Dude! Take Your Turn!
A Gaming Life
New to Me – July 2024
I knew July would be a bit of an off month for gaming, but it wasn’t too bad.
However, it didn’t really hit the “new to me games” jackpot, with only three of them to write about.
Funny how it’s still taken me longer to do that than normal?
Blame vacation.
What’s even more is that it wasn’t really that good of a month for new to me gaming, at least until the end.
One of the games, I don’t really want to play it again, though I will if it comes down to it.
Another is decent and fast, with “fast” being the word that will get it played more often than “decent” will.
Finally, though, I played a true gem and managed to actually get it played three times!
Though now I want to travel.
Damn it.
Anyway, the Cult of the New to Me was actually pretty chill this month, maybe because I was on vacation or maybe because one of the three games is from all the way back in 2012!
Of course, that’s the one that I don’t really want to play again, but don’t tell them that.
Some things are best left unsaid.
August is Dragonflight, so I’m sure next month’s post will be filled to the brim with new to me games!
But first, there’s July.
Without further ado (all of my ado was used to make that hideous dress that Ingrid is wearing anyway), let’s begin!
Read MoreJuly 2024 Gaming
It’s hard going back to work after a month off.
It’s been a really tiring week, so much so that I will not be posting my “new to me” games post until at least the weekend.
But I did want to get my July gaming post out.
Being away from work, there were no lunchtime games at all, something that I figured would seriously hinder the stats.
Without a few plays on Boardgame Arena, it would have!
Let’s take a look at the month.
Many thanks to the wonderful BG Stats app for giving me access to these great statistics!
Here’s the list view.
And here they are in beautiful grid format!
A couple of minor things to note, but nothing really major (other than the new to me games, which I will elaborate on later).
Read MorePutting Wood on the Biblical Fire
Reading the description of Ezra & Nehemiah when it first hit Kickstarter, I was intrigued.
If you read this blog for more than just one or two posts, you know I’m a huge fan of Garphill Games and the games designed by Shem Phillips and SJ MacDonald.
While I have enjoyed pretty much every “trilogy” game, I haven’t played many of their other games, including any of the “Ancients” line of games (which aren’t connected at all, except that they all portray “ancient” history in some way).
This was apparently going to be their heaviest game yet, and the setting of the game was also very attractive.
The game takes place in the aftermath of the Babylonian Captivity when the Judeans were returning to Jerusalem and having to rebuild it.
The temple was destroyed, all of the city walls and gates were nothing but rubble.
You, as players, have to take on this daunting task of rebuilding, as well as installing new scholars and teaching the Torah to the masses.
The game actually condenses these years of activity into three weeks (I wish our downtown skyscrapers would get built that fast!), one of many aspects of the theme that seem a little out of place.
I admit that I know very little about the Babylonian Captivity, nor do I know much about the rebuilding of the city.
My friend Dan Thurot over at Space-Biff has done a very good review that talks a great deal about the thematic disconnects he found in the game.
But how does it work as just a game, especially if the issues with the theme don’t bother you?
Ezra & Nehemiah is a game where almost everything you do will get you something, not just for the future, but for now.
Burn stuff on the altar? Not only do you move up on the altar track, but almost every step you move will give you something. This could be a blessing, or maybe some gold, or some money or food.
Build in the temple? Unless you are the least pious person ever working in the temple, you’re going to get something else as well as the points.
The only time this doesn’t happen is when you place your scribes, and the future benefits you get from that are so great that getting anything else would be overpowered (and even then, you might get some food or even a point).
As with most games designed by this illustrious duo, there are three areas in the game were you can spread your actions, or concentrate on one or two and totally ignore the third.
The most basic one is rebuilding the city walls and gates, and this is where you are going to be getting a large portion of the resources you need to do other things.
It’s reasonably cheap, not costing any money and the resources it costs were probably obtained from your previous excavations anyway.
Read MoreHappy Birthday, Board Game Stats!
It recently came to my attention that one of my go-to apps for my phone, not to mention my whole boardgaming experience, turned 10 this year!
Yes, the wonderful Board Game Stats app created and Eerko and Suzan, just celebrated its 10th anniversary a couple of weeks ago, and I just have to stop and give thanks to them as well as wishing them a happy anniversary.
I began using the app in 2016 or 2015, I believe, so for most of its existence!
I’m not sure exactly when I started. I’m just going by the fact that I have quite a few less games played in 2015, which means to me that this year is a year of mostly me backfilling my plays by importing from Boardgame Geek (which I didn’t record religiously at that time).
I’m not sure what made me start recording the games that I play, but I do remember starting it on BGG and then somebody posting in the forums there about this great app for recording your stats.
They give you so much information, and it’s very customizable.
Read MoreCombat Commander – After Action Report – Scenario 22 – A Veritable Bloodbath
Going into Monday’s game of the monthly Combat Commander tournament, I was on a 4-game win streak, and I was Number 5 on the ladder!
The pressure was on, not only to maintain the streak, but perhaps to be playing for almost the top spot in August.
Would I be able to do it?
Let’s start at the beginning.
The Combat Commander ladder is the monthly tournament of one of my favourite games. Created and run by the distinctive Patrick Pence of Patrick’s Tactics & Tutorials fame (really! I’ve never seen anybody like him!), this gives us all a chance to play the game at least once a month, if not more.
Because really, Tony will play you any time, even while asleep!
It’s time for another adventure from the ladder where I demonstrate my prowess!
Or maybe demonstrate how badly I can play.
You be the judge.
This month’s opponent was John A, the first time I’ve ever played him. You get to play some new people when you’re near the top.
