and gaming...

[dagibbs]

I was going to go over to kattale's this evening, to socialize a bit, and play a game or two. Just before I was going to call her, foms called and asked if I was free and interested in gaming with ragnhildr and him -- them coming over to my place. I said that I had plans, but would check about inviting them along... but kattale was too tired. So, they decided to come over, and wondered if we could find a fourth... so I called ansfrid. He was a touch surprised, but decided that yes, he would join us for gaming.

So ansfrid got here first, and we played a quick game of Lost Cities followed by Odin's Ravens. Then foms and ragnhildr showed up and we pulled out Ra. It wasn't close -- ansfrid came down with some 63 points, foms a distant second with 43 and adding my and ragnhildr's scores together didn't even equal foms' score. We then pulled out Caylus, which was close most of the way through, but with me pulling out a small win at the end. For our final game, we pulled out Saint Petersburg, but ansfrid bowed out due to tiredness. With a photo-finish, foms' 20 rubles put him 2 pts ahead of ragnhildr who was one point ahead of me.

I don't think I've got a handle on Ra yet.

It was a good evening.

Comments

[jackspryte.livejournal.com]

"Saying you don't think you have a handle on Ra" scares me.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

It isn't that it is a complicated game, but it is (almost purely) an auction game -- but with limited and discretely valued bidding amounts. I think I tend to not spend enough, then in desperation over-spend. Though this last particular game it was likely to be ok, but I got badly burned on some tile draws near the end of a round. What I don't have a handle on, is when and how much to bid for things.

[jackspryte.livejournal.com]

Still you frighten me Gibbs. I have been gaming since 11 and played so many games I have forgotten more rules than most people have ever learned. However you have "mad skillz" (as the kids from my nearby hood would say)

I love Ra. It's my next major game purchase.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

I, too, have been gaming for a lot of years. Exactly how long depends on what you count as "gaming". I started playing D&D (blue box set) around the time AD&D was being published, that is, Monster Manual had been published by DM's Guide had not. (e.g. 1977-1978 ish). I'd have been 10 or so. But, if you look earlier -- our family aways played boardgames and cardgames as a family, and with friends, especially at the cottage. I would guess that I first started playing games around age 4-6, but I'd have to ask my parents to be sure.

[ironphoenix.livejournal.com]

Glad you had a good time!

Ra is hard to read ahead, certainly: there's quite a bit of randomness in what comes up. I tend to be more opportunistic than planning, jumping on the deals that look too good to pass up, but otherwise holding onto the hammer when possible.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

In the first round, I was last person in the auction, with (I think) 5 spaces on the Ra track. Generally a really good place to be sitting. Then I pulled two disasters in the auction track, civilisation killer and pharaoh killer. Oops... let's win that for -7 points. Ugh.

[ironphoenix.livejournal.com]

Oy... that is unlucky, but that's poker for you: you can make all the right decisions and still lose. The trick is to not succumb to Pavlovian motivation, and keep doing the right thing anyway.