2017.11.23: Unwanted Advances

3-Players: G, K & W
Location: K
Choice: W
Game: Navegador

Market Chaos!

Game 1:

Player	Points
G	120
K	113
W	102

Final Tally:

• G was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

• Game restarted at 9:15 after learning round
• All players enjoyed the market chaos
• there were many attempts to influence W's choice of game

Music:

Grateful Dead: Download Series Vol 3 (Recorded Oct 26, 1971)
Grateful Dead: Download Series Vol 4 (Recorded June 18, 1976)

2017.10.26: Without a Compass

3-Players: W, Z & G
Location: W
Choice: G
Game: Navegador

Game 1:

Player	Points
W	131
Z	115
G	110

Final Tally:

• W was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

• W closing in on M in overall stats
• M's GR is currently at 34.0% and W's is 32.2%
• If W were to winall games and M were to finish last in all games, it would only take two 5-player games, or three 4-player games, or four 3-player games, for W to move past M in GR%

Music:

Cannonball Adderley: Live in Chicago (Recorded: February 3, 1959)
Cannonball Adderley: Live in San Francisco (Recorded: October 18 and 20, 1959)
Al Kooper, Mike Bloomfield, and Stephen Stills: Super Session (1968)

2017.08.31: Owning Mars

3-Players: G, M & W
Location: W
Choice: Consensus
Game: Terraforming Mars

Game 1:

Player	Points
G	104
M	72
W	68

Final Tally:

• G was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

Music:

Mix from Youtube: Trip Hop (unknown)

2017.07.20: Villagio Strangiato

3-Players: G, W & Sc
Location: W
Choice: G
Game: Village + Port Expansion

Game 1:

Player	Points
G	93
W	91
Sc	67

Final Tally:

• G was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

• None. #sad

Music:

Brownout: Brown Sabbath (2014)
Grateful Dead: Get Shown The Light (Recorded May 1977 - Peak Dead)

2017.06.29 Droid Rage

3-Players: Z, K & W
Location: W
Choice: K
Game: Blood Rage

Game 1:

Player	Points
Z	110
K	89
W	52

Game 2:

Player	Points
Z	171
K	150
W	107

Final Tally:

• Z was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

• no game notes provided #sad

Music:



CBC Radio Two: Tonic
Stingray: The Chill Lounge

2017.06.15: Bagman From Britain

3-Players: G, S & W
Location: W
Choice: Consensus
Game: Imperial 2030


Game 1:

Player	Points
G	161
Sc	100
W	87

Final Tally:

• G was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

• Random starting bonds
• Sc started in control of China and Europe
• Sc's first two turns for both countries: Import, Manoever
• China and Europe both destroyed a Russian factory
• Russia was devastated and never recovered, scoring for times zero at game end
• W was #sad

Music:

Led Zeppelin: How the West Was Won (Recorded June 1972)

2017.03.09: Feels Tzo Good

 

3-Players: W, K & G
Location: W
Choice: K
Game: Tzolk'in with Tribes expansion

Game 1:

Player	Points
W	59
K	55
G	51

Final Tally:

• W was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

Player	Tribe
W	Itzamna
K	Ah Chuy Kak
G	Yumkaax

Music:

Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
Lettuce: Crush (2015)
Joe Russo's Almost Dead and Bob Weir: youtube stream (2016.11.12 Fox Theater, Oakland, CA)

2017.02.23 Not News: W Totally Needs Wood

3-Players: K, Z & W
Location: W
Choice: Consensus
Game: Agricola

Game 1:

Player	Points
K	45
Z	37
W	27

Final Tally:

• K was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

• Overheard at table: "Ya, I totally need this wood."

Music:

Kevin Yost: Smalltown Underground (1999)

2017.01.26: The January Blues Experiment

3-Players: K, Z & W
Location: K
Choice: W
Game: Agricola

Game 1:

Player	Points
K	33
Z	32
W	27

Final Tally:

• K was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

• Z was out for 1st time in a month, on a "trial run"..whatever that means
• Full card draft was done.
• Game was over and packed up and everybody left the building before 11pm - didn't think a full draft Agricola could be done that quickly, even with only 3 players!
• K misplayed the 1st round up to the initial harvest, resulting in being the only player with a Begging Card, but then rebounded strongly over the rest of the game.
• W had a decent farm going relatively early, but then faltered for some reason later on.
• Z had two more guys then K and W for several rounds mid-game, and ended game as only one with 5 guys.
• K focussed his card drafting on a food engine, however it was his use of the Travelling Salesman and the Bookshelf/Academic combo Occupations that ultimately won him the game.

Music:

Samsara Blues Experiment: Long Distance Trip (2010)
Muse: Drones (2015)
Space Disco: Spotify Playlist (2015)

2017.01.19 The Sound of Silence Re-Mixed

3-Players: J, K & W
Location: K
Choice: K
Game: Isle of Skye: From Chieftan to King

Game 1:

Player	Points
J	66
K	56
W	55



Scoreboard at end of game 1

Game 2:

Player	Points
K	103
W	76
J	49



K's land at the end of game 2

Final Tally:

Player	Points
k	159
w	131
J	115

• K was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

• The prodigal son (Z) may return next week.
• The prodigal father (G) may return the week after that?...
• First time trying Isle of Skye.considered relatively light fare, but with a sufficient amount of tough bidding decisions to be made to make the game interesting enough for our group to enjoy from time to time.we considered it to be Carcassone +
• Agreed that each additional player will add a fair chunk of time to the game play (as there is an aspect of AP to this game that will only get worse with more players/choices), but should still be easily playable on a regular Thursday night even with its max of 5 players.
• Much like El Grande, this is a game where you don't necessarily want to jump out to a lead early.not because you become a target, but rather, because of the mechanism where you receive additional income if you are behind in the game.if you can find a way to build up your clan territory towards massive points in the final two rounds and end of game scoring, while still staying just a little bit behind the others over the first 4 rounds, you will do well!

