Game Night #56 and Player of the Month!

April's Player of the Month: Jose!

Attendees: Jose, Zeb, Brent, Mark and Joey

Previous Overall Standings:
Brent 9.7 (9.7/1)
Jose 8.9 (62.8/7)
April 8.2 (49.3/6)
Zeb 7.9 (39.9/5)
Joey 6.9 (48.4/7)
Mark 6.3 (38.3/6)
Ben 5.0 (5.0/1)

This Event's Standings:
Mark 8.3 (16.7/2)
Jose 7.7 (15.5/2)
Joey 7.65 (15.3/2)
Brent 7.60 (7.6/1)
Zeb 6.9 (6.9/1)

April's Overall Standings:
Jose 8.7 (78.3/9)
Brent 8.6 (17.3/2)
April 8.2 (49.3/6)
Zeb 7.8 (46.8/6)
Joey 7.0 (63.7/9)
Mark 6.8 (55/8)
Ben 5.0 (5.0/1)

I was very excited when Brent showed up and wanted to play Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery. I recently acquired this game and was dying to play it. Age of Empires III did not disappoint! This game is tense and there is little luck to the game. None of us had played this game before so it was a learning experience and also a bit clunky at the start. I read the rules twice and thought that I had a handle on them. Thankfully we made no rules mistakes, but it took a couple of looks at the rule book to make sure about a few things. We had no warfare until the end and even then no one fought. It seems that the scores were relatively close, but having no frame of reference it's difficult to gauge. Each of us had our own strategy and by then end of the game you realize what a tenuous hold you have on the colonies in the New World. I really liked this game and I'll admit that it may be due to winning. But I still think this game holds its own.
Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery Standings:
Joey 10.0 (117 points)
Jose 8.5 (100 points)
Brent 7.6 (89 points)
Mark 6.7 (79 points)

It was getting late and we decided to play on more game, so we picked Nexus Ops. The game went a bit longer than we had anticipated. But this game of Nexus Ops was unlike any other. First off, Mark had NOTHING on his side of the board. Jose and I each had your average layout and Zeb had a 2-mine rich layout. Very rarely did anyone give away points by leaving a space poorly defended. There was a couple of these incidents and they were devastating, but for the most part everyone retreated without giving points away. Ironically, there were a couple of single mine spaces that remained unoccupied on Zeb's side of the board for a large part of the game. This drove Mark crazy, as he had to scratch for his subsistence. In the end it was Mark, who had the least to work with, who won the game. He conquered the monolith early and held it for the better part of the game. All of those Energize cards, played at the right time, made up for a lack of mines.
Nexus Ops Standings:
Mark 10.0 (13 points)
Zeb 6.9 (9 points)
Jose 5.3 (7 points)
Joey 5.3 (7 points)

Additional Stats
2008 Points Total
Jose 7.8 (110.2/14)
Zeb 7.6 (212.8/28)
Brent 7.54 (37.7/5)
Joey 7.53 (323.9/43)
Ben 7.4 (37.4/5)
Mark 7.3 (204.6/28)
April 7.2 (158.5/22)
Brandt 7.16 (35.8/5)
Erin 7.11 (49.8/7)

Previous Players of the Month
Mark (January)
Zeb (February)
Ben (March)
Jose (April)

Games Played in 2008, Sorted by Popularity
Manila 4
Pirate's Cove 2
Hey! That's My Fish! 2
Space Dealer 2
No Thanks! 2
Fairy Tale 2
Railroad Tycoon 2
Nexus Ops 2
Gang of Four 1
Chez Geek 1
Hive 1
Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot 1
Ticket to Ride 1
Lost Cities 1
Elk Fest 1
Wits and Wagers 1
Puerto Rico 1
Cold War: CIA vs. KGB 1
Formula De 1
Take Stock 1
Shadows Over Camelot 1
Arkham Horror 1
Twilight Imperium 1
Wings of War 1
Fury of Dracula 1
Space Beans 1
Bang! 1
For Sale 1
Marvel Heroes 1
Before I Kill You, Mr. Bond 1
World of Warcraft 1
Settlers of Catan 1
Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery 1

Twilight Imperium, April's Birthday, This Saturday

Here's a special announcement and invitation to all of our regular attendees.

This Saturday, April 26th at 10:00 a.m., we'll be holding a Twilight Imperium Day/Birthday party for April. There will be some phenomenal lasagna served and great snacks to be partaken of during this epic game.

For those of you unfamiliar with Twilight Imperium, this game is BIG! It's a bit long, but it is deep, fun and extremely worth the time investment. This game has negotiation, secret objectives, politics, trade, conquest, exploration and much, much more!

For more details on the game than you can shake a stick at:
http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/PDF/ti3rules.pdf

So come on over to Joey's house at 10:00 a.m. this Saturday, celebrate April on her day of birth and try your best at conquering the galaxy!

Game Night #55

Attendees: Jose, Zeb, April and Joey

Previous Overall Standings:
Brent 9.7 (9.7/1)
Jose 8.9 (53.5/6)
April 8.1 (40.7/5)
Zeb 7.9 (39.9/5)
Joey 6.4 (38.4/6)
Mark 6.3 (38.3/6)
Ben 5.0 (5.0/1)

This Event's Standings:
Joey 10.0 (10.0/1)
Jose 9.3 (9.3/1)
April 8.6 (8.6/1)

April's Overall Standings:
Brent 9.7 (9.7/1)
Jose 8.9 (62.8/7)
April 8.2 (49.3/6)
Zeb 7.9 (39.9/5)
Joey 6.9 (48.4/7)
Mark 6.3 (38.3/6)
Ben 5.0 (5.0/1)

So we only played one game last night, but it was epic. We played a game of Settlers of Catan with all of the bells and whistles (Seafarers, Cities and Knights). We played a map where more than half of the map was undiscovered and that section was out to sea. The game started off and we all progressed evenly. Then April and Jose began to edge out into a pretty good lead. As the game began to wrap up, Jose and April were in the 11 to 13 VP range and I was still back at 9 or 10. Then April and I raced to lock down the yellow monument. I was not very nice and ruthlessly locked it down and was able to keep April from winning; and kind of switched places with her, points-wise. Jose got another point as I defended Catan for the victory. I was amazed. This game of Catan was tense and cutthroat. We all were nipping at each other for points and playing very aggressive. I enjoy Catan, but this was the most interesting game of it that I have ever played. And, no, I'm not saying that because I won.
Settlers of Catan Standings:
Joey 10.0 (15 victory points)
Jose 9.3 (14 victory points)
April 8.6 (13 victory points)

Additional Stats
2008 Points Total
Jose 7.8 (94.7/12)
Zeb 7.6 (205.9/27)
Joey 7.526 (308.6/41)
Brent 7.525 (30.1/4)
Ben 7.48 (37.4/5)
Mark 7.22 (187.9/26)
April 7.20 (158.5/22)
Brandt 7.16 (35.8/5)
Erin 7.11 (49.8/7)

Previous Players of the Month
Mark (January)
Zeb (February)
Ben (March)

Games Played in 2008, Sorted by Popularity
Manila 4
Pirate's Cove 2
Hey! That's My Fish! 2
Space Dealer 2
No Thanks! 2
Fairy Tale 2
Railroad Tycoon 2
Gang of Four 1
Chez Geek 1
Hive 1
Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot 1
Ticket to Ride 1
Lost Cities 1
Elk Fest 1
Wits and Wagers 1
Puerto Rico 1
Cold War: CIA vs. KGB 1
Formula De 1
Take Stock 1
Nexus Ops 1
Shadows Over Camelot 1
Arkham Horror 1
Twilight Imperium 1
Wings of War 1
Fury of Dracula 1
Space Beans 1
Bang! 1
For Sale 1
Marvel Heroes 1
Before I Kill You, Mr. Bond 1
World of Warcraft 1
Settlers of Catan 1

Game Night #54

Attendees: Jose, Mark, Zeb, Brent, April and Joey

Previous Overall Standings:
Jose 9.8 (29.6/3)
April 7.56 (22.7/3)
Zeb 7.50 (15/2)
Mark 6.3 (18.9/3)
Ben 5.0 (5.0/1)
Joey 4.3 (13.0/3)

This Event's Standings:
Brent 9.7 (9.7/1)
April 9.0 (18/2)
Joey 8.4 (25.4/3)
Zeb 8.3 (24.9/3)
Jose 7.9 (23.9/3)
Mark 6.4 (19.4/3)

April's Overall Standings:
Brent 9.7 (9.7/1)
Jose 8.9 (53.5/6)
April 8.1 (40.7/5)
Zeb 7.9 (39.9/5)
Joey 6.4 (38.4/6)
Mark 6.3 (38.3/6)
Ben 5.0 (5.0/1)

Alright, it is good to have game night back and regular! Tonight was Jose's pick and the first game we played was Fairy Tale. This game was new to everyone playing it (but me); but you wouldn't have known it. We played the expert rules and I really like it with the expert rules and a full compliment of players. Jose won the game, but Brent and I nearly tied for the win.
Fairy Tale Standings:
Jose 10.0 (43 points)
Brent 9.7 (42 points)
Joey 9.5 (41 points)
Zeb 8.8 (38 points)
Mark 5.5 (24 points)

Next we played a game of Railroad Tycoon. This was a meaty game. This game had heated auctions, player's links intertwined all throughout the East coast, massive bank loans and a few runaway leaders. When it came down to it this was another VERY close game. To say that I squeezed out a victory would be an understatement. Phew!
Railroad Tycoon Standings:
Joey 10.0 (49 points)
April 9.7 (48 points)
Jose 8.5 (42 points)
Mark 7.9 (39 points)
Zeb 6.1 (30 points)

Lastly, it was late and we played a game of Manila. This was an abnormal game of Manila. Two of the shares never left their starting positions, Zeb maintained control of the Harbor Master for nearly the entire game and went into an insane amount of debt to do so. In the end Zeb crushed most of us, except April, even with -6o pesos in hocked wares.
Manila Standings:
Zeb 10.0 (96 pesos)
April 8.3 (80 pesos)
Mark 6.0 (58 pesos)
Joey 5.9 (57 pesos)
Jose 5.4 (52 pesos)

Additional Stats
2008 Points Total
Jose 7.7 (85.4/11)
Zeb 7.6 (205.9/27)
Brent 7.5 (30.1/4)
Ben 7.48 (37.4/5)
Joey 7.46 (298.6/40)
Mark 7.2 (187.9/26)
Brandt 7.16 (35.8/5)
April 7.13 (149.9/21)
Erin 7.11 (49.8/7)

Previous Players of the Month
Mark (January)
Zeb (February)
Ben (March)

Games Played in 2008, Sorted by Popularity
Manila 4
Pirate's Cove 2
Hey! That's My Fish! 2
Space Dealer 2
No Thanks! 2
Fairy Tale 2
Railroad Tycoon 2
Gang of Four 1
Chez Geek 1
Hive 1
Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot 1
Ticket to Ride 1
Lost Cities 1
Elk Fest 1
Wits and Wagers 1
Puerto Rico 1
Cold War: CIA vs. KGB 1
Formula De 1
Take Stock 1
Nexus Ops 1
Shadows Over Camelot 1
Arkham Horror 1
Twilight Imperium 1
Wings of War 1
Fury of Dracula 1
Space Beans 1
Bang! 1
For Sale 1
Marvel Heroes 1
Before I Kill You, Mr. Bond 1
World of Warcraft 1

Game Night #53

Attendees: Jose, Mark, Zeb, Ben, April and Joey

Previous Overall Standings:
Ben
Joey
Zeb
Erin
April
Mark
Jose

This Event's Standings:
Jose 9.8 (29.6/3)
April 7.56 (22.7/3)
Zeb 7.50 (15/2)
Mark 6.3 (18.9/3)
Ben 5.0 (5.0/1)
Joey 4.3 (13.0/3)

April's Overall Standings:
Jose 9.8 (29.6/3)
April 7.56 (22.7/3)
Zeb 7.50 (15/2)
Mark 6.3 (18.9/3)
Ben 5.0 (5.0/1)
Joey 4.3 (13.0/3)

We decided to play a few quick games to see if Ben would show up to pick games. I picked and old favorite: Before I Kill You, Mr. Bond. April and Jose had a couple of great taunting rounds and really shot ahead. Mark and I floundered for a bit, then Mark made a huge leap in points. When Jose killed his last spy without taunting, I was still way, way in the back of the pack.
Before I Kill You, Mr. Bond Standings:
Jose 10.0 (34 points)
April 9.1 (31 points)
Mark 5.0 (17 points)
Joey 2.0 (7 points)

Next we played a game of No Thanks! Zeb had arrived and this game was very interesting. We had a couple of players who could have milked the red chips just a bit more and a few that milked the too much and lost their connecting card. There was a definite front of the pack and back of the pack in the final scores.
No Thanks! Standings:
Zeb 10.0 (18 points)
Jose 9.6 (19 points)
Mark 8.9 (21 points)
April 3.6 (43 points)
Joey 1.0 (54 points)

Lastly, I picked World of Warcraft. We got the game nearly set up and Ben showed up. He was a sport and let us keep playing. This was a learning experience for everyone. Zeb, Ben and Marked formed the Horde players. While April, Jose and I were playing for the Alliance. The Horde took a quick lead, as did Jose. April, Mark and I kind of hung out at 1st-Level for a while. Then the Alliance took the lead as Ben took up the rear. The game came down to a PvP battle. Fortunately, we managed to get to 4th-Level before then and the other team was in 3rd. The battle only lasted one round and the Alliance claimed the day!
World of Warcraft Standings:
Jose 10.0 (Victory)
April 10.0 (Victory)
Joey 10.0 (Victory)
Mark 5.0 (Defeat)
Zeb 5.0 (Defeat)
Ben 5.0 (Defeat)

Additional Stats
2008 Points Total
Jose 7.6 (61.5/8)
Zeb 7.5 (181/24)
Ben 7.4 (37.4/5)
Joey 7.38 (273.2/37)
Mark 7.32 (168.5/23)
Brandt 7.16 (35.8/5)
Erin 7.11 (49.8/7)
April 6.9 (131.9/19)
Brent 6.8 (20.4/3)

Previous Players of the Month
Mark (January)
Zeb (February)
Ben (March)

Games Played in 2008, Sorted by Popularity
Manila 3
Pirate's Cove 2
Hey! That's My Fish! 2
Space Dealer 2
No Thanks! 2
Gang of Four 1
Chez Geek 1
Hive 1
Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot 1
Ticket to Ride 1
Lost Cities 1
Elk Fest 1
Wits and Wagers 1
Puerto Rico 1
Cold War: CIA vs. KGB 1
Formula De 1
Take Stock 1
Nexus Ops 1
Shadows Over Camelot 1
Arkham Horror 1
Twilight Imperium 1
Railroad Tycoon 1
Fairy Tale 1
Wings of War 1
Fury of Dracula 1
Space Beans 1
Bang! 1
For Sale 1
Marvel Heroes 1
Before I Kill You, Mr. Bond 1
World of Warcraft 1