by Jacob101O

Atash wrote:

Can you say us in a few words how the game is won or lost?

The game is won if you can overcome all three ordeals and lost if you fail to overcome an ordeal.

Thanks for the kind words everyone! I played some more games of Castellion over the week, mostly using the advanced rules.

At first, I tried to build my castle with all the ordeals in mind but quickly figured that won't do. If necessary, you need to be willing to destroy or change big parts of the castles to overcome all the ordeals using the abilities granted by the formations and discarded tiles.

After like 10 plays, I can say that the game feels like a big puzzle with moving pieces reminiscent of tetris.

Thank you for all :)

by mfaulk80

rahdo wrote:

RobDaviau wrote:

In both cases to the original post, the answer is 'yes', you can remove the item(s) in question.

Okay, but what about [o]after coda is no longer represented by cubes? Can the faded by removed via grassroots? I assume no, but I also incorrectly assumed no to the cubes...[/o]

Richard, you should note that your spoiler is for mid-April (since this thread is labeled as a February spoiler).

I assume the same as you because of the specific wording.

by pawnvsdice

Pear Annoyed wrote:

So 2 followers can claim the bonus? Weird...

Yes. I suppose a clearer but more generous alternative would have been to have the inn as the actual junction so any road terminating at the inn gains the doubling bonus.

by RobDaviau

[o]The field hospital lasts only for the turn it is played and then goes away. The part about not being permanent is to cover the case where someone plays it on the very last turn of the game and then wins in the middle of that turn when the field hospital is in play. Unlikely case but we needed to cover it.[/o]

by SillyWords

Hi Alban,

You might be right, I have to re-think it. Essentially, the 2W per spade earned means they get a "normal" dig in an unoccupied object. The 3W cost for owned colours is effectively a cost of 1.5 spades. So the net total of spades needed to transform hexes is probably quite low.

In a normal game, for a network of 13 I need 2 double digs and 5 single digs and I use 6 native hexes. So I need 9 digs in total (2*2+5*1).

A efleet would need 2 expensive digs and 9 single digs to reach this. So they need 2*1,5 + 9 singles. = 12 digs. If they use the bridge move three times and get 3 free, then they are at 9 (12-3) digs to reach a size of 13 too. However a bridge move costs 1w = half a dig. So add 3*0,5 to the cost and so a 13 network costs 10,5 digs. So it is slightly more expensive than a normal player.

However, that means, that you have to compare the rest of the faction with other factions.
- less worker income cripples the dig ability, which is slightly worse that a normal player anyhow. If you want to build a network to 13 you are going to be hurting for workers.
- no factionaly points generation like darklings, witches, halflings etc.
- no free resources like swarmlings, witches.
- no good power with the SH like the giants
- no ability to earn points with shipping.
- no way to earn victory points with 3vp per shipping bonus.
- no way to increase digging and get points.

So overall, I'm still saying, this is a weak faction. Costs more to dig and you have no other factional advantages. The major advantages is the ability to build anywhere at a reasonable cost. The only other slight advantage I see is the connect via sacrificed tokens. However this is also a double edged sword because it reduces your ability to burn.

Too make it interesting/viable however, it only takes a small change in my eyes. Every burnt power token can be used to connect things up on river tiles. Kind of little lava outposts. That way you would address the connectivity issues described above. And the SH should generate 4pw. With these two changes, I think the faction is weak, but viable.

Oh. Grabbing Fav7 is a must for this faction.

cheers

SW

by torakikiii

Would this be legit then? it's just an example I made up.
If so I assume that the road it's still uninterrupted since I can move from the starting ladder to the new one.

Thanks for the feedback.

by william4192

Please check out my other reviews at:

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/145695/item/2728438#it...



Conclusion:

OWACON: Old World and Code of Nine is a worker placement game where when the game starts you have very little information about how the game will score at the end. You have 1/4 of the end of game scoring, but it isn't enough information to win this game (barring just being the luckiest person on the planet). This is the main pull of the game. The entire game is set on the shoulders of this idea. And I didn't like it. Yes, during the game you will learn the other scoring cards (or at least some of them), but I think it would be very hard to find out all of them. I really didn't like this. It was a neat novelty, but it would keep me from coming back to this game over and over. I just don't like the idea of getting a bunch of coins because you know they are worth 4 VP each (that's a lot) but someone else had a card that says whoever has the most coins loses the game. I just didn't like this.

