Meet and Greet Part 1

Fortunately, because we've been together almost every lunch and snacks time, me and my best bud here run out of things to talk about today. I remember about the game session this Saturday so I talked about it. I ended up telling her about my current favorite: Ticket to Ride. I told her about this blog too. :)

And it was positive. She got interested to play Ticket to Ride. But I wish she would be interested in other games too. Hehe! But then telling her to scour the net for the game play of all the other games would be too demanding of me so I have decided to make an overview of all the games.

So here it is...

The games as of this time based on my classification.

Kring's Choice (Manager's Choice!)

I highly recommend these games for starters. Carcassone and Ticket to Ride are simple yet super fun competitive games. Let's face it, board gaming is not YET mainstream in Cebu (there's a board gaming event in Manila). People have this twisted idea about it. Board = Bored! I was one of those people before. Glad my converter is patient. Eventually I embraced the activity wholeheartedly.  Today, I look forward to every game sessions. Isn't it fun to meet with friends and play rather than talk about other people's mess the entire time?! Hmmm!



Classic

I hate these games at first. You see I I have this thing about memory so remembering things overwhelmed me. But as soon as I had the grasp of what the game is all about, I was hooked. They're definitely one of the games I love to play over and over and over again. These competitive games are timeless.

Up Next:

Detailed overview of Carcassone, Ticket to Ride, Race for the Galaxy, Alien Frontiers and Survive.

Why do I play board games?

...Because I don't have a choice. I was forced.

Ennnng! Wrong! I played board games because I enjoy and like it. Yes, I didn't start playing on my own but to make it a habit is. :) I'm not the athletic and the gamer type of girl, that's what I thought then when I opted not to join any games before. Later I realized the real reason I don't. I hate losing that's why I don't commit myself into something I'm not sure I could win.

In games, it is a rare occurrence to win but if I did, the feeling is intoxicating. It surpasses that of winning something I'm good at. That feeling is addictive. Playing board games fits that bakery tag line, "once tasted. always wanted."

I want my friends to join me on this journey but I don't know how to start. Board gaming is mostly associated to the geeky few (I'm not), I believe most of my friends aren't. I'm afraid they won't enjoy it as much as I do. But I won't quit. It is a dream to one day see all of my friends playing board game. Haha!

Why do I play board games?
Because aside from being fun, it takes away boredom. It's not popular so I pride myself to be part of the (gifted) few. Haha! And as someone said, board gaming is not for superficial (I thought I'm one) people. It needs talent, ability and a burning fire to win. And learning something new once in a while is mentally healthy. In board game, my time is well spent. :)

Experience: Ticket To Ride

[image source: gateplay.com]

Among the games that comprises batch 2, I like Ticket to Ride most. It is not because RFTG is super mind-boggling nor was it because LNOE was a little tragic (and boring). I like it because I never get tired of playing and winning. Haha! Plus it's really super easy to learn. No qualms learning it at all. Trust me!

I hate to lose and playing TTR gives me an equal opportunity to win. The entire game play is simple. Actually, everything in it is simple but surprisingly fun. I think new board gamers out there can easily appreciate and will surely love it on the first game. I hate to admit that Carcassone is no longer my favorite.

So without further ado, let me take you to a one-on-one trip with my new favorite, Ticket to Ride!

How to Win?

Most people start with the game play but I'm not most people. Haha! I'm mostly interested on winning so when a new game is introduced, I always asked how to win it.

Winning is easy but about how you'll do it, depends on your luck (train ticket) and strategy (destination ticket). You only have to accumulate the most points among your opponent. This can be played by at most 5 players.

How to Play?

You can actually read the game manual but I'll just assume that you're like the lazy me who's easily overwhelmed by manuals. Let's take a short cut.

note: boardgamerscebu is transferred to this blog.

Per turn, each player can only do 1 action. That action can either be any of the following:

1. Get a train ticket.

note: boardgamerscebu is transferred to this blog.

There are 8 colors of train tickets as shown above. You will use these tickets to claim a route (action no 3). There is one special train ticket, the multi-color. This can be any color you want it to. For example: If you like to claim a route that needs 4 pink train tickets and you only have 3 pink, you can use a multi-color to make it 4.

In getting the train tickets, please note the following:

(a). You can get all the 2 tickets from the train ticket gallery or train ticket pile or a combination of both.

(b). In getting a ticket from the gallery, you must replace that ticket from the pile. If in opening, the ticket is multi-colored, you cannot get the 2nd ticket anymore.

(c). If you get a multi-colored ticket from the gallery, you cannot get a 2nd ticket. If not follow (b).

2. Get a destination ticket.

note: boardgamerscebu is transferred to this blog.

At the start of the game, you will be provided with 4 train tickets, 3 destination tickets and 45 trains. You can keep the 4 train tickets but you have an option to discard 1 destination ticket. Destination tickets are your goals. If you're able to complete the route, it will be added to your score, subtracted otherwise. So you must not commit if you're not sure whether you can finish the route. You will use your trains to connect to your destinations.

