Hey everyone!
Due to our church's ministry called Winter Relief we are unable to have game night. It is a ministry that hosts 50 homeless men for a week and thus most of our resources are designated in that direction.
We will resume on March 11th!
Many blessings,
Lee
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Game Night this Friday (i.e. TOMORROW!)
Hey guys!
Tomorrow (2/12) is our regularly scheduled game night at The Church at Severn Run. It will take place at 6:30 PM and go to the normal time of 11ish. Feel free to bring any games you'd like to see hit the table!
Looking forward to seeing everyone out!!
Tomorrow (2/12) is our regularly scheduled game night at The Church at Severn Run. It will take place at 6:30 PM and go to the normal time of 11ish. Feel free to bring any games you'd like to see hit the table!
Looking forward to seeing everyone out!!
Thursday, January 21, 2016
GAME NIGHT CANCELLED TOMORROW
Hey guys!
Due to the impending blizzard there will be NO GAME NIGHT tomorrow, January 22nd!!!
Be safe this weekend! Bundle up and play some games at home!!
Due to the impending blizzard there will be NO GAME NIGHT tomorrow, January 22nd!!!
Be safe this weekend! Bundle up and play some games at home!!
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Game Night Tomorrow
Hey everyone!
Tomorrow is our regularly schedule game night! 6:30 PM! The Church at Severn Run! 8187 Telegraph Rd, Severn, MD 21144!
Bring your favorite games that you got for the holidays and we'll have a great time!
Hoping to see everyone AND some new people!
Tomorrow is our regularly schedule game night! 6:30 PM! The Church at Severn Run! 8187 Telegraph Rd, Severn, MD 21144!
Bring your favorite games that you got for the holidays and we'll have a great time!
Hoping to see everyone AND some new people!
Thursday, November 19, 2015
11/20 Featured Games
Hey everyone!
As mentioned last time, we will be having game night tomorrow, November 20th, at 6:30 PM rather than our regularly scheduled meeting on the fourth Friday of the month. In December, again due to the Christmas holiday occurring on the fourth Friday, we will be meeting the 1st and 3rd Friday of the month.
This Friday, in honor of the tragedies that occurred in France, we will be playing games that in some way involve France! Due in part to the prevalence of European designers there are a lot of games that involve European nations and France is no exception.
In no particular order, here are some of the games that will definitely be there and ones that hopefully some of ya'll will bring if you own them!
Castles of Burgundy
Burgundy is a region in Eastern-central France and is the geographical center of this very highly esteemed Euro-game by Stefan Feld. To be honest, the theme here is a bit light and you never necessarily feel like you're specifically in France, but nonetheless it's in the name! In this game players build up their 14th century estate filling it with farms, cities, castles, trade centers, and more, all in an effort to earn the most points. The dice-action system in this game is extremely fun and engaging and this still rates among the best Euro-games despite its age.
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is one of the most popular games of all time. A classic from earlier in the 21st century, Carcassonne is a family-level tile laying game where players lay out pictures of a medieval French landscape, connecting the edges in a domino-esque way, trying to score the most points. It is an easy game to grasp and is very enjoyable. We own the Big Box edition as well as Winter Carcassonne so there are plenty of ways to play!
Olreans
Orleans is a very popular game that recently was released. It is a 'tile drawing' game and is somewhat unique. This format is similar to a game like Dominion, a popular deck-builder, but rather than building up a deck of cards, each player builds up a bag of various chips, each personally selected to add to the bag. Throughout the game the player draws these, developing his strategy based on what tiles were placed in the bag. It is an interesting system in a very accessible and enjoyable Euro game. Note - I do not personally own Olreans but I'm hoping one of our regulars does and will bring it!
There are a number of other games that either directly involve France, include France as a country on a map or playable faction, or are designed by French composers.
So invite your games and bring your French games!
As mentioned last time, we will be having game night tomorrow, November 20th, at 6:30 PM rather than our regularly scheduled meeting on the fourth Friday of the month. In December, again due to the Christmas holiday occurring on the fourth Friday, we will be meeting the 1st and 3rd Friday of the month.This Friday, in honor of the tragedies that occurred in France, we will be playing games that in some way involve France! Due in part to the prevalence of European designers there are a lot of games that involve European nations and France is no exception.
In no particular order, here are some of the games that will definitely be there and ones that hopefully some of ya'll will bring if you own them!