As a worker placement game the game has limited items for you to get and limited places to put your workers. Everything just felt limited and nothing was more important than something else unless a scoring card tells you they are. You really need to figure out the scoring cards as quickly as possible or you will be just doing random actions with a disregard to how they may score. This isn't fun to me at all.

The game has a unique twist (hidden ways to score), but the game itself might be too straight forward. You don't get X to make Y to add with W to get Z which score points. You literally get X which may score you points, lose you points, or knock out out of the game. This is a very straight forward game as are your choices. If you know the scoring cards, then your choices are really obvious and some spots are just better than other spots. Of course this will change each game based on the scoring cards that are in play.

Overall, this is a solid game which some gamers will enjoy. If I'm going to play a game I want to know how to win. Even so, that can be interesting but I also need a good game with good decisions there. Here, I feel I'm either blind or things are obvious. That's not a great place to be. Some people will enjoy this as there is some press your luck, bluffing, and educated guess work involved and some will find this a lot of fun and just part of the game.

Purge.




Components:

Wood/plastic: The workers and items are all these thin cardboard tokens. They are thin. They are not sturdy but won't fall apart either, but well below what we are used to.

Cards: N/A

Art: The art is anime looking and really not to my taste. There isn't a ton of art in the game. What is here will appeal to some gamers, but this is not going to bring in non-gamers or anyone outside this universe/world.

Board: The board is confusing and not put together well. The icons used are fine and I thought they were great. Where things were located and when they could be used was very confusing.

Type of money/vp: N/A

Final Grade: The components are cheaper than one would hope for. They are not terrible, but average at best on all accounts. This isn't your Cool Mini or Fantasy Flight games. Instead, you get odd art with 1980's type components.




Rule Book:

The rules are provided in black and white and are okay to learn the game. You can read it in just a few minutes and be able to play the game. If you have played worker placement games before, then you really just need to learn the scoring cards and you should be fine.



Flow of the Game:

Goal of the Game:

The goal of the game is to score the most VP. How to score these VP will be unknown at the start of the game.

How it plays:

Players will take turns placing workers on the board to either look at the end of game scoring rules and/or get resources that will score you VP at the end of the game.

Turn of the Game:

1. Each player has two cards that explain how ALL the players will score at the end of the game.

2. Players will take turns place three workers per round on the board to get items or do things (classic worker placement). It is important to note that certain actions are only allowed during a specific round and other actions will become available starting in certain rounds.

3. Players will either get items or look at other player's scoring cards. These scoring cards apply to all players despite who they are in front of.

4. This continues for 4-5 rounds.


* The spaces on the board are pretty simple. Get a statute, get 2 coins, etc.





Should I buy this game?:

This is an odd off the beaten path sort of game yet familiar. Fans of worker placement may want to give this game a shot. Fans of Anime art will feel at home. The game isn't a huge luck fest, but you have to okay with scoring points that might be negative. You will not know how the end of game scoring is conducted. A "go with the flow" attitude is required for this game.

Purge.


*The images posted with this review are not mine and are images I found on BGG. If you click on the image, you can see who posted it to BGG.

by mfaulk80

Definitely an April spoiler....

I think the answer is no, you can't use that card.

by Kamakaze

Glad that you used my pictures, but they are of the new edition board, which from the sound of your review (the new game has color rules, pawns for workers and more sturdy cardboard tokens) isn't the version you played =)

I also think the fun of the game is trying to figure out the scoring based on other players actions more so than actually looking at their cards. Once players know the scoring cards better, I feel it will feel less random and we might see more clever bluffing over what cards people might have.

by AvidHunter

I hunt to get the fur to use for my shelter and save the wood that way.

by Chrysm

Baaaaa ...

How about now?

by pawnvsdice

<div>The grey phantom with its violet tinge makes an acceptable pink one.</div>

by Nirkit

Kitarja wrote:

After I got one of the rare copies of this game at Essen and played it twice I definitely want more :)

Do you have an update about the expansion? Maybe some teasers you are working on? Or a rough estimate about the date? Anything? :p

Oh, how did you get a copy?
There were only five German version KCs on the fair. The rest was on a delayed both unfortunately. That's what happends when Spiel is 10 days earlier than usual :goo:
AFAIK, the Z-Man booth didn't have any English KC for sale.
It's still available at a lot of web shops around the globe though.

