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Saturday Games Day – Feb 2016

So this Saturday we had a full day of gaming. I’ve wanted to organise a few of these this year so I can get some unplayed games from my collection to the table. Well it is part of my new years resolution…

When you’re planning one of these days it’s always a good idea to have some prep done before hand so it runs smoothly.  The day started out well but I think I can do a few things to make the next one better.

Choose the games

This one needs to be nailed down for the next games day as we had a few issues choosing which games to play.

The first one was easy because I had already chosen an unplayed game from the pile in my games room, but when it came to choosing games to play afterwards we ran into difficulty.  We could not seem to make a decision.  So next time I think I’m going to plan a few games for the day but throw open the option of other games if anyone wants to play them.

Also, don’t choose a game you have never played before and don’t know the rules.  Reading a rulebook at lightening speed does not lead to a good gaming experience and in the end we had to watch a YouTube video to find out how to play the game.

First Game – Middle Earth Quest

This game has been sat in my collection for a long time.  It caught my attention when it first came out but I’ve never had the space, its a big board, or the motivation to learn the rules.  Then in January I decided enough was enough and took the plunge.

With two sides (Sauron verses the Heroes) and both having different ways of playing it can be quite a steep learning curve, especially if I was going to have to teach it on the day.  But nothing ventured nothing gained, I read and reread the rulebooks, printed player aids I found on the Universal Head website and set up the board.  Which is huge… and I mean bloody huge, with lots of cards all over the place, lots of characters, tonnes of tokens… what have I let myself in for?

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Well the day came and everything was fine.  We had a few issues and rule glitches but that was always going to happen in a gam this big and complicated.  As the day went on we got better and things settled down into a great gaming experience.

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The Heroes had domination at the beginning but the Sauron player came back strong at the end and it went right to the wire with neither side having dominance when the game ended.  It came down to a final battle between our Human Ranger and Ringwraiths.  After all the dust had settled it finished the game with a Heroes win. HAZAR!

Also, check out the Hex and Meeple cookies, made by my wonderful wife, who was happily playing Minecraft in the other room.  Pasties were also consumed for dinner from our local bakery.  It’s nice to have an excuse, sometimes, to partake in a little pastry goodness.

Second Game – Alien Legendary Encounter

Less said about this the better.  We’ve played this game before and love it to bits but we were handed an arse whooping that was almost Legendary.

We had already completed the Alien scenario in this game so moved onto Aliens.  We were able to defend ourselves quite well but in the end the Alien Queen came along and killed us all.  More damage dealing next time guys, I think that’s the answer… or Cooperation with damage… maybe more power loaders… or escape pods.

Third Game – Samurai Spirit

This is a great little game about Samurai defending a village from raiders with card management and co-operation between players.  It’s also the one that we went into blind without playing before or never reading the rules.  Bad idea because after burning all my brain power on Middle Earth Quest and then killing Aliens the rules were not going into my fatigued brain.

To the rescue came Watch It Played and their Samurai Spirit video.  After the first aborted game we were able to get the rules down and had fun trying not to get the villagers or ourselves killed.

Last Game – King of New York

So then we wanted something a little lighter.  We had Hunters Chicken for tea and then beat the crap out of each other with massive monsters while trying to collect power & fame.  It’s a great game that needs to get more play time.

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Next Time…

So now that this games day has been completed it’s time to plan the next one. I think the next unplayed game will be Android, a game of Murder and Detective work across a Cyberpunk future.

But then this leaves the rest of the day and I need to think of another three games to get ready.  Sticking with the Android world I think Android Infiltration would be a great game.

Then light filler games will be on the cards, so I’m going to have to put my thinking cap on.  If you have any suggestions please leave them in the comments.

 

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