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You are visitor number  since 11/23/98 Welcome to the highlights page of the Games Night web site. Every week I write a few lines about what happened at the friday night get togethers of our gaming group. I am trying to get a laugh or two out of the people who are in that gaming group. Other people who wander onto this site may find the highlights page helpful in picking games that might appeal to their friends and game playing groups.  Thanks for stopping by,  Spanky

Who was there: Bill, Jim, Lori, Pete and Spanky

Grinch of the week: Santa, for not bring the group any new games.

Uno Stacko was the first game of the night. Lori was not a player in this game. The game was a good one with the tower taller than than ever when Spanky dumped it give the win to Pete.

Can't Stop was next game. All five players were in the game till the very end. Bill won the game getting the "five" he needed.

Lori left the group at this point.

The four remaining players picked Pivot as the next game. Pete won the game.

The last game of the night was Cities and Knights of Catan. The standard rule of NO hard sevens was used. The board came together rather quickly and the game was off to a quick start. Bill jumped out to an early lead as the "Defender of Catan" the first time the barbarians came ashore. The group leaned on Bill and slowed his progress some but, Bill still won the game. Bill held long road and a couple of victory points from the progress cards.

Who was there: Bill, Bob, Jeff, Jim, Ken, Pete and Spanky

Disturbing statement of the night: When it snaps back in while taking a leak.

The first game of the night was Twitch and was played everyone but Bob. The group used the games night rule of winning three hands to win the game. Jim won the game when a challenge by Ken backfired.

The game played was Five Crowns. The game was a run away with Spanky as the winner.

Bob joined the group at this point.

The group played Knok next. Five bad knocks made the game a low scoring affair for most of the players. Spanky won the game.

Jim and Pete left the group at this point.

The last game of the night was The Great Dalmuti. The group shortened the game to ten hands due to there being only five players and the late hour. Bill had an untouchable lead after the eighth hand and won the game.

Who was there: Bill, Jeff, Jim, Ken, Lori, Pete and Spanky

AWOL list for the night: Chuck 1268 days (non gaming since June 26, 1998), Brendan 225 days (non gaming since May 4, 2001)

The first game of the week was Sequence. The four players were split into two teams, Bill and Jeff vs. Lori and Spanky. Bill and Jeff scored the first point quickly. Lori and Spanky scored the next two points and won the game.

Pete joined the group at this point.

Can't Stop was the next game to hit the table. The five players played a tight and lengthy game that left poor Jim sitting on the side lines for way too long. Bill scored the win.

Jim joined the group for the next game, Shark. There were very few stocks that lost money until near the end of the game when yellow was hit twice. Spanky won the game.

Lori left the group at this point.

Wizard was the next game played by the group. Jeff made every bid and won the game.

The next game played was Bazaar. The stalls were stocked with seven cards in each. Ken bought six cards and won the game easily.

Pete left the group at this point.

The last game of the night was Knok. The players played the game very well with only one bad knock during the entire game. Spanky legged out the win.

Who was there: Jeff, Jim, Ken, Ray and Spanky

Whine of the night: "I'm in last place. Why are you putting the robber THERE?"

The first game played by the group was Twitch. The player were Jeff, Ken, Ray and Spanky. The games night standard of winning three hands to win the game was used for the game. Ken grabbed the first two hands and looked like he was a sure bet to win the game. Before too long, all of the players had won at least one hand. Spanky won the game.

The next game played was Pivot. The same players as in the above game played in this game. Ken crushed the other players and easily won the game with the tiny score of TWO POINTS.

Settlers of Catan was the next game to hit the table. Jim join the group for this game. This game included two volcanoes and NO HARD SEVENS and NO alternate building phase. Spanky built both of his opening settlements on volcanoes and was burned by lava three times duing the game; Ray was burned by lava once. The longest road card changed hand quite often during the game but, it didn't help anyone to win the game. Jeff had built four cities and stumbled trying to build any roads to get to new build sites and he began buying development cards. A road building card and a Victory Point card were just what Jeff needed to win the game. Yep! Jeff won Settlers of Catan!

Jim left the group at this point.

The last game of the night was The Great Dalmuti. The group thought that the game would work with four player with making any adjustments. It did not work quite like the players thought it would. One of the top two players ALWAYS got the Dalmuti card. If it was not dealt to them then, it would have to be paid to them in taxes. The adjustment for four players should have been to have the greater peon pay just one card in tax to the greater Dalmuti and the lesser peon should pay NO tax at all. The game was a run away win for Spanky

Who was there: Bill, Jeff, Jim, Ken, Pete, Ray and Spanky

Sight for sore eyes of the night: RAY!

The first game of the night was Wizard. The five players in the game were Bill, Ken, Pete, Ray and Spanky. Ken caught fire in the last three hands and pulled out a come from behind win.

The next game played by the group was Quiddler. All seven players were in this game. There was a some grumbling about how the challenge rule should work and when a players turn begins and ends. The group did not want players to use the starting of their turn to strategic advantage. All player, in turn, must acquiesce before a player may start him or her turn. Bill made a run at the end of the game by grabbing up some challenge points. Spanky won the game by TWO points.

The last game of the night was PIT. Players dropped like flies during this game and left only three players to battle out the last few hands. Spanky won the game.

Who was there: Bill, Bob, Jeff, Jim, Pete and Spanky

Quote of the night: "Twitch is a waste of nine beers."

The first game of the night was Chronology. Bob didn't play in this game. The number of card needed to win the game was set at, the now games night standard of, twelve cards. The game was a good close one with many cards that traveled around the table. Pete won the game by catching the last two cards in the game.

The next game played was The Great Dalmuti. Bob didn't play in this game. The number of hands for the game was set at lucky 13. Jeff had a great early run with Pete a close second for first half of the game. Pete fell to greater peon in the sixth hand and then roared to life. Pete held the Greater Dalmuti seat every hand after the sixth while Jeff fell to the bottom of the heap. Pete won the game with a ten point lead in the 12th hand.

Bob arrives at games night after a "medical sabbatical".

