Day 465. April 10, 2018. Lagos...
Just as we were about to leave, a tropical storm, for the lack of a better expression, exploded outside, making even the slightest idea of a gentle stroll under the rain a dubious decision. It would be a windy and wet adventure just to go down the street! Bah! Better to stay inside and play some games.
![]()
Good morning animals!
Alice had one in mind already: By Golly. Once again the only slight variation of the rules was to keep the matched animals turned up until the poo card showed up. And this way is fine and dandy for Alice. I started off with a few matches of my own after Alice's poking revealed the very same animals I had in hand. But quickly the tide turned and then it was my turn to fail the matching, only to reveal the animals that Alice needed. And since a shovel was discovered early on, whenever the brown substance showed up, we both knew how to clean that mess, so no extra cards for either.
![]()
Snail's dilemma.
She won fair and square! Actually, there was a point when she wanted to stop since she already knew where all the animals were and, perhaps, that she would win if she continued!
We then moved on to a quick game of Super Rhino. This one, we make it even simpler. On your turn, you just need to move the Rhino (if there's a Rhino card on top), build the wall and place the roof. No special cards since it is already a challenge for Alice, not only to bend the cards to make them sturdier, but also to place them in a stable position, and not to mention the Rhino throw, instead of a gentle arrangement! But what she really likes in this game is the pictures on the wall cards. All the animals doing day to day house stuff, are great and she'll make up stories on her own for each of them!
![]()
Rhino drop.
Alice wasn't done yet after the Rhino. Or at least, she thought she wasn't. She got up and quickly picked up the plastic bag with "the mountain" game, as she calls it. I couldn't remember how many scorecards should be revealed and didn't want to break the momentum with screen time, so we just put four cards on display.
But Alice didn't really care about the scorecards. Her criteria would be to pick the big animals first and birds for last! That's it! Nevertheless, we had fun making the path and going through the motions of the open card drafting. I indulge her with one final game, using a different scoring and the path cards we didn't yet used. By the fifth card, she was already out focus and with her mind elsewhere.
![]()
Beautiful conifer forests.
Time for the real play I said! We picked up three unused mattresses and a few fabrics and built our own slide, tunnel, house, bed, and supermarket in the living room! Not bad for a couple of mattresses.
:star::star::star:
With the girls busy in home DIY projects, I prepared for a long overdue play of Ginkgopolis. One of my most prized "wins" on a Math Trade and one I've only been able to play with Ana so far, with mixed results. Not one of her favorites. I'll try taking it to the next gamenight.
I think the all idea behind this game is stellar! A jumble of mechanisms and genres that unusually make the game bigger than the sum of its parts. I remember finding out about him when I began looking for "heavy" tile laying games. Consistently, Ginkgopolis came up on the recommendations! An abstract futuristic city building game with tile laying, card drafting, resource management, area control and a tableau engine building! Am I missing something? And while abstractish, I really like the art on the cards and tiles, and for a game of 2012, we're talking about tiles that are as thick as any Gallerist overproduced ticket! Way ahead of its time!
![]()
Organic city growth.
![]()
Easy city.
But then the solo... I kept reading about how hard it was to beat HAL, even in the normal setting and hoped for a difficult solo challenge in Ginkgopolis. However, it's the second time I'm playing against him and once more, I win by a big point lead! Ten VPs this time. Am I doing something wrong? I didn't think so! I've scouted all the solo threads for something that I might have missed or some errata on the rulebook. Nothing...
While I did feel that HAL behaves like a ruthless and cheating player, always bulling me out of the districts, or creating some of his own out of the blue, I never felt the pressure. Hum... I'll try the Expert variant tomorrow and see how it goes. Love the game though and the tactile feel of all its fiddly parts!
:star::star::star:
It was either Nusfjord or Clans of Caledonia on the menu for tonight's entertainment with Ana. I picked Nusfjord since it plays faster and its less time consuming with the setup. Sort off...
We're still playing with the "easy" Herring deck, and as such, the only real combostatic moves you can do, come from the elders! And I'm starting to notice that I keep picking the same ones every game. The Builder in round one and The Harbour Masters as soon as possible. Maybe I should explore the other ones in the next game.
This time, I created a construction dry dock that allowed me to turn one lousy fish for a Sloop, with the Slipway and Shipping Office buildings! I then went for an uninteresting combo with Arboretum after a Forest Lake Hut and spent the rest of the game, absent-mindedly making sure that... Ana wasn't having a good time!
![]()
Bad fisherman.
What's the optimal play sometimes? To make the most game efficient move that will move you towards victory or to make the most fun efficient move that will make everyone happy? I didn't think about this when the shares began to pile up on the board and nobody was going for them. When they reached a three tile height, they were already too good a goal to pass. Ana would arduously get the necessary gold to buy them all, I would ask how much gold she had, and upon checking that she had, just enough, I dropped another share on the pile, making it unreachable for another round! And this went on for three more rounds until the pile reached six!
We both forgot the discount from rounds 4 to 7, so actually, Ana could have gotten them before me and won the game! However, I was there first and that was the end of this fishing season for her.
Next time, I should be more mindful and not be such a distracted cutthroat player when gaming with Ana.
