dicey with some of the special abilities like most collectible games (no evidence to back that up yet).

Our armies were knocked down quickly – we each lost three of our starting 8 units in the first turn, and were down to 2 or 3 units each by the end of the second.  This was partly due to the fact that we both wanted to dive into combat to see what the game was about.  We still aren’t clear about the disruption / damage rules, but I’m sure I’ll be able to find some clarifications online.

I’m wondering if it would be worthwhile to pick up a set of commons and uncommons on eBay to get decent armies.  It looks like this can be done pretty cheaply (about $30 total).

First, in case you didn’t know, fellow gamer Moritz Eggert’s soccer/football composition “Die Tiefe des Raums” will be performed at the opening ceremonies for World Cup 2006.  Moritz is of course most famous for his review of Havoc last year.

Second, Stephen Cole of Star Fleet Universe just published his free book on Running a Game Publishing Company.  There’s some good stuff here, but I have yet to read it all the way through . Almost afraid to as I’ll be forced to face all of the mistakes we’ve made so far at Sunriver Games.  Maybe that will qualify us to help with the second edition of this book.

I’ve been very slow to provide weblog updates lately.  I’m sure one reason is that it seems that within 8 hours or so of a session I hold, 2 other people have blogged the same session better than I ever could, so why bother.  Maybe I should just stick to posting photos!  I remember a time when I was one of about 5 or 6 boardgame webloggers out there and I thought an interesting hook might be nice photos of gaming sessions.  Now there are 10+ gaming podcasts alone, including a high quality video podcast, and probably over a 100 weblogs related to boardgames.  I gotta find a new niche or just keep reminding myself that I do this primarily for myself.

Spring is always a busy season for our family as both boys continue to play competitive baseball with very demanding practice and game schedules.  We spent last weekend in the greater Bend / Sunriver area for our annual baseball tournament weekend.  Matthew had 5 games in La Pine, while Jacob had 5 in Bend.  Much driving commenced between those two towns (fortunately Sunriver is in the middle) but their schedules were mostly agreeable, causing me to miss only one of Jacob’s games.

Jacob continues to shine as a catcher and first baseman.  His fielding skills in those positions are excellent and his hitting continues to improve.  He has a very high on-base percentage – he’s a disciplined hitter and gets a lot of walks for someone his size (over 5’ 4” as an 11–year-old).  The pitching is starting to get much more challenging, with some kids throwing in the 65–70 range with some real junk (curves and change-ups).

Matthew is in his second year at the Midget level (he’s got one more year there) and is playing at the same level that Jacob did for the past two years.  He’s mostly pitching and playing first base, and is the strongest hitter on his team this year.

Oh yeah, I’m head coach for Matthew’s team this year.  After helping out with Jacob’s team last year, I decided to take the plunge and step up to coach a Midget team myself.  I’ve got two great assistants and the boys are having a blast.  We’ve had good pre-season tournaments but are currently 0–2 in our league play – we’ve seen two really tough teams so far.  This week has back-to-back-to-back games Tue-Wed-Thu so I’m hoping the team can climb back towards .500.

I’ve long been a fan of Martin Fowler.  Even sat down for lunch with him back in 2000 when we were both speakers at Software Development Expo in San Fran.  Now I learn that he’s into board games.  What’s next, a book on Refactoring Puerto Rico?  Or perhaps Strategy Game Analysis Patterns?

Oh, so much more.  I detest meta-blogging, but let me start by apologizing for the lack of content around here for a while.  You’ve missed out on all the gaming that happened when the Ginns visited (though Jim blogged it), several playings of Twilight Struggle (awesome game that I hope to play again Saturday), and the rest of my trip to Israel.  Time to play catch-up.

Side note: gaming actually started Thursday evening as the boys and I wrapped up our long-postponed game of Attack! the Expansion.  I pulled out a narrow victory over Matthew, who made a surprising comeback and shocked both Jacob and me with his final point total.  We played a slightly shortened game to 10 “eagle” cards.

While most of the the rest of our gaming group journeyed to Sunriver for Doug’s semi-annual gaming retreat, those of us Left Behind decided to gather at my house for as much gaming as we could squeeze in.  Ken and Brandon spent the weekend with us, with Ken taking a brief break on Saturday morning to run a Cub Scout meeting and the boys and I taking part in a Pitch/Hit/Run competition.  We opened up the weekend on Friday night with the roleplaying game Cat – it was a huge hit and everyone is anxious for another play.  It was the perfect end to a late night (we didn’t even start until about 10pm as the boys had baseball practice that evening) with everyone being a little punchy and tired.

Saturday early afternoon we started our big game for the weekend – Conquest of the Empire II.  This was a much-appreciated gift from the Ginns that fell onto my wishlist after I traded away Struggle of Empires.  I was certain this game would have the right mix of depth, theme, and components to delight my family and friends and I wasn’t disappointed.

We played game II – the more strategic Martin Wallace / Glen Drover game that features alliances, cards, and 2–action rounds that kept downtime to a minimum.  We found ourselves using a narrow strip of the map (surrounding the Med) which I suspect isn’t unusual for this game, and the game was tight and fun through the end.  We called it after three ages so that we could continue playing other games after Peter and Eric arrived.

