Essen has come and gone and with goes a list full of
old favorites or undiscoverd gems.  Instead you get
the shiny new pennies.  These are the games that the
hip and cool (Walter would say glitterati) crowd will
be playing in the coming weeks and months.

As always, this is my considered (and authoritative)
opinion regarding the games that I found to be the
best and most entertaining over the last month.  I'd
love (as would the UG list) to get your opinions,
questions, commentary and smart ass remarks on these
games or the list in general.  So without further
adieu, I give you this months games

10.  Euphrat & Tigris: Okay, this isn't a new game,
but it is available in a new and user friendly format.
  The boardgamegeek has recently put up an online
version of E&T that allows you to play with your
friends and enemies.  Make your move and an email is
sent off to the next guy to login and make his.  It
works great.  Matt, David Fontes, Adam, myself and now
Phil have had a game going on for the last few weeks.
For the record - Adam and David each have won a couple
of games while Matt and I have won one each.  Give
this a shot.

9.  Urland:  One last older game from last year.  This
is a Doris & Frank follow up to Ursuppe.  I never had
the chance to play it and its been collecting dust
since last November on my shelf.  I finally got to try
it and was very pleased.  It didn't get a lot of
positive press - I'm not sure why.

8.  Cannes:  Okay, onto the new stuff.  Cannes is a
scaled down version of Roads & Boats which is one of
the mini monster games that doesn't see much table
time as a result.  Cannes uses the basic mechanism in
R&B and applies it to making movies.  Yes, the theme
is a stretch, but so what.  There is plenty going on
here and the fact that the board is different every
time means the game should stay relatively fresh.

7.  Carcassonne Hunters & Gatherers:  I've grown tired
of Carcassonne.  While I never thought it was all that
and a bag of chips, I enjoyed well enough, but I'm
just tired of it.  The new Carcassonne is different
enough that I think I'm going to like it better.
After one play, it felt more interesting and I'm not
sure why.  It could be the fact that its new, but it
just seemed like there was a little more there.

6.  Trias:  I expected another game on evolution and
instead  got an abstract tile placement game.  After
initial dissappointment, I played it a few times and
really enjoyed it.  The rules are really simple, but
there is plenty of choice.  And it seems that there
are a number of strategies that can be employed.  The
first game I played saw a lot of little islands being
split off thoughout the game making the difference in
the scoring.  The next game saw less of this and one
big island that was isolated and big enough to offset
the fact that it didn't score much during the game.

5.  Bang!:  Bang is Werewolf with a cardgame inserted.
  The idea is everyone gets a roll to play - Sheriff,
Deputy, Renegade, or Outlaw.  The Sheriff and Deputies
win if the Outlaws and Renegades are killed.  The
Outlaws win if they kill the Sheriff and the Renegade
wins if he is the last man standing.  Each player also
has a character card (my favorite so far is Slab the
Killer who kind of looked like Mark E.) which gives
him special abilities.  Gameplay consists of drawing
cards and then using your cards to try to kill your
opponents along with the usual wheedling, whining and
finger pointing.  The game isn't as "psychological" as
werewolf as you are limited by the cards, but I find
it to more of a game and as such a lot of fun.

4.  Delphi:  This is a game that has received little
press.  Pitt had a copy and we tried it the other
night.  It is a blind bidding game with an Attack/Taj
Mahal like card play mechansim.  Players have a hand
of cards - some with numbers (2-10) and some with
special abilities.  You play the cards to stay in the
round.  First to drop out scores negative points,
second to drop gets a rock and third and fourth get
positive points.  The points escalate over the rounds.
  It seems pretty simple, but there was plenty to think
about and it was a lot of fun.  Pitt really stunk at
the game.

3.  Fundstucke:  This was the other Friedman Friese
game released at Essen, but unfortunately there were
only a 100+ copies available.  Its another blind
bidding game witha Hols der Gier feel to it.  Players
are competing to fill orders for junk (chairs,
couches, clocks, radios and cameras).  Each turn there
are a number of tiles available to collect to fulfill
contracts.  All players have the same hand of cards
(0-5) and play one card to be revealed simultaneously.
  The lower number cards take junk first and can then
cash in their tiles for contracts which are the
victory points at the end of the game.  The catch is
that lowered number cards take fewer tiles.  Also, if
you play the same card as someone else you get a rock
unless you win the tiebreaker.  Each player as one
number tile and the player with the lowest number tile
wins the tiebreaker, but then exchanges his tile with
the player who lost the tiebreaker.  The game hums
along in about 20 minutes and should serve as a good
filler, especially for those fans of For Sale and
similar games.

3.  Fette Autos - This is a racing game where players
are trying to stay at the front of the pack through
card play.  The race course is made of of curves and
straightaways with speed limits and special hazaras
(wind, heavy traffic, bums, etc.)  Players have speed
cards which set their speed limit and gain them chips
which can be spent to break or accelerate at key times
to pass other players or stay on the road.  There
seemed to be plenty of scope for planning ahead and
timing when you make your move to the front of the
pack.  After playing in a couple of games and seeing
another played, it seems like the game will be best
for 5 players although it plays up to 7.  With 5
players, there a couple of neutral cars that can muck
things up and even win the game.

