Valerie Putman: That Depends…

I had a really good day of gaming--Tichu, Notre Dame, Age of Steam, Agricola, Phoenicia, and Caylus.  The decision to end the night with Caylus happened when there were three of us were sitting at the table and one of us had to leave in 1 ½ hours.  We were all fairly fast players and had played Caylus many times, so it was going to be easy to finish in time.  Just as we were about to start, two more players wandered up and asked, “Can we join?” They were fairly new to the club and I wanted to be welcoming, but five-player Caylus with two unknown players was likely to take too long.  So I said, “That depends…”

I explained that we had a time limit and that we’d be happy to have them play with us but that unless they were experienced speed Caylus players, we’d have to choose something else for five.  I didn’t mean it to be a challenge, but they were very familiar with the game and before I knew it we were playing.  We actually did finish in time and had a lot of fun.  Everyone understood the conditions for playing and we laughed at our rushed mistakes while playing a less-than-tournament-level game.  (I say that mostly because I came in last!)

Sometimes pre-game requirements aren’t as easily met.  Ever have this conversation?  Gamer A asks, “Would you like to join us for a game?” Player B answers, “That depends….  What are you playing?” Gamer A responds, “That depends on whether or not you play.  If you join us we have N and can play A, B, or C.  If you don’t join us we will have N – 1 and can play X, Y, or Z.” Invariably, Gamer B wants to play X, Y, or Z, but if he joins you there are too many people.  Sigh.

Well, I am short on blogginess today.  It was a long first week back to school and I still have a cake to bake and a present to wrap.  Happy Birthday, Honey Bunny (hubby Tyler)!

I’d rather be gaming,
Valerie Putman

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