Pick Picknic, Space Alert, China, Adventurers
Fluxx
This week’s games night started with a couple of hands of seven or eight player Fluxx. It’s almost a party game, but it’s way too random and silly for me. The second hand was won before all the players had a chance to take a turn. Even when I’m playing party games, I want something more skilful than this.
After Fluxx I joined in with a group of five players for the evening – Jon, Dan, Maynard and Russ.
Pick Picknic
Simple 20 minute kids game or filler. I can’t improve on Rick Heli’s summary. I didn’t realise there was a Prohibition-themed version too. The artwork is typical Doris Matthäus quality. I will pick this up for my girl when she’s a little older and she has her cousins over. For usability it would be good to replace the chicken food cubes with numbered counters.
Space Alert
I was bewildered for the first training mission, as the room was pretty noisy. I could barely hear the audio track, cleverly played from Dan’s phone, and there is quite a lot to take in at first. By the second round I was starting to get it and by the third advanced round, with the battle bots, I was starting to think strategically even though I was still useless.
I like the cooperative aspect and the planning under pressure is fun. I’d like to play this again in a quiet room with other experienced players.
China
A classic 45-minute area-control €urogame with multiple interlocking scoring mechanisms. I traded away the original version of this game, Web of Power, a few years ago and this session made me regret it a little.
The Adventurers
This ended the night and was perfect to learn after 10pm. You play a tomb raider escaping from lava and rolling boulder traps. I was the only new player, but still managed to win it, which shows what a random knockabout game it is. The components are excellent and it’s crying out for customisations, expansions and variant rules.
This was my favourite play of the night, even though it’s not necessarily the best game. Maynard deserved to win, being the only one with the nerve to memorise the lava tiles, but he got a little too greedy at the end and was squashed by the boulder with under five spaces to move.
Web of Power is a thing of beauty – still one of my favourite three player games. Somehow China never felt like an improvement on it, for me.
The Adventurers is great. Lots of dice rolling and luck pushing – one of my favourite recent releases. As you say, though, crying out for expansions.
Sounds like a great nights gaming. I really must make plans to get down to Isleworth one evening.
Steerpike
14 May 10 at 21:12
Yes, I wouldn’t say China is worse though. China’s box is thinner at least.
I forgot you had played The Adventurers href=”http://beyondswelterskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/04/lets-party.html” rel=”nofollow”>played The Adventurers href=”http://beyondswelterskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/04/lets-party.html” rel=”nofollow”>http://beyondswelterskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/04/lets-party.html. As usual, your session report was more exciting than mine!
Iain
14 May 10 at 22:16
LOL - yes, but your reports are more factual and therefore useful
I think with ‘China’ the geography just does not resonate with me. Whereas a nice medieval European map is recognisable even if I do, constantly, misread lothringen as lothlorien.
As you say, though, it is no worse than Web of Power.
Steerpike
15 May 10 at 08:45