Early Battle
I knew I had to drive hard to catch Mike’s units before they exited the map, but my cavalry started far away from his units. With few cards to move my cavalry, I instead advanced my infantry in the center, intent on knocking out his Portuguese light infantry before they could exit. (Also, the French infantry in the center start in range of the British artillery, so your only options are to retreat out or range or close and do damage.) Along the way, my units took some hits, but I was successful in knocking out one enemy unit.

However, in my haste to catch some of his units furthest away from the bridge, I advanced some unsupported light cavalry on my right, intent on catching his Rifles napping. Mike quickly formed square and sent some line infantry sailing in to drive my cavalry back and inflict heavy losses. Later on I attempted to bring in some infantry support, but they never really got in the fight.

Mid Battle
As the battle progressed, I worked to cycle out hurt units in the center and replace them with fresh troops. This worked well, and I actually managed to destroy a few British artillery units at the same time. Meanwhile, a few more British units exited the map and we were tied 3-3. Eventually the card draws started working in my favor, and I was able to move some heavy cavalry up my left flank. In a moment of daring, they vaulted over the breastworks of the beleaguered Portuguese light infantry, who were promptly cut down.

Set back on his heels a bit, my brother did what any good board game general would do–he suggested we sample some beer! I was ahead, 5-4.

Late Battle
After the break for beer, the few remaining British units set up in the most defensive posture possible on the hills in the center and on my right flank. I took my time, cycled in fresh troops, and brought up more heavy cavalry to fully block off the approach to the bridge over the River Kwai Coa. I focused on my goal and used the the tactical advice I received from a recently-arrived comrade, fresh from a rejuvenating nap:

Getting some help from my military advisor, Colonel Sweetpea.

But the long holiday weekends over Christmas and New Years started a gaming binge that lasted a couple of months! Below are some of the highlights:

Blokus: I gave my parents a copy of this game so now when I visit we usually get a game of this in. My sister’s family was in state to celebrate Christmas and I was able to get a few games in with of my nieces and nephew. After our first game, which I won, I made the mistake of letting them know I had never lost a game of Blokus before. I was immediately destroyed in the next game… and the next game after that. That will teach me to keep my mouth shut.

7 Wonders: My 4 siblings and I draw names for buying Christmas gifts for each other each year. This year I drew my younger sister’s name. She’s been getting into board gaming and I thought she would enjoy 7 Wonders. We let her open this gift the night before the others so that I could teach her (and other family members) how to play the game. I think I lost some people while explaining the rules, but I assured them that once you start playing it’s actually a simple game. After the first game we played again and it was a hit. I played several more games of this over New Years when my sister stayed at our place for a few days. I find myself really liking this game: quick playing, always involved and you get to create a civilization in just 18 card plays.

Zooloretto: As Jon mentioned, my wife and I were finally able to host that game day. We were rescheduled for Martin Luther King Jr Day since I had the day off from work. Our Priest was able to make the game day and my daughters and I were able to get in a couple of games of Zooloretto with him. It was nice to hang out with Fr. Mike outside of church – I think the girls especially enjoyed that. I don’t remember the scores, but we all had a great time creating our zoos.

Age of Conan: Later in the month Joe, Russ and I sat down to capture treasure and women and slay some monsters. Russ and I spread our armies across the board and were scoring points for the first age. Joe didn’t score a single point, but his emissarries were out filling his coffers. After the second age Joe got on the board, but still lagged in points. However, he was moving Conan effectively and was able to crown him king. That swing in points along with some military progress in the third age catapulted him into first place by the end.

The gaming binge culminated this past weekend with another game day. This time it was the Minnepolis Board Game Madness on Saturday. This is a monthly meet-up of local gamers to spend a weekend doing what we love. With the kids at my parents house it gave my wife Jess, and I the opporunity to play.

