This week we finally got Moongha Invaders: Mad Scientists and Atomic Monsters Attack the Earth played.  It was great fun!  The game is a bit more serious than the whimsical title would lead you to believe.

Theme:  Plenty present.  Each of the four players is a mad scientist.  At the beginning of the game we each are assigned a couple of cities of the world where we base our secret HQ.  We would prefer that these cities not be reduced to rubble.  But the rest of the world…  utter annihilation is our goal!  And we have a large stable of Atomic Monsters to deploy.  Every monster has a “OO” spelling – The MOOGRE, the BLOOB, and several others I am having trouble recalling at this late hour.

Some of these monsters are able to destroy cities, while others, like KIDOO are relatively minor.  Some improve you ability to move around on the board, others are wimps in battle, but worth lots of points if able to skulk in the lonely shadows of the rubble.  In fact the monsters have so much chrome, it took us most of the first game to get a feel of how you might use the various monsters.

Moongha Invaders uses a liberal amount of dice – so it reminded me of old Milton Bradley Gamemaster games in a small way.  But there is also an area-majority game, trying to deploy your rubble markers for maximum points.  One of our players was threatening to end the game early as she leveled block after block of the world’s cities.

Our initial reaction was good, with hopes that this game might even improve with more plays.  Right now, this is a game that I am eager to play again.  The novelty factor is high, and I am amused.

I love strategy games.  I also love other sorts of games too, but I seem to always come back towards somewhat over-complicated games that promise deep strategy.  I know some folks devote themselves to a single deep game (Go, Chess, Bridge, Poker), but I don’t have that sort of endurance.  I want a variety of games to choose from, and a few new unknown games to explore.

This year I have played several new games (see previous post), and many of them offer significant strategy.  After losing 5 times at Hansa Teutonica, I am beginning to accept the fact that I am not figuring it out.  Similarly, although I have not played anyone title frequently, I am coming to the same realization about 18xx games.  Other players seem more adept at gaining the proper insight about how to add to their position.  I routinely end up in the pack at these games.

Does this make them less fun?  Oh, I admit I would like to win occasionally.  My primary driver in strategy games is to play well.  Winning is fun, but not the break point on whether I have fun.  But I do want to be in the hunt, and be considered a worthy opponent. 

A new friend of mine got thrashed at Brass the other night.  He told me he doesn’t get the game, and I suspect he’d prefer not to play it again.  I respect that, but for me, when I get smashed I find myself impelled to have another go.  I have now been playing 18xx games somewhat actively for a couple of years, and I have a very poor winning percentage.  I don’t really track this, but my memory tells me I haven’t won in a long time.

Complicated games like 18xx, Brass, or Hansa Teutonica are demanding.  After these sorts of games, I find myself wondering what I could have done differently?  How did my opponents see the moves that allowed them to out perform me?  What can I do to become a better player?

This pursuit for better performance can be fatiguing, and certainly I want breaks from it.  A nice game of Bohnanza or The Three Musketeers is a welcome break.  But if gaming were solely those less strategic games, I wouldn’t be the game fan that I am.  I’ve noticed over on BGG, that many people espouse the idea that you need “gateway” games to “hook” newbies.  They may even be right.  But I think there is something to be said for throwing people in at the deep end of the pool.  Back in the early 60′s, Avalon Hill started selling games to the general public that were relatively demanding – requiring real thought, record keeping, etc.  It worked!

I’m really glad there are so many challenging and complex games to pick from.

We’re closing in on the mid-point of 2010, so I thought I might write about the new games I’ve actually played this year (as opposed to collected).

According to my records there are 23 new games I’ve played for the first time in 2010.

World Without End – Rob taught this to me in January.  With only one play, all I can say is that I enjoyed it, and generally thought it was better than Pillars of the Earth, which preceded it.  Now if we are speaking of the books, I will voice my preference for the original…

Rush ‘n Crush – Alex introduced me to this race game meets Car Wars experience.  I didn’t like it much.  It seemed to be neither a race game nor a combat game.  Some interesting ideas, but it didn’t draw me in.

Piece ‘O Cake – A filler, and a nice filler at that.  I would happily play some more of it.  But I doubt I buy a copy.

Neue Heimat - Provocative game, and one I have been playing quite a bit of.  One of these games where the game is more in your head than on the board.  With 5 plays now under my belt, my enthusiasm is slipping, but I still am very pleased to own and occasionally play this game.

Minos – Older game that Zack kindly taught me how to play.  Eh.  Cool theme and materials, but a bit plodding and nothing terribly original to draw me to further explore.

Stonghold - Just the sort of game I like and ought NOT to buy.  It’s really a 2p wargame.  I would be happy to play more of this, but 95% of my gaming is multi-player.

Shipyard – After four plays, I was done.  I sold my copy.  I would play again if asked – I did not hate the game.  But it annoyed me in a few minor ways. 

The Climbers - I’m 4 plays in, and still reasonably enthused.  It works well on my heavy-duty lazy Susan, it is a visually interesting game, and it has more substance in strategy than you might initially think.

