July Gaming at the JSGC

As usual, the following list represents the games played at the club, and does not include games I may have played outside the club. Information about all of these games can be found on Board Game Geek (when the site is back up).

Age of Steam - Excellent pick-up and deliver train game, a hefty length at three hours. Very tight money management, and inelegant leader correction mechanic.

Andromeda - I didn't play this. It didn't look that good.

Bridge x 2 - Being played more frequently at the end of the evening. There are many bridge clubs in Jerusalem.

By Hook or By Crook x 2 - Chaos game for light gamers, I don't particularly find it that exciting. Some of the gamers love it.

Caylus - Too hefty for its mechanics. Has lots of nice ideas, but can drag on. Also, after a few plays, I'm not finding it that challenging, mostly because I don't really care by the end of it. A good game when all players are experienced.

Cosmic Encounter - Universally loved by the group. We play only the Mayfair edition with More Cosmic.

Empire Builder - Tried and found to be a good basis for a game, but boring in its basic form. Some variants will probably add interest.

Havoc: the Hundred Years War x 3 - A nice filler for 2 to 6 players, except a little long for a filler.

Lo Ra - Nadine's Jewish themed variant for Ra. Mostly plays well, but some patches of extreme luck almost ruin the game.

Lord of the Rings: the Confrontation x 6 - A very good light two-player filler.

Magic: the Gathering x 3 - One of The Games, I play with David when he comes by. We NEVER play tournament, we just draft from whatever cards are lying around.

New England - Clunky mesh between mechanics and theme, and an inelegant resupply mechanic, but an enjoyable and reasonably meaty game.

The Menorah Game - A light filler for 2 to 4. Would be nice to get a real copy made one day.

Oh Hell - A quick classic card game filler.

Power Grid x 3 - Loved by the group, but drags with 6 people. Plays 2 to 5 better.

Puerto Rico - The Game.

San Juan x 3 - The Filler Game, even though it is nowhere near as good as Puerto Rico.

Santiago - New to the group, and only played a few times, but liked a lot. I love the game.

Sergeant Major - A card game I didn't play.

Set - Played as a filler with children.

Settlers of Catan x 2 - Still a staple game.

Shadows Over Camelot x 2 - Loved by everyone in the group except for me. And accommodates a large group.

Taj Mahal - A staple game, holding strong.

Tigris and Euphrates - I used to have a hard time getting people to play this, because I loved it but the group didn't. The last game we played seemed to have turned some of them around. I look forward to bringing it out again soon.

Tikal - A nice game, always plays better than expected.

Twilight Imperium III - Simply too darn long for the group. Some people also believe that the game is going to become repetitive after a few plays.

War - Sad, but true. Next.

Winner's Circle x 2 - A light luck-filled game, with some interest. Reasonably short and fun.

Yinsh - An excellent 2-player filler abstract.

Yehuda