As for the Expansion thoughts, now that Spiel '15 is over and my brother and I seem to have more time on our hands again, we will for sure post a teaser about it. As soon as *this* and *this* and *that* is done of course :whistle:

So far: No date. No decision. Just pre-design so far. Don't know if it could be an official expansion yet or DLC/PnP, Kickstarter or something else.

by boywithcap

I was able to get my paypal order to go through by tweaking my address slightly... in my case, removing the text 'Apt' and just putting my unit number after the street name worked. :what: I used German language version of the site, translated by chrome.

by RobDaviau

[o]Remote treatment only works on disease cubes.[/o]

by kroen

I never liked playing regular Pandemic with more than 2 characters because I hated the micromanagement/bookkeeping invloved. Just one thing stops me from grabbing Legacy ASAP: Would I get a good experience controlling just 2 characters?

by mleacock

kroen wrote:

I never liked playing regular Pandemic with more than 2 characters because I hated the micromanagement/bookkeeping invloved. Just one thing stops me from grabbing Legacy ASAP: Would I get a good experience controlling just 2 characters?

The game was designed to work well for 2, 3, or 4 players controlling 1 character each. You can solo it without any issues, controlling 2 characters yourself.

by JMAAG

<div>Playing Stone Age</div>

by Capt Pedro

Available as part of a new colour set (not available individually)

http://cundco.de/en/accessories/87/carcassonne-meeple-in-son...

3.99 Euro + 3.95 euro postage
So nearly £6.00. :(
But it is for your wife...

by Steph

The Road to Essen!

This is my EPIC recap of the 2 week tour with the GEEK NATION tour group. It was so awesome! I had never been to Germany before, so being able to see all the sites and experience Essen Spiel has been a dream!

Late Monday Sept 28 Ron and I took flight to Munich. 9:30p flight arrival at 1:30p Tuesday. We took connecting flight through Iceland. I regret to inform you I didn't get to see the Aurora Borealis. :(

That day we met up with the group and got a few games of Mascarade in.

I have never been a fan of this game. I played it once and just didn't find much interest in it.

In the games we played I was mainly the thief and just keep stealing from the 2 players to either side. Ron was beating up on me no surprise and stealing all my money.

In the end I didn't win either game and I can't say I can remember who did. I am just uninterested in this game. I really never have to play it again.

:star::star::star:


Wednesday Sept 30, Munich

The tour brought us to Oktoberfest. I am like the last person you would expect to be there. I don't drink so it's not really my scene. I had fun to see all the people and experience it. It was also an amusement park. I brought my camera so I wasn't able to go on any rides :(

All in all it was fun to go but my ticket was probably wasted on me. Haha so many others might have enjoyed it more. I took pics ;)

Courtesy of Jeff Eiseman

Courtesy of Jeff Eiseman

:star::star::star:


Once we got back to the hotel we had an awesome evening planned with LudoFact reps Frank and Andre who were awesome. They brought a lot of hot new Essen releases for us to try. They didn't know the rules so we had to read them, well more like Ron had to read them. He was happy to since one of the games was M.U.L.E. The Board Game. New to me!

Ron had pre-ordered the game for Essen pick up and is specifically a game he played growing up in 8bit.

This game is very similar to Planet Steam but friendlier. Players have their own player boards that fill up with tiles that you take each turn. These tiles produce goods if you have a mule working it. You need energy to activate the mules each turn. There are action rounds to spend food to buy mules and change resource production, and even gamble if you dare!

Then after the production happens there is the market phase. While very similar to PS it is not all retro active. Therefore all the materials are bought and sold at a fixed price. This game is more approachable than planet steam for this reason. To me the game is very ugly. It didn't make my Essen list for that reason, and I knew Ron would get it.

The player with the most money at the end of the game is the winner.

This game we were all just learning and I managed to get all the right materials at the right time and sell everything at the right time. I somehow pulled out a win this time. I ended with 265 and Greg was I thought the winner with 262 but I managed to pass him! Andre was 3rd with 250 and Ron had 238. All in all it was a pretty close game. Much closer than the games of planet steam. I won't know if it will remain that way or if it will change with more experienced players.

