Encore une meurtre

Glad to hear The Bloody Inn went down well.

Lucky really, because I already had the expansion on order!

More people!
More disease!
More money!
More bonuses!

Bed and Board Games

The Bloody Inn

As I’m the most irregular of the St Albans gamers, I hadn’t played this game before.

Ostensibly, this was a game about provincial French innkeepers trying to make a living during the 1800's. We were to do this by having and keeping guests, which seemed fair enough but then by also bribing them and/or murdering them.

The game mechanics were complicated but not too bad compared to many of the other games I’ve been presented with, and I had a pretty fair grasp on them as we began play.

Unfortunately, my ‘Softy Walter’ personality came to the fore again…

I was uncomfortable with the murdery aspect of the game so decided just to try to make an honest-ish profit.

Make some money through bed and board, do a bit of bribery and add several extensions to my hostel.

I was playing Monopoly while everyone else was playing Murder-in-the-Dark!

In the end, group generosity granted me the win, as one of the two rules I’d failed to comprehend, should have cost me the game.

I assumed that the francs limit would expire at the end of the game.

Also, the ‘Key’ thing confused me a bit.

Thanks for the kindness boys.

Overall, a good game with creepy, ‘Gauguin-like’ artwork, that I’d more than happily play again.

I’d give this game:

Four, bloody thumbs ups out of five.

:)

"Murder the child and bribe the fat policeman" - Great game :)

Castles of ‘Ron’ Burgundy

Just a note to thank Assif for hosting a fantastic first game of the year!

As I’ve previously stated, Assif took pains to study, understand and explain the rules.

The two Dans listened carefully while I munched down revolting Twiglets and gagged (three of four times) at the ultimately inedible Truffle flavoured ‘gourmet’ crisps.

(Apologies for my ingratitude and terrible manners.)

I’m usually baffled by the rules explanation portion of all of our games sessions and try instead to learn as I go.

And though this game had several similarities to some of the other ‘world/farm/city’ building games we’ve played previously, the only thing I really took in was when Assif said:

‘The Mines are useless’.

My twisted thought process took this to mean ‘Assif wouldn’t try to get any of them and therefore more mines for me’.

Also, if I was lucky, the Dans would trust and follow Assif’s lead.

Using up all my little die altering men in the first round, I managed to buy two mines and one more in the second.

Ultimately, all they did was to provide a small but regular income.

An income that effectively gave me an extra turn or two per round.

Those extra turns enabled me to buy five more tiles and so therefore gave me a hefty advantage over everyone else.

Although I did enjoy the final book-keeping phase, where my little black marker tromped around the board overtaking Proper Dan and Assif, my victory was simply down to a knee-jerk decision at the beginning of the first round.

Great game, great night and great ‘Ron Burgundy’ joke, all provided by Assif!

:)

1st game night of 2017 postponed

Due to general post-christmas malaise, lack of interest and absence due to "illness", we are postpoining tonight's game night.

TBA