Game Session, Jun 4, 2006
Venue: Brian's place.
Present: Brad, Alex, Andrew, Richard, Brian, Paul.
Played: Zirkus Flohcati, Top Race, Barbarossa und die Rätselmeister.
Thanks to Brad for the pics!
Zirkus Flohcati: This is the funny set-making card-game with the risk element in card flipping - turn over the same colour as a card already available and you've blown your turn. A 19-minute filler played until Alex arrived.
Brian snuck through with his declaration of the gala show. Until then, Richard was looking like the more successful player, with his quick melding of low-card sets.
Presentation of the gala show is supposed to accompanied by the circus music: da-da-daddle-addle-ad-da- daa- daa...
There was some discussion of the name of this piece afterwards, with Andrew insisting it was something called "Enter the Gladiators" (or similar). Well, according to at least two sources, he's right: See TorgoX, who describes the piece written by Czech, Julius Fučík, at the end of the 19th century - he also includes a midi file (which I couldn't get to work in Firefox, but did work in Internet Explorer).
A supporting source is good ole' Wikipedia: See the Julius Fučík link, which includes another (shorter) midi file (which does work in Firefox!), and Julius' passport photo, which suggests he might have had a job at one time as a circus ringmaster, hence the association of this piece of music with circuses and clowns.
The Wikipedia source indicates the piece has also been known as "Thunder and Blazes".
Results: Brian: 54. Richard: 48. Andrew: 44. Paul: 41. Brad: 38.
Top Race: Card-playing car racing, almost as funny as Ave Caesar. All the car "strength" cards are dealt at the start of the game, and then you bid for cars, generally favouring those you will have most control over based on your hand of cards. Then you race, tactically playing cards to optimise your own car's position while upsetting those of your opponents. But, you can also earn (or lose) extra money after the race has started, by betting on those cars you think are most likely to win.
The game-changing cards are those that cause a break-down or a catch-up - the player's choice how to use them. There are exactly 3 of these, with each pairing the coloured race cars. If you have one of these then you have some power, even better if they match your car. If you don't then an important tactic is to try and keep your matched car not too far away if yours is ahead, to discourage the playing of the break-down (or to minimise its impact).
Timing: 40 mins for rules and first race, 31 mins for the 2nd race, 23 mins for 3rd race.
Results: Progressive after race 1, 2, 3 (final position):
Richard: 410, 640, 830 (1)
Paul: 450, 670, 690 (2)
Brian: 230, 270, 620 (3)
Brad: 240, 400, 410 (4)
Al: 150, 160, 280 (5)
Andrew: 190, 210, 200 (6)
Barbarossa und die Rätselmeister: A controversial choice, that by the end was seemingly reviled by Andrew, Al and Brad! Sure, the game mechanics could be better, but the plasticine modelling is an original (although now, not unique) core game element, and is still quite cool. For mine, this game is no worse than Humm Bug, which almost never gets played by the rules as written...
From memory, the first sculpture to be correctly guessed was Andrew's sceptre; in fact, I recognised his royal set almost as soon as it appeared, but just couldn't think of the word orb until it was revealed at the end! Brian's apparent give-way sign and flat sheet had Richard guessing pizza (rectangle-shaped) and pizza oven shovel, and me getting a flash of inspiration that in fact it was a broom and rug, until Brian burst our bubbles by revealing that his pair in fact had no commom theme (balalaika and paper). Nor did Brad's, who at one point had me guessing that he'd made an electric eel and tungsten filament from a light globe (slug and coiled spring).
Alex's religiously significant Virgin Mary-looking thing, and Santa sleigh were the first two to be guessed out (sphinx and ankh).
I doubt I would have ever guessed Richard's racing car theme with helmet and spoiler, since I seemed to get stuck on furniture and plumbing with his sculptures.
My choices seemed to create some controversy too, as I only made representative portions of an elephant (trunk only) and gazelle (head).
Perhaps this is best left for parties, given the creativity required and the controversy created! 102 minutes with 6p.
Results: Paul: 1st (more successful guesses), then Al, Brad, Richard, Andrew and Brian, in that order.
