Gentlemen,
Game
Night June 2019 is in the rear view mirror, and thank God! The Gods
abandoned your humble host last night after blessing me with abundance
last month--no matter how many times I sacrifice dice to change that
whole "probability" stuff. And who knew that people take it so
personally when you play a monopoly card and take THAT much rock?
Joe, Paul, and Pete joined me for four games.
We
dined on sliders and tacquitos, corn chips plus cheese and salsa dips,
donuts, two types of M & Ms, cookies, and usual dietary needs.
The
beer selection was Labatt Blue Light plus a couple leftover Bud Light
Orange, which as Pete perceptively noted tastes like a mix of beer and
Faygo orange pop. It was a failed effort to find a different kind of
summer beer. I'm sorry.
The
entire night was a resource-poor event in key areas or had people
making choices about what resource they'd do without. We used the
harbormaster variant, as we basically do all the time now.
Game
one saw Joe build a might empire that fell short when Pete gained the
largest army and harbormaster card and also had a victory point card,
reaching 12 points. Joe had a victory point down but only 10 points. I
had 7 points and was chasing the largest army and trying to desperately
get build sites in my constrained frontiers. Paul's fancy 3D printer
buildings didn't give him a win and his longest road gave him 7 to join
me at the bottom. Pete expressed his relief that a win after last
month's hand of God coming down to deny him success proved that he had
not lost his ability to play a game more complicated than tic tac toe.
Perhaps his Catan app has allowed him to train for Game Night.
Game
2 wasn't too bad but for less wheat than one would like. And it
included a tragedy of beer as Paul with 9 points used his cards to build
a settlement to reach 10 points rather than use them to build a road
long enough to take the longest road from Joe. Pete helpfully pointed
that out after the poop was passed. Happy International Women's Day! At
that point Paul and Joe went for the Bailey's Irish Cream. Anyway, Pete
with his two victory points hit 11, and so won his second game. I again
brought up the rear with 6 and Joe was just ahead of me.
Game
3 force me to desperate measures in my rock-less and hemmed in initial
placement. I played a monopoly card after I watched 2 or 3 rolls that
gave all non-Beej players a plethora of rocks. People don't apparently
like that early in the game despite my clear need to do something to
change the obvious direction of my game--poor and rock-less and few
points. With that card I got all but two of the rocks I'd have the
entire game! But did that get me understanding and sympathy despite the
following rounds where all regained their lost rocks? Nooooo. That play
got me to 9 points with the harbormaster card with hopes of victory at
last! Alas, Paul had sobered up a bit by then and with the longest road
and despite a tiny empire, hit 11 points and the win. Joe had 8 and Pete
also had 8.
Game 4 again
saw me penned in. People still talked about that monopoly card. But when
Joe was on the march with the longest road and ABOUT TO WIN, it was all
"Beej, it is up to you!" And with a brick from Paul I built 3 roads to
connect my holdings and took the longest road for good--even building to
block Pete when he looked like he might aim for that. And just as Pete
was making a play for a win, people were embargoing me and targeting my
extensive sheep holdings (I had a sheep port). Pete had to knights up
and a couple lottery tickets down, and we thought it was history. But
somehow Joe managed to overcome the embargoes on him and with the
harbormaster card and a victory point, won the final game. As it turned
out, Pete did not have a third knight and but one victory point leaving
him at 10. I had but 9 and Paul brought up the rear at 5.
Only
Paul and I used the dice tower, for what it's worth. And only Paul took
advantage of my uber nerd retro game cabinet with Asteroid, Tempest,
Lunar Lander, and Major Havoc. [Shakes head slowly in disbelief.]
We
wrapped up after 1:00 with no Game of Thrones since the other players
had to leave either because they had things to do in the morning or
because they got a booty call.
Thanks
for attending! Fun as always. We shall see if we are playing in Dave's
backyard next month with or without Dave's presence!