The next game played by the group was Pivot. Jim won the game.

Jim left the group at this point.

Twitch was the next game played by the group. A debate over how many hands a person needed to win to win the game. The loudest number of people called for the, rule standard, two hand to win. Bill won the game after the third hand ending the game in a too quick fashion. The "three to win" should now become the game night standard for this game.

The last game of the night was Bazaar. Ken scored 12 points on his last card buy and won the game.

Who was there: Bill, Ed, Ken, Lori, Pete and Spanky

Skill of the night: Bike waxing

The first game of the night was Bazaar. Lori did not play in this game. The group used seven cards in each stall making the game last a bit longer than the standard of five card set out in the rules. Ken won the game after buying his seventh card.

Lori joined the group for the next game. The game picked by the group was Pit. Bill hit a double on wheat for a 200 score early in the game and never looked back. Bill won the game.

The next game played was Knok. There were NO BAD KNOCKS in the whole game. Spanky made four successful knocks during the game and won the game.

Lori left the group at this time.

Five Crowns was the next game to hit the table. Ed took a hard hit in the first hand but, received nothing but light taps for the rest on the game. Ed won the game with half the points of the next closest player.

The next game played was Pivot. Pete went out three out of the five hands and won the game.

The last game of the night was Skip-Bo. Pete won this game too.

Who was there: Bill, Jeff, Jim, Ken, Pete and Spanky

Marathon of the week: Catan with Cities and Knights

The first game of the night was Pivot. Ken won the game.

The next game was Cities and Knights of Catan. The first time payed rule was in effect. The group used the alternate building phase and the "hard seven" in this game. Bill won the game by closing a gap in his road and taking the longest road card to get to 12 victory points.

The Great Dalmuti was the last game of the night. The group set the game length at 13 hands. Ken had an unmatchable lead after the 11th hand and was declared the winner.

Who was there: Bill, Jim, Ken, Lori, Pete and Spanky

Move of the night: Beating camels with monkeys.

The first game of the night Go Wild. Lori did not get to play in this game. Ken was the runaway winner.

Bazaar was the next game played. Spanky and Jim split the win.

Lori left the group at this point.

The Next game played was Pit. The first time played rule was in effect. The game was tried without the Bull and Bear cards for the first half of the game and then the Bull and Bear were added for the last half of the game. The Bull and Bear did slow the game till the group replaced some of the "cheaper" commodities with more valuable ones. Bill won the game.

Through the Desert <PENDING>

The next game played was Wizard. Spanky won the game.

The last game of the night was Knok. Ken won the game.

Who was there:  Bill, Jeff, Jim, Ken, Pete and Spanky

Request of the night: Points for the people who don't win the game.

The first game played on this night was Twitch. The number of hands won in order for a player to win the game was changed, by the group, for this game. The standard of two hands won was raised to three. Four of the six players won at least one hand in this game. Spanky won the game. The "three hand rule" may become the standard for the games night group for this game.

The second game of the night was Pivot. Jim and Pete both ended up with scant, single digit, scores. Pete won the game.

The next game played was Wizard. The bidding was a little wild in this game. No one played a clean game. That is to say; everyone got set at least once during the game. Ken bid the best and took the win.

Bohnanza was the next game played. The game was played using "the german rule" for single bean fields. The german rules state that to remove a single bean from a field and of the player's other field must have one bean OR LESS. Pete won the game by a single coin over Bill.

The last game of the night was Five Crowns. Jeff won the game.

Who was there: Bill, Jeff, Jim, Ken, Pete and Spanky

Taste treat of the night?: Flüssigkeit zauber ingwerbier
Illness of the night: testosterone poisoning

The night started with lots a discussion about current events. This slowed the start of any games till all six players arrived. The group start the gaming off with a game of Quiddler. The group used the "reward for correct challenge" variant. That reward being half of the value of the word correctly challenged. The game had lots of lead changes and it was Bill who pull out the win in the end.

The next game played was Pivot. Bill went out (scoring zero points) three out of the five hands. Bill, naturally, won the game.

Wizard was the next game played by the group. Jeff and Ken played the tightest games, each of them only missing one bid. They ended the with their scores only one point apart with Ken taking the win.

Knok was the next game to hit the table. Jim learned a hard lesson about testosterone poisoning when he knock while in the lead on the last hand. Jim caught a ton of points and handed the game to the second place player, Ken.

Jim and Pete left the group at this point.

The last four players still had the energy for one more game. Bazaar was the game pick to finish the night. Spanky won the game.

Who was there: Bill, Jeff, Jim, Ken, Pete and Spanky

Over under bet of the week: Months before Pete plays Dalmuti again. FOUR! PLACE YOUR BETS

The first game of the night was Pivot. Pete led the last half of the game and did score the victory.

The Great Dalmuti was the next game played by the group. The number of hands in this game was set at 13. A few of the players, not Pete, declared that they never do very well at this game but they still like to play it. Jeff, one of the declaring players, won the game.

The next game played was Wizard. Jim was snake bit for the whole game. The rest of the players were fairly even and the game was close till the end. Ken legged out the win.

The last game of the night was Bazaar. Seven cards per stall, as per the normal games night variant, were used in this game. Pete scored a win with a little help from Jeff.

Who was there: Bill, Jim, Ken, Lori, Pete and Spanky

Fuzzy ruling of the night: 20 exactly? / first blue wins.

The first game of the night was Quiddler and all of the players were in this game. Lori was called away, by the little one, at mid-game and could not complete the game. It was a close game with Spanky edging out Jim for the win.

The next game to hit the table was Aquire. Spanky won the game with $52,400.

The next game played was Twitch. To win this game a player needs to win two hands. The five players in this game were all tied after playing the first five hands at one win each. The sixth hand was a sudden death, winner take all, free for all. Bill scored the high pressure win.

Go Wild was the next game played. Pete an Spanky were the game leaders and battled for the win. <FUZZY RULE STUFF> Spanky scared the win.

The last game of the night was Bazaar. The group played with seven cards in each stall. Ken won the game.