Music

...

2017.01.02 Maybe They Were Still Hungover?

3-Players: K, W & Z

Game: Scythe + Key to the City: London
Location: K
Choice: Consensus

Game One (Scythe):

Player	Points
Z	72
K	66*
W	59

Game Two (Key to the City: London):

Player	Points
K	110
Z	100
W	74

 

Final Tally:

Player	Points
K	176
Z	172
W	133

• K was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

• K forgot about the end of game bonus point tile, as well as his character’s special ability (!!!).
• K claims that he would likely have won handily had these things been realized. Yes, this comment was recommended for the blog by K.  It doesn’t make it any less accurate ;o)

Music:

Smashing Pumpkins: Siamese Dream
Stone Temple Pilots: Purple
Weezer: Make Believe
Pearl Jam: Vitalogy
Steve Miller Band: 1974-1978 Greatest Hits

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)

2016.11.24 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

2016.10.06 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)
 

 

 

2016.09.01 Better Give It Another Go

 

3-Players: Z, G & W
Game: Mare Nostrum: Empires

Location: W
Choice: Consensus

Game One:

• Victory by hero's and wonders 

Final Tally:

• G was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

• First time played for W 


Music Notes:

Graham Central Station: Graham Central Station

Kid Koala: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

2016.08.24 Battle for the Middle Terainium

3-Players: Z, G & R
Game: Mare Nostrum: Empires

Location: Z

Choice: Z

Game One:

• Won with leaders in all three aspects

Final Tally:

• R was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

• First time played for all players 
• R won with leaders in all three aspects


Music Notes:

Green Cheese: Vol 55 Living On The Groove
Green Cheese: Vol 59 Sweet Ride in the Back of my Mind
Green Cheese: Vol 41 Those Were Good Times

2016.07.28 Lords of Waterd’oh!

 

3-Players: K, Si, W
Game: Lords of Waterdeep + Undermountain expansion

Location: K

Choice: K

Game One:

Game Over

Player	Points
Si	222
Z	214
K	213

Final Tally:

• Si was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

• The Lord card Z had is probably not as awful as he made it out to be.
• The Quest card Z had is probably not as unbeatable as K made it out to be.
• K misread his Lord card, leaving him at the end of the game with a measly 12 Lord card points despite completing 13 quests (d’oh!).
• 4^th player on the night was baby B, who was held by K for two thirds of the game.

Music Notes:

Dave Matthews Band (random compilation by K)

Stone Temple Pilots (Core)
Core is the debut album by American rock band  Stone Temple Pilots, released on September 29, 1992 through  Atlantic Records. The album, which peaked at #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and #3 on the Billboard 200, was certified 8x  platinum by the RIAA on December 18, 2001, making it the band's best-selling album.

Xavier Rudd (To Let)
To Let is the debut album from Australian roots musician Xavier Rudd. It was released in 2002.

Stars (Set Yourself on Fire)
Set Yourself on Fire is the third album by Canadian indie rock band  Stars. It was released on September 14, 2004 on the  Arts & Crafts International record label in Canada and the United Kingdom, and on March 8, 2005 in the United States.  The album's most notable single was "Ageless Beauty", the band's breakthrough hit in Canada. "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead" has also garnered significant play in the United States. It was featured on the soundtrack of The O.C.  On November 17, 2009, "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead" was featured on Fox network's  So You Think You Can Dance,  season 6. Former show contestant and current choreographer  Travis Wall chose it as the track for his piece danced by Ellenore Scott and Ryan Di Lello.  In 2005 Set Yourself on Fire was a  Juno Award nominee for Alternative Album of the Year. It lost to the album Let It Die by Feist, who is an occasional band-mate of Stars' Amy Millan, Torquil Campbell, and  Evan Cranley in the indie rock band  Broken Social Scene.  The novelist Ibi Kaslik is quoted on the jacket of the album.

 

 

 

2016.07.21 Push Me Into Watershallow Before I Get Too Waterdeep

3-Players: K, Si, W
Game: Lords of Waterdeep with Undermountain expansion

Location: K

Choice: Si



Game One:

Player	Points
W	207
Si	190
K	177

Final Tally:

• W was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

• 
  

Music Notes:


Pet Shop Boys: Very, (1993)

Per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very_(Pet_Shop_Boys_album) :
Very is the fifth studio album by English electronic duo Pet Shop Boys. It was released in September 1993, nearly two and a half years after the duo's previous studio album, Behaviour, and the compilation album Discography: The Complete Singles Collection. Very exhibits one of many turning points the Pet Shop Boys would make to their music, shifting from the subdued electronic pop of Behaviour to richly-instrumented dance arrangements. The content and lyrics led to Very being called their "coming-out" album, since it was during this time that Neil Tennant had publicly discussed his long-rumoured homosexuality.

Very has sold more than five million copies worldwide, and contains five UK singles.


Rolling Stones: 40 Licks (Greatest Hits), Disc 1 & 2