2.  Im Schatten des Sonnenkonigs:  I've already
plugged this new Alan and Aaron game once so this will
be brief.  Its a reworking of Knights of the Rainbow.
Set aside any biases or preconceived notions you have
based on that fact and give this game a try.  Its
simple, has interested decisions, auctions - really a
little something for everyone.

1.  Zwergern Ziehen:  This is a tug o' war game that
sort of flew under eveyone's radar screen at Essen.  I
didn't hear of it until Pitt dragged it out on his
return.  The game is about garden gnomes having a tug
o' war by pulling on a garden hose.  The hose is
tugged through cardplay with each side having gnomes
of different colors pulling and adding forces at key
times to turn the tide.  It is a two player game, but
also plays as a partnership game which I thought
worked very well.  There you have gnomes pulling hoses
- Matt Horn will never comment on anything so obvious.


That's it for this month.  There are plenty of new
games left to hit the table so I'm sure November will
be chock full of new stuff too.


=====
Craig W. Massey
cwmassey@...

__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
HotJobs - Search new jobs daily now
http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/

Check out http://www.knizia.com/ for pictures of Adam's Wedding (August 31) and
a celebration of Constantine's 40th birthday by whomping him at Advanced Civ
(October 19).

These will likely be my last updates to the Knizia.com web site. I am in
negotiations with Reiner to sign the domain over to him.

--------

Matthew J. Horn
Sr. Technical Writer
< m a c r o m e d i a >

A solid mix of new and old this month, and I'll try to make a
gratuitous Essen related comment or tie-in to each of them.

10) Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation

I still thoroughly enjoy this two player game, and I think I may see
the way for Dark to win.  At Essen, I commented to Jay that I thought
this game was "brilliant", and he scoffed, asserting it was just a
stratego variant.  While this is true, I still think it is a brilliant
design, even if none of the mechanisms are novel.

9) Lord of the Rings

The Sauron expansion got played this month, and it is great fun.  I'm
eager to try it an F&F at the same time.  I only wish I knew more
people who were willing, interested, and experienced at playing this
game.  At Essen, the total number of LOTR games was mind blowing.  Wow.

8) Puerto Rico

Not much new to say, but it's not getting old.  This game had a
surprisingly small showing at Essen.  I geuss the American fervor for
it is just greater than the German.

7) 6 nimmt!

This gets played so much, and is so easy to introduce to new players,
this is destined for classic status.  Plus, I recently got explained
to me (sort of), the significance of the bull heads, which isn't easy.
I didn't hear this in Essen, but Amigo claims they've sold over 1
million copies of this.

6) Cannes

Ah, the first actual Essen release.  Certainly it shares heritage with
Roads & Boats, but is clever and novel in its own right.  The network
aspect of it is very nice, though I didn't do it right.  A nice Essen
release.

5) Too Many Cooks

A Reiner Knizia direct to America release.  This is a fun game, and
it's got a great theme.  There aren't enough games about cooking.
This was completely absent at Essen, and I wonder why no German
publisher has picked it up.

4) Zoo Sim

Another Essen release.  I was worried I wouldn't like this one, but I
needn't have.  The art is beautiful and the gameplay is a nice
interlocking of several mechanisms (auctions, dominos, category
domination).  I'm interested in trying the "cash flow" variant or
whatever it is called (described in the rules).

3) ad acta

Essen Paper Pushing at it's best.  This is the "not actually a
2F-Spiele" game, despite being sold at the same stand, having
2F-Spiele level production, and coming in a bright green box, and the
game name alliteratively matching the authors (first) name.  I really
enjoy this game, though am worried about wear and tear of the
paperclips on the cards.  I also have some ideas for a "board
enhancement" which may make tracking values of filing a little easier.

2) Trias

Continental Drift, the game.  This is the "not actually a Doris &
Frank" game, despite being sold at the same stand, having Doris &
Frank level production, having Doris art work and having an
evolution/dinosaurs theme.  There are enough interesting strategic
options here I look forward to playing it a lot more.

1) Roads & Boats

This Essen (2000) release finally got played this month.  This is
great fun, and I was pleased to see Cannes does not completely
supplant it, but instead is an interesting variation on the mechanics.
At Essen this year, I complimented the Splotter folks on the quality
of R&B, and they said "Oh good, so you won't be selling it on eBay for
a ridiculous price", with a slight hint of disapproval at those who have.


