Germantown 10/29/07

I arrived at 7PM to find the Cafe crowded, with every table taken. To my surprise, our group had three ongoing games at three full tables. Attending were:

• Leslie Barkley
• Kevin Bealer
• Aubrey Bell
• David & Martha Briggs
• Rose Byington
• Luke Conte
• Dave Fair
• Philippe Hebert
• Doug Hoylman
• Bob Jones
• Carol Loman
• Eric & Laura Reinhold
• Bill Trac
• Howard Wagner

The new Essen release, League of Six, was in play with Dave Fair, Doug, Eric, Howard and Leslie. Leslie was way behind until the end-game bonuses were awarded when she scored an impressive 27 points (compare that to Doug's 2 points)! Doug was way ahead, though, and never in danger of being caught. Final scores were Doug 71, Eric 58, Dave 57, Howard 57, and Leslie 56. Very close game for everyone but the winner!

Meanwhile, Martha, David Briggs, Laura, Philippe and Luke were trading beans in Bohnanza. Luke and David B tied in a high scoring game with 16 each, followed by Martha 14, Laura 12, and Philippe 8.

At the third table, Rose, Bill, Carol and Aubrey were finishing up 6 Nimmt. Final scores were Bill 24, Carol 32, and Rose and Aubrey bringing up the rear with 67 each.

Kevin had arrived so he and I joined the 6 Nimmt group for the very tactical tile-grabbing game, Fossil. Fossil plays up to 6 but plays best with 3-4 players as fewer players means more control. Still, it's a quick, fun game with some nice bits. Experience won the day with final scores of Bob 97, Kevin 89, Aubrey 84, Bill 70, Carol 63, and Rose 54.

As League of Six and Bohnanza ended, the groups mixed for two new games. Luke, Martha, David Briggs and Leslie chose to manage animals to create the ultimate zoo in Zooloretto. Luke proved the most successful with 29 points, followed by Martha 25, Leslie 23, and David 18.

Rose joined Eric, Howard, Dave Fair, Philippe and Doug in managing electric companies in Power Grid with the Benelux map. It looks like nearly everyone anticipated one more turn to bring their full plans to fruition. Unfortunately for them, the game ended with Philippe on top. Final scores (capacity/cities/money) were Philippe 15/15/8, Doug 15/14/11, Dave 16/13/10, Rose 14/13/0, Howard 17/12/22, and Eric 15/12/3. According to Dave, had they played one more turn, the results might have been very different.

The final game of the night was my favorite game, the awesome, Taj Mahal, with me, Bill, Aubrey and Kevin. I was the only experienced player but everyone picked it up well. Bill won the +2 special card early and used it often. Aubrey started slow but constructed an excellent web of connections, as did Kevin, scoring big points in the last few rounds. I did something I rarely do and went after multiple province tiles, taking 5 or 6 of the 12 available. This gave me a considerable lead I was able to hold until the end. Scores were Bob 54, Kevin 47, Bill 40, Aubrey 37.

Next session: November 5.