Castles of Burgundy
Burgundy is a region in Eastern-central France and is the geographical center of this very highly esteemed Euro-game by Stefan Feld. To be honest, the theme here is a bit light and you never necessarily feel like you're specifically in France, but nonetheless it's in the name! In this game players build up their 14th century estate filling it with farms, cities, castles, trade centers, and more, all in an effort to earn the most points. The dice-action system in this game is extremely fun and engaging and this still rates among the best Euro-games despite its age.
CarcassonneCarcassonne is one of the most popular games of all time. A classic from earlier in the 21st century, Carcassonne is a family-level tile laying game where players lay out pictures of a medieval French landscape, connecting the edges in a domino-esque way, trying to score the most points. It is an easy game to grasp and is very enjoyable. We own the Big Box edition as well as Winter Carcassonne so there are plenty of ways to play!
Olreans
Orleans is a very popular game that recently was released. It is a 'tile drawing' game and is somewhat unique. This format is similar to a game like Dominion, a popular deck-builder, but rather than building up a deck of cards, each player builds up a bag of various chips, each personally selected to add to the bag. Throughout the game the player draws these, developing his strategy based on what tiles were placed in the bag. It is an interesting system in a very accessible and enjoyable Euro game. Note - I do not personally own Olreans but I'm hoping one of our regulars does and will bring it!
There are a number of other games that either directly involve France, include France as a country on a map or playable faction, or are designed by French composers.
So invite your games and bring your French games!
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Upcoming Session Dates
Hi everyone!
You may have noticed that if our sessions continued on the scheduled dates, we'd run into a few conflicts. First, the fourth Friday of November is the day after Thanksgiving and I suspect many people (myself included) will be travelling. Second, the fourth Friday of December is Christmas Day - obviously we aren't having it on Christmas. So, to alleviate these conflicts, I have changed the dates of game nights in November and December.
We will be meeting on the following nights:
November 13th (this is the normal first meeting of November)
November 20th
December 4th
December 18th
These will all be at the normal 6:30 PM time and go to roughly 11:00 PM. I will be getting a key from the church soon which means that 11:00 PM will become a bit softer of a cap if we want to go later.
For this upcoming session on November 13th, we will be featuring a very unique kind of game: ASYMMETRICAL games! Most games are symmetrical, meaning that all of the players have the same options available to them (mostly) and are all trying to achieve the same things. For example, in Monopoly all players are trying to earn the most dolla billz. In Settlers of Catan (or Catan as the cool kids call it now) everyone is trying to earn victory points. In the games I will list here, players not only have unique abilities, but in most cases also are trying to achieve victory in different ways.
So, here are my top 5 favorite asymmetric games!
5. Eclipse
Eclipse is a very fun space exploration game (4x). Each players takes control of a unique alien power, each of which has very different special abilities. While in this game players ultimately have the same victory conditions, the way these different aliens play out is vastly different, particularly when adding in any of the expansion aliens. It's a great combination of both economic and conflict gaming and can play as many as 9 players with the expansion, which actually isn't as tedious as it initially sounds! This is a great game and while the buzz has died off a bit it is still excellent.
4. Letters from Whitechapel
This game is one of the most played games for my wife and I the year we got it - she loves deduction games and I love any game she wants to play. We played this a lot with a variety of player counts and generally had a great time. Our only problem is it can definitely get long, particularly if the investigators are methodical and slow, which the game requires to an extent. In this game one players plays as Jack the Ripper, slowly terrorizing London, and the rest are the police investigators. Each round Jack commits a murder and must return back to his hideout before the police are able to either surround him or accurately guess which space he is currently on. It is a very tense game, particularly for Jack, as he races home and tries to avoid the police. Each round he must return to the same location so the cops can slowly triangulate where exactly he's going. Great game!
3. Specter Ops
Since receiving Specter Ops, our famchallenging for the agent and we have a losing win ratio as such. Very fun game and very easy to learn and play.
ily has barely played Letters from Whitechapel. That's because Specter Ops has all but replaced it for us. The primary reason for this is it can be played in half the time. Now, despite a similar sounding game, it really feels pretty different as this is much more fast paced. In this, one players is an agent sneaking around some facility, trying to complete objectives. The rest of the players are hunters trying to find and kill the agent before he can escape - think Metal Gear Solid the boardgame. It's fast paced and tense as the hunter ducks around corners, uses special weapons and abilities, and does his best to outsmart his opponents.
