by davistylerr

I can get the goods and build the building a lot easier than collecting the money required to buy a building.

by Desiderata

davypi wrote:

Desiderata wrote:

davistylerr wrote:

…for a frankly inflated cost.

Good one! :p

This is partially wrong, unless you are being sarcastic.

Buying a wood ship for 14 francs on round 7 of a 3P game comes with 6VPs. You gain 33 food a net cost of 8VP. You would lose more VPs than this in the number actions it would take you get that same amount of food. Boats are amazing deals if bought in the early game.

I was merely commenting on his pun. The currency in the game is…ah, never mind.

by davypi

I was merely commenting on his pun. The currency in the game is…ah, never mind.

Doh! I get it now.

by Steph

Monday was off to a super start with work being cancelled due to MORE SNOW! yippee...

Ron and I got to play a bunch of games though, so I am happy!

We didn't get to Monday night group- snow is ruining fun times.

Ron and I played Amerigo first. We hadn't played it in a long while and I had all the mini expansions I wanted to try out. We played with the volcano in the center. This has special tokens to collect $ in game. It was pretty cool.

I got some end game bonus tiles. Ron got some in game bonus tiles. I ended up winning by 20 points thanks to my end game bonus tiles :P

It is quite a fun 2 player game. It is really just a shame that set up is such a huge factor into why the game isn't played more. The Cube tower is fun and totally random. I want to play the other games with cube towers.

It is not my favorite Feld game but it is up among the favorites. Definitely fun to bring out a couple times a year.





















Volcanic tile!




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Since I was talking about Castles of Mad King Ludwig I really wanted to play. It had been a few weeks and all- we can't allow that!

Ron ALWAYS loses! :p So Sorry Ron!

The day before we played Suburbia so it was my turn to pick. Ron really couldn't care less anyways - he will play whatever. I am way more picky than he is and everyone knows it.

So I felt I was doing quite poorly all game but Ron was collecting all the stairs and hallways and he had a bonus card that turned out didn't give him that many points. I was focused on everything. I managed to get the only blue tile and got first place for both common goals. I don't think he got either 2nd place he was too focused on getting stairs or something.

I got some good end card bonus cards and had probably 30 points more than him by the end. Needless to say he probably doesn't want to play for a few days.

Such a great game!








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We had a little bit before dinner so we played a game of Cribbage. It is just so easy to get up and play in 20-30 minutes. I was also on a Cribbage winning streak so I had to keep it up.

I totally destroyed him. I double skunked him. He was soooooooo sad :p

He was not getting the cards. Its a fun little game!


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After dinner I wanted something with some more meat to it so it was suggested we play 2 player Le Havre. This game is so great. Definitely one of my top favorites. There is so much to consider and do in the short time frame of the game. Do you spend a whole turn to pick up some clay or construct a building.

Ron manages to get all the buildings each game. I always end up with my favorites (wharf and Shipping line) but it is not enough. He has ALL the other buildings. It makes my game play very tricky. I don't want to spend $ on HIS buildings. That's too much of a benefit to him. I tried to keep it at a minimum.

I got to buying some special buildings and those were big help. I ended up not doing too badly I got 216 but Ron killed me with 245 or something way higher.

I rarely win that game. When I do, it is the best!

I should teach some of the regulars this game since I think they would like it.

Still a favorite image of mine:







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Tuesday night we found Deus at our step!

YAYYAYAYA FINALLY!!!!


I have played it a bunch since its release in Oct. Mostly online, however. It is a fine way to play with whoever is willing. There is something just more satisfying by playing it in person though.

Ron and I played a late game of this. It went on a really long time and it was pretty close by the end. I won 79 to 76.

I am missing a red disc which is only needed for a 4 player game. But we were using Treasure Chest that was KS by Jamie Stegmaier:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jameystegmaier/treasure...

They are awesome and totally make this game better ;)


Wednesday night Ron and I revisited this game and I kicked his butt again. It was a much faster game this time and I ended with 37 to Ron's 32. he probably should have tried to end it sooner because I was able to get a few temples down and score a 5 barbarian so my final turn I could just get lots of resources and score points that way.

He will get me it is only a matter of time.





















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Wednesday night we also played Roll for the Galaxy since it had been at least 2 days since the last play. We can't go THAT long! hahah

With our 2 player variants we played. I got HOSED. He was lining up everything I could get a roll to save anything. I fell behind fast and in a few rounds Ron ended it by taking all the points away. He destroyed me.