Who was there: Bill, Jeff, Jim, Ken, Pete and Spanky

Question of the night: Are you going to make a federal case out of it?

The first game of the night was Chronology. Jim didn't play in this game. Bill caught a few of the cards that traveled round the table and won the game.

Pivot was the next game played by the group. Jim, again, didn't play in this game. Ken won the game.

Wizard was the next game played. Jim had the lead going into the last hand but Bill over took him to win the game.

The group picked ForGet It as the next game. Most of the players stopped within 50 points of 500 to gain a good position for winning. Pete "popped" the 500 point barrier to start the end game round. Spanky was the only player to over take Pete doing it with a 272 point final turn. Spanky won the game.

Bohnanza was the next game. The group now allows counter offers and this has help to speed up the game. Pete bought a third bean field and expressed regret about doing so. Ken and Spanky split the win with 11 coins and 9 cards left in their hands.

The final game of the night was Knok. Ken won the game.

Who was there: Bill, Jim, Ken, Lori, Pete and Spanky

Job opening of the week: Tzar of WHOOPASS.

The started with two games of Uno Stacko. The players were Bill, Ken and Lori in the first game and Bill was the winner.
The second game's players were Bill, Ken, Lori and Spanky. Spanky was the winner.

Five Crowns was the next game played and everyone was in this game. Bill overtook Lori on tyhe last hand to win the game.

The last game of the night was a new game to games night. It was the game of Cities and Knights of Catan. The first time played rule would have been in effect if the game had been played to the end. This game variant brings a new layer of complexity to the game of Catan. The game took longer that anyone anticipated. The "hard seven" rule proved to be too punitive in this game and should be removed to improve game play. There was a little confusion about one of the trade ratios awarded in the "flip chart". The game beat all of the players as the group could not complete the game. Due to the game not being completed, the first time played rule WILL be in effect the next time this game is played.

Who was there: Bill, Jeff, Ken, Lori, Pete and Spanky

Card of the week: The KISS MY ASS card.

The first game of the week was Can't Stop. The tardy Spanky did not play in this game. Bill made a great run and looked like he would have an easy victory. Bill's luck ran out and Jeff's luck took over. Jeff won the game.

A new game was next. Tri-Virsity was the name of the game. A practice hand was played so that the mechanics of the game could be learned. The game was then started in earnest. There was a debate over whether to have this game count in the player's stats. The fact that there were to be no stats due to the changing of the day for games night having such short notice annulled the debate. The vote that the players took would not have changed this web masters mind. Please see the "web master's comment" that addressed this subject the last time it came up. This game proved to have several deep flaws and was almost unplayable. Heavy tweaking, e.g. increasing or decreasing the hand size and/or increasing the size of playable words, might make the game playable. It, most likely, will never be a favorite game at games night. Lori won the game.

Lori left the group at this point.

The next game of this night was Pivot. This game was also marred by debate. The question was about the card that the dealer turns over to start the discard piles. Should the "words" on that "number card" be followed or should that card's number be the only thing used. After a couple of hands it became abundantly clear that ONLY THE NUMBER should be used and NOT THE WORDS. Using the words would cause too many bizarre results. {e.g. (extra turn) dealer getting to start play} Spanky won the game.

Go Wild was the next game played. Ken grabbed a few cheap and timely scores to win the game.

The last game of the night was Bazaar. Bill bought a two star card with no coins left scoring eight points. Bill's victory was final when another player bought the game ending card.

Who was there: Bill, Jim, Jeff, Ken, Pete and Spanky

Snafu of the night: The missing coffee beans in Bohnanza.

The first game of the week was Bohnanza. Ken won the game.

The next game was Twitch. Spanky won the first two hands to win the game.

Twitch was the third game too. This time it took four hands to find the winner. This time it was Jim who won the game.

The Great Dalmuti was the next game played. The group picked 12 as the number of hands to be played. The game ended after the tenth hand due to Spanky having an insurmountable lead. Spanky won the game.

The next game was Bazaar. Jeff and Spanky split the victory.

Who was there: Bill, Jim, Ken, Lori, Pete and Spanky

Question of the night: Someone made a misplay someplace, but who?

This week, the first game played was Knok. Jim, who had not arrived yet, was the only player not playing in this game. Bill led most of the game and won.

The second and third games were both games of Twitch. All six of the gamers played in these games. The first game ended too quickly to satisfy the group's Twitch thirst so, while the game was out, another game of Twitch was started immediately. Spanky won both of the "too quick" games.

Lori left the group at this point.

The next game played was Wizard. Jim played a great game and easily won.

Go Wild was the next game to hit the table. Ken won the game.

Pivot was the next game played. The fifth hand ended with Jim and Ken tied at 8 points each. A sixth hand was used to find a winner. Spanky was the winner in a come from behind win.

The last game of the night was Bazaar. Bill won the game.

Who was there: Bill, Jeff, Jim, Ken, Pete and Spanky

Word of the week: Clowder (also see clutter and pounce)

The first game played by the group was a new game at games nite, Go Wild. It's a trick taking type of card game. The twist is that only one player is allowed to use wild cards. The rules were simple and the group played without many error. Jeff won the game.

Twitch was the next game to hit the table. This is a keen eye and quick hand type of game that can raise players blood pressure. It involves dropping your cards in the bowl at the right time. The timing is based on the cards played earlier. If a player plays too late or at the wrong time, other players can challenge the play and force the mistake maker to "eat" the cards in the bowl. There were a few miscues on the first hand and the group treated it as a "practice hand". The game was won by Spanky.

The second game of Twitch was won by Pete.

Yet another brand new game for the games night crew was the next thing to hit the table, Pivot. This a card game that changes the direction of play during the hand. The goal is to get rid of the cards in your hand. Players receive point for the cards left in their hands. The player with the lowest score after five hands is the winner. Pete won this game of Pivot.

Three new games from Wizards of the Coast and they all seem to have good games night potential. Wizards of the Coast shipped the order quick enough for us to play the games on friday even though we didn't get our order in to them till tuesday afternoon and due to our order being over $20.00, we paid nothing for the shipping.

