Gaming plans for the rest of 2007

I still have several games I would like to play by the end of the year, otherwise they look like decorations, and not games. Since I have been working more this month than any other I have racked up less than ten games played for the first time since June 2005! This lack of gaming has made me think about games more, and I have a list that I want to play now.

The first on the list is Europe Engulfed (EE) and Asia Engulfed (AE). These are two different WWII block games that can be combined into one big game or played separately. EE takes about 12 hours to play the full game but there are later starts for the game that can be playable in about half that time. EE is designed for 2-3 players (Allies, Germans and Russians), and AE is a 2 player game.

Combat Commander: Europe is a two player Card Driven Game (CDG) that is not difficult to learn and also has the advantage it can be played in a single evening. The game comes with scenarios as well as the ability to create your own. I think there would be some interest in this in my wargaming friends, less so in my euro friends. I think they could enjoy it, but would have to get used to the direct combat aspect of the game.

Arkham Horror is a Fantasy Flight (FFG) game based on the writings of HP Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos. It is playable in an evening an can have from 1-8 players. I have two of the expansions for this as well. I love HPL’s stuff and I think this will be a smoking game for a Halloween themed game night in late October. We could combine it with some lighter games as well, like Torches and Pitchforks or Zombies!

A Game of Thrones is another FFG game that is a board game that has some roots in Diplomacy and some in the war game world. I have the first expansion for this as well. This game is based on the books by George R.R. Martin. AGoT is for 3-5 players, so I will need a group.

Merchants of Venus is a “train game” of sorts, it is more of a “pick up and deliver” game in the railroad style. It is an older game, about 20 years old, but it is quite fun. I have played this a lot with my wife and friends back in the late 80’s. I think it still translates well. MoV is for 1-5 players and I think it scales well up to 5.

Soldier Raj/Kings/Emperor, these are three similar style games that are all CDGs as well with some Diplomacy tossed in for fun. They look pretty light in style and they come with a variety of scenarios too. They can range from 2-8 players.

Panzer Grenadier Eastern Front is a traditional 2 player hex and counter war game that I purchased for a great price. It comes with 112 scenarios in the booklet, so it could be a source of enjoyment for years. I have a friend that plays this so I am going to get him to teach me the game.

Twilight Struggle, to me, the best game of 2006, it has a strong theme (the Cold War), tense play (I call this game two hours of painful decisions) and is downright fun as you get to screw over your opponent (it is 2 player) and yourself. There are times when you cannot help but screw yourself over, but you are trying to minimize the damage. The disadvantage that the new player has is due to the experienced player knowing the cards. It is usually better to have the new player be the USSR, as they are easier to play in the Early-Mid Game. I will teach two people this game this year or my name is not J Alfred Prufrock!

Tide of Iron, a WWII plastic game, it is a dream game to players that like Memoir ’44 but want a little more. I don’t have much to say about it yet as it just arrived today. This is for 2-4 players but I believe it is better suited to 2 than 4. This could have been called "Tide of Plastic".

If there is any interest on your part in playing any of these, reply here and we can try and get a game day going.

Remember Fallcon is in 3 weeks.