St. Petersburg: Our first game of that day was St. Petersburg with Greg and Trish. Greg was new to the game so I was explaining the rules. After hitting all the points, I finished by telling him how the game ends: when one of the decks runs out the game ends after that phase. Trish stopped me and told me differently – we finish all of the phases of that round. She was certain and after a rules check I realized she was right! Jess glared at me. I’m pretty sure a few of the recent games where I had bested her would have been different had we been playing it right… I think we’ll be getting this to the table again soon to play it correctly. The game finished with Trish scoring huge bonus points with 9 aristocrats to give her the win.

Cuba: After lunch Jess and I were joined by Brian and Nadine for a few games. One that I taught was Cuba – I kept the rules close just in case! I got off to a good start using my Large Branch Office to ship plenty of products. But my wife was able to get a Distillery and Rum Cafe together to churn out VP. Brian and Nadine got their little plantation engines going as well. At the end of the final turn we paid our final taxes and duties and awarded the bonus points for buildings. The final score was 71VP to Nadine, Brian and Jess finished with 72VP and I eeked out a victory with 73VP. A very exciting finish to a close game.

I’m sure I’ve averged at least a game per day over the last couple of months and it’s been a blast. I’ve learned new games and played some old favorites. I played with family, friends and complete strangers and had fun the entire time. Hopefully I can keep up a steady number of plays through out 2012.

Now I need to get back to the Kremlin to plot my next move…

Setup
A coin toss determined sides; I settled into the virtual Oval Office as President Ron Jojers, while Chairman Rickatov moved his family to the Kremlin. We elected to play with the optional cards included in the third edition, but not with the “Chinese Civil War” variant. The initial card draw yielded the following hand:

U.S. Hand: 4/US & Japan Mutual Defense Pact*, 3/Warsaw Pact Formed*, 3/Duck and Cover, 1/Captured Nazi Scientist*, 2/Korean War*, 1/CIA Created*, 2/Defectors, 2/Olympic Games

Not bad! I like getting one-time Soviet cards out of the way early if possible.

Rick’s initial placement is standard: 3 influence points (ip) into both Finland and Poland. I counter with my standard placement: 4 ip into West Germany and 3 in Italy.

Turn 1
Man, I love Defectors as a headline. I immediately cancel Socialist Governments, which I think takes the wind out of the Soviet sails right away. We see the usual successful coup in Iran, but Rick uses Marshal Plan to do that, so I get early influence in Europe. I gamble and make my coup attempt in Iran, and actually manage to eliminate Rick’s influence there. He keeps placing influence around the Middle East, so I engage in more regime change and take Iran back for good. I am also lucky enough to get into Libya (this can be shut down by the play of Nasser, and it will get me in the back door in Africa later). Rick does have Middle East Scoring, and I use some Captured Nazi Scientist[s] to get ahead in the space race. Turn 1 ends with the US up by 5 victory points (VP).

Turn 2
U.S. Hand: 2/ Formosan Resolution*, 2/Decolonization, 4/Red Scare/Purge, 2/Cambridge Five, 3/NORAD, 0/Asia Scoring, 1/Nasser, 2/Korean War, 4/China Card

Again, I’m feeling pretty good. The China Card got passed to me in turn 1, and I have Asia scoring. I held onto Korean War last turn, and I’m hoping to play it once I mitigate its effects by taking some of the nearby countries. The turn starts with Rick driving hard for Western Europe; he headlines DeGaulle Leads France, follows it up with influence to gain control, and seals the deal with Europe Scoring. We’re now at US +4 VP. Meanwhile, I try to mask my intentions by playing ip into Europe and Asia, splitting each card. I pick up India and Thailand before playing Asia Scoring. This nets me 6 more VP, for a total of US +10. Rick starts a weak coup in Thailand after I score the region, and I start a successful coup in Iraq, thinking ahead to the next turn’s reshuffle. Unfortunately, Fidel shows up and the Russians are now in Central America.