Who was there: Bill, Jim, Ken, Pete and Spanky

"Funny for no reason" of the night: A U.S. dept. of Agriculture film about growing sugar beets.

The first game played at game night was Duo. Duo gets very little play for stats due to the fact it's more of a luck based game. The group played the standard games night variant of an increased opening score. (25 points rather than 15 point spelled out in the rules) Pete arrived after a few hands had been played but, because of there not being any stats counted, pete joined the game that was already in progress. Bill won the game.

The next game played was Bazaar. The games night variant of placing seven cards in each stall rather than the standard five was used for the game. The game was longish and fairly even will Ken winning.

The next game was a new game for games night. The game was Beyond Balderdash. The forerunner of this game, Balderdash, get very little play due to the "hard" words used for players to "define". Beyond Balderdash uses words, movie titles, initials, peoples names and dates for the players to "define" as bluffs. The game also includes a game board that has one new feature that the old game did not have. That feature is a "double score" space. If a player ends their turn on the double space, their next score is doubled. This adds a bit more of a luck element to the game but does not seem to unbalance the game. The game did generate some big laughs, always a plus. Pete won the game and declared that he had spotted for techniques for winning. He didn't care to share what those techniques were.

The last game of the night was Bohnanza. Ken and Spanky mad some high powered trades, e.g. Coco bean for a Garden bean scoring two coins for both players, that gave them a leg up on the rest of the group. Ken and Spanky ended the game with the same number of coins and needed to count the cards in thier hands as a tie breaker. Spanky had one more card than Ken. Spanky won the game.

Who was there: Bill, Dennis, Jeff, Pete and Spanky

Question of the night: How many John Valby songs can you listen to in a row? Answer: FIVE

The first game played was Acquire. Dennis, who had not played Acquire ever before, caught on to the game fairly quickly. The game played normally with a couple of players, Bill and Jeff, being "cash poor" in the middle of the game and all of the other players buying stocks at will. This "cash poor" thing must FEEL worse than it really is because, one of those "cash poor" players, Bill, went on to win the game. Bill edged out Spanky by $900 and Dennis by $2,100.

Five Crowns was the next game out of the box and onto the table. Spanky and Jeff battled for the lead near the end of the game. Due to Pete's quick out, all of the players caught points on the second to last hand, unfortunate Jeff was hit with more points than any of the other players. Spanky won the game.

The last game of the night was Wizard. Jeff and Spanky were again the two players with the best chances of winning near the end of the game. Jeff missed his final bid. Spanky won the game.

Who was there: Bill, Jeff, Ken, Lori and Pete

Something of the week/night:? (I'm hoping that someone will tell me)

Bazaar was the first game the group, Bill, Jeff, Ken and Lori, played. Lori crushed the other players with nearly three time the point of the other players.

The next game was Can't Stop. Lori won the game.

Knok was the next game to hit the table. Ken edged out Lori by a narrow margin. Ken won the game.

Pete joined the group at this point.

Landlord was the next game played. All five players participated in this game. Lori won the game.

Lori left the group at this point.

The last game of the night was Quiddler. Ken won the game.

Who was there: Bill, Bob, Jim, Ken, Lori, Pete and Spanky

Tricky play of the week: "Card Counting"

The first game played was Quiddler. Pete, Lori, Bill and Spanky were the four players. Pete took the lead half way through the game and never faltered. Pete won with a wide margin of victory.

Lori withdrew from the group at this point.

The remaining six players "picked" Split Second as the next game. Well, "picked" may be too strong a word. Split Second hit the table after a six month absence and the group didn't revolt. The game was fairly even throughout most of the game. Bob jumped out to a slight lead and never gave that lead up. Bob won the game. (NOTE: This game is currently out of the "game box". All of the rubber bands seemed a little slow therefore, the game is now on the work bench waiting to have new rubber bands strung on its flappers.)

The next game played was Bohnanaza. There was a lot trading during this game but, it didn't go as slowly as it has in the past. Bob and Spanky DID wring out ever last trade in their hand ever turn with Bill not far behind in the wringing. Still, the game moved quicker than previous game. The players may have gotten their trading skills more finely honed and it showed up in total time needed to complete the game. Pete, the quiet man, squeaked out a win with one more coin (12) than either Bill or Ken (11).

Jim and Pete left the group at this point.

The last game of the night was Five Crowns. In the fourth hand ALL of the players, except Spanky, got hit with tons of points. That one hand gave Spanky the leg up needed to win the game.

Who was there: Bob, Bill, Jeff, Ken and Spanky

New band name of the night: Nixon's Woody

The first game of the night was Through the Desert. There was some appropriate monkey chatter which helped some of the less experienced players keep the game close to even. Bill sliced off a couple of good sized pieces of the board and built a couple of 10 point caravans. That was enough to win the game for Bill.

Chronology was the next game. The standard game length of 12 cards was shortened to 11 for this game. Due to a player's oddly ordered answer, a card's date was erroneously exposed. There was a great deal of debate as to how the matter should be remedied. The card was "killed" and NO replacement card was read. Bill won the game.

It has taken the group 17 months to finally play Scrabble again. There were many challenges during the game. Most of the challenges were unsuccessful. The "Q" never did get successfully played on the board. Spanky won the game with a skimpy score of 200 points. The group really needs to get played a little more often so that the players can keep their skills more finely honed.

Bob joined the group at this point.

The last game of the night was Five Crowns. Most of the players were hit with more than one bad hand. The two players who managed to only get hit once were hit very hard, Jeff for 55 points and Bill for 60 points. Spanky squeaked out a win.

Who was there: Bill, Jeff, Jim, Lori, Pete and Spanky

Refreshment of the week: Banana, coconut type blender drinks.

The first game of the night was Settlers of Catan.  The players for this game were Bill, Lori, Pete, Bill and Spanky. The variants in play were "hard sevens" and two Volcanos. The game was tight with several lead changes. Pete worked the longest road and largest army into a win.

Jeff joined the group at this point.
Lori left the group at this point.