I really liked the game I can see playing it a lot more. I do like plant steam better with the crazy market that changes by the players turn... Just anything can happen. That seems less likely here. Apparently there is an auction mechanic that we didn't play with in the first game so that might spruce it up a little bit.

After the first play I liked mule less than the others just because I like PS more. Ron was on the fence and wanted to play mule again before giving his feed back.

:star::star::star:

hursday Oct 1, Hohenschwangau

we went to see the famous Neuschwanstein castle. Disney's inspiration and one of my favorite games Castles of Mad King Ludwig. Super gorgeous and luxurious castle. We took a horse carriage up to the top and got to explore the castle grounds and were able to take a tour of the finished rooms. Totally intricate paintings and incredible wood working. Simply amazing Fall day and very picturesque. A bit of trivia for you was the mad king loved swans, a bit of an obsession, actually. He also only fully lived in the castle for 6 months.

It was so awesome to visit there. I loved it and it was so beautiful outside. Perhaps my favorite stop before reaching Essen.

:star::star::star:


Later that night Ron and I got to playing a couple games before going to sleep since Frank from LudoFact left some for us to try. We played 2p Taverna. New to me!

This is a game that wasn't on my to buy list at Essen so I was very excited to get to demo it to see if I should buy it. Now right off I want to mention that it wasn't great with 2p but I expect it to be better with more.

The game is beautiful... Really really nice. Bold colors and eye catching. Game play is easy to play.

On your turn you select a character from the splay of cards and place them in an available tavern. If you run the tavern you get a bonus and if the card symbol matches the symbols on the card then there is another bonus you get to perform. Once those actions are set then a player may move one of the special characters that happen to be in that tavern to another tavern and perform their ability.

That is essentially the game for 8 rounds for 2p. There is end scoring that is determined and is always of 5 things to choose from. Once one is claimed no one else can score for it. There is a lot of in game scoring and then some at the end to plan for. There are "god tracks" I use this term since it is very similar to Tzolkin and Terra Mystica. The higher up the more point and only one disc at the top.

Ron and I played and figured it out. It seems to be repetitive actions and Ron and I were just helping each other since we were always both owners of the taverns. It helped that I totally kicked butt and beat Ron by under 5 points. Woohoo!!

I did enjoy it and I can see playing it again and teaching the game. I don't think if I were to buy it then it would get played all that often. It actually reminded me of Templar even though they are not the same at all... Weird. I would happy play this one again.

:star::star::star:


We then played a 2p game of OctoDice. New to me.

This is a simple dice game that takes place in the. Aquasphere worlds here all the symbols and art are the same. The game is very solo but for one piece. There are 6 rounds. An each round you get 6 dice to roll keep 2, roll 4 keep 2 roll 2 and perform 2 actions. Other players get to choose one addition action from other players dice during the round.

I have to say the game was not that exciting with 2 players because we could both take one action from the other that we ended up having very similar scores. I managed to roll somewhat better in the final round and passed Ron in points for the win.

I like what it was doing and it might be better with more since everyone rolls differently and you can steal an action so there is reason to pay attention during other players turns. It still is a very solo game. Nothing I could do to effect others or vice versa.

It was interesting. I don't feel the need to own it but I enjoy it and will definitely play it again. I like fast dice games. This might cause some AP, however.

:star::star::star:



Friday Oct 2, Hauptstrasse

We started the day with driving to LudoFact!! They are the major gaming manufacturing company for tons of publishers.

This was very cool. Frank, the one who brought us some awesome games to try, was the one who gave us the tour of the factory.

It was awesome to see how the cardboard becomes the game. To make a box for a game it is an 11 step process!

It was cool to see Marco Polo boards being made and tons of new Essen releases. I saw German Rails being produced and Mombasa getting on cue to being packed for final assembly. So many awesome games! They said they are out putting about 70,000 games a day during peak season. Holy crap!

It was quite a process and I saw a ton of games. It think Frank was impressed with out board gaming knowledge and the amount of games we knew. I was super excited for the Porta Nigra game board... ;)

Courtesy of Jeff Eiseman


:star::star::star:


The second stop of the day was Steiff Teddy bear museum. I was expecting more like the Vermont Teddy bear Fact, but no, this was ultra cheese. It was the craziest most pointless tour ever. There was a creepy into to the tour with voice recording and moving objects. Perhaps if you look up cheeses in the dictionary you will find this tour listed.

