inconsequential ruminations

The Geek is offline again, so now is a good time to update.

Agricola

Chris got the most amazing set of Agricola figures and resources in a math trade, all handmade in polymer clay. Apparently the guy who made them only traded them as he had made another set. As Chris’s English cards are laminated, it is probably no exaggeration to say that this is the nicest English language set in existence. Playing with another set will never be the same.







The game itself is still very enjoyable. I have played three times, twice with three and once with five. It is good with all numbers and is holding up well. The cards do bring a lot of variability. I am really looking forward to playing with the more player-interactive decks – as they could fix my only reservation.

I went down to Crawley to play with Michael Longdin and his friends and had as good a time as ever. My opinions of the games might be biased by the fact that Michael (almost) always wins.

Tribune: Primus Inter Pares

This was rated the top game in the Essen Fairplay rankings. I thought it was fine, but uninspiring. At least it was short and sweet. Mike Siggins and Michael think it is too short, but that is easily fixed.

Year of the Dragon

Michael rates this as his favourite game of 2007. Michael loves Age of Steam too, so he obviously likes unforgiving games. This is the second game I have played of Stefan Feld – who also designed Notre Dame, another bitch of a game.
I quite enjoyed it, but I agree with Rick Heli, that there is very little narrative feeling.

Before the Wind

This was the third, short, tight game I played in a row. I think I am playing too many games in this format. This was the most tense game of the three for me and the one I enjoyed the most. Also, the cards are very attractive, somehow balancing a modern and ancient look.

I find auction games like this really difficult to fathom. I suppose I need to work on my understanding of Game Theory or something. I might enjoy this game more if I could only figure out a strategy.

Brass

The best game of the day was Brass. I had a lot of problems reading the rules beforehand, so was delighted to have Michael teach it to me. After rereading them and two plays, I think the problem is with the layout of the rules. Martin Wallace was aiming for a Settlers of Catan style rule book, with the basic game in a short pamphlet with the detailed rules coming later. I did not like this approach with Settlers and I hate it here. The game is far too complex to understand without examples in the right places. Hopefully the rules will be completely rewritten, and blind playtested, for the new reprint.

Despite the awful rules, the game itself is excellent. I listened to Martin Wallace explaining his background in history and economics in a recent interview at the Pulp Gamer podcast, and this shines in Brass.

Hammer of the Scots

I played this with Steve at his house in Kingston and we had a great time. It is far simpler than I thought it would be. Wizard Kings is at about the same level. There are only eight pages of rules and it flows very nicely. If you have already played, then I recommend you try Above The Fields to play-by-web. The interface is a bit clunky, which would make learning the game a nightmare, but, if you have a good grasp of the rules, you will be fine.

Age of Steam – France

This is a good beginners map, and it plays well with three. Unfortunately this was Steve’s first game and, predictably, he got hammered. The last hour was totally boring for him. I hope I can persuade him to try again – as this is a fabulous game if played quickly and by people who know what they are doing.