                                                 ...Matthew

Hey all,
   I've been working on a Flash version of Hick Hack in Gackelwack, and I
think I am at a point where I can "release" it. Let's call this a beta
testing period. Anyone who wants to give it a try (it's you vs. 5 computer
players) can head on over to http://www.mmiusa.com/gallery/hickhack.html and
play. It'll require a fairly recent Flash plug-in (v.5 at least, I think).
If you find any bugs let me know. The high score list is the last thing I
added and is the least playtested, so that is a likely spot for bugs to show
up. Also, there were some early problems with die rolls not being added
correctly, but I think I fixed that. Still, keep an eye out for times when
you win the die roll but don't get the points. Hopefully that won't happen,
though.
   Oh, yeah. One other thing. There is NO negotiation right now. If two
players play a bird of the same color, there will always be a dice fight. I
may attempt to add this in later, but honestly it would be really hard!
Negotiation is for wimps, anyway!
-David

=============
David Fontes         http://www.mmiusa.com/ookpik/
dfontes@...

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Providence Gaming

Date: Saturday, November 2, 2002
Time: 10:00AM - 4:00PM PST (GMT-08:00)

Open gaming at the Arcade Building in downtown Providence.
Boardgames, roleplaying, MageKnight, HeroClix, etc. Space
available for 100+ people.

dave, that rocks. I just played about 10 times before I won. whew.


-----Original Message-----
From: David Fontes [mailto:dfontes@...]
Sent: Friday, November 01, 2002 12:20 PM
To: Unity Games
Subject: [Unity_Games] Hick Hack online


Hey all,
   I've been working on a Flash version of Hick Hack in Gackelwack, and I
think I am at a point where I can "release" it. Let's call this a beta
testing period. Anyone who wants to give it a try (it's you vs. 5 computer
players) can head on over to http://www.mmiusa.com/gallery/hickhack.html
<http://www.mmiusa.com/gallery/hickhack.html>  and
play. It'll require a fairly recent Flash plug-in (v.5 at least, I think).
If you find any bugs let me know. The high score list is the last thing I
added and is the least playtested, so that is a likely spot for bugs to show
up. Also, there were some early problems with die rolls not being added
correctly, but I think I fixed that. Still, keep an eye out for times when
you win the die roll but don't get the points. Hopefully that won't happen,
though.
   Oh, yeah. One other thing. There is NO negotiation right now. If two
players play a bird of the same color, there will always be a dice fight. I
may attempt to add this in later, but honestly it would be really hard!
Negotiation is for wimps, anyway!
-David

=============
David Fontes         http://www.mmiusa.com/ookpik/
<http://www.mmiusa.com/ookpik/>
dfontes@...


Unity Games webpage: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Unity_Games
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Unity_Games>
To unsubscribe send email to Unity_Games-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Anyone going to the Arcade tomorrow for some gaming?
I might be able to get there after Tessa's soccer game,
say 1:30pm or so and stay for a couple of hours.

   Allan, Brian, James???

     Mark
>
> We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.
>
> Providence Gaming
>
> Date: Saturday, November 2, 2002
> Time: 10:00AM - 4:00PM PST (GMT-08:00)
>
> Open gaming at the Arcade Building in downtown Providence.
> Boardgames, roleplaying, MageKnight, HeroClix, etc. Space
> available for 100+ people.
>
>
>
>
>
> Unity Games webpage: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Unity_Games
> To unsubscribe send email to Unity_Games-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>

Anyone going to the Arcade tomorrow for some gaming?
I might be able to get there after Tessa's soccer game,
say 1:30pm or so and stay for a couple of hours.

   Allan, Brian, James???  Any other RIers out there?!?

     Mark
>
> We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.
>
> Providence Gaming
>
> Date: Saturday, November 2, 2002
> Time: 10:00AM - 4:00PM PST (GMT-08:00)
>
> Open gaming at the Arcade Building in downtown Providence.
> Boardgames, roleplaying, MageKnight, HeroClix, etc. Space
> available for 100+ people.
>
>
>
>
>
> Unity Games webpage: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Unity_Games
> To unsubscribe send email to Unity_Games-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>

--- In Unity_Games@y..., David Fontes <dfontes@m...> wrote:
<http://www.mmiusa.com/gallery/hickhack.html>

Nicely done, Dave!  Now I've got something to do while I wait for
Craig to make his move in E&T...

- Phil

...who may never get any work done ever again...

i will sue for slander: you have located maison von Hoffman in brookline.
an out rage.

also one caption says: This is what 2nd place looks like, Constantine. Take
a good look, it's the closest you're ever gonna get.

hey i could play a solo game...

for everyone (or anyone) who is interested, settlers of canaan will be
making an appearance at B20 tonight...



At 09:47 AM 11/1/2002 -0500, you wrote:
>Check out http://www.knizia.com/ for pictures of Adam's Wedding (August
>31) and a celebration of Constantine's 40th birthday by whomping him at
>Advanced Civ (October 19).
>
>
>---

Constantine

May God, in His mercy, preserve me from a church in which there are only
saints.
--Martin Luther


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Since there are such great versions of E&T, Taj Mahal, Puerto Rico, and Hick
Hack in the 'net, I won't be coming to b20 tonite. Instead, I will sit down at
home with a bag of chips and a pee cup and play online all nite.

