Just getting back to normal today (Monday). Have a LONG-ass weekend. A real good one, but long... why is that you ask? We'll I have a bunch of the fellas over on Saturday night...food, beer, and Twilight Imperium, with a few movies thrown in.
Well anyway, Game 1 of what turned out to be a double-header went pretty well. 7 players on a huge split-galaxy board. Interesting dynamic splitting it up like that. Well anyway, the game progressed fairly quickly, one player got knocked down and out pretty early, setting up 3 civs on each side of the board. Its was getting onto about 1030-1100 pm and two players, myself and this other AF guy, James, had the most points, with Kirk (a retiring Navy grognard) close behind (but with the biggest fleet, biggest threat to score a lot - quickly). And out comes a weird political card, effectively granting two victory points to every player. What are victory points you ask? Nevermind, its too much to go into. Suffice it to say: you win with them, and that at the time Those two VPs would effectively GIVE the game to James. Now, you'd THINK, that that would be no-brainer....James would vote YES, and every other player would vote no and shoot down the proposed law....uh...guess not....It seems another player, who did in fact have the votes to swing it in James favor felt like ending the game....and blammo, there is was....the vote pass 21-19 and the game was over.....
but the night wasn't! After a few folks left to go home, a few hearty souls and I figured on making the most of the night (since the wife was working mids). So we continued the Star Wars marathon and decided to kick off a smaller game.
4 players, 1 galaxy (James, Alley, Whalen and myself). The double-header was definitely a closer contest. We had a incredible trade dynamic, with two players (Alley's geeky tech race and James' Lion-esque Hacan traders) scooping up mad dollars every turn via trade. My humans were not nearly so lucky, but as the clear-cut expansionists, I made up for the last of trade by conquering planets much faster than anyone else and getting my resources the old-fashioned way. The key to the game turned out to be another one-off law. Trade swap....basically it allowed Whalen and I to swipe the War Sun (think Death Star) technology from a trading partner (we both had trade agreements with the techies) and it radically altered the balance of power in the galaxy (away from the techie Jol-Nar and money-grubbing Hacan and towards, well, me)....well anyway, the human race eventually won out, and I scored a end-game victory, punching out the Jol-Nar on the last turn and having everyone concede that nothing could be done to avoid a Sol victory....good thing too, we wrapped up the game about 0600 and my wife came home about 20 minutes after everyone went home.
The funny part? The marathon part of the day had just begun....the wifey then informed me that we were going to the farewell brunch for some of the folks about to deploy. The time 1000...We got back about 1130, but I'd caught my second wind....Christina passed out by noon, but I stayed up...for whatever reason...I cannot say...all I know is that I stayed up, playing around on the computer most of the day. I got her up about 5 pm just because I didn't want to let her sleep all night (had stuff to do on Monday ya know). We had dinner, and shortly afterwards (sometime between 7-8pm) I finally succumb....35 hours or so of consciousness was enough for me...
Its thrown off my entire week....like taking so long to post this blog....
Showing posts with label twilight imperium 3rd edition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label twilight imperium 3rd edition. Show all posts
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Game Night, Drill Sunday and American Day - What a Weekend
Whew, I cannot believe I am still conscious (let alone ambulatory). Had a pretty packed Saturday and Sunday.
The best part was without a doubt the massive seven-player Twilight Imperium cosmic battle royale that took place at the Mokuteki ball room on Saturday.
I'd never played anything larger than a 5-player game (and that only once), but the expansion set I got for game allows for 8 players (up from the previous 6).
Ok, ok, I know for some, rehashes about "geek night" - as the wife likes to call it - is not fodder for the most entertaining blog, but guess what? I don't give a shit. That's the great part about having your own blog. For that matter, for anyone who has ever played Risk, or Axis and Allies, or Shogun; or any one who played Master of Orion (I, II or III) or (better yet) Galactic Civilizations II but would like a more sociable experience, then you'll LOVE Twilight Imperium. It quite simply is the best board game I've every played. (Have I played Risk, Dungeon and A&A more? yes, but simply because I played the hell out of those games when I was a kid). Nothing compares to the innumerable permutations that TI can throw at a player.
Think taking over planets with a minimum of troops (1) is most efficient. You won't when landing force gets shwacked by local partisans...
oops, over-compensate a drop down a massive 4-5 troop invasion....better hope the planet isn't irradiated (Whalen)....
think you're going to get to maximize a native technology advantage and load up troops on ships that aren't normally able to carry troops and surge forward to secure a distant planet? Think again when hidden guns pop-up and decimate your entire fleet.
Ready to swoop in and pummel a system that only has a few measly fighters defending it? Remember to bring along some protection for your carriers! That way your landing force doesn't suddenly and painfully become your blown-out-into-the-vacuum-of-space force.
OR
Have find happy, industrious indigenous people ready to assist your cause with money, ships, technology and the like.
