Session Report: GRAB Game Night 6/10/2004

Yinsh Chris, Josh*

Josh had played this game once before and I beat him, but I figured he would get his revenge after he had a game under his belt and I was correct. Josh is very good at these kinds of games and he beat me handily. Although I did score 2 points (to his 3), I was behind 2-0 for a good part of the game and scored my second just 1 turn before he scored his third. I really like this game. I'm sure there are a lot of patterns that a player can recognize during the game, but I don't see them yet. I also expect there is a lot more to the opening moves than I realize, as that still feels random to me.

Adam and Eva Chris, Josh*

We were still waiting for the Ticket to Ride game to finish up so Josh and I tried this new Aaron Wiesblum game. The game completed elluded me during the first couple of rounds, but I got a better idea what was happening during the last few rounds. I enjoyed the game, but I don't know if there was enough there for me to play it more than a couple of more times. I'll certainly try it again. There were some very interesting decisions during the game, but I didn't feel like I had enough information to about my opponenet's hand to make the right decision.

St. Petersburg Chris, Dave, Sam, Josh*

Josh completed his sweep (I believe he even won the Carabande game that started before I arrived) with St. Petersberg. I had played once before and Josh had played a couple of solitaire games. I REALLY like this game and I expect I will play it a lot over the next few months. During my first game I had absolutely no idea what I should do. I had committed to a more disciplined approach during my second play and I felt I did much better, but I still didn't do as well as I had hoped. My goal was to focus on income early, move to points in the mid-game, and then focus on aristocrats during the end game. Unfortunately, the game only lasted 5 rounds, so there really wasn't a mid-game. My biggest mistake was picking up 2 blue buildings fairly early in the game with the intent of getting them on the board in the mid-game. I took them too early and I wasn't able to generate enough income to get them out and they took up space in my hand for most of the game. I feel I understand the game much better and I expect a much better result from myself in my next game.

Other games played

Carabande
Ticket to Ride