I think I might have gotten mid 20s and Ron was mid 40s I think. I blocked it from my mind because it was a disgrace!

Awesome game :thumbsup:







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To cap the night we declared winner with a game of Cribbage. I was feeling good cause I was on a roll with this game and that pride ended on the first hand. I got stomped on. Not quite as badly as I stomped Ron on Monday but he did end up skunking me.

It was lousy. So Ron was the winner of the night. Jerk.



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Thursday night Ron and I only played 1 game of Russian Railroads. I had the urge to make it on. My favorite engineer didn't show up and that was sad. I decided to go top track only. *something I have never really done* Or at least I don't recall it.

I don't think it is as much fun as the other tracks so I try and challenge myself with the industry the most. This time the engineers didn't call for Industry but all track movement. I focused strictly on that.

Might have been a bad idea because I didn't get my bonus chits until really late in the game. But in a 2 player game there is only the double worker black track spot and that was taken almost immediately (besides $ and engineer) I wasn't pushing as much black track as I should have been. I also wasn't collecting 2x tokens early. I ended with 7 but it all came together late.

In the end I ended with 352 and Ron had 350 but he may have forgotten to pass for 2 points at the end. So the game MAY have been a tie. We both decided it would be best to call me the winner! YAY!

Hey, As Brandon (vacabck) said - a Win is a win!

Good game. I will be looking for the mini expansion. I hope it becomes available soon from the BGG store.









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Nothing on Friday :( But Game day on Saturday!!

To start the day we played nothing other than Roll for the Galaxy. We played a 4 player game teaching 1. My starting tiles were awful. I am almost sure the game ended before any points were taken from the middle. Dan got all the 1 pointer develop worlds and ended the game which seemed to be under 10 rounds. It was crazy! maybe the fastest game yet. I think I still managed to get above 20 points but Dan creamed us that game.






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We weren't sure if others were going to show up so we played a game of Qwixx gemixxt. We played with the multi-colored side. It wasn't really my game. I think Dan won that won too. :(




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Still people didn't show up so we played a 4 player game of Sanssouci. It's a game that doesn't get to the table that often but it is pretty easy to teach and play. It could definitely be an entry level game.

For those not familiar with the game it is tile placement. And you have to do your best to walk the noblemen down the garden paths. The further they go the more points they score. Not the deepest game but certainly some interesting choices. I can see why people wouldn't like this game. But it is not stressful and plays under an hour so it is a good fit!

I ended up winning this game. I just had the best garden and all my noble men wanted to smell the roses. You know how it is.










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A few others showed up and Snow Tails was requested. Just because we have so much snow! Carrie knew nothing about the game just that it had snow in the title. Good choice!

Turns out I remembered the rules incorrectly for the past few games i have played with my new copy. Turn order is based on first position to last position. I duno how I feel about that but it worked fine with either way we were playing it. I will play correctly from now on. Rules are hard! This is why I try not to read them. :D

Carrie owned us this game. Well she and Dan were ahead the whole time but Carrie zoomed by him in the final turns and took the win. I managed to pull out of 4th position... Hahah it is so hard going last like the entire game.

Still fun and I will play this a bunch more as long as there is snow on the ground- which at this rate will be through Aug anyways.








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Next we played 3! games of Mysterium. Pretty much a big hit. Me, Carrie and Dan each played the ghost once. I was off to an amazing start. Everyone guessed their weapon on the first round. I figured we were a shoe in to win it. yeah, no.

We lost all three games. Carrie was leading everyone into the cards I needed them to guess and Dan was opposed to her response so they never went with what she was saying... Dan you suck! :p

Carrie and I were on the same wavelength. Go with what you feel. The ghost gives the card for a reason. (generally...) I brought up that Dixit cards could easily be used. Turns out Carrie and Eric hadn't ever played Dixit... WHAAAAAAAAAAAAaat. So they were able to get in a few plays of that later in the day.

3 losses but that is OK. The game is so fast and it is still so fun. I don't know. It is a challenge to be in the other players heads :)








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Scott and I recruited 2 others who had played before Tuscany: Expand the World of Viticulture. We played a 4 player game. We didn't have to explain viticulture or very much of Tuscany. Just a quick recap and we were playing. It was awesome. This game is just amazing. I love everything about it.