2. Terra Mystica
Generally I tried to keep games on this list that had variable win conditions, but honestly there's only so many that I own and are reasonably lengthed for this game session (hence Here I Stand not being on this list, nor any of the COIN games). This is the quinitissential 'special powers' Euro-game. Players each take on a different (very different) fantasy race, each with very unique powers and player boards, and try to gain the most points by expanding their civilization in this ever changing world. Throughout the game players will shape and change the terrain features of the world, making it so their race can flourish
. There is a lot of strategic and tactical thinking and next to no luck present in this game. This is a heavy game and with four players can run a bit long, but it is a very deep and rewarding experience nonetheless.
1. Fury of Dracula
Okay so I'm cheating by putting this as number 1 as I actually haven't played it yet, but I expect to before next Friday and I'm 99% sure this will become my favorite asymmetric game (aside from Here I Stand). It has everything I want - one vs. all mechanics, deduction, a cool creepy theme, a really cool sounding name, lots of powers and narrative events, and plus it looks awesome. The new third edition by Fantasy Flight just released and it looks amazing. One player is Dracula, the others are vampire hunters trying to track him down and kill him before he can take over all of Europe with his evil, brooding ways. These are sparkly vampires with skinny jeans, they're cool, traditional vampires ready to do all sorts of bad things, but be super cool doing them.
Of course any games are welcome, particularly if they match theme! Bring some games, bring some friends, and be ready to game on November 13th!
You may have noticed that if our sessions continued on the scheduled dates, we'd run into a few conflicts. First, the fourth Friday of November is the day after Thanksgiving and I suspect many people (myself included) will be travelling. Second, the fourth Friday of December is Christmas Day - obviously we aren't having it on Christmas. So, to alleviate these conflicts, I have changed the dates of game nights in November and December.
We will be meeting on the following nights:
November 13th (this is the normal first meeting of November)
November 20th
December 4th
December 18th
These will all be at the normal 6:30 PM time and go to roughly 11:00 PM. I will be getting a key from the church soon which means that 11:00 PM will become a bit softer of a cap if we want to go later.
For this upcoming session on November 13th, we will be featuring a very unique kind of game: ASYMMETRICAL games! Most games are symmetrical, meaning that all of the players have the same options available to them (mostly) and are all trying to achieve the same things. For example, in Monopoly all players are trying to earn the most dolla billz. In Settlers of Catan (or Catan as the cool kids call it now) everyone is trying to earn victory points. In the games I will list here, players not only have unique abilities, but in most cases also are trying to achieve victory in different ways.
So, here are my top 5 favorite asymmetric games!
5. EclipseEclipse is a very fun space exploration game (4x). Each players takes control of a unique alien power, each of which has very different special abilities. While in this game players ultimately have the same victory conditions, the way these different aliens play out is vastly different, particularly when adding in any of the expansion aliens. It's a great combination of both economic and conflict gaming and can play as many as 9 players with the expansion, which actually isn't as tedious as it initially sounds! This is a great game and while the buzz has died off a bit it is still excellent.
4. Letters from WhitechapelThis game is one of the most played games for my wife and I the year we got it - she loves deduction games and I love any game she wants to play. We played this a lot with a variety of player counts and generally had a great time. Our only problem is it can definitely get long, particularly if the investigators are methodical and slow, which the game requires to an extent. In this game one players plays as Jack the Ripper, slowly terrorizing London, and the rest are the police investigators. Each round Jack commits a murder and must return back to his hideout before the police are able to either surround him or accurately guess which space he is currently on. It is a very tense game, particularly for Jack, as he races home and tries to avoid the police. Each round he must return to the same location so the cops can slowly triangulate where exactly he's going. Great game!
3. Specter OpsSince receiving Specter Ops, our famchallenging for the agent and we have a losing win ratio as such. Very fun game and very easy to learn and play.
ily has barely played Letters from Whitechapel. That's because Specter Ops has all but replaced it for us. The primary reason for this is it can be played in half the time. Now, despite a similar sounding game, it really feels pretty different as this is much more fast paced. In this, one players is an agent sneaking around some facility, trying to complete objectives. The rest of the players are hunters trying to find and kill the agent before he can escape - think Metal Gear Solid the boardgame. It's fast paced and tense as the hunter ducks around corners, uses special weapons and abilities, and does his best to outsmart his opponents.