Just kidding. Hope to see some of you there tonite. I'll be showing up around
6pm-ish.

--------

Matthew J. Horn
Sr. Technical Writer
< m a c r o m e d i a >

Puerto Rico is on the net?! Where?

Incidentally, much congrats and thanks to Mr. Fontes for Hick Hack. Damn
that's fun (though unlike senor Horn, it only took me three plays to win.)
So much for getting any work done . . .




_________________________________________________________________
Internet access plans that fit your lifestyle -- join MSN.
http://resourcecenter.msn.com/access/plans/default.asp

>for everyone (or anyone) who is interested, settlers of canaan will be
>making an appearance at B20 tonight...
>


Hell yeah! I'll probably be there around 8PM, Constantine . . . don't play
without me, or if you do, make sure you're willing to play twice :).

_________________________________________________________________
Choose an Internet access plan right for you -- try MSN!
http://resourcecenter.msn.com/access/plans/default.asp

PR is at bsw. along with Carcassonne and dozens of other gam4es.
-----Original Message-----
From: Susan Dohnim [mailto:bibadoo@...]
Sent: Friday, November 01, 2002 2:21 PM
To: Unity_Games@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Unity_Games] b20 tonite


Puerto Rico is on the net?! Where?

Incidentally, much congrats and thanks to Mr. Fontes for Hick Hack. Damn
that's fun (though unlike senor Horn, it only took me three plays to win.)
So much for getting any work done . . .




_________________________________________________________________
Internet access plans that fit your lifestyle -- join MSN.
http://resourcecenter.msn.com/access/plans/default.asp
<http://resourcecenter.msn.com/access/plans/default.asp>


Unity Games webpage: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Unity_Games
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Unity_Games>
To unsubscribe send email to Unity_Games-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I'm planning on going.  Have a cold so we'll see how I'm feeling tomorrow but if
all is well, count me in.

I'm thinking of bringing Medina (just got it yesterday and am going to subject
my family to a game tonight), and Puerto Rico.

Are you thinking of bringing anything?  In any event, I'm up for whatever people
are going to play.  I'll be there around 1:30PM.

Look forward to seeing you there.

Regards,
Allan

>
> From: danger.mouse@...
> Date: 2002/11/01 Fri PM 01:32:46 EST
> To: Unity_Games@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [Unity_Games] Reminder - Providence Gaming
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

--- Matthew Gray <matthew@...> wrote:
> 7) 6 nimmt!
>
> Plus, I
> recently got explained
> to me (sort of), the significance of the bull heads,

And the significance is....?

__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
HotJobs - Search new jobs daily now
http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/

Well, nice to hear reports on the new games!!

I haven't played very many of the new games since Essen but two I can report
on were the San Marco Card Game (I now forget the real title, it's not
called that...).  I thought it was a fantastic 2P game - giving me the "I
slice the pie and you choose the piece first" excitement of San Marco but in
a reasonably fast-paced 30 minute game.  I will be picking up 2 decks so I
can play the 4P partnership variation (I've played 4P partnerships during
the playtest of this game last year and remember enjoying that as well).

Although not a new Essen release, I also got to play several games of the
newish 2P Lord of the Rings - The Confrontation.  I enjoyed this quite a bit
as well - another fast and interesting 2P game with nice components.  I've
seen people argue about the Light Side vs. Dark Side (and which has an
advantage) but I like the proposed scoring system in the rules - playing 2
games with each player taking one side, then the other with the score of
each of these games being related to how many pieces you've got left on the
board.

Other than that - October has been one of my lowest months game-wise in
recent memory.  But a lot of old favs have hit the table - Carcassonne
(still well entrenched in my top-10 of all time), Liar's Dice, Wizard, High
Society and Samurai.  I learned Pueblo last week at SSG and found it quite
good - a little bit of downtime as players examine the best place to place
blocks, but even with that downtime we still completed a 4P game in about 50
minutes.

--
Dave Bernazzani
daveber@... (New Mail! remove NOSPAM to use)
http://www.unitygames.org (Unity Games - Eastern MA Boardgaming)
No Refuge?  No Kidding!  -- IKARUGA 020905

Anybody played _Blood Royale_ by Games Workshop?  Anyone own a
copy?  I've always been intrigued by GW's monster games, but a bit
scared by much of the garbage they have spewed out and the going prices
for them.

         Mark


--
Mark Edwards
danger.mouse@...
Update URL!@

If you're interested in board games and are located in the Eastern Mass
area, check out Unity Games!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Unity_Games

Is it just coincidence, or did B20 session reports stop when they
started asking for an admission fee?  What, did everyone sell their
pens on ebay?  I wanna know what I'm missing!

- Phil

"Phil Alberg" <albergclan@...> wrote:

>Is it just coincidence, or did B20 session reports stop when they
>started asking for an admission fee?  What, did everyone sell their
>pens on ebay?  I wanna know what I'm missing!

