Starshield Boardgaming Knights: A Voyage Through the Multiverse and Other Stories

It was that time of the week again when our gaming group, The Starshield Gaming Society, assembled for its weekly gaming session. Taking a break from the RPG grind, we opted for board games. Many new games have hit the table lately, and this night was no exception.

We started out with what is becoming our warm-up game of choice: 7 Wonders. I had a miserable game and tied for last with Zoltar. Grez was the winner this night. Congrats, man. 

From the ancient world to the multiverse. I brought to the table the uber-cool card game Sentinels of the Multiverse, which is swiftly becoming one of my favorite games! The mixture of super hero goodness, excellent artwork, and awesome cooperative play leave me thirsting for more!

For the first game I played Bunker. Mage went with Ra, and MooseCadet played the Fanatic. We were trying to stop Baron Blade in Megalopolis. This game I tracked hit points with dice instead of the poker chips I used in my previous game. It went much better with the dice. 

Before I knew it, the Baron's 2 Backlash Fields had taken their toll on poor Bunker, and he was the first to fall. The others didn't survive too much longer after that. We did manage to flip the Baron, turning him into the Vengeful Mad Scientist, and he did have his vengeance. 

Next up, Weezoh traded places with MooseCadet at the Settlers of Catan table where Zoltar finished off the rest of the Society pretty quickly. We were at the beginning of our game, however, and continued on to try to defeat the Baron again; this time on Insula Primalis. I played Absolute Zero, Mage played Haka, and Weezoh piloted Tempest. I told Weezoh that Tempest was sort of like Aquaman. He said, "If they can make Aquaman cool, then it's a good game." We did realize, however, before the end of the game that Tempest is a mix between Storm and Aquaman. Either way, Weezoh loved the game. 

 I, of course, was the first too fall. I never really got Absolute Zero up and running. Couldn't get the synergy needed in the combination between his equipment and elemental powers to make him effective. We flipped the Baron, but he--in the end--defeated us heroes, once again destroying the Earth with the moon. 

Insula Primalis was brutal on us. Lots of dinosaurs chomping at us and foliage hindering us. I really enjoy this game! The narrative and cooperative aspects really shine for me. In fact, as I type these words, I really just want to be down in the Geek Cave playing it solo. I am very excited for the expansion, Rook City, which according to the forums at Greater Than Games, will be showing up on Kickstarter any day now! Looking forward to another crack at Baron Blade. Can't wait!

At the other table, the other half of the Society finished up a longish game of Quarriors! In the end, MooseCadet was Queen of the Quarries and head Quarrior! Excellent end to an excellent night.

Thanks for visiting my gaming table. Until next time, good reader, may the dice fall your way and may you play, play, play!

Starshield Boardgaming Knights Stop by the 7 Wonders and see the Sign while fighting Quarriors

On Monday night, the Starshield Gaming Society assembled for our weekly game night. We opted for boardgames this week to give Weezoh time to prepare his Realms of Cthulhu  campaign beginning next Monday. As I have obtained several new tabletop games in the past months, I was all for it.

Of the various games I brought, it was my two newest that hit the table but not before we sat down to a game of 7 Wonders. I, of course, was stuck next to Iczer who tries to "starve out" his immediate opponents by not building resources they can use. Frustrating but a valid strategy. 

However, it didn't serve him well this game as Zoltar and I pummeled him. 

In the end I ended up tied for second with Grez. I was happy with that finish as it is my highest 7 Wonders finish yet. 

From 7 wonders we divided our eight members into two groups and broke out Quarriors! and Elder Sign. Since I was the only gamer there who had played the game, I was in charge of teaching and playing Elder Sign, which was fine with me as I enjoy that game immensely and had only played solo once before and wanted to see how it played in multi-player. It took me about 15 minutes to set up the board and explain the rules. Then we were off to lose some Sanity.

The first group was Zoltar, Grez, and Mage. I pulled Joe Diamond. The other characters were Mage: Mike McGlen , Zoltar: Darrell Simmons, Iczer: Mandy Thompson. 