Tuscany really opens the world of Viticulture. I don't think I will ever go back to the base game. The problem is I didn't teach anyone viticulture because I didn't own it. (KS the collectors edition) To teach Tuscany would be A LOT for any new player. It would certainly help to know viticulture. The game is so long and then to add rules explanation it is a big task. After playing a few times I think I could teach it well enough but I would feel better about them knowing the base game.

It is a glorious game. I am not even a worker placement fan so much so this is ranked very high in that category for me. Up in the worker placement games is Russian Rails and tzolkin. Other than those I can't think of any I like quite as much.

I don't even do the alcohol thing. This is just an A+ game. really nice. I would happily play it when looking for a heavier- longer game. Also A+ for production value.


Highly recommended!:thumbsup:

Mid game -game











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Since I wanted to play with Joe C I suggested we play Nations. We played a 4 player game. I got first pick of nations and I choose Rome since I don't trust anyone. I should have gone with my favorite Greece because there were about a billion yellow cards that appeared in this game. No one was going for them so Joe C ate them all up with distaste. I kept saying that's what he should be doing. He was skeptical.

Ron B. was playing with Egypt and totally destroyed Joe C in the first round with the wonder that makes low stability pay $4. Of course Joe had no books or $ so he lost a lot of points and resources in the first turn. This put Joe on a rage against Ron B or as we like to call him Faux Ron. Ron B is fun times but he doesn't get to make it very often for games. Always a pleasure when he does! Especially when he makes for entertaining game plays.

Anyways, the game continued and there were no food upgrade buildings and I got like all my guys not they were all on my G DAMN level 1 food building. It was painful and pat screwed me over by taking the food building I needed. Needless to say that hosed my game and I ended with 38 points. Joe c and Pat tied at 42 with Pat winning since he was higher in turn order. Faux Ron got 33.

Not a bad game but with Joe whining the whole time and trying to make Ron's life miserable during the game he did well. He kept dissing on my favorite Greece race and then he wins. I should just always play Greece- they are my favorite. Everyone hates them... I duno why. It really depends on the cards they get drawn. Greece is not so great with 2 players since even less cards are drawn but oh well I still enjoy them.








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Before the night ended we played Joe C's Xmas gift from his mom. LCR. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't mention this "game". Shocked me that he had it with him. I would not have guessed that was the game in 100 guesses or more. Joe hates dice and luck. We played- not with real $ - sad because I totally kicked butt. I won the pot.

I won by taking amazing pictures of a game with nothing to really take pictures of either.

This first one Joe wanted to get artsy with it and have a back light. this was the result through my eyes.





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The final game of the night with 5 players was Coloretto. It is possible we have been playing it mildly wrong. I didn't realize you had to subtract points based on the scoring chart for each color you go over the limit with. I don't think it would have changed the other games I have played very much. I totally destroyed in this game. I got 3 colors and 4 +2 cards with a wild. Owned it. Certainly a good way to end the night!






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Yesterday Ron and I got in a bunch of gaming while the snow came down. Still coming down as I type this. Work was canceled and snow is still piling up.

Joe C let us borrow his copy of Fidelitas. New to me!

It is a little card game. There are mission cards to complete and score and there are your worker cards to play and activate their abilities. First player to score 10 vps wins.

The game is not very hard to pick up. There are 8 guild/factions and the mission cards have to do with getting certain guilds in certain places or having 8 soldiers in the town. Stuff like that. When you accomplish these things you can play them and draw a new mission card. Each turn you play a worker in a building and do as the card says. It might be to move 2 cards from one location to another or swap a card with another card.

There were KS cards which were confusing and awful. If I were to play again I don't think I would add them in. They were not clear and seemed rather impossible. they are the cards with the VP's on the bottom. You can kind of tell they were not meant to be in the game and I don't think they really added anything but their guild faction.

I don't think i want to play it again. I would play with Joe C to teach him but I don't think I would play again. With any more than 2 players I think the game would be too long for what it is.














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I got Notre Dame a few months back. Ron and I took it out to play. He hadn't played before and I had played many months ago- or so it seems now. I couldn't really recall how to play. Fortunately, the rules are not so hard and it is actually a pretty simple game to play.

In a 2 player game you have to have the board set for 4 players but you are only passing cards between 2 players.

there are a # of things you can focus on but you need to try and be balanced in $ and cubes. If you are out of $ and can not hire a worker at the end of the round it will be a pretty big loss. You should always have $ to do that if nothing else.

It was actually quite a good 2 player game considering you are passing cards. I think it would be a very good 5 player game. The streets would be crazy. I will have to suggest it now I think I could teach it after having played again.

