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Seattle Cosmic Game Night, Saturday, 3 May 2003

HEL-LO Tukwila!

Seattle Cosmic Game Night met again, this time at the new house of Dave Adams and Kathy Kizer in Tukwila (previous "Dave and Kathy" game nights were at their old house in West Seattle). I hear their new place is quite something, and very suitable for gaming. Present were David_Adams? and Kathy_Kizer?; Tim "AlphaTim" Schutz; Alex_Swavely?; ChadUrsoMcDaniel; Alex_Rockwell?; Nat_Dupree? and Steve_Dupree?; Timothy_Higgins?; Marty_Hale-Evans?; and newcomer Zach_Pohlman?, for a total of 11 people.

I was not present (home with a tummyache, wotta lamer), but people cooperated to keep score. Anonymous scorekeepers, I thank you very much. Thanks also to Chad, who snapped a few photos, and thanks to Marty, who helped me piece together the sequence of events. By the way, it was supposed to be a LongGameDay, but I don't have any info before 5:30 PM or so.

Since I won't be writing even cursory comments for most of the games below, this Wiki page is bound to be even more of a cooperative effort than usual. Will anyone who has anything at all interesting to say, please say it? And if corrections need must be made, please make them.

Thanks to everyone, and see you next week.

--Ron_Hale-Evans?

Empire Builder

Game: Empire_Builder?
Location: dining room
Time: approx. 6:00-7:30
Winner: Kathy Kizer
Prize: plastic water game

Scores

Comments from the players?

--Ron_Hale-Evans?

Expedition

Game: Expedition
Location: living room
Time: approx. 6:00-7:30
Winner: AlphaTim Schutz
Prize: mini tie-dye beach ball

Scores

--Ron_Hale-Evans?

I think this was Alex's first time playing Expedition. Everyone played a great game and I credit my win with being able to pickup all those extra locations and that fact that my last two cards were really close to each other.

--Tim "AlphaTim" Schutz

Amun-Re

Game: Amun-Re?
Location: nook
Time: approx. 5:30-8:00
Winner: Steve Dupree
Prize: neon drawstring bag

Scores

--Ron_Hale-Evans?

Our first play of Amun-Re at Seattle Cosmic, and it was well received. It definitely feels like a Knizia game, and has some similar mechanics, but it puts it all together in a new way, with new twists, and it works well. While its not groundbreaking like Tigris and Euphretes, IMO, its a very solid and fun game, and I look forward to playing it again.

--Alex_Rockwell?

This game seems to inspire bad advice. Everyone (myself included) convinced Nat on the final round to spend all her money to beat Alex, figuring that costing Alex 5 points was better than giving herself 3 points, since he was tied for first place with her at that point. I wasn't being disingenuous - I honestly thought I had zero chance of winning. It turned out I was wrong. I guess 3-point bonus cards are better than I originally thought. I also got 6 points for having the most money, which was funny since I spent every dollar I had left on the final sacrifice to Ra. In the end, our advice to Nat wasn't so bad, per se, since Alex was Nat's main competitor for second place, and thus her move was still correct if you follow the "make my final standing as high as possible" principle (vs. the "make my points as high as possible" principle).

--Steve_Dupree?

I think the "bad advice" in this game and the next game of it comes mostly from the fact that it we were all very new to the game.

--Alex_Rockwell?

Filthy Rich (x2)

Game: Filthy_Rich? (two games)
Location: dining room
Time: approx. 7:30-8:00
Winner: Zack (both games)
Prize: plastic puzzle and slingfrog

Scores for Game 1

Scores for Game 2

--Ron_Hale-Evans?

I'm surprised I took 2nd in this game. Everyone was doing much better then I was. I played Filthy_Rich? twice and both times I had a hard time getting cards that I could use at the right time. It seemed when I got a business that I could afford to open on my next turn someone would beat me to the punch. When Zach eliminated everyone else he already had two luxuries with the third already in his possession, he just had to pay for it. I had none. Thanks for letting my have 2nd place Zach.

--Tim "AlphaTim" Schutz

Amun-Re (#2)

Game: Amun-Re?
Location: dining room
Time: approx. 8:00-9:30
Winner: Alex Rockwell
Prize: neon drawstring bag

Scores

Zach Pohlman left before the second game of Amun-Re started (at the same time as Mare Nostrum).

