When Netrunner was pulled out of the bag both James and I looked down dejectedly at it. I knew at that point that my Ebay account had a new sale item coming it's way. Next out was Mammut. We looked at each other and shrugged. Mammut it was. Not a popular title and quite a while since it was last played. A perfect example of why we are embarking on our trip through the games cupboard. Tactic rusty we were as we fudged our way through the first few rounds. By round 4 I had built up something like a 12 point lead but with the way that the game is designed that can be eaten away quite quickly. My one tactic of denying James the last sabre toothed creature that he needed went some way to helping make the final totals look a little skewed. The game has never really caught fire with us and perhaps it's better with more players. It's possible this title might be joining Netrunner on Chris's new game fund raiser.
Chris - 76
James - 53
Dominion was up next as we left leaderboard games behind. I again selected a recommended 10 cards but this time choosing one which offered fewer victory points. Fewer victory points meant only one legit route to victory - Provences. Again James felt money was the best route and I, after dabbling with a few cards, followed suit. However James was ahead of me in collecting Provinces and I never caught up. Especially as he laid a card which took a card off my deck. A Province... We both felt that the game needs something to stop it being a race to stuff Provinces in your hand. You get presented with all these lovely action cards and end up ignoring most of them.
James - 42
Chris - 40
What came next will probably be referred to as the lost games or the forgotten games or something catchier. Two games of Kingdom Builder were squeezed in to the remaining hour however the outcomes were spoiled by a dawning realisation after our last moves that James had missed a key rule about the secondary action, namely, it can be played first. Although I didn't make a lot of use of this facility, the fact it was there for me to use if I needed meant I was able to get out of some tight areas. It had never been an option for James and, had it been, the games would have played out much differently.
Chris - 52
James - 27
Chris - 43
James - 29
Bring on the next games.....!
I really liked Mammut, but I cant imagine it would play well with two.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have admired your stoic attempts to take on Netrunner - you gave it a good shot chaps. Trade it for Race for the Galaxy!!
I think RftG has a better chance. I played it once and although baffled I could see a game in there. I think netrunner needs a gang who are committed to getting over that imaginary hump to reach the game inside. I suspect that getting to the level where you are constructing your own decks is where its at.
ReplyDeleteMy major gripe with it is rule ambiguity. The BGG forums are stuffed full of rules clarification questions and people arguing over what is the right interpretation.
I played Netrunner once and concluded that it was a game I either needed to devote a hell of a lot of time to or none at all. I chose the latter.
ReplyDelete