GAMING NEWS: Second 2M2G Gaming Day a Success!

Hi Everyone,

Well, yesterday was the second of the monthly game gathers that I've hosted and while attendence was still sparce, a single guest, it was success and we both had a good time. My old and good friend, Eric "Chern" Royer, showed up around 1:00pm and we played games for a few hours and pleasureably chatted the afternoon away. I've been calling the events a 2M2G gather, which is short for Maksim's Monthly Gaming Group. After attending so many other people's functions, I decided that it was my turn to host and I'm looking forward for when the 2M2G gathers grow in size so we can play some of the bigger games like Advanced Civilization or a hefty miniatures game.

Here are the five games that Eric and I played:

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1. Conquest - Two-Player Edition

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/20467

- Eric: Win
- Maksim: Loss

This was a new game that neither of us had played before and we both enjoyed it very much. There little to nothing left to chance to this game and it's very much like a more sophisticated version of chess. Strategy is the name of the game as is attritional warfare. Eric got the hang of the game quicker than I did and he pulled off a pretty good victory although I gave him what for.

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2. The Awful Green Things From Outer Space

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/162

- Eric: (Crew) Loss
- Maksim: (Awful Green Things) Win

I must buy a clear piece of plexiglass to cover folded maps that don't lay flat!

I must also remember to have new players always to play the Awful Green Things (photo above, courtesy of BGG) or to give myself a handicap when I play them. An experienced player will tend to beat a ship crew the majority of the time in my experience. Eric was beaten, pretty well which is a pity, since I really do think that AGTFOS is a great game.

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3. Settler of Cataan: Knights & Cities

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/926

- Eric: Loss
- Maksim: Win

It's a real testament to the quality of this classic that Eric and I still regularly play this game after several years of knowing each other. SoC: K&C is still fun and a challenge even with two players. However, this last game was one of the shortest we've ever played. I don't think it took more than about twenty minutes for me to stomp Eric flat. The inital choice that many players have is whether to build and activate a knight or a village before the pirates land. Eric chose the village and the pirates landed before he could get an active knight up and that really stunted his early game. He was without a city for the majority of the game. We both remarked that it was definitely the quickest SoC: K&C game we've ever played.

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4. Guillotine

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/116

- Eric: Win
- Maksim: Loss

We both had a good time and Eric shorted me of victory by a goodly margin.

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5. Ticket To Ride: Europe

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/14996

- Eric: Win
- Maksim: Loss

As we're both discovering, building the Scandinavian Express, the eight-track SUPER tunnel from Scandinavia to Saint Petersburg, is practically a game winner all by itself. Eric managed to build the Scandinavian Express and get longest road, which spelled victory for him, but it was very close, only about five points between the two of us. It was a very close game and I might have still won if Eric had not managed to beat me out for longest road by TWO track sections. It was a good game and I'm happy that Eric won that one.

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Today, I'm expecting a few guests as well for the second-half of the monthly 2M2G gather.

Have a great Sunday!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

Notes regarding photos / pictures: These are not all my images. I am using various images from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (if it is indeed an infringement).