GAMING NEWS: Wednesday Night At A-1 Comics (29 March 2006)!

Hi Everyone,

Wednesday night at A-1 Comics was a big success and there a number of folks that showed up and everyone had a great time!

Attendees:
- Dave Story
- Dick Mitchell
- Kimbo
- Kurt
- Maksim (me!)
- Mike O'Brien
- Todd & Crystal... a very nice and generous couple that Dave invited.

Dave's new friends, Todd & Crystal, a couple, were extremely generous, Not only did they bring their box of games, stuffed full of gaming goodness, but they brought a plate full of scrumptious chocolate chocolate chip cookies (I must have had about four of those chocolate delicacies) and two whole pizzas to share with all. Wow! There's only one way to answer generosity like that and that is... to return the gesture! They were both very nice people and they ony just met Dave and thus our gaming group through a Saturday meet. Unfortunately they're going to moving to Texas soon, which is a bummer since there are never enough nice folks like them in gaming or any other activity for that matter.

And we played a number of games.

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1. Coloretto

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/5782

Players:
- Dave: #2
- Dick: #3
- Kurt: #4
- Maksim: #1 Win

We played this little colored matching set game and had a good time. Poor Kurt got stomped and I'm starting to see why he prefer miniatures game to board games so much. I played very conservatively taking only a card or two a hand and managed to keep my hands small as to avoid penalties. It worked that game.

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2. Clans

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/4636

Players:
- Dave: #1 Win
- Dick: #2
- Kurt: #3
- Maksim: #4

This game is very enigmatic and I played just to get a feel for it rather than to win. I also set Dick up several times, but Dave still managed to just take Victory although Dick was close. Poor Kurt and I didn't have much idea of what was going on and we were considerablly behind in points from the two leaders. I almost lost to the non-player as well... pretty sad on my part. Mazel Tov to Dave who won this one!

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3. Command & Colours: Ancients

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/14105

Players for Scenario #2:
- Mike: Carthaginians - No banners
- Maksim: Syracusans - Five banners - Winner!

(C&C:A photo above, courtesy of BGG)

This is pretty much the game I spent the majority of the evening playing. Mike was good enough to bring his C&C:A game box and we set up scenario #2: "The River Sullimenus" (I'm getting the name wrong) and played the scenario two times switching sides after the first game.

Scenario #2 is a tough one for the Carthaginians too. Hasdrubal has his army cut in two by a river and the Syracusans (rather than Romans) have what is basically an open opportunity to chop the Carthos into hamburger. And after two games, we saw the Carthaginians lose two times.

Mike started out as the Carthginians and I slaughtered him (a historically accurate result). He didn't even take a banner. It was ugly. However, Mike was great sport throughout the game and I salute him for his great sense of sportsmanship and fair play.

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4. Command & Colours: Ancients

Players for Scenario #2:
- Mike: Syracusans - Five Banners - Winner!
- Maksim: Carthaginians - Three banners

The second game was much more of an even exchange and I took a quick lead as the Carthos. However, Mike didn't let his early defeats keep him from the larger goal of pushing his line forward before I could get Carthaginian reinforcements across the river. As a result, he was able to turn the tides and pulled off victory! Mazel Tov, Mike!

And Dick watched most of this game as a both a spectator and ana ide de camp to Mike. Personally, I think that Mike didn't need the help and is a very capable player on his own as much as all of us like to gripe that we're luckless and can't win a game. All in all, I do think we get about average results, sometimes a little better and sometimes a little worse.

However, I realize now in retrospect that Dick was trying to make point. You see, I'm as guilty of anyone as being an "armchair quarterback" and poor Dick has been on the other end of my advice, which is sometimes good. S0, I'm resolving here and now to be less of an "active" spectator and do a better job of not "armchair quarterbacking" my friend's games. It's the least I can do for a friend like Dick. He doesn't need the odds stacked against him anymore than fate has already decreed. And he must have done some pretty spectacular things to receive the fate he has... LOL

I was doing fine until my replacement cards started coming up as turds. At that point, I was stuck with no option other than to move one unit a turn, which is a quick path to defeat. Both games were very good and I can't wait to try and pull of victory as the Carthaginians in that scenario on a future date. I've been able to win most of the scenarios that have long odds so far although I do lose them most of the time when playing the underdogs.

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6. Shadows Over Camelot

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/15062

Players:
- Crystal: ?
- Dave Story: ?
- Dick: ?
- Kimbo: ?
- Kurt: ?
- Todd: ?

I was too busy playing C&C:A to see how this one turned out, but it is an easier game with a bigger stable of knights. I wonder who the traitor was? It was probably Kimbo. That seems to be his kismet.

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7. Wizard

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/1465

Players:
- Crystal: ?
- Dave Story: ?
- Kimbo: ?
- Kurt: ?
- Todd: ?

This classic game was still running when I left around 8:00pm. I imagine that Dave or Kimbo won though. They're both card sharks.

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And it appears that everyone had a great time and it was wonderful to meet Dave's new friends... very nice folks.

Have a great Thursday!

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).