Present: Brad, Alex, Andrew, Richard, Brian, Paul.
Played: Zirkus Flohcati, Top Race, Barbarossa und die Rätselmeister.
Thanks to Brad for the pics!
Zirkus Flohcati: This is the funny set-making card-game with the risk element in card flipping - turn over the same colour as a card already available and you've blown your turn. A 19-minute filler played until Alex arrived.Brian snuck through with his declaration of the gala show. Until then, Richard was looking like the more successful player, with his quick melding of low-card sets.
Presentation of the gala show is supposed to accompanied by the circus music: da-da-daddle-addle-ad-da- daa- daa...
There was some discussion of the name of this piece afterwards, with Andrew insisting it was something called "Enter the Gladiators" (or similar). Well, according to at least two sources, he's right: See TorgoX, who describes the piece written by Czech, Julius Fučík, at the end of the 19th century - he also includes a midi file (which I couldn't get to work in Firefox, but did work in Internet Explorer).
A supporting source is good ole' Wikipedia: See the Julius Fučík link, which includes another (shorter) midi file (which does work in Firefox!), and Julius' passport photo, which suggests he might have had a job at one time as a circus ringmaster, hence the association of this piece of music with circuses and clowns.
The Wikipedia source indicates the piece has also been known as "Thunder and Blazes".
Results: Brian: 54. Richard: 48. Andrew: 44. Paul: 41. Brad: 38.
Top Race: Card-playing car racing, almost as funny as Ave Caesar. All the car "strength" cards are dealt at the start of the game, and then you bid for cars, generally favouring those you will have most control over based on your hand of cards. Then you race, tactically playing cards to optimise your own car's position while upsetting those of your opponents. But, you can also earn (or lose) extra money after the race has started, by betting on those cars you think are most likely to win.
The game-changing cards are those that cause a break-down or a catch-up - the player's choice how to use them. There are exactly 3 of these, with each pairing the coloured race cars. If you have one of these then you have some power, even better if they match your car. If you don't then an important tactic is to try and keep your matched car not too far away if yours is ahead, to discourage the playing of the break-down (or to minimise its impact).Timing: 40 mins for rules and first race, 31 mins for the 2nd race, 23 mins for 3rd race.
Results: Progressive after race 1, 2, 3 (final position):
Richard: 410, 640, 830 (1)
Paul: 450, 670, 690 (2)
Brian: 230, 270, 620 (3)
Brad: 240, 400, 410 (4)
Al: 150, 160, 280 (5)
Andrew: 190, 210, 200 (6)
Barbarossa und die Rätselmeister: A controversial choice, that by the end was seemingly reviled by Andrew, Al and Brad! Sure, the game mechanics could be better, but the plasticine modelling is an original (although now, not unique) core game element, and is still quite cool. For mine, this game is no worse than Humm Bug, which almost never gets played by the rules as written...
From memory, the first sculpture to be correctly guessed was Andrew's sceptre; in fact, I recognised his royal set almost as soon as it appeared, but just couldn't think of the word orb until it was revealed at the end! Brian's apparent give-way sign and flat sheet had Richard guessing pizza (rectangle-shaped) and pizza oven shovel, and me getting a flash of inspiration that in fact it was a broom and rug, until Brian burst our bubbles by revealing that his pair in fact had no commom theme (balalaika and paper). Nor did Brad's, who at one point had me guessing that he'd made an electric eel and tungsten filament from a light globe (slug and coiled spring).
Alex's religiously significant Virgin Mary-looking thing, and Santa sleigh were the first two to be guessed out (sphinx and ankh).I doubt I would have ever guessed Richard's racing car theme with helmet and spoiler, since I seemed to get stuck on furniture and plumbing with his sculptures.
My choices seemed to create some controversy too, as I only made representative portions of an elephant (trunk only) and gazelle (head).
Perhaps this is best left for parties, given the creativity required and the controversy created! 102 minutes with 6p.
Results: Paul: 1st (more successful guesses), then Al, Brad, Richard, Andrew and Brian, in that order.
posted by Paul M. at 5.6.06
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