I wasn't there last night, but was there last week! I was sure a
SR was coming - I had some pithy comments to add but I guess
there was no report to be had! There were a ton of folks there..
probably 20 or so.

--
Dave Bernazzani
daveber@... (New Mail! remove NOSPAM to use)
http://www.unitygames.org (Unity Games - Eastern MA Boardgaming)

last night at b20 i got to play two sort of new games -- Sid Meier's
Civilization: The Board Game & Setters of Canaan -- herewith some thoughts:

Sid Meier's Civilization: The Board Game (SMC:TBG) is a board game version
of a computer game based on a board game. matt, david f, adam and i played
for about two - two and a half hours then quit, not because we didn't enjoy
it but because it was clearly a mini-monster type game (probably 4-5 hours
playing time). we played the "basic" set of rules (as with all games from
Eagle this one has basic/intermediary/advanced rule sets), which seemed a
good way to get acquainted with the game.

as with the computer game, the idea is to explore territory (some of which
turns out to have prizes, some of which is booby trapped), build towns,
acquire technologies and advance up the tech ladder to be boss of the
planet. all of this requires a good deal of trading and (in my case)
literal horse swapping. combat is resolved by dice but the modifiers (for
tech and different types of units) made it feel less of a dice fest than
say Axis and Allies. SMC:TBG seems to be Advanced Civ. lite, which is not
meant as a knock. the rules are a bit rough and vague on some points --
this is clearly version 1.0 of the game, which is a shame given that they
are charging $60 for it. it seems to need a couple more rounds of
playtesting not for playability but for inconsistencies or things missed in
the rules. it will definitely need a good FAQ before the next edition is
published. as with most "American" style games, the rules and mechanisms
are not as elegant as they are with "European" style games. the basic rules
offer a simplified version of the game, so it is missing a few things --
like any incentive to go up the tech tree. the map and bits in this one are
superb.

as to the game itself -- i think adam won. i came in in a resounding last
place. Matt would have done better had we not (actively) conspired and not
told him a key rule we discovered while he was on the phone with his wife.
however, in our defense, let me say that knowledge of that rule didn't
prevent me from playing like an idiot anyway.
i thought the game was fun and i really do look forward to trying it with
the complete rule set which will allow a whole different set of
interactions between the players by giving people various different tech
abilities.


settlers of canaan: this was a gift to me from a bunch of knuckleheads for
my birthday. it is a scenario/variant of settlers (of course), published by
a christian game company, in which you try to do the typical settlers thing
while at the same time building the temple in jerusalem (a la the Cheops
scenario, for those of you who know it).
the differences from regular settlers are: a pre-laid-out board which
includes a "copper" hext that serves as a wildcard for resource production;
different development cards; the need/ability to trace a route of supply
(through your own and other people's roads) to a border town through which
you can build the temple. This game is played to 12 pts or until the temple
is completed, and includes another 2 victory point card (along with longest
road and largest army, er, most "priests") that goes to the person who has
contributed the most stones to the temple -- this card also lets you pick a
resource type and do a 2 for 1 trade. We didn't really appreciate the power
and fun of this card until well into the game.

campbell scored the win in this one despite all of kyle's whining. i stank
up the joint, and the other gentleman (whose name i've forgotten -- my
apologies) placed a respectable third. overall i'd have to rate this a very
good variant with enough difference from the original to give it a
pleasantly different feel from the original. it will definitely hit the
table again, as opposed to the previously released "historical" settlers
scenarios which were pretty much play once and forget.

i saw some folks playing the lord of the rings risk game and was intrigued
-- anyone have any comments on how it played?





Constantine

www.areporter.com


The image of a free constitution was preserved with a decent reverence.
                                  --Edward Gibbon

"Constantine von Hoffman" <c@...> wrote:
> Sid Meier's Civilization: The Board Game (SMC:TBG)
<snip>
> i thought the game was fun and i really do look forward to trying it with
> the complete rule set which will allow a whole different set of
> interactions between the players by giving people various different tech
> abilities.

I agree that the game has potential. The basic rules kinda suck though. I
get the feeling it wasn't playtested much. I would be interested in trying
the advanced rules at some point, though. I am a bit worried about the
potential fiddliness, since even in the basic game figuring out your income
was a chore. One major problem was that the city cards in front of you don't
necessarily reflect the cities you control, since these are temporarily
tradeable. So the cards you have effect one part of the income calculation,
but the cities you actually control effect a separate part. So, if  "horse
cities" are worth double income this turn, and I traded my horse city card
away for the round, I still get double income for that city, but I don't get
to include horses as one of the commodities I control. Yick. I haven't read
the advanced rules yet, so I don't know if stuff like this gets worse or
better. Probably worse, but it might be worth it to get "real" technologies
that will allow the different civilizations to have different
"personalities," so to speak.

> i saw some folks playing the lord of the rings risk game and was intrigued
> -- anyone have any comments on how it played?

