The latest Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club session report is up. Games played: Nile, Agricola.
I had a difficult and tumultuous 2011, with a few bright spots. I hope you all had an easier and happier year, and I wish you all a happy, memorable, and peaceful 2012.
True Hearing
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
A non-gamer hesitating on his first turn in a simple filler game with me recently made the following comment: I don't like not knowing what to play.
The very act of calculation against the unknown possibilities was not fun for him. I wanted to explain that decision-making was the definition of fun; I had to fight myself to listen to what he was actually saying: I don't find this fun. It was a difficult, but important, struggle. I think of decision making as the heart of a game and the heart of the fun. This is not the case for everyone.
Some people don't enjoy games, period. Some enjoy the company. Some like to watch what happens, and may even be excited about the game as it happens; they just don't want to guess. Let them pick a card or tell them to roll the dice. Give them a skill to perform or all the information they need for a quick calculation, but don't force them do math or memory or decide whether or not to buy something with a hidden value.
We need to listen to our gamers, just like we need to listen to our children or our parents when they tell us something. We can't just think that they're not seeing it the right way.
The very act of calculation against the unknown possibilities was not fun for him. I wanted to explain that decision-making was the definition of fun; I had to fight myself to listen to what he was actually saying: I don't find this fun. It was a difficult, but important, struggle. I think of decision making as the heart of a game and the heart of the fun. This is not the case for everyone.
Some people don't enjoy games, period. Some enjoy the company. Some like to watch what happens, and may even be excited about the game as it happens; they just don't want to guess. Let them pick a card or tell them to roll the dice. Give them a skill to perform or all the information they need for a quick calculation, but don't force them do math or memory or decide whether or not to buy something with a hidden value.
We need to listen to our gamers, just like we need to listen to our children or our parents when they tell us something. We can't just think that they're not seeing it the right way.
Raanana Session Report
Participants: Laurie, Daniel, Ellis, Jon, Rochelle
I arrived as Laurie set up a filler game Piece o Cake for Ellis, Laurie, and me to play. This was the first play for all of us. It's a simple food-themed game of set collection with a divide and offer mechanic. There are five piles of cards.
Cards are worth a small number of points if they are "consumed" as soon as they are acquired, or nothing if not consumed; if, however, you have the most in a set of unconsumed cards, you gain a larger number of points. For instance, a cherry pie slice may be worth 7 points for having the most unconsumed slices at the end of the game (it doesn't matter how many of them you have, so long as you have the most), or they may be worth 2 points each if you simply consumed them. Note that if you will acquire all the cherry pie slices during the game, your best move it to consume all but one of them: the 6 slices will then be worth 2 points each consumed, and the remaining slice will be worth 7 points as the majority holder of unconsumed slices.
On each turn, someone opens a stack of 11 cards and arranges them into a circle without changing their order. The player then divides the cards into groups by the number of players; the division must not rearrange any of the arcs, but the division does not have to have an equal number of cards in each circle. Players then, in turn, select a group and consumes or not each of the cards in the group. Repeat for 5 turns. Score.
On turn three I had essentially reduced the game to its math, including how many points I was wasting trying to maintain majorities and how many slices were left in the deck so as to determine whether I really needed to keep one more slice unconsumed. Even with tracking, the game still holds interest, since you don't know the order in which the cards will turn up or how the other players will divide them. Ellis consumed nearly all of his slices. I squeaked out a win by 1 point over Laurie.
I then taught Rochelle, Ellis, Laurie, and Daniel how to play Amun Re. Of course, I changed the theme of stage four, and also changed the power card that lets you correct the offering value. In the latter case, I let players decide to use these cards after seeing the results of the offering and also to act in collusion. Even with these boosts, the cards were used only once to boost the offering from level 3 to 4.
I won the money war in the first half, and I was tied for the lead in points. I messed up round four by not buying the best province, ceding it to Daniel instead. I spent a lot of money to build my pyramids in the second half. On the last round, I wasn't able to complete four complete pyramid sets by a few gold. In fact, completing the sets lost me so much gold that I received no bonus points for money at the end. Meanwhile, Ellis solidified his points in the second half. On the last round, his bribe bonus was two power cards, both of which gave him extra money from the harvest, which was enough to bump his money holdings to first place. He was five points behind me in scoring, and then he took his six point bonus for money and ended the game one point ahead of me.
Daniel ended one point ahead of Laurie, about 8 points behind Ellis and me. Rochelle brought up the rear. The game took just shy of three hours to teach and play.
P.S. The JSGC had a game day on Hanukkah. Games played: Highland Clans, El Grande, Egizia, Princes of Florence, Louis XIV, Year of the Dragon.
I arrived as Laurie set up a filler game Piece o Cake for Ellis, Laurie, and me to play. This was the first play for all of us. It's a simple food-themed game of set collection with a divide and offer mechanic. There are five piles of cards.
