Ludocracy Now

Ha ha. Way to go Katie. You’re so great. You won. Oh...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:45:00 -0500

Ha ha. Way to go Katie. You’re so great. You won.

Oh look! Whatever existential crisis I’m in is compelling me to board game and then blog about it. So, let’s recap my second loss in as many games of Cyclades.

Yes, I finally bowed to the wisdom of the internet and got Cyclades right before I washed my hands of the whole “boardgaming project” as it were. But, as I’ve been reading modern (and queer [and modern and queer]) re-themes of the Iliad I’ve been wistfully looking at Cyclades on my board game shelf.

Last week we played Cyclades with 5 and Erik won through use of the Chimera. Today we played with 3 and Katie won by Pegasusing herself onto an undefended Metropolis of yours truly.

The game is a hit and will be played regularly as Ludocracy Now! gets started back up again. Hopefully this time it doesn’t come with compulsive purchasing habits.

There’s… really only one option here.

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:36:53 -0500

There’s… really only one option here.

LudocracyNow! Shutters Its Blogging Doors

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:10:02 -0500

Hello there, loyal reader. It is with a ~~half-empty~~ half-full heart that I report that this blog will be taking a sabbatical until TO BE DETERMINED. Yes, it is true, the self-proclaimed omni-gendered parent of board game tumblrs is closing its french doors.

Not that I’ve stopped gaming! Just yesterday I lost a game of Summoner Wars as Erik hammerquaked all three of my Benders’ walls (which was so rude it made me want to quit blogging). But. I started this blog to make gaming look cool among my friends and among the public general, and noting that there are now many other quality session-report-cum-review board gaming websites out there that make gaming look way more cool, it is time to cast this yoke aside.

I know you guys are like “First google reader, now THIS?!” But don’t despair, there are still good times to be had! And why are you reading a board game blog instead of playing, you know, board games anyway? If I ever do win a game of Battlestar Galactica, however, I may re-open these beblogged doors. Until next time. Which will probably be never!

Well hello there ludosistern and ludobrethren to another...

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 10:38:27 -0600

Well hello there ludosistern and ludobrethren to another installment of Ludocracy Now! plays Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar. This time with competence!

My three opponents were new to the gears of ancient hell so my advice to them was “focus on building one monument and making the most of it.” Hannah, who took my advice to heart, received 33 points from her monument for… last place.

Perhaps my advice should have been to please the gods as I won handily through savvy placement of skulls and frequent trips to the altar. If you recall, the previous game was won by a devout Mark. Are gods the way to go? Only in board games!

My Bentley Brothers Buffet continues as Jeff and I paired a pair...

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 19:38:00 -0600

My Bentley Brothers Buffet continues as Jeff and I paired a pair of games of Catchup with a drinkable Pinot Noir (Francis Ford Coppola Director’s 2011 for those keeping track at home). First game was a warm-up, second game required thoughtful play and reminded me of how special this game is. Go play it on igGameCenter—in fact, let me know when you’ll be there and I’ll even play it with you.

Also two bits of info about this game: 1) Yes the name has changed from Ketchup to Catchup. 2) There is an iOS version of Catchup/Ketchup coming out soon. When it does you should play it and report back. I, sadly (or joyfully) am without a smart phone.

Edit: Oh oh oh oh yeah, I wanted to mention that I played probably 20 games of Love Letter over the weekend, most using the six-player variant posted here. Cannibalize a deck of cards and make this game pronto.

The gods smile on Mark and his Ludocracy winning streak...

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:16:20 -0600

The gods smile on Mark and his Ludocracy winning streak continues!

Ludocracy Now is experiencing a bit of a renaissance as last...

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 09:30:25 -0600

Ludocracy Now is experiencing a bit of a renaissance as last night saw eight (mostly) new Ludocrats meet at the table. A step stool had to be provided as a place for rest—that’s how you can measure the height of our popularity.

We played Cosmic (although a Crokinole tournament was offered up) and this game took 2.25 full turns (as opposed to 1.5 in a game of five) to determine a winner as fatigue set in and patience wore out. Unfortunately I was one of those stuck at four colonies, one turn away from assured victory.

This time around people were a little bit more judicious about alliance forming (hence the longer playing time) and I realized hand management is much tougher in a game where you are an infrequent main player. Still I had a great time and I think I’m learning a little bit more about what it takes to win this game. Much depends on the meta, however. Until next time!

Last night saw a fantastic game of Cosmic Encounter played as I...

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 09:22:47 -0600

Last night saw a fantastic game of Cosmic Encounter played as I finally made my way to a shared victory with the turkey vulture type alien woman to the right.

