Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Game Session - March 3, 2007
The gaming did happen! A few folks were no-shows, some due to personal hardships and some just didn't show, or call, or answer their phone. Oh well. Life happens.
I was a tad late, and Sridhar and Andrew were finishing a game as I arrived. Trish arrived seconds before I did. Lunch was ordered (pizza), and we started out with an instructional demonstration of Pirates for the uninitiated: Andrew and Trish. That went well, but while I got my son set up with some videos and food (and a clean diaper), the rest, including Nita, play-tested a game Andrew is developing. I got a chance to play a bit and it shows a lot of promise, but needs a little tweaking for flow.
The first real game of the day was a five player round of Ticket to Ride. Some were new to it, and I think I may have shown a few folks a different side of myself than they had seen previously. I KNOW that I made at least one person angry and looking for revenge next time. Sorry about that, but it should keep things interesting for a while.
The next game we played was Puerto Rico. A lot has been said about this game, mostly positive, though not by me. I don't dislike the game, but I find that the complexity of the mechanics and the sheer number of different pieces to keep track of take away from the enjoyability of the game. I realize that there are probably quite detailed strategies that can be used, but only if all the players are well-versed in the mechanics and don't have to constantly refer back to the rules. The latter describes our little group accurately.
By the time we finished Puerto Rico, it was time to go. We had just enough people to make the games last, but not enough to break up into multiple game groups. I hope we can get more folks to show up next time. All present said that they had fun, and seemed interested in something a bit more regular. I hope that bears out.
I was a tad late, and Sridhar and Andrew were finishing a game as I arrived. Trish arrived seconds before I did. Lunch was ordered (pizza), and we started out with an instructional demonstration of Pirates for the uninitiated: Andrew and Trish. That went well, but while I got my son set up with some videos and food (and a clean diaper), the rest, including Nita, play-tested a game Andrew is developing. I got a chance to play a bit and it shows a lot of promise, but needs a little tweaking for flow.
The first real game of the day was a five player round of Ticket to Ride. Some were new to it, and I think I may have shown a few folks a different side of myself than they had seen previously. I KNOW that I made at least one person angry and looking for revenge next time. Sorry about that, but it should keep things interesting for a while.
The next game we played was Puerto Rico. A lot has been said about this game, mostly positive, though not by me. I don't dislike the game, but I find that the complexity of the mechanics and the sheer number of different pieces to keep track of take away from the enjoyability of the game. I realize that there are probably quite detailed strategies that can be used, but only if all the players are well-versed in the mechanics and don't have to constantly refer back to the rules. The latter describes our little group accurately.
By the time we finished Puerto Rico, it was time to go. We had just enough people to make the games last, but not enough to break up into multiple game groups. I hope we can get more folks to show up next time. All present said that they had fun, and seemed interested in something a bit more regular. I hope that bears out.