We did get to play with big animals when it was over so that was exciting and there was a slide!!

Courtesy of Jeff Eiseman


:star::star::star:


During the driving portions of the day we got to playing some games. I taught our tour guide Zak how to play Star Realms on the app.

He learned quickly but I still managed to smoke him in both games. Needless to say, he didn't want to play a 3rd game with me.


:star::star::star:


Greg brought a cool game to play called Black Stories Dark Tales Edition. New to me! (This is not the actual edition I played but it is the only one in BGG so close enough.

I suppose it is more of an activity to use your ideas to create a story and figure out a riddle. It is Great for a bus game you don't have to move around or deal with any real components. One person reads the event and everyone else starts asking questions to figure out what happened and how.

An example might be a woman talks on the phone too long and dies. We asked questions to figure out what happened and why and that is essentially it. We played many rounds of this game.

It is the perfect travel game for tons of people. Very clever.

:star::star::star:


We arrived at a brewery tour and there was no way I was going on that. Ron also found no interest in it so we hung back and played Le Havre on the iPad while the rest did the tour.

I was just doing whatever int he game. I thought of something I could try and then I found out it was the final round. What!? Ugh I was utterly hosed. I hadn't shipped anything and was So Very Far behind it was insane. I think I was just tired and not paying attention. Ron more than doubled my score and totally destroyed me. It was an embarrassment to say the least. I still love the game I just need to pay better attention to what's happening.



To make me feel better Ron and I played a fast game of Star Realms to make up for it.

I totally kicked his butt in that. At least I can claim fame to SR, which is more important. ;)


:star::star::star:


Saturday Oct 3 Heidelberg

We took the bus to old town Heidelberg. We got dropped right by the old castle there and got released to explore the grounds. Ron's super smart so he was giving me the tour since he was familiar with the history of the ruins.

This town was amazingly beautiful. Once we were done with exploring the castle Ron and I walked down the streets to see all the small cobblestone roads and quaint houses. We walked though the town center (tourist town) and over the bridge to view the castle from there.

Courtesy of Jeff Eiseman


:star::star::star:


The day was a German holiday and the shops were closed and there was a festival in Frankfort where we were destined to sleep for the night. We got to the hotel and had some time so got some games played that night.

Ron and I taught Zach and Amelia Castles of Mad King Ludwig. This game I was going for big tiles for my hidden goals. It was against the common goals and in hindsight might have been a bad idea.

I managed to get a ton of in game points and a few end scoring points . I did terribly with the common goals but it gave the Zach a chance to catch up. In the end I got just enough points to win the game. Ron was right on my heels but I still stuck it out. It is a really wonderful game!! Both Zach and Amelia loved the game.

:star::star::star:


Later, after dinner, we got in a few more games. Out of the available choices I wanted to play/learn Ticket to Ride: Märklin. New to me!

I have to say I had only play US and Europe maps and I dislike both of them. They just are not that interesting to me and I would rather play almost any other game.

This one has a different mechanic where there are passengers. It adds a whole other aspect where passengers can ride the trains from stop to stop and collect points. Really interesting and abstract even. All other mechanics were the same except for the +4 wild cards. I had 2 of those unused at the end. I really should have used them. I was learning that but apparently it is common in other editions of the game.

Our game was going well but Ron was holding on to his passengers and picked up a bunch of south and east Germany where no one was building. He got tons of those points and completed the second most completed routes. I completed the most with 9 and 3not completed for -26. I did get +10 for most completed too.

I would have been close to winning with out that big negative hit. Ron wended up winning with 208 points and I was 2nd place with 171. I definitely enjoyed this T2R best of the 3 I have played. Interesting map and interesting passengers. Ron actually won the game and now I own Marklin... Weird but cool!

:star::star::star:


Sunday Oct 4, Rudisheim

Here we did a lot of touristy things. We took the chairlift up over the vineyards and I really wanted to play Tuscany. It was pretty awesome with a killer view. We then went on a river cruise on the Rhein. It was 4 hours and we saw about 16 castles on the way. Really nice to do and I would recommend it to anyone. Simply beautiful!

Ron managed to get this shot. He was bound to get one good photo in his life. Great pic Ron, One of my favorites from the trip.

