This week we stuck to “old favourites” and started off with the quick fun and very silly game that is Walk the Plank!.  We’ve played this a few times before, and we always play to the “last pirate standing”.  Since Red had chosen the game and White had not played it before, Blue started off by shortening the plank and pushing Red off the end.  This set the tone for the game with Red taking her revenge on Blue and then White joining in the fray.  A few rounds in and with one Blue and a couple of Red pirates down, it was Blue’s turn to start.  All three of White’s pirates were perched precariously on the end of the plank with Red’s one remaining pirate, so the game ended suddenly with a very loud splash when Blue inevitably shortened the plank…

With the arrival of Purple and Black (and their pizza), we decided to play another of Red’s favourite games, Bohnanza. It’s amazing how a game that so many people feel is such good fun, sounds so totally uninteresting when it’s explained.  True, as White pointed out, this applies to quite a few games, but Bohnanza is definitely the “poster child”.  After a quick rundown of the rules, we began. Purple was very generous, offering beans for free at regular intervals, though of course she had an ulterior motive. However, otherwise, as Black commented, “It’s a tough crowd tonight,” as deals were pushed and even turned down.  It was fitting therefore, that such a tight game should end with a draw, with Red and Blue sharing the honours.

Next, we decided to play something a little deeper and, after some discussion, we opted for one of this years most popular games: Ivor the Engine. Although we’ve played “Ivor” a lot at games night, Red and White were both new to it. It’s a cute little game, though it has a sharp edge if you want to play it that way. With a full compliment of players, it was always going to be a fairly tight game, and although Blue started well with a couple of jobs at Mrs Porty’s House, everyone else struggled as Purple got in their way.  Blue was promptly penalised for her good start though, when the first event card came out and caused the leader to lose sheep.   Since everyone else had now cleared sheep from the locations that corresponded to their cards, Blue was then suddenly left behind.  As everyone galloped on, Red, managed to pick up eleven sheep with one visit to Tewyn!  Black was closing in on the finishing line, when Blue managed to complete a couple of jobs at Dinwiddy’s Goldmine and use the gold to buy a couple of event cards.  That tipped the balance in her favour and she finished just ahead of Black.

We finished the evening with a few rounds of No Thanks!.  This is another game we used to play quite a bit, but hadn’t played for six months.  It is such a simple, push your luck game that experience isn’t necessary, and it really brought out White’s vindictive streak.  After three games, honours finished about even and it was home time.

Learning Outcome:  Old favourites are still favourites, and for a good reason.