Wednesday 19 June 2013

Ave, nice day

Joe’s on Tuesdays. But not the core four, more like the wee three, as Adam couldn’t make it. It was me, Joe and Sam in attendance. The first thing to catch our eye in the corner of the room was Das Exclusive, Joe’s sumptuous dice arena. We tried it a couple of times and Sam noted with approval that the underside also has a baize finish, allowing for another dice-rolling surface.


We were discussing what good three player games Joe has, when Augustus was suggested. This raised some interest in two of Joe’s daughters who, in an attempt at pushing back their bed-time, said that they wanted to play too.

And so it was that, suddenly, we were five. Joe explained the rules to Sam, and off we went. After my first dismal game, I felt like I was more involved, and the house rule of shouting “Ave Caesar” when you’ve finished a card made it more fun. But then there was a dry spell when I barely got anything and my competitive edge was blunted.

Meanwhile, Joe’s youngest, Martha, showed a propensity for cards which damaged her opponents, and whenever she had to pick up a card, she sweetly asked if there were any “evil cards”.

In the end, new boy Sam came second in a close game.

Martha 53
Sam 49
Andrew 48
Bea 47
Joe 47

After this, the youngest and most female part of the games group went to bed, while the old men ploughed on. After far too long in the games cupboard discussing what to play, we chose Africana as being deep but short enough that we could squeeze in another game afterwards.


My plan was to ignore the adventures, and just go for expeditions. Joe went for end-of-game multipliers, and Sam picked up two jokers. The game is one of those when you always have one less card/a little less time than you need. Fun but frustrating.

Sam 42
Joe 36
Andrew 32

It was still early. Not early enough for 7 Wonders or Lords of Waterdeep, but still time for a couple of light games. We chose High Society. And in keeping with the luxurious nature of the game, we turned Das Exclusive over and used it as a tiny table. Sam kept his bidding cards until the end, and it worked. I kept hoping for that final red-bordered card to end the game soon, and it didn’t.


Sam 20
Joe 19
Andrew OUT!

Then we had to play a dice game. We just had to. We chose Pickomino. Sam began, bafflingly, by rolling his dice from his hand onto the kitchen table, instead of using the dice arena and cups. Das Exclusive does not take kindly to insults like this, and one wonders if his lack of success at the game wasn’t a sign of Das Exclusive’s displeasure.

But it’s a great feeling, hurling your dice from a leatherette cup, knowing that they won’t fly off into unlit corners of the kitchen. And, as Sam noted, the slightly hollow sound of the dice landing adds to the effect. The game itself was almost superfluous. If only we’d been dressed in velvet suits that stank of cologne and cigars, we’d have been living the dream! The dream after eating a lot of cheese, that is.

Joe 11
Andrew 10
Sam 0







Points
Steve1 2 1 1 3 9
Anja2 3 1 13 10
Sam 3 1 1 2 4 11
Joe 1 2 2 4 3 12
Andrew2 3 3 3 1 12
Jon2 1 2 3 513
Adam 2 2 1 5 3 13
Quentin2 23 5518
Hannah3 4 4 5 2 18
Martha1 5 5 5521
Will3 3 5 5 5 21
Bea4 5 5 5524

2 comments:

  1. You are supposed to draft three cards from a hand of six once you're familiar with Augustus, which adds some ability to plan.
    Lovely to play Africana again, and interesting that the previously neglected rule - paying five to change a cards colour - was used several times.
    Sam's strategy paid off - my set-collecting could have given him a run but I should have kept the pace up. Coulda shoulda dinna.
    Thanks chaps, lovely to be playing once more!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I can vouch that Das Exclusive is sentient.

    ReplyDelete