2. Terra Mystica
Generally I tried to keep games on this list that had variable win conditions, but honestly there's only so many that I own and are reasonably lengthed for this game session (hence Here I Stand not being on this list, nor any of the COIN games). This is the quinitissential 'special powers' Euro-game. Players each take on a different (very different) fantasy race, each with very unique powers and player boards, and try to gain the most points by expanding their civilization in this ever changing world. Throughout the game players will shape and change the terrain features of the world, making it so their race can flourish
. There is a lot of strategic and tactical thinking and next to no luck present in this game. This is a heavy game and with four players can run a bit long, but it is a very deep and rewarding experience nonetheless.
1. Fury of DraculaOkay so I'm cheating by putting this as number 1 as I actually haven't played it yet, but I expect to before next Friday and I'm 99% sure this will become my favorite asymmetric game (aside from Here I Stand). It has everything I want - one vs. all mechanics, deduction, a cool creepy theme, a really cool sounding name, lots of powers and narrative events, and plus it looks awesome. The new third edition by Fantasy Flight just released and it looks amazing. One player is Dracula, the others are vampire hunters trying to track him down and kill him before he can take over all of Europe with his evil, brooding ways. These are sparkly vampires with skinny jeans, they're cool, traditional vampires ready to do all sorts of bad things, but be super cool doing them.
Of course any games are welcome, particularly if they match theme! Bring some games, bring some friends, and be ready to game on November 13th!
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
10/23 Game Night!
Hey everyone!
My apologies I haven't updated the blog in a little while - we haven't had a game night in almost a month due to a church event and the one before that I was out of town for!
This upcoming Friday we will be hosting another game night and given its proximity to Halloween we will be playing a variety of horror themed games (with varying levels of actual scariness).
As such, here are my top 5 favorite "horror" themed games with some others listed at the bottom that we'll also have.
5. Betrayal at House on the Hill
The first game we'll have available is one we'd be seriously amiss for not mentioning. Betrayal at House on the Hill is the quintessential Halloween game. Strictly speaking it's not the best game in the world - the mechanics can be weird and every now and again you'll get a scenario that just breaks, but the theme is exactly what you want on Halloween. The players all start on the same team but midway through exploring the creepy old house one of the players betrays the rest, each time with a different randomly determined scenario. It's made even more fun when played in a dimly lit room with a creepy ambiance.
4. Dead of Winter
Dead of Winter is the unofficial game of the year of 2014. It was wildly popular and still is doing quite well for itself. In this game, a group of survivors of the zombie apocalypse (what else?) have banded together for survival. Each game features a different scenario goal and each player has their own personal agenda as well, including the potential that one player has a secret 'traitor' agenda to sabotage the main goal. The game is highly thematic and very well designed. It also gives a very great zombie feel, particularly with the use of the story-driven 'crossroads' deck that gives players interesting choices to make.
3. Ultimate Werewolf
I love Ultimate Werewolf. It is my favorite social deduction game that takes less than 3 hours (lookin' at you BSG) and I think that is largely because of how much fun I have moderating it. Watching it all unfold knowing who everyone is is rather fun and interesting - it's like a social experiment I get to create and watch. In the game, players are either werewolves or villagers with a smattering of special powers thrown in. The entire game is discussion and accusation, pinning the players against each other trying to determine who is who. The villagers win by killing off the werewolves. The werewolves win by eating the villagers. It's a great time. We will be playing a game of this as our evening winds down (probably multiple games) so plan accordingly!
2. Mysterium
To call Mysterium a horror game is a bit generous - it's not really scary. However, the theme itself is rooted in the idea that the players, except one, are paranormal investigators seeking out the clues of a cold case murder trial in a big creepy mansion. One of the players acts as the ghost of the victim who, by use of extremely surreal cards, gives the players 'visions' and clues (silently) to lead them toward the murder, location, and weapon. This game is an interesting and unique combination of mechanics that just works extremely well. It plays great with a full player count of 7 and is one of the most popular games on 2015 thus far. The new American edition is gorgeous!
1. Eldritch Horror
Finally, Eldritch Horror is my finally horror themed game. I probably like other games better on this list overall, but as far as a Halloween themed game is concerned, this one takes the cake. Set in the Lovecraft universe of Cthulu, a team of investigators is trying to save the world as one of the monsters (I forget their real names - I'm not that into Lovecraft or Cthulu) tries to destroy/eat/burn it. You move your characters all over the map of the world, encounter very story-driven elements, and all around have a great time. It's a somewhat heavy game that can take a few hours but it's worth the time. The only problem is I don't own it and neither does GCOM so unless somebody else brings it (hint hint) we won't be able to play it. Nonetheless, I wanted to mention it since it's such a great game.
