Last Minute Gaming...

My plans yesterday evening were simple enough. Do a bit of work on the computer, watch an episode or two of Lost (I'm watching the series for the first time and I'm partway through Season 4 right now), and post my thoughts on Harvester on my blog (as I had committed to doing).

Just prior to the end of my workday at my 9-5, a friend asked if I would be willing to do some gaming. He was inviting a couple of other people over and providing the pizza. I decided to go for it. I should point out that 'gaming' in this case didn't involve any RPG but a variety of card and board games. This is cool for me... it's a great way to relax and chat while managing to have a bit of fun. I also like trying new games when the opportunity arises.

I was the last one to arrive and my friends were already in a game of the "Adventurer Card Game" (using both expansions). A great game to play to kill time, it is also easy to grab a hero and just join in. The main game we played that evening was "Small World". The game is one that is currently published through "Days of Wonder" who also produce "Shadows Over Camelot" and "Ticket to Ride". I had seen the game before but wasn't too interested from what I saw of it. I'm glad that I gave it a shot though as the game is simple to learn and play but hold enough of an interest for people who are frequent gamers. I came very close to winning and it is a game which I believe can get 'GF Approval'. By this I mean that my loving partner will likely enjoy the game and be willing to play it when the situation arises. After that game, we killed a bit more time by trying a very simple game called "Castle Panic". This is also an amusing game which involves a combination of luck and minor strategy. It is also a co-operative game where the goal is to beat off a hoard of invading monsters (notably Goblins, Orcs, and Trolls). A very fast paced game and one that can be enjoyed by younger gamers.

As the evening came to a close, one of the people there pulled out "Three-Dragon Ante". Now I have the card game and bought it about a year ago in the 'as-is' section in a local bookstore of a large chain for about $5. I considered myself fortunate since the contents were still in shrink despite the box was pretty much destroyed. That said, I had never tried to play the game or even sit down to read the rules of play. It was the last game of the night and it was already very late but I decided to give it a shot.

I was surprised at how fun this game turned out being. It's almost a shame that this game has the D&D name/logo associated with it since it is a stand-alone game and the only concept it really borrows from D&D are the color associations of the dragons. Pretty much this boils down to metallic dragons being good and the color dragons being evil. The game can best be described as a combination of elements of a few 'classic/traditional' card games (like Poker) with a couple of twists. Nothing overly complicated and it proved to be a great way to finish off the evening.

So... I didn't get to write about Harvesters... I got home really late and I'm on about 5 hours of sleep right now after a week that has already been quite tiring. I had fun though and it was well worth it.

M