We played against Yig. Thankfully, we were able to shut him down with 10 Elder Signs before he awakened. There were, however, a few tense moments in the middle of the game. Turns out I was playing a few things incorrectly because I hadn't read the rulebook well enough and didn't want to stop the action to look up a couple of questions. The way we were playing just made the game a little easier to beat, but did not take away from our enjoyment of the game.

 After that game, I was joined by Weezoh: Monterey Jack, April: Jenny Barnes, Grez: Vincent Lee. We worked to keep Yig asleep. There were many more tense times in this game, with Lee dying and being replaced by Amanda Sharp. We, too, managed to prevent Yig from awakening in the 13th hour. It was a close one. 

Overall, the games went smoothly, and I believe everyone enjoyed both Quarriors! and Elder Sign. As for me, I love Elder Sign the more I play it. I just really get caught up in the theme and the tense suspense brought about by the dice and the advancing clock. Even after I realized we had been playing Focusing wrong and allowing removed dice to be returned to the pool after successfully completing one Task, I was happy with my experience with the game and the Starshielders.

Hopefully, on our next round of boardgames, Elder Sign will hit the table again, and we will play it completely right. That could only make it even more intense. Looking forward to it.

Thanks for visiting magehammer's Gaming Table, and Until next time, may the dice fall your way and play, play, play!

SurfMonkey Barely Survives the Rune Age only to Qonquer Quarriors!

On Tuesday, SurfMonkey came over for our monthly night of gaming goodness! He had been itching to play my two newest arrivals, Rune Age, and Quarriors! 

I let him choose, and we began with Rune Age. Hey opted to play the Latari Elves. I have never played the Uthuk Y'llan, so I went for it. I, of course, chose the Dragonlords scenario. Maybe someday I will play another of the scenarios, but for now, I am trying to get maximum mileage out of it. 

SurfMonkey, being a veteran gamer, warmed to the rules immediately. We were taking Strongholds, generating Influence, buying troops in no time. His first run against a sitting Dragonlord showed him the power of the Warp-touched Attrition Die...His elves failed to secure the Dragonlord Reward.

 My barbaric forces with the help of three, yes, three Demons, sent the main Dragonlord to his end. Ah, sweet victory...

 For our second game, SurfMonkey suggested we trade factions but play against the Dragonlords again. I was all for it! I had never played the elves in multiplayer before, so I was intrigued to see how they would play.

Poor SurfMonkey learned the horrid powers of the Attrition die in several of forays against the Dragonlords, including the big boss himself. With apologies to Rick Moranis: Many Warlocks and Chaos Lords knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of the dragon's gullet that day, I can tell you!

I, however, experienced one of the greatest moments in my gaming history when I took my elves against the Big Bad. I had a hand of a Demon, 2 Pegasus Riders, and a Darnati Warrior, and 2 Storm Sorceresses thanks to Bountiful Harvest. . I decided to go for it, hoping the Riders would deliver. And, man, did they ever. They yielded me another Demon, another Pegasus Rider, which yielded me another Darnati Warrior. The rest of my hand hit the table, and the Attrition Die came up blank for a total of 32 Strength! (To be fair, I play a house rule that shuffles Bountiful Harvest back into the Event Deck with the Stage 2 cards. I may re-think that rule after my crushing victory over the Dragonlords).

Then it was on to my newest game and one of my current favorites, Quarriors! I set up the game and explained to my opponent. He had no problem picking it up, and we were off and rolling. 

I just have to say that SurfMonkey was born to play this game. I managed to to muster up good hands and great creatures, but so did he. He made good use of his spells, and so did I, but in the end, SurfMonkey scored his Glory greater than mine. 

SurfMonkey and I ended the night at two games apiece. A good night for sure. SurfMonkey said, "Rune Age is freakin' cool." And of Quarriors! he said, "It's all right. At least I can win at it." So, I have a feeling I can expect some more of Terrinoth in future gaming sessions, and I have a feeling I haven't seen the last of the Wilds either...

