Frederick South 1/9/2010

Good day for gaming at the Common Market, we started in the Cafe area, moved to the Community Room and discovered two of our attendees had not known of the Community Room and were in the Cafe. Luckily we did finally connect and we all were able to enjoy gaming together. Seems like the day consisted primarily of favorites. It was good to connect with Russell and Louise, congratulations on their wedding New Years Eve. And a welcome to Debbie, hopefully a new regular to the group when she's available.

In attendance were:

Leslie Barkley
Jack Ridgeway
Fran Lunney
Mark Broski
Debbie Williams
Russell Williams
Louise Wolfe

Games played with order of finish were:

Ticket to Ride, 1910 Mega - (1)Fran, Mark, Jack, Leslie; (2) Jack, Debbie, Fran, Mark, Leslie
Settlers of Catan - Fran, Louise, Russell
Dominoes Mult of 5 - (1) Fran, Leslie, Jack, Debbie, Mark; (2) Leslie, Jack, Debbie, Mark, Fran
the following were played before we connected as a group (3) Louise, Russell; (4) Russell, Louise; (5) Louise, Russell
Acquire - Mark, Jack, Debbie, Leslie
Machiavelli card game - Leslie, Debbie, Jack
Qwirkle - Fran, Leslie, Russell
Qwirkle Cube - Jack, Leslie, Debbie

Feels as though I'm missing some game play in the list, let me know.

Germantown 01/04/10

Attendance - 13:

• Leslie Barkley
• Christopher & Tiffany Bass & Clarisa Findley
• Aubrey & Shannon Bell
• Marc Drexler
• Todd Heidenreich
• Doug Hoylman
• Ben & Bob Jones
• Nathaniel Klinger
• Carol Loman
  

Our first gaming session of the new year!

Games Played (scores in order of place):

Raj - Bob 20, Carol 11, Doug 10, Ben -1
Raj - Doug 29, Bob 8, Carol 4, Ben -1
Raj - Ben 20, Bob 14, Carol 3, Doug 3
Uptown - Leslie 1/12, Bob 2/8, Doug 2/9, Carol 3/7, Ben 4/8
Arkadia - Aubrey 106, Bob 103, Leslie 90, Doug 73
- an excellent game that deserves more plays.
Roll Through the Ages (with expansion score sheet) - Todd 51, Shannon 29, Carol 25
Zeus on the Loose - Tiffany 4, Chris 3, Ben 2, Nathaniel 1, Marc 1, Clarisa 0
Cheeky Monkey - Clarisa 40, Chris 30, Tiffany 25, Ben 5
Cheeky Monkey - Tiffany 42, Chris 31, Ben 13, Clarisa 8
Diamant - Tiffany 30, Clarisa 29, Ben 29, Marc 19, Chris 0
Medici - Bob 120, Doug 98, Nathaniel 92, Shannon 85, Leslie 77, Aubrey 66
- This was a much closer game than the scores indicate.
Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation - Marc won as the Fellowship over Ben

I'm looking forward to a great year of great gaming with great people!

Posted by Bob

Germantown 12/21/09

Attendance - 16:

• Leslie Barkley
• Christopher & Tiffany Bass
• Aubrey Bell
• Alidia & Clarisa Findley
• David & Martha Briggs
• Marc Drexler
• Ethan Goffman
• Doug Hoylman
• Ben & Bob Jones
• Nathaniel Klinger
• Eric & Laura Reinhold

At the last gaming session of 2009, we played LOTS of games on a day when schools and government were closed due to snow.

Welcome back to Alidia! We've missed you.

Games Played (scores in order of place):

Fiji - Ben 9, Eric 7, Bob 6, Laura 2 (Ben's first time)
For Sale - Ben 69, Eric 62, Laura 56, Bob 54 (Ben's first time)
Roll Through the Ages - Leslie 17, Doug 12, Aubrey 11, Ethan 10
Blue Moon City - Doug 5, Eric 3, Chris 3
Zeus on the Loose - Tiffany 3, Clarisa 2, Ben 2, Alidia 1, Aubrey 1
Samurai - Leslie 5/9, Ethan 5/8, Bob 3 (An excellent game in which I got skunked)
Hey! That's My Fish - Chris 29, Tiffany 28, Alidia 22, Clarisa 20
Diamant - Aubrey 27, Tiffany 13, Clarisa 11, Ben 10, David 9, Alidia 2
Diamant - Tiffany 26, Alidia 25, Clarisa 24, Ben 23, Aubrey 23, David 21 (What a huge scoring game!)
To Court the King - Marc won, Nathaniel, Ethan, Leslie
Race for the Galaxy - Doug 47, Chris 43, Bob 37, Eric 32
Star Wars: Epic Duels - Ben (Obi Wan) and Clarisa (Anakin) beat Aubrey (Emperor) and Alidia (Darth Maul)
Cartagena - Marc 6, Leslie 1, Ethan 1, Nathaniel 0
Monty Python Fluxx - Chris won, Eric, Doug

Martha was around but I don't think she ended up playing anything.

