Last Wednesday's Game Night

Last night, and by last night I mean last Wednesday, I played Entdecker, Automobile, and two games of Modern Art: The Card Game. I was able to pull out a large victory in Entdecker but fell very short for the remainder of the night.

Entdecker: I had played this game a long time ago with Nate in Columbus and remembered enjoying the game. So when I had the opportunity to pick it up in the Origins math trade, I gladly entered it into my wish list. And I am glad that I did. As far as exploration games go, this one is very easy to teach and the board is big and beautiful! The rules are somewhat difficult to use, and they could use some reorganization or at least a better summary. Either way, it’s a fun game and I would enjoy playing it again soon.

Automobile: After three games, I still do not have a grasp on the overarching strategy of this game. Mostly, I continue to have these gut feelings that I am not operating at peak efficiency. Thus, I look forward to my next play and I will simply try to ease this ill-feeling and manage my production and income better.

Modern Art – The Card Game: I had played this game a couple of times while at Origins and was happy to teach it to my Wednesday night gaming group. Mike and Dan took to the rules quickly enough and we soon had a game under our belts. At the same time, due to my misreading the rules and dealing fewer cards to us at the beginning of the second and third rounds, our final round was a bit anti-climactic. We simply had no cards to play!

So we decided to forgo Villa Paletti and play a second game of Modern Art. This time around, with the correct number of cards and with a better understanding of just how bad it is to run out of cards, we played a little more cautiously. I had a strategy in my mind, that I would up the cost of one of the artists slowly throughout the entire game, hoarding more cards as time passed. This would have worked, and would have won me the game, but in the final round he was 1 card shy of scoring! Ack, now that is the type of tension and result that keeps you coming back for more!

I enjoyed my games of Modern Art (the auction game) in the past, but I definitely understand that the valuation of the artists and their work in the auction is tough for new gamers and even for experienced gamers. This game, even though it loses the auction, is still a blast to play, largely because of its borrowing of the Modern Art scoring system. It will likely see many repeated plays.