3. Claim a route.

As stated above, you will be given 45 trains. You will use that to reach your destinations. Each point or places comprises one route. You can only claim 1 route per turn. See the colors on the board? Each of them match up to the colors of the train tickets. If you want to get a four train length of route with a color of pink, you need to have 4 pink train tickets (or see 1).

You will given a point in each claim.

I think that's all for this game. Tell me if I miss something out. :D Hope you can play ticket to ride soon. It's really a cool and nice. It's worth every penny if you buy one! Hehe!

You can check the following sites too for a review and some stuffs about ticket to ride.

http://gamesbyjohnny.wordpress.com/2010/01/22/ticket-to-ride/

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeksearch.php?action=search&objecttype=boardgame&q=ticket+to+ride&B1=Go

Found it while searching for TTR pics. Pictures here are courtesy of the above sites. I just add a little extras.

Bye bye!

Till the next game!

Budding Collection

It's been a while since my last post. Lots of things happened since. Yay! As of this post, collection includes 10 board games already. Ain't that handful for board game newbies? Blame it to his addiction.  I could not blame him. I wish you could not blame him too. :)

Last Saturday, he is quite excited to introduce his new treasures, Wits & Wagers and Survive - collection batch 4.  See the look on his face?! Warning: Board Gaming is pretty addictive. Don't commit if you're not ready. Haha!

I remembered blabbering about the 2nd batch. It was christmas holidays when he received the 3rd batch so I wasn't able to blog about it.

Citadels and Robo Rally comprises collection batch 3. Migo got it from Dice Tower's secret Santa gift exchange.

Citadels is quite hard. I played it twice but don't understand what I'm doing still. It's thanks to beginner's luck for winning on the 2nd try. Put your hands together please. :D

Robo Rally is vicious. Waaaaaaaah! I love and hate it at the same time. I hate it because it magnifies my sense of direction weakness. I'm having a hard time knowing the left and right side of my robot. It's frustrating to strategize  on such vantage. Hayst! I love it because it is excruciatingly FUN. It can accommodate up to 8 players which makes it more fun. And it's blood pumping to play it with a crowd of 8 hyperactive and vicious people. Hahaha!  Don't you just love a game like that?!!

Of the batch 3 collection, I like Robo Rally more. But playing it is time-consuming thus we opt not to play it more often that we wanted to.  Perhaps, if our group grow (we have 8 on-off players now) then probably we can play this more. Just message me if you like to join the fun, alright?!

And now back to batch 4. I cannot say much probably considering I just met them last Saturday.

Survive. Played it thrice. Lose. Lose. Win! Yay! I'm not at my best here yet because I still cannot form my strategy. I still need to familiarize the icons. I don't like the game so much. Haha! As its name suggest, maybe you already have an idea what's this game about...and (as you may now) I'm not a fan of survival. Haha! But I'm in it for the win. Let's see how I'll survive Survive on out next sessions. Stay tuned!

"Brainless trivia. Shameless fun." Oh, I just love Wits&Wagers tagline.  I would have marry this game if not for my brainlessness these days. Haha! I hate to always be the odd one out so I might stop playing this. Just kidding! Why would I stop?! To hell with being the odd one. Haha! As long as everyone is enjoying why ruin the mood by self-pitying that your guess is not as good as them?! I'm in this for the fun.  Why don't you check W&W to know what I'm blabbering about. Go!

Citadels.

Robo Rally.

Survive.

Wits and Wagers.

Welcome to our collections!

 

Race for the Galaxy: The Understanding

"Don't judge a book by a first read!"

Migo told me after our 5th Race for the Galaxy game last Wednesday when I told him I think I am enjoying it already. I have my first last Friday before we left for a trip to Northern Mindanao. It was a disaster. I didn't understand what I'm doing at all, so I told him I might not be playing it again. He was devastated so I withdraw my words. I told him I will try my best next time.

We arrived from the trip Tuesday. I have a video shoot so I went to office early and in return, went out early. Since Migo is on leave, he urged me for a game session. It was not a game session actually but a Race for the Galaxy session. I can feel Migo's perseverance for trying hard to make me appreciate the game thus I also tried my hardest to understand it. The first game was still like my first try. I didn't know what I was doing at all. I told him maybe I was not really cut out to play it. I wanted to quit. Migo won't allow me. We had another. I don't know if it's luck or just my cards, I actually loss to Migo by 2 points only. Migo was of course exhilarated because I finally understood the game. Actually, I still didn't but something's changed. Losing to Migo by a slim points awakened my competitive side and give me a new will to completely understand everything about RFTG.

I first knew about RFTG last month when Migo decided to buy the game. He wants me to check it out too. He doesn't want to buy a game I wouldn't think of playing. Reading the reviews overwhelmed me. I told Migo I might not like it. He asked me to re-consider. In the end, I was as excited as he is to play the game. On our first session with batch 2, we were not able to play the game because we were having a hard time understanding the game play. The overwhelmed feeling was back.

Yet after playing RFTG for 5 times, I think I have misjudged it. It was not really that difficult at all. At first, you will really feel it's difficult due to a number of things to remember but as soon as you familiarize everything then that settles it.