Posted by Bob

Frederick south 12/12/2009

For our last gaming session of the year at the Common Market we had a nice group of folks. Sadly there may have been too much snow shoveling since we met as I do not recall actual game play, so this will be a sparse posting.

It started with Fran Lunney and Leslie Barkley playing Roll Through the Ages. This was Fran's first play and she learned quickly, Leslie won the first with 46 to 24, Fran won the second with 45 to 18. Mark Broski showed up as the second game was finishing, followed very quickly by Jack Ridgeway.

While we were discussing which game to play next Jack reminded me that during late play last month we had played Qwirkle, and he had won, with a particularly noteworthy 3 qwirkles in a row.

We went with Ticket to Ride, 1910 with a close game for most. Mark won with 111, Fran at 110, Jack with 98 and Leslie trailing at 81. I think at this point we moved into the Common Room and out of the Cafe, I am beginning to prefer the Cafe when there are just a few of us. I also find the chairs in the Cafe more comfortable, not sure why as they are both wooden.

Next up was Aquadukt with Mark winning, and I believe learning as well, with 29, Jack with 27, Fran with 26, and Leslie trailing again with 22.

We then played a couple rounds of Dominoes, Multiples of Five. Mark learning quickly and winning with 407, followed by Jack at 270, Leslie at 248, and Fran with 205. The second game ended with Jack at 379, Mark at 324, Leslie at 255, and Fran at 193.

Our final game of the evening was Settlers of Catan, which ended due to time rather than score. Leslie had eked out 8 points, Fran and Mark both had 5, and Jack had 4.

It was then 10 of nine so we packed up, wished each other happy holidays and went on our merry ways. Looking forward to January and seeing what the 2010 will bring. Happy holiday season to all, enjoy those days off, the fine company and food, and whatever traditions you may choose to observe.

Leslie Barkley

Germantown 12/07/09

Attendance - 17:

• Leslie Barkley
• Aubrey Bell
• Marc A. Drexler
• Christopher & Tiffany Bass & Clarisa Findley
• Andrew & Dave Fair
• Ethan Goffman
• Todd Heidenreich
• Doug Hoylman
• Ben & Bob Jones
• Nicholas Kelley
• Nathaniel Klinger
• Eric & Laura Reinhold
  

Games Played (scores in order of place):

Pack & Stack - Dave 32, Clarisa 31, Tiffany 7, Chris -14
Uptown - Marc 1/6, Ethan 1/14, Bob 2/11, Nicholas 3/5, Ben 3/7
Tales of the Arabian Nights - Nathaniel won, Doug, Eric, Laura, Leslie, Andrew
Fast Flowing Forest Fellers - Chris, Clarisa, Tiffany, Dave, Aubrey
Citadels - Bob 34, Todd 30, Ethan 27, Marc 25, Ben 15, Nicholas 14
Saboteur - Dave 4, Chris 3, Clarisa 2, Tiffany 1

Posted by Bob

Germantown 11/30/09

Attendance - 16:

• Leslie Barkley
• Christopher & Tiffany Bass & Clarisa Findley
• David & Martha Briggs
• Andrew & Dave Fair
• Ethan Goffman
• Todd Heidenreich
• Doug Hoylman
• Ben & Bob Jones
• Carol Loman
• Eric & Laura Reinhold
  

Games Played (scores in order of place):

Alhambra - Leslie 105, Laura 102, Carol 88, Andrew 82
Ra - Bob 39, Ben 36, Eric 28, Martha 24, Chris 24
Diamant - Clarisa 35, Carol 31, Tiffany, Andrew & Leslie tied at 10
Diamant - Clarisa 36, Carol 12, Andrew 8, Tiffany 3, Leslie 0
Zeus on the Loose - Bob ZEUS, Chris ZEU, David B ZEU, Martha ZE, Eric –
Pandemic - Clarisa, Tiffany, Andrew and Leslie lost the human race to disease and death
The BoardGameGeek Game - Dave F, Doug, Ethan, Todd
Pandemic - Ben, Andrew and Leslie lost an alternate human race (the original having died earlier)
Power Grid - Doug, Ethan, Todd, Dave F

Posted by Bob

Upcoming Gaming Opportunities!

Here are some gaming opportunities, starting next month!

GCOM Annual Holiday Party and Potluck

Dec 19, 2009

GCOM Sykesville. 8337 Oklahoma Rd, Sykesville, MD, 21784. 443-609-4933. 3pm till late. There will be turkey, ham, gravy, & punch. Please bring a side dish or dessert. Email if you'd like suggestions. Host: Sybil Buckwalter: sbuckwalter@ziprealty.com

Menygwacon 5

Dec 31, 2009-Jan 3, 2010

Michelle and Eric's New Years Gamefest Without a Cool Name

Brunswick Games Day	Jan 2, 2010	5th Annual Brunswick Games Day
GCOM Gaming Retreat	Jan 8, 2010-Jan 10, 2010	A three day open gaming event with served meals. A GCOM Members only event. Weinberg Center at Camp Fretterd. 5501 Rue St Lo Drive, Reisterstown, MD 21136. A Pre-Registration Only event.

