Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 4^th February 2025.  As the “Feature Game” is on the long side, we will be starting that at 7.30pm with others playing shorter games as people arrive with slightly longer games from 8pm.  The pub is doing food, and the table is booked from 6.30pm for those that would like to eat first.

This week, the “Feature Game” will be the Marine Worlds expansion (rules, review, how to play video) to the zoo building game, Ark Nova (rules, review, how to play video).  This introduces multiple new elements to the game, such as sea animals that each have to be played in new special enclosures that must be built adjacent to water.

– Image used with permission of boardgamephotos

And speaking of water…

Joe and Jeff were sitting on the beach pondering life when Joe, looking at the birds circling over the sea, mused, “I wonder why seagulls fly over the sea?”

Jeff replied, “Well, I suppose if they flew over the bay they would be called bagels.”

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 21^st January 2025.  As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer.  The pub is doing food, and the table is booked from 6.30pm for those that would like to eat first.

In a change to previous plans, this week, the “Feature Game” will be Heat: Pedal to the Metal (rules, review, how to play video), which is a car racing game in a similar vein to other popular games in the group like Flamme Rouge and Downforce.

– Image by BGG contributor danimonto

And speaking of racing…

Joe and Jeff chatting about the new F1 season.

Jeff commented that he’d been to visit the Williams Team in Grove.

“I had a great time,” he said, “And I made lots of useful suggestions that they sounded really interested in.”

“What were they then?” asked Joe.

“Well,” continued Jeff, “I suggested they could remove a wig, some lipstick and a couple of chicken fillets off the wings.”

Joe looked puzzled, “How would that help?”

Jeff answered, “I think it would significantly reduce the drag…”

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 7^th January 2025.  As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer.  The pub is doing food, and the table is booked from 6.30pm for those that would like to eat first.

This week, the “Feature Game” will be Concordia Venus (rules, review, how to play video), which is a reimplementation of Concordia (and can also be played with an upgrade-expansion to the original game).  Concordia is a strategy game of economic development in Roman times.  Although the rules are relatively simple, the game is quite complex.

– Image by boardGOATS

And speaking of Venus…

Joe and Jeff were on a camping trip. After a hearty meal and a good bottle of wine, they settled down for the night.

Suddenly, in the middle of the night, Joe woke up and, shaking his pal awake too asked Jeff “What do you see?”

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Jeff replied, “I see millions and millions of stars.”
Joe sighed, “Yes… and what do you conclude from that?”

Jeff thought for a moment and then answered, “Well, temporally I conclude it is about 03:30 am, astrologically I conclude that Venus is showing in the sign of Aquarius, astronomically I conclude that we are on a planet, orbiting the sun in a spiral arm of our galaxy, and religiously I conclude that God wants to use this this splendour to show us that we are but a small, insignificant speck of dust in the infinite grace of His creation. Is that what you mean?”

Joe answered, “No…  I think somebody stole our tent.”

Once again be holding a party for New Year’s Eve.  As usual, we will be meeting at a private house in Stanford with people arriving from 7pm with food served sometime around 8pm.  Please get in touch if you would like to come along so we know how much food will be needed.

The plan is to start off with the “Feature Game”, which, as has become traditional at these events, will be the gorgeous, dexterity car-racing game, PitchCar.  As there are relatively few people planning available this year we hope to follow it with the first outing of Ticket to Ride Legacy with a break to admire the village’s fireworks at midnight and toast the end of the old year and the start of 2025.

– Image by boardGOATS

And talking of cars…

A policeman sees an elderly woman driving incredibly slowly on the motorway, so he pulls along side and notices her knitting in the driver’s seat.  She remains focused on the road and keeps knitting and driving.

He beeps his horn to get her attention, but she is oblivious and carries on.

Getting more frustrated, the policeman turns his siren on and, as she finally notices him, he signals for her to wind the window down.

After a time she finds the button and down goes the window.

Incensed, the cop yells, “PULL OVER!”

“Oh, no sweetie,” she replies.  “It’s a scarf, see?”

Our next meeting will be on MONDAY 23^rd December 2024.  As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer.  The pub is doing food, and the table is booked from 6.30pm for those that would like to eat first.

This week, as it is so close to Christmas and a lot of people have gone away already, there isn’t a “Feature Game“, but that gives us plenty of opportunity to play some of our old favourites and maybe some festive games if people want to.

– Image by boardGOATS

And speaking of the festive…

Jeff and Joe were at the bar a couple of days before Christmas chatting about the gifts they’d bought for people.

Jeff, said, “I bought my wife a fridge for Christmas.”

“That’s nice,” answered Joe.

“Yeah,” pondered Jeff. “I can’t wait to see her face light up when she opens it…”

Our next meeting will be Tuesday 10^th December 2024 at the Horse and Jockey pub in Stanford-in-the-Vale.

As this is our Christmas party we will be meeting early from 6.30pm
with food at around 7pm followed by Christmas festivities.

This week, the “Feature Game” will be Courses De Rennes (aka Reindeer Races; review, “How to Play” video & rules), followed by a range of Christmas and winter themed games like Jokkmokk: The Winter Market, Santa’s Workshop, Christmas Tree, Snow Tails, Carcassonne: Winter Edition, Gingerbread House and Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries.   In Course des Rennes, players control a team of four reindeer, racing to try to get the highest-scoring tiles.

– Image by BGG contributor chansen2794

Speaking of reindeer…

Joe and Jeff were admiring the reindeer at Appleton Barn.  He was particularly impressed with the decorations on their antlers.

Jeff asked, “Do you think we could just buy some hornament like that?”

“No,” replied Joe, “I think they’d be too deer…”

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 26^th Movember 2024.  As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer.  The pub is doing food, and the table is booked from 6.30pm for those that would like to eat first.

This week, the “Feature Game” will be Rolling Realms/Rolling Realms Redux (rules, review, how to play video), which is a light roll and write game that was developed during the global pandemic as a print-and-play game and has since been released as a professionally produced game.

– Image from stonemaiergames.com

And speaking of the pandemic…

During 2020, like many people, Jeff ran out of toilet paper.  Unlike most people, he started using lettuce leaves. As he explained to his mate, Joe, that was just the tip of the iceberg, what happens tomorrow romaines to be seen…

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 12^th Movember 2024.  As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer.  The pub is doing food, and the table is booked from 6.30pm for those that would like to eat first.

This week, the “Feature Game” will be Underwater Cities (rules, review, how to play video, solo playthrough), which is a card driven, route and engine building game.

– Image by BGG contributor cirdan

And speaking of underwater…