2016.12.29 Duck the Halls

4-Players: K, W, M & Z
Game: Tzolk'in
Location: K
Choice: M

Game One:

Player	Points
K	43
Z	39
M	36
W	21

Bonus Game (7 Wonders Duel)

Player	Points
K	62
W	61

Final Tally:

• K was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

Music:

Xavier Rudd: Spirit Bird (2012)

Seeker Lover Keeper: Seeker Lover Keeper (2011)

Soundgarden: compilation by K

Rusty: Fluke (1995)

2012.12.22 The Pre-Xmas Rush

5-Players: K, W, J, M & G

Game: Lords of Waterdeep & Undermountain expansion 

Location: K
Choice: J

Umm... pass?

Game One:

Player	Points
K	129
J	115
G	114
M	105
W	101

Final Tally:

• K was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

• G’s last hurrah
• M temporarily departed mid-game to comb his hair and do some wood-working
• K was handed the game with an easily achieved 40-point quest that every other play passed up on taking
• We misplayed the Ambassador.  Per a BGG discussion thread: “…once placed, Ambassador counts as an opponent's Agent for all players.”.  This basically only screwed over M for one move in the last round, as he was told he couldn’t do one move that he actually should have been able to do.
• Xmas gaming was discussed.  Regular Thursday night next week (29th).  Xmas gaming on Monday 2 Jan (5pm start with dinner).  Both to be hosted by K.
• M indicated that he might like to give Tzolk’in a spin…see what I did there J

Music Notes:

Max Webster: Diamonds, Diamonds (1970)

The Rolling Stones: Between the Buttons (1967)

MMW: Last Chance to Dance Trance (1999)

Fat Jon: Human Erotica (2001)

2016.12.15 Two Dogs

2-Players: W & G
Game: Tzolk'in

Location: W

Choice: Consensus

Game One:

Player	Points
G	62
W	34

Final Tally:

• G was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

Music Notes:

W's iTunes: All Songs (shuffle)

2016.12.08 Tribes and Tribulations

3-Players 

I cant quite put my finger on it...

Game: Tzolk'in + Tribes expansion
Location: W

Choice: G

Game One:

Player	Points
G	70
W	68
K	44

Final Tally:

• G was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

• G's losing streak has ended
• Big mistake realized: Bonuses in the technology track are cumulative (in exactly the same way that the resource bonuses in the temples on the 1st and 3rd food days are cumulative, for instance)…potential for this to have huge impact on how much attention is given to quickly rising up the technology levels
• Tribes expansion deemed a success…very easy to integrate, adds a neat level to the strategy…W questioned whether it is substantial enough to be referred to as an “expansion”…
• K to revisit efforts to land on an agreed date for Xmas gaming – 27th and 2nd stated by W as possibly the best options to consider…
• W is nearly finished 1st complete draft of rules for Wizards.

Music Notes:

Fela Kuti: Afrodisiac (1973)
Funkadelic: Uncle Jam Wants You (1979)
The Grateful Dead: Dave's Pick Vol 12 (recorded on November 4, 1977 at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York)

2016.12.01 You Gotta Get On To Get Off

4 Players: K, W, J & G
Game: Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar
Location: W
Choice: W

Game One:

Player	Points
K	63
W	45
J	39
G	34

Final Tally:

• K was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

• Z too busy to come out this week (baby time?)
• W's hurt his back in epic flight off of front steps but he's ok as long as he doesn't cough
• J was pulling guys off but he wasn't the only one

Music Notes:

Various Artists: Day of the Dead (2016)
Chinese Man: Groove Sessions (2007)



2016.11.24 Tzolk'out, Tzolk'in and Tzolk'out Again

3 Players: K, W & G
Game: Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar
Location: W


If these are all the buildings
you have bought during the game
then you are going to lose

Choice: K

Game One:

Player	Points
K	64
W	53
G	35

Final Tally:

• K was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

• Good to have a food engine in this game
• Some turns quick, some long and this will increase as we add players
• The winner, K, never built an additional worker
• Begging for corn mechanic can be very useful early in the game
• We checked out the expansion, Tribes (gives players each a different special ability) & Prophecies (gives players alternate victory point scoring opportunities).
• X-Mas gaming schedule still being discussed

Music Notes:

Fat Jon: Wave Motion
Chinese Man: Groove Sessions Vol 2
Lettuce: Outta Here

Antique Time Machine webcomic

2016.11.17 Bottom Action

 

 
 

4-Players: K, Z, W & G
Game: Scythe

Location: W

Choice: Consensus

Game One:

Player	Points
Z	51
K	47
W	36
G	35

Final Tally:

• Z was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

• W lost a battle of wits, on purpose
• K lost on purpose to obtain tactical mastery
• "How many times do we have to explain river-walking?"

