Friday night gaming has been the mainstay of the Lumbersmiths group. We occasionally get together on weekends, and sometimes a couple of us will game with the
Dallas Games folks at Borders on Tuesday nights. I bring board games up to the office once a month, and Brandon has a lunch group he games with at his office. But the highlight of boardgaming for all of us has always been Friday nights. We generally mosey over to Jay's house in Allen after work, grab a quick dinner after everyone arrives, and get in as many games as possible, leaving somewhere after midnight.
Last Friday followed the usual formula, with me, Jay, Joe and Brandon getting together for a
Preston Trail Burger and some games. Since dinner took a while (Brandon forgot what he ordered, hilarity ensued), we had time for two longer games. The first game we played was
Ursuppe, a game of survival of the fittest amoebas in a playing field of primordial ooze. We haven't played this game in months, and everyone was in the mood for it, even though we knew games tend to run a bit on the long side.
In Ursuppe, each player has a collection of amoebas on the board (each player is a different color). Each turn, your amoebas must try to eat enough food cubes that the other players have left behind. If your amoeba can find enough to eat, he excretes food cubes of your own color for other amoebas to survive on (leading to numerous juvenile jokes in every game). If an amoeba cannot eat, he starves and takes a point of damage. Once an amoeba receives two points of damage, it dies, leaving two cubes of every color for others to feast on. The interesting part of the game comes in the form of gene cards, or mutations. Each turn, a player receives an income they can use to purchase new amoebas or genetic mutations. These mutations let them break the rules in some way (such as directed movement, more damage capacity, less restrictive dietary needs, etc). At the end of a turn, players receive points based on the surviving amoebas on the board, as well as the number of mutations they have purchased.
In our game, Joe and Brandon each went for mutations that gave them better movement capabilities and extra damage. Jay opted for aggression, taking a gene card that let him eat amoebas if he were unable to find the proper food cubes. I chose a strategy of a less restrictive diet, meaning I could survive on less food cubes. The game was very close, with several lead changes in the first few turns thanks to the "jumpover" scoring. It seemed like more amoebas survived early in this game than in previous games. Towards the final few turns, Jay's aggressive capability, coupled with three straight drift cards that ensured other players were in the same space as him, gave him the lead and the ability to stay there. Everyone played well, with all players within a few points of each other. I always enjoy this game, but I wish the time requirement wasn't so long. We knew Jay would win two turns before the game ended, and yet playing those turns still took a lot of time. Still, the game is a fun one to play occasionally.
The second game of the night was our first play of
Alhambra. This was a new purchase for me, a decision I made because it apparently plays well with two players. It will play a pivotal role in my "gaming with the girlfriend" strategy. (She made the mistake of having fun playing
Balloon Cup, and now it's on like Donkey Kong.) The rules for Alhambra were well-written, and only took a few minutes to explain, with no real ambiguities or omissions. Although we went over the suggested time requirements, I think we can play in under 45 minutes next time.
In Alhambra, players compete for building palaces containing six different types of structures. There are three scoring rounds, during which the player with the most pieces of that type receives points. In later rounds, points are also awarded for second and third place. Each turn, there are 4 buildings for sale as well as 4 currency cards a player may choose. Players collect the currency cards in their hand. On their turn, they may either purchase a building piece or take a currency card. If they choose to purchase a building, they must pay for it with the required type of currency. (there are 4 currencies total, each building piece requires a different kind). No change is given for purchases if more is paid, but if a player has exact change, they may take a second action this turn. Besides building, a player may take a currency card.
Brandon ran away with our game, choosing to take currency cards early rather than build. This allowed him to have a sizeable hand in the middle and late game, ensuring he could pay with correct change many times, receiving extra turns often. He also chose his building pieces well, making sure the walls on the sides of the pieces didn't block him in. Joe, Jay and I all had trouble with our palace pieces having lots of walls, restricting the placement of new building tiles. Everyone enjoyed the first play of this game, and I'm sure it will hit the table again in the near future.
Unfortunately, the Lumbersmiths won't be holding Friday night gaming for a couple of weeks. Three of us will be out of town over the next two weeks, so it will be the middle of August before our Friday nights resume. However, next Thursday is another office gaming night, and the following weekend I'll be taking the girlfriend back to Oklahoma. I think it's time to introduce my family to Settlers of Catan. The last time I was home, they all enjoyed Ticket to Ride.