The last game of the night was Quiddler. Jim was the master wordsmith and won the game.

Who was there: Jeff, Jim, Ken, Pete and Spanky

Missed opportunity of the night: Not playing the "monopoly" card to get ALL the ore/rocks.

The first game of the night was Knok. Jeff, Ken and Spanky were the only players in this game. Ken won the game with the tiny score of 18 points.

The second game of the night was Settlers of Catan. The variants used during this game were "hard sevens" and 2 volcanos. The standard five/six player board was set up for the game. [NOTE: The "Special Building Phase" rule is never used by the group when playing Settlers of Catan and should be listed as a variant being used in the game.] The volcano's lave only claimed one victim, Ken, who then lost his building spot on the volcano to a squatter, Spanky.  The robber was on Spanky the whole game. Spanky won the game.

Wizard was the final game of the night. Jim had a great last hand to pull a "come from behind" win over the leader, Pete.

Who was there: Bill, Dennis, Ken, Lori, Pete and Spanky

Quirk of the night: Lori was talking dirty

The first game played by the group was Quiddler. All of this night's player were in this game. Bill edged out Lori and Pete for the win.

Lori left the group at this point.

Bazaar was the next game played by the group. There was a little trouble during the game with what duties the active player has e.g. removal of cards from the stalls. The roll of the score keeper was also questioned. This all arose from a player buying two cards at one time and this purchase emtied one of the stalls. The empty stall caused, per the rules, the value of the remaining card to increase. A question of which of the two purchased cards should/would/could be remove first as it may effect the value of the other. The "purchaser" should be the person to remove the cards from the stall in any order they wish. Bill won the game.

Dennis left the group at this point.

The four remaining players chose to play Five Crowns next. Ken led the game "wire to wire". Ken won the game with a large margin.

The last game of the night was Wizard. Bill won the game easily.

Who was there: Bill, Bob, Jeff, Jim, Ken, Pete and Spanky

Musical style choice of the night: Eclectic

The first game of the night was Bazaar. Bill, Jeff, Ken and Spanky were the players in this game. The standard number of cards were placed in each "stall", i.e. five. The stalls lost cards very evenly which made for a prolonged game. The play of the game was when Jeff scored a perfect roll to take the, game ending, double starred card. The twelve point Jeff scored on that card gave him the win.

The next game played was Bohnanza. All of the players were in this game. The variants needed to be in play when there are seven players in the game were reviewed before the game started. This is needed due to compile the deck of cards correctly. The way the deck is dealt at the beginning of the game is a little funky with players receiving differing numbers of cards. The game slowed with most players wringing out every trade they could during their turns. With seven players in the game and each receiving four new cards on every turn, individual players will receive fewer turn in the game but, they will hold larger hands. It seems that the game places greater emphasis on trading with more players in the game. Bill slyly donated a problematic card from his hand to a myopic player, setting up Bill's hand perfectly for the remainder of the game. Bill worked his perfect hand into a game win.

The group started to get a little disjointed while picking the next game to play. Pete acquiesced to the groups gentle pressure to play a game he dislikes.

The last game of the night was The Great Dalmuti. Pete led the game for the first eight hands. Spanky went out first during six out of the last seven hands to score the win.

Who was there: Bill, Jim, Ken, Pete and Spanky (Lori too. Although, she didn't get to play a whole game.)

Question of the night: Who or what do you believe? "Prove it!"

The first game of the night was Uno Stacko. Bill, Ken and Spanky were the only players in this game. Spanky won the game.

The next game was another game of Uno Stacko. Pete joined in the game this time. Bill won the game.

The above four players played Acquire next. Pete and Spanky were cash poor throughout most of the game. Bill and Ken bought stocks at will. Spanky bought a minority position in a chain and then called the end of the game. (The rules were consulted to find that ONLY the player who is currently taking his/her turn can call the end of the game.)  The final buy put Spanky over the top for the win.

Jim and Lori joined the group at this point.

Knok was the next game played by the group. Lori was called away during the game. Due to sloppy writing by the score keeper, there was some confusion about the scores as the game ended. After some discussion the confusion was cleared up. Spanky won the game.

The final game of the night was Quiddler. There were several challenges during the game. During the game, the group decided to try the much discussed, reward rule for challenges the next time this game is played. The reward rule would give half of the point value of a correctly challenged word to the challenger. Jim came on strong in the second half of the game for the win.
 
 

Who was there: Bill, Jeff, Jim, Ken and Spanky

Entertainment of the night: Camping videos

The first game played was Quiddler. Bill soundly trounced the other players and won the game by a large margin.

The next game played was Settlers of Catan. This game had been unplayed since 1/26/2001. The variants used for this game were the "hard seven" and two volcanos. The volcano burned Spanky's settlement three times out of the first four eruptions. Bill, who had two spots on the volcanos, only lost once to the lava flow. There was a costly battle for longest road between Bill and Ken. Bill won that battle and the game.

Five Crowns was the next game played. Ken edged out Bill on the very last hand for the win.

Who was there: Bill, Bob, Jeff, Jim, Ken, Lori and Spanky

Wussy test of the week: Red Pickled Eggs.

The first game played was Bohnanza. The players in this game were Bill, Jeff, Jim, Ken and Spanky. The game was close with Spanky edging out Ken for the win. The winning total was 14 coins and the winner DID NOT have a third bean field

The second game played was Quiddler. All of the player participated in this game. There was talk about "adjusting" the rules to reward players who make a successful challenge during the game with some portion of the challenged word's value. No such adjustment were made for this game. Bob won the game.

Lori left the group at this point.

Wizard was the next game played. Jim made all of his bids but one and won the game.

Bob and Jeff left the group at this point.

The last game of the night was Five Crowns. Bill won the game.

Who was there: Bill, Jeff, Jim, Ken, Pete and Spanky

Definition of the week:   Donate n.to present as gift; make a gift of. as in "I'll donate these games to the group but, these are the last games I'll donate till someone else buys some games."

