Special Session: Dune (9/29/12)

Another six-player session of Dune. We only had five hours to explain the rules and play, so we cut it short after the sixth turn.

Players were Dagon (Atreides), Shelly (Bene Gesserit), Brian (Emperor), Cade (Fremen), Romeo (Guild), and Brain (Harkonnen).

The first alliance opportunity appeared early (turn 2?). Atreides, Emperor, and Harkonnen all had solid garrisons on one stronghold each, and the other two were lightly held, so I suggested a three way alliance and a quick push to victory.

Fearing the power of our combined prescience, money, and treachery, the three lesser powers allied to oppose us. We *almost* managed a turn three win, but Ro used the voice on my leader in the final combat and I came up one troop short of victory, leaving us with just four of the necessary five strongholds.

We'd pretty thoroughly depleted our troop strength going for the quick win, so the lesser factions were able to temporarily push us out of two of the strongholds. The remainder of the game was a more methodical crawl back toward control of the necessary five strongholds.

We called the game after five hours, with our alliance controlling four strongholds. Another couple of hours would surely have brought the win.

Here's a fun fact: The combination of the Atreides ability to look at all treachery cards before they are auctioned, the Emperor's power to gift money to allies and receive all auction payments, and the Harkonnen eight card hand size meant that our alliance dominated the treachery card auctions. If a card was crucial, we could get it for essentially no cost. On several occasions, we managed to bluff our opponents into paying way too much for entirely worthless cards. Oh, how we laughed!

Here's a not so fun fact: the BG voice power is really annoying, especially when shared with allies.

So that's a totally unbiased account of our second game of Dune. No clear winner when we called it, but things were heavily tilted toward the glorious A-E-H alliance.

Game on!

October 9 Game Night

October. At my house. We'll try to get some shellacked gourds or something. That'll be festive.

Game on!

September 25 Game night

Activities: Castle Panic (x2), Dominion, Pit(x2). Maybe more? I wandered off.

Personnel: Anthony, Brian, Dagon, Daniel, Erica, Jason, Jeff, Paul, and two friends of Erica's whose names I cannot recall.

That is all!

Special Session: Dune (9/8/12)

Six of us met on Saturday to vie for control of Arakeen's worm-ravaged wastes. We were: Atreides (Shelly), Bene Gesserit (Paul), the Emperor (Romeo), the Fremen (Brian),  the Guild (Dave),  and Harkonnen (Cade).

Atreides pulled off a decisive turn three solo win, brushing back our combined attempts to stop her (once we woke up and saw the danger). Well played, Shelly!

The game was very thematic and interesting. I'm definitely going to try to get it to the table again soon.

September 11 Game Night

Good times were had by the gang:

* One absurdly long game of El Grande played byAnthony, Dagon, Dave/Paul, Erica, and Shelly.

* While they slogged it out, Brian, Frank, Jason, and Jeff played Glory to Rome, San Juan, and No Thanks! (x2).

Then the group fragmented, with some slinking away and a brave handful hanging on for a last fling of 7 (5) Wonders.