Ile-de-France Rocks!

Mike and I played through 5 turns of Warriors of God last evening, and my French were up to 28 VPs (30 is a victory), so we decided to call it. A brutal game that was close early, then I got some lucky area control rolls which built up the "empire." Bertrand, the 4-3 leader, led an invasion of England, which gloriously succeeded. He promptly died, but there was enough strength in England to keep it French for a while, while 3 English noblemen rotted in French prison. Since the French were winning the battles and had the areas, we both saw the writing on the wall...

Damn fun game, and we plan to play again, switching sides. Finally, I'll get to be the "good guys!"

Cheyenne's head lump is still there -- she looks like a conehead from the old Saturday Night Live. But it doesn't seem to be bothering her at all, so that's good. I have a vet appointment for 3:00 PM today, and I'm hoping a quick cortisone shot (or something) will get her back to normal. Poor girl...

My friend at work informed me this morning that she can't go to the Sabres/Canuks game next Friday (the 17th), so she offered me the tix for 1/2 price. Too cool, I couldn't say no! I'm looking forward to the NHL season getting started for Buffalo tonight vs. the Canadiens, as I'll hang out and watch it on the tube tonight. Deanna's going out with the 2 other English teachers on her team tonight, so I can have "manland" kick in. Go Sabres!

Funny thing about the NHL -- I really love watching the Sabres, but I wouldn't say I'm an NHL fan. When the Sabres aren't playing, I can't get really interested in the games. I enjoy the international game (bigger rinks, no fighting, penalties consistently enforced) much more, and hope the NHL keeps heading in this direction. But for now, I can't get real excited about an Anaheim/Philadelphia game. Oh well...

A 3-day weekend coming. I will continue to move/clean up my game room, as I've got a lot of cataloging to do. I'd also like to sell a bunch of stuff, gotta get moving on that...

Doggie Bumps

Had today off school for Yom Kippur. Even though I'm not Jewish, I decided to atone for my sins. Therefore, I worked extra hard on cleaning up the gameroom...

Noticed a while back that Cheyenne has a big ol' goose egg on the top/back of her head. It doesn't bother her when I touch it, so she didn't bump into anything or get hit there, I don't think. She's been in the basement with me for most of the afternoon, so I'm guessing it's a spider bite. I gave her a Benadryl, and I hope this helps. After what I went through with Gypsy and her mast cell tumors, finding a big bump/lump on my dog is definitely something that can panic me.

I am headed over to Mike's tonight for some more Warriors of God. I think we're going to try the 100 Years War scenario again, and Mike's going to try to keep his leaders alive! I've gotta admit, I enjoy the game, chaotic as it is. Looking through my game collection, it's probably the best IGS game in my opinion. Fun is most important to me. And though the game is procedural heavy (something I tend to dislike in wargames), it isn't a bad thing here, as the game is so easy and light. I think the whole "procedural heavy" stuff really hurts more complicated games -- I just want to play the situation, not the rulebook!

Well, off to box up some old Avalon Hill stuff, then over to Mike's.

Da Raiders, Gaming, and the Great Outdoors...

Well, the living zombie Davis finally fired the best coach he's had since Gruden. A talented team that will probably languish in another 4-12 season. Davis has gone from football genius to football joke, and I hung on for way too long. The man is a complete bag of shit, and, frankly, that's being unfair to bags of shit. I still want to bleed silver and black, but I really can't do that anymore without feeling really dirty. No, I'll start rooting for the Toronto, uh, Barfalo Bills as my #1...

Ugh, my favorites (or former favorites as long as Davis lives) in football give me pause to hate the game. Between Oakland in the NFL and Syracuse in the NCAA, 2 proud franchises have certainly hit rock bottom. At least there's nowhere to go but up. At least I think that has to be the case...

Keep laughing, baby, you're free!

