January 2019 Game Night

Gentlemen,

Thanks to Dave, Joe, Paul, and Pete for joining me for the first game night of 2019. Sometimes the bad guys win.

We dined on deep dish pizza of the bacon and sausage varieties. Add in chips with two types of dip plus cookies and peanut M & Ms. Two members had their special dietary needs for sugar met. higher caliber beer left over from last game nigh joined the usual house brand of Labatt Blue Light. And the by-now usual addition of a couple 25 ounce Bud Lights for those who want that option. And lots of pop and carbonated water, as I noted.

Game one was sans Dave who was busy with basketball until 9:00.

Joe took honors in game 1 with a victory built on the longest road and the harbormaster card, bouncing the rubble at 12 points. Pete was at a natural 9 while Paul pulled up the rear but with room to grow. I had 6 point in three cities but due to an initial placement error in the quest for number diversity, my empire penned in from the start. Thanks to the two unnamed players (coughpeteandjoecough) I did manage to block Joe and Paul from extending a longest road and I embarked on a lottery ticket strategy to get the largest army while trying to seize the longest road. I ended up pulling THREE victory point cards and was secretly at 9 points. And I had half the resources to grab the longest road.

Sadly, Paul chose that moment to break the economic blockade of Joe who used the single resource card acquired to surge to victory. Had the game gone on with two more chances to roll my needed resources I might have won on my turn. Lesson 1: never give up! Congratulations to Joe! Lesoon 2: Don't break the Pete Rule embargo! Boo Paul.

When Dave arrived we set up the big board.

Game two gave us a Paul victory. He based it on 4 cities plus the harbormaster and largest army to reach 12 points. Pete was close behind at 9 with a victory point. Joe was really close behind with 10 points natural. I also had 9 with the longest road seized from Dave, who had 9 points before that shift. Joe admitted that the relentless campaign of robbers sent against him was decisive in preventing him from winning before Paul claimed the title. Always remember the Pete Rule and the Joe Rule.

By game three, Joe and Paul busted out the Baileys with the special glasses to toast their plutocracy as Paul was racing ahead of the rest of us who trailed in his dust. Joe trailed too, but he threw in his lot with the sweet liquor-swilling class. In the end, Paul with the harbormaster card won with 11 points. Dave and I had but 6 points and Paul and Joe had 4. It was a slaughter. The plutocrats laughed at our misery (Et tu,  4 Joe?)

Oh, there were no monopoly cards played the entire night.

We wrapped up gaming a bit before 1:00 with only three games played in 5 hours. Shame! I made coffee and we watched season 4 episode 7 of Game of Thrones while people judged whether they could safely navigate home or take me up on my standard offer to spend the night at Casa Joe in the other bedroom or with sleeping bags downstairs, with breakfast leftover pizza for the morning.

Everybody left content to have started off the new year with game night established for 2019. Much fun, as usual, and I hope to see a lively crowd of plutocrats and plucky rebels in February!

As always, if you have additions or corrections feel free to expand the historical record.

Beej