Turn 3
U.S. Hand: 4/NATO*, 2/Olympic Games, 4/US & Japan Mutual Defense Pact*, 3/Eastern European Unrest, 2/Decolonization, 1/Nasser*, 2/Special Relationship, 3/De-Stalinization*

This is the turn where you shuffle the discards back in, and unfortunately, I received no scoring cards so I have little idea of what’s coming. Rick sees his chance and headlines Indo-Pakistani War, which fails, while I incite some Eastern European Unrest. I gamble again with a phase one coup, trying to drive Fidel out of Cuba, but it fails miserably! (Maybe I would have been better to re-align.) We each spread influence around the world; I get into Africa via Libya, while Rick starts uses De-Stalinzation to get influence into Mexico and Venezuela. We see no more scoring cards, but…gosh, I’m embarassed to admit this, but…Rick plays Blockade and I don’t have anything to counter. Whoops. Guess the Berliners starve, the President backs down, and the Soviets are all up in West Germany. Hmm…that’s a problem. However, the only VP change goes my way (“We have a Special Relationship with the Brits, don’tcha know”), and I get out of the Early War with a comfortable 12 point lead.

We’re in the thick of the mid-war turns now, so expect an update in a few weeks!

Hand Management: This is critically important in Napoleonics, more so, I believe, than in any other Richard Borg game I’m familiar with. Why? Because this game is brutal; your little block men will get murdered by enemy fire if you don’t know what you’re doing. Spend some time building up a strong hand, by which I mean 3-4 cards that will let you activate a decisive number of troops in a given section of the map. Then you’re free to push for an objective for two or three consecutive turns. On a related note, try to keep as many units as possible on hexes that “straddle” two sections so you can activate them more often. No more of this “ah heck, let’s just rush ‘em” mentality you picked up from playing Ancients.

Beneficial Terrain: Again, this game is brutal. Ranged fire has the potential to seriously disrupt any attack you launch, so use whatever terrain you can. It may not seem like the -1 die modifier you get from sitting in a forest hex is all that useful, but it’s often the difference between losing two blocks or one. Also learn which terrain types block line of sight, and marshal forces behind these barriers to stop artillery and other ranged fire.

The Hammer and Anvil: This is an ancient concept in warfare, but a useful one. Whenever possible, attack the enemy with both cavalry and infantry, using the infantry to pin an enemy unit (anvil) and the cavalry to maneuver for the kill (hammer). Light cavalry works especially well, as these units are speedy and can cover ground quickly. Imagine you have one enemy infantry unit stranded in a hex. Just a “probe” card might let you activate one of your own infantry currently two hexes away from the enemy, and one light cavalry unit three hexes away from them. Close to melee range with both, and declare the cavalry attack first. This forces your opponent to make a terrible choice: form square and likely stave off the cavalry attack but be punished by the infantry, or stay in line and get decimated by the cavalry? I would argue the risk to you is quite low either way, while the chances of eliminating the enemy unit are quite high. If your opponent forms square, he’ll be powerless in the face of your infantry. If he doesn’t, chances are your cavalry will score a retreat flag and get a bonus attack.

If these French infantry close to melee range, these Brits are goners.

These probably seem like basic tips for most experienced wargamers, but Napoleonics is a gateway game, and I think there are plenty of newcomers to wargaming who need to hear this. (And if you want to have me teach you the game, I’ll always mention these three things before we play!)

And now, please be sure to watch the first 56 seconds of this movie (Scots at Waterloo) to enjoy the Black Watch advancing with kilts, guns, and pipes at Waterloo. Magnificent!

Just a few weeks ago on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, Rick hosted a game day at his house. Lots of people came and we enjoyed the board games, food, and camaraderie. Of course, Rick and his wife couldn’t help but spice up the event by putting every guest’s name into a drawing for three board games. He’s too humble to mention it much on this blog, but Rick’s thrift-fu is strong. He regularly finds great games in “like new” condition at local thrift stores and buys them for a song. Our options were Ingenious, Pentago, and Apples to Apples Jr. Each guest wrote his or her name down on a slip of paper and then ranked his or her top three choices. Sara and I both participated in the game day, so we each got a chance at getting a game. Although we didn’t stick around for the drawing (our toddler needed sleep!), each of us won. So we are proud owners of some totally free games. How cool is that?

