Our next meeting, and the last of the year, will be on Thursday 30^th December 2021.  We will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer (the table is booked from 6.30pm for those who would like to eat first).

Normally, we hold a New Year party in a private house, but with the current situation it feels more sensible to meet a day early in the more spacious environment of The Jockey.  Normally at this time of year, we play the gorgeous puck-flicking, racing game, PitchCar, but it seems a little unreasonable in the pub.  So this time, the “Feature Game” will be another car racing game, Downforce.  We played this at New Year last year, but that was online, this time we will hear players swearing in person.

– Adapted from image by BGG contributor kalchio

And speaking of driving at Christmas…

Jeff was driving home from a Christmas party, but his car was swerving all over the road, so a traffic officer pulled him over.

“Can you step out of the car please, sir,” said the policeman, “I am going to have to ask you to take a breathalyzer test.”

“I can’t,” Jeff responded. “You see I have very bad asthma, that could set off an attack.”

“OK sir,” said the constable, “Then I’m afraid we will have to do a blood test—you’ll have to come with me to the nearest police station…”

“Sorry officer, I can’t do that either,” Jeff replied.  “I am a hemophiliac, so if a wound is opened, I won’t stop bleeding, and could bleed to death.”

“Well, we could do a urine sample then,” suggested the police officer getting a little exasperated, “We’d have to do that at the station too though.”

Jeff paused and then answered, “Sadly, I also have diabetes and that could push my sugar count really low.”

By this time, the traffic officer was really losing patience and snapped back, “Fine, in that case just get out of the care and walk a straight line for me.”

“Oh, I can’t do that…” answered Jeff.

“Why ever not?” demanded the exasperated copper.

“Well ossifer,” replied Jeff cheerfully, “That’d be because I’m drunk!”

Our next meeting will be on Thursday, 16^th December, at the Horse and Jockey pub in Stanford-in-the-Vale.

As this is our last meeting before Christmas
we will be meeting early from 6.45pm for pizzas and Christmas festivities.

This week, the “Feature Game” will be Santa’s Workshop followed by a range of Christmas and winter themed games like Christmas Tree, Snow Tails, Carcassonne: Winter Edition, Giftmas at Dungeon Abbey, Gingerbread House and Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries.   We’ve been waiting over two years to play Santa’s Workshop as the game was caught up in the Australian bush fires late in 2019 and the global pandemic meant we were unable to play it last year.  Third time lucky!

– Image by boardGOATS

And speaking of Christmas…

Jeff wasn’t in a festive mood.  He was in a lot of pain, so he went to see his doctor to get the problem looked at.

After much discussion, in August, we moved our meeting to Thursdays.  However, the Horse and Jockey have recently brought back their quiz on the first Thursday of the month, so this week we will be meeting on WEDNESDAY 1^st December 2021.  As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer (table is booked from 6.30pm for those who would like to eat first).

Some of the group are also keen to do the Quiz on Thursday 2^nd December.  So, we have booked a table from 6.30pm for those who would like food, and we’ll be playing games until the quiz starts at shortly before 9pm.

The “Feature Game” on Wednesday will be Draftosaurus.  This is a very light drafting game, a bit like Sushi Go!, but with dinosaurs (because everyone, especially Beige, likes dinosaurs).  We have played this quite a bit, but mostly online and the tactile wooden dino-meeples add such a lot to the experience.

– Image by BGG contributor kalchio

And speaking of dinosaurs…

Jeff and Joe had just finished watching Jurassic World and as they watched the credits, Joe said commented that he thought it was a fantastic film.  Jeff was less impressed.

Joe enthused, “But just look at what they made those dinosaurs do!”

Jeff replied, “Yeah, it’s great—they were able to train raptors. Still, that’s not as impressive as the Flintstones convincing a bird to be their record player…”

As the Horse and Jockey are not currently serving food on a Tuesday, we are meeting on Thursdays for the time being.  Therefore, our next meeting will be on THURSDAY 18^th Movember 2021.  We will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer (table is booked from 6.30pm for those who would like to eat first).

This week, the “Feature Game” will be Nusfjord.  This is a worker placement game by the same designer as Agricola, though themed around fish and set in a fishing village in the Lofoten archipelago in northern Norway.  As the owner of a fishing company the goal is to develop the harbour and the surrounding landscape clearing the forest, erecting new buildings, and satisfying the local elders.

– Image by boardGOATS

And speaking of fishing…

Joe was taking Jeff fishing, so they were out in the garden searching for worms to use as bait. They came across many different insects, but nothing appropriate until Jeff proudly held up a long dangling insect.

Jeff excitedly exclaimed, “Howsabout this?”