Cards are worth a small number of points if they are "consumed" as soon as they are acquired, or nothing if not consumed; if, however, you have the most in a set of unconsumed cards, you gain a larger number of points. For instance, a cherry pie slice may be worth 7 points for having the most unconsumed slices at the end of the game (it doesn't matter how many of them you have, so long as you have the most), or they may be worth 2 points each if you simply consumed them. Note that if you will acquire all the cherry pie slices during the game, your best move it to consume all but one of them: the 6 slices will then be worth 2 points each consumed, and the remaining slice will be worth 7 points as the majority holder of unconsumed slices.
On each turn, someone opens a stack of 11 cards and arranges them into a circle without changing their order. The player then divides the cards into groups by the number of players; the division must not rearrange any of the arcs, but the division does not have to have an equal number of cards in each circle. Players then, in turn, select a group and consumes or not each of the cards in the group. Repeat for 5 turns. Score.
On turn three I had essentially reduced the game to its math, including how many points I was wasting trying to maintain majorities and how many slices were left in the deck so as to determine whether I really needed to keep one more slice unconsumed. Even with tracking, the game still holds interest, since you don't know the order in which the cards will turn up or how the other players will divide them. Ellis consumed nearly all of his slices. I squeaked out a win by 1 point over Laurie.
I then taught Rochelle, Ellis, Laurie, and Daniel how to play Amun Re. Of course, I changed the theme of stage four, and also changed the power card that lets you correct the offering value. In the latter case, I let players decide to use these cards after seeing the results of the offering and also to act in collusion. Even with these boosts, the cards were used only once to boost the offering from level 3 to 4.
I won the money war in the first half, and I was tied for the lead in points. I messed up round four by not buying the best province, ceding it to Daniel instead. I spent a lot of money to build my pyramids in the second half. On the last round, I wasn't able to complete four complete pyramid sets by a few gold. In fact, completing the sets lost me so much gold that I received no bonus points for money at the end. Meanwhile, Ellis solidified his points in the second half. On the last round, his bribe bonus was two power cards, both of which gave him extra money from the harvest, which was enough to bump his money holdings to first place. He was five points behind me in scoring, and then he took his six point bonus for money and ended the game one point ahead of me.
Daniel ended one point ahead of Laurie, about 8 points behind Ellis and me. Rochelle brought up the rear. The game took just shy of three hours to teach and play.
P.S. The JSGC had a game day on Hanukkah. Games played: Highland Clans, El Grande, Egizia, Princes of Florence, Louis XIV, Year of the Dragon.
38 Years of Bridge With These Guys
Sunday, 25 December 2011
I stopped in for a quick dinner at my brother's house, attended also by my other brother's family and my mother (and my son).
I've been playing Bridge with my brothers and mother for 38 years now. It's surprising how poor I am at the game (well, mediocre, actually) after all this time, especially since the skills I learned from Bridge help me to do fairly well at most other games. Still, it's nice that we're still playing together after 38 years.
As far as holidays goes, Hanukkah is a pretty nice one' hope you're having a nice one if you celebrate it. Merry Christmas to the rest of you.
Some Hanukkah vids:
I've been playing Bridge with my brothers and mother for 38 years now. It's surprising how poor I am at the game (well, mediocre, actually) after all this time, especially since the skills I learned from Bridge help me to do fairly well at most other games. Still, it's nice that we're still playing together after 38 years.
As far as holidays goes, Hanukkah is a pretty nice one' hope you're having a nice one if you celebrate it. Merry Christmas to the rest of you.
Some Hanukkah vids:
Guests or Not
Saturday, 24 December 2011
Bill and Shirley came for shabbat, bringing decadent donuts from Roladin. These are donuts with fillings, icings, decorations, and even little syringe tubes with more filling that you can inject into your pastry moments before ingesting them. Over the top, but tasty.
Rochelle came over for lunch. After lunch, we all played Tichu. I taught them, we played two hands, and I won both hands. Then I taught them Apples to Apples, which I also won. Then I taught them For Sale, which I also won. Really, guys, I don't win every game I play, it was an accident. I tried throwing Apples to Apples rounds by playing cards that couldn't possibly get picked, but they started going for ironic or ridiculous choices and picked my cards anyway. It's hard to throw a game of Apples to Apples.
Anyhoo, after shabbat my guests left and I prepared for a small party I was throwing, my first in Raanana. I had sent invitations to everyone I currently know in the area (and some I don't). The only replies I got were from people who were not coming. I heard tell of three people who might come, and some people said that they might try to drop by toward the end.
Only one person (other than my kids) came. We talked a little and I showed him my Hanukkah Jeopardy game for this year. And these were probably among the best latkes I ever made, and some pretty good brownies, too. More for me, I guess.
Huh, I think there's something wrong with my belt.