--Ron_Hale-Evans?

Near the end of this game, Tim S. was thinking about building a whole bunch of Pyramids with all his money. Since the cost increases with each one you build, (the cost for X building stones is X*(X+1)/2 and its 3 building stones per Pyramid), I adviced him that it might be better to build slightly less and then save his money to win the 6 points for most money left. In the end, this turned out to be bad advice, as both Dave and Alex S. Got huge amounts of money in the final income round (much of it with cards from their hands). I ended up winning most pyramids in a province on one side of the Nile, and tying with Tim on the other. Had Tim build with all his money, he would have won one side and I would ahve won the other, as I would have piled everything into one side instead of spreading them between the two. So doing that would have gained him 1 point and cost me 5. I think that the possibility of winning the 6 points for having the most money at the end was worth going for, and it would have been the correct play if Dave and Alex S. hadnt had a bunch of money cards in their hands. Still, sorry Tim S. for advising you to do a move which ended up costing you a couple points.

--Alex_Rockwell?

I don't hold Alex responsible for me losing, I should have went with my gut feeling and spent all my cash for pyramids. I knew I couldn't win the 6 points for most cash and having the extra cash at the end of the game was basically worthless. Even if I did spend it all I wouldn't have won, but I probably could have taken 2nd. Live and learn. I also made a few other mistakes during the game that effected my score.

--Tim "AlphaTim" Schutz

Mare Nostrum

Game: Mare_Nostrum?
Location: nook
Time: approx. 8:00-11:00
Winner: Tim Higgins
Prize: wooden backscratcher

Scores

--Ron_Hale-Evans?

Actually, I am pretty sure Tim won with 4 wonders/heros.

--Steve_Dupree?

I saw the board near the end, and it was scary. It seemed like every single player was both invading someone and being invaded by someone else. Can't we all just get along? ;) Oh wait, if you do that, then whoever of Rome, Carthage or Egypt does the best in trading walks away with the game. ;)

--Alex_Rockwell?

What happened was: Marty got lots of tax cards, and was going to win on the next turn if we didn't do something about it. Both Chad and I bought armies with which to take away her cities and prevent this from happening. I went earlier in the movement phase and invaded Marty as planned. Now that Marty was out of the picture for the time being, Chad took advantage of my position and invaded half of my provinces. Later Chad attacked Nat, then pulled out, Tim attacked Nat, Nat attacked back in the next turn, then Chad pulled out of a province and Tim moved into the hole he left, which was enough for him to win the game on the next round without trading. I personally spent a lot of resources buying armies to take back and defend my kingdom, which we all know means I spent less resources buying heros and wonders. Also, Tim, Chad and I all came within 1 resource (papayrus for Tim and I, 1 tax for Chad) of buying a Pyramid on the second-to-last trading round.

--Steve_Dupree?

Wow, 3 people at 11 in one round....thats incredible.

--Alex_Rockwell?

Filthy Rich (#3)

Game: Filthy_Rich?
Location: dining room
Time: 9:30-11:00
Winner: Alex Rockwell
Prize: glow-in-the-dark bouncy balls

Scores

--Ron_Hale-Evans?

At the beginning of this game, I got very unlucky, and none of my businesses could get any customers. Alex S. and Dave got out to a quick lead, each buying two cheap luxuries, needing only 1 more for the win. Dave got very close, and had enough money at one point, after selling his businesses. However, he had to wait until the start of his next turn, and still have enough money, in order to buy it. I stopped him by playing a card that forced everyone to pay money. Then, I started getting very lucky and getting hits on my businesses every roll. I managed to buy a luxury right before Dave was going to, stopping him from winning again (becasue the cost of each luxury continues to increase, and he couldnt afford the next higher one). As my luck continued, and I got more businesses on the board, and Dave and Alex S. lost some of theirs due to taxes, I was able to afford a second and then a third luxury, for the win. Tim was well positioned at the end of the game, with a number of money generating cards, but he hadnt managed to get any luxuries early on, so by the time he was able to start getting them, they were becoming very expensive.

--Alex_Rockwell?

Carcassonne: Hunters & Gatherers

Game: Carcassonne:_Hunters_&_Gatherers?
Location: nook
Time: approx. 11:00-12:30
Winner: Steve Dupree
Prize: micro-mini connecting dinosaurs

Scores

Around 11:30, a game of Carcassonne:_Hunters_&_Gatherers? started in the nook, and Fresh_Fish? started in the dining room. At this point, Tim Higgins and Chad McDaniel went home, and Kathy faded out of game night (going to bed or something).

