1/26/06
Princes of
Kris, Charlie, Brent, James, and Ted. I had arrived late from work and this crew was already assembled and going over rules. The game was new to Kris and Brent. Pretty much standard fair game until the last turn when things got very tense. Ultimately, Charlie proved the dominant Palazzo builder by a significant amount. This one is still a fun game and a staple even though it really is very solitaire.
Liberte
Another Martin Wallace game to hit the table as we took on the French. Kris took an early lead and got the evil mark on his head. Charlie managed to stay at the back for a couple of turns and then sailed up the chart. We managed to make it all four turns although the white pieces almost took a victory to win the game in the third round. I proved to be a very close game (except for me) with James eking out the win by one point.
I have played this title a few times and I really cannot figure out how to win this game. Perhaps that is the strength of the game. This is just one of those games I routinely finish at the back of the pack.
M
Next, to close the night, was the abstract tile laying game, M. With 5 players there is a lot going on between your turns. This may be a tighter game with 3 or 4. However, that said, I maximized my color set collection but, that was just not enough as James took all my chips and then started stealing them from Charlie (to my right). Kris proved to be unstoppable even though he collected quite a few colors.