Wednesday, December 31, 2014

2014 - My year of gaming

Looking back over 2014 I note that the time I've spent gaming has mostly been taken up by playing the early access PC game DayZ Standalone which was released in December 2013.  As a result of this the number of my boardgame plays during 2014 have certainly suffered.  I'm not necessarily saddened by this as it is good to try new things and I have thoroughly enjoyed the time spent playing DayZ.  I've played DayZ so much, almost on a daily basis, that I've ceased logging plays of the game.
Here is a list of tabletop games I played in 2014.  I was particularly pleased to get in some plays of Memoir '44 and Commands & Colors: Ancients.

Coda 6
Drag Strip! 6
Jenga 5
Memoir '44 5
Rebound 5
Gloom 4
Memoir '44: Campaign Book Volume 1 4
Star Wars: Episode 1 – Clash of the Lightsabers 4
500 3
Blokus 3
Car Wars: The Card Game 3
Dungeons & Dragons: Castle Ravenloft Board Game 3
YINSH 3
Commands & Colors: Ancients 2
For Sale 2
Haunted Castle 2
The Legend of Landlock 2
The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game 2
Munchkin 2
Words with Friends 2
Battle Line 1
Buccaneer 1
Cartagena 1
Clash of the Gladiators 1
Friday the 13th 1
Gloom: Unfortunate Expeditions 1
Gloom: Unhappy Homes 1
Gloom: Unquiet Dead 1
Gloom: Unwelcome Guests 1
Guillotine 1
Gulo Gulo 1
Heroscape Expansion Set: Defenders of Kinsland 1
Heroscape Expansion Set: Malliddon's Prophecy 1
Heroscape Expansion Set: Orm's Return 1
Heroscape Expansion Set: Road to the Forgotten Forest 1
Heroscape Expansion Set: Thora's Vengeance 1
Heroscape Expansion Set: Utgar's Rage 1
Heroscape Master Set: Rise of the Valkyrie 1
Labyrinth: The Card Game 1
Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation (Deluxe Edition) 1
Make 'n' Break CHALLENGE 1
Memoir '44: Eastern Front 1
PitchCar Mini 1
Risk Express 1
Der schwarze Pirat 1
Star Wars: Epic Duels 1
Wildlife Safari 1

Saturday, February 01, 2014

Gaming with Grandma - 130

Another Saturday morning gaming session with my mother Sue (AKA Grandma), and elder daughter, Maddie (12).

The game of choice today was Clash of the Gladiators, a game I acquired in an Australian BoardGameGeek math trade in May 2008.  Sadly, this game has languished, unplayed, on my game shelf since that date.  This morning would be our first play of this Reiner Knizia designed game.

Clash of the Gladiators


Clash of the Gladiators is a game for two to five players.  Players select from five different types of gladiators to create a team of four gladiators.  Each type of gladiator (spear holder, net caster, swordsman, prong bearer and shield carrier) have different effects on combat.  The number of gladiator teams a player may field is based on the number of players in the game (2-3 players four teams each, 4-5 players three teams each).

The object of the game is to kill opposing gladiators and animals.  The game ends when only one player has gladiators on the board at which time the points are calculated.  Points are granted for all opposing gladiators and animals you have killed (gladiators = 1 point each, animals = 2 points each) and the player with the most points is the winner.

The rules are fairly simple and once players become familiar with the combat effects of each type of gladiator, the battles also play out quickly.

We had a fun game and although I was the first player to lose all my gladiators, there is a great rule that allows a player to continue playing (and gaining points) by using the animals to attack the remaining players.

Final scores were Maddie and I sharing the win with 21 points each, and Grandma with 15 points.