Rochelle came over for lunch. After lunch, we all played Tichu. I taught them, we played two hands, and I won both hands. Then I taught them Apples to Apples, which I also won. Then I taught them For Sale, which I also won. Really, guys, I don't win every game I play, it was an accident. I tried throwing Apples to Apples rounds by playing cards that couldn't possibly get picked, but they started going for ironic or ridiculous choices and picked my cards anyway. It's hard to throw a game of Apples to Apples.
Anyhoo, after shabbat my guests left and I prepared for a small party I was throwing, my first in Raanana. I had sent invitations to everyone I currently know in the area (and some I don't). The only replies I got were from people who were not coming. I heard tell of three people who might come, and some people said that they might try to drop by toward the end.
Only one person (other than my kids) came. We talked a little and I showed him my Hanukkah Jeopardy game for this year. And these were probably among the best latkes I ever made, and some pretty good brownies, too. More for me, I guess.
Huh, I think there's something wrong with my belt.
I Had a Busy Weekend
Saturday, 17 December 2011
First off, last week's Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club's session report is up, in which they play Train of Thought too seriously.
Thursday evening was my my only niece's bat-mitzvah. I picked up my kids and we drove out to the boondocks to their little community of Kochav Hashachar. The bat mitzvah was small but nice. Sis-in-law gave a heartfelt speech. Niece read a nice dvar torah (written in part or more by other sis-in-law).
After the bat-mitzvah, I slept in Jerusalem. Friday morning I was supposed to meet someone, but she cancelled. I found myself with some free time in Talipot right next to the wedding of a Facebook friend, a wedding I didn't think I would be around for. I dropped in to say hi and stayed to see the reception.
Friday evening I went to my old Carlebach shul and said hi to half the community that I had left when I moved to Raanana. Nadine joined me at my mom's house for dinner. After dinner, I read the first two chapters of Another Fine Myth to Tal, whereupon she finished the rest of the book. Classic.
Sat I went to the other shul I used to frequent and said hi to the other half of the community. Lunch was at Nadine's with the games gang and sundry: Nadine, me and Tal, Bill and Shirley (visiting from the US), Eitan and Emily, Shani and Shachar, Adam, and some moms. After lunch, a couple played Glen More, a group played Small World Underground, and I taught Shirley, Adam, and Nadine to play Inca Empire.
I hoped IE wouldn't take more than two hours, just like the people playing SWU hoped it would be a short game. Each of them took about 3.5 hours. I won IE with some major road playing at the end (I was forced to do this, since I was low in workers, but I was receiving a number of bonus roads from the played cards). I netted a good 20 or so points from this.
Nadine looked like she was winning for most of the third age, having played the card that let her (and only her) net 7 points a round from one of the temple/cities. But in the end she only ended the third age a few points ahead of me, and my board was stronger.
Adam suffered greatly from the loss of many roads in undiscovered areas (I warned everyone, and most of us (including me) lost a bunch of roads to this card several times). Shirley was pretty close to Nadine's position.
Sat night I went to see a showing of The Golem, the 1920 movie, playing alongside a live trio playing musical accompaniment to the silent film. The Golem is a good movie from a historical perspective, much in the way that a talented five year old can produce something quite enjoyable to look at, but not really be in the caliber of something objectively good.
The acting and direction is beyond bad; it's that stereotype of old silent films that is so weird that you wonder if the actors on film are actually Martians. They exhibit emotions and make movements that I've never seen any humans make in real life. What were they thinking? This was probably the height of good acting and directing in its day, and it looks ridiculous (I will mention in contrast that Charlie Chaplin films hold up quite well, even today). I was trying not to laugh out loud during the smoldering romantic or hysterical wailing scenes.
The story is well formed, though entirely straightforward and unsubtle. The cuts are kind of erratic, and, of course, they knew little about smart camera work or sensible lighting. It's supposed to be a horror movie, but it's not scary in the least. Except for its insulting portrayal of Jews.
And why is everyone, even the romantic leads, so ugly?
The live music was nice, though a few parts were kind of loud. The musicians are brilliant players; I prefer to simply hear them play their music without them having to sync it to a movie.
Thursday evening was my my only niece's bat-mitzvah. I picked up my kids and we drove out to the boondocks to their little community of Kochav Hashachar. The bat mitzvah was small but nice. Sis-in-law gave a heartfelt speech. Niece read a nice dvar torah (written in part or more by other sis-in-law).
 |
| Saarya, Tal, and me; pic by sis-in-law |
Friday evening I went to my old Carlebach shul and said hi to half the community that I had left when I moved to Raanana. Nadine joined me at my mom's house for dinner. After dinner, I read the first two chapters of Another Fine Myth to Tal, whereupon she finished the rest of the book. Classic.
