Feb. 22, 2007 - Barnes and Noble sale!

Well, I felt a bit silly buying a stack of games last night, given my current gamerless-group status - however, its pretty tough to pass on 75% off. You see, each February B&N clearances off a lot of the games that they stocked up on during the holiday season. This sale is a game unto itself, because it starts at 50% and then hits 75% and then usually they hit $1-$5. This is on games that typically run in the $40-$50 range (though last year, i found a couple $70 games at 50%). Both last year and this year, I got very lucky and on a whim stopped in to a Barnes and Noble store. At first, I was sure I had missed the sale as I didn't see any tables with games at all. However, as I went deeper into the store, I found them. a few minutes later, I walked out with 5 new games for around $60. I dashed off to another and added a couple more games. So what did I find?

• Roborally - I found two copies of this (one at each store) for $12.50 each. I'll keep one and trade off or sell the other. On second thought, the box doesn't fit my collection - I may get rid of them both.
  
• Rheinlander - I didn't find this game overly engaging, but its expensive normally, so its trade fodder.
• Tsuro - I traded this away last year, but for $7, I didn't mind re-acquiring it.
• Puerto Rico - I already have a new copy I've never opened, but you can't pass this up at $12.50. Definitely a trade or sell item.
  
• I'm the Boss - this was a gamble. Its a Sid Saxon game, so I'm leaning towards it likely to be a good game, but I've never seen it played. Again, $50 game for $12.50, so I took the chance. At worse, its trade fodder.
• Niagara - Spiel des Jahres winner in 2005. I was pretty middle of the road in my one playing of it (though the concept is sound and the movement of the river is unique and interesting). The only reason I grabbed this was to net a $50 game at $12.50. I'll likely keep this, though I would trade it if I get an interesting offer.
  

Feb. 10, 2007 - Battle Cry Charles vs Jason

Cedar Mountain
I guess I felt a little bold after the last campaign, as I pressed hard to try and trap Jason's troops at the back of the board. Unfortunately, the dice were on Jason's side and he mashed my forward units hard. This scenario also only gave us 3 cards, and mine were not helping me take the battle to Jason like I would have liked and he won 6-3. The confederates now are up 84-83 for the war.

Feb. 7, 2007 - Samurai

Another game of Samurai on MaBiWeb with the usual suspects - Dion Garner, Jason Sato, and Mike Gingold. I went with my four player strategy of trying to lock up one of the islands, while grabbing pieces as the opportunities showed. However, in a four player game, you typically need to have at least 5 of one of the three types to even contend for a majority, which I was not likely to achieve, so near the end of the game, I realized I could stop the game - no point in going on knowing I couldn't win. Since I didn't know who might win, I hoped for a three way draw. However, Dion and Jason had each managed to snag 5 in two different areas and Dion ended up having the most other influence for the win.

Feb 6, 2007 - Battle Cry Review (part 1 of 4 on the Command and Colors games)

Overview
This is part one of a four of a series of reviews I’m doing on the Richard Borg Command and Colors series. Each review will look at the game in its own light, as well as how it compares to the others in the series.

Battle Cry, which was released in 2000 by Avalon Hill/Hasbro, was the first game of the Command and Colors series to be published. The game was a light war game style game set in the Civil War. The mark of this game was the simplistic system for combat, as well as a card driven order system.

For each game, players take one side (Confederate or Union) and set up the game board according to the scenario booklet. The game board, which is made of large hexes, is divided into three sections (left and right flanks, and of course the middle). The setup consists of placing and terrain hexes on the map (to simulate different battlefields) and then placing infantry, cavalry, artillery and on occasion, a General unit. The setup for each scenario is set and doesn’t allow for any player configuration. The scenarios also indicate how many command cards each side starts with and which side moves first.