I decided against my patented “promise Negotiate then backstab” and found that the game is easier when everyone at the table isn’t just trying to make you lose. That and some clever hand management maneuverings put me in position to win on my second turn as I revealed a hand with no encounter cards and drew the 20, 30 and 40 point attack cards from the deck. I invited Katie and her hand of artifacts to share in victory and we sealed the deal against the Filch.

Love this game.

Yes. Morels is still getting played and I’m still losing...

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 18:54:52 -0600

Yes. Morels is still getting played and I’m still losing at it.

Hi there, blog. I’ve missed you. And it is so good to be...

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 09:23:15 -0600

Hi there, blog. I’ve missed you. And it is so good to be back reporting on a night of board gaming and wine swilling.

Erik (most valuable guest) and I warmed up with a Hey, That’s My Fish! decided by one point and a Carcassonne that saw big cities beat small farms.

Then! We got to some new stuff. Two more ludocrats showed up and we played my home brew Love Letter as we waited for our fifth. I got Christina out with a lucky Baron only to be Guarded by Tom. Erik stole Tom’s Princess with the last play (impressive that Tom had the Princess for the entire game without being forced to discard). It was over in 5 minutes but I can see the possibilities of it as a modern board game qua drinking game.

Nelson, our fifth and nascent ludocrat (and greatest swimmer I’ve ever known), texted ahead to let us know to start without him and he’d fill in. Ghost Stories seemed like the perfect fit for someone new to gaming and needing to jump in in medias res. Also Erik hasn’t stopped saying the words “Ghost Stories?” every time I mention “board gaming.”

Predictably, one of us said “Oh this game isn’t so hard” a few turns in, but before we knew it we were stumped and dead with 19 ghosts to go before Wu Feng showed up. Even with five minds staring at the board we were overrun all over the place and without our precious Qi.

Lots of head scratching after the loss and we would love some advice from the blogaudience. Nothing too obvious though—strategy advice in the form of a zen koan would be preferred. We did have a few ideas after our loss and thankfully no one was (audibly) discouraged.

Nothing else to say except: Go Oles. And, no, if you don’t know where Northfield is, you won’t know what that means.

“I’m having fun” -Jeff during our game of The...

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 16:25:02 -0600

“I’m having fun” -Jeff during our game of The Castles of Burgundy today. Unfortunately for him, my #7 board was firing on all cylinders and I edged out the win. He played a good game, though!

Next Steps & Board Game Etiquette - Part 1

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 15:39:00 -0600

kickingdownthedoor:

Hello you!

So you’re persevering with this little blog of mine are you? Good for you. Your procrastination truly knows no bounds does it? It’s really quite exceptional.

Today we’re going to talk about the next phase. Likely by now you’ve taken on board my previous ramblings on both introducing your dwindling circle of friends to board games, and which games are best suited to testing the waters. But how best to proceed from here? How best to wade into those waters?

Read More

I’m not updating much because of Schedule Frenzy 2013 so read this here piece of internet. It took me too long to learn the advice about Gary. And, in my opinion, it is the number one piece of advice every fledgling gaming evangelist needs to know.

Antiquity can be a real devil when you see there’s no way...

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 21:14:00 -0600

Antiquity can be a real devil when you see there’s no way to improve your situation.

Carcassonne can be a real devil when someone draws the tile that allows them to share what was once your game winning farm.

100 plays of Antiquity prediction: Oct 16, 2032

100 plays of Carcassonne prediction: Nov 21, 2017

Walked through the walkthrough of Mage Wars today and then...

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 12:50:29 -0600

Walked through the walkthrough of Mage Wars today and then assembled the apprentice decks for the Beastmaster and Warlock.

I was reassured that the game is not as complicated as it looks.

I think Jeff has noticed that I’ve been a little stir...

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 15:20:58 -0600

I think Jeff has noticed that I’ve been a little stir crazy without a steady gaming fix so I managed to cajole him into one of the only Euros he will play: The Castles of Burgundy.

He took the 1 board to my 4 and after severely neglecting the city tiles (which is something I do all the time against my own advice) I won by just 4 points: 173-169.

Jeff reiterated that he doesn’t “hate” this game so that’s about a 10 out of 10 for him. I’m still lovin’ good ol’ CoB.

Play: 17

100 play projection: Dec 29, 2016

When will I hit 100?

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 11:36:00 -0600

Quickly here, I did a little linear regression to see when some of my most played games will hit 100 plays.

Crokinole: Mar 2, 2013

Hey, That’s My Fish: Jan 21, 2015

Ketchup: Nov 18th, 2015

Good lord, I am a guilty breadth gamer, ain’t I?

