Sho' Nuff

With last night's Shogun still tingling my brain, Stanley and I cranked out a game of The Networks this afternoon. The idea is we are running competing TV channels, and choose shows to fill three slots between 8pm and 11pm, raising both cash and - crucial for winning - a larger audience share than your opponents.

My channel was VCK

Abetting this shows are adverts or stars that will garner more audience or cash, and there are also Network cards that are essentially McGuffins - a little fillip here or end-game bonus there. 

I'm wary of games that pass themselves off as funny, but to be fair to The Networks it makes no claim of being 'hilarious' but did provide some comedy - at one stage my channel had An Hour of Shouting at 9 and Get To Know Your Lower Colon at 10.

Mmmmm

This goes on for five seasons as your older shows lose audiences and get consigned first to reruns, and then the archives. Twas ever thus...

I'm currently the undefeated Cube Quest king in our house with something like ten victories in a row, but I simply can't defeat Stan in anything heavier than that, it seems, and he trotted out with a debut win:

Stanley 140

Sam 136

It was a lot of fun. I would happily have played again, but Stan had been pushing for us to play Shogun, so after tea we sourced a 2-player variant from BGG: where some areas are uncontested and both players take two special cards, instead of one. Other than that though it was much the same deal (except we played the rice rule correctly this time) and with the rules fresh in my mind I explained them a little more clearly today!

Black cubed areas remain off-limits

Too clearly, perhaps. Competitive dad came out and I really wanted to win this one, but I was defeated by both tactical play on Stan's part and a couple of awful cube tower moments that had me cursing Dirk to the skies. At the end of the first year I led by a single point, but Stanley's blue armies were amassed and ready to attack.

Winter isn't coming

We broke for tea, and realised we were being watched through the window by a snail.

Then the second year commenced, and we went toe to toe. I thrice pulled out the attack-with-a-single-army manoeuvre but though it did thin Stan's forces out, it wasn't enough. And in the autumn of the second year I stupidly didn't bother picking up money, forgetting - somehow! - that I needed it to build buildings!

A couple of tactics worked well - while Stan was busy in the middle of the board I claimed majority in castles around him. But my forces kept being attacked and the game ended with a convincing debut win from the boy. 

Stanley 41

Sam 35

Another whupping

I think I may leave it another four years next time.