I did end up winning but I think Ron will take what he did wrong and basically destroy me next time. I think i had 48 and he had 33 or something. He never got his trusted friend on the board and I think that hurt him a bit. He also focused too much on the car movements and not enough on the $ and cube income.














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Since neither Ron nor I got in a game of Deus we decided to play that. I had to continue to beat Ron in all the colors. This time I played as black and beat him by 9 points. He was mad at me. I drew a hand of 6 temples (discarding 1 yellow card) and I said this was not shuffled. I was going to shuffle them back in and he got mad at me.

That pretty much ruined the game. I kept the temples and continued to crush him anyways. The game ended by barbarians being beaten. I had about 28 to Ron's 19 points. It was a rather fast game. We choose not to play again ans just pack it up.

Continuing to love the game. Maybe I just beat him too hard. His time will come I am sure.









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Since we hadn't played Roll for the Galaxy very much this week we played a fast game just the 2 of us. We played with the variants. I got some awesome combos and I ran away with the game. I got all 24 vp tokens and scored about 15 more in tiles. Ron lost baaaadly. He is unsure about the variants now. i was producing and shipping every turn it seemed so he thinks it is a bit broken. I don't even think he had a colored planet to produce on.




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We played a couple rounds of Qwixx gemixxt. Once with each side. I basically destroyed in both games. Dice were my friend yesterday. Rather they hated Ron more than me. I got 94 for the first gameand 69 for the second game. I should have had more in the first one but I did a few wrong guesses towards the end of the game. I still killed Ron by a bunch so its all good!




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We broke the shrink to my copy of Coal Baron. That's good because I have been wanting to play it for a while now but see it is in shrink and if people are there to play I don't want to have to break the shrink and punch a game if possible. Now it is done and we can play next time people comes over!

It is actually quite a good 2 player game. Better than what I would have thought. You just have to block some spaces out.

The game is a pretty simple worker placement game to best optimize your resources and $. It is about planning and seeing what your opponents might be doing so you can try for another way. there are 3 rounds (pretty fast game!) where you produce materials in the mines and ship them off with the orders you have taken in. 4 types of orders and 4 types of materials. The further down the mine shaft the more valuable the resources. shipping 2 black goods will gain more points than shipping 2 yellow resources.

Its a fun little game. Light weight and could be used for entry level gaming I think. I would like to play it more.

Our game was super tight the whole time. I ended up winning by 4 points with 132 points to Rons 128. His mine was unbalanced and he actually lost 4 points. Those 4 were what he needed to tie me!


























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The final game of the night we played was Ubongo 3D. I felt we needed a little abstract thinking time. It is a pretty fast game and I was on a full day winning streak.

I nearly had him in this game too if I didnt screw up the final round and not figure out the pattern. GRRRRRRRRRRrrr

I still managed to get him for all the other games though.

I have to say i enjoy abstract 3d building games. Quite fun! Ubongo YOUR FACE. Oh Snap!






That's about all for this week. I have not learned very many new games this month yet because Monday night games keeps getting canceled due to snow. Not like I would be leaving my house in the snow but it still bytes!

Hopefully it will start to clear up in the coming weeks and I get get to learning some new stuff!

I enjoy snow days though. :)

Till next week! Thanks for reading and Happy Gaming!!

-Steph

by djdano

by subnaut

Intro
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I love all types of games and playing games with all types of people. But the games I want in my collection are games I can play with my multigenerational, multicultural family.
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Le Havre
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Players compete to amass the largest fortune by the final round, that fortune being the sum of their cash and the value of their ships and buildings. Ships and buildings can be bought directly or built with goods and buildings. Goods and money are obtained from spaces where they accumulate or from using buildings. At the end of each round players must be able to feed their workers or they are forced to take loans. Ships provide recurring food and also allow players to ship and convert their (worthless at the end of the game) goods into cash. Ships are very important to winning the game!
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Why I added it to my collection
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* Affordable iApp available from Codito to try, learn, and play the game

* High replayability. Special buildings available each game are different. Goods accumulation order and standard building availability also randomized.

* Minimal luck. While the game state is different each play, there are no random elements in the actions you take.

* Tactical. The actions of other players affect you. When they take goods, you must wait for them to build up again. When they occupy a building, you cannot use that same building until they leave. The value of goods and buildings fluctuate throughout the game and everyone has value to everyone. You must constantly evaluate how you can most effectively utilize what is available.

