So it Begins…. Diplomacy 2014. Spring 1901

Welcome ladies and gentlemen to what could prove to be the best game of 2014! Seven players who may have started as friends are now joined in the titanic struggle that is email Diplomacy.

The leaders are as follows

Eoin “Spartan” Kearney	Austria
Paul Clancy	Russia
Conor Hoary	England
Kieran Fitzgerald	France
“Patrick” Drax “O’Sullivan”	Germany
Joe “Dread Pirate Joe” Morris	Italy
Tony Gleeson	Turkey

We have a fine mix of experienced and new players. One things for sure, they’ll never be the same people they were by the time this is over

The ultimate winner will receive a prize of an exclusive Knavecon T-Shirt and a copy of 30 Seconds, but more importantly very public bragging rights. Turns will be once a week, results and maps posted on the site and my good friend* Bob Burke will provide a running commentary on how it’s all progressing.

Let the games commence!

Huzzah!

Vic

November 4, 2014 2

Fame won’t change me (I’ll be just as insufferable)

I got to speak to Dave Fanning on Saturday (or if you prefer, Dave Fanning got to speak to me) on his Radio Programme. Monopoly is eighty years old and for some reason still popular.

Here’s what we had to say

http://www.rte.ie/2fm/dave-fanning/programmes-saturday/2014/1025/654795-dave-fanning-saturday-25-october-2014/?clipid=1713801

October 27, 2014 0

Gaelcon 2014

This should be quite the weekend.

Going to Gaelcon Sat and Sunday, or more accurately I’m being brought to Gaelcon courtesy of the driving skills of one of the Knaves.

Radio Interview Tomorrow morning with Dave Fanning about Monopoly (and if I have my way some real games) on 2fm between 10:30am and 11:30am

a coffee date with Nigel from the Wargaming Ireland and tasting of what he claims to be “the best coffee ever” in Third Floor Expresso

Some gaming, the pub quiz and perhaps a few beverages

Come say hello at Gaelcon, Look for the handsome dude in the Knavecon T-Shirt (I’ll be standing beside him wearing one too) and join me for a game or two

Doesn’t get much better than that.

Huzzah!

Vic

October 24, 2014 0

OLD School

I remember discovering Risk when I was a strip of a lad. I was hooked. It was exotic and fun. There wasn’t a whole lot of non mainstream games out there and there was no Internet, so this was like a glass of iced water to a man in hell

Some years later I was in the UK working for a brief spell (and bored so very very bored) and whilst visiting a buddy and his then girlfriend in London (strictly a non gamer) he asked me “oh what’s that you’ve got in the bag?” before telling me of the pubs and clubs we would be frequenting that night shortly after dinner. Still curious about the game of risk sticking out of the bag he asked to have a quick look at it….

We never got to the pub. Somehow a game of risk started and a few others joined in. At four am I had to politely decline the third game and get some sleep. They were hooked, four total non gamers.

Fast forward a few years and I’m visiting the self same friend and his now wife for dinner in their house. On arrival they point proudly to their well worn copy of Risk. There’s more to this story but it would take a full post and I digress.

Make no mistake Risk and it’s ilk are great gateway games. You quickly move on from it to better things but you’ll always remember your first game of Risk. More so if and lets be honest more likely When you get double crossed

A similar game has sat on my shelves for a long de long time now…ATTACK! This Thur I think it’s about time we went old school, dusted it off and let slip the dogs of war

Huzzah!

Vic

October 8, 2014 0

The new Math

http://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/180027/item/3480207#item3480207

First (to the best of my knowledge) Math Trade for boardgames in Ireland. Math trades are something I’ve seen many times but never really understood until now.

Have a look see. I’ve a few bits I’ll be putting up for trade on it

Vic

Oh yeah Huzzah!

October 7, 2014 0

Knavecon on Tour – Gaelcon 2014

After a long absence I’m going to actually make it to Gaelcon this year

Just like confession I couldn’t tell you the last time I was there, certainly a number of years. I seem to recall a pub quiz, some extended refreshment and a fruitless quest for fried food. It was all black and white and there may have been pirates.

I’m looking forward to meeting in Person some of the people whom I’ve only chatted to online and catching up with a few I haven’t gamed with in way too long.

If you are attending make sure to make yourself known and join me for a game or two.

SO… Who’s game?

Huzzah!

Vic

October 1, 2014 1

No Love Lost

Love letter is a bit of a misnomer, there’s no letter and there’s surely no love when you play this game. I love simple, clever games and Love Letter is certainly one of these. It has sixteen cards and it still manages to deliver like a boss

It’s best played with three to four players (the max) and it plays out in say twenty minutes or so. The first few games take a bit of getting your head around and being told repeatidly draw one, play one eventually gets through your skull.

You start the game with one of seven possible card types some of which have multiples. They are the usual motley crew of medieval archetypes, Priest, Princess, Duchess, King, Guard and so on. Each of them have a special power and each of them can dampen either you or your opponents ardour.

The idea is you need to end the round with a card higher ranked than your opponents or knock them all out of the round before the cards run out.

This can be achieved in a number of ways, the easiest being naming what card an opponent has by playing a guard (yes sometimes it’s pure guess). Forcing them to discard a particular card, punching them in the throat (not sure this is an official rule), Challenging them to have a higher card than you with the Duke. Other cards allow you to swap hands or view another player’s cards. It’s very much Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock and it works very well indeed. It is if you will perfectly formed.