Heck, that just a taste of what could -and did- happen; irrespective the plots and machinations the players themselves had in-store for each other (though folks Saturday night were exceedingly generous towards each other).
The other cool thing: one of the new races in the game, the Clan of Saar, a vaguely canine race that bears at least a similar pronunciation to Zaar:
Well that marathon game (which ended prematurely because I had to go to work Sunday Morning, though I did have the most victory points....) kept me up til almost 0100....and when the alarm goes off at 0400...let me tell you...there is a reason they call it the SNOOZE button. Well half-a-pot of coffee later I was toiling away at work, getting in some rescheduled reservist time. Then about 9 hours later it was time to go volunteer at Misawa's "America Day" that we hold for our Japanese hosts. Man let me tell you, it was the tail end of the second and final day, but the place was jammed! Unfortunately, the Chief's funnel cake table was all sold-out, so Christina and I didn't get to sell any (or sample the wares), but we did a few hours of clean-up....You know, study the senior NCOs, they chose a great spot, we broke it down FAST, and had the first truck ready in line to come and load up our goods for clean-up....
Now its Sunday night, I get tomorrow off, and its time go read the latest from one of my favorite authors: Raymond Feist's "Into a Dark Realm."
Later
The best part was without a doubt the massive seven-player Twilight Imperium cosmic battle royale that took place at the Mokuteki ball room on Saturday.
I'd never played anything larger than a 5-player game (and that only once), but the expansion set I got for game allows for 8 players (up from the previous 6).Ok, ok, I know for some, rehashes about "geek night" - as the wife likes to call it - is not fodder for the most entertaining blog, but guess what? I don't give a shit. That's the great part about having your own blog. For that matter, for anyone who has ever played Risk, or Axis and Allies, or Shogun; or any one who played Master of Orion (I, II or III) or (better yet) Galactic Civilizations II but would like a more sociable experience, then you'll LOVE Twilight Imperium. It quite simply is the best board game I've every played. (Have I played Risk, Dungeon and A&A more? yes, but simply because I played the hell out of those games when I was a kid). Nothing compares to the innumerable permutations that TI can throw at a player.
Think taking over planets with a minimum of troops (1) is most efficient. You won't when landing force gets shwacked by local partisans...
oops, over-compensate a drop down a massive 4-5 troop invasion....better hope the planet isn't irradiated (Whalen)....
think you're going to get to maximize a native technology advantage and load up troops on ships that aren't normally able to carry troops and surge forward to secure a distant planet? Think again when hidden guns pop-up and decimate your entire fleet.
Ready to swoop in and pummel a system that only has a few measly fighters defending it? Remember to bring along some protection for your carriers! That way your landing force doesn't suddenly and painfully become your blown-out-into-the-vacuum-of-space force.
OR
Have find happy, industrious indigenous people ready to assist your cause with money, ships, technology and the like.
Heck, that just a taste of what could -and did- happen; irrespective the plots and machinations the players themselves had in-store for each other (though folks Saturday night were exceedingly generous towards each other).
The other cool thing: one of the new races in the game, the Clan of Saar, a vaguely canine race that bears at least a similar pronunciation to Zaar:
Well that marathon game (which ended prematurely because I had to go to work Sunday Morning, though I did have the most victory points....) kept me up til almost 0100....and when the alarm goes off at 0400...let me tell you...there is a reason they call it the SNOOZE button. Well half-a-pot of coffee later I was toiling away at work, getting in some rescheduled reservist time. Then about 9 hours later it was time to go volunteer at Misawa's "America Day" that we hold for our Japanese hosts. Man let me tell you, it was the tail end of the second and final day, but the place was jammed! Unfortunately, the Chief's funnel cake table was all sold-out, so Christina and I didn't get to sell any (or sample the wares), but we did a few hours of clean-up....You know, study the senior NCOs, they chose a great spot, we broke it down FAST, and had the first truck ready in line to come and load up our goods for clean-up....Now its Sunday night, I get tomorrow off, and its time go read the latest from one of my favorite authors: Raymond Feist's "Into a Dark Realm."
Later
Monday, April 09, 2007
An Axis + Allies Weekend and some computer trouble
Whew!
It doesn't seem like that long, but I guess I didn't post the past couple of days. How unusual.
So what's been going on? First things first, if you like board games or really immersive table-top games - go here and check out Boardgamegeek.com for pictures and review of just about everything you can think or remember from your youth, plus find listing of places to buy them or where to shop online. Its pretty cool. You don't have to register - I didn't - yet ;)
Not much real good happened this weekend - depressing things actually - I finally got my computer back after much time and expense and its still not fixed right.....I've put off the dreaded tech support phone call for a day and half now....its going to be painful folks...let me tell you. So, no Supreme Commander or Command and Conquer 3 just yet for you intrepid gaijin. DAMMIT! The old rig can't even dream of running such a game, but my Star Wars rig....with twin nVidia 512Mb GTX 7900s....OH....its rarin' to go....too bad the GD thing doesn't WORK....AUGH....I'll tell you what, Alienware has a very, VERY slim chance of retaining my future business.