Ralph taught this to Rich and I. It was already a game that was on my
"probably want to buy" list, and after playing it is on my "am buying" list.
The basic mechanisms of Risk are intact - combat resolution is exactly the
same, and you turn in sets of territory cards to get reinforcements. A few
minor differences are the inclusion of "leaders," which give you +1 to your
highest die roll, on offense or defense, and "strongholds," which are
certain regions like Lothlorien and the Mines of Moria which get a similar
bonus, but only on defense. I think there are six strongholds on the map,
which, by the way, is rather attractive. The army pieces are pretty cool as
well. There are four sets of armies, two good and two evil. The good armies
have elvish archer figures representing 1 army, horsemen (Riders of
Rohan?)representing 3 armies, and giant eagles representing 5 armies. The
evil armies have orcs, Black Riders, and cave trolls (or something big and
nasty, anyway). There are no real alliances of good vs. evil. In fact, in a
three player game, there is only one good army. In last night's game, that
was me, but the two evil armies pounded on each other at least as often as
they pounded on me.
   A couple of more important differences really change the complexion of the
game from standard Risk. One of these is the turn limit. The game ends when
The One Ring is brought into Mordor. This is represented by an actual metal
ring (engraved with runes, inside and out!) which travels along a specified
path on the board, starting in Hobbiton. The ring usually moves at the end
of each player's turn, but some movements require a die roll of 4 or better,
so the actual number of rounds left in the game is not absolutely
predictable. I think there are 13 spaces it has to move through, so the game
will last at least 13 player turns, and most likely several more than that.
   The other big change are the Mission cards. Any time you end your turn
with a leader in a "place of power," (which you should make a serious effort
to do every turn - there are lots of them on the board), you get to draw
from the Mission card deck. You complete a mission by moving your leader to
the specific territory listed on the card, and then playing the card. This
usually gives you a few extra armies, but perhaps more importantly it gives
you victory points. You keep all the cards you've played in front of you,
and add them up at the end of the game. Mixed in with the Mission cards are
some other cards that you can play at specific times, which also give you
victory points. Most common of these seems to be ones that slow down the
Fellowship from advancing (requiring die rolls to advance this turn, for
example). There are also a few that you play during a battle - a
particularly nasty one causing two of your opponents armies to defect to
your side. There are also a few Event cards, which don't give victory
points, so are kind of a bummer to draw. An example of an event was - draw
three territory cards and remove half the armies in each of those
territories.
   The effect of the Missions, the whole victory point concept, and the turn
limit make this game fairly different from standard risk. It is not a game
of world conquest. I think there may actually be several decent strategies
here, and a standard Risk strategy of trying to control complete regions
might be viable. All three of us seemed to be concentrating more on the
Missions, however, and in that case you are actually better off controlling
territories all over the board so you can get to where you need to go more
easily. Most turns, no more than two or three territories were attacked, so
there was never much danger of any player getting completely eliminated. I
think I controlled a complete region once, and Rich held a different one for
a turn or two, but mostly we were all pretty spread out all over the place.
   Victory points are awarded at the end of the game for cards played
(generally one or two points per card), territories controlled (1 point
each), complete regions controlled (ranging from I think 3 to 7 points,
depending on the size of the territory), and strongholds controlled (2
points each). No one had control of a complete territory at the end of the
game. I ended up winning by one point over Rich, mainly because I had
control of 4 of the 6 strongholds. I think the final breakdown was: for me,
12 points for 12 territories, 8 points for 4 strongholds, and 10 points in
cards, for a total of 30. For Rich, 16 points for 16 territories, no
strongholds, and 13 points in cards for 29 points. And for Ralph, 12 points
for 12 territories, 4 points for 2 strongholds, and 10 (?) points in cards
for 26 points. I wasn't actively pursuing a stronghold control strategy, but
it worked out for me.
   All in all a pretty darn good game. I played Risk hundreds of times as a
kid, probably, and I wouldn't actively seek to play it again, though I
wouldn't mind. I will actively seek to play this one again though. Thumbs
up!
-David
=====================
David Fontes           http://www.mmiusa.com/ookpik/
dfontes@...

--- David Fontes <dfontes@...> wrote:
> Negotiation is for wimps, anyway!

This is one of the reasons I avoid games like KK&K and
The Traders of Genoa.

Richard

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Mark Edwards wrote:

>    Anybody played _Blood Royale_ by Games Workshop?  Anyone own a
>copy?  I've always been intrigued by GW's monster games, but a bit
>scared by much of the garbage they have spewed out and the going prices
>for them.
>
>        Mark
>
>
>
>
I actually own a copy and wouldn't mind giving it a try.

Walter.

I hereby retire. What would be the point of continuing to play?

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--- In Unity_Games@y..., "Susan Dohnim" <bibadoo@h...> wrote:
> I hereby retire. What would be the point of continuing to play?
>
>

I'd call you a cheater, but based on what I saw, you were obviously
employing the "Infinite Monkeys" theory.

