Gaming @ OTK Cheras 1st Feb 2008
Ξ February 2nd, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Boardgames |
Ok, last night OTK meetup was a more intimate affair than usual due to most people having cny shopping/syndrome.
Anyway there were only 4 of us: me, jack208, phuah and lim there. Waiyan also joined us for the first game, which was Timbuctu. This is a weird deduction game in which you are a camel trader travelling across the desert to Timbuctu. Every night you stop and rest at an oasis and each night, thieves will strike the camel caravans!
The places and goods the thieves will strike are determine by a card combination system a la cluedo and like cluedo, each player only know a certain amount of information. The interesting aspect of the game is that mid way during the travel from an oasis to another, players will roatate the cards containing the information clockwise and players will then receive additional information on where the thieves will strike. The game becomes a fluid movement game based on guesswork and deduction from limited info. What you know and what you observe other players do gives a clue as to where the thievery will take place.
I like that the game is fun and the limited amount of info sort of limits the AP-downtime each player will take to make their movements. However, the end game scoring is quite numerical intensive and there’s no direct way to influence the thieves on the places to strike. (That’s the nasty part of me saying) So for those who like euro-esque risk management game, this is the game for you. For those who like to take a more involved approach in screwing other players, this game might not be for you. I rate this game a 5/10. Surprisingly I won despite phuah leading all the way… the last turn theft of phuah’s precious berries cost him the game.
Next game, Reef Encounter. Not much of a contest since jack208 and myself are veterans. jack208 pipped me by a point while phuah and lim sort of floats through the whole thing. Phuah did some diversification on locking coral values while jack208 and myself concentrate on locking certain corals only. Lim unfortunately did not quite ‘get’ the game and got some rules confused. (phuah got the rules correct so it was no fault of the explainer).
I think the key play was that the first bonus tle dropped into jack208’s parrot fish was an inconsequential coral whereas I dropped one of my tiles which I could have placed out and consumed later anyway. Well, at least this is how I see it. Rating:9/10. Could have been higher but the coral breeding strategy have sort of stagnated into a few set patterns. The opportunity for mistakes and surprise plays have been lowered and the chance for screwage (that word again!) is reduced. But the dynamics and strategy in picking the replacement tiles/larvae cubes still fasinates me. (meaning i haven’t figure out a valid strategy to do it).
Last Game, Modern Art. Still love this game the 2nd time I play this. Surprisingly Lim ‘got’ this game better than Phuah did and made some clever plays to haul himself to 2nd place. jack208 tried to stop me by diversifying the field but support from phuah and lim meant that his investments junked while mine flourished. Modern Art, simple to teach, simple to play, suggestions and negotiations are part of the game. I actually will rate this 10/10 for my enthusiasm to see it played more often. I would rate the beginner-friendlyness of the game on par with That’s Life. Definately on the purchase list…
That’s it, game end 2am. Had to haul myself back to Klang and work the morning. But finally satisfied my boardgame itch.