Weekend Boardgaming: 21st April 2012

so I organised a boardgaming session for my friends on saturday. With this group, I had played Quebec previously but had made 1 important error (you can contribute to your own building but cannot activate the power) and I eagerly wanted to try again. Here's what we played:

Pergamon

We were waiting for 1 more to arrive so the 4 of us started off with a light game. I chose Pergamon as it has very nice components and is light and fast enough and provides a good warm up for the longer games later in the day. In Pergamon, we are archaeologists trying to secure research funds to dig up artifacts and then decide when is the best time to display them in the museum. The components are of good cardboard stock and easy to handle and hold. Gameplay wise, its fast, easy to teach and learn. It is definitely a light game and the randomness of which artifact tiles will appear at each turn lends a lot to the replay ability. However if you want to  "break" the game, you can memorize the research funds cards and the artifact tiles and from there win the game (i.e. card counting). Still, it is definitely a light game. I am not sure if I will keep it around though since while its light, it is not that fun for me.

Initial Impression: Average

Quebec again!

When our 5th player arrived, we started Quebec again. Explaining Quebec is not easy as there are many things to take note of and the way to score points can be quickly covered up by the different things that you can do during your turn and what they all mean. Still as the game went on, the players manage to get what is happening and the game really shined for me. This is a med-heavy game as it requires a lot of thinking and strategic planning. If you prefer tactical decisions only, then Quebec will be a challenge for you. I especially enjoyed how you are trying to choose buildings which will entice all the other players to help you by contributing to it but at the same time, by doing so, you are also helping them. Thus you are trying to find a way to make you benefit more than the benefits you are handing out to the other players. A very fine game I feel. The components are very colorful, bright and of good quality as well. All in all, a very good buy I feel. I cannot wait to try this with my other gaming groups!

Initial Impression: Good !!!

Before dinner, we played a game of Vineta. Now I cannot remember what made me decide to buy this game but I am so glad I did. I have already done a review of this game so I will not go into this but it is a fun little game with a lot of backstabbing and sabotaging. I realize I do enjoy cut throat games but at the same time I can play and will enjoy pure economical games as well. Just I prefer the banter and conversations that will arise from all the backstabbing, intrigue and sabotage. One strategy I tried was at the beginning when placing the houses, I decided to target just 1 color. This serves to trick others into thinking that I am of that color and also confuse the player with that character. Alas the color I chose did not belong to anyone. Another player decided to make half of his play random so as to confuse the rest of us (which he did!). So for a small game like this, it provides quite a punch in terms of fun!

Final Impression: Good

Olympos

After an awesome dinner, we had 1 final game of Olympos before we called it a night. it is a great little game with an interesting "time spent will determine your turn order" mechanism which is similar to that found in Red November. This time I decided to go all warfare and started acquiring the Discovery tiles with swords. The rest of the players quickly understood the traveling Discovery tile (only 1 time is spent when moving across land) and were spreading all across the map. But because I had more swords (and thus only 1 time is spent when i conquer an opponent), I can take my time and conquer their starting settlements while they spread all across the map. I did not manage to get my wonder in time though as it was snatched out from my hands but I did get the achievement which gave me 2 points per Sword I had as well as an extra 1 point for each settlement of mine on the board. At the very end, I also purchased the Discovery tile that gave me 3 victory points and won the game. Not sure if I'll get the expansion though but if this sees more play I probably will!

Initial Impression: Good

All in all, an awesome weekend of boardgaming. I just wished my packages that are suppose to be here are actually here then I will have new goodies to share with everyone. As of now, I think on monday I will have majority of it but the package that I have been anticipating has mysteriously been shipped to PARAGUAY! Of all places...... *shake head*....

SIGH