February Game Day

By the time game day broke up we had half an inch of snow and it was still coming down - Rick departed first and reported back that it was really slick.  So the most important thing to communicate is that Jess & Alex made it home safely and Rick reached the airport (picking up his wife) in one piece. 

Secondly, it was pretty clear that I was pushing my stamina to the limit (it was also a busy morning), so I apologize to those present for getting crankier as the day wore on. 

Finally to the games.  It was Rick’s pick this month.

First on the table was the new Merchant of Venus.  This was only my second game, and I don’t think we finished my first one, so this was one case where I was the student, not the teacher.  In the end there were so many mulligans and probable rules errors that it was essentially a three way tie.  I, at least, want to get the game on the table again soon - before the rules fade.  Probably the most important thing I learned is that this is its own game.  Although the core of MOV is still there, there have been enough tweaks that one can’t apply the exact strategies from the old game and one can’t assume who is or isn’t in the lead based on the same criterion as the original game.  For those who are interested, I’ll say more below.

By the time the game was over I was out of gas, so I “assisted" the others in playing Ticket to Ride Switzerland (designed specifically for 3).  This is probably my favorite of the TTR games - I like the speed-to-luck balance better than the others, and the lack of gimmicks. 

Future game day plans:

A.  Gerry is going to be in town on 3/1, so there will be an “emergency” game day that day.  Please let me know if you can attend.  The plan will be to show him games he hasn’t seen before, so in a sense this may replace the failed January “new games” day.

B.  Right now the regular game day for March is scheduled for 3/8.  Please also let me know if this will work for you.  Depending on how many can attend on the 1st, we might consider moving this to the 15th, so let me know if you’d be available on the 15th as well.

A little more depth on MOV:

1.  To repeat, this is its own game.  I got only one IOU in the game.  In the original this would be “game over.”  However I was one of the three way tie folks.  So this game needs to be explored and discovered separate from the influence of its predecessor.
2.  This version is definitely more “gamey” - it edges the game much more toward being a Euro.  There are a lot more moving parts to keep track of, mechanics to understand, and combos to look for.  This is not a bad thing from a game play point of view, but it does move the game, at least in my opinion, away from the simulation-based genesis of the original game.
3.  Movement is a lot more problematic.  One has to spend “credits” to deal with mobility issues early on (vs. just getting goods to sell) or one can find oneself boxed in rather badly.
4.  Although there was a dissenting opinion, it appears that focusing primarily on “fame” is not an easy route to victory.
5.  This version was supposed to “fix” various perceived problems with the original.  In some cases I would agree (ship upgrading, more routes to victory, spaceport commissions), in some cases I would seriously disagree (how passengers and recycled goods enter the game) and in some cases it’s just different (movement). 
6.  Use poker chips, not the credit bits in the game.

If you read through all that I may have numbed your brain, so I’ll repeat:  Please let me know your availability for games on 3/1, and on 3/8 or 3/15.