This month’s scenario is from the Mediterranean expansion, featuring a massive British attack against a small force of German conscripts and Volksgrenadiers, both very poor quality troops.
(Don’t forget that you can click on an image to blow it up)
The British (tan – me) set up first on the left side of the board, 3 hexes deep.
The Germans (grey – John) set up second up to 12 hexes deep from the right side of the board.
There are a couple of interesting twists, though.
The Germans have to set up their trenches and wire before the British set up, and they can be 15 hexes deep (so basically anywhere on the map).
Secondly, the British squads (NOT teams and leaders) start out suppressed from the surprise firing of the German heavy machine gun.
The only other special rule is that each hex has a “dusk” hindrance equal to the time marker. So it’s getting darker as time goes on.
Sudden Death is at Time 6, so it could be a short scenario, or a long one.
That is a lot of open ground with just a little bit of hindrance for the British to run though.
Thankfully they have a mortar with smoke!
Let’s get started.
Read MoreStealin’ & Robbin’ & Rollin’ Dice
What happens when you find a game that emulates some of the mechanics of one of your favourite games and then adds a bunch to it?
Sometimes you look at it and say “nice try, but you’ll never be as good as my old girlfriend Lindsay” (or whatever her name was).
Other times, you look at it and say “you know, this is pretty cool. You’ll never replace Lindsay, but you’re definitely worth looking at too!”
For me, that’s how I felt when playing Bad Company and comparing it to one of my favourite games, Space Base.
Bad Company was designed by Kenneth Minde, Kristian Amundsen Østby and Eilif Svensson with artwork by Gjermund Bohne. It was published by Aporta Games in 2021.
The game is a dice-rolling and contract-fulfilling game for 1-6 players (which makes it a godsend for those game days where you have 6 but nobody wants to play their own game).
The dice-rolling is where the Space Base (and Machi Koro, though Space Base pretty much killed that one already) comparisons come in at.
What do I mean?
Am I being criminally obscure?
Let’s take a look.
Read MoreFriday Night Shots – Should You Learn a Game Before Trying to Teach It?
Two bar visits in a row? That’s a rarity in 2024!
But I’m happy to have you come in to have a drink and talk about some obscure boardgame topic that my mind has come up with.
I appreciate you indulging me, and I hope you find it of some interest. I hope it’s not the drink that’s bringing you in here!
Have a seat and let me get you something. Non-alcoholic for Brian, of course, but anything you want!
I have some of the best bourbon behind the bar.
Well, yeah…I don’t know bourbon, so maybe not?
It does come well-recommended, though.
Anyway, let’s talk about the teaching of games and how you should go about doing it.
Read MoreShips That Pass in the Night – For Points!
Sometimes watching Youtube is dangerous.
I’m not talking about when you look up “how to cook a S’More on the car fire that you happened upon on Highway 1.”
That’s pretty dangerous and I don’t recommend it.
No, I don’t speak from experience, why do you ask?
I’m talking about watching boardgaming videos, and how dangerous they can be to your wallet!
Here I was, innocent little ol’ Dave, tuning into Youtube and seeing what the latest boardgaming stuff to watch was.
I happened upon the Heavy Cardboard live playthrough of Shipyard (2nd Edition) and was enthralled for three and a half hours.
(I’m sure Edward is getting tired of me tagging him on social media, but I promise this review will be the last time…for Shipyard, anyway).
I immediately ordered it from Boardgame Bliss and it arrived a week later.
I got it to game day the next week and it was just as good as I had imagined it to be from the playthrough.
I had never even seen or heard of the first edition of this game, or even this edition until watching the video.
Shipyard (2nd Edition) was published in 2023 by Delicious Games. It was designed by Vladimír Suchý with art by Michal Řezníček and Adela Stopka.
It plays 1-4 players.
In the game, you are doing literally what the title is: running a shipyard in some nebulous turn of the century time period where smoke stacks and snooty-looking businessmen are all the rage.
(Ok, that last part could be in any time period).
What is so great about this game? (Yeah, sorry, spoilers, I think it’s awesome).
Let’s take a look.
Read MoreNew to Me – June 2024
May was a really boring month for new to me games, so much so that I was wondering how I could correct that for June.
How about seven?
No, that’s no my winning lotto number, though it should be.
That’s how many new games were played in June, and two of them were mine.
That just adds to the goodness.
That being said, the Cult of the New to Me was not impressed, at least at first.
The oldest game was from 2022!
That’s not good, and almost sparked another rebellion.
Being a cult leader is a tough job sometimes.
However, the last two weeks of June, I managed to get a 2019 game played and, on the last day of the month, a 2014 game played.
They reacted a lot better to that.
Too bad they weren’t drinking the good stuff.
Canadian Club or nothing, baby!
Without further ado (all of my ado was lost in the canal during my ship’s shakedown cruise anyway), let’s set sail!
Read MoreJune 2024 Gaming
I wasn’t really expecting much for gaming in June, mainly because of Father’s Day but also because I wasn’t sure how many lunchtime games we would get in.
There was a lot of stuff going on at work that was taking the place of lunches.
Little did I know that I didn’t really need to be concerned!
Father’s Day happened, even though there was only two of us (which actually turned out to be really good for me) and we did get a bunch of lunchtime gaming in.
Compared to May, I ended up getting one more total play (22 instead of 21) but of two fewer games (12 instead of 14).
Here’s how it all shook out.
And here that is in grid format (thanks to BG Stats for the amazing extracts!)
There were a few surprises in there, including seven new to me games out of twelve!
That’s a lot, and thus this post is going up before my “new to me” post is (and that one might be delayed, we’ll see).
Read More
Dude! Take Your Turn! 