August Gaming at the JSGC

We had no difficulties in keeping up the game group all summer, which is nice. In fact, a small group is nice.

Apples to Apples: This is usually not played at our group, but my daughter and her friends were around.

Bridge x 3: Often played in the last hour of the group.

Caylus: Still enjoyed as a main course by most of the group, but still too heavy, automatic, and fiddly for me.

Cosmic Encounter x 2: The classic, still going strong after 30 years.

El Grande: A staple game of area control.

Go x 2: A great game; too bad I still suck at it.

It's Alive x 4: My game, and enjoyed as a light filler. Some occasional complaints about the villagers throwing the game. Last time I played I got all the villagers and I still won.

Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation x 2: A simple yet tense very quick two-player filler.

Lost Valley x 3: One of my new favorites. For some reason, the vast throwing of the game to luck doesn't bother me too much ... yet. It's just fun to play.

Modern Art: An auction game which I actually think is better with three players than with five, since you have more control, thus more actual impact on the game.

Power Grid: A staple, best played with our slight variant of having the next four cards in the deck face up. I do think we need some new maps.

Princes of Florence x 2: Another staple, a quiet contemplative game.

Puerto Rico x 2: The Classic. Often played with my variant buildings.

Samurai: First play for us, it seems a bit better than Through the Desert.

San Juan: Needs expansion cards to be more interesting, still a good filler game.

Tigris & Euphrates: A great game that defies categorization. Knizia's best.

Yehuda