* Planning. You must plan each round to ensure you have enough food for your workers. You must plan how many of each good you need to build what you want.

* Colors and art are vibrant, high contrast, and appealing

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Criticism
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None. This is a 10.
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by Nicholas M

While I do not really like Le Havre, I do like your review style. Quick and to the point. Well done.

by Raujour

I enjoyed your review.

I agree with all your points excepting the iOS App since I haven't bought it.

by subnaut

Nicholas M wrote:

While I do not really like Le Havre, I do like your review style. Quick and to the point. Well done.

Thanks for the feedback, that's definitely my goal with this series.

Also, I think the most important thing with a review is to help people decide if they will or will not like a game--not convince them one way or another. If my reviews help people know a game *isn't* for them (or isn't for me and is for them), I think it's just as useful :)

by subnaut

Raujour wrote:

I enjoyed your review.

I agree with all your points excepting the iOS App since I haven't bought it.

Thanks for your feedback. No reason to buy the iOS App if you already have a game. I just appreciate its existence. Many people in my family like to practice / review games after I've taught them to them, and this is a very helpful tool for that.

Also helpful for me because I like to try games before buying. Either cheap iOS, or online site, or in store demo...makes me much more likely to buy a game.

by Milena Guberinic

Valentine's Day Special Edition


Peter and I get along very well but we don't always see eye to eye on board games. Frequently, we will sit around contemplating what to play and one of us will suggest something that the other will reject and then suggest something else that will get rejected. Sometimes, it feels like we are playing some sort of mind game while trying to decide what to play. At the best of times, this can be a little annoying and at the worst, it can lead to complete paralysis in which 20 minutes are wasted debating the relative merits of our favored games.

I asked Peter to make a list of his favorite games to compare to mine and determine the extent of our differences in taste. Here are our top 10 lists with my comments (which you may find repetitive or not depending on how closely you've been following my blog so feel free to skip my commentary). This is followed by a bit of a reflection on our gaming as a couple.


Peter's Top 10
1. Le Havre
PETER
Peter loves this game and I am OK with it. He loves the the challenge Le Havre provides, the card combos, long-term strategy, and subtle interaction in the game. He likes how "punishing" it is.

ME:what:
I don't love it but I don't hate it. I will play it occasionally but I always feel like it takes too long for the satisfaction it provides. I personally don't think of Le Havre as "punishing" but it can get pretty difficult if you don't play well from the beginning.

2. The Capitals
PETER
Suburbia used to sit here but Peter has since changed his mind. He finds The Capitals more challenging and intellectually stimulating, with its multiple performance tracks and the need to balance them all. He also prefers the artwork in this one.

ME :soblue:
Again, I don't love The Capitals but I don't hate it but I like it a LOT less than Le Havre. We went through a phase of playing this daily and I just got sick of it. I also get way too stressed out while playing it because I feel so helplessly dependent on the tiles that are drawn. I got so angry in one game I almost traded it away but then Peter decided it was his second most favorite game of all time so I couldn't really do that...or could I???:devil:

3. CLINIϽ
PETER
Peter loves CliniC. In addition to space games, his other favorite games are games that allow him to build things. I guess that might have something to do with the fact that he always wanted to be an architect but was dissuaded from that dream by his family. CliniC also has a clever mechanism of managing patient intake (sort of pick-up-and-deliver), which was something Peter used to talk about for his own imaginary board game of "Air Traffic Controller." So he loves the game because it does something that his own ideal board game would do.

ME :laugh:
I love Clinic. Indeed, I was so inspired by this game, that I decided to make it my first review ever (https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1252581/minas-not-so-mini-r...). We played Clinic this week with the CLINIϽ Expansion: Medical Dossier 2 and enjoyed the new aspects that expansion brought tremendously. I loved the way that the new buildings were integrated into the board and the new building options the pillars provided. The need to manage the elderly in the hospice was a nice touch and added a nice bit of tension as you balance the desire to keep them in the hospice as long as possible while trying to ensure you are able to get them all into the hospital before the end of the game.

4. Race for the Galaxy
PETER
Peter loves card games. He was always into Magic: The Gathering and he loves space. Race for the Galaxy gives him card combos in space. Enough said.

ME:)
I really like Race for the Galaxy as well. I don't love it as much as he does but I am unlikely to turn down a game. I love tableau builders and this is a great one.

5. Viticulture
PETER
Peter loves the high quality parts in our Viticulture: Complete Collector's Edition. He's vain like me! :p He also loves the theme and the way that it is so well integrated into the gameplay and the thinky but not too thinky nature of it.

