Melissa Rogerson: Recent Plays

Not much to say this week. While this is usually the quiet end of the year, after a relatively quiet six months or so, I’m suddenly drowning in work. I worked 14 hours last Sunday and have about the same to do today. Hence, not much gaming.

Well, except for the gaming at work.

I have a contract (quite independent of the people we know who work there) to do some work in Fraser’s building—and that meant lunchtime games! Tichu and Panther (from Mü) were the games of choice.

Games night at home last Friday saw a festival of lightness: Loopin’ Louie and Diamant. I’m keen to get a copy of Incan Gold as well because Diamant is definitely my filler of choice.

Unavailability of babysitters (my parents were busy, and my brother and his wife are in literally daily expectation of their first baby) meant that even though I was in the Gamers@Dockers building on two consecutive Thursdays, I had to leave and come home to collect children from school and daycare. But last Thursday I made up for that, turning the kids over to mum and dad and heading in for Teh Gamez.

Game 1: The Princes of Florence (played previously three times on BSW, never in real life).
This really is my strongest 10-rated game, ahead even of Goa.

I was a little nervous as the pieces were distributed—Would I remember how to play? Would I love the game as much as I did online?—but we quickly got into the swing of the game and I had had such good teachers on BSW that the game felt very familiar.

A stupid newbie error in Round 6 and a stupid idiot error in Round 7 cost me a convincing win (I came in second by 1 point) but this game has skyrocketed up my “must play” list.

Of course, to do that, I would have to punch it first…

Game 2: Heckmeck am Bratwurmeck (Pickomino)
It loses something without the BSW sound effects. Huge dicefest, but fun.

Game 3: Funny Friends
I’m really conflicted about what to write here.

First, the rules SUCK. Trying to find something—ANYTHING—that we were looking for was nearly impossible. I’ve been thinking lately about what makes for good rules, and this game just doesn’t cut it.

We had a lot of fun playing this game. And I won, yay. But underneath it all, there isn’t really that much game there. I can see that Funny Friends can be great fun to play, especially with the right group of people (::wishes once more to go to BGG.con::), but if I really want to talk about sex I can just go play Attribut. It’s faster, and you never need to wonder what the little symbols mean.

Online gaming has been a little busier. I’m really enjoying Die Säulen der Erde (Pillars of the Earth) on BSW, as well as the usual Werewolf game and a smattering of others. Musing about rules and translating rules (in the post-Essen frenzy, there are always chances to get in some practice).

The good thing about the excess of work is the extra cash it should bring in. While I need to be responsible with most of it, I’m sniffing around the new releases and considering what to buy. Unfortunately, there is probably too much German for my game group on the cards for Die Säulen der Erde (well, excepting all our german friends), so I will sadly hold on for an English-language release of that.

For today, though, I will leave you with a photo of my adorable children—who I haven’t done much gaming with lately…

(This article first appeared on Gone Gaming on the date referenced below.)
© 2006 Melissa Rogerson

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