I'm not pro yet but I wanted to be. I want to beat Migo. I understood the game now but I can't transfer my knowledge to someone else yet. I still need time to fully and confidently understand everything. I'm taking my time. :D

Welcome batch 2!

After a long wait, Migo’s package was finally delivered last Friday. Since his excitement overwhelmed me, I just had to postpone our laag to make way for a game session.

The package like the batch 1 has 3 games, which makes Migo’s collection into 6. The games were Ticket to Ride, Last Night on Earth and Race to the Galaxy. The boxes of Ticket to Ride and Last Night on Earth had the same size, while the box of Race to the Galaxy is the same as the box of Carcassone of batch 1.

Migo and his new toys!

Migo invited some friends to welcome batch 2. But before that, he wants us to understand and play them first. I promised him that I should be the one to read the game setup of Ticket to Ride but it didn’t happen. I was happy that because of his excitement, he did it himself. Beginner’s luck was on me for I win the first game of Ticket to Ride.

No sweat!
I won!
Hahahahaha!

The look of defeat! 

The next target is Last Night on Earth. We were not able to play the game as planned because Migo had a hard time getting the feel of the game because he hasn’t slept yet. 

Unwrapping!

When our friends arrived, we had the 1^st game of Last Night on Earth. Migo plays the zombie role. PJ, Dhunve and I play the heroes. I play 2 heroes, the Sheriff and Sally. PJ plays Father John. Dhunve plays Johnny. For this game, the ideal setup would be to have 1 zombie player and 4 hero player. Since PJ had some errands to do, Victor assumes his role. We played the scenario “Die Zombies! Die”. The game play is that the zombie and the heroes will fight each other. Heroes won if they can kill 15 zombies. Zombies won if they can kill 2 heroes. There is a sundown tracker too, heroes lose if the tracker will reached maximum. Zombies won in this game which can be attributed to Migo’s superb ability in handling dice which most of us suck.

Migo explaining the game rules.

Enjoying the game.

The best zombie ever!

The best hero ever!
Johnny!

The next game was Ticket to Ride. Migo won the game with a whooping score of 155. I got 100. Dhunve got 99. Victor lost with 56 points due to some 30 points deduction for not completing his tickets.

Finally, I have my face!

We had dinner at Siomayan sa Tisa after. When we came back, we played Carcassone. It was Dhunve’s first time. PJ won the game. Victor lost again. After the game, Dhunve left.

The Gays!
Complete!

We played Ticket to Ride again for PJ’s sake. And beginner's luck was on him. Booo! I forgot who lose. I think it’s still Victor. Hmmmm!

PJ wants to play Last Night on Earth since he wasn’t able to finish the first game. This time he takes the zombie role. Victor, Migo and I play the heroes. We won because of PJ’s ultimate failure at handling dice. Yahooo!

The next game was still Last Night on Earth since Victor wanted to play the zombie this time. I was sleepy that I asked Migo to play my hero.  

By morning, Migo told me that after the game with Victor as zombie, PJ and he played Race to the Galaxy four times. He won thrice. PJ won once. Victor was sleeping soundly by this time.  They left at around 6 AM.

I have yet to play Race to the Galaxy maybe soon because Migo really wants me to try. I’m contented with not knowing how to play it though because I really feel it would be difficult. Hmmmm!

To have an idea of how each game is played just stay tuned for the detailed blog on each. 

More pictures here.

Experience: Pandemic

The long overdue blog. I almost forgot I miss this if not for Migo's reminder. :D Read a detailed and fun pandemic review here.

What I like about Pandemic is that it can be very challenging and thrilling at times most especially if I'm in top condition to play, which means I'm not sleepy and is playing at my own choice. Haha! You see this is really Migo's hobby and though I learn to love it already, there are those times that I didn't really want to play but still does because he likes it. This occurrence is just rare though because often times Migo is considerate, which makes me love him more and support whatever he likes.

I've played Pandemic for I think 10 times already. Win some. Loss some. Most of those are played with only 2 players, Migo and me. I noticed that without the role "Medic" in play, there's really less chance of winning. Without it, you need the exact number of actions to eliminate disease cubes in a city. If all disease cubes are used, you will lose so you really have to monitor the usage. A maximum of 3 disease cubes can exist in a city, in excess creates an "outbreak", which can infect all connecting cities and increase the "outbreak" count. Only 8 outbreaks are allowed. If you reached the 8th outbreak, you will lose. Aside from the cube and outbreak count, another area to look out for is the epidemic rate, which will determine the number of infection cards to draw. Your epidemic rate increase if you draw an epidemic card. The number of epidemic cards exist in the deck is considered the difficulty of the game. There are 6 epidemic cards.

Migo and I always played with 5 epidemic cards. We played with 6 once and lost. We have yet to conquer it. 

The object of the game is to discover the cures for all disease. You must not forget that. At times in play, you will be very busy cleaning the infected cities that you'll lose sight of it. 

Pandemic is a cooperative game that's why I didn't enjoy it as much as playing Carcassone. I like to do things on my own. I hate the collaborating part because almost always my moves are not entirely my own. :D