Game Night #60 and Player of the Month!

May's Player of the Month: April!

Attendees: Zeb, Jose, Mark M., April, Mark K., Brent and Joey

Previous Overall Standings:
Mark K. 10.0 (10.0/1)
April 8.9 (35.9/4)
Mark M. 8.2 (91.1/11)
Joey 7.7 (85.4/11)
Zeb 7.4 (29.7/4)
Jose 7.3 (80.8/11)
Brent 6.6 (6.6/1)

This Event's Standings:
Joey 10.0 (20/2)
April 9.3 (18.7/2)
Mark M. 8.0 (24.2/3)
Zeb 7.5 (15/2)
Jose 7.1 (21.3/3)
Brent 5.0 (5.0/1)
Mark K. 3.9 (7.9/2)

May's Overall Standings/Picking Order:
April 9.1 (54.6/6)
Mark M. 8.2 (115.3/14)
Joey 8.1 (105.4/13)
Zeb 7.4 (44.7/6)
Jose 7.2 (102.1/14)
Mark K. 5.9 (17.9/3)
Brent 5.8 (11.6/2)

We had a lot of people show up this week! We had initially planned to play a huge game of Settlers of Catan, but we had one too many. So we split into two groups. April, Mark K., Mark M. and Jose played Catan. I couldn't in any detail tell you how that went other than the board looked awesome at the end. They played a map from Asobrain called "Forest Escape". Apparently it was close game with a few key turnovers.
Settlers of Catan Standings:
April 10.0 (13 points)
Mark M. 9.2 (12 points)
Jose 7.6 (10 points)
Mark K. 6.9 (9 points)

On the other table was our (Brent, Zeb and I) game of Axis and Allies. Zeb and I were the Axis and Brent took on the full brunt of playing the Allies. Zeb took Leningrad quickly and we thought that our game might wrap up quickly. But Brent learned quickly and kept us from taking anything else. He then was able to mount a huge assault on Paris and took it and we thought that he might walk into Berlin or Rome next turn. Zeb then threw everything at Brent's British forces in Paris and retook the City of Lights. At the same time Zeb sent in a huge force of tanks into Moscow and took it. Brent's U.S. forces then had one last chance to take Paris, but Zeb's panzers were too well entrenched and the war turned out going to the Axis. It should be noted that I kept Brent mildly occupied in the Pacific and Asia. But our victory was mostly due to Zeb's ability to roll low numbers (no matter the game) that won the war for us.
Axis and Allies Standings:
Zeb 10.0 (Axis victory)
Joey 10.0 (Axis victory)
Brent 5.0 (Allied defeat)

While the other group was waiting for us to finish they played a game of Blokus. Once again, I'm not exactly sure how that went, but it was a very quiet game.
Blokus Standings:
Mark M. 10.0 (13 points)
April 8.7 (14 points)
Jose 8.7 (14 points)
Mark K. 1.0 (25 points)

We still weren't finished with Axis and Allies, so Mark M. and Jose started a game of Shadows Over Camelot. They played two knights each, but didn't look at their loyalty cards. When we got done with our game Zeb and I jumped in. Mark M. and Jose were doing really well and because of this I was really worried. The knight that I got (King Arthur) was the traitor. The game was close to ending and it looked like the forces of good were going to handily beat the game (and me). I then started to delay by fighting siege engines and not passing any more Grail cards to the players at the Grail quest. When the game ended, we had 9 white swords on the table and 5 black. I then revealed myself as the traitor and two white swords turned to black. Putting the total at 7 and 7. I thought I had lost, but then the good knights needed a majority of white swords to win. Close game!
Shadows Over Camelot Standings:
Joey 10.0 (Traitorous victory)
Zeb 5.0 (Defeat)
Mark M. 5.0 (Defeat)
Jose 5.0 (Defeat)

Additional Stats
2008 Points Total
Joey 7.66 (429.3/56)
Mark M. 7.616 (319.9/42)
April 7.610 (213.1/28)
Jose 7.58 (212.3/28)
Zeb 7.57 (257.5/34)
Ben 7.4 (37.4/5)
Brandt 7.16 (35.8/5)
Erin 7.11 (49.8/7)
Brent 7.0 (49.3/7)
Mark K. 5.9 (17.9/3)

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

Games Played in 2008, Sorted by Popularity
Manila 4
Hey! That's My Fish! 3
Nexus Ops 3
Pirate's Cove 3
Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery 3
Settlers of Catan 3
Space Dealer 2
No Thanks! 2
Fairy Tale 2
Railroad Tycoon 2
Chez Geek 2
Arkham Horror 2
Shadows Over Camelot 2
Gang of Four 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
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
Mississippi Queen 1
Zombies!!! 1
Vegas Showdown 1
Axis & Allies 1
Blokus 1

