Monks and Ikko-ikki

Some more Perry Miniatures figures completed for my Japan project.

Armed Monks attacking with naginata (pack SAM54):

and Ikko-ikki advancing with mixed weapons (SAM38):

Ikkō-ikki were mobs of peasant farmers, Buddhist monks, Shinto priests and local nobles who rose up against daimyō rule in 15th- and 16th-century Japan.

Century: Spice Road and 7 Wonders - 21 December 2017

A pre-Christmas games night saw us play the first of many Christmas gift games - Cenury: Spice Road. It's a fun game with clever mechanics as you collect and play action cards to trade spices from one type to another. When you own the right spice combinations you can claim victory point cards, so you have to pay attention to how many moves you are away from acquiring a card and whether someone else will get there first. You also have to decide whether to go quickly for cheaper cards and finish the game early or build up to the big scoring cards.

We played two rounds. In the first, no spice production cards appeared and we all made do with a small hand of cards each. In the second game we went for bigger hands of cards and a greater variety of actions as we figured out how to use them more effectively.

First game: David 66, James 62, Andy 56, Adrian 51
Second game: James 77, Andy 71, David 67, Adrian 65.

Adrian had to go home early so we finished off with a game of 7 Wonders. Exceptionally Andy didn't all out for blue buildings but had a lot of military success and bought a lot of guilds in the last round.

Final scores: Andy 67 (including 31 on guilds), James 54 and David 50.

Ra & Alea Iacta Est - 13 December 2017

A double celebration tonight - of David's achievement and Kieron's visit.  Since we had an old favourite with us again, we played an old favourite Ra, with the usual Derren-ing and hilarity over others' misfortune.  And we even let Kieron win.  Final scores: Kieron 35, Andy 34, David and James both 28, Stuart on 19.

Then a game of  Alea Iacta Est in which Stu had us in hysterics in the last turn of the game as he failed to roll a 2 ten times.  Final scores: James 47, Andy 44, David 42, Kieron 36 and Stuart 33.

And before I went to bed I got one more clue on the Christmas quiz.  I worked out what an uneducated burglar says to a policeman who has arrested him: "Let go" with a dropped "t" becomes "Lego".  I should have got that earlier ;-)

Accessories for figures games

Andy and I attended Warfare at Reading a few weekends ago.  Probably not much different in size from Colours but all on the ground floor in two big sports halls.  And conveniently close to a Toby Carvery that does preposterously huge Sunday lunches.

I bought a handful of bits and pieces including a flat pack MDF water feature set with two plinths for customer-provided statues.  So finally a use for those old Salute giveaways.

Richard the Lionheart as a bronze statue:

And Hannibal in marble:

Nice little kit with perspex acting as the water and easy to swap the statues around:

I also bought a flat pack well as additional street furniture for Wild West games:

St Petersburg & Port Royal - 6 December 2017

Four of us at Andy's for games so of course we had to play St Petersburg (and eat fridge cake).  Another close game, harder to get big collections of nobles with four players, especially when you go through the buildings as quick as we did.  Final scores: James 50, Adrian 43, David 41, Andy 40.

We also played Port Royal again - I didn't make a note of the scores but I think that although I got to 12 victory points first, Adrian overtook me to reach 13 in the last round.

First couple of buntai finished

I've now finished painting and basing my first buntai (squad) of Samurai.  These are Samurai fighting with swords in everyday clothing (pack SAM43 from Perry Miniatures).

Reverse view:

And a group of Ninja with various weapons (SAM41):

Chap on the left good for rooftops but will look pretty wierd on the gaming table anywhere else.

Now I've got figures painted up, I want to give the Ronin rules a test run before putting on a big game when I've painted some more Samurai.

Village - 16 November 2017

We hadn't played this for a while so a good opportunity to try some radically different strategies.  Or not.  James went travelling, David went to church, Andy went to market and Stuart did a bit of everything.  With Andy's market victory points being pretty much his total score, he went from zero to (almost) hero in the final scoring, shooting past Stuart, and finished a couple of points behind James, who was only one point behind David.  But all that excitement paled into insignificance in the shadow of Stu's most dramatic anecdote round yet...

Final scores: David 53, James 52, Andy 50, Stuart 38

Lastly, here are some miniature figures riding bugs.  Because they can...