The first game of the week was Acquire. Pete did not play in this game. The game was slow to form mergers and money was slightly tight in the first half of the game. The final scores were: Spanky $36,800; Jeff $31,600; Bill $28,300; Jim $27,800; Ken $23,100. Spanky won the game.

Quiddler was the next game played. All of the players were in this game. Bill, who was hammered by making a bad challenge in the second hand, won the game.

Pete leaves at this point.

The last game of the night was Knok. One successful knock was all that Jeff needed to win the game.

Who was there: Bill, Brendan, Jim, Ken, Lori, Pete and Spanky

Unbelievable statement of the night: "They're ZINC!"

Quiddler was the first game of the night. It was a new game that Bill bought. It is made by the same company that makes Five Crowns. The group played only a few hands to get the basics of the game's rules down pat. The truncated game does not count in the stats.

Another game of  Quiddler was next. All of the players were in this game. A great deal of lobbying took place before the game started as to whether the game would fall under the first time played rule. A calmer, gentler webmaster recused himself and allowed the remaining players' votes to settle the issue. The vote was four to two in favor of having the game count. The full game was played and Bill was the winner.
{WEBMASTER'S COMMENT: In hind sight I can now see that my acquiescence on this matter was a mistake. I should have used the groups past rulings to resolve this issue. The February 2, 2001 ruling clearly stated that the first complete game should not count in the stats. The only time this was not followed was on September 8, 2000 and it was to extend a reward to the most frequent host of the games night gang. This exception was also a mistake and I should have learned my lesson at that time. I try to stay as fair and balanced as I can be in these matters. I quite often make my harshest ruling when I am the player that loses the most. Please note that on Feb. 2, 2001 the group VOTED that the first full game of Bohnanza SHOULD count in the stats and I later overruled the vote and did not count the game in the stats. The only reason that I could overrule the vote was that I was the winning player. I should not overrule the vote of the group in this current Quiddler game because I said that I would abide by that vote and update the stats base upon it. I hope that this clears some things up and possibly unruffles some feathers.}

Lori left the group at this point.

The next game played was Knok. Jim won the game by one point with a good knock on the last hand.

Pete left the group at this point.

The next three games were all Uno Stacko.
The first Uno Stacko was won by Spanky.
The second Uno Stacko was won by Spanky.
The third Uno Stacko was won by Bill.

Who was there: Bill, Brendan, Jeff, Jim, Ken and Spanky

Advice of the night: "You may be missing some of the nuances of this game."

The first game played was Wizard. Bill pulled a last hand, come from behind win.

The next game played was Bazaar. Everyone but Jim played in this game. Spanky was granted the win when Brendan end the game.

Skip-Bo was the next game played. Jim was not in this game also. Brendan burned through his cards in a hurry to get the win.

The last game of the night was The Great Dalmuti. Jeff led the whole game till the very last hand. Spanky won the game.
 
 

Who was there: Bill, Brendan, Jim, Pete and Spanky

Phase of the night: "I don't like the looks of that *&#~sucker"

The first game play was Blurt. This game is drag racing with brains i.e. I love it!. Spanky won the game by a ton.

The next game played was Knok. Brendan won the game with FOUR successful knocks.

Pete and Jim wisely left at this point.
Bob unwisely arrives at this point.

A Bohnanza game was started but didn't make it through the first round. The game was abandoned.

The next real game played was Through the Desert.  Bob grumbled about learning a new game but was a trouper and made it through the game. Bill worked the edges hard and pulled out another win.

Jim returned at this point.

Bohnanza hit the table for another try. The game was played smoothly and almost quickly. Only one player bought a third bean field. Lucky "flip" cards may have played a larger role than good trading in determining the winner. Spanky won the game by a single coin.

Bob left the group at this point.

Bazaar was the final game of the night. Jim won the game..

Who was there: Bill, Brendan, Jeff, Ken, Spanky

Quote of the night:  "He'll be here. Mom's and baby are the hospital. He'll be here."

Event of the week: The birth of Nicole Rose Soper.

The first game play by the group was The Great Dalmuti. The last hand was not needed due to Spanky having an uncatchable score. Spanky won the game.

The second game of the night was Bazaar. Brendan scored the win.

Five Crowns  was the next game played. Jeff won the game.

ForGet It was the last game of the night. Brendan "laid up" close to 500 and then made a move on his next turn. Many of the players got close but busted before they caught him. Brendan won the game.

Who was there: Brendan, Bill, Bob, Jeff, Spanky

Lament of the week: "Someone should have told me that the TREES were important."

Through the Desert was the first game played by the group. Bill won the game.

The next game was Knok. Bill won that game too.

The next game played was Bohnanza. Most of the players did buy the third field in this game. Spanky won the game.

The next two games were both Uno Stacko. Bill won the first game and Jeff won the second.

Who was there: Bill, Bob, Brendan, Jeff, Jim and Spanky

Rut of the night: All of the games played used CARDS.

The first game of the week was Knok. Bob was the only player not playing in this game. Brendan snapped up the win.

Five Crowns was the next game played. Spanky won the game overtaking Brendan on the last hand.

Bob arrived at this point.

The next game played was Bazaar. The group played with 7 cards in each stack to make the game a bit longer. Jeff made a game winning final play.

Bill and Bob left the group at this point.

The last game of the night was Wizard. It was a tough and uneven game with all of the players getting smashed on their bids at some point during the game. Jeff made a big move on the last hand to win the game.

Who was there: Bill, Brendan, Ken and Spanky

AWOL of the week: Jeff, who was "tweaking" with Chuck.

The first game of the week was Bazaar. Five cards per stall as prescribed in the rules was used in this game and not the seven card variant that is often used at games night. The game ended early and abruptly with Brendan and Ken splitting the win.

The next game played was Acquire. The game was wildly uneven with very few "take overs" and many of the players short on cash. Bill was the sole owner of the first defunct chain and was the only player with extra money in the whole first half of the game.  Bill bought everything in sight and won the game easily.

The next game played was Wizards. Ken won the game by a ton of points.

The last game of the week was Five Crowns. It end up being a battle between Bill and Spanky and Spanky edged out the win on the last hand.
 