Played Poker the other night at a work friend's house, and even though I was exhausted and light-headed from the bug, I hung in there, finishing just out of the money. I lost my chance to make it into 3rd position (out of 8) when I went all in with A/Q of hearts. Of course, the flop had a 9 in it, and the other guy's call of unsuited A/9 beat me, as a 2nd 9 came up on the river. Ugh again! It was fun, and I had time to watch the end of the football game...

Tonight is Warriors of God at Mike's place. We did the "Lion in Winter" scenario last time, so I guess we'll tackle the "100 Years War" this evening. Then on Saturday, "Mr. BACSIM" is hosting the Buffalo group's 4th Anniversary bash. I will be there, and even Mike threatens the same! I hope to get in a 4-player Successors, and with a bigger than usual crowd, this just might happen. I'll bring that and a few other games, and happily get into anything.

Tomorrow and Friday the 6th graders on my team are out in Rush, NY for "Outdoor Education." The kids are put on teams of 11 or 12, and perform 12 team activities over a 2-day period (they stay overnight on Thursday). I'll be heading up the Ropes course, where they have to work as a team to overcome obstacles involving, you got it, ropes! They have a lot of fun, and, frankly, so do I, but it is exhausting! I think I'll be crashing at about 6:00 PM Friday so I'll be able to drive to Buffalo Saturday morning.

Only downside is the predicted weather. Low/mid 50s and intermittent rain. Gotta remember to bring my umbrella and silicone my boots this evening...

And if I don't get a post in tomorrow (I will try...), it's because I was at the camp all day, so give me a break!

Warriors of God...

Played WofG with Mike last night. We randomly rolled up the "Lion in Winter" scenario, and rolled for sides -- Mike got France, I got England. The first few turns were close, but on turn 3 or 4 Mike lost most of his leaders, and it went downhill for him, quickly. My English were able to get control of large swaths of France, as well as the entire British Isles, so we called it after turn 8, with VPs at British 28. 30 is an auto victory, and I was netting 7 VPs per turn -- not a lot Mike could do at that point. He pulled off his best "I can't roll these damn dice" imitation well, rolling low for everything EXCEPT area control, where one wants to roll low, LOL!). His leader death rolls were low (except for guys rotting in prison), and his battle rolls were hideous. I keep on telling him he needs to stick to with games where low rolls are good, but then he'd probably roll high there...

Anyway, we had fun, and I enjoyed a few pints of Brooklyn Brewing Company's Oktoberfest.

I continue to be sucked into Successors, finding a misprint in the rules which was answered on CSW. I may even set it up solitaire to try a few things out. But what I really need is another 4-player game, and soon! Slow players need not apply, however...

This coming Sunday, Deanna and I have tickets to see Cake. I've always wanted to see these guys live, and they hold a special place in our hearts, as we got together while listening to one of their albums. My only worry is that I'll be the old fart in the crowd!

Anyway, getting through "Humpday" is always a bonus, and I'm enjoying most of the kids I have this year. Now, onto grading!

Go for the Gold...

Had fun Thursday night -- 7 guys showed up at Greg's house, and after the obligatory "What will we play?" discussions, we broke off into 2 games. A 6-player Here I Stand broke out (tournament scenario), while Jeff Burdett and I played the "Lion of Winter" scenario from Warriors of God. It was a close game for a while, then my French got some lucky control rolls (while Jeff's English didn't) and the VPs started to add up. Jeff commenced an epic battle in Ile-de-France, but greater French numbers won over superior English leadership. It was a real bloodbath, however! When VPs got to 23 for the French on Turn 7, we decided to call it a game, and this let Jeff get home earlier than planned.

I was thinking of heading home myself, but I got roped into replacing the Ottoman player in the HIS game. His position was decent, and I got some more Piracy VP, as well as taking Tunis, so I was in the mix when we called it a game. France had invaded England and taken Bristol -- something you don't see much in this game.

Greg has a great downstairs gaming/home theater/kids' rec room set up. He's threatening to do this on a regular basis, and I hope he does! Next time, we'll decide on games in advance, and I think I will go with Espana 1936...

