Ludocracy Now

This is madness!

This… is Roads & Boats.

Since I have four pricey games from the publisher Splotter Spellen (Antiqutiy, R&B, Indonesia and Greed Inc), I decided to put my latent organizing skills to work wrangling up people on BGG who’d be interested in playing them on a regular basis to decrease the cost per play, as it were.  The first fruits of my labor were tasted last night.

My opponent had warned me that he was an aggressive player— which was fine because I think this game requires aggressive play or it becomes a slog.  Without the interplayer hassling, it could be just another Operations Research class, with the hassling it was an Operations Research class taught by Satan in Hell’s half acre.  A marked improvement!

Needless to say, I got absolutely smacked.  After about 3 hours and ~25 rounds it became abundantly clear that although I had produced the first stock certificate of the game, the next four would be my opponent’s.  I turned my donkeys upside down and admitted defeat.

I did learn a lot, or at least see how the game can be played with skill.  I think it was fun; I’d certainly play it again in a heartbeat but I know that the game’s full potential will not be realized until I can come out from under the hammer and actually wield it.  A few more plays and maybe, just maybe, I will.

Well everyone it’s time for me to walk you through another session of Pushing Cardboard Chits Around a Board.  Although it’s not really a board at all, is it.  Just tiles covered by some stubborn and prejudiced acrylic.

With some help from my obese cat and some weak tape, I got the River Runs Through It scenario ready for action.  I prefer to call this scenario “River Be Cray.”  I should also mention the two hours of punching and sorting the, what, 2000+ pieces that came with the box.  (Obviously I have ordered the expansion &cetera for another 900+ pieces.)

Anyway the highest known score for this scenario is 300 but I was comforted by the rule book’s tenderness: “Don’t worry, most experienced players only get about 50% of the top score on their first try.”  Well, I got 30%.  Or an F-.

I managed to get 50 points from the wonder and 40 from a set of four gold nuggets.  I was a turn away from turning those into moneys but the last brick went in the wonder and I was finished.  Spent the next thirty minutes thinking about what to do differently: bridges? upgrade donkeys? return cat for a slimmer cat?

I’ll be able to try this out with a fellow BGGer next week where the play time portends to climb to the four hour range.  Hopefully I don’t make a donkey of myself with my F- level playing ability in Roads & Boats!

EDIT: A ha!  The F- is thrown out!  I missed a rule, or more accurately, I added in a restriction that is not indicated by the rules: you can have a building on your home tile.  This obviously would have netted me 210 more points… … …