La Citte

I played this a while ago over at Iain’s. Interesting game, I’d play it again. We were all new to it and made a few tactical errors, but it was fun. I imagine this could get to be a real brain-burner when you’re all used to the game as there’s lots of tactical positioning involved to protect your towns whilst threatening others. There is an odd thing in the game where if you expand your city to five people and haven’t built a market (which allows you to have a population more than five), then you’re stuck and can’t do anything with that city. Playing it again I suppose you’d be aware of that and build an early market, but I can see a situation arising where our city can be forcibly reduced to five, losing your market in the process and effectively stopping that city’s growth. Could be a game-breaking tactic.

Salute 08

Excel in London was once again host to the biggest wargaming show in the UK (I presume, never having been to the Sheffield Triples). It’s good to see so many people playing such a variety of games, everything from traditional ranks of Napoleonics and Pike & Musket era troops to Fantasy skirmishing. Also there were more off-the-wall games such as a huge Wacky Races game, and the splendid End of Empires game run by Spirit of the Game. The game is based in Victorian times, with action starting in the streets of London and moving on to the shores of Loch Lomond. The game is more RPG than wargame, but the fantastic scenery, great characters and plot and the tireless enthusiasm of the guys running it made it the best participation game at the show for me. Last year I took my son Joshua (13) along, and he really enjoyed their game last year, and it was his main attraction this year as well.

If I was putting on a game at the show I’d certainly want to make something that looked special, and although there were a few games that seemed to consist of a cloth over a couple of books (the traditional wargaming terrain on the cheap), most of the games had obviously had a lot of effort put into them and were great to look at. There was a superb WW2 sub attack on the Turpitz, all done in 3d under the sea, and a maniacal race game around a huge pillar that had trapped the devil, with all sort of weird and wonderful denizons duking it out..

Age of Steam

I was introduced to Age of Steam at Iain’s the other day, a game I’ve been keen to try since it came out. We were playing with three players using the France map, and I felt I started ok with a neat little route in the south east, with room to head north to Paris via a gap in the mountains, or an easy two steps through the mountains if that was blocked off early, as indeed it was. Unfortunately I was pipped in the bidding to the Engineer by one coin, and as I’d bid high my money was short. The next two turns I didn’t have sufficient money to bid for the first choice, failed to get the Engineer, and had to borrow heavily to meet my end of turn bills. Needless to say by the time I was back on my feet the game was too far down the line for me to play an active part.
I really don’t mind losing (no, really), just as long as I feel I played well and did my best. I feel I lost this game through being one coin short in the second round, from which it was virtually impossible for me to recover.I felt beaten down by the game system. I don’t like games with player elimination, which was effectively what happened. I wouldn’t expect to win a game I’d just been taught, especially one with good strategic play, but to lose so badly and so early in the game strikes me as not right.
I feel the economic model in this game is flawed, I dislike having to struggle to pay the upkeep and having to borrow so heavily early on, and the financial penalising of the leading players I feel is also wrong, if you’re doing well you shouldn’t be handicapped just to try to balance the game.
Overall I’m not keen to play this again, but I’m open to persuasion.
Over to the council for the defence, Mr. Iain Cheyne. . . .

Mario Kart

We got Mario Kart for the Wii at the weekend, and it’s lived up to our hopes. The Wii controller fits into a steering wheel which, although I was doubtful at first, is surprisingly comfortable and accurate. The game is a hoot, loads of new twists and things to do, and some great courses. The ability to race as your Mii is great, as is the appearance of other of your Miis around the tracks.

The highlight of the game is the ability to link up with players around the world, it’s very different playing real people rather than computer characters, especially in battle mode.

My boys have always had great imaginations when it comes to inventing their own games, and are now playing Mario Kart tag. You start a race as normal, preferably in a big area like Daisy Gardens or Coconut Mall, one of you is “it” and has to ram the other player to make him “it”. It’s a great laugh, and we’ve had some very inventive use of pickups and scenery.