And I must say that is definitely a Hamlet or Merchant of Venice...


And Dave, that is a great, if often frustrating game to play. Thanks
for making it.

--Campbell, master of the 66

Yup, I agree with both Dave F and Emperor Constantine that SMCiv:tBG is playable
and can be a decent game. But you are both right in that the level of
playtesting is obviously low, since there are some rules that are unclear 
(founding a minor civlization -- where does your settler go?). Other problems
include some medium luck elements and a really complicated calculus for
determining your production. This would have been handled by the computer in the
computer game, so you can't fault it too much. Another problem is the occasional
loophole that allows for some funky activities, especially the acquisition of
Wonder cards. Dave F took full advantage of that.

I see the need for developing a set of house rules.

I was happy with the way the game developed, though, and would like to try it as
a minimonster.

-----Original Message-----
From: David Fontes [mailto:dfontes@...]
Sent: Saturday, November 02, 2002 11:02 PM
To: Unity_Games@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Unity_Games] SMC:TBG and LotR Risk (was SR: b20 -- two "new" games)


"Constantine von Hoffman" <c@...> wrote:
> Sid Meier's Civilization: The Board Game (SMC:TBG)
<snip>
> i thought the game was fun and i really do look forward to trying it with
> the complete rule set which will allow a whole different set of
> interactions between the players by giving people various different tech
> abilities.

I agree that the game has potential. The basic rules kinda suck though. I
get the feeling it wasn't playtested much. I would be interested in trying
the advanced rules at some point, though. I am a bit worried about the
potential fiddliness, since even in the basic game figuring out your income
was a chore. One major problem was that the city cards in front of you don't
necessarily reflect the cities you control, since these are temporarily
tradeable. So the cards you have effect one part of the income calculation,
but the cities you actually control effect a separate part. So, if  "horse
cities" are worth double income this turn, and I traded my horse city card
away for the round, I still get double income for that city, but I don't get
to include horses as one of the commodities I control. Yick. I haven't read
the advanced rules yet, so I don't know if stuff like this gets worse or
better. Probably worse, but it might be worth it to get "real" technologies
that will allow the different civilizations to have different
"personalities," so to speak.

> i saw some folks playing the lord of the rings risk game and was intrigued
> -- anyone have any comments on how it played?

Ralph taught this to Rich and I. It was already a game that was on my
"probably want to buy" list, and after playing it is on my "am buying" list.
The basic mechanisms of Risk are intact - combat resolution is exactly the
same, and you turn in sets of territory cards to get reinforcements. A few
minor differences are the inclusion of "leaders," which give you +1 to your
highest die roll, on offense or defense, and "strongholds," which are
certain regions like Lothlorien and the Mines of Moria which get a similar
bonus, but only on defense. I think there are six strongholds on the map,
which, by the way, is rather attractive. The army pieces are pretty cool as
well. There are four sets of armies, two good and two evil. The good armies
have elvish archer figures representing 1 army, horsemen (Riders of
Rohan?)representing 3 armies, and giant eagles representing 5 armies. The
evil armies have orcs, Black Riders, and cave trolls (or something big and
nasty, anyway). There are no real alliances of good vs. evil. In fact, in a
three player game, there is only one good army. In last night's game, that
was me, but the two evil armies pounded on each other at least as often as
they pounded on me.
   A couple of more important differences really change the complexion of the
game from standard Risk. One of these is the turn limit. The game ends when
The One Ring is brought into Mordor. This is represented by an actual metal
ring (engraved with runes, inside and out!) which travels along a specified
path on the board, starting in Hobbiton. The ring usually moves at the end
of each player's turn, but some movements require a die roll of 4 or better,
so the actual number of rounds left in the game is not absolutely
predictable. I think there are 13 spaces it has to move through, so the game
will last at least 13 player turns, and most likely several more than that.
   The other big change are the Mission cards. Any time you end your turn
with a leader in a "place of power," (which you should make a serious effort
to do every turn - there are lots of them on the board), you get to draw
from the Mission card deck. You complete a mission by moving your leader to
the specific territory listed on the card, and then playing the card. This
usually gives you a few extra armies, but perhaps more importantly it gives
you victory points. You keep all the cards you've played in front of you,
and add them up at the end of the game. Mixed in with the Mission cards are
some other cards that you can play at specific times, which also give you
victory points. Most common of these seems to be ones that slow down the
Fellowship from advancing (requiring die rolls to advance this turn, for
example). There are also a few that you play during a battle - a
particularly nasty one causing two of your opponents armies to defect to
your side. There are also a few Event cards, which don't give victory
points, so are kind of a bummer to draw. An example of an event was - draw
three territory cards and remove half the armies in each of those
territories.
   The effect of the Missions, the whole victory point concept, and the turn
limit make this game fairly different from standard risk. It is not a game
of world conquest. I think there may actually be several decent strategies
here, and a standard Risk strategy of trying to control complete regions
might be viable. All three of us seemed to be concentrating more on the
Missions, however, and in that case you are actually better off controlling
territories all over the board so you can get to where you need to go more
easily. Most turns, no more than two or three territories were attacked, so
there was never much danger of any player getting completely eliminated. I
think I controlled a complete region once, and Rich held a different one for
a turn or two, but mostly we were all pretty spread out all over the place.
   Victory points are awarded at the end of the game for cards played
(generally one or two points per card), territories controlled (1 point
each), complete regions controlled (ranging from I think 3 to 7 points,
depending on the size of the territory), and strongholds controlled (2
points each). No one had control of a complete territory at the end of the
game. I ended up winning by one point over Rich, mainly because I had
control of 4 of the 6 strongholds. I think the final breakdown was: for me,
12 points for 12 territories, 8 points for 4 strongholds, and 10 points in
cards, for a total of 30. For Rich, 16 points for 16 territories, no
strongholds, and 13 points in cards for 29 points. And for Ralph, 12 points
for 12 territories, 4 points for 2 strongholds, and 10 (?) points in cards
for 26 points. I wasn't actively pursuing a stronghold control strategy, but
it worked out for me.
   All in all a pretty darn good game. I played Risk hundreds of times as a
kid, probably, and I wouldn't actively seek to play it again, though I
wouldn't mind. I will actively seek to play this one again though. Thumbs
up!
-David
=====================
David Fontes           http://www.mmiusa.com/ookpik/
<http://www.mmiusa.com/ookpik/>
dfontes@...


