by Code Red
This week and weekend turned out to be an excellent one for boardgaming. I didn't make much progress on either my 10x10 Challenge or my 5x5 Challenge but I had a lot of fun and was able to play games with and meet some new people.It all started on Thursday night. On the third Thursday each month The Streaming Cafe hosts a board game night. The Streaming Cafe also hosts live music and many other events, which they stream live. I have been to a few of their board game nights over the last year. It is a great way to meet new people and play games other people bring. On this night I helped teach a group of people The Resistance. I then got the chance to play King of Tokyo and Munchkin Cthulhu, two games I've been wanting to try.
A local news station (unfortunately I can't remember which one or find the story) showed up and interviewed a few of us about why we come out for these events and why we play board games. I didn't have to answer the questions on camera, but I've always enjoyed playing board games since I was a kid. I played the classics like Monopoly (we had NHL Monopoly) and Risk. I always enjoyed the thinking, planning, strategy and competition of board games. The thing I didn't realize when I was younger is playing games was something you do to hang out with friends. The social aspect of board games is definitely the main reason I play games now. I still love the strategy and the competition, but board games are a great excuse to see friends or meet new people or spend time with family.
The following night my girlfriend and I pulled out Lost Cities, a game we had played a few times before. She likes the game but had performed poorly at it, often scoring less than 5 points. Before starting I gave her a few tips, which I may regret now. :laugh: We played two 3-round games and in the second game I lost 207-94.
On Saturday afternoon I was invited by people I met Thursday night to join their gaming group that planned to play at JB's Taste of Adventure, where one of the members was working. It's a cool little restaurant that serves international dishes at great prices (as in everything is $6 or less). On this afternoon I was introduced to Coup, a cool little deduction and bluffing game. I was really impressed by its simplicity and fun. I may need to add it to my collection.
Lords of Waterdeep (Jan. 18: Play 1)
One of the guys in the group brought Lords of Waterdeep, which happens to be on my challenge list. Part of the group began their Risk Legacy campaign so the two of us punched his brand new copy of Lords of Waterdeep and set up the game. My Lord was Khelben Arunsun so I was looking for Warfare and Arcana quests. Fortunately I started with a 25 point Warfare quest in my hand and one of the first buildings up for sell was Fetlock Court. I bought it as soon as possible to provide me with fighters and wizards for my quests. We completed quests back and forth staying close in score for most of the game, but towards the end I picked up a couple big quests and sent him on a mandatory quest. The mandatory quest required clerics but all the buildings providing clerics were used for the round so it really messed up his plans. This allowed me to build up an insurmountable lead en route to a convincing victory. I thought the game was a lot of fun and can't wait to get my copy out with my regular gaming group.
The other half of the group was still finishing their game so the two of us learned and played A Game of Thrones: The Card Game (based on HBO's series). Playing as the Starks I got off to a terrible start, falling behind by 7 or 8 power tokens. I never really recovered as I ended up losing by 7 or 8. We checked the rulebook often as the game has many moving parts but by the end we had figured out the different phases. I do own A Game of Thrones: The Card Game, which is a slightly more complex version of the same game. I remember its last play (a year ago) being similar, with many rulebook checks. Maybe playing it more consistently would help.
That night I had plans to go to my girlfriend's sister's place to play games with their family so it was an excellent day for gaming. I was able to play games from about 1:00pm to 1:00am. We played a couple games of Anomia, Shootin' Ladders: Frag Fest, Incan Gold, Pictionary and Bohnanza. Pictionary with their family is always heated and always fun. My girlfriend's mom especially liked Bohnanza and was making all sorts of deals to get the beans she wanted. After the parents went home, we finished the night with a couple games of Love Letter and Bang!
Overall, the last few days have been a lot of fun. I don't know how many people will see this but I would like to thank The Streaming Cafe and JB's Taste of Adventure. If you are the Kelowna, BC area, you should definitely give either or both places a visit.
What's Next?
I was invited back to JB's Taste of Adventure for more gaming next Saturday afternoon and again have gaming plans for Saturday night, this time with my regular gaming group. It's been a few weeks since our last game night so I look forward to seeing them again.
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7 Wonders: :nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar:
Blood Bowl: :nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar:
Carcassonne: :star::star::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar:
Forbidden Desert: :nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar:
K2: :nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar:
Lords of Waterdeep: :star::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar:
Pandemic: :star::star::star::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar:
Shadows Over Camelot: :nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar:
Survive: Escape From Atlantis!: :nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar:
Village: :nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar:
Challenge Progress: 6%