Each player takes his turn by playing a command card from their hand. The card indicates which section (left right middle) the player may order units, and how many units may receive orders. First the player chooses which units to order, then the selected units may move. Units have different movement restrictions on how far they may move, and if they can participate in combat if they move. After all movement is completed, combat is resolved. The player rolls dice depending on their distance from the unit being attacked and may modify the number of dice rolled based on terrain, whether a general is attached to the unit and possibly card modifiers. The die have unit symbols indicating if a unit has been hit or must retreat or been missed altogether. For this game, the die have two sides indicating infantry, one side for cavalry, one side for artillery, one wildcard hit (crossed sabers) and one retreat symbol (flag). If the symbol matches the unit under attack, that unit loses a “portion” of its strength. Infantry have 4 strength, Cavalry 3, and Artillery 2. Each flag is the number of spaces a unit must retreat back to their side. If a unit is blocked from retreating, it loses strength. If a unit must retreat off the back of the board, it is lost, regardless of strength (this is a major difference from the rest of the series). A unit always fights at the same power, regardless of how “wounded” it has become. When a unit is completely reduced in strength, the opposing player receives a standard bearer from that unit indicating a victory point. Scenarios are typically played to 6 VPs, first to get 6 wins.

Components
The components for this game are a mixed lot. The plastic army pieces are quite good in blue and grey and there are colorful flag stickers for the standard bearers. The board and terrain hexes are good quality and will stand up for many plays. There are plenty of dice and they are of a good weight. They are however, the standard dice that Avalon Hill/Hasbro put out with a large number of games during this time, and so require stickers be applied to each side. This is not only tedious, but annoying if you are the least bit anal about this sort of thing. The cards are large and plain, but are not what you would consider standard cardstock, but rather cut cardboard with only the thinnest of finishes. The instruction booklet is quite plain and mostly black and white text (though it was printed on glossy paper – go figure). Though fairly spartan, the instructions are straight forward and its easy to follow.

Pros
- It a fun light battle game.

- Though not the best of the series, the pacing and way the battles play out are more “realistic” as far as feel for this era go than say Memoir 44.

- Games are played out quickly.

- Balance. A large part of this series is the balance factor. Though a scenario may be biased, by each player playing both sides and the winner being determined by the total of the two scores, any imbalance from the basic setup is neutralized.

- Easy to play via Email. This one plays very well over VASSAL, as each player’s turn is mostly self contained and requires little feedback (in over 18 games, direction of retreat has almost never been an issue). In fact, nearly all my playings have been via email/vassal.

Cons
- It’s not a simulation. True war gamers cringe when people call this a war game (even a light war game).

- It can take as long to setup as it does to play. Setup in this Command and Colors game is one of the faster ones, since the units are almost always infantry, but it still takes a while and this C&C game tends to use the terrain.

- If you somehow find a new copy of this out of print game, putting on all the pennants is a pain. The dice are also a bit of a pain.

- The cards aren’t the best and I have to question how long they’ll last.

- As I mentioned, this game is out of print. Though not impossible to find (as of early 2007), it does fetch a good price point on EBay, even for used copies.

- The entire game system is full of random goodness. From the cards to the dice that determine casualties. A well played game doesn’t always mean victory.

Conclusion
This one is a solid 8 for me. I enjoy the differences of this from the others – slower early part of the game with a furious mid-game and often a quick endgame (though on occasion, a bad hand of cards can draw out the game longer than it should). The pace of play, for me, simulates the battles for this era perfectly in such a light game. The system has its randomness, but I can accept that especially since it will even out over the course of a number of games.

Feb. 6, 2007 - Battle Cry Charles vs Jason

WINCHESTER
This one didn't look like fun, but I was able to press and take advantage of Jason's units being against the back side of the board. This let me take out a few units early and I think changed Jason's plan of attack, as he started to advance units. Fortunately for me, I was able to get a card letting me move enough units to finish off the game 6-3 (if I hadn't gotten that card, I'd have probably lost 3-6). The Union takes back the lead 80-78 for the war.