--Ron_Hale-Evans?

Alex and his roomates have recently discovered Carcassonne, and have been playing it a lot, so Nat and I wanted to show him the Hunters and Gatherers version of the game. We quickly explained the differences between H&G and vanilla Carcassonne and played the game out. The largest river system ended up being owned by all three players. Also the hunting monument ended up not being populated because there wasn't a decent field to stick it on at the time it came up.

--Steve_Dupree?

Fresh Fish (x2)

Game: Fresh_Fish? (two games)
Location: dining room
Time: approx. 11:00-12:30
Winner: Alex Rockwell (both games)
Prize: Halloween monster horn + micro-mini connecting dinosaurs

Scores for Game 1

Scores for Game 2

--Ron_Hale-Evans?

I followed a strategy of not bidding very much, in both games. In the first game, I was always overbid, and ended up with all my money left, however I managed to get spots that were moderately close to the supply centers, and thus when I subtracted my remaining money from my score, my total was negative. (Low score is good in Fresh Fish, of course). I focused heavily on placing buildings in such a way that it forced the roads away from my opponents stores, giving them routes. Worrying about getting my own supply centers was a secondary concern. ;) It worked well however, as my opponents bid for stores nearby to the supply, only to have me create a long road path from the supply to the store, and then I would drop in my store later, not very close by, but still saving my money so that I could subtract it from my score.

In the second game, I had a bit more trouble, and had one quite long route. Still, I had 12 of 15 coins left in that game, and my other routes were fairly decent.

I really like this game.....once you understand what causes roads to be placed, its a lot of fun, and has many tactical and strategical opportunities.

--Alex_Rockwell?

I need to watch Alex more in these types of bidding games and Learn from the Master. I definitely think this game is better with 4 and 5 players then 3.

--Tim "AlphaTim" Schutz

I think that in 3 player, you dont really need 15 coins, and the bids you should be making should be much smaller than what might be a 'correct' bid in a larger game. This is because even if you get a bad spot in a 3 player, it doesnt hurt you as much, and its easier to get an ok spot without bidding highly. I played another 3 player game on Tuesday, and all of the bids in that game were 3 or less. We all finished with 8 or 9 coins left, having bid about the same amount. I think there was definitely some overbidding in the two games above, which meant that: 1) I wasnt winning any bids, and was getting ok but not great spots for free. 2) Others were getting good spots but paying too much for them.

I think that they give you 15 coins in this game not becasue you are encouraged to spend them all, but because there should be enough for you to bid whatever you want to. Basically, you are bidding points, like in Medici.

In fresh fish its often better to lose the bid due to someone else overbidding, than to go big and win the bid yourself. This is very different than a game such as Fist of Dragonstones, where you always lose your bid, no matter what. In that case, you want to either win, or not bid at all. In FF, its often best to bid moderately, and if you get it, thats great, and you didnt spend too much, and if someone else bids a lot, thats fine too, as they lost a lot of points worth of money, and you still have the opportunity to buy one later (hopefully). Clearly, there are times where you and another person both MUST win right now or get a really bad spot, but those are things that you can try to avoid with good strategic play in the plot claiming. (i.e. claim a backup plot a little farther away, and then you dont care very much if you lose the bid).

--Alex_Rockwell?

NEXT MEETING

Saturday, 10 May 2003, 5:00 PM at the house of Tim Higgins in Mill Creek (Bothell). Come play for fun and FABULOUS PRIZES from the PrizeBag!

Remember, Seattle Cosmic Game Night occurs every weekend, in one of three locations: Kent, Mill Creek, or Tukwila. Email Ron Hale-Evans for a full schedule and directions. If you come, please bring a snack or drink to share (cookies, chips, soda, juice, etc.)

Supporting Seattle Cosmic and Games to the Rescue

GamesToTheRescue is a philanthropic project of the Center for Ludic Synergy and Seattle Cosmic Game Night. The aim of the project is to provide game rules and equipment to hospitals, for use by patients and visitors. You can support GamesToTheRescue by buying games via our Funagain affiliate program, buying Seattle Cosmic Gear, and in a number of other ways. See the GamesToTheRescue page for more details.

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