May Gaming at the JSGC

The following lists games played and reactions at the Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club in May. It doesn't include my own gaming outside the club.

Arimaa - Many fans of abstracts like this game, which is designed to be hard for computers to play. I find it a bit tedious, like Abalone.

Bridge - Generally loved by the deeper gamers. My lack of proficiency due to rustiness is grating on me, however.

Caylus - I find this dull, but not insufferable (If I have something else to do). Others very much enjoy it, however, owing at least partially due to there being no "luck".

Children of Fire: the Board Game - A rough game, with a few rough edges, it's still fairly enjoyable. I believe it requires a 10 or 12 round limit.

Cosmic Encounter - A classic, but can be overplayed. Elijah wants to play every week.

For Sale - A good intro game, even if there's not too much to the game itself.

Hearts - Team Hearts is a good partnership game, although nothing spectacular.

Lo Ra - Nadine's Jewish themed version of Ra, it plays essentially the same. A bit dry, but a nice medium game.

Lord of the Rings: the Confrontation - Much better than it has a right to be, a very light themed war game for two player that plays in ten minutes. Tense and fun.

Lost Cities x 2 - Very popular in other groups, we find this incredibly banal.

Mau - I can't stand this silly induction game, but Adam and the younger players love it.

Netrunner - I love this. Of the other two players, David is frustrated with the luck of pulling cards blindly, while Binyamin enjoys it like I do.

Railroad Tycoon - Another big rough mess of a game, at its core it has very good game play, and I love train games.

Power Grid - The most requested game of the moment. Some of our players take a bit too much time calculating, so I get bored at the beginning and end of the game.

Puerto Rico x 3 - The game. Period.

San Juan x 2 - An easy filler, suffers mainly by comparison to its older brother. Desperately needs an expansion. I wish they sold blank cards for this.

Settlers of Catan - A classic introductory game, and still a lot of fun, although I play it on automatic.

The Menorah Game - An excellent medium game, if I do say so myself.

Tichu x 2 - Bridge-lite. Not really, but this is what the less cerebral prefer to play when the others play Bridge.

Tikal - Not played enough for my tastes, a lovely area control game with beautiful bits.

Yinsh - A simple and fun abstract game for two players.

Yehuda