Good game of Eketorp and Dominion at Brians

 Last night was another good gaming evening at the as-ever good host Brian's house. This time it was with Nigel Heather and Nigel Wood. Firstly it was a game of Eketorp - new to all the players, although Brian had just bought a copy and played a few times with his family. It went down ok, but it is more of a family game than for four adult male gamers I think - Nigel H liked it but wasn't 100% hooked - horses for courses really. Nigel Wood brought Dominion with him - a great card game based on try to win as many Victory cards as possible from a starting deck of 7 which everyone gets the same. 5 cards are then taken from the starting deck and each player in turn decides what they are going to do - with one Action, One purchase.

For example if you have an action card, you can play it then follow its instructions then make a purchase of another card from the deck piles on the table, comprised of coin cards, victory cards and kingdom cards. For example three copper coins of value 3 altogether allows you to buy a kingdom card of up to 3 value or a silver coin card (which by itself has a value of 2 in subsequent purchases). Any purchased cards are put into the discard pile (to your right).

As your turn ends, any cards you have used on the table in front of you are put into discard pile as are any unused cards in your hand. Then you draw 5 more from the deck. As you continue to purchase money cards of higher value (copper = 1, silver = 2, gold = 3), these can then in subsequent turns if they are drawn be used to purchase kingdom cards that can give you advantages during play.

For example - for 5 coins, you can buy the Market. If played as an Action card, on it there is a statement that says Draw +1 card (so take a card from your stack into your hand), take +1 Action (so you can now play another Action card form your hand), +1 buy (so now you have 2 purchases for this turn) and +1 coin (so if you play 5 coins, you now have 6 to buy with). But the clever part is, the next action card you play could be another Market if you have bought two and the 2nd Market is in your hand, either originally or just picking it up. 

So now you have a 2nd Action to play, you can play this Market as well, giving ANOTHER card to pick up, ANOTHER action, 3 purchases and +2 coins.... This chaining of cards is great for allowing purchases of expensive Kingdom cards or Victory cards as well as undermining the efforts of others. 

This is a great, simple to play game, but very strategic in my view. I played this with the family and they enjoyed it but like others more. Like Eketorp is for families, I think this is more for four adults, but I could play against the family again soon and see if that has changed. 

Agricola! Going cheap!

So I was ULTRA tempted to buy Agricola from Andy on Thursday night - it is a weighty game and contains lots of nice pieces and is well made and a great game - I think the family will get on with it well. Only two things held me back - the high price tag £52 and the fact that all of the markers, animals, food etc are just different coloured cubes - a sheep is a white cube and some wood is a brown cube.

How this would translate whilst teaching the game I didn't know - Nigel and Matt who both have the game suggested getting the wooden "meeples" set, describing them as essential. These are essentially carved wooden pieces representing the animals, wood, food etc. So a sheep looks like a sheep, a boar looks like a boar. The only problem is the cost - about £20! On top of the already £52 of which 50% of the cost would be assigned to the wooden blocks that I wouldn't be using anyway, I could not justify the £72 expenditure. For less than this I can get "Railways of the World" or "Fortune and Glory" - two huge box games.

So I thought, oh well, I'll use others and get it cheap some how. I didn't have to wait long! A few days later, I spotted a second hand Very Good condition copy on Boardgamegeek complete with the wooden meeples! For £30!! Bargain - yes please! I ummed and arrred as usual about buying something - then went for it after Nigel Heathers suggested that I do before someone else snaps it up!! Had that too many times in life; so it's on its way now - £37 including postage, not bad at all...