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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

on 11/3/02 10:13 PM, Campbell MacInnes at haleon@... wrote:
> --- In Unity_Games@y..., "Susan Dohnim" <bibadoo@h...> wrote:

>> I hereby retire. What would be the point of continuing to play?

> I'd call you a cheater, but based on what I saw, you were obviously
> employing the "Infinite Monkeys" theory.

FYI, according to our servers stats report, there have been nearly 1000
games of Hick Hack played since Nov. 1. Holy crap! I suspect about 700 of
them were Kyle's. Not quite infinite monkeys, but a heck of a lot!

> And Dave, that is a great, if often frustrating game to play. Thanks
> for making it.

No prob. Next up, a Flash version of Advanced Civ. Yeah, right!
-David

P.S. By the way Kyle, the theoretical maximum score is, I believe, 316, so
you should get some more monkeys on that!

=============
David Fontes         http://www.mmiusa.com/ookpik/
dfontes@...

Some big moves this month among the Unity Gamers competing daily on
www.RicochetRobot.com.

ookpik (Dave F) held onto his first-place spot for the month of October,
bringing his streak to 3 straight months of first place finishes. Congrats Dave!

Nix342 (Nick) rocketed from 7th in September to share 2nd last month with Susan
(who might be Kyle), who slipped one spot. Expect Kyle to slip farther as he
spends more time playing Hick Hack.

rjk (Ronald) seems to be getting back into the groove as he moved up from 5th to
4th. I (danger) followed his lead, moving up 1 from 6th to 5th.

mcdirge (Ben) showed that he's actually human, slipping from 3rd to 11th, and
devjoe fared no better, falling 8 places from 4th to 12th. Look out below!

jesse and qarlo both had big moves on the upside, moving up 5 and 6 places,
respectively. Socrates (Ryan) continues his tortuously slow climb back into
respectability with a move from 10th to 8th place. ganska (Ralph) continued his
lateral movement, maintaining a stranglehold on 14th place. Way to go Ralph!

asmiles (Adam) and spike stayed solidly in the middle of the pack, swapping
places from the previous month. They effectively prove that mediocrity brings
contempt.

cwmassey's (Craig) performance helped orthogopher (Scott2) and haleon (Campbell)
stay out of last place. Word is Campbell was in jail for much of the month, with
only limited internet access. Musta been a federal, pound-me-in-the-ass prison,
since he slipped from 10th to 16th. I don't know what Craig's excuse is, but it
likely involves a broom handle.

alias  points
ookpik 120
nix342 109
SusanDonhim 109
rjk  107
danger 96
jesse  93
qarlo  83
asmiles 79
spike  76
socrates 75
mcdirge 61
devjoe 53
ganska 31
orthogopher 26
haleon  20
cwmassey 5

As always, if you want to join, create an account at www.ricochetrobot.com,
request an invitation to the Unity Games division, and then shoot me an email so
I approve your request.

Cheers,

matt

>Nix342 (Nick) rocketed from 7th in September to share 2nd last month with
>Susan (who might be Kyle), who slipped one spot. Expect Kyle to slip
>farther as he spends more time playing Hick Hack.

How did I slip one spot if I came in second, and Dave came in first last
month?! (I confess, were it not for an excellent last week, I well could
have *shudder* placed below that "danger" character. He was one point behind
me at one time.)

Perhaps I'm not the only one spending too much time in Gacklewack. Though
I've recently retired, of course :).


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