The Game Night attendee's guide to events at the Flesher Family Compound (FFC).

2008-06-21

Junta on Tuesday!

We are having another rousing game of Junta on Tuesday the 24th at 6:00pm at ol' 318 Nichols Ct.
If you enjoy cut-throat strategy and role playing, come on by. You won't be disappointed.

2008-06-17

Spontaneous Gaming Alert!

Our hard work and determination to turn 15C into a geek/nerd bar is paying off. Sunday night we witnessed some very spontaneous cribbage. Check it out:


Caught!


Last night, Dustin and I polluted the scene even more by working on the D&D world we are creating. On our laptops no less. Hipsters and the social elite ran from the establishment for fear of being infected. Bwaahaha! 15C take over, successful!




2008-06-08

Arianna Huffington Showed Up! ...sort of. - Recap for June 7th

It was a glorious night of gaming antics. There were 26 attendees total. Thanks to everyone who brought food and beverages. That always makes it easier on the hosts!

120 Minutes Kid's Style (5-7pm) was a big hit. Many games were played: Hopscotch, Tic-Tac-Toe, Marbles, Blokus, The aMAZEing Labyrinth and Fearsome Floors. to name just a few.

Hopscotch is an invigorating game, I must say. We did not have a rock that was bigger than a pea and smaller than a boulder, so we used a hacky sack. This worked beautifully.


Bennett showing off his skills. Dexterity modifier +4.

During hopscotch a spontaneous game of tic-tac-toe was started up by Johanna and Emmett. Meanwhile, Evie decided she was going to create some art. We were all invited to participate.


Evie's "Sky of Hands". Who did the star? It's very nice.

Marbles proved to be challenging at our house. The only place on the FFC compound that was flat enough and not coated in skin eating acid (Ian just stained his very flat and perfect marble shooting floors. Darn it.) was our bedroom. Bennett, Paxton, Sue and I shot a great game of marbles in there, and to no one's surprise Bennett creamed us with his +4 DEX modifier.

If anyone knows who won aMAZEing Labyrinth or Fearsome Floors do post a comment.

Pirates commenced upstairs around 7pm and we started a brief game of Wizard downstairs. Sarah proved to be an excellent Wizard player:

Sarah Hope, Card Shark Extraordinaire

We then proceeded to play a game of Carcassonne. I seriously do not know how many people participated in this game. It seems like just about everyone at the FFC that night made a move in that game. The end result was victory for Ian due to a very strategically placed farmer.


It's all about farms, people!

After Carcassonne, everyone met in the living room to play Ultimate Werewolf. This was an exciting game tonight. It was my first time moderating, so it got a little more out of control than usual, but that did not seem to detract from the fun.

Ultimate Werewolf, June 7th, 2008
There were many newcomers to the village tonight, so the anticipation was high. We lost our Hunter (John/Bennett) to werewolves (Klayton/Chris) the very first night. In their panic and death throws our Hunters shot the Sorcerers (Mitzi/Japhy) leaving the town not only with reduced access to meat but far less mystical wisdom. That first night was a harbinger of the slaughter that was to come:


Bennett looking oddly peaceful after being mauled by werewolves.

Trish was our most vocal villager that night. This made her automatically suspicious. However she held back the noose for a few rounds. Our local seer (Drew) had the misfortune to be eaten by Klayton the same night that he finger Klayton as the werewolf. He never lived to tell the tale.

Death of a Seer-in-the-Know. An unbelievably bad stroke of luck for our village.


With their Seer gone, the village was thrown into confusion and panic. They accused friend, foe, and family alike.

In the end Werewolf Klayton survived victorious. He decimated the village. He must be incredibly full....


Pirates

Recap by Dustin

John, Grant, Bennett, and Dustin faced off in Pirates for control of the seas. Grant brought the HMS Grand Temple, while Bennett brought a
fearsome switchblade ship. Dustin rolled out La Resolucion. It was a large battle; each player started with a fleet worth fifty points.

The bloodshed began quickly. John and Dustin sparred for control of one of the wild islands. Dustin brought his two Mongoose ships to draw
fire, and then then Resolucion devastated its opponent with the awesome accuracy of its cannons. Dustin captured one of John's ships
and towed it back to his home island. John, however, had already secured a few treasure and so had the lead.

Next, Grant and Dustin tangled. It looked like Dustin's fortunes in battle would continue when he sunk one of Grant's single mast ships, but Grant turned the table and captured the Knox, a devastating blow against Dustin. John raked in a few more treasure. One of Bennett's
ships was damaged during a risky voyage through a whirlpool.