Wars of the Roses - I played once, decided I would buy a copy, and have not played on my copy yet.  Euro game mechanics with a war theme.  I should store it by Wallenstein and Im Zeichen des Kreuz.  Fun games I almost never play due to the hybrid war/Euro status.

BasketBoss – Nice lighter Euro.  I like the sports-theme, and it plays quickly.  I’m hoping for a couple more plays this year.

1825 (unit 2) – Feels odd to list this one.  I’ve been playing other units of 1825 for a while now.  I am a fan, and have recently thrown all my 1825 stuff together into a common pool.  My intent is to do multi-unit games going forward attempting to get enough playing space for everyone to be quickly able to run a company.

Tobago – I’ve just played once, and had fun.  I’m unsure if it will hold up for me yet.

Vasco de Gama - I enjoyed my sole play, but it did seem a bit over wrought.  I’d be happy to give it another shot, but I won’t be buying this one.

Dixit – Very well done, beautiful game – in a genre I don’t care for.

The Three Musketeers - Probably a flawed game from a strategy point of view.  But boy-o has this game got theme!  I love it.  Polarizing game.  My strategy-minded gamer friends have not been too keen.  But my role-player friends have loved it.  I’ve played 7 games so far in 2010.

Primordial Soup – Older Euro that I finally tried this year.  I loved it!  Not sure if the second or more plays will be as fresh – so I will hold off buying until I play a couple more times.

Inotaizu – Clever, clever, clever.  I have not decided yet if I really love it. But I do think it is a good game with a brilliant theme.

Stuff Yer Face – Creepy Clown Fun…

Timber Tom – As Michael said, it is just wonderful for the folk art value.  Family level of game play, but I love that now and then.

Hansa Teutonica - Clever, Clever, Clever – and this one I do know that I love it.  I’m 4 plays in and still eager for more.

The Master of the Merchant of Sakai – I’m unsure if this one will be a hit.  First play was interesting, but I need more plays to solidify my opinion.

Kassen – Only played this 2-player.  It worked and was quick fun.  Reminded me a lot of Auf Heller und Pfenig by Knizia.  I suspect the chaos of additional players will both add interest and frustration to the game.

Biskle – Chester brought over his new generation flicking game.  There was nothing wrong with it, but since I own 2 sets of Carabande, I see no need to get it, and when I want to play a flicking race game, I’ll continue to play Carabande.  But of course the real king is Crokinole for a flicking game…

Oh – how could I forget… Kineti-Go - A game everyone seems to be enjoying for the novelty of playing with magnets.  I’m not entirely convinced, but I will likely hang on to it due to its novelty factor, and its large size.

So that’s what’s new with me – how about you?

Carcassonne is a game that has enjoyed tremendous success.  It won the coveted German Game of the Year award for 2001.  We were fortunate enough to be able to play it as early as 2000, and for years it was played a lot by the Bistro Players.

But it is now 10 years old, and no longer fresh and new.  We hardly ever play it anymore.  But I recently bought the iPhone app Carcassonne game, and after a few plays on my phone, I was inspired to pull down my Carcassonne set.

I ended up throwing out a number of my expansions for Carcassonne.  I had collected a bunch.  I ditched the Count of Carcassonne, The “King”, from King and Scout,  The Princess and the Fairy, most materials from The Tower, the Rivers I & II, some special tiles from magazines, and a couple of expansions I never even tried:  Abbey and Mayor and also The Catapult.

My Carcassonne set is now composed of the original 60 tiles, the tiles from the first expansion (Simply named “The Expansion” on my set, although I think it was renamed “Inns and Cathedrals” later on) and the second expansion (Traders and Builders), and the four Cathar tiles.  That’s it!  I did keep the actual tile rack from the Tower expansion – easily the best part of that expansion.  So I tossed the box for The Tower, and it all fits nicely in the original box again.

One huge problem that Carcassonne gradually acquired was that with so many expansions available, the tile count became too great, and the overburden of new rules saddled what was once a brilliantly clear game down with too much chrome.

So now, I have a Carcassonne set that better suits my tastes.  The open question is if we actually play it again at the club – or if I just continue to play an ocassional game on my phone.

I’m scheduled to play 1846 Friday evening:

I enjoy these 18xx games, although I am often not the winner.  I love the theme, I like the pacing, I enjoy the dilemmas presented.  You need to lay track, maintain effective trains, and run find lucrative routes.  But on top of all that, you also need to watch which stocks are worth keeping and which ones you ought to dump – keeping an eye open for the “dirty trick” where a company can be gutted and then dumped onto another player.  (I am usually the one dumped on, not the one doing the dumping.)

It’s deliciously complex – not so much from the rules – but from the ramifications of your and your opponent’s decisions.  Okay, the rules are a bit complex too.

One aspect of 1846 I like is the 2-dimensional stock market.  Stock value can improve or decrease, but it is generally not affected by the actions of the other players.  In 1830, the seminal 18xx game, there is a 3-dimensional market where the stock marker can go left/right but also up/down on the chart.  This is basically brilliant, but also drives even more “dirty tricks” into the game.  I hold 1830 in very high regard, but 1846 (and 1825) allow for a different feel to the market, taking the intensity down a notch, which suits me fine.