New Year's in July 2015 - Games

A rare event this year: in late July, Paul and Mike visited for several days, and during that time, we were able to play games, much as we do over the New Year's holidays.  Here's what we played:

Kingdom Builder - I've played this a few times since I received it for Christmas, and its replay value is quite high.  Adam and I taught it to Paul and Mike. Adam won again, which is not surprising, but it was actually a pretty close game, and Mike secured second place.  We played it again, and Leah won a game with Paul and me.

Elder Sign - We won!  We won!  Leah, Sarah, Troy and Paul played this cooperative game with me.  I'm not sure whether we have ever won this game before -- perhaps we have -- but it's always tough, and it was again.  By the time we finished, Sarah and Leah both said they really liked the game and would want to play it again the next day, so they could solidify the rules in their minds.  It didn't happen, but it was fun to have a new game for them.  I think it was Paul's first time playing it, too.  He had played Arkham Horror before, and this is a simplified version of that game.

 Forbidden Desert -Another cooperative game, but we lost this one.  It was the first time we had ever played it (I bought it just that day) and we didn't start at the lowest level of difficulty.  This was a mistake, because we took some early actions which were quite inefficient, which we understood once we had played a while.  But by that time, it was too late, and the desert storm overwhelmed us.  Lucas, Adam, Troy and Paul played this one with me.  (This was another TableTop game, by the way.)

Dungeons and Dragons - though the group had not played in a few months because of my travel schedule, we had a session scheduled for late July.  Then, happily, Mike's plans changed and he needed to arrive a day early -- the day we'd be playing.  So, I made the two nastiest antagonists of the evening into playable characters.  Mike played a lich; Paul played a dracolich.  We all had great fun!

Legendary - This cooperative game was one which Adam had suggested to me numerous times.  This time, with Mike and Paul visiting, and Troy at the house to join in, we finally did it.  It's a deck-building game, a la Dominion (which we never played, strangely) but the players all team up to simulate a team of superheroes who are fighting against a major Marvel supervillain and his supporting villains and henchmen.  We were quite beaten down, but ultimately we did win, with Mike delivering the final blow.  What fun!  Now, do I try to own this game, or do I just ask Adam to play it with me more often?

Sushi Go! - It was a quick game, and we had fun.  Sarah, Troy, Leah, Paul and I played.  I ran away with it, though I don't really know how.  I guess I must have added some unrealized skill to some luck.  Anyway it didn't take long, and it was a good, simple time.




Splendor - Again, a highlight of the game play.  Everyone likes this game with its simple rules, but clever design.

Small World - I didn't play this, but Lucas, Leah, Paul, Mike and Troy did.  It was a very close game, and Leah pulled it out at the end.

Ticket to Ride: Asia - This was, I think, the second time I had played this version of the Ticket to Ride series.  Its unique aspect is that it can be played by teams of two, but those team members are not allowed to talk.  Strange, but fun.  I teamed with Troy, and we won.  It was quite a close game, though.  And no one knew who had won until we counted at the end, which was great.

Magic: the Gathering - thankfully, Mike and Paul and I were able to fit in some games of Magic.  I rarely play, except when Paul is here, and we've been so busy playing larger games the last few times that he has visited that we really haven't played much.

Whoonu -On the final night of their visit, a bunch of us played this game, in reverse.  Normally, players try to figure out which of many items or activities the other players like most.  This time we tried guessing which they'd like least.  It was a fun twist, and we learned that Marisa does not like cotton candy.


All in all, this was a fun-filled visit, and we all enjoyed ourselves quite a bit.  Among the best things about the visit: Sherry's meals! The kids getting to spend time with their "uncles," Paul and Mike.  Talking about TV, movies, games and the future with great friends. And the games - they were plenty good, too!