Sat I went to the other shul I used to frequent and said hi to the other half of the community. Lunch was at Nadine's with the games gang and sundry: Nadine, me and Tal, Bill and Shirley (visiting from the US), Eitan and Emily, Shani and Shachar, Adam, and some moms. After lunch, a couple played Glen More, a group played Small World Underground, and I taught Shirley, Adam, and Nadine to play Inca Empire.
I hoped IE wouldn't take more than two hours, just like the people playing SWU hoped it would be a short game. Each of them took about 3.5 hours. I won IE with some major road playing at the end (I was forced to do this, since I was low in workers, but I was receiving a number of bonus roads from the played cards). I netted a good 20 or so points from this.
Nadine looked like she was winning for most of the third age, having played the card that let her (and only her) net 7 points a round from one of the temple/cities. But in the end she only ended the third age a few points ahead of me, and my board was stronger.
Adam suffered greatly from the loss of many roads in undiscovered areas (I warned everyone, and most of us (including me) lost a bunch of roads to this card several times). Shirley was pretty close to Nadine's position.
Sat night I went to see a showing of The Golem, the 1920 movie, playing alongside a live trio playing musical accompaniment to the silent film. The Golem is a good movie from a historical perspective, much in the way that a talented five year old can produce something quite enjoyable to look at, but not really be in the caliber of something objectively good.
The acting and direction is beyond bad; it's that stereotype of old silent films that is so weird that you wonder if the actors on film are actually Martians. They exhibit emotions and make movements that I've never seen any humans make in real life. What were they thinking? This was probably the height of good acting and directing in its day, and it looks ridiculous (I will mention in contrast that Charlie Chaplin films hold up quite well, even today). I was trying not to laugh out loud during the smoldering romantic or hysterical wailing scenes.
The story is well formed, though entirely straightforward and unsubtle. The cuts are kind of erratic, and, of course, they knew little about smart camera work or sensible lighting. It's supposed to be a horror movie, but it's not scary in the least. Except for its insulting portrayal of Jews.
And why is everyone, even the romantic leads, so ugly?
The live music was nice, though a few parts were kind of loud. The musicians are brilliant players; I prefer to simply hear them play their music without them having to sync it to a movie.
Raanana Session Report, in which I play Settlers with two Rochelles
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Participants: Laurie, Daniel, Jon, Ellis, Rochelle, Rochelle 2
Game night at Laurie and Daniel's as usual. Rochelle 2 is a friend of mine who was willing to try something new; she has no previous experience with games as an adult.
Dominion+
Jon 27, Laurie 11, Ellis 10, Daniel 6
Scores approximate. I brought over my box of four Dominion games and selected a random assortment from all of them.
Kingdoms: Market, Great Hall, Masquerade, Swindler, Ironworks, Sea Hag, Tactician, Bishop, Bank, Expand. No Platinum or Colony.
This is the first play for any Dominion expansions by the others. Actually, they're all still in single digit plays for Dominion altogether. Turns are still kind of slow going. There was a lot of trashing, of course. Swindler has the side effect of causing piles of cards to disappear rather quickly, which is why the game ended up with three piles gone, rather than the usual Provinces. I managed to nab three Provinces before the game ended, all by using Tactician.
An interesting combo was Ironworks to take Great Hall, which gave two out of the three bonuses with no drawbacks. Swindler also handed out a lot of curses, mostly to Daniel.
Settlers of Catan
Jon 10, Rochelle 7, Rochelle 2 5
Rochelle had played this once before but had forgotten many of the rules. So it was essentially a first play for both of them. They both picked it up without much difficulty. The resource distribution was pretty even, and so were the dice rolls. No one had to toss out cards from a roll of 7.
Rochelle took Longest Road fairly early. She also acquired a port mid-game, but it wasn't one she could use. Rochelle 2 built a few settlements and was often one road away from taking Longest Road from Rochelle, though she never threatened to do so. Luck was against her, and she often rolled up a resource right after she had traded for it.
I built an early settlement and then city on the ore, and then city on the brick. I had a port for brick and used it nicely. I ended the game with my ninth board point and a revealed development victory point.
Race for the Galaxy
Ellis, Daniel, Laurie
I didn't see how the game (or games) went. They actually play with an expension or two thrown in, though I don't know which.
Game night at Laurie and Daniel's as usual. Rochelle 2 is a friend of mine who was willing to try something new; she has no previous experience with games as an adult.
Dominion+
Jon 27, Laurie 11, Ellis 10, Daniel 6
Scores approximate. I brought over my box of four Dominion games and selected a random assortment from all of them.
Kingdoms: Market, Great Hall, Masquerade, Swindler, Ironworks, Sea Hag, Tactician, Bishop, Bank, Expand. No Platinum or Colony.