We’ve played a few matches of Pentago, which is fast and fun. Ingenious hasn’t made it to the table yet, but it will soon because it’s one of Sara’s favorite abstract games.

In related news, I’m looking at my good luck over the last 8 months and wondering if I should start buying lottery tickets…

Super Dungeon Explore

This mash-up of board gaming, the Gauntlet video game, and excellent visual design make it a very attractive option. Of course, I don’t even have enough time to get around to check out the game, so I doubt I’m going to have the time to assemble, prime, and paint all the lovely minis. Sorry Super Dungeon Explore, maybe we’ll meet in 2012.

Dungeons & Dragons: Castle Ravenloft Board Game

To illustrate just how far behind I am, this game came out in 2010. I enjoyed the mechanics of 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons when it first came out and thought a slimmed down version could make a for a fine board game. Well, apparently Wizards of the Coast have mind reading spells, because they too that thought and acted on it. And did it again and again. Of course, I have a spot for Ravenloft’s Gothic horror ever since fighting off worgs and dealing with gypsies as a youth at the computer in Strahd’s Possession so there’s only one option of the three games for me.

The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game

There’s just something about the feel of a deck of cards that I love, so I’m a sucker for card games. Whether it is the trying not to be sucked too deeply into Magic: The Gathering or shuffling Dominion expansions (which despite claiming to be not collectible game nearly is now), I’m always looking for something new to give a try. The LotR’s game is cooperative, which gives in an interesting twists compared to the other card game I play (although, when I first heard of it I was hoping to run a Sauran’s army deck and crush my enemies with a burning eye). I got a chance to play a few turns of the game once and it was enough to make me interested.

Quarriors!

This looks like a light fun game to pull out and play with friends between other games or as a warm up. With all the different colored dice and rolling, it’s probably not to bad for kids either.

Mansions of Madness

With about 50,000 Fantasy Flight Games quality parts, this box probably weighs 1.2 metric tons. In a lot ways, this is the game I want Arkham Horror to be, a focus on a single mystery and location, a touch of roleplaying (done in the right way), and some clever puzzles. A two (maybe more?) hour play time makes it a little on the long side for what it delivers and has kept me from jumping at it.

7 Wonders

John’s been raving about this game and I finally got a chance to play it over the holidays. My little sister received it as a Christmas gift and after one play, I loved it. The drafting mechanic is a whole lot of fun and being able to score victory points in a variety of ways makes for a number of different strategies. It’s a game I’d really like to dig into more and try to do some analysis to see if science is overpowered or if the wonders are really balanced.

• 25 minutes allotted to each player
• Pauses are allowed for rules clarification
• Your timer will run during your entire turn (including resolving battles, etc.)
• The penalty for going over your allotted time is 1 “nightfall point” for additional 30 seconds you need
• Be gentlemanly/ladylike: no hemming and hawing during your opponent’s turn to run down his/her time

Sara was a real sport about trying this out, as she usually takes much longer than I do during her turns. By the time we finished, however, she stated that it was a lot of fun and she’d try it again. (I think winning 8 to 7 in nightfall may have had something to do with this!) While neither of us felt that the addition of the clock had a huge effect on the game, knowing that the clock was running did put a bit of pressure on each of us. It also made this very abstract game feel just a little bit more like a war game. I will admit I did think, “Gosh, I need to get my objectives quick…I’m running out of time.” The clock also meant that each of us had to use the other person’s turn wisely, planning out discards, potential moves, etc.

This addition of the chess clock may have been a bit redundant, especially when you consider that the rules about deck reshuffling and the endgame already act as a time constraint of sorts. At the same time, I do believe that in friendly competition, it might provide a bit of added excitement.

