Matt Carlson: The Return of the Club

After writing about popular games in my high school boardgaming group, several readers chimed in with additional suggestions.  One that came up several times was Diamant.  In the U.S., it goes by the name Incan Gold and is co-published by Funagain and Sunriver Games.  I acquired a copy and gave it a run-through with some adult friends at a casual get-together on Saturday, then brought it out again for our high school club Tuesday afternoon.

The Saturday crowd, being entirely uninitiated in the world of modern boardgames, didn’t quite know what to make of the game.  While the cute little cards folded into tents were a hit, the actual gameplay of deciding to go deeper into the temple to try to earn more gems or leave to pick up the scattered leftovers was sufficiently new to make people hesitant about the overall game.  With seven players the game seemed a bit chaotic, and people weren’t too sure how to deal with this new sort of game.  Unsurprisingly, when we switched over to Wits and Wagers (played in teams of two), things quickly picked up speed and much fun was had by all.  Things went well enough that two of the women present asked about the local biweekly gaming club, of which I’m a founding member.

This experience can be put into contrast with Incan Gold played at the high school game club.  After a quick game of Pickomino, I brought out the game and explained how to play.  Halfway through the game, the students were already chiding those who left the temple early and simultaneously bemoaning their own lack of gems as a result of staying in too long.  We played two more times with nearly every player having a good time.  My personal feelings about the game remain mixed, as playing with a nearly full contingent of seven or eight players is a bit much, but it clearly gave students a good deal of enjoyment.  After my first game with the students, I realized there was very little pure strategy in the game and success is far more dependant on one’s ability to predict the moves of one’s opponents.  By the middle of the second game I was getting good at analyzing my opponents but was failing to find good ways to put that knowledge to use.  No worries, though.  From the enthusiasm of this first play, I expect I’ll get more chances to play in the future.  Thanks to all those readers who recommended the game last time!

On a final side note on this week’s meeting, I taught four students how to play Caylus Magna Carta.  At first, I was disappointed that I didn’t get to play as I have not yet grown a core group of meatier gamers at our club meetings.  Caylus Magna Carta seemed to be something I might be able to ease them into playing with the plan of upgrading them to Goa, Puerto Rico, or Caylus at a later date.  With Caylus Magna Carta, I could explain the game and get most of the game played in a single ninety-minute club session.  After I explained the game and watched a round or two, I wandered over to the other table and got Incan Gold up and running.  Meanwhile the four students playing CMC had a great time.  They seemed to enjoy the game even more than some of the other deeper games (like Race for the Galaxy) that I have explained in the past.  I’m wondering if some of that is my own fault.  I have a tendency to give too much advice to new gamers, so perhaps since I wasn’t playing, the students preferred to figure the strategy out for themselves without my “helpful advice.” In any case, they also had a good time and I’m hoping I can hop in a game once we meet again after spring break.

By the time you read this I’ll be recovering from a youth overnight activity where I plan to bring out Incan Gold yet again.  We’ll see how entertaining it can be at two in the morning.

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