Thanks for reading and until next time, may your dice roll your way, and play, play, play.

Starshield Boardgaming Knights Quarriors! with a Ticket to Ride to the 7 Wonders to Say Anything

Members of the Starshield Gaming Society assembled in the Geek Cave on Monday night for our weekly gaming session. Tonight it was all about board games. 

While we waited for Grez first and MooseCadet (aka Brigid), Iczer, Weezoh, and I played a rousing game of Quarriors! The spread was pretty good, I must say and there was a lot of room for back and forth leads. In the end I was triumphant. 

After Grez arrived, we played another. I was once again victorious. Good playing and fortuitous draws led me to victory. I culled the first game and didn't the second game just to see how they worked out. I guess I didn't really notice a difference. I may have just had the spirits of the Quarries in me, I don't know. What I do know is, I love this game!

After MooseCadet/Brigid arrived, we sat down to a Ticket to Ride: Europe game. This was my second play of this game, and I must say I enjoyed it much more the second time around. I even had strategies and stuff in my head. The game was also notable because MooseCadet scored the 8 line shown below. That was an exciting moment for all. However, unfortunately, MooseCadet failed to fulfill a number of tickets and took a major hit in end game scoring. She ended last. 

I ended up third. Much better than my last showing. 

From the fabled railways of Europe, we continued onto the ancient tableau that is 7 Wonders. This game is swiftly becoming one of my favorite. It has a cool card-drafting technique and has, of course, cards! Love cards. 

Though I ended the game with a stack of 3 gold (14 to be exact), I failed to win and came in third...again. A trend was beginning to develop as the night wore on. Our final gasp was a game of Say Anything, which really lived up to its name. Highlights for me: Nikola Tesla, Dickens is boring, and our friend Zoltar.

Our next game night should be a character creation session of our foray into the Dresden Files RPG. Looking forward to what comes of that. 

Until next time, good gamer, may the dice roll your way 

Quaked by Quarriors!

Over the Labor Day weekend, I was able to get my newest game to the table: Quarriors! (Yes, the exclamation point is obligatory but also fitting).

On Saturday, StormBringer was in town and stopped over for a visit. After an authentic Mexican lunch, we sat down at the gaming table and unboxed the game out of its cool Quake Dragon Qube tin. I also downloaded some awesome play mats posted by a user on BoardgameGeek. They were a huge help in the game and look amazing! 

StormBringer and I ended up playing 3 games, and though we made a rather large error, allowing our summoned Quarries to live beyond scoring, we still had a blast. Rolling dice at the gaming table is a sure path to fun.

I won the first two games and the third was all StormBringer. He even managed to ready the almighty Quake Dragon. After the dice cooled from a massive amount of rolling, we both decided that the game has some legs with us, and we will definitely be bringing it out the next time we meet.

Then on Monday, members of the Starshield Gaming Society gathered in my Geek Cave for our weekly game night.  In attendance were Q-MooseCadet, Q-Weezoh, and Q-Zoltar. This would be our first 4-player game. All of the Starshielders are veteran gamers, so I knew I was going to have to be on my game to stand a chance at winning.

The first game I started off strong, but in the end, Zoltar pulled a come-from-behind win.

The second game was more even, but Zoltar took the Glory Crown the second game as well.

After Zoltar left for the night (no, really, we didn't beat him up and leave him out back bleeding), MooseCadet, Weezoh, and I played one more game. It was back and forth, but in the end, I was victorious. 

Everyone loved the game. They loved the deck-building theme (Weezoh and MooseCadet are big fans of Dominion, btw), the changing Wilds from game to game, the many choices you have to make as to which combos to run and Quarries to buy. 

For us, Quarriors! is a hit. It's quick, quite fun, and worth every quid.

I can't wait for the qubes to hit my gaming table again. 

Until next time, gamers, may the dice fall your way and may you play, play, play.