Courtesy of Jeff Eiseman





On the boat we did manage to play a game Amelia and Zach picked up at a flea market called Café International. New to me!

They found this game in shrink and only for 4€. What a find!! :-)

The rules were in German but Zach was able to figure out the rules and teach us for a 4p game. This is a pretty abstract game and is a tile placement game.you are trying to seat guests at tables of their nationality. You score points when you place guests. All in all the game plays fairly quickly. We didn't have the scoring quite right so we were very short on chips to give points out, we had to start using euros. Haha, you do what you can when you can.

In out game a few players got an early lead with seating a full table of same type nationalities. This allowed them to start cutting down on the tiles and score tons of points.

But, by the end I managed to catch up a great deal but not enough to win. Greg won with 114 and I had 110. So close but no cigars. Next time I play I will play with the correct scoring and hopefully that will be better :).

:star::star::star:


On the boat we still had time and Zak brought a deck of cards so 4 of us use that to play Hearts. I took on the responsibility of teaching Aurora (age 8) the game. She said she had played Diamonds so I thought she would be able to handle it.

It went over ok. We didn't end up keeping score but we played 3 rounds before we had to get ready to disembark.

I know I got stuck with the queen and many hearts one round. But I think Zach ultimately lost since he kept collecting points. We kept going through the rules with Aurora and I am not sure she picked it up or not.

It was fun to play a few rounds.

Courtesy of Jeff Eiseman


:star::star::star:


Later after dinner we got to playing some games. Since I am all about learning new games I opted to learn Castle Panic even though I know it is co-op. New to me!

The object is to defend the castle from the monsters attack. If the middle section of the castle is standing once all monsters are destroyed then we won the game. Each turn a player draws up to 5 cards and then choose to discard a card to draw a card and or trade a card with another player. They don't have to. Then a player can play any number of cards from his hand to fight off the monsters. Once they are done then 2 monsters appear.

During our game we had one turn that spawned about 10 monsters due to events and special monsters bringing more out. Apparently there is one winner in the coop that is whomever kills the most values in the monsters. I killed 2 monsters. I kept having events to discard my cards!

I didn't have anything to kill the monsters and I was helping the others more by trading my cards away so they could kill the monsters easier. Ultimately we lost our game. We just had 3 monsters left and we were all learning so that was pretty good!

:star::star::star:


From our hotel in Koblenz Sunday night

:star::star::star:


Monday Oct 5, Castle Eltz and Koblenz


We left and headed out to explore the Burg Eltz. It is a really old majestic castle. It was built over 500 years for different families. There is even 2/5 parts to the castle still occupied with living people inside. Crazy!!

It was sooooo beautiful!!

:star::star::star:


We then went up the gondola to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress to explore. It was pretty cool, Ron told me about some history that I can't remember. It was very cool to explore. We were on our own for dinner and Ron and I walked down the trail from the fortress and through the city of Koblenz to our hotel.

:star::star::star:


Later that night we were fortunate to meet fellow gamers from the city of Koblenz. Peter, Claudia, Scottie and Morris. They lived so close they could walk to our hotel- just a couple hundred meters to meet us!

We actually started with a 7 player game of 7 Wonders with the city expansion. Almost everyone playing hadn't played with the cities expansion so Ron and I explained the rules and we got to playing. Cities is quite easy to pick up with the base game. I might recommend that before leaders since leaders introduces a whole knew mechanism.

We got to playing and in the first 2 rounds it was clear that I wasn't going to be getting any resource cards. I saw very few of them but my neighbors were finding some and I was good to go.

I started strong with blue cards and Zach was focused on collecting science and military. He had early babylon and the special bonus of playing his final 2 cards from round 1 on.

Ultimately Zach won with 69 points and I was 2nd with 64 points. I was playing Ephesos and collecting high valued guilds and a bit of everything else.

It was so awesome to play this game. I really miss playing this game all time. 1 expansion is better than no expansion so I was happy they had that going on. I would play this game anytime. I love it.

:star::star::star:


We split up after that to play a few different games. We played 4 player Can't Stop. I taught Zak, Amelia, and Scottie how to play and they all loved it.

It is a fast addictive board game that is hard not to like.

