Dragonflight

Well, another Dragonflight has come and gone.  So many game, so little stamina...

I managed two firsts, two seconds, a third, a forth and a "not completed" (High Frontier) - at least average, if not better, against a better than average cut of gamers.

All of the games I played are familiar to us except High Frontier, so I'll comment on it and some others I shoulder-surfed.

High Frontier is very complex!  It also has a mechanic mismatch between a non-realistic auction based technology distribution to build one's space ship and a highly realistic space flight mechanism.  How does one model the development of space technology?  This clearly perplexed the designer (as it does me).  The space flight is much more mathematical and deterministic.  In the end I'm going to declare the game more of an "experience" than a game - a simulation more than a tightly knit mechanic.   I'm not sure those who play it seriously are that worried about "winning" as they are being part of the race to explore the solar system.  I will not be buying it for us, but at least I now have a better idea of how it works so I can play it with my son.

Dominant Species:  I have had a lot of interest in this game, but looking at it leaves me cold.  The components are fiddly and the appearance lifeless.  This game screams for an illustrator and some plastic/wooden animeeples.  I could well be wrong, but it appears to be a giant version of the mechanics-with-useless-chrome games that are common on Yucata.  No sale.

Navegator:  Another Mac Gerdts rondel game (like Hamburgum).  I like the concept of the game (opening the far east trade around the horn), but some podcasts didn't have a lot of enthusiasm for it.  The four people playing it were enthusiastic about it.  Visually one could almost say it was as if one took one or two of the "Shipping" areas in Endeavor and drilled down a level of detail.  This game deserves another look!

I looked for, but never saw, a Defenders of the Realm game - sigh...  I had a nice chat with the guy who designed and built the Circus Maximus track.  It was nice to see Cardhaus sort-of represented.  A few of the "regulars" from past years were missing - for better or worse based on the individual.  

Did anyone else notice that the Seahawks team was there?  They had one or two floors of rooms dedicated to them.

I am registered for next year.  Perhaps I will return to GMing after taking a break.