(Note: There are many chess clock apps available for smart phones and laptops. We used this site.)

Game does not come with Wifey, baby bump, laptop, or fireplace.

We just used a simple online chess clock application.

Four minutes into our game.

I lost at nightfall, 7 to 8.

Games played: 121 (down from 145 in 2010, a 17% drop)
Wins: 51 (42%, down 7% from 2010)
Losses: 70

Average time between games: 3 days
Best game month: July with 23 games played (mainly due to some new games arriving at home via Amazon)
Worst game month: November with 1 game played (due to work and family obligations)

Two player games: 75 (61% of all games played)
Two player wins: 40  (54%, a 15% drop from last year!)
Multiplayer games: 46 (39% of all games played)
Multiplayer wins: 11 (23%, an 11% drop from last year)
Multiplayer second place finishes: 18 (39% of all multiplayer games)

Most regular two player opponents
1. Sara (20 plays, 9 wins)
2. Rick (11 plays, 6 wins)
3. Russ (10 plays, 9 wins)
4. Joe (5 plays, 1 win)

Most popular games of the year
1. Manoeuvre (13 plays, 9 wins–absolutely loved the Toeurnament this year)
2. 7 Wonders (12 plays, 2 wins)
3. Cribbage (11 plays, 4 wins)
4. Hive (10 plays, 5 wins)
5. Commands & Colors: Napoleonics (6 plays, 4 wins)

Games played for the first time: 12 (9%)

Most of these statistics came out as expected. Joe continues to crush all opponents, especially me. I will take this opportunity to point out that Russ often narrowly loses games, and I am always surprised that my win/loss record against him is so good. And, as I expected, my wife is now my most regular opponent and continues to be a very challenging adversary in our favorite games like Manoeuvre, 7 Wonders, and Hive.

As I stated in an earlier post, I’m less concerned with winning than I used to be, though I will still be keeping up the yearly retrospective. My new year’s gaming resolution is simple: get recently unloved games to the table in 2012. Twilight Struggle, I’m looking at you. Come here, buddy. How about a hug?

Happy New Year! I’d love to hear about your slightly less obsessive personal gaming retrospectives in the combox.

I am desperate to play a board game with you. 
I pine for the moment when I hear my brother scream, “Don’t touch my men!”
I wish so badly to see Dad’s Lex Luthor plans come to naught. 
I want to win (or lose) Power Grid to my sister-in-law by a margin of no cities and $1. 
I desire to lose to the Wifey in Man-ovaries. [Editor's note: this is code for Manoeuvre]
I need to hear Mom call someone “an ass” in the heat of the moment.

By and large, my gaming plans were realized with both my family and my in-laws. My wife and I ended up participating in seven games Dec. 23-27. Here are some of the highlights:

Funglish: We got my mom this game for her birthday but no one had yet had a chance to play it. Five minutes of reading the rules and we were off and running. This game is fast and furious, especially with great guessers like my sister-in-law. I also like that you play with a partner when you are the clue-givers, but in the end your score is your own. (I beat my sister-in-law out by one point.)

Manoeuvre: My wife, Sara, and I played this the afternoon of December 23 against each other. As our last bout was in late August, we were both a little rusty. Sara played the doughty Americans, while I took the wily Spanish. However, I was beaten in a nightfall victory. Sara outmatched me early on and took out some of my units, but played cautiously and went for the long game. (I lost by 1 point.) All in all, this was fun game, and it reminded me that I need to play Manoeuvre more often to keep up my game. Also, we’re thinking of playing with chess clocks next time!

Power Grid: My family started this at 8:30 PM on the 23rd and ended at 11:45. Phew, what a meatgrinder! We had a lot of fun though. Again, I reviewed the rules with everyone and we were off and running. We played on the Germany map but blocked off the easiest starting region in the west, which made this game a bit expensive for each company. My brother quickly cordoned his wife’s territory off, and hilarity ensued as she stewed! After a slow start, I got my company’s “engine” running and expanded in the northeast, winning by a margin of two cities with plenty of cash left over.