ME:)
I like it a lot. I really enjoy the fact that this is a race game and it's always so close. It works very well with two players now that we have the new edition rules and the layers of Tuscany: Expand the World of Viticulture are just brilliant. The expansion really breathes serious life into the game and makes it something that you can feel like you're playing for the first time many times.

6. Roll for the Galaxy
PETER
Peter loves dice. He actually used to enjoy Yahtzee!:gulp: Put dice in space and you've got fun for Peter!

ME:(
This is a fine game and appreciate the design but I just don't enjoy it very much. I don't know if it's because I haven't played it enough or something else but all the randomness bothers me. Random tile draws + random dice rolls = too random for me. I know that the randomness is controllable but at this point (having played the game about 4 times), it just feels annoying. The 2-player variant without the random home die roll for the 3rd phase selection improves the game a little for me. My enjoyment of this game has increased gradually and I'm glad I didn't trade it away. It has gone from :gulp: to :soblue: to :( so let's see if it can make it to :)...maybe soon.

7. Nations
PETER
Peter loves the challenge this game provides and it is super challenging with only 2 players.
ME :D
I love it and I like it better than TTA! It's almost in my top 10.

8. Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar
PETER
Peter loves the novelty of the mechanism and the planning this game demands.
ME:D
I love it too! We are pretty evenly matched in this one so it's always a tight and interesting game. Unlike some (https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1311391/2-player-temple-tra...), I have no problems with the 2-player game. It's very good and the expansion adds a nice touch. Also, who can argue with those rotating gears!?

9. Eclipse
PETER
Peter loves the space theme and the fact that this game plays like (according to him) Starcraft in slow motion.
ME:laugh:
An overlap! The first and only! I love Eclipse! It's my number 2 game and I ALWAYS want to play it!

10. Orléans
PETER
He loves it! He really loves it! This is Peter's newest entry to his top 10 and it makes me glad I got the early dlp edition of the game. He loves the bag building and the combos that the game provides. In fact, Peter loves Orleans so much that he decided to back the Kickstarter deluxe version EVEN THOUGH WE ALREADY HAVE THE GAME! So we will have 2 copies of Orleans. If anyone wants our dlp 2nd edition (with English text on all boards and everything except the building cards) in September, it will be up for sale.
ME:D
I love it too. I would not buy a second copy just to get some wooden meeples but I do like it a lot and will not turn down a game.

That's it for Peter's list!

Mina's Top 10

1. Terra Mystica
ME
It's so beautiful! Ok, maybe not so in terms of looks, but it's absolutely perfect in every other respect. It allows me to plan a strategy from the beginning, gives me my own special powers (I'm a sucker for games with asymmetric abilities), and allows me to block, and build, and grow my little world. I just love this game and don't see myself ever getting tired of it. I even like it as a 2-player game with the rules as written. No adjustments necessary (though we do add dummies on cult tracks sometimes). It just gets better the more you play.

PETER:)
Peter used to love Terra Mystica but has recently fallen out of love with it. Maybe we played it too much? I'm not sure and he isn't either but it just doesn't impress him as much as it used to. That said, he does still enjoy it quite a bit and is unlikely to turn down a game. He just doesn't ask for it any more.

2. Eclipse
ME
Again, I love the special powers in this game and the exploration aspect is very fun. I also love researching technologies, building my fleet of ships, and clobbering Peter's ships...or getting clobbered...it's fun either way. Having so many different races (I have both expansions) gives this game almost infinite replayability. There are so many combinations to explore.

PETER:laugh:
He loves it! On his top 10 (see above).

3. Mage Knight Board Game
ME
Mage Knight has been at some place in my top 10 ever since I first played it. It was #1 for a long time but the lack of plays it got pushed it down a bit. I still love it very, very much and we've been playing it weekly for the past month so I've become re-enamored with it.

PETER:)
Peter likes Mage Knight and is frequently willing to play if I suggest it. He doesn't love the theme (he's a little allergic to fantasy I think) but he's ok with it because the gameplay makes up for it. The great number of scenario options the game presents and the card drafting variant are also pluses.

4. Seasons
ME
I love the card combos and the way this game combines dice with drafting and cardplay. It's not too heavy and pretty quick. It's an excellent and super fun game.
PETER:)
Peter likes it!