 

Who was there: Bill, Bob, Brendan, Jeff, Ken, Ray, Spanky

Mover and shaker of the night: Brendan during Bohnanza

The start of the night found five players (Bill, Brendan, Jeff, Ken and Spanky) ready to play. The game Through the Desert was pick because it handles a maximum of five players and the groups at games night are normally greater than that. This was the first time that this game had ever been played at games night Therefore the "first time played" rule was in effect. The group waded into the game slowly but, most of the players were up to speed quickly. There were a few missteps in the placement phase of the game but nothing that thwarted the learning of the game by the group. The game was quick and should play even quicker in the future. Bill was the winner of the game.

Ray joined the group for the next game. The game was Five Crowns. The new Five Crowns deck was used and the group enjoyed the "shufflable" cards thanks to Brendan's generosity. Jeff was in the lead the whole game with the exception of two hands. Jeff won the game.

Bob joined the group for the next game played. Bohnanza was the next game played by the group. The trade till you drop action in this game was called into question by players who would like to see trading limited in some measure. None of the scoring leaders in this game had bought a third bean field. The winning score was a paltry nine coins. Bill won the game with Pete and Spanky only one coin behind him.

Best of Chronology was the pick for play next. The number of cards needed to win the game was set at twelve. Most of the players made small moves and then stopped hoping to win the game after three good moves. Other players went for broke every time it was their turn. Spanky, starting with a single card, ran up to eleven twice and choked both times on the final card. Bob won the game.

Bob left the group at this point.

The next game played by the group was Bazaar. The group added two card to every "booth" to make the game last a little longer for the six players. The "extra" cards did make the game feel more full. The end of the game didn't seem to pop up in the normal surprising fashion. Spanky won the game.

The last game of the night was Wizards. Ken made the fewest bad bids (1) and won the game.

Who was there: Bill, Bob, Brendan, Jeff, Ken, Pete, Ray and Spanky

Rude act of the night: Flying the bird to close to someone's face. "SORRY ABOUT THAT KEN."

The first game of the night was a new game for the group, Bioscopy. The game can only handle four players and/or teams therefore, the six early players formed three teams. The game was played till one of the teams got a single marker into the safe zone and then was abandoned.

The next game played was Bohnanza. Everyone but Bob played in this game. It was a close game with the lots of trading and lots of lobbying. Bill won the game with a scant nine coins. Pete and Spanky both ended the game with eight points. All three of the leader did not buy the third bean field.

Knok was the next game played. The group settled on a new rule for a game with eight players. The player making a bad knock only receives one third of the total points. This would keep the player in the game with a chance of making a come back. Spanky won the game.

Bob and Pete left the group at this point.

Bazaar was the next game played by the group. White was worthless and plentiful during the whole game. Bill, Ken and Ray shared the win. That's right, it was a three way tie.

The group looked for a quick game to end the night and pulled out ForGet It. Brendan was the first to crack the 500 point line and start the last run. Ken, the last player in the last round, needed eleven fives to win the game. Ken DID get the fives and did win the game.

Who was there: Bill, Jeff, Ken, Pete, Ray and Spanky

Quote of the night: "Trade me that sheep and I'll give you your ride home."

The group started of the night with a game that was new to games night, Landlord. A few rounds of play were played to get the plays up to speed on how the game is played. After all of the players were comfortable with all of the rules the “open” hand was ended and a full game was started. This was the first full game played at games night and fell under the first time played rule and would not be counted in the player stats. Pete, the most likely winner, suffered a senseless pummeling from Spanky that ended Pete’s hopes for a victory. That left Ken and Ray as the leaders in the game. Ray won the game with a scant two dollars more than Ken. Ray won the game.

The next game played was Seafarers of Catan. The group played the “six islands” scenario. This scenario was picked because it was the first “six player” scenario listed in the expansion’s rules book. The group had played a “five player” scenario called “five island” the last time this game was played. The few players that had never played Seafarers of Catan caught on to the game very quickly due to their wealth of experience with a related game, Settlers of Catan. In the last round of the game, Bill traded with Ray till Ray won the game. This might have been the first time some one traded with other players to win the game on their final turn. Players normally can see when a player is within striking distance of the win and refuse to trade with them. Ray won the game.

The islands in the “six islands” scenario were very close together and allowed players to jump to a new island in one leap and this made it very hard to use the pirate to slow or stop a player’s progress. The next time six player are looking for a scenario to use for Seafarers of Catan it would be prudent to bear this in mind while choosing.

Pete left the group at this point.

The last game of the night was The Great Dalmuti. The group set the game’s length at   twelve hands. Ray used his trick thumb to dumbfound the group with unexplainable dealing oddities. Ken needed only eleven hands to win the game.

Who was there: Bill, Bob, Brendan, Ken, Pete, Spanky

Realization of the night: Now I know why Moe was always mad.

Bill, Brendan, Ken and, Spanky, decided to play a quick game of Bazaar to start off the night as they waited for other players to arrive. Bill made a the most buys and won the game.

Pete joined the group for second game of the night, Bohnanza. The bean battle became loud as some "first timers" struggled to get up to speed and kibitzing added to the dBs. When all the gold was counted it was Ken who won the game. That makes Ken the only person who have ever won Bohnanza at games night.

Bob joined in for the next game, Wizards. The last hand found the two error free bidders battling for the win. One of them made the final bid and, one didn't. Bill's error free bidding won him the game.

Aquire was the next game played and all six players were in the game. The game moved fairly quickly even though, there were several "first timers" in this game. There were a few power plays that either put you in the running if you were a party to the deal and would leave you in the dust if you you didn't get a piece of them. Bob beat Spanky by $1,300 to win the game.

Pete and Bob left the group at this point.

Five Crowns  was the final game of the night. Brendan was undone one the very first had on a playing error that saddled him with a lot of points. Bill won the game with a scant three points less than Brendan.

Who was there: Bill, Bob, Jeff, Ken, Pete, Spanky

Location of the night: House of Crime.

