Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 24^th February, at the Horse and Jockey pub in Stanford-in-the-Vale.  As usual, we will be playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer.

This week the “Feature Game” will be Niagara. This is a slightly more in-depth “pick-up and deliver” type game with players constantly fighting the movement of the river as well as each other.  Basically, players are trying to collect gems by travelling up and down the river, however, they must beware of the ever-changing flow of the river, which can carry little canoes over the falls and turn them into match-wood…

– Image used with permission of BGG contributor William Hunt

And talking of Niagara Falls…

Jeff and his cousin Joe were on holiday together in the USA, and decided to go and see Niagara Falls.  During the day they had a ride in a little boat and admired the spectacular cataract and they finished the day in a bar.  After a few drinks, Jeff issued his cousin a challenge, “I bet you £500 that you can’t carry me across the falls using a tightrope.”  Now Joe never could resist a challenge and, since he had been learning to tight-rope walk (and he’d also had a few drinks of course), he accepted the challenge.

The next morning, still hung-over, Jeff and Joe got up early to make the crossing.  After a bit of head-scratching, they managed to set up the tight-rope and Joe began to carry Jeff across the river.  After a very scary half hour, Joe managed to stagger safely across carrying Jeff, and Jeff grudgingly paid the £500.

“That was very close,” Jeff said. “When you wobbled at about halfway, I was sure I’d won; the car is on the other side of the river, double or quits?”