:nostar::nostar::nostar:
One year ago: ...the hundredth time-travel...
Photo & Image credits: ZombieBoard
Just as we were about to leave, a tropical storm, for the lack of a better expression, exploded outside, making even the slightest idea of a gentle stroll under the rain a dubious decision. It would be a windy and wet adventure just to go down the street! Bah! Better to stay inside and play some games.
Good morning animals!
Alice had one in mind already: By Golly. Once again the only slight variation of the rules was to keep the matched animals turned up until the poo card showed up. And this way is fine and dandy for Alice. I started off with a few matches of my own after Alice's poking revealed the very same animals I had in hand. But quickly the tide turned and then it was my turn to fail the matching, only to reveal the animals that Alice needed. And since a shovel was discovered early on, whenever the brown substance showed up, we both knew how to clean that mess, so no extra cards for either.
Snail's dilemma.
She won fair and square! Actually, there was a point when she wanted to stop since she already knew where all the animals were and, perhaps, that she would win if she continued!
We then moved on to a quick game of Super Rhino. This one, we make it even simpler. On your turn, you just need to move the Rhino (if there's a Rhino card on top), build the wall and place the roof. No special cards since it is already a challenge for Alice, not only to bend the cards to make them sturdier, but also to place them in a stable position, and not to mention the Rhino throw, instead of a gentle arrangement! But what she really likes in this game is the pictures on the wall cards. All the animals doing day to day house stuff, are great and she'll make up stories on her own for each of them!
Rhino drop.
Alice wasn't done yet after the Rhino. Or at least, she thought she wasn't. She got up and quickly picked up the plastic bag with "the mountain" game, as she calls it. I couldn't remember how many scorecards should be revealed and didn't want to break the momentum with screen time, so we just put four cards on display.
But Alice didn't really care about the scorecards. Her criteria would be to pick the big animals first and birds for last! That's it! Nevertheless, we had fun making the path and going through the motions of the open card drafting. I indulge her with one final game, using a different scoring and the path cards we didn't yet used. By the fifth card, she was already out focus and with her mind elsewhere.
Beautiful conifer forests.
Time for the real play I said! We picked up three unused mattresses and a few fabrics and built our own slide, tunnel, house, bed, and supermarket in the living room! Not bad for a couple of mattresses.
With the girls busy in home DIY projects, I prepared for a long overdue play of Ginkgopolis. One of my most prized "wins" on a Math Trade and one I've only been able to play with Ana so far, with mixed results. Not one of her favorites. I'll try taking it to the next gamenight.
I think the all idea behind this game is stellar! A jumble of mechanisms and genres that unusually make the game bigger than the sum of its parts. I remember finding out about him when I began looking for "heavy" tile laying games. Consistently, Ginkgopolis came up on the recommendations! An abstract futuristic city building game with tile laying, card drafting, resource management, area control and a tableau engine building! Am I missing something? And while abstractish, I really like the art on the cards and tiles, and for a game of 2012, we're talking about tiles that are as thick as any Gallerist overproduced ticket! Way ahead of its time!
Organic city growth.
Easy city.
But then the solo... I kept reading about how hard it was to beat HAL, even in the normal setting and hoped for a difficult solo challenge in Ginkgopolis. However, it's the second time I'm playing against him and once more, I win by a big point lead! Ten VPs this time. Am I doing something wrong? I didn't think so! I've scouted all the solo threads for something that I might have missed or some errata on the rulebook. Nothing...
While I did feel that HAL behaves like a ruthless and cheating player, always bulling me out of the districts, or creating some of his own out of the blue, I never felt the pressure. Hum... I'll try the Expert variant tomorrow and see how it goes. Love the game though and the tactile feel of all its fiddly parts!
It was either Nusfjord or Clans of Caledonia on the menu for tonight's entertainment with Ana. I picked Nusfjord since it plays faster and its less time consuming with the setup. Sort off...
We're still playing with the "easy" Herring deck, and as such, the only real combostatic moves you can do, come from the elders! And I'm starting to notice that I keep picking the same ones every game. The Builder in round one and The Harbour Masters as soon as possible. Maybe I should explore the other ones in the next game.
This time, I created a construction dry dock that allowed me to turn one lousy fish for a Sloop, with the Slipway and Shipping Office buildings! I then went for an uninteresting combo with Arboretum after a Forest Lake Hut and spent the rest of the game, absent-mindedly making sure that... Ana wasn't having a good time!
Bad fisherman.
What's the optimal play sometimes? To make the most game efficient move that will move you towards victory or to make the most fun efficient move that will make everyone happy? I didn't think about this when the shares began to pile up on the board and nobody was going for them. When they reached a three tile height, they were already too good a goal to pass. Ana would arduously get the necessary gold to buy them all, I would ask how much gold she had, and upon checking that she had, just enough, I dropped another share on the pile, making it unreachable for another round! And this went on for three more rounds until the pile reached six!
We both forgot the discount from rounds 4 to 7, so actually, Ana could have gotten them before me and won the game! However, I was there first and that was the end of this fishing season for her.
Next time, I should be more mindful and not be such a distracted cutthroat player when gaming with Ana.
One year ago: ...the hundredth time-travel...
Photo & Image credits: ZombieBoard