Author Topic: Gaming in Draughts with jungleboy and Decar  (Read 7974 times)

Offline danisthirty

  • (not thirSty!)
  • Owner
  • Chatelain Grand-Croix
  • *
  • *
  • Posts: 6940
  • Merit: 293
  • "First to 4 points wins?"
    • View Profile
Gaming in Draughts with jungleboy and Decar
« on: February 07, 2016, 04:15:18 PM »
This weekend I met up with Tom (Decar) and Nick (jungleboy) in London! We got together and played a few games at Draughts; London's first board games cafe (and apparently pretty much the only one based on recommendations/ internet research).

So, Tom picked me up en route to London and we found Draughts and parked nearby (for free! :o) at about 2:30pm. Nick was already in London visiting other friends/ family, but planned to meet us in Draughts so Tom and I went on ahead and reserved a table. Unfortunately, you can't book tables there at the weekend but you can put your name down on a list and wait for a table. So we did this on the condition that we stayed there as our reservation wouldn't be honoured if we left, and with an hour to kill we checked through their library of games for a while and then checked out the little shop in the corner where we were still waiting when Nick arrived.

Once we'd gotten to a table (the place was heaving!) we didn't hang around and got straight into a game of classic Carc with no expansions. It was no ordinary game though, as Tom had provided us with something very special to track our scores on...



(1 city and 2 roads into the game we discovered that there wasn't a lot of space for us all on the "4" square!)

I should probably point out here that all of the photos I've posted in this report were taken by Tom who was sitting opposite Nick and I sat on his left/ Nick's right. So, all photographic credit to him! :(y)

It was a fun game, but I got a couple of lucky draws and managed to get good points from the two biggest farms (one of which I shared with Tom). I also drew a couple of cloisters which came at good times for me. I didn't have much luck with cities other than a couple of small ones and one that Tom very generously completed for me (I wasn't convinced by his reasoning - I think he was just feeling kind). Nick meanwhile managed to glom two knights into our only "mega" city and won good points for it outright even though it wasn't complete. Tom drew a lot of roads at the start of the game but put them to good use in building what turned into an 8-point road, and also had a lot invested in what ended up being a 14-point city of his own when he cancelled his half-plan to join it to the mega-city and completed it with a cfcf splitter:



(before calculating our final scores Nick and I were still on the same square and I'd successfully resisted a delicious burger that had been sitting next to me for at least 15 minutes)

So, the final scores were:

Dan :blue-meeple: (87)
Nick :green-meeple: (75)
Tom :yellow-meeple: (64)

Next we played South Seas. This was the first time for Nick whereas Tom had played it at least once and I've played it about a dozen times. There's a lot about it which seems very familiar so a lot of the fun comes from the little tweaks and changes, which there are plenty of in South Seas! Nick didn't struggle to pick the game up at all and before long we were all craftily fishing, collecting bananas and shells and exchanging them all for shipping tokens as though we'd been doing it for years. I really enjoyed this game too, although it always felt like Tom was one step ahead of Nick and I (and also that Nick was at least one step ahead of me!) so it was no surprise when we all totalled up our shipping tokens and spare resources at the end to discover that Tom had won by a decent margin: 8)





(sadly my huge supply of bananas were no match for... well, anything that Nick or Tom had really)

After two games of Carc, Nick went to visit the games library and came back with a scary looking game called Tsuro which I'd heard of (here) but had never played. Despite being scared by the cover of the box and expecting an impossibly complicated game to come out of it, I was pleasantly surprised by Tsuro's simplicity and found it very relaxing and enjoyable even when I ended up running out of space and falling off the board. We followed it up with a game of Tsuro of the Seas which seemed a lot more complicated at first, but was also kind of addictive in the same way once we'd got used to it.

It was about 6:15pm by the time we finished playing. We could have had longer if we'd wanted it but Nick had a train to catch and it was already dark outside so we decided to settle up and head off. Obviously we had to have a photo taken before we could do this though, and Nick had the foresight to decorate the table with every box of Carcassonne from their games library before we did so!