5. Fields of Arle
ME
This is a game I enjoyed so much I had to write a review (https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1288905/minas-not-so-mini-r...). It was my second bgg review ever!
PETER:D
Peter likes it a lot! He loves building the different buildings and creating strong synergies. He also loves the fact that this game does not constrain him as much as others do. He frequently ignores the things that games "force" him to do (like follow the scoring board in Terra Mystica when planning his actions) and just does his own thing, which leads his scores to suffer. So the fact that Fields allows him to do whatever he wants is a big plus in his book.

6. Agricola
ME
I like the combination of cards and worker placement Agricola provides. Planning out my strategy with a given hand at the beginning of each game and then executing it to the best of my ability is something that gives me great satisfaction.
PETER:what:
Peter likes Agricola ok but he doesn't love it and it sometimes takes a little talking to get him to play it.

7. Keyflower
ME
Keyflower is pretty and unlike anything else I own. I like the combination of building up my little town, placing workers, and bidding that the game presents. I also enjoy the fact that players can use each others' buildings and mess with each others' plans. I love both the Keyflower: The Farmers and Keyflower: The Merchants expansions and really wish we played the game more frequently.
PETER:soblue:
Peter does not love Keyflower. He tolerates it and is ok with it once in a while. I really wish he loved it.

8. Luna
ME
Luna is my favorite Feld game. I love the advance planning this game demands and the high level of interaction in it...even if the interaction sometimes irritates me.
PETER:soblue:
Peter doesn't really like Luna. He thinks it stinks! Actually, it literally does stink for some reason. The copy we have has a weird stench to it. That's how it came. Seriously though, he says he's ok with it but he never wants to play it. He does like to irritate me by flipping the candle token and manipulating the length of the game to break my strategies.

9.Theseus: The Dark Orbit
ME
This was a game I initially bought thanks to Peter's space-theme addiction. I wasn't expecting to love it nearly as much as I do and am actually pretty surprised that it's on this list. I love the space mancala and the planning the game demands despite the fact that it is primarily a tactical game. The theme is very well integrated as well and the game feels very tense...just like you're being hunted in a tight space station.
PETER:soblue:
Sadly, Peter doesn't like it much. He feels like his plans are constantly getting foiled and he cannot get me to do what he wants me to in the game. It takes a lot of convincing to get him to play this. It's on our 2015 10x10 though and he's agreed to play it more to "get" it so he'll be seeing a lot more Theseus this year!

10. Fantastiqa

ME

This game is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. But if that was all, it would not be in my top 10. It is also very fun to play. When we first got Fantastiqa, I didn't want to play anything but Fantastiqa for about 2 weeks. It has an addictive quality to it. Our scores are always quite close and games play relatively quickly so I always want to try again if I lose.

I also love what I am doing in this game (i.e. adventuring and subduing fairies and dragons with a backpack, toothbrush, and trusty canine companion) and the whole package is just plain fun. The many expansions really add a great deal to the tactics and strategy that can be employed and greatly extend the game's longevity. The literary references and also lovely. I adore this game!

PETER:)

Peter likes Fantastiqa. He is not nearly as excited about it as I am but he enjoys the HQ bits and the world the game creates. It's not one of his favorites but he likes it and is usually willing to play.

THOUGHTS ON GAMING AS A COUPLE


When your spouse or significant other is your main gaming partner, discrepancies in tastes can be game killers. I am sad that I don't get to play Luna, Keyflower, and Theseus as much as I'd like because Peter doesn't like them and I'm sure he'd rather play Roll for the Galaxy or The Capitals (I know he would because he asks for it on a weekly and sometimes daily basis) than Agicola. There's a lot of compromise that has to happen for us to both get to play what we want. My being the "board gamer" half of the couple means that Peter is usually willing to go along with what I want. He knows that games mean a lot to me, that they provide me with the intellectual stimulation that I crave, and that I enjoy them very, very much. At the same time, I want him to have a good time and enjoy playing games with me. Indeed, this is one of the reasons I love games so much - they create and sustain a shared activity and understanding between us and allow us to get to know each other even better (how is that even possible after 13 years of being together???). So when I'm not feeling completely against it, I give in and play one of his favorites that I'd rather not and when he doesn't outright veto a suggestion for one of my favorites that he'd rather not play, we play that. Or on some nights, he gets to pick a game and I get to pick one so we play something each of us favors.

