July 2020 Game Night

We held game night in person at Casa Dave's this last Saturday. The sea was angry that day, my friends.



We started at 5:00 for happy hour and got around to the gaming at about 6:00. Host's choice was Seafarers of Catan. We almost went virtual again, but since Dave has been trying to host since March, we gave it a go.

With an earlier start time for having the gaming outdoors at the gazebo, Dave made a bratwurst and corn on the cob feast more of a dinner than mere game snacks. So we needed time to eat that. Delicious!

Joe tried to make me feel better for my usual offerings. But eventually his reassurances sounded hollow and just seemed to be twisting the knife.

And he wonders why there is a Joe Rule.

For the game we had various salty snacks and a cooler filled with assorted alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages on ice.

Joe and I joined Dave who also invited a designated gamer, Doug, put in to round out the table. Doug had actually introduced Dave to Catan.

During the evening, I was brown, Dave was blue, Doug was red, and Joe was orange.

The first game was a generic game.

We all started on the main continent above the desert. You get 2 bonus points for your first colony on an island or the region below the desert. Victory requires 14 points. Doug won first placement honors. I was pleased with my coastal launching pad with a sheep and wood; plus an inland wood/wheat/brick source. Doug focused inland as did Joe; while Dave built two coastal settlements in easy reach of two islands.

I was able to push to the coast just ahead of Dave's fleet. And Dave headed to sea after abandoning a link-up attempt with his sheep/wood settlement. Joe headed for the desert and Doug began construction of his Great Wall. Within that safety zone I think "12" came up about 5 times.

I headed for the big island mistakenly thinking that every settlement there would get me 2 bonus points. That was an error. But I headed for the center and jumped the gap to land on a second island.

Dave was heading to sea and put settlements on both islands near him, including two on the coveted gold resource.

Joe breached the desert and with Doug at the other end, reversed course to push for a foothold on my island. Doug's Lineland empire stretched out with a seemingly unassailable longest road.

But with my lengthening ship line and a hope of bridging a land gap I had hope of seizing that mantle. Joe also began to see an opportunity to take longest road. And Dave was curling his piratical scum back to the mainland near me!

I was stuck at 13 point with my settlements maxed out. I had to either promote a city or get longest road. I needed bricks but just didn't get them. Dave said he thought the game was mine but then disaster struck.

Joe landed on my island getting 2 bonus points plus the settlement point. And then he went and connected his continental road net to grab the longest road. Which gave him 14 points.

It's like nobody ever heard of the Joe Rule (attack Joe) or the Dave Rule (Joe must lose no matter what). A subtle distinction, I know. But it was all abandoned.

I was behind Joe with 13 points. Dave had 10 and Doug had 9, cruelly losing his longest road on the last turn.

It was quite competitive and fun.

Game two ended this way:

It was a fog game with the middle flipped over until explorers reach it. You get a resource for discovering a hex. The game went to 12 points with no overseas settlement bonus.

Doug again took first placement honors. I built on the upper continent for rock, sheep, and wood; with a lower continent wheat and brick settlement. Joe had jumping off points on both continents. Doug was a bit away from the sea on both continents. And Dave had heavier inland resources on both continents.

Joe quickly hit the seas from the lower continent and all but abandoned his northern settlement. Joe quickly discovered a large island--as I discovered it was when my first late expedition after finally reaching the coast just found more water. I eventually made it to a crappy island build spot but it was a build spot. Then I tried to expand on the southern continent. Doug blocked me from the rest of the island with Dave grabbing the last gold there, too. I began to dream of longest road again which Joe had first taken and then lost to Doug. Joe had gone in big on his island and so I headed north on the upper continent to extend my road/ship line and seek build spots.

Dave too started expanding on the upper continent, after his initial block on Doug's march north on the coast at the start of the game. Which generated a bit of robber trading between the two.

Dave was feeling good and reached 11 points. I had but 8 points. I was feeling a bit robber-plagued as my "8" cities finally started hitting. But in two rounds after amassing a hand full of cards, the robber hit me and took them all away. It seemed like my high point was almost winning game 1.

But then lady luck smiled on Beej. The "8" came up a couple more times and this time I did not get hit with the robber by the time it was time for me to buy! In that turn, I was able to promote my fourth city, build a settlement, and take the longest road! Twelve points! Huzzah!

Dave had 11.  Joe had 5. And Doug had 4.

The ability to promote cities really helped Dave and I, as we each had 4.

It was a bit after 10:00 and because the games seemed to take close to two hours to set up and play, we called it a night after but two games. It is tougher to win quickly in Seafarers as opposed to regular Catan where a hot hand on a small board can lead to victory in 45 minutes. That usually doesn't happen but it has.

So that was it. Many thanks to Dave for being a great host for game night!

And another meme:

As always, I encourage comments to add viewpoints.

Next month I will host and we may do a day game outside at Casa Beej or return to virtual for the month. There are new complicating factors.

And in September Joe wishes to host again. We'll see if Dave leaves property at Joe's as he did in February, only having it returned this month!

It was good to see Dave and Joe again, and great to meet Doug. One day we'll have a chance for Mega-Catan.