Feb. 5, 2007 Hansa on MaBiWeb

This playing of Hansa was with my normal online group of Jason Sato, Dion Garner and Mike Gingold. I played my normal strategy of getting as many markets in different cities early, and only trying to score when I had a good chance. Unfortunately, I didn't have many shots at matching pieces, and when I did they were never three-barrels. I also ended up having to either pay Jason, or leave the boat in perfect setup for Jason far too often and he easily won this one, while I was a distant 3rd.

Feb. 5, 2007 - Memoir 44 Charles vs Jason M

Ardennes - Bataogne Corridor East
Short and sweet. The West side was no good to me, but turnabout is fair play and the East afforded me a quick 6-2 win. I had a good run of luck as my tanks bulled their way through and my artillery helped to wear down Jason's troops. Jason is still up 115-102 for the war.

Feb. 4, 2007 - Memoir 44 Charles vs Jason

Ardennes - Bastogne Corridor West
Well, I don't even know what happened. We were going along normally, tied at 3, no real advantage that I could see on either side. The Jason played a "Their Finest Hour" card and managed to move some tanks all over the map. He got some good rolls and suddenly wiped out three more units, winning the game. 107-96 Jason builds his lead up again.

Jan. 31, 2007 - Memoir 44 Charles vs Bobby

In our continuing (and random) series of games...
[STALINGRAD] RED BARRICADES FACTORY COMPLEX
Bobby managed a 10-7 win here (probably could have won earlier if he had the right card). I had a nasty game and my cards never seemed to allow me a chance to counter anything Bobby was doing - plus I hate having to play my card in advance of Bobby's turn (stupid Russians).

Jan. 30, 2007 - Memoir Charles vs Dion

OPERATION LUTTICH
Dion and I started this a ways back and I finally got around to closing this game out. For once, I got to damage units and then put them away nearly immediately. The allies won this one 4-2 and put me back into the lead 29-27.

Jan. 30, 2007 - Battle Cry Charles vs Jason

McDowell
I was able to press the attack a bit in this one and finally had a game where I was eliminating units. On the last turn, I mis-played a hill attack, And Jason told me to redo it. For once, the redo went spectacularly and I nailed 3 units to win the game 5-1. The score is now very close 75-74 in favor of Jason and the Confederates.

Jan. 29, 2007 Hey! That's My Fish! - Review

Overview
Hey! That's My Fish is a fairly simple 2-4 player game where the objective is to acquire the most fish. The game begins by setting up the game board. The hexes are laid out (face up) in pretty much any layout that players want. The easiest way is to simply lay the tiles out in rows of 7-8. After the board is laid out, players take turns placing their penguin tokens onto different hexes. The number of tokens each player gets depends on the number of players in the game. Fish are printed onto the hex tiles that make up the game board. Each hex has either 1,2, or 3 fish on it. Once everything is setup, players take turns moving their penguins. The penguin must move in a straight line and may not move through any other penguin (including their own). They also may not jump any gap. The player then takes the hex tile which was vacated and places that in their score pile. Because the hexes come off the board, it is possible to cut sections of the board off from the other sections. If a section cannot be reached, it is removed from play. If a penguin is isolated on a hex island, he will likely take most of those tiles. Players need to evaluate their options so that their marker's access isn't cut off from the rest of the board while at the same time, trying to possibly isolate their penguins onto a large area. Once no more moves are possible, players count the number of fish that they have accumulated and the player with the most fish is the winner.
Components
The game comes with only a few basic components - hex tiles with 1, 2, or 3 fish printed on them and 4 sets of colorful wooden penguin shaped markers. The hex tiles are fairly standard cardboard and are sturdy enough to last for many playings. The box insert is fairly simple and not specifically designed to hold the tiles. The box is probably only slightly bigger that it needs to be. The instructions are simple and well done.
Highs- Easily learned by gamers and non-gamers
- Cute looking pieces make this easier to introduce to non-gamers, yet there is enough game here for true gamers.
Lows- When played by experienced players, it'll take longer to setup the game than to actually play it.
- The game is confrontational.
- Colors of the penguins include red and green, making this a non-friendly game for the color blind.
Conclusion
Hey! That's My Fish is a quick light game that plays well with 2, 3, or 4 players. It is simple to learn and still offers good tactical play options. This game works well as filler, with slightly more meat than some other light fillers. This also works well to introduce non-gamers and family members to tactical gaming because it is easy to teach and them theme is friendly and easy to understand. For hardcore gamer, this is probably a pass unless you need to have a game in your collection for playing with family. This is also good game for introducing kids to euro-style games. This one rates a 6.5/10 for me. I'm glad to have it for a quick game, but it is not going to find its way into my regular weekly game stack very often.