Edit: Math are hard, predictions adjusted accordingly… not to say that they may not continue to be adjusted as I fix my math/model.

I’m not a huge fan of solo gaming but since my nights and...

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 13:19:55 -0600

I’m not a huge fan of solo gaming but since my nights and weekends have been compromised it’s one of the only opportunities I have to play with cardboard.

This morning I reacquainted myself with Mage Knight and survived two rounds before I realized I had been abusing Goldyx’s flight power. Also I was having a devil of a time remembering any rules at all. A frustrating experience but this is the kind of game that you have to put time into and I expect to reap rewards the next time I give this title a go. Which will be sooner rather than later, I’m sure.

Jeff and I played a quick game of Ketchup last night as Puss...

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 09:30:16 -0600

Right before black breaks

Black's track should count 12--whoops

Jeff and I played a quick game of Ketchup last night as Puss watched on, surprisingly not eating any of the stones.

Starting a new job has really cut in to my gaming time but I’m pleased to announce I played 14 games in my collection in January and five previous unplayed games (Archipelago, Vanuatu, Antike Duellum, Tzolk’in and Myrmes) that I uniformly enjoyed.

There are still eight games in my collection that remain unplayed… I’m confident they’ll see the table some day (except for Exile Sun which I don’t even bother listing in my Collection because I have negative desire to play it). This coming week I’ll be teaching myself Mage Wars & Battles of Westeros and then possibly playing them!

Only St. Olaf shirts allowed! Last night I had the pleasure of...

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 08:48:54 -0600

Only St. Olaf shirts allowed!

Last night I had the pleasure of hosting Christina for her first gaming night in forever AND she had promised me at least two hours. Not wanting to blow the opportunity, I brought to the table one of the most talked about games of 2012: Archipelago.

Per the recommendation of BGG, I selected a “medium” length game. We sort of got the rules and sort of got the point—I removed the separatist objective from the game because 1) I was worried I would get it and my ability to explain the game could be compromised and B) I had heard (maybe?) that the game would be too hard to beat if there was someone actively working against us.

Turns out the rebels were never a problem as we all actively participated in combating crises and I as the pacifist happily quelled any sparks of rebellion.

I tried as hard as I could to activate my end game condition (3 goods depleted from the bank) not for any strategic reason but because it had been two and a half hours and it was past Christina’s bed time. In the end I think I won with 9 points to Erik’s 8 and Christina’s 6.

Asterisk, of course, because of the learning game nature. I certainly plan on building more towns next game to really free up my meeples. I will also buy up any card that offers victory points considering how close the game was and how few points separated the players.

All in all I am very pleased with the way January has gone as I’ve played most of my Christmas acquisitions and liked them all across the board. Erik and Christina both said they would play Archipelago again so I’m anxious to get that and Vanuatu back to the table. Until next time.

Oh hello new tumblr interface. I guess we’re forgoing...

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 14:03:00 -0600

Oh hello new tumblr interface. I guess we’re forgoing introductions?

Jeff and I got in a match of Crokinole today to ring in the 2013 Crokinole-Tennis Grand Slam season in honor of the Australian Open that just finished up. If this match is any indicator, the 2013 season should be a tense one.

We hadn’t played in nearly five months but that didn’t stop Jeff from landing a 20 with his first warm up shot. ”I think I’m good,” said he smugly.

However the first set went my way as I won 5 of the first 6 games and won the set 6-2 in a little over 12 minutes.

The next set looked to be going to the same way except in reverse as Jeff got out to a quick 4-0 lead. I then broke twice to tie the set back up at 4s and soon enough we were in a tie breaker. At 5-4 on serve in the tiebreak I get the first mini-break and consolidate the win the set 7-6 (7-4) in 33 minutes.

After a break we began the third set. It looked to be the final one as I had the lead at 5-3 and a 20 point advantage going into Jeff’s final puck. He needs the 20 and he nails it to force a push. He then goes on to win the next four games and take the set 7-5 in 21 minutes.

The fourth set again saw me with a ‘match point’ at 5-3 and a five point lead. Jeff had a free shot at the hole and just needed to land his puck within the 15 point line. This time he chokes and hands me the set and the match after 19 minutes.

I have always been amazed at how professional tennis players can lose their cool on court and start swearing and yelling at themselves (or threaten a line judge?). However, after the histrionics of our Crokinole match this morning I am now more amazed at those who manage to stay calm. Let’s just say the cats were in hiding for the entirety of this match.

Well played Jeff, and I’ll see you at Roland Garros.