Tonight, I think I'll set my alarm for 2:30 AM to watch the basketball gold medal game between the US and Spain. I'm glad the punky team that played in Athens lost, but I'm really rooting for these guys -- they're not only the best athletes, but they are definitely a team. I expect them to beat Spain by about 30, but am actually hoping for a good game. And, as the saying goes, "on any given day..."

Joan of Arc dies young...

Short post today -- I apologize in advance. Away all day at Bob Titran's, then dealing with some crap at home (what's new, eh?).

***BGG is down for maintenance, so I can't link to games there***

Anyway, always the gracious host, Bob had WofG laid out and after chatting for a while, we embarked on the "Lion in Winter Scenario (1100s-1200s). I drew the French and luck really went my way -- we ended on Turn 7 out of 12 with a French auto victory of 30 points. We decided to switch sides, then, and play the "100 Years War" scenario. It was back and forth all game, until about Turn 9, when 5 of Bob's 6 leaders died. I was able to take advantage of the carnage, and the final count was an English victory at 16 VPs. And to keep it historical, Bob had a chance to come back with Joan of Arc on the rampage -- but she moved into Burgundy and died (roll of a "1" -- burned at the stake, I guess!).

A really fun game that played relatively smoothly. It is procedural, and I think this will wear on me, but initial impressions are good.

We had lunch at the Brick Oven restaurant, then came back for a game of C&C:A. In the Bagdaras (sp?) scenario, Bob took Carthage, I got Rome. Carthage got off to a good start, but then three elephants died within 2 turns, and it evened up. Once the lines smashed together, my lucky die rolling stayed with me and Rome pulled out a 7-4 victory. We both commented on what a great, fun game this is.

I have to bring my car in tomorrow for a tune-up, oil change, and a/c work -- maybe I'll retire to the dungeon and fool around with WofG for a bit...

Another Long Day...

Didn't get a chance to post yesterday, my apologies.

Between the garage sale, house/yard work, and Cheyenne training, I didn't have time to catch my breath. It seems to never end.

Anyway, on the gaming front, as I mentioned the other day, I will be headed to Grand Island tomorrow to play some Warriors of God (WofG) and Command & Colors:Ancients (C&C:A) with Bob Titran. WofG is one of those annoying games in that it's simple, yet there have been a ton (literally, I measured!) of questions on BGG and CSW. Yet neither the developer nor the rules editor have taken any time putting together a FAQ/Errata/Clarification file for the game. The best one can find is a link to 3 errata/clarification notes on BGG -- and there are more than 3 pertinent questions players have had. As one who worked so hard getting Wilderness War questions into a usable FAQ/Errata sheet and updating this whenever necessary, I find it lackluster support when others don't do the same. Guess I shouldn't be surprised, as the fanboys don't seem to care. Hope not too many issues will come up. Don't get me wrong -- questions are answered, but for we "Johnny-come- latelys," it's impossible to figure out what questions have been answered (and how) without going through thousands of messages.

On the other hand, C&C:A is wonderfully supported -- check out this fantastic C&C:A support site! Of course, a guy like John Foley (who runs this site and does so much for the hobby) always gives 100%, even when it's tough to do so.

OK, enough of that mini-rant! Onto C&C:A!

I'm not sure how many scenarios we'll get to (a lot will depend on the length of that other game), but we're going to try to play through the 5 scenarios being used at the upcoming WBCs.

A very fun scenario (one of my favorites, even though it seems to favor Rome in the game) is the Battle of the Trebbia, 218 BC -- this is the Round 3 battle. The Romans were suckered into battle by Hannibal, and ambushed by Mago, Hannibal's brother. The Roman Consul Sempronius learned his Hannibal lesson the hard way. It was an interesting battle, and the Romans even won the center, only to lose it on both flanks. Some info here, if you're interested: Trebbia in Wikipedia.

So, more organizing today, then a lot of glorious gaming to look forward to tomorrow!