Jan. 22, 2007 - Memoir 44 Charles vs Jason

Ardennes - Peiper
Chalk up yet another victory to Jason. This time he waxed me 6-3. I'm still unsure if my approach to playing against Jason is flawed, or I get lucky at the wrong times, if everything so far has favored the Axis (maybe Jason is just better at the C&C games than I - nah, that can't be it). At any rate, we move on 107-93 Axis for the war

Jan. 21, 2007 - Hey! That's My Fish

I pulled out Hey! That's My Fish to teach my mother tonight. Its quick and easy to teach and play and I wanted to see how it went over with a non-gamer. I'm not sure she was overly interested, but it was quick and easy as I figured it'd be to teach. My mom even held out for a win 49-46.

Jan 14, 2007 Cribbage

I realized that I missed posting about this playing. My family plays a lot of standard card games, Cribbage being one those games they enjoy. My wife, Stephanie, had never played before, so my folks sat down to explain the game to her. My dad went through the basics of the game (scoring, and the flow of the game) and then we jumped right in. Much to our surprise, Stephanie picked it up immediately and only asked a couple questions - mostly checking to make sure she was throwing the right card to the crib on the first few hands. Now, my wife isn't dumb by any means, but if you've never played the game before, the flow of the game, and the scoring can be a bit strange. I never saw my wife mis-count a hand, and she played fairly decently tactically. We ended up playing boys against the girls, and my father and I had a run of decent hands that allowed us to win 121-111. Since it was late, we only played the one game, but I'm sure there will be more coming soon.

Jan 20, 2007 - Twilight Struggle Charles vs Jason

We finished another Vassal game of Twilight Struggle today. This time around I was the Soviets, and I pressed to score as quickly as I could. A few lucky cards let me take control in Europe and I got the score to +12 USSR after the second turn. To start the third round, I drew the Europe scoring card which I played in the headline phase. Jason's headline didn't stop me or help his European position and I grabbed 8 points for having domination and 4 battleground countries to end the game.

Jan. 20, 2007 - Battle Cry Charles vs Jason

New Market
Well, we managed to finally knock off another game of BC after my last thrashing. It took me longer than I wanted, because all I really needed was some right flank cards to finish up. I finally drew one and got three good rolls to close off the game 6-4. That brings the war back a bit 74-69 in favor of those rebel scum.

Jan. 15, 2007 - Samurai - MaBiWeb

Jason Sato started a game on MaBiWeb so that we could keep the AZ connection going as I moved on out to Nebraska. Dion Garner and Mike Gingold joined us in what ended up being my first ever 4-player win. Things were a bit all over the place, and I ended up being the only player to secure a majority in any of the three areas. Currently this one is buried in a packing box, but I may have to see if I can find it and teach it, as I really enjoy this game.

Jan. 4, 2007 Memoir 44 Charles vs Jason

Operation Sonnenwende
Well, we got away from the beach and it looks like it was enough for me to grab a couple points in a 5-2 win. Though not really closing the gap, I did manage to get back a little (gotta start somewhere). It looked like I was going to just do my regular (beat on a lot of units, and kill very few), but I managed to close the deal on a number of units on the last turn. The score is now 101-90 in favor of Jason (Axis).

Jan. 4, 2006 Memoir 44 Charles VS Dion

Operation Cobra
This one went a bit in the opposite direction of the game I played vs Jason Maxwell back in October, as Dion (Axis) won this one 5-3. And just like that, Dion has tied it up for the war 25-25.