The game is purely reactionary, you have to think on your feet (even when you’re sitting down) and there’s always a way to win. This sounds like a wine buff (there’s hints of blackberry) but there are hints of other games in here but none of them are overpowering nor is the game too similar to anything else. It very much stands on its own.

I’m always amazed how music works, a half dozen notes into a tune you have something unique, the same is true of love letter. It’s unique, it’s fun and it’s criminally cheap. You can pick it up for less than ten euro and you will play it again and again. Of all the essential games to have in your collection, THIS is top of the list

Go now and pick up a copy and if I’m wrong you can punch me in the throat at the next Knavecon

Huzzah!

Vic

warm

September 30, 2014 3

El loco loco loco loco Diablo

Castle of the devil is a game I’ve been after for a while. It’s gotten mixed reviews and a lot of reviewers have said that the resistance is superior. That’s fine. Being not quite as good as the resistance is still pretty good and opinions are like just that.

The first thing that struck me about the game is the size. It’s tiny. A little bigger than a desk of cards (60 cards or so).

The Second thing is the fact that it’s in both German and English just like Irish roadsigns (you know what I mean) but with the foreign language on top. It’s fine btw just takes a little bit of getting used to

The third thing is how long it takes to play. Usually USUALLY a small game takes a small amount of time to play. Not so in this case we rattled on for a full hour with this and it was back and forth to the last.

The game itself is not bad at all. Not out of This world but not bad. The whole game resolves around a coach trip (the horse type) where the passengers are secretly split into two factions the brotherhood of lies and the other lads who hate lies. Probably. One group is trying to secure three keys and the other is trying to secure three goblets for their respective teams. Note the word team. Now the fun bit is you start not knowing whom works for whom and it’s a race to deduce who’s who then a grab for the keys or goblets. Simple.

Each member starts with one random luggage object and a random profession which grants either a one off ability like poisoning someone, breaking up a fight or a not so powerful game long ability like being a good fighter or a bodyguard and so on

Professions are hidden until needed so there’s lots of HA HA! Moments in the game which I liked.

Each turn players swap items of luggage or in our case quite a bit stop the carriage and challenge each other to a duel at which point players in turn declare whom they are siding with and either assist the attacker or defend the victim. The winner in either case gets a sneaky look at who the loser works for or gets to half inch one of their luggage items.

The luggage items apart from the goblets and keys all have special abilities often triggered by trading them to another player. They might help a player in attack or defence. Allow a player to examine who they work for. Cause a player to break out in hives, not be able to drink apple juice and so on. I’m kidding and you get the idea

By a careful study of players actions and a series of judicious beatings you can figure out who’s who and to win all you need do is stand up and in a “I’m Brian and so is my wife” style declare whom you work for, that you have a key/goblet and so have those other guys that work with you…. get that wrong and you lose

It’s an interesting game. I think we over played it on Thur until there was no doubt of whom everyone was and then it was a tug of war to secure the goblets/keys. My team lost. Worst team ever.

We also played the first game objects only so we haven’t tested the whole game with all of the luggage. All and all it was good but not brilliant but I’ll hold fire until I’ve played it again and in full

Until that day Huzzah and safe home (to the castle of the devil)

Vic

September 26, 2014 0

Thanks and that

Thanks to all the gamers and gaming groups out there that have been helping me of late to promote this blog. It’s been a pleasure (so far) writing it and I hope anyone who’s read it has not been wealthy enough to afford a decent hitman. more to come

Huzzah!

Vic

September 23, 2014 0

We go on three?

you’ve got to ask yourself one question: “Do I feel lucky?” Well, do ya, punk? BEST LINE EVER (apart from all the other best lines ever)

Cash and guns or more correctly Ca$h and Gun$ is a super little filler game. It’s been reprinted lately having been out of print for a number of years and being stupendously expensive for what is a fairly simple game at heart.

I had a crack at playing this some months back with the group using a set made of playing cards, kids guns and sticky back plastic. It was good but the real McCoy is much nicer.

It caters for four to eight players and it’s a short filler game. About twenty minutes and you’re done. It’s a real goodie to round out an evenings gaming.

The whole sizzle of the game is the guns. It plays as a series of Mexican standoffs with everyone at the count of three pointing their natty foam guns at each other. I can only assume the foam guns are there after playtesters understandably pistol whipped each other with more solid versions.

So having seen whom or more likely multiple whoms are pointing at you on the count of three players get to chicken out or stand their ground.

Those who stand firm find out if their attacker loaded their gun with blanks or live ammo (of which there’s a limited amount) and therefore either wind up full of holes (three wounds and you’re dead dead) or miraculously unscathed

Those remaining brave and un holed get to share a central pile of loot, which gets redrawn each round

Rinse and repeat for eight rounds and whomever has the biggest wad at the end, is the winner.

Throw in a few extra rules and you have different character types that can take more hits, steal more of the stash and you have a recipe for all out fun

It’s a blast (literally). There’s a bit of luck in there, there’s a lot of old rivalries come to the fore when playing. There’s guns, did I mention guns? There’s cash.

I talked about the live version of this some time back, this is a similar animal and it retains the same fun elements from it’s bigger cousin. I lost btw, way too fool hardy and shootable, that said I didn’t lose as bad as the owner of the game who has after a dozen plays NEVER, EVER made it to the end without being killed.

Then again a man’s GOT to know his limitations

Huzzah!

September 19, 2014 0