I also had a chance to play the newest version of an old table-top classic Axis and Allies. Man, the basic game is the same, but they've really altered the Eastern Front between Germany and Russia. Wow....it really changes the changes the game. There's a lot of other subtle little changes as well. (Like the Sahara desert is impassable, which keeps the Germany AFRIKA Corps bottled up in North Africa, and there are more sea zones, making ship movement a bit slower in places. And a very welcome British naval presence in India and Australia) Well long story short, I went to the local game night, planning to play some Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition. But there was a new guy there and we talked for a bit and decided to try and get in two games...OOPS....the game went a little slow and we wound up just playing one - A&A. For those of you that don't know anything about the game feel free to skip this part: It was me and the game owner (Charles) as the Allies. He professed his competence with America, so I took Russia and Britain, while the other players Kirk and his son Tristan played the Axis powers - Germany and Japan. It really became a battle between Kirk and I, because Charles did very little to help the allied cause. I kept carrying the water, holding the tough Germans and Japanese off, hoping that America would enter the fray quickly (heck my Aussie submariners - yes you read that right, Britain starts with a submarine in Australia now - took out the Japanese sub in the Solomons, and then sunk a fully loaded Japanese carrier with an instant death sneak attack the next round - Brilliant - the Brits did more to hamper the Japanese in the Pacific than the U.S.!) Charles did help in a couple of spots. But I tell you what, it was Britain that pulled out the victory, with almost no help, other than the Russo-German meatgrinder that was the Ukraine - Russian and Germany armies, tanks and planes went there to die, and die they did, by the hordes.....It kept the pressure off the U.K. though, and actually me to start open up a western front quite early in the game. ah...the good old days of battling out WWII on a board game. Man, I hadn't played that game in YEARS! Years I tell you, and I hadn't lost "it".
It doesn't seem like that long, but I guess I didn't post the past couple of days. How unusual.
So what's been going on? First things first, if you like board games or really immersive table-top games - go here and check out Boardgamegeek.com for pictures and review of just about everything you can think or remember from your youth, plus find listing of places to buy them or where to shop online. Its pretty cool. You don't have to register - I didn't - yet ;)
Not much real good happened this weekend - depressing things actually - I finally got my computer back after much time and expense and its still not fixed right.....I've put off the dreaded tech support phone call for a day and half now....its going to be painful folks...let me tell you. So, no Supreme Commander or Command and Conquer 3 just yet for you intrepid gaijin. DAMMIT! The old rig can't even dream of running such a game, but my Star Wars rig....with twin nVidia 512Mb GTX 7900s....OH....its rarin' to go....too bad the GD thing doesn't WORK....AUGH....I'll tell you what, Alienware has a very, VERY slim chance of retaining my future business.
I also had a chance to play the newest version of an old table-top classic Axis and Allies. Man, the basic game is the same, but they've really altered the Eastern Front between Germany and Russia. Wow....it really changes the changes the game. There's a lot of other subtle little changes as well. (Like the Sahara desert is impassable, which keeps the Germany AFRIKA Corps bottled up in North Africa, and there are more sea zones, making ship movement a bit slower in places. And a very welcome British naval presence in India and Australia) Well long story short, I went to the local game night, planning to play some Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition. But there was a new guy there and we talked for a bit and decided to try and get in two games...OOPS....the game went a little slow and we wound up just playing one - A&A. For those of you that don't know anything about the game feel free to skip this part: It was me and the game owner (Charles) as the Allies. He professed his competence with America, so I took Russia and Britain, while the other players Kirk and his son Tristan played the Axis powers - Germany and Japan. It really became a battle between Kirk and I, because Charles did very little to help the allied cause. I kept carrying the water, holding the tough Germans and Japanese off, hoping that America would enter the fray quickly (heck my Aussie submariners - yes you read that right, Britain starts with a submarine in Australia now - took out the Japanese sub in the Solomons, and then sunk a fully loaded Japanese carrier with an instant death sneak attack the next round - Brilliant - the Brits did more to hamper the Japanese in the Pacific than the U.S.!) Charles did help in a couple of spots. But I tell you what, it was Britain that pulled out the victory, with almost no help, other than the Russo-German meatgrinder that was the Ukraine - Russian and Germany armies, tanks and planes went there to die, and die they did, by the hordes.....It kept the pressure off the U.K. though, and actually me to start open up a western front quite early in the game. ah...the good old days of battling out WWII on a board game. Man, I hadn't played that game in YEARS! Years I tell you, and I hadn't lost "it".
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