Bennett and John grappled for control of the southwestern seas. Dustin continued his rampage by sinking ships belonging to all of the players, but then Dustin made a mistake. He misjudged the range between the Resolucion and Bennett's switchblade ship. His cannons fired too short and missed Bennett completely. Bennett had a beautiful opportunity to destroy the Resolucion forever, but then he fell prey to Dustin's entreaties. Dustin persuaded Bennett that they should combine their forces and go after the formidable Grant, but then Dustin revealed his treachery. He maneuvered the Resolucion behind the switchblade and sunk it.

The game ended soon after. John, Bennett, and Grant were all busily collecting treasure, but Dustin's wanton acts of piracy won the day. He amassed the necessary amount of treasure to win the day. Will anyone be able to challenge the dominance of Dustin's fleet? Stay tuned for next time.


Notables
Sue introduced us to a simple game called Notables. Everyone writes down the name of a famous person, fictional or real on little pieces of paper, folds them up and then places them in a bowl. Then each person chooses a partner and takes turns giving clues to one another about names drawn from the bowl. The catch was that it was timed. This game was a hoot. I wish I could have recorded Mike trying to give clues to Dustin about Pippy Longstocking and Sue's pantomime assistance to the cause.

Here are some of the names that proved to be the toughest:

Martin Chuzzlewit
Cyrano De Bergerac
Gore Vidal
Becky Sharp
Sisyphus
Poppin Fresh
Edward Gibbon
Jesus Quintana
Weird Al Yankovic
Arianna Huffington
Eldridge Cleaver
Theodore Herzl
Molly Brown
Pollyanna
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Rainer Maria Rilke
Frank Pool
Reiner Knizia
Condoleeza Rice
Pippy Longstocking


And now for Surrealist Games

We tried syllogisms last night and some conditionals.

If a hummingbird's heart beats at the speed of love,
Beautiful muses sleep in mercurial morning.
-- Mike C. and Jana

Everyone goes to sleep at night.
The baby cries in the middle of the night.
Hence, the girl anxiously awaits.
--Jana, Sue, and Dustin

If the way of the world is through the art of blasphemous war,
Then the denizens of the bar will cheer.
--Brandy and Dustin

If you ask for an excuse,
Then I would be a spaceman.
--Dustin and Ian

The tribe always attends the ritual.
Thighs are always inviting.
Therefore, puppies chase wheelchairs.
-- Dustin, Mike C., and Chris

All children are ruthless.

Stars shine only for those with open eyes.
Therefore, we vascillate with disappointment.
-- Dustin, Mike C. and Chris

All good boys love guns.
My time on Earth is limited.
Therefore, the china is broken.
--Ian, Jana, and Sue

All peasants have dirty hands.
Bees eat pollen and produce honey.
Therefore, gorillas dance.
-- Sue, Brandy, and Dustin

All souls shine like the sun.
The votes must be counted.
Therefore, never hike without toilet paper.
-- Brandy, Dustin and Mike C.

We thought it might be fun to do erotic syllogisms or "syllogotica." It seemed like the more vulgar we were the less they made sense. We did get some that worked however. Since I want this site to be safe for kids, I will keep a record of these at the FFC for adults to peruse rather than post them here.


Games ended at 2:15am

2008-06-01

Junta Madness

On Saturday evening we hosted Junta for ~5 hours. The players were Dustin, Jana, Drew, Jessie, and Alex. It was a learning process. Most had played before but not for years. Junta is a vicious negotiation game in which the players compete for power in a banana republic. Bribery, assassination, rigged elections, and coups are the order of the day.

The game started out well for Dustin. The Christian Democrats backed his bid for the Presidency. He campaigned on a platform of peace and prosperity - prosperity, that is, for the good people in society; he would not permit the slum-dwelling scum like Jana to irresponsibly involve themselves in the affairs of governance, affairs that are beyond their simple understanding. Alex, Jessie, and Drew sensibly aligned themselves with Dustin's party, and he assumed office.

Thus began the golden era of our society. Money flowed to the responsible sectors of society. Alex, Jessie, and Drew filled their swiss bank accounts. The streets were peaceful; assassinations were unheard of (except for minor misunderstandings between Alex and Drew). Even the denizens of the slums like Jana benefited from Dustin's judicious exercise of power. The Radicals were swayed by his policies, increasing his influence. All was well.