(Nick, me and Tom in Draughts along with lots of Carcassonne games and dozens of other gamers playing all manner of games - a fantastic way to spend an afternoon) :(y)

All that remains is for me to thanks Nick and Tom for their company and for such a fun afternoon of gaming. In some ways it can feel a bit strange meeting people for the first time when you feel like you already know them, but it's awesome too and I love it when online friendships like the ones that so many of us share here translate into the real world so seamlessly and we all get on as though we've been "real-life friends" for years! You guys rock, and I'm already looking forward to our next meetup (wherever it may be!) :D

Linkback: https://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=2425.0
« Last Edit: October 24, 2017, 02:44:18 PM by danisthirty »

Offline Hounk

  • Baron
  • *****
  • Posts: 965
  • Merit: 15
  • I haven't updated my profile yet!
    • View Profile
Re: Gaming in Draughts with jungleboy and Decar
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2016, 12:23:03 AM »
Really nice write up! :(y)

So, the copy of "South Sea" you brought with you? But still, they have a good collection of regular Carcassonne in the Cafe.

Offline danisthirty

  • (not thirSty!)
  • Owner
  • Chatelain Grand-Croix
  • *
  • *
  • Posts: 6940
  • Merit: 293
  • "First to 4 points wins?"
    • View Profile
Re: Gaming in Draughts with jungleboy and Decar
« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2016, 12:25:45 AM »
Really nice write up! :(y)

So, the copy of "South Sea" you brought with you? But still, they have a good collection of regular Carcassonne in the Cafe.

Thanks Hounk. :)

Yes, I brought a few games with me including Carcassonne and South Seas. Only the Tsuro games were borrowed from their library there.

Offline Chooselife

  • Viscount
  • ****
  • Posts: 629
  • Merit: 25
  • Just Ask
    • View Profile
Re: Gaming in Draughts with jungleboy and Decar
« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2016, 01:06:54 AM »
Nice One Guys!
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he today that sheds his blood with me, Shall be my brother;

Offline jungleboy

  • Viscount Chevalier
  • ****
  • Posts: 3045
  • Merit: 89
  • Nine points!
    • View Profile
    • Spirit of the Camino
Gaming in Draughts with jungleboy and Decar
« Reply #4 on: February 08, 2016, 02:01:07 AM »
Great write-up Dan! And it was great to finally meet you and Tom, and to play with a *genuine* 70-point scoreboard :P

My big mistake in the first game was not using a CFFF tile to close off one end of the large city, since I was the only player who had the possibility of adding a second knight to it at that point. I ended up adding the second knight and closing it at that end but I couldn’t close the other end.

Meanwhile, I really liked South Seas, because the scoring mechanism is obviously completely different from any other form of Carcassonne (or at least any other form that I’ve played). This made it seem ‘fresh’, so I’m considering adding this to my spin-off collection.

Tsuro was also fun and light, and Tsuro of the Seas adds another level of complexity and strategy, so these could be good gateway games.

Here are some of my shots:

Up close and personal with the magnificent and sturdy 70-point scoreboard as we round the first turn:



Decar's knight hungrily eyes his burger at the other end of the Languedoc:



After my elimination from Tsuro of the Seas, Decar and Dan are all business as it comes down to the last few tiles:


Offline Decar

  • Owner
  • Chatelain Grand Officier
  • *
  • *
  • Posts: 6719
  • Merit: 317
  • Shut up and take my money!
    • View Profile
    • tehill.net
Re: Gaming in Draughts with jungleboy and Decar
« Reply #5 on: February 08, 2016, 02:43:42 AM »
A great review of the day Dan!  Glad those pictures came out well, sometime's it's hard to tell.  This was a pretty last minute trip for me, I only realized it was happening at 6pm the night before!

We certainly had a hard time choosing a Burger, as nothing is so easily labelled in London any more.  Apparently 'Focaccia' are the trendy baps these days.  The coffee was nice too, especially as I ordered 'a coffee'.

The staff at Draughts were friendly and attentive and several people came over while we were waiting to ask if we needed any advice.  However, they didn't interrupt our games while we were playing.  We obviously looked like we knew what we were doing   :blue-meeple: :green-meeple: :yellow-meeple:

I'd definitely recommend anyone who was spending some time in London with friends to visit - though on your own the shop was a little small.  But it had plenty of copies of Carcassonne 2.0.

I think playing the CCRR tile to get a few points for a road shared with Nick + letting Dan score a big city, for the sake of 6 points of a farm, I later shared with Dan was the biggest mistake I made in that game, I should have invested another farmer in that field rather than weakly attack Dan's 2 farmer farm before the end.

At least my South Seas play was better/luckier.  :(y)

I rather enjoyed Tsuro (& of the Sea) - I can't tell if it's tactical or purely random - I certainly didn't win due to skill - but thematically the dice rolling and moving kaiju felt like you were bobbing on an uncontrollable ocean.  I'll definitely be looking for a copy soon.