Music of the Moment

I recently picked up Duffy’s album Rockferry, and what a smashing album it is too. Great songs, great voice. I’m a sucker for 60′s soul and this album reflects that era without being a mere copy. Bernard Butler’s influence is always worth it, and good to hear David McAlmont’s voice.

I’ve also dug out some Fountains of Wayne, especially the fabulous Welcome Interstate Managers, and Silversun’s first album, always guaranteed to raise a smile. with tracks like Lava and Golden Skin.

Escape Pod

In case you don’t know it, Escape Pod is one of the best podcasts out there in my view. Each episode contains a Sci-Fi short story, often thought provoking, always entertaining. Even if you’re not into Sci-Fi, have a listen, there’s some great bits of writing there, and although you may not like every episode, I’m sure you’ll like enough to make you come back for more. There’s currently 157 episodes, and I’ve just finished listening to ep. 125, End Game, which I’d thoroughly recommend. There have been a few in the Union Dues series that appeal to me. My personal best?  Ep55, Down Memory Lane is one of the most beautiful and heart-wrenching stories.
I defy you to not be moved by it.

Reading it Wrong

I really don’t know how I do it, but Iit seems that every set of rules I read, I manage to misread (or just miss entirely) something significant. When we started to play Settlers (back in 1995 – only 13 years ago (!)) we played for quite a while with our resource cards face up, which makes a tiny bit of difference to the game, especially the Monopoly card. I also missed the fact that you can build a village between two parts of an opponent’s road, and I only discovered this last year.

I’ve played four games of Pillars of the Earth, and I was browsing the comments about it on the Geek  when I realised that the large worker is worth 5 men (not 3), and you don’t pay for the craftsman cards on the Shiring.

I’m sure I’ll find something else I got wrong. . .

You Couldn’t Make This Up

Talk about tempting fate . . . . .

We dug out the seafarers expansion to Settlers the other day, and had to dig the game of stink out from the loft. We enjoyed it, I’d forgotten how good an expansion it is, and certainly breathed new life into it.
Since my episode with Tom and the coke can, I’m alot more relaxed about my games, and as we all got the munchies, we dug out some crisps and a salsa dip.
We’re still not sure how it happened, but Jax was passing me a card when the pot of salsa got knocked onto the board, as you can see in the picture.
Of all the games this could happen to . . . .

Video Gaming vs Real Life

Do you ever get the feeling you’ve been playing a game too much?

A few years ago my wife & I were really into Super Mario Kart on the SNES (ok, maybe more than a few years ago). We used to play it most nights, it was (and still is in my opinion) one of the best two-player video games out. If you’re not familiar with it, it involves racing around in go-karts, in third-person perspective, picking up items like shells (to fire in front of you) and bananas (to drop behind you), which make the opponent (or yourself if you’re unlucky/stupid) spin out.
I realised we might be playing it too much when I was driving our car one day, following a Volvo estate, when the estate drove over a banan skin, which suddenly appeared to me from under it. The long hours of Mario-Kart reflexes kicked in, and I did a serious swerve to avoid it.
Fortunately I didn’t hit anything, I can’t imagine how I’d have explained that.

The Everlasting Shame of a Gaming Geek

There comes a point in every gamer’s journey through the hobby when they suddenly realise they’re crossed the line into serious geekdom.

Years ago when my sons were little, we were playing Settlers of Catan, and my youngest, Tom (then aged 3), wanted to see whatt we were doing. I picked him up and sat him on the table with us as we continued with the game. Suddenly, Tom twists round and falls off the table, knocking a can of coke all over the game. Being the kind, loving father I am, I did the obvious thing and grabbed for the game. Fortunately Tom was fine after a few cuddles, but I’ve never lived it down.

I haven’t taken the condition of my games too seriously since then.

As an aside, the cards in our copy of Settlers are now about twice as thick as normal, and the game has had so much spilt over it since then that it’s now officially known as “the game of stink”