Check out the Special Events page and Convention page on the GCOM Website for more information.

http://www.gamesclubofmd.org/SpecialCon.asp

http://www.gamesclubofmd.org/Conventions.asp

---

Brunswick 11/21/2009

A beautiful day with warm sunny skies, a day for open windows and enjoying those chores which get done on a Saturday. Apparently quite a few folks felt that way as we had a small crowd in Brunswick.

The first to join me was Tim Whelan, we enjoyed a quick game of Qwirkle. I had the fortune to gain good tile draws and won with a strong lead. While we were playing Brian and Lije Carpenter showed up.

In no particular order of play, as I neglected to make note of which order they were played in, we played Dominion, Pandemic, and Aquaduct.

Tim learned Dominion and we played with a mix of cards from all three releases. A most enjoyable game won by Brian with a solid lead of 32, Lije with 24, Tim with 20 and Leslie with 18.

In Aquaduct we had a close game with many houses lost due to a lack of water. Final scoring was Brian 33, Tim 26, Lije 25, and Leslie 17.

Sadly, we failed to save the world in Pandemic. We cured both the Blue Flu and the Scarlet Fever, but the Black Death overcame us at the end.

Tim left for another gaming venue and we three remaining played a game of Qwirkle. As we were finishing the singer/songwriter arrived and did his sound tests. We managed to finish our game with Leslie at 171, Brian at 160, and Lije at 138. We then skedaddled out the door.

reported by
Leslie Barkley

Germantown 11/16/09

Attendance - 19:

• Leslie Barkley
• Christopher & Tiffany Bass & Clarisa Findley
• Aubrey Bell
• David & Martha Briggs
• Dave Fair
• Ethan Goffman
• Todd Heidenreich
• Doug Hoylman
• Dan Hucker
• Ben & Bob Jones
• Carol Loman
• Doug Mercer
• Eric & Laura Reinhold
• Howard Wagner
  

We welcome back Howard and Dan whom we we haven't seen in some time!

Games Played (scores in order of place):

Cosmic Cows - Christopher, Clarisa
Carcassonne - Ethan 97, Eric 75, Tiffany 72, Laura 43
Steel Driver - Howard 1010, Natalie 990, David B 960, Martha 910, Aubrey 870, Todd 820.
Ticket to Ride: Europe - Ethan, Tiffany, Doug M, Eric.
At the Gates of Loyang - Doug H 17, Dave F 16, Leslie 16, Carol 15.
Ghost Stories - Ben, Clarisa, Bob and Chris lost to the ghosts.
Star Wars: Epic Duels - Aubrey (Yoda) and Bob (Mace Windu) beat Ben (Darth Maul) and Dan (Darth Vader)
Roll Through the Ages - Howard 30, Todd 24, Ethan 13.

Posted by Bob

Frederick 11/14/2009

Well, as Euro Quest continued over in Timonium a few folks gathered at Frederick South to play for the afternoon. As an added treat the Common Market was doing a Taste of Thanksgiving from 12 to 3 so we had some great samples to munch upon, Apple Cider Brined Roast Turkey with a Walnut Bread stuffing, gravy, cranberry relish, Sweet Potato and Squash Bake, Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie, Blondies and cookies. I was also able to sample Tofurkey and must admit that in a blind taste test I might have been hard pressed to tell the difference between the average roasted bird and Tofurkey. I also learned that the requirement for this is proper cooking, otherwise you end up with something considered inedible by most folks.

Fran Lunney was the first to join me and we played Ticket to Ride. As we were drawing to a finish, Jack Ridgeway arrived and so we promptly started a three player game of Ticket to Ride. Near the end of the game we had our 4th arrival, Jim Sparks. Jim watched the game while we finished up and expressed some interest in learning, so yet one more game of Ticket was played. Cynthia Lewis arrived as the game was drawing to a close and while it might have been interesting to have played a 5-person game we decided to play something else. Leslie's wanderlust must be making itself felt as she won all 3 games.

With all five we played two games of Dominoes, one for Jim to learn our scoring system, and then a second to put it into practice. However, Jack's ability and skill gave him the win in both games. When we play Dominoes we take the open end of the tile played and add it to each of the other open ends, if the total of the two ends is a multiple of five the player scores the total. When the open end is a double tile then the tile end is the total pips of the tile.

While Fran went to run a quick errand the remaining four played a game of Guillotine with Leslie being the most bloodthirsty of the mob, winning with 23 points.

When Fran returned Jim left to go watch a game. I want to give a quick shout - Congratulations to Jim on his promotion at work- well deserved.

The remaining folk played a game of Qwirkle, and while we came close to the edge the game stayed on the table. A close game with all players scoring in the 90's but Jack eked out to the lead with 97.

Our final game at the Common Market was Aquaduct, we played twice with a resounding win by Cynthia in the first game. The second game ended in atie between Cynthia and Leslie.

It was then just shy of 9pm and so we left the store. Carolyn Lewis, a former regular, invited those who were interested to come over to her place to continue gaming. Fran decided to head home, the rest of us headed over to Carolyn's in a slow, circuitous manner.

Once we arrived we played Pegs and Jokers twice and Aquaduct. Sadly I did not keep track of the results.

somewhat recorded by
Leslie Barkley