Game night, December

The crowd was small due to extenuating circumstances, so we all gathered around one table to play some games.

The first game we played was the third in the Ticket to Ride series, Ticket to Ride: Marklin. The big differences between Marklin and the others are a) the cards are full size b) there are two separate stacks for long and short tickets (this allows you choice anytime over which kind of tickets you want) c) passengers d) +4 wildcards e) passenger cards f) no tunnels or ferries.

When you set up Marklin you place counters on each city varying from one 2 pointer to a stack of 4 with the numbers 4-7 on them. The game proceeds as normal but on your turn when you place a train, you can chose to place a passenger at either end of the freshly laid track. On a subsequent turn you are allowed to move the passenger along your tracks or along an opponent's track for every passenger card played. The only two restrictions are (and I never realised my rules were incorrect) that you cannot start a passenger in a foreign country (only in Germany) and you cannot pick up a token on your starting city.
The +4 wildcards are used as wildcards but only on routes that are 4 train lengths or longer. they act exactly like wild cards but you can pick up a second card when you pick one up (unlike regular wild cards).

The game was fairly close, Robert took off to an early lead but never managed to hold on as John "Train to Zone" won 179-175 over Lenora. The difference in the victory was that I managed to complete 7 trips and took home the +10 for most completed trips. The final scores were:
John 179
Lenora 175
Tim 171
Brenda 137
Robert 72

The winner picked the next game so I chose Formula Motor Racing, we did a three race game with John Prost managing to maintain a slim lead after three races over Brenda Schuhmacher. Tim Foyt managed to trash both of Lenora's cars in the first race and one each of Robert's over the next three that they spent a lot of time wrecking Tim's plans. The final scores were:
John 23
Brenda 15
Tim 13
Robert 12
Lenora 9

I was still picking so I picked Bohnanza, the bean trading game. This was a very close game with Robert "I have some chili, looking for some stink" coming out over Brenda and I by one point. Tim trailed us by 2 and Lenora was one point behind that. We played with all the beans in play, so there was coffee included. The final scores were:
Robert 17
Brenda 16
John 16
Tim 14
Lenora 13

Robert, as winner, got to pick the next game so he chose Poison. He didn't do very well at it, having more points at the end of the first round then Brenda did by the end of the game. One thing I do dislike about this game is the packaging, there is absolutely no reason to palce those cauldrons in the game except to raise the price. The final scores were:
Brenda 14
John 18
Tim 23
Lenora 33
Robert 44

Brenda won so she picked For Sale as our final game of the night. Lenora opted to sit this one out so we played 4 player. Robert the Real Estate Baron got the gold blazer in this one, eking out a 2,000 dollar win over Century Timmy One. Brenda and I brought up the rear. The final scores were:
Robert 63,000
Tim, 61,000
Brenda 52,000
John 52,000

The next game night will be in January, I am just not sure when yet.
Thanks to everyone that came out this year and I hope you all have a good Christmas and a gaming New Year!