GAMING NEWS: Shoot Out At The A-1 Corral (19 April 2006)!

Hi Everyone,

Well, Wednesday night has come and gone and the gaming was good. The one game that most characterized the evening was Bang!, a spaghetti Western themed game (even subtitled in Italian)! All hail Clint!

The following came... veni, vidi, vici!

Players:
- Barto Riggs
- Crystal
- Daryl
- Dave Story
- Dick
- Keith
- Kimbo
- Kurt
- Maksim (me!)
- Mike O'Brien
- Todd
- Tony

And we played or tried to play several games:

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1. Nature Of the Beast

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/20906

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/20907

Players:
- Dave Story: Suburb - L.
- Dick: City - L.
- Kurt: Farm - L.
- Maksim: Forest - L.

Dave wanted to try this game and that's as far as we got... the game is very card-driven and it didn't pass the Kurt & Dick "macho meter"... After puzzling over it for about forty minutes, we all came to the conclusion to try something else and that game got stuffed back into Dave's box... Woohoo! What a start!

And that Kurt, what a mind on that man! He's full of more one-liners than... uh, well... uh... Wayne Brady in a singles bar?

Seriously, I'm "overly" fond of Kurt and he really does his bit to make the evening interesting... Many thanks to Kurt!

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2. Killer Bunnies And the Quest For the Magical Carrot

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/3699

Players:
- Dave: Winner!
- Dick: L.
- Kurt: L.
- Maksim: L.

This game was characterized very early by Dick and Kurt forming a carniverous partnership. That is, they tried to send all their hurt towards Dave and I unless we were both down for the count, in which case, they gnawed on each other... That worked for awhile, but I immediately got their number so I saved up a major wallop for them and when I was at critical mass, I let them have it. I brought out a holographic bunny to play supported by the Minilith that launched the Ebola Virus at them... TAKE THAT, craven bunny bullies!

And they did, The two of them were pretty well wiped out the rest of the game and my bunny brigade slowly grew and grew... I finished the game in a dominating position... controlling the cabbage, water, carrots, defense cards, etc., etc. And I had about eight bunnies at the end... Dick mentioned that "we all knew who left that game walking tall"...

Of course, that doesn't matter one bit because KB is completely random so... Dave, who had a cruddy "rotten carrot" game, managed to win with his one lucky carrot! Mazel Tov, Dave!

I'm not sure if I like KB much... it's pretty mean-spirited and brings out some of the worst in players much of the time... Too much "Dick-Kimbo" (DK) factor as Richard would say...

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3. Unexploded Cow

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/1690

Players:
- Crystal: L.
- Kimbo: Winner!
- Todd: L.

This was the first game of the day for the TLC unit (Todd Loves Crystal... somewhat along the lines of Joanie loves Chachi) and Kimbo tagged along and managed to pull off victory! Mazel Tov, Kimbo!

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4. Twilight Struggle

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/12333

Players:
- Barto Riggs: Leading as Russians!
- Mike O'Brien: Trailing as Americans...

The infamous Barto Riggs finally shows up! And it was Mike that called him out. Too bad, Dean Volpicelli wasn't there. He makes a good side kick, "lil partner" for someone. Mike and Barto started a fresh Cold War and they left around eight'ish with Barto leading. TS is a long game and I rarely see one go to the final count. Mazel Tov, Barto! Better luck next time, Mike!

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5. Bang!

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/3955

Players:
- Crystal: Sheriff - Survived albeit with a half a gol'darned dozen er so Swiss cheese holes in her "dainties"...
- Dave: Outlaw - Shot Down Like A Dog (SDLAD)! Rest in Peace (RIP)!
- Dick: Deputy - Survived through Italian mafia-style negociation...
- Kimbo: Outlaw - SDLAD-RIP!
- Maksim: Outlaw - SDLAD-RIP!
- Todd: Renegade - SDLAD - Couldn't bluff his way out of a box...

In a majorly wicked game, Dave was slain very early and Todd, through his inferior bluffing skill, was marked early. Todd fell next under a barrage from "Black Kimbo," feared outlaw. And then there were four... (whistling Western music... Oh, Ow, Oooooooo...)

We knew Crystal was sheriff and that Kimbo and I were outlaws... Dick was the wild card and what a wild card he was! He slew both Kimbo and I in a "rage of lead-fisted fury" leaving the forces of good with victory! Mazel Tov, Dick 'n' Crystal!

And that Crystal... I'm tell'in ya. She has more lucky than Dick in an "I-talyan" noodle restaurant. I literally shot and wounded her EIGHT times, riddling her with holes, and she pulled more beer than you can imagine. Lucky puke! And that was only the times I hit that law-sucking scumhole... I missed her about another EIGHT times! That's a lot of shoot'in there, partner!

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6. Ticket To Ride: Marklin Edition

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/21348

Players:
- Crystal: L.
- Dick: L.
- Kimbo: L.
- Maksim: Winner!

G-d bless Kimbo! Where the others have no problem ganging up on me, Kimbo decided to let nature take its own path. I set up an early passenger line and managed to finish it with aplomb. Kimbo couldn't quite block me in time and the other two were busy with their own lines. Before long, I had lined up two passengers at either end of a "wallop'in" train line and launched both scoring about fifty points, which is about what I won by. It was my game and as Kimbo put it: "Maks plays smart; he earned that win."

It was a good game... Crystal got tricky in the end... but her secret "back door maneauvers" availed her none. I think she distracted herself more with her banana more than it distracted the others (don't ask) except maybe Dick... Dick was uncharacteristically quiet during the game. Either that banana utterly captivated him or I conjecture that he might have been thinking...

I hear that Dick is on an all fruit and vegetable diet...

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7. Advanced Squad Leader

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/243

Players:
- Dave Story: ?
- Todd: ?

Dave and Todd pulled out this old warhorse near the end of the night and started "banging" their way through a scenario. I have no idea how the game turned out, but it did keep Todd more quiet than I've ever seen him. Strange... Dave's a card shark... he probably won.

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Have a great day!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

P.S.
For those in post-Passover mode, that means you, Mike, I have two links:

1. A little surreal "Sign-O-Chumitz" in the 'ol Eretz city of Jerusalem:

http://www.israelity.com/gallery/view_photo.php?set_albumName=around_israel&id=P8230841

2. Matzomeletes - What to do with all of your leftover Matzo...

http://www.thisnormallife.com/blog/_archives/2006/4/17/1878370.html

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