In our game Scottie pushed right up the 7 track. I started string but continue to bust out for like 4 or 5 rounds in a row. Zak made it up 2 tracks and we thought he was going to take the win but in the next turn Scottie came from no where and took the win. Everyone else was very close to 3/3 but all ended with 2/3.

Close game I would ply this anytime!! It's awesome.

:star::star::star:


Zak took off and I taught Amelia and Scottie Coloretto. We played super quickly.

For anyone who doesn't know he game it is zooloretto the fast card game. Set collection and colors!

Wonderful filler type game both players enjoyed. I managed to get a 6 set and a 5 set. I had a bunch of bonus points so I took the win that game.

I will happily play this anytime.

:star::star::star:



The final game of the night was 6 player King of Tokyo.

Not really a game I enjoy all that often but happy to play in this circumstance.

I got put in Tokyo right off the bat and I hung out there for a round. I was happy since I got 5 claws!!! Totally knocked out 2 players when that happened.

It all came down to me and Morris and I got out of Tokyo and he just stayed and collected points. But, ultimately he killed me off since he had more life. So sad! I like getting tons of hit points! So awesome!

It's fun I don't mind playing every once in a while. My copy is still up for sale. The natives had to call it a night round 11:15p or so and we hit the hay.

Courtesy of Jeff Eiseman


:star::star::star:


It was truly awesome to meet those local gamers. Super cool and down to earth group. They only meet 1 time in the month and it hardly seems like enough to me. One of the best experiences from the tour. I love meeting new people.


:star::star::star:


Tuesday Oct 6, Königswinter

We took a late start to the morning and took the bus to a dock where we were set to take an hour cruise down the river.

While we were waiting for the boat we all got some coffee and Eis (ice cream). We sat in some lovely seats and I took out A Dead Man's Chest.

Patrick let me borrow this tiny bluffing game. It is very easy to bring around and play. We played with like 7 people each with 2 gems each. We did a few full rounds before players started dropping like flies. Ginny was before me and she was just killer rolling. She rolled box cars and then I HAD to roll ace deuce in order to pass. Luckily I did!! Ron tried to call my bluff and he lost his second gem. Next time around Ginny rolled ace deuce and totally had me. It came down to Amelia and Greg for a duel off and Greg won with a bad cll on 54. Whoops!!

I think every e had a good time playing and enjoying the day. We were running a bit late so we all ran to the boat to catch it before it left without us.

:star::star::star:


On the boat tour we actually got a 4 player game of The Grizzled played. New to me!

Ok ok this is a co op but it was a new game so I wanted to try it and add it to my list. I don't think I have heard of it until this trip or at least never come across it before the trip.

This is a card game with no real leader issues because each player is in control of their own hand and how they play the cards in them. The object is to get though the stack of cards and reveal the dove card before the secondary deck runs out and shows the statue card.

It seemed to be a very clever game. On a players turn they can play a rule to their persons (usually bad) if you collect 4 (red lightening bolts) of them then you lose. You can play a card to the center along with other cards played. They will consist of symbols and weather types, if you ever have three of the same type of those things than you lose the mission.

You have to add cards from the secondary deck to the dove deck = the number of cards left in players hands. Each mission you want to try to get rid of as many cards as possible before you bow out. It can all be about timing.

I did enjoy the game but since it was my first game and we won I feel complete and might not need to revisit this game.

It is funny since Greg, the owner of the game, has taught and played this game 15-20 times including like 6 games this trip and has never won, until now. I told them when I sat down that I was amazing and we would win. I wouldn't deliver less :p

In the game we were pushing the cards. As it turns out I was the leader in the final round and I had to deal out 3 cards not actually dealing a card to myself. This was awesome because I had 3 fears that added to the count in the middle so in the first turn I was able to withdraw and allow others to play all their cards. Had I just 1 card we wouldn't have won that time and would have had to keep going!

It was pretty fast game 30-45 minutes and we kicked butt. I enjoyed it and would definitely play it again if asked. Not going to go buy it, however.

:star::star::star:


We got off the boat cruise and headed up the mountain on the cog train to see Drachenfehls ruins.

It was pretty and I felt on top of the world. Really cool. Nothing really to explore in the ruins but it was cool just being up there so high!

:star::star::star:


We took the bus to Köln and spent the night there. Once at the hotel Ron and I got a few games in.

I requested we play a game of Seasons since we had yet to play it on the trip and we brought it all this way.