I was surprised at how approachable the game was for Matthew.  The money management was difficult, but I think he learned his lessons and would be much stronger in a second play.  We had a healthy dose of diplomacy and influence going on in the game… much healthier than the conflict I often see when we play games of this sort.

While I cooked up some dinner for everyone Peter, Eric, and Ken played Peter’s construction of Schact’s InterUrban.  Don’t know much about the game – looked like a deeper Carcassonne-style game.

KC arrived at the tail end of dinner and we brought out Peter’s copy of Vegas Showdown.  The buzz is escalating on this game as it shows some staying power with gamers despite the Hasbro / WOTC heritage, and I can see why.  The game is compared to Amun Re and Princes of Florence and I think it holds up favorably.  Peter dominated the game from the start, getting some early cashflow advantages that left us scrambling to keep up and losing out on bids.  This is probably going on my purchase list.

Even after the crowds left Saturday night, Ken and I persisted.  We decided to knock a few 2–player games off my burndown list.  First up was the George Parker classic Chivalry / Camelot.  While not a game I would play often, there is some real depth to this game and you can really get caught with your pants down if you don’t pay attention (ahem… thanks Ken).  The pieces move similarly to the kings in checkers, but there are some special knight pieces that can jump their own pieces before jumping (capturing) enemies.  You also have the option of moving a single piece to a single square, keeping the entire board reachable by any piece.

The end game can drag a bit and I ended up resigning before we let it go that far.  Worth a try if you can find it.

Next up: Tally Ho.  I’m not sure where or when I got this game, but I know it has been on my shelf for about 2 years unplayed.  This is an asymetric tile flipping / moving game that was entertaining if a bit one-sided.  Maybe this is why we are supposed to switch sides and play again… or maybe I just stink at it.  This will be a fun one to play with younger kids.

On Sunday morning Mike joined Ken and me for his first play of Parthenon.  I raved about this game last year but my opinion has dropped a bit, mostly due to the lack of player interaction and luck factor.  For example, in this game I found a wool shortage harbor card on my first turn (I happened to be the big wool producer) and this launched me into a significant lead early in the game, allowing me to finish my 2 wonders about mid way through the second year.  Now of course Ken and Mike made me pay for this fortune by keeping me out of the Archon role and punishing me heavily with events in the second year, but a string of bad cruises across the Med by Mike kept them from catching me.  I know I came away with a not-so-satisfying victory and Mike wasn’t impressed with the game.

Ken still maintains that it is his kind of game and I certainly will continue to play it with the kids, but I’m less enthused about it.

While we played Parthenon, Graham joined the boys for a 2v2 game of Duel of Ages with a few expansions.  Apparently Jacob and Brandon came out on top.

Our last game of the weekend was Tycoon, a game I had been trying to play again since my initial play in Arizona nearly three years ago.  We had a bit of rules confusion early on but quickly got started.  Mike and I made crucial money management mistakes in the first season, forcing us to return home for a loan just as the season was running out.  I think this is a bad thing to happen, and it certainly kept us behind the curve.

Mike responded very well, taking apart Ken action by action and ending up the victor by a narrow margin.  Fun, relatively quick game (for the depth) if a bit dry.  I also think the game is better with four people as you get a little more action and competition for spaces in the cities.

Missing Sunriver was a bad thing, but such a full weekend of gaming made up for the loss.  Thanks to everyone that joined us.

Time to start another game of Wallenstein.  Game: Cubs Rule.  Password: maddux.

The Ohio State University and GAMA are conducting a comprehensive survey of the hobby game industry.

Or just about…

I abandoned Julie in St. Louis (I have a habit of doing that) and flew to Israel via Washington DC and Frankfurt on Sunday, arriving at Ben Gurion on Monday mid day.  We are staying in Herzilya just up the Mediterranean coast from Tel Aviv, about 500 yards from the hotel I stayed at last time I was here.  This one is quite a bit nicer though not up to even the most basic western standards.  Understandable as this country is often pre-occupied with other more important matters.

Today (starting yesterday at sundown) was a national day of remembrance for the holocaust victims of World War II.  It was touching to reflect on the events that so greatly impacted all of us and so hurt the Jewish nation.  I’ve personally visited two former concentration camps (Dachau and Mathausen) and it should be a required side trip for any European vacation.  We can’t forget the attrocities and it pains me to think that there are those that continue to deny the magnitude or even the reality of the events that transpired just a brief 60–65 years ago.

The weather here is surprisingly like it was when I left Portland about a week ago – mid 70s with a mix of sun and clouds.  The sea is churning with lots of surfing and kayaking activity in the surf.

It’s looking like we’ll get some brief time for tourism activities on Friday, perhaps allowing a trip to Jaffa or some interesting sites in Tel Aviv.  Unfortunately I don’t think we’ll be able to make it to Jerusalem this time to visit Yehuda.  We have a very early flight out Saturday morning at 5:30am, requiring that we be at the airport by 3:30am.  Maybe we should skip sleep altogether.

Went for a run this morning (it is common to wake up very early the first morning after traveling 9 timezones to the east) and enjoyed the suburban community.  Even happened by the American embassy, situated right on the coast.  I don’t know if it is the embassy here (I suspect it is in Jerusalem) but this was definitely a significant presence.