Just as Dan said, it was fantastic spending a day with fellow Carcassonne Central Crew and I am looking forward to our next meeting.  Big thanks to Dan for bringing South Seas - very enjoyable at 3 players.  Last time we played was at the Meetup with 5 players and it was all a bit chaotic for me.  Big Thanks to Nick too, it wouldn't have happened at all if you hadn't taken time out of your busy schedule to suggest it.  Let us know what you want us to bring to Essen ;)

Offline MrNumbers

  • Duke Chevalier
  • *
  • Posts: 1830
  • Merit: 91
    • View Profile
    • Carcassonne Latvia
Re: Gaming in Draughts with jungleboy and Decar
« Reply #6 on: February 08, 2016, 03:31:46 AM »
Thanks for the reviews, guys! :(y)
It's cool that you had such a nice meet-up! I am jealous! :D
Hope to see you in Essen this year! ;)
"I never lose. Either I win or I learn." (Nelson Mandela)

Offline jma03

  • Count
  • **
  • Posts: 308
  • Merit: 6
    • View Profile
Re: Gaming in Draughts with jungleboy and Decar
« Reply #7 on: February 08, 2016, 05:00:09 AM »

reading and nice photos .
as you say mr numbers also I have jealousy.

I see a very original place ,
 with good presentation in coffee.
When you lose, do not look at what you lost, but what's left to win ..

Offline Carcking

  • Duke Chevalier
  • *
  • *
  • Posts: 1853
  • Merit: 33
  • I call Red!
    • View Profile
Re: Gaming in Draughts with jungleboy and Decar
« Reply #8 on: February 09, 2016, 06:58:21 AM »
Great write up Dan! And well played Decar and jb! What an awesome way to spend an afternoon. I am definitely jealous. I miss this sort of camaraderie in my own "real life". Believe it or not most of my local friends are not into board games. I know, weird right?
I just drew the perfect tile for my MonKnighThieFarmer!

Offline jungleboy

  • Viscount Chevalier
  • ****
  • Posts: 3045
  • Merit: 89
  • Nine points!
    • View Profile
    • Spirit of the Camino
Re: Gaming in Draughts with jungleboy and Decar
« Reply #9 on: February 09, 2016, 07:00:50 AM »
Great write up Dan! And well played Decar and jb! What an awesome way to spend an afternoon. I am definitely jealous. I miss this sort of camaraderie in my own "real life". Believe it or not most of my local friends are not into board games. I know, weird right?

That's why you need to jump on a plane for the Oxford meetup in April :)

Offline danisthirty

  • (not thirSty!)
  • Owner
  • Chatelain Grand-Croix
  • *
  • *
  • Posts: 6940
  • Merit: 293
  • "First to 4 points wins?"
    • View Profile
Re: Gaming in Draughts with jungleboy and Decar
« Reply #10 on: February 09, 2016, 07:07:10 AM »
Great write up Dan! And well played Decar and jb! What an awesome way to spend an afternoon. I am definitely jealous. I miss this sort of camaraderie in my own "real life". Believe it or not most of my local friends are not into board games. I know, weird right?

That's why you need to jump on a plane for the Oxford meetup in April :)

+1 to this! :(y)

Offline kettlefish

  • Global Moderator
  • Chatelain Officier
  • *
  • Posts: 4682
  • Merit: 127
    • View Profile
Re: Gaming in Draughts with jungleboy and Decar
« Reply #11 on: February 09, 2016, 07:21:01 AM »
I like your reports and I am happy to "see" members meetings outside of Germany...


Share via delicious Share via digg Share via facebook Share via furl Share via linkedin Share via myspace Share via reddit Share via stumble Share via technorati Share via twitter

  Subject / Started by Replies / Views Last post
xx
Meetup featuring jungleboy, Decar, danisthirty and Rich_The_Fish at d20 (London)

Started by jungleboy

14 Replies
5739 Views
Last post March 12, 2018, 12:02:26 PM
by CKorfmann
exclamation
Board Gaming and Shelter-in-Place

Started by t2k

5 Replies
1665 Views
Last post March 23, 2020, 11:59:01 AM
by t2k
xx
World Series of Board Gaming

Started by DaFees

2 Replies
1071 Views
Last post November 06, 2021, 10:09:48 AM
by Allograft
xx
Carc Print & Play Demo - A fun gaming experience?

Started by OJH1997

0 Replies
1064 Views
Last post March 01, 2022, 05:06:22 AM
by OJH1997
xx
preferred gaming tables?

Started by Allograft

10 Replies
2096 Views
Last post October 24, 2021, 01:19:33 AM
by Decar