This was an awesome game for me. I he game I managed to play a divine chalice and snag another divine chalice. Boom! Just like that... One of my favorite moves :)

I had another amazing turn where I used the banisher to make Ron discard the lantern and I collected energy and transmuted that and so much other energy for so many points. I totally owned that round.

I didn't have any other amazing turns like that but it was good enough to keep me in the lead for the remainder of the game and actually win with 172 points to Ron's surprisingly close 161. I thought he was way lost but apparently he was much closer and I have to pay more attention next time to cream him harder. :p

We played on the bed so not the best pics hahha any way we can, amiright?

:star::star::star:


We had some more time so we played a few iOS games starting with Le Havre.

Ron was feeling sad since I beat him so bad so I said he could beat me in Le Havre. It's only fair...

I am just awful at this game. I once was awesome until Ron was able to figure it out better than me! Unfair!

This game I was going for a wheat/cow strategy and ended up getting boats far too late and it hurt. I need to figure out how to get early boats. We had a low iron count and the wharfs were so late to appear it was insane. I got the Zoo tile! It give +1/3 gold for each of your fish and cows... So interesting!

I still ended up losing this game since Ron got to ship a bunch at the end since he owned the shipping line. Jerk. I think he only got around 180s and I was 161 so I wasn't THAT far behind...

The AI beat me though and was 170s. He was a jerk too! Hahah

It really is an awesome ap. Recommended!

:star::star::star:

Ron also creamed me in a game of Star Realms. He got an early Brain World then seemed to almost immediately get the Command Ship. I was hose from the Brains anyway. It was a Very fast game. Ultra fast.


:star::star::star:


Wednesday Oct 7, Köln and Essen


We woke up in Köln Wednesday morning. We were literally outside the huge Cathedral. As a group we did a tour of the cathedral and got the full history. My favorite part was the huge rainbow mosaic window done around 2007 or something incredibly recent. Ron went to the top and I hung back. Way too many stairs. :P

It was pretty cool to see but not my favorite stop on the tour.

Courtesy of Jeff Eiseman

Courtesy of Jeff Eiseman

Courtesy of Jeff Eiseman
LOTS of Gelato!




:star::star::star:


We had the afternoon to explore before we headed out to Essen.

Once we got to Essen we checked in and had some time. Ron and I got to playing Suburbia on the iPad. We played with 2AIs and I think that ultimately helped me win the game. Lots of end scoring and extra bonus to go around.

The game is much better when I am winning the whole time!!

I enjoy the app a bunch still has all the good stuff and it plays very quickly. Ron was sad I beat him.

I continued to beat him in Star Realms on the app too! Sucker!!!


:star::star::star:


Later we had Boardgamegeek admin join us for dinner at the hotel. His name is Chad and we pounced on him for all the BGG inside scoop. He told us about his thoughts on games and what goes on for BGG. It was pretty cool. Only wish we could have gotten to play a game with him before he had to leave. He recognized my blog and photos, so that was pretty cool. I was happy we got to meet him.

Courtesy of Zak Gucklhorn


:star::star::star:


After dinner we found the special gaming area and there were gamers already playing games in there!! Woohoo awesome!!

Greg found a super cheap copy of Ginkgopolis when we were exploring the city for 25€ WHAT?! Awesome find and I really wish I found it since I would have bought it to have Xavier sign at Essen. Oh man I would have loveddddd that!!!

Greg asked me to teach him so I taught him and Zak how to play. I am getting better at teaching this game but it will never be perfect since it depends on who is playing and what you think they might need reminding of. I was repeating myself a lot because in this game you have to.

After a few rounds they were feeling good and by half game better and by the end they were really enjoying it. Both of them really loved it! Yay more ginkgo players!!!! The world is happier for it, or at least I am!

I ended up winning with 103 and Greg was 83 and Zak was 70. Not bad for a first game. It did last longer than expected. I was due to go out a few turns earlier but got over played damn them! It worked out in my favor anyway.

Awesome awesome game still my #1! Love it so much!!! Always happy to get more ginko peeps!

Courtesy of Jeff Eiseman



:star::star::star:


This Ends my Part 1 of the journey to Essen. I have posted more images from the journey but decided not to use them all. They are in my gallery if you are curious!

Next post will have all of my Essen experiences. :D