The first game of the night was a brand new game for the group. The game was Bohnanza. This game is all about playing the bean cards, in order, from your hand to get the best harvest. The group played a short, three times around, rule shake down round. The group then played a full game of Bohnanza. The group voted that this game SHOULD be counted in the stats but the webmaster vetoed this voted.  Therefore, the first time played rule was in effect. The game was played with some leeway in the order of play and the rules were not called closely. The winner of the game was Spanky the webmaster. The first time played rule is in place so that players are free to try the limits of all available playing options while learning a new game e.g. Hold lots of cards, never leave cards for the next player. It is this stats free experimentation that speeds the learning of the nuances of the game and makes for tighter game play in the future. The first time played rule was once reversed by acclamation of the group. It was on September 8, 2000 and it was to benefit a games night host and, was most likely a mistake. That mistake will not be repeated this time.

The second game of the night was Bazaar. The game was picked because it could be played quickly and two of the players only had time for a quick game. The winner was Ken.

Bob and Pete left the group at this point.

The next game played was Bohnanza. The deck was adjusted for the number of players and the game was started and this time it would count in the stats. The game moved quicker this time, as the players knew more about what to do and, when to do it. Ken caught some great cards, i.e. two garden beans in a row, to score quick points in the middle of the game. This lead made the other players reluctant to trade with ken and slowed down his point gathering. At the end of the game Ken and Spanky were tied in the number of gold pieces they both had and need to go to the tiebreaker described in the rules. That tiebreaker is the number of cards left in each player's hand. The played with the most cards wins. Ken was the winner.

The last game of the night was Knok. Ken knock with 4 zeros and got tied and ate some points. Spanky successfully knock on the last three hands to edge out Ken for the win.

Who was there: Bill, Brendan, Dennis, Ken, Pete, Ray, Spanky

Quote of the night:  "Once you go coyote, you never go back."

Split Second is a game just made for six players, Ray had not arrived yet, and it was a group of six that was ready for the first game. Pete was on fire for the first half of the game but faded. Spanky made a run at the end to win the game.

The next game had all seven players in the game. The game pick was Settlers of Catan. The variants used in the game were two variable volcanoes and the hard seven rule. The big island 7-8 player board set has no deserts therefore, two land hexs were pulled out and replaced with volcanoes during the shuffle. The production numbers on the volcanoes were an eight and a twelve. The "eight" volcano produced often but, even with three diced rolled for the lava flows, only one settlement got burned. The game ended with many of the players within a point of winning the game. Spanky stretched to reach a ore port and then used that ore port on his next turn to trade a ton of ore with the bank to win the game.

Dennis left the group at this point.

The next game played was Five Crowns. Pete overcame a bad first hand to win the game easily.

Pete took his win and bolted.

The last two games were both games of Bazaar. Bill won the first one and Ray won the second.

Who was there: Bill, Jeff, Ken, Ray, Spanky

Whine of the night: Can I undo MY turn too?

The first game played was a brand new game to games night. It was the game Acquire. The version of the game was a 1995, little cardboard squares, type and not the '60s, 3M bookcase one with the nice plastic bits. The group soon had the mechanics of the game down but not the nuances. A few of the finer points in the rules and scoring didn't become clear till well into the game. The first time played rule was in effect therefore, the game doesn't count in player stats. Ken won the game.

Five Crowns was the next game played by the group. It was an unremarkable game. Spanky won the game.

The next game played was Wizards. This is a game that normally is won by making the fewest bad bids. Bill made the fewest bad bids (1) in this game and lost. Ken, who had two bad bids, won the game by one point.

The group played the game Bazaar next. Jeff scored an eight pointer to win the game.

Ray left the group at this point.

The last game of the night was Knok. Jeff won the game with an uncatchable lead in the eight hand.

Who was there: Bill, Brendan, Jeff, Ken, Lori, Pete, Ray, Spanky

The odd thing of the night: The peon just walked out.

The first game of the night was Wizards. Jeff and Ray did not play in this game. Pete and Spanky were neck and neck at the end of the game. Spanky won the game by a single point.

The next game played was The Best of Chronology. Everyone played in this game. Most of the players push their luck hard during the game and didn't stop with a few cards but, instead went for more. The result was that many of the players lost lots of cards. Ray played it just right and he won the game.

Lori left the group at this point.

Blurt  was the next game played by the group. There were a few "tie" calls by reads during the game. The group picked the "two tie, all tie" rule where all of the players get to answer the new question/definition. Spanky won the game.

The group picked Dalmuti as the game to play. Thirteen hands were set as the length of the game. Pete didn't make it to the end of the game. Ray and Bill were the two players with a good chance to win the game as the last hand was dealt. Ray won the game.
The next game was Bazaar. Ken played the end game very well and scored the win.

Knok was the last game of the night. Brendan, who was in a distant third place, shocked the group with a dramatic, game winning knock on the last hand.
 
 

Who was there: Bill, Jeff, Pete, Ray, Spanky

Crime of the night: A wild Indian came in and took our money.

The first game of the year was Bazaar. Ray was the only player not in the game. Bill won the game.

The second game was also a Bazaar. No Ray in this game either. Spanky and Pete split the win in this game.

Ray, who had been AWOL for 363 days, joined the group at this point. WELCOME BACK RAY!!!

The next game was Five Crowns. The group picked this game because Ken wouldn't be playing. It looked like Jeff was going to run away with the game till the "queens" hand doubled his score. The Indian, a befeathered and badge covered Bob, robbed the players at this point and then ran off. Spanky won the game.

Settler of Catan was the next game played by the group. The group picked the games night standard variant of the hard seven. For a short time Joe joined in the game but, he was crushed by the sandman and dropped out of the game. The group left his game pieces on the board. The game had very few sevens rolled in it. Pete was, for the most part, the only player who had soldier cards but, couldn't move the robber onto Spanky because it would shut down his own production. This let Spanky win the game with 10 points all on the board, 4 cities and 2 settlements.

The last game of the night was Knok. Bill had four successful knocks in the first five hands and then coasted through the rest of the game for the win.