This is the first play for any Dominion expansions by the others. Actually, they're all still in single digit plays for Dominion altogether. Turns are still kind of slow going. There was a lot of trashing, of course. Swindler has the side effect of causing piles of cards to disappear rather quickly, which is why the game ended up with three piles gone, rather than the usual Provinces. I managed to nab three Provinces before the game ended, all by using Tactician.
An interesting combo was Ironworks to take Great Hall, which gave two out of the three bonuses with no drawbacks. Swindler also handed out a lot of curses, mostly to Daniel.
Settlers of Catan
Jon 10, Rochelle 7, Rochelle 2 5
Rochelle had played this once before but had forgotten many of the rules. So it was essentially a first play for both of them. They both picked it up without much difficulty. The resource distribution was pretty even, and so were the dice rolls. No one had to toss out cards from a roll of 7.
Rochelle took Longest Road fairly early. She also acquired a port mid-game, but it wasn't one she could use. Rochelle 2 built a few settlements and was often one road away from taking Longest Road from Rochelle, though she never threatened to do so. Luck was against her, and she often rolled up a resource right after she had traded for it.
I built an early settlement and then city on the ore, and then city on the brick. I had a port for brick and used it nicely. I ended the game with my ninth board point and a revealed development victory point.
Race for the Galaxy
Ellis, Daniel, Laurie
I didn't see how the game (or games) went. They actually play with an expension or two thrown in, though I don't know which.
World in Conflict: Soviet Assault
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
World in Conflict: Soviet Assault
- Developer: Massive Entertainment
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Genre: Strategy
- Release Date: March 12, 2009 (US)
About World in Conflict: Soviet Assault
An expansion pack to the critically-acclaimed strategy game World in Conflict, Soviet Assault takes the battle to Russia with all-new campaigns set on USSR soil. World in Conflict: Soviet Assault allows players to relive the Cold War in a dramatic, gritty, real world setting driven by compelling characters and storyline. This one of a kind strategy game offers players a unique team-oriented experience on chillingly realistic battlegrounds. Soviet Assault features all-new characters, gameplay from the Soviet perspective, ten new films, new multiplayer maps and more.
Minimum System Requirements
- OS: Windows XP/Vista
- Processor: Pentium 4 @ 2 GHz / Any Dual Core Processor
- Memory: 512 Mb
- Hard Drive: 8 Gb free
- Video Memory: 128 Mb
- Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
- DirectX: 9.0c
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- DVD Rom Drive
Recommended System Requirements
- OS: Windows XP/Vista
- Processor: Pentium 4 @ 2.5 GHz / Any Dual Core Processor
- Memory: 1 Gb
- Hard Drive: 8 Gb free
- Video Memory: 256 Mb
- Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
- DirectX: 9.0c or 10
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- DVD Rom Drive
- Notes:
- Supported Video Cards at Time of Release:
- NVIDIA GeForce 6/7/8/9/X200 series
- ATI 9600-9800/X300-X850/X1050/X1300/X1550-X1950/HD 2400-4800 series
Download World in Conflict: Soviet Assault – Direct Links
Part 1 – 700 MB
Part 2 – 700 MB
Part 3 – 490 MB
www.elj-games.blogspot.com
An Irresistable Plea
Sunday, 11 December 2011
A game company is asking - begging - me to change their game to make it better. To add some "zazz". They're offering me (a currently unspecified amount of) money to do so.
It's a children's educational game. The thing is that the game is actually already pretty good. Yeah, it's roll and move with parent/child discussions about the topic interrupting the game flow, but it has nice components, a decent flow, quick turns, catch-up mechanisms, some clever collection mechanics, and engaging ideas. The topic is interesting and universal. In fact, there are three games in the box, and at least one of them (what appears to be the throwaway third game played only with the game cards) looks like a lot of fun, even for grown up game geeks like me.
The game has already won several industry awards and recommendations (some of these are handed out just for showing up, I think) and garnered good reviews from players and educational professionals alike. Of course I can throw some modern game ideas at them, but I am constrained by being not allowed to change the board or cards, only the rules.
I'm not sure what I can do for them, but I'm thinking it over. Even with the constraints there is a lot to work with.
It's a children's educational game. The thing is that the game is actually already pretty good. Yeah, it's roll and move with parent/child discussions about the topic interrupting the game flow, but it has nice components, a decent flow, quick turns, catch-up mechanisms, some clever collection mechanics, and engaging ideas. The topic is interesting and universal. In fact, there are three games in the box, and at least one of them (what appears to be the throwaway third game played only with the game cards) looks like a lot of fun, even for grown up game geeks like me.
The game has already won several industry awards and recommendations (some of these are handed out just for showing up, I think) and garnered good reviews from players and educational professionals alike. Of course I can throw some modern game ideas at them, but I am constrained by being not allowed to change the board or cards, only the rules.
I'm not sure what I can do for them, but I'm thinking it over. Even with the constraints there is a lot to work with.
