Peloponnes & Strozzi - 20 February 2013

Another game of the classic Pelopennes.  More discussion about whether certain starting tiles gave an unfair advantage... I don't think so and BGG forums haven't picked up on the issue.  We decided it was about how effectively you managed your luck.  Kieron had a great game, winning with 30/28 People/Prestige, Stuart 2nd with 21/25, then Andy 30/19, James 18/19, Orhan 18/18 and David 12/31.

We then had a quick game of Knizia's Strozzi (Medici with ships).  Another streets ahead win for Kieron on 205, with James 170, Stuart 170, David 165 and Andy 155.

Strozzi - 29 August 2012

The first play of Adrian's birthday gift to James this year - Reiner Knizia's Strozzi.  This is the third game in Knizia's series of Florentine auction games.  We've enjoyed playing Medici - the first game - a number of times, and Strozzi builds on the theme with ships to bid on and culture to develop, as well as the merchant wares.

It's a simple game with a lot of complexity given the different strategies the players can pursue - do you go for the immediate scores from fast sailing ships, develop a monopoly or build up a collection of art, or balance across a number of approaches.

A fun game with good interaction when your pirate steals another person's ship, and it wasn't clear until the final reckoning who had won.  A pretty close set of scores as it turned out, with Adrian 1st on 180, then Kieron 165, James 160, David 140, Andy 135, and Orhan unsure but probably less than 135!

Not including the time to run through the rules, this took about 90 minutes to play (and that with the maximum six players), so in future a good candidate for a two-games-in-one-night session.