Joe replied sadly, “Sorry we can’t use that.  It is not an earthworm.”

Jeff thought for a moment and looked a bit puzzled and then asked, “So what planet does it come from then?”

After much discussion, in August, we moved our meeting to Thursdays.  However, the Horse and Jockey have recently brought back their quiz on the first Thursday of the month, so this week we will be meeting on WEDNESDAY 3^rd Movember 2021.  As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer (table is booked from 6.30pm for those who would like to eat first).

Some of the group are also keen to do the Quiz on Thursday 4^th Movember.  So, we have booked a table from 6.30pm for those who would like food, and we’ll be playing games until the quiz starts at shortly before 9pm.

The “Feature Game” on Wednesday will be Modern Art.  This is an auction game where players are buying and selling art trying to make a profit with paintings valued by the number of artworks of that type that were sold.

– Image by boardGOATS

And speaking of art…

Jeff was exhibiting his work for the first time when a well known art critic turned up at the gallery.  He asked Jeff, “Would you like my opinion on your work?”

“Yes please,” replied Jeff with enthusiasm.

“It’s worthless,” stated the critic bluntly.

Jeff answered, “I know, but please tell me anyway…”

As the Horse and Jockey are not currently serving food on a Tuesday, we are meeting on Thursdays for the time being.  Therefore, our next meeting will be on THURSDAY 21^st October 2021.  We will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer (table is booked from 6.30pm for those who would like to eat first).

This week, the “Feature Game” will be Age of Expansion, the, er, expansion to Endeavor: Age of Sail.  Endeavor is a game we have played quite a bit over the years in both it’s original form and also the new edition, though we have yet to explore the elements of the expansion which came out last year and got lost in the mists of the endless “Roll and Write” games we were playing online.

– Image by boardGOATS

And speaking of explorers…

Every week there was a weekly poker game between the explorers.  Vasco da Gama, Christopher Columbus, Leif Erikson, and Francisco Pizarro all took part, but they always struggled to beat the Straights of Magellan…

Following much discussion, as the Horse and Jockey are not currently serving food on a Tuesday, we are meeting on Thursdays for the time being.  Therefore, our next meeting will be on THURSDAY 23^rd September 2021.  We will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer (table is booked from 6.30pm for those who would like to eat first).

This week, the “Feature Game” will be Mini Rails, which is a stock-buying and track-laying train game that compresses a lot of the game play of long and complicated games like the 18xx series into under an hour.

– Image by boardGOATS

And speaking of trains…

Jeff was travelling by train with his mate Joe. Joe took an apple out of his pocket, cut it open, picked out the seeds and started chewing them.

“Why are you chewing the seeds?” asked Jeff.

“They make me smarter,” replied Joe.

Jeff was interested. “Really? Could I have some?”

“Sure,” answered Joe, “I can let you have some at a pound each.”

Jeff agreed and handed over three pounds and got his three apple seeds in return. He chewed them for a while, then said, “Hang on a minute, for that money I could’ve bought half a dozen apples!”

“See?” Joe responded, “It’s working already…”

Following the test event at the Horse and Jockey and much discussion, as the pub are not currently serving food on a Tuesday, we have decided to move to Thursdays for the time being.  Therefore, our next meeting will be on THURSDAY 9^th September 2021.  We will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer (table is booked from 6.30pm for those who would like to eat first).

This week, the “Feature Game” will be Fossilis, which is a game about palaeontology with players digging for dinosaur bones and collecting fossils.

– Image by boardGOATS

And speaking of palaeontologists…

Jeff was the palaeontologist at an archaeological dig.  With no bones to study, he’d had little to do so had been set to work in the least exciting corner of the site.  He’d been shifting soil for weeks and found not so much as an old penny, when suddenly his luck changed and he found a leg bone. He was so excited about what he’d found, that he invited all the other archaeologists over to help him remove it.  It turned out to be quite a shin-dig…

Following the test event at the Horse and Jockey and much discussion, we have decided to try meeting in person again.  As the pub are not currently serving food on a Tuesday, we have decided to move to Thursdays for the time being.  Therefore, our next meeting will be on THURSDAY 26^th August 2021.  We will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer (table is booked from 6.30pm for those who would like to eat first).

This week, the “Feature Game” will be Red Rising, which is a new card collecting game themed round the books by Pierce Brown.  The books are set in a dystopian future on Mars following lowborn miner Darrow, a Red, as he infiltrates the ranks of the elite Golds.

– Image by boardGOATS

And speaking of colours…

Jeff was showing Joe his new pen. “It’s magic, see?” Jeff explained, “It can can write any colour. Red, Pink, Brown, Orange, Violet, Yellow, Blue, Gold…  And even words that aren’t colours…!”