Our individual enjoyment of games can certainly be directly related to our partner's enjoyment of them. Clearly, I don't hate a game just because Peter hates it but his degree of enthusiasm for a game does affect how I feel about it and where I place it among my favorites as well. For example, I don't include Ginkgopolis in my top ten even though I rate it very highly because Peter really, really doesn't like it. Ginkgopolis is pretty much on par with Fantastiqa for me but Peter enjoys Fantastiqa, so it's slightly better for me too. I don't like "forcing" Peter to play a game that he doesn't enjoy and although he remains engaged and humors me when playing such games, I would still rather play something we both enjoy equally. Ultimately, I think that this applies to gaming groups as well but it is much more palpable in couples who play a majority of their games with each other and don't always have others around so they can select among those with whom to play. Games do not get played in a vacuum. They are played with friends and loved ones and they are played to have fun! If people around me are not having fun, I'm not having fun so my opinion of a game goes down if its gameplay is the source of others' unhappiness.

Regardless, being a gaming couple is pretty special because we do get to play games on a daily basis. I'd be very sad if Peter didn't enjoy playing games and I had to go out to play them with others if I wanted to play them at all. That would greatly reduce the frequency of my plays. A fellow monthly game group member recently expressed his surprise at the frequency of our gaming sessions and shared affinity for games. He was a little jealous, I'm sure.

Being a gaming couple also means that we can play board games in our pajamas, without doing our hair or makeup, as soon as we get up in the morning, or deep into the night without having to drive home in a gaming-induced haze. That's pretty awesome!

I love board games and I love the role they play in my relationship. Peter recently remarked that he couldn't remember what we used to do before we started playing games in the evenings. I could. He would play video games or browse the internet while I would read. We would be physically together but mentally as far away from each other as though we were on different continents. Games have created a shared mind space and shared experience for us to enjoy each evening and for that I am infinitely grateful. Even when they force us to argue about the relative merits of our favorites or encourage us to have pretend wars with each other, they help us to interact, gain a deeper understanding of each other's ways of thinking, and have fun together and that is priceless.

Thanks for reading and Happy Valentine's Day! :kiss:

by Zark

subnaut wrote:

* Planning. You must plan each round to ensure you have enough food for your workers.

Unless you take out lots of loans. Ignoring feeding and having lots of loans is a fun strategy to try and can be made to work

subnaut wrote:

* Colors and art are vibrant, high contrast, and appealing

No Yellow :(


Otherwise pretty much agree with you

by DanielCG

by tigrevasco_2003

Hi:

Anybody has tried the official variant (pay 2 franc interests with 2+ loans and not building selling in another player turn) in 2 player game?. How much coal/coke shipping keeps being a dominant strategy?

Thanks in advance

by jsper

by ofxofx

I would just like to show you how I organized the box and the game:

http://mauroguidolin.volo-rc.net/le-havre/

by jsper

by Sir_Yaro

Hi Grzesiek.

Could you tell me what I'm going wrong?
I run your app (check log below) it but after clicking "join game" nothing shows up. It looks like app is waiting for something. Perhaps I should "start game" somehow not try to join to something that doesn't exist yet?

yaro@yaro-desktop ~test/La Havre $ java -jar JLeHavre.jar 
[2015/03/01, 16:32.43] Login data saved: [Game=test] [Name=y2]
log4j:WARN No appenders could be found for logger (org.jgroups.JChannel).
log4j:WARN Please initialize the log4j system properly.

---------------------------------------------------------
GMS: address is 127.0.0.1:47802 (cluster=test)
---------------------------------------------------------
** view: [127.0.0.1:47802|0] [127.0.0.1:47802]

yaro@yaro-desktop ~ $ netstat -lntup|grep java
(Not all processes could be identified, non-owned process info
 will not be shown, you would have to be root to see it all.)
tcp6       0      0 127.0.0.1:53199         :::*                    LISTEN      8551/java       
udp6       0      0 127.0.0.1:47802         :::*                                8551/java       
udp6       0      0 :::7500                 :::*                                8551/java       
udp6       0      0 232.10.10.10:45588      :::*                                8551/java       
yaro@yaro-desktop ~ $ 

yaro@yaro-desktop ~ $ java -version
java version "1.7.0_65"
OpenJDK Runtime Environment (IcedTea 2.5.3) (7u71-2.5.3-0ubuntu0.14.04.1)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 24.65-b04, mixed mode)
yaro@yaro-desktop ~ $ 

by Ponton

No idea, really, but you could try several things:
- leave the ip field empty
- enter 127.0.0.1 in the ip field
- enter your internet connection's ip in that field

by jsper