After a short Christmas Eve drive to my in-laws’ new house, it was time for…

Dirty Clubs: I don’t know why, but we all love this card game, a variation on bid euchre. It’s a simple trick-taking game that I am terrible at. Yes, you, dear reader, can bear digital witness to my three last-place finishes at a table of seven people. Ouch. And no, I will not blame the lateness of the hour or the fine craft beer that may or may not have been involved. As always, hilarity ensued whenever we entered the last round of play, in which each player draws a card and sticks it to his or her head, “Indian poker” style, before bidding.

Best of Tribond: We started this game late, and it took hours to play, but that’s probably because my sister-in-law and I, dubbed “Team Beer Face,” were causing too much mayhem. Although we didn’t win, we had a blast and came in second. I love this game and the style of the questions: “What do an arrow, stairs, and an airline have in common?” “Answer: they all have flights.” However, it was older entertainment questions which did us in, as my partner and I are both in our 20s and don’t know a lot about older TV shows and the like.

All in all, it was a great way to end the year with some laid back gaming. Next week, look for my 2011 retrospective–it’s good, bad, and ugly!

From the Romans and Carthaginians in C&C: Ancients to the Blue vs. the Gray in Battle Cry to the U.S. forces storming the beaches at Normandy in Memoir ’44 the system has been adapted to various types of combat very well. The system also crossed over to the fantasy realm with BattleLore which took the framework of the Hundred Years War and added goblins, orcs, dragons and magic. The latest C&C game, Napoleonics, is just as popular as the rest and may be my colleague’s favorite of this system so far.

These games rank among some of the highest over at BoardGameGeek:
Overall Rank / War Game Rank / Game
20 / 7 / C&C: Ancients
55 / 41 / Memoir ’44
66 / 42 / BattleLore
200 / 15 / C&C: Napoleonics
204 / 74 / Battle Cry
(Don’t ask me how those War Game Rankings work. Also, Battle of Westeros could be added here as it uses a very similar system, but is not designed by Mr. Borg.)

So what is the next in line in the C&C family? What historical war were you hoping to trample your opponents in?

How about the “cold depths of space”?

Wait…what?

It’s not exactly what I was expecting. I’m sure most weren’t. I came across the next in the C&C family: Abaddon. Here’s the description from ToyVault’s website:

In an exciting team-up certain to rock the cosmos, Toy Vault, Inc. and legendary game designer Richard Borg (Memoir’44, Battle Cry) have joined forces to take you on a new action-packed adventure through the cold depths of space in ABADDON!

It’s the distant future and mankind has taken a galactic leap forward through space, time, and technology. Life as we know it struggles to endure on the ABADDON. Once the home of a mysterious, non-human civilization, the planet is now a desolate wasteland bearing one immensely precious resource: Feronium power crystals. The unimaginable energy contained within the crystals is coveted by two groups of humans: the Satellite City-States and the Commonwealth Alliance. Using giant bio-mech suits called Links, made from modified military vehicles and alien technology; the warring factions fight a weary battle for territorial control of the ABADDON.

At your disposal is a huge, 28” x 19” battlefield game board with 32 highly-detailed mech figurines, 18 free-standing landscape terrain features, over 100 game-changing Wild Fire and Weapon System cards, dozens of tokens, battle dice and a Battle Manual containing over 15 mission scenarios.

Choose your allegiance and lead your army in non-stop excitement as you forge through unforgiving terrain, fight to overcome random and bizarre technological glitches, and battle your enemies in never-ending war. The fate of the future is in your hands as you race to survive and conquer the ABADDON!

So what do you think? Another hit game from the C&C series or will this one be a dud? I’m really excited to see and read more about this game, but I’m not so sure it’ll rise to the level of its predecessors. Will it falter due to the lack of any historical relevance? Or will the fantastic C&C system carry this game to greatness? I’d love to hear your thoughts.