Games Played August 19, 2006

One key to happiness – GAMES

This was a fun day with the family. We finally have our house pretty well put back together, after all the remodeling and decorating work this summer, and we could have the family here again for lunch and games. After a great lunch of grilled marinated rosemary chicken breasts, lemon oregano potatoes, spinach salad and special dressing, cucumbers and onions in vinegar, and a fantastic fresh fruit/pudding/cake trifle, we cleared the table for games.

I had alerted everyone during the week that we were going to try Australia, and they were all willing to do so. We followed the suggestion in the rules and did not use the windmill scoring this first time out, which probably was a good idea. We did make a couple of errors, anyway, in placing and moving rangers, which we discovered and will correct next time. It was a really neat game, and we all enjoyed it. Everyone is ready to play it again, and eventually we’ll add the windmill scoring, which should make it even more challenging. We’re thinking of the windmill feature as being similar to an expansion to the basic game. Anyway, Australia was a hit, and it was the last un-played game in our collection. Now, I can actually get serious about a new game order. When I mentioned that, no one objected, which was a good sign. Australia results: Mason first (as he frequently is with a new game); Sue second (trailing by four points); Dan third; Katrina fourth; me last (typical these days, I fear). Mason beat Sue by having a lot more Australian dollars at the end of the game, and Katrina beat me for fourth place the same way. I’ll have to remember that next time.

What’s a game day with our family without playing Settlers of Catan? This was one of the longest games of Settlers we have played. The board was even more crowded than usual, with few building options available at the end. Both the Longest Road and the Largest Army cards were acquired early, and changed hands several times. Most of the VP Development Cards were acquired, but were split evenly around the table, which prevented anyone from getting a quick win. I believe that at the end of the game there were only a few places available for settlements, and only two people could have built on them. We all expected someone to win the game during the last two rounds of the game. It was pretty tense, because it was obvious that several of us were almost at 10 points. Finally, Dan got the right combination and won the game, with Joel, Mason, and Katrina tied at 9, me at 8, and Sue at 6 points (after she lost the Longest Road card, she stole the Largest Army card from me). Results: Dan first; Joel, Mason, Katrina (tied) second; me fifth; Sue last.

Natalia joined us for a game of Bohnanza, which seems to have become an automatic selection each game day, too. It was our typical fun game of “Beans.” Results: Sue first; Dan second; Natalia and Joel (tied) third; Katrina fifth; Mason and me (tied) last.

Because of the long Settlers game and taking time to learn Australia, we had time for only one quick finisher for the day, and decided to play For Sale, with seven players, which works fine by randomly removing two property cards and two check cards. Results: Joel and Dan (tied) first; me third; Katrina fourth; Mason fifth; Sue sixth; Natalia last.

Okay, now to get with it and place a new game order! We (at least Dan and I) have agreed to bring out one game each week that doesn’t get played very often, just to keep it in our memories, and to add to the variety.

One interesting thing happened this past week regarding gaming. Katrina and Dan are both middle school teachers. Katrina learned during a casual conversation that another teacher in her school plays Settlers of Catan in her family. Katrina said she will follow up on that information and tell her about all the other games we enjoy, and she’ll ask what else they play. That was quite a surprise, since we know of no one else among our neighbors, friends, or co-workers who enjoy Eurogames.

--- Gerald … near Denver, Colorado
aka gamesgrandpa -- A grandpa who is a mile high on gaming