Games Played August 26, 2006

One key to happiness – GAMES

We all attended Joel’s first flag football game (through the YMCA program) in the morning and then went out for a pizza lunch. Sue and I had a dinner to attend in the evening, so we only had time for four family games.

All seven of us played Bohnanza, as usual. Joel won with 14 gold, trailed by Dan with 12; Katrina was last with 8. This game was not as close as the last several we have played. Results: Joel first; Dan second; Mason and me (tied) third; Natalia and Sue (tied) fifth; Katrina last.

Of course, we played Settlers of Catan, as usual. Mason won, using both the Longest Road and the Largest Army. This is a very rare occurrence in our games. I had played defensively, blocking Sue’s attempt for the Longest Road and picking up the card myself. But, I didn’t hold it very long, before Mason snatched it from me. Sue paid me back by limiting my options for regaining the Longest Road, and we both finished tied in last place, with the other three players tied for second. Results: Mason first; Joel, Katrina, Dan (tied) second; Sue and me (tied) last. Mason once again leads Dan for wins in this game – 19 vs. 18 overall.

We played two games that haven’t been out for game day very often. The first was Marco Polo’s Expedition. We have played this game only 4 times since acquiring it in 2005. Mason has won all 4 games! He seems to have a winning strategy that the rest of us have not discerned. I’ll have to pay closer attention to his actions next time we play. Results: Mason first; Dan second; Katrina and Sue (tied) third; me last.

Finally, we took on Station Master. I enjoy this game, but have never done really well at it. This time, I managed a second-place finish, but Katrina won big-time, setting a new record for us with 318 points. One of the interesting facets of this game, especially with six players, is the rapid change in relative standings with each completed train. In one train completion, I moved from fifth to first place, but Katrina overtook me with the last train and won with a great score. With six players, it is difficult to develop any strategy, because a short train can be completed before the last player even has a chance to play on it. Katrina says it’s not one of her favorite games, but naturally, she’s won it more times than anyone, which seems to be a common result for her in games she “doesn’t really like.” Results: Katrina first; me second; Dan third; Mason fourth; Sue fifth; Joel last. Joel enjoys this game, but hasn’t yet figured out the winning strategy. No doubt, he’ll beat us all at this game one of these days.

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