Pot37pouri

Boardgaming has broken out again, slightly delayed in one of the pubs which hosted us by the barmaid's breathless description of the events leading up to the landlord doing a runner immediately after New Year. These seem to have involved a mass brawl in the car park, alleged extra-marital sex in the saloon bar, an interfering mother-in-law, the landlady clearing an after hours lock-in by throwing glasses at drinkers, the police arresting the victim of domestic abuse instead of the perpetrator and much else. You will understand why most of us paused mid card play in order to get full value from the story. One result was that for the second time in just a few months I found myself in a pub with no beer and a second is that we have to find somewhere else to play next week.

Nothing distracts a truly dedicated gamer

Anyway, you lot aren't interested in that sort of gossip, you want the games; which were:

Quartermaster General: A second play of this confirmed my high opinion of it. I took the Italians this time and we in the Axis were able to make the world safe for timely trains, although not as easily as the Allies had won the previous week. It did indeed turn out completely differently from the earlier game and, as most of us had now played before, the tactics (strategies?) were somewhat more subtle. I had wondered what the Italians brought to the party, but they have a lot of cards which add value in and around the Mediterranean; all of which makes sense.

Small World: I don't mind this every now and then although its fantasy theme is a little outside my normal comfort zone. I won quite easily by deploying Underworld Trolls, as you do.

Apples to Apples: Which never gets any better

Hanabi: I do like this, but it might suffer from diminishing returns if played too often.

Toc Toc Woodman: Or as it's known in the English version apparently 'Click Clack Lumberjack'. This is a preposterous game in which one chops down a plastic tree with a plastic axe. Jenga is probably the closest game I can think of to illustrate it. I was useless at it, thoroughly enjoyed it, played it four times in a row and must buy it immediately.

London: A bit ho hum. The aim is to redevelop London after the Great Fire, although it involves building underground railways, which I'm pretty sure weren't available to Wren and Hawksmoor. It passed the time, but I won't be seeking it out again.

Red7: A nice, short card game filler. Recommended.

Mysterium: Dixit meets Cluedo; not my cup of tea.

I also discovered that the game whose name that I couldn't remember was a Doomtown themed version of Seventh Hero which came as part of the AEG Black Box. No, I am none the wiser either.

Your bloggist ponders the big problems of the 21st century

I am hosting the Wednesday night game again this week. I have again been busy - another impromptu and last minute trip to London - and so am sticking with the Wars of the Roses. Delving even deeper into my pile of rules for the period I find "For, Lords, Tomorrow is a Busy Day" by Real Time Wargames and so we shall give those a go.