A Growly in the Garden
Saturday, 10 December 2011
For lunch I had a guy and his three kids (ages 14, 9 and 7) and a single woman. The guy and kids (and his wife, who couldn't come) are homeschoolers and game lovers. They are hoping to have me over some time to play Settlers with them 4-player. The 14 year old was suitably impressed with the game collection and took some time to look through some of my Magic cards.
After lunch, I taught them Pit. The woman (who is not really a gamer) didn't care for it, and the youngest one had some trouble with it (actually, all of them kept forgetting that you couldn't pass the bear alone). But the others really liked it.
The family then taught me a game that they had brought over, A Growly in the Garden. It's a cooperative kid's game with some interesting risk calculation. There is a 4x4 grid you have to fill with flowers (tiles), and a ring of spaces for tiles around the grid. You gradually flip tiles, and must place them as they appear. Some of the tiles are growlies who eat flowers in a row or column, unless they are scared away by scarecrows or get the special item they need to go back to bed. Your job is not only to preserve as many of your flowers as you can, but also have the growlies get their items without going away sad. I told them that I thought it had a subtle ecological theme.
Like most coops, it's easy for one player to dominate with his suggestions to the other players. Unlike most co-ops, or any games, for that matter, there is no clear win or loss at the end, only a final score.
As kid's games go, it's pretty good. Still, I wish there had been some more tension. Co-op games have become more interesting since Dr Knizia tinkered with them, and there's no reason that kid's games can't adopt a bit more of that interest.
After lunch, I taught them Pit. The woman (who is not really a gamer) didn't care for it, and the youngest one had some trouble with it (actually, all of them kept forgetting that you couldn't pass the bear alone). But the others really liked it.
The family then taught me a game that they had brought over, A Growly in the Garden. It's a cooperative kid's game with some interesting risk calculation. There is a 4x4 grid you have to fill with flowers (tiles), and a ring of spaces for tiles around the grid. You gradually flip tiles, and must place them as they appear. Some of the tiles are growlies who eat flowers in a row or column, unless they are scared away by scarecrows or get the special item they need to go back to bed. Your job is not only to preserve as many of your flowers as you can, but also have the growlies get their items without going away sad. I told them that I thought it had a subtle ecological theme.
Like most coops, it's easy for one player to dominate with his suggestions to the other players. Unlike most co-ops, or any games, for that matter, there is no clear win or loss at the end, only a final score.
As kid's games go, it's pretty good. Still, I wish there had been some more tension. Co-op games have become more interesting since Dr Knizia tinkered with them, and there's no reason that kid's games can't adopt a bit more of that interest.
Raanana Session Report, in which I teach Agricola
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
Participants: Laurie, Jon, Daniel, Rochelle
Ellis was in the middle of moving. He should be back next week.
Race for the Galaxy
Laurie 40, Jon 38
I arrived early and Laurie chose this as a two-player game for us. We played with no specific two-player rules, just one role each round.
I picked too many 6 point cards early on and had to toss most of them out. Still, I didn't fare too badly. I played the 6 pointer that makes other developments cost 2 less early on, and then I mistaken played a development which I thought gave me another 2 discount on further developments, but I noticed later that it gave 2 discount on worlds, not developments. That put a kink in my plans.
Laurie meanwhile started taking victory points early and ended the game when I only had 9 buildings out. My second mistake was not to realize that this was going to happen and to build in what was sure to be the last round, instead of uselessly produce. Really, the only thing that bothers me about this game is the way that it suddenly ends and the way one player can rush the ending out under another. I would like the game a lot more if it simply went 12 rounds or something.
Agricola
Daniel 34, Jon 29, Laurie 26, Rochelle 23
We started the explanation for this at around 8:30 and finished the game at just before 12. It's an odd game in that it has a lot to explain, and even during the game there is a sense of being overwhelmed, but the basic flow is easy to grasp. This is in contrast to other games that are difficult to explain but not overwhelming once the game is in play, like Princes of Florence, or remain overwhelming and also hard to understand the flow, like Puerto Rico.
Daniel insisted that we draw and keep our fourteen cards, rather than do something to ameliorate the luck factor, since it would only do to help the newer players. In fact, I drew reasonably well; nobody had any real game killers.
I played unusually with a lot of occupations and minor improvements, all of which helped me get points but not food. I didn't have a good food engine and so occasionally had to scramble for food at the last moment. I played a card early on that gave me four wood but also gave any player who ended the game without any negative points a five point bonus. That seems like overkill, since the person who has no negative points is typically winning anyway. I often end the game with no negative points, so I thought it couldn't hurt me.
Unfortunately, in the last two rounds when I needed at least one of the Plow actions (I had an improvement that let me plow three fields, rather than one), both were taken before I could get them. Not only did this leave me with negative spaces, it also left me scrambling for food, lacking points in the food items (I was also going to plow them, and no one else could effectively plow), and forced me to give up several other items since I had to use my actions elsewhere. It represented at least a 10 point loss for me.
