The Holiday Gaming Blitz

The holidays have finally wound down and life has returned to it’s normal pace.  Winter temperatures are here to stay.  If I could only find a way of keeping the frantic pace of gameplay going all year……..

Here are all of the recent exploits from Thanksgiving right up to the 13th of January.  I have omitted comments about how much food I ate….which is noteworthy but off-topic.

Thanksgiving celebration:

Evolution.  We pushed this creature creating game to it’s max (6 players), with about half of them being children under the age of 6 years.  It was hectic, but not impossible.  A 5 year old, being uninhibited by years, grasped the game better than his mother.  It allows for such a wide variety of strategies that it accommodates all ages.

Munchkin. Back by vocal demand from 2 people, this game hit the table for the first time in about a year.  It’s detractors were not magically transformed into fans, but we all got along.  For those of you unfamiliar with Munchkin, it’s a dungeon crawl game that makes fun of dungeon crawl games.

Thanksgiving II:

Evolution.  We played two games of much more adult and competitive Evolution.  It was a great time.

Dicemasters.  I avoided a game of DC/Justice League Dicemasters, but I admit it has grown on me since them.  It’s also a decent game for the youngsters.

Elder Sign.  A co-op game inspired by H.P Lovecraft’s writings, Elder Sign involves a fistful of dice and a large amount of luck.  But it also benefits greatly from careful planning.  The best way to learn is to play with experienced players, so I passed on the knowledge to others.

E=500d+11d:

Evolution:  The fifth ever game day at my home kicked off with two more games of Evolution.  The event was marred by my failed promise to make celebratory t-shirts.

Elder Sign:  It takes a long time to go around the table with seven players, but our experienced players scored a handy victory over Nyarlathotep.

Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn.  After the others had left the party, my best friend and I played a game of Ashes.  It’s a head-to-head game that involves dice and is an easy learn for those familiar with Magic: The Gathering.  He mocked my attempts at high strategy and crushed me despite the fact I  was teaching him to play.

Christmas party: 

Cards Against Humanity.  I am not new to cards against humanity, and I think the game is losing some appeal to me.  It was not the best playing conditions, and there was a large group playing.  I eventually left the table.

The Family Christmas Gathering:

Dicemaster:  This game got a hell of a lot of play out of the younger generation at the Family’s Christmas get-together.  They had a blast and needed nearly no supervision.

Pandemic.  I think I’m in love with this co-op game.  We played a 4-person game in the waning hours of the day, and it was awesome!  Sure, the world was consumed by plague and disease, but we had a hell of a time.  I’m planning on buying this game.

New Years:

 Its hard to fit everybody in when there are 14 of you, so Scattergories  and other group games ruled the final hours of 2015.

Pandemic.  Careful planning led to our first victory over the diseases.  Another great time!

Summoner Wars.  After about 8 months, I finally got the chance to play one of my favorite games.  I recommend this 2 (or 4) player games from Plaid Hat Games to everyone.  It’s akin to both chess and a collectible card game, but without the negatives of either.  I soundly defeated one of my nephews ( age 16) and had a great time.

The in-betweens:

In the odd hours I also logged several games of Dicemasters, oversaw a Dicemasters draft between some of my nephews, and lost a game of Ashes to my wife.

7 Wonders.  last but not least, i played my first game of 7 Wonders.  And I liked it.  Its a breeze to learn from a knowledgeable player, and if you have experience “drafting” (something like Magic or other CCG) you grasp the core concept in an instant.

 

Wow.  What a crazy, crazy end of a year and the start of a new one!  Hopefully the fun times keep coming, and I’ll keep sharing them.

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