Music Notes:
 
Fela Kuti: Question Jam Answer (1972)
Fela Kuti: Gentleman (1973)
The Chris Robinson Brotherhood: Anyway You Love, We Know How You Feel (2016)
Pink Floyd: The Early Years 1967-1972 Cre/ation (2016)
Frank Zappa: The Crux of the Biscuit (2016, Recorded 1973)
 


2016.11.10 And Then There Were Three

6-Players: W, K, M, J, Z & G
Game: Citadels

Location: W

Choice: M

Game One:

Player	Points
M	29
Z	28
K	27
J	24
W	19
G	14

Final Tally:

• M was declared this week's winner!

Bonus Game (Contagion):

Player	Points
W	33
K	28
Z	25
G	21

Bonus Game Two (7 Wonders):

Player	Points
W	58
K	51
G	42

Music Notes:

Tricky: Maxinquay (1995)
DJ Shadow: The Mountain Will Fall (2016)
Röyksopp: Melody A.M. (2001)
The Rolling Stones: A Brussels Affair (Recorded 1973)

2016.11.03 The Hallowe'en Episode

5-Players: W, K, M, J & G
Game: Citadels

Location: W

Choice: J

Game One:

Player	Points
K	29
G	20
M	20
W	14
J	13

Final Tally:

• K was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

• G won the tie breaker for second place

Music Notes:

Phish: Full show recorded three nights earlier on 2016.10.31, Hallowe'en in Las Vegas. Their musical costume this year: David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars which they played in its entirety from beginning to end as the second set.

Here is a link to the live stream of the show. Not sure how long this will last on YouTube so enjoy it while you can.

Phish, 10.30.16 MGM Grand Arena, Las Vegas, NV

Set 1: Carini, Your Pet Cat, AC DC Bag, Free, Possum, What's the Use? > Wombat, Tube, Petrichor, Antelope

Set 2: Five Years, Soul Love, Moonage Daydream, Starman, It Ain't Easy, Lady Stardust, Star, Hang On Yourself, Ziggy Stardust, Suffragette City, Rock & Roll Suicide

Set 3: 46 Days > Sand > Twist > Drum Jam, Meatstick > 2001 > Backwards > Slave

E: Space Oddity

2016.10.27 It's a Whole New World

end game points

4-Players: W, K, Z & G
Game: Terraforming Mars
Location: W
Choice: Z

Game One:

Player	Points
W	65
K	59
G	56
Z	54

Final Tally:

• W was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

• First time playing this game for all
• All looking forward to a reply now that rules are better understood

Music Notes:

Thievery Corporation: Culture of Fear (2011)
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nerd (1973)

The game rules use the names Kim, Stanley and Robinson
 for the player names in the turn by turn walk-through example
an obvious tip of the hat to the author

2016.10.20 The Cost of Expansion

4-Players: Z, G, K & W
Game: Mare Nostrum: Empires + Atlas expansion
Location: W
Choice: G

Game One:

• unfinished

Final Tally:

• no winner was declared this week

Game Notes:

• Used the 4-player alternative setup (includes Atlantis)
• Used the Troia expansion only
• K and Z's empires were furthest apart on the game board so when the time came for the players to choose another player to give a bonus card to, they each chose each other. Ironically, later in the game, their empires ended up warring and each player ended up playing their bonus cards against each other.

Music Notes:

Upsetters 14 Dub:  Blackboard Jungle (1973) Produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry
Bustle in you Hedgerow: The Rocks Off Concert Cruise Aboard The Jewel (Recorded August 30, 2016, New York city)
Six Organs of Admittance: The Sun Awakens (2006)

2016.10.13 Is Rome the New Germany?

5-Players: Z, G, J, K & W
Game: Mare Nostrum: Empires

Location: G
Choice: W

Game One:

• unfinished

Final Tally:

• no winner was declared this week

Game Notes:

• game re-located to G's at last minute
• late start
• game called at 11:20pm due to time
• no clear leader
• 2 rule mistakes:
• collect an additional Coin or Legendary Commodity for a controlled Legendary City if he also controls a Temple in the Province (not collect both additionally)
• fortress absorbs one hit (takes 10 in dice rolls to eliminate)



Music Notes:

Grateful Dead: Dicks Vol 2 (Recorded Hallowe'en 1971) tracks: Dark Star
Medeski, Martin & Wood: End of the World Party (Just in Case) (2004)
Greyboy Allstars :Whatever Happened to TV? (2007)

 

2016.10.06 Putting Germany Back Where It Belongs

3-Players: W, K, & G
Game: Imperial

Location: K

Choice: Consensus

Game One:

Player	Points
K	178
W	168
G	157

Final Tally:

• K was declared this week's winner!

As usual, Germany is nowhere near the top

Music Notes:


Cabin Mix
Grateful Dead: Steppin' Out (Recorded England 1972)
 

 

 

2016.09.29 Germany is the New Germany

 

6-Players: W, M, K, Z, J & G
Game: Imperial

Location: K

Choice: K

Game One:

Player	Points
G	139
K	116
Z	90
M	87
J	81
W	75

Final Tally:

• G was declared this week's winner!

Music Notes:

Buffalo Springfield: Buffalo Springfield (1966)

Peter Gabriel: Car (1977)
    First solo album

Genesis: Selling England by the Pound (1973)

Frank Zappa: Joe's Garage Vol 1 (1979)