Laurie also experienced people blocking what she needed on various occasions. She finally took the Start Player action, but didn't feel like it did much for her. Daniel is the only one who finished with no negative points, and the five points he got from my occupation card handed him the clear victory.
Ellis was in the middle of moving. He should be back next week.
Race for the Galaxy
Laurie 40, Jon 38
I arrived early and Laurie chose this as a two-player game for us. We played with no specific two-player rules, just one role each round.
I picked too many 6 point cards early on and had to toss most of them out. Still, I didn't fare too badly. I played the 6 pointer that makes other developments cost 2 less early on, and then I mistaken played a development which I thought gave me another 2 discount on further developments, but I noticed later that it gave 2 discount on worlds, not developments. That put a kink in my plans.
Laurie meanwhile started taking victory points early and ended the game when I only had 9 buildings out. My second mistake was not to realize that this was going to happen and to build in what was sure to be the last round, instead of uselessly produce. Really, the only thing that bothers me about this game is the way that it suddenly ends and the way one player can rush the ending out under another. I would like the game a lot more if it simply went 12 rounds or something.
Agricola
Daniel 34, Jon 29, Laurie 26, Rochelle 23
We started the explanation for this at around 8:30 and finished the game at just before 12. It's an odd game in that it has a lot to explain, and even during the game there is a sense of being overwhelmed, but the basic flow is easy to grasp. This is in contrast to other games that are difficult to explain but not overwhelming once the game is in play, like Princes of Florence, or remain overwhelming and also hard to understand the flow, like Puerto Rico.
Daniel insisted that we draw and keep our fourteen cards, rather than do something to ameliorate the luck factor, since it would only do to help the newer players. In fact, I drew reasonably well; nobody had any real game killers.
I played unusually with a lot of occupations and minor improvements, all of which helped me get points but not food. I didn't have a good food engine and so occasionally had to scramble for food at the last moment. I played a card early on that gave me four wood but also gave any player who ended the game without any negative points a five point bonus. That seems like overkill, since the person who has no negative points is typically winning anyway. I often end the game with no negative points, so I thought it couldn't hurt me.
Unfortunately, in the last two rounds when I needed at least one of the Plow actions (I had an improvement that let me plow three fields, rather than one), both were taken before I could get them. Not only did this leave me with negative spaces, it also left me scrambling for food, lacking points in the food items (I was also going to plow them, and no one else could effectively plow), and forced me to give up several other items since I had to use my actions elsewhere. It represented at least a 10 point loss for me.
Laurie also experienced people blocking what she needed on various occasions. She finally took the Start Player action, but didn't feel like it did much for her. Daniel is the only one who finished with no negative points, and the five points he got from my occupation card handed him the clear victory.
Silent Hunter V: Battle Of The Atlantic
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
Silent Hunter V: Battle Of The Atlantic
- Developer: Ubisoft Romania
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Genre: Simulation
- Release Date: March 2, 2010 (US)
About Silent Hunter V: Battle Of The Atlantic
Silent Hunter 5 ventures into uncharted territory and takes players behind the periscope of a German U-boat to take on the Allied Forces in famous battles across the vast Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. For the first time in the history of the series, players can live the life of a submarine captain from a first-person view and lead a crew in a critical campaign.
Minimum System Requirements
- OS: Windows XP/Vista
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.0 Ghz / AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+
- Memory: 1 Gb
- Hard Drive: 10 Gb free
- Video Memory: 256 Mb
- Video Card: nVidia GeForce 8800 / ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro
- Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
- Network: Broadband Internet Connection
- DirectX: 9.0c
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- DVD Rom Drive
Recommended System Requirements
- OS: Windows XP/Vista/7
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo @ 3.0 GHz / AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+
- Memory: 2 Gb
- Hard Drive: 15 Gb free
- Video Memory: 512 Mb
- Video Card: nVidia GeForce 9800 / ATI Radeon HD 3870
- Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
- Network: Broadband Internet Connection
- DirectX: 9.0c
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- DVD Rom Drive
Download Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic – Direct Links
Part 1 – 700 MB
Part 2 – 700 MB
Part 3 – 700 MB
Part 4 – 700 MB
Part 5 – 700 MB
Part 6 – 518 MB
www.elj-games.blogspot.com
Silent Hunter IV: Wolves of the Pacific
Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific
- Developer: Ubisoft Romania
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Genre: Simulation
- Release Date: March 20, 2007 (US)
About Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific
Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific takes players to the depths of the Pacific Ocean as the skipper of an American submarine. Immersed in this intense environment, players engage in massive battles with enemy units, manage and evolve an entire submarine crew, and earn promotions and commendations to ensure victory in the Pacific.