Then greed and irresponsibility overcame the better judgment of certain factions (Drew and Jana). They used a pretext to launch a bloody coup. Drew, the general of the 2nd army brigade, marched his troops toward the Presidential Palace. Dustin was, however, prepared for such violence. The Palace Guard fortified the perimeter. He called upon his support in the Radical sector, and strikers and student mobs took to the streets under Dustin's banner. Jessie, appearing loyal at the time, opposed the usurping scum.

However, Jessie was deluded by the connivance of the rebels. He turned coat and used the air force to bomb the palace. Alex used his police effectively, but the battle was lost. Dustin saw the writing on the wall and offered peace. He payed two million pesos to each of the rebel factions in exchange for a guarantee of his life. The deal was made, and Jessie was elected by the rebels to the Presidency. Then Jessie showed his nature: he had his thugs gun down Dustin. Dustin's son took over control of the family fortune, but he lost a huge amount of cash and influence.

Thus began the darkest era in our country's history. Whereas the money flowed freely under Dustin's regime, during Jessie's nefarious rule, capital flows dried to a trickle. Even his rebel partners received merely a pittance. Worse, assassinations became commonplace, robbery and murder a daily occurrence. Brother turned against brother, while the President deposited huge sums of cash in his Swiss bank account. Through it all, Drew idiotically remained loyal to Jessie.



Fortunately, Alex and Dustin took advantage of the emergence of a pretender in the province. The monarchists that pervaded Drew's army brigade immobilized that force. Alex and Dustin, the generals of the remaining army brigades, righteously drove their forces to the palace and deposed the villain, Jessie. They promptly elected Alex to the presidency and executed the treacherous snake, Drew.

Alex and Dustin were well on their way to rebuilding a just society, but it was midnight, and Jana insisted that her faction had to retire. Victory would certainly have been Dustin's, but Jessie had, at the moment, the most cash in his Swiss bank account.

The consensus among the players is that we need to play again soon, hopefully with one or two more players in the mix. We'll shoot for sometime this week or next. I look forward to responsibly exercising power for the benefit of the people - the responsible people.

Zombie's on Tour and Game Night!

So, Dustin, Ian and I have been lamenting the fact that we will not be taking a European vacation this year. The economy is not being kind to those who like to travel. But as Dustin pointed out, at least we won't have to deal with those damned Zombie tourists. Zombies travel, you say? Why of course....

Despite the fact that their brains are rotted and their IQ nonexistent, Zombies crave the taste of other cultures. Europe is a hot spot for zombies because of the buttery pastry fed human brains.

Don't believe us? Check it out...




















Left: Zombies displaying good taste in cuisine, bad taste in music. Right: Michelle and I in grave peril at l'Arc de Triomphe

The first time I encountered Zombies in Europe was the Pere Lachaise Cemetery at Jim Morrison's grave site. I was shocked. Not by the zombies, but by the hippies. This was 1993 people! Someone at least had the levity to bring Jim a balloon from McDonald's. The French were as aloof and oblivious to the zombies as they were to us, of course.

On that same trip, my friend Michelle narrowly avoided getting her brains munched by two zombies near l'Arc de Triomphe. The only thing that save her was clinging as motionless as possible to the light pole. I snapped the photo and proceeded to climb a nearby tree to escape.

I was dismayed to find that the zombies do not stick to urban France, but travel to the mountains as well. On a later trip, I was at a wedding in Cevannes National Park. We were having a nice time. Drinking local desert wines and champaign, eating gateau.... when zombies crashed the wedding. They immediately went for the groom.


Yes, I am strawberry in this photo. I know it's shocking.

Turns out, these zombies had a master, who just happened to be the brides ex-boyfriend. He was quickly discovered and his zombie controlling talisman destroyed.

Zombies also enjoy the mind altering effects of Dutch cuisine. Dustin and Ian have both encountered them in Amsterdam. Check it out:



I could smell them coming. The screaming... it was horrible!
Good thing I keep a shotgun hidden in my pants."




Zombies tried to take my bike! My martial arts skills came in real handy that trip.

This gruesome tale is to remind you about:


Travel Game Night!!

When: June 7th, 2008. Kids games start at 5:00pm, Adults games start at 7:00pm

Where: 318 Nichols Ct.

What do I bring: Bring Games, food or beverage that reminds you of your best travel experience and if you are so inclined, music.

Please RSVP. So far, I only have email and blog RSVPs for 3 adults and 2 children.