We will have other horror themed games there as well, including Zombicide, Ghost Stories, Witch's Brew, Shadow Hunters, Fearsome Floors, Terror of Meeple City, and more. Don't be intimidated by the scary theme - the games are generally fun and light-hearted with just a touch of the horror. Bring some friends, bring some family, bring some strangers, bring some zombies, or bring the ghost of a cold case murder - either way, bring somebody! And be ready to have a good time!
My apologies I haven't updated the blog in a little while - we haven't had a game night in almost a month due to a church event and the one before that I was out of town for!
This upcoming Friday we will be hosting another game night and given its proximity to Halloween we will be playing a variety of horror themed games (with varying levels of actual scariness).
As such, here are my top 5 favorite "horror" themed games with some others listed at the bottom that we'll also have.
5. Betrayal at House on the HillThe first game we'll have available is one we'd be seriously amiss for not mentioning. Betrayal at House on the Hill is the quintessential Halloween game. Strictly speaking it's not the best game in the world - the mechanics can be weird and every now and again you'll get a scenario that just breaks, but the theme is exactly what you want on Halloween. The players all start on the same team but midway through exploring the creepy old house one of the players betrays the rest, each time with a different randomly determined scenario. It's made even more fun when played in a dimly lit room with a creepy ambiance.
4. Dead of Winter
Dead of Winter is the unofficial game of the year of 2014. It was wildly popular and still is doing quite well for itself. In this game, a group of survivors of the zombie apocalypse (what else?) have banded together for survival. Each game features a different scenario goal and each player has their own personal agenda as well, including the potential that one player has a secret 'traitor' agenda to sabotage the main goal. The game is highly thematic and very well designed. It also gives a very great zombie feel, particularly with the use of the story-driven 'crossroads' deck that gives players interesting choices to make.
3. Ultimate Werewolf
I love Ultimate Werewolf. It is my favorite social deduction game that takes less than 3 hours (lookin' at you BSG) and I think that is largely because of how much fun I have moderating it. Watching it all unfold knowing who everyone is is rather fun and interesting - it's like a social experiment I get to create and watch. In the game, players are either werewolves or villagers with a smattering of special powers thrown in. The entire game is discussion and accusation, pinning the players against each other trying to determine who is who. The villagers win by killing off the werewolves. The werewolves win by eating the villagers. It's a great time. We will be playing a game of this as our evening winds down (probably multiple games) so plan accordingly!
2. Mysterium
To call Mysterium a horror game is a bit generous - it's not really scary. However, the theme itself is rooted in the idea that the players, except one, are paranormal investigators seeking out the clues of a cold case murder trial in a big creepy mansion. One of the players acts as the ghost of the victim who, by use of extremely surreal cards, gives the players 'visions' and clues (silently) to lead them toward the murder, location, and weapon. This game is an interesting and unique combination of mechanics that just works extremely well. It plays great with a full player count of 7 and is one of the most popular games on 2015 thus far. The new American edition is gorgeous!
1. Eldritch HorrorFinally, Eldritch Horror is my finally horror themed game. I probably like other games better on this list overall, but as far as a Halloween themed game is concerned, this one takes the cake. Set in the Lovecraft universe of Cthulu, a team of investigators is trying to save the world as one of the monsters (I forget their real names - I'm not that into Lovecraft or Cthulu) tries to destroy/eat/burn it. You move your characters all over the map of the world, encounter very story-driven elements, and all around have a great time. It's a somewhat heavy game that can take a few hours but it's worth the time. The only problem is I don't own it and neither does GCOM so unless somebody else brings it (hint hint) we won't be able to play it. Nonetheless, I wanted to mention it since it's such a great game.
We will have other horror themed games there as well, including Zombicide, Ghost Stories, Witch's Brew, Shadow Hunters, Fearsome Floors, Terror of Meeple City, and more. Don't be intimidated by the scary theme - the games are generally fun and light-hearted with just a touch of the horror. Bring some friends, bring some family, bring some strangers, bring some zombies, or bring the ghost of a cold case murder - either way, bring somebody! And be ready to have a good time!
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