Minimum System Requirements
- OS: Windows XP/Vista
- Processor: Pentium 4 @ 3 GHz
- Memory: 2 Gb
- Hard Drive: 6 Gb free
- Video Memory: 256 Mb
- Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
- DirectX: 9.0c
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- DVD Rom Drive
Download Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific – Direct Links
Part 1 – 700 MB
Part 2 – 700 MB
Part 3 – 700 MB
Part 4 – 700 MB
Part 5 – 700 MB
Part 6 – 616 MB
www.elj-games.blogspot.com
The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom
Sunday, 4 December 2011
The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom
- Developer: Blue Byte
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Genre: Strategy
- Release Date: March 23, 2010 (US)
About The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom
The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom brings a fresh, innovative design to the franchise, while reintroducing the strong game mechanics and deep gameplay that are hallmarks of the highly acclaimed Settlers series. Players will easily become engaged in an exciting campaign, skirmish maps or multi-player challenges in a world of lush forests, open meadows, fast flowing rivers, and high mountains.
Download The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom – Direct Links
Part 1 – 700 MB
Part 2 – 700 MB
Part 3 – 700 MB
Part 4 – 700 MB
Part 5 – 700 MB
Part 6 – 700 MB
Part 7 – 700 MB
Part 8 – 8 MB
www.elj-games.blogspot.com
The Settlers: Rise of an Empire
The Settlers: Rise of an Empire
- Developer: Blue Byte
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Genre: Strategy
- Release Date: September 25, 2007 (US)
About The Settlers: Rise of an Empire
In this game, the player builds lively, bustling towns in a medieval world. Everything is visible, lovingly animated and realistic. Each settler has his or her own daily routine, with a range of different actions and behaviours that can be observed by the player at all times. This enables him to get the best out of his Settlers, build up a flourishing economy, tend to his settlers' needs, and protect his empire against danger from the outside. By expanding his empire, the player can aspire to becoming a legendary king or queen. The most popular features of the predecessors in the series have been retained, and many of the fans desires and wishes were incorporated into the new game to create a very special Settlers atmosphere. The game features an immersive, yet transparent economic system based on the resources, wares and goods produced by the settlers in their various trades and occupations.
Minimum System Requirements
- OS: Windows XP/Vista
- Processor: Pentium 4 @ 1.8 GHz or Athlon Equivalent
- Memory: 512 MB
- Hard Drive: 3 GB Free
- Video Memory: 64 MB (NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti/ATI RADEON 9500, Pixel/Vertex Shader 1.1 or 1.3)
- Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
- DirectX: 9.0c
- Keyboard & Mouse
- DVD Rom Drive
- Active Internet Connection @ 128KBPs for Online Play
Recommended System Requirements
- OS: Windows XP/Vista
- Processor: Pentium 4 @ 3 GHz or Athlon Equivalent
- Memory: 1 GB
- Hard Drive: 3 GB Free
- Video Memory: 128 MB with Pixel/Vertex Shader 2.0 Support
- Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
- DirectX: 9.0c
- Keyboard & Mouse
- DVD Rom Drive
- Active Internet Connection @ 128KBPs for Online Play
Download The Settlers: Rise of an Empire – Direct Links
Part 1 – 700 MB
Part 2 – 700 MB
Part 3 – 700 MB
Part 4 – 700 MB
Part 5 – 700 MB
Part 6 – 406 MB
www.elj-games.blogspot.com
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2
Saturday, 3 December 2011
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2
- Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Genre: Shooter
- Release Date: April 15, 2008 (US)
About Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 -- the sequel to the award-winning next-generation first-person shooter -- returns to Sin City. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is your last chance to rescue America's sexiest city from an escalating terrorist siege that will force you into heart-pounding action from beginning to end. The best are back and this time winner takes all.
Minimum System Requirements
- OS: Windows XP/Vista
- Processor: Pentium 4 @ 3 GHz / Athlon Equivalent
- Memory: 1 Gb
- Hard Drive: 7 Gb free
- Video Memory: 128 Mb
- Video Card: See Supported Graphic Cards
- Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
- Network: Active Internet Connection @ 128KBPs Upstream for Online Play
- DirectX: 9.0c
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- DVD Rom Drive
Recommended System Requirements
- OS: Windows XP/Vista
- Processor: Pentium 4 @ 3.2 GHz / Athlon Equivalent
- Memory: 2 Gb
- Hard Drive: 7 Gb free
- Video Memory: 256 Mb
- Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
- Network: Active Internet Connection @ 512KBPs Upstream for Online Play
- DirectX: 9.0c
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- DVD Rom Drive
Download Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 – Direct Links
Part 1 – 700 MB
Part 2 – 700 MB
Part 3 – 700 MB
Part 4 – 700 MB
Part 5 – 700 MB
Part 6 – 700 MB
Part 7 – 680 MB
www.elj-games.blogspot.com
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