Game Night #59

Attendees: Jose, Mark M., April, Mark K., Brent and Joey

Previous Overall Standings:
April 10.0 (20/2)
Mark M. 8.4 (67.4/8)
Joey 7.9 (63.3/8)
Zeb 7.4 (29.7/4)
Jose 7.3 (58.6/8)

This Event's Standings:
Mark K. 10.0 (10.0/1)
April 7.95 (15.9/2)
Mark M. 7.90 (23.7/3)
Jose 7.4 (22.2/3)
Joey 7.3 (22.1/3)
Brent 6.6 (6.6/1)

May's Overall Standings/Picking Order:
Mark K. 10.0 (10.0/1)
April 8.9 (35.9/4)
Mark M. 8.2 (91.1/11)
Joey 7.7 (85.4/11)
Zeb 7.4 (29.7/4)
Jose 7.3 (80.8/11)
Brent 6.6 (6.6/1)

Tonight was April's pick and we played an epic game of Settlers of Catan. We played with the Seafarers and the Cities and Knights expansions. I thought I had a initial great placement and it payed off at first, then the gravy train ended. Mark M., Jose and I were left in the dust by Mark K. and April. I don't know about Mark M. or Jose, but I was just scraping points up where I could before Mark K. or April sprinted across the finish line. Mark K. beat us handily.
Settlers of Catan Standings:
Mark K. 10.0 (15 points)
April 8.0 (12 points)
Mark M. 4.6 (7 points)
Jose 4.0 (6 points)
Joey 3.3 (5 points)

Next, we played Vegas Showdown. I can't get enough of this game. This game was cutthroat in the bidding at times and we used all but one tile in the game. There were times when nearly every premier tile was bought and a grip of event cards were played and then times when none of the premier tiles went. A very close game with some key decisions at the end of the game.
Vegas Showdown Standings:
Joey 10.0 (69 fame)
Jose 9.4 (65 fame)
Mark M. 9.1 (63 fame)
April 7.9 (55 fame)
Brent 6.6 (46 fame)

It was getting late, but there were a few of us up for another game. Mark M. picked Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery. Everyone really came with their "A game". Everyone's play seemed fairly balanced. I had been placing soldiers in the New World the whole game. I figured that this would be the game that someone would want to stop me from populating the New World and would declare war on me. As it turned out, no one did. So I wanted to see how warfare worked and declared total war on Mark M. and Jose. I netted points, but I did lose a colony. Whoops. In the end, it was Mark M. who shot past for the victory.
Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery Standings:
Mark M. 10.0 (119 points)
Jose 8.8 (105 points)
Joey 8.8 (105 points)

Additional Stats
2008 Points Total
Mark K. 10.0 (10.0/1)
Jose 7.6 (191/25)
Mark M. 7.58 (295.7/39)
Joey 7.579 (409.3/54)
Zeb 7.578 (242.5/32)
Ben 7.48 (37.4/5)
April 7.47 (194.4/26)
Brent 7.3 (44.3/6)
Brandt 7.16 (35.8/5)
Erin 7.11 (49.8/7)

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

Games Played in 2008, Sorted by Popularity
Manila 4
Hey! That's My Fish! 3
Nexus Ops 3
Pirate's Cove 3
Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery 3
Space Dealer 2
No Thanks! 2
Fairy Tale 2
Railroad Tycoon 2
Chez Geek 2
Arkham Horror 2
Settlers of Catan 2
Gang of Four 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
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
Mississippi Queen 1
Zombies!!! 1
Vegas Showdown 1

Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery Image by James Smith

Game Night #58

Attendees: Jose, Zeb, Mark, April and Joey

Previous Overall Standings:
Mark 9.0 (45.3/5)
Jose 6.9 (34.7/5)
Joey 6.8 (34.1/5)
Zeb 5.9 (11.9/2)

This Event's Standings:
April 10.0 (20/2)
Joey 9.7 (29.2/3)
Zeb 8.9 (17.8/2)
Jose 7.9 (23.9/3)
Mark 7.3 (22.1/3)

May's Overall Standings/Picking Order:
April 10.0 (20/2)
Mark 8.4 (67.4/8)
Joey 7.9 (63.3/8)
Zeb 7.4 (29.7/4)
Jose 7.3 (58.6/8)

Tonight was Mark's pick and we played some great games! We played Zombies!!! to start and we played with the Mall Walkers expansion. The town really segmented funny to start with. We got a lot of empty streets to start with and then we got a lot of end cap buildings. Mark and Jose were really racking up the body count and I was out exploring the far reaches of town. When the helipad was found it had to be placed over by me, but Mark and Jose were close to getting the twenty-five zombies winning condition. So the race to end the game was on! Jose needed five more kills, I needed to move a few more spaces (I found the skateboard again!) and Mark needed eight more kills. There was some nasty card play between most of us, but in the end I made it to the helicopter as Jose and Mark were eaten alive.
Zombies!!! Standings:
Joey 10.0 (Alive)
Jose 5.0 (Undead)
Mark 5.0 (Undead)

Next we played a game of Arkham Horror, because if anyone else arrived they could join in at anytime. We decided to fight Yig. April and Jose really kept the monsters in check as Mark and Zeb closed gates. I had enough clue tokens to close a gate, but there weren't enough gates to go around. We had a really nasty rumor early on that kept killing our allies, but in the end were able seal six gates and keep Yig in his eternal slumber.
Arkham Horror Standings:
Mark 10.0 (First Citizen of Arkham)
Jose 10.0 (First Citizen of Arkham)
Zeb 10.0 (First Citizen of Arkham)
April 10.0 (First Citizen of Arkham)
Joey 10.0 (First Citizen of Arkham)

Lastly we played Pirate's Cove. April kept following me around and raining on my parade... actually there was a lot of fighting in this game and a few turns with no fighting. This was a lot of fun and high-spirited. A very close game as the scores show.
Pirate's Cove Standings:
April 10.0 (38 fame)
Joey 9.2 (35 fame)
Jose 8.9 (34 fame)
Zeb 7.8 (30 fame)
Mark 7.1 (27 fame)

Additional Stats
2008 Points Total
Jose 7.67 (168.8/22)
Joey 7.59 (387.2/51)
Zeb 7.57 (242.5/32)
Mark 7.55 (272/36)
Brent 7.54 (37.7/5)
Ben 7.48 (37.4/5)
April 7.43 (178.5/24)
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
Hey! That's My Fish! 3
Nexus Ops 3
Pirate's Cove 3
Space Dealer 2
No Thanks! 2
Fairy Tale 2
Railroad Tycoon 2
Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery 2
Chez Geek 2
Arkham Horror 2
Gang of Four 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
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
Mississippi Queen 1
Zombies!!! 1

Game Night #57

Attendees: Jose, Zeb, Mark and Joey

Previous Overall Standings:
Jose
Brent
April
Zeb
Joey
Mark
Ben

This Event's Standings:
Mark 9.0 (45.3/5)
Jose 6.9 (34.7/5)
Joey 6.8 (34.1/5)
Zeb 5.9 (11.9/2)

May's Overall Standings/Picking Order:
Mark 9.0 (45.3/5)
Jose 6.9 (34.7/5)
Joey 6.8 (34.1/5)
Zeb 5.9 (11.9/2)

It's taken longer than usual to post this, so memory might fail. We played Mississippi Queen first as filler; waiting to see if others would arrive. I took off quickly down the river hoping to get a good lead and pick up my belles in peace. Mark and Jose were up river picking up belles and as I was trying to pick up the down river belles, then steamed past me and won the race.
Mississippi Queen Standings:
Mark 10.0 (1st Place)
Jose 6.6 (2nd Place)
Joey 3.3 (3rd Place)

We decided to play another filler as no one else had arrived yet. We played Hey! That's My Fish! There were a few clusters of three-fish tiles and the contest for them really segmented the board. We then fought for those board segments.
Hey! That's My Fish Standings:
Mark 10.0 (37 fish)
Joey 9.4 (35 fish)
Jose 6.4 (24 fish)

Then we played (dare I say?) a new classic Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery. Once again a warless game, which may be the last warless game of this that we play. War is important, especially at the end.
Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery Standings:
Jose 10.0 (152 points)
Joey 9.8 (149 points)
Mark 5.3 (82 points)

Zeb had arrived and the next game was obvious; Nexus Ops. The board was much more evenly distributed; compared to last week. Mark went straight for the monolith. Zeb urged Jose and I to take Mark off of the monolith. There were a couple of us that surged ahead in points. But towards the end I made a bid to end the game and made an all or nothing assault on Mark's front. The assault failed, leaving Mark open to walk past my front lines and end the game on his terms.
Nexus Ops Standings:
Mark 10 (13 points)
Joey 5.3 (7 points)
Zeb 3.8 (5 points)
Jose 2.3 (3 points)

Lastly we played a game of Chez Geek. Zeb was going crazy thwarting our attempts at gathering slack. Mark was about eight points away from winning and didn't seem like a threat. I was holding on to a Cancel Sleep card, in case anyone got too close to winning. Mark, before I knew it, played out eight more slack points and made my trump moot.
Chez Geek Standings:
Mark 10.0 (18/18 Slack)
Jose 9.4 (18/19 Slack)
Zeb 8.1 (13/16 Slack)
Joey 6.3 (14/22 Slack)

Additional Stats
2008 Points Total
Jose 7.6 (144.9/19)
Mark 7.57 (249.9/33)
Brent 7.54 (37.7/5)
Zeb 7.49 (224.7/30)
Ben 7.48 (37.4/5)
Joey 7.45 (358/48)
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
Hey! That's My Fish! 3
Nexus Ops 3
Pirate's Cove 2
Space Dealer 2
No Thanks! 2
Fairy Tale 2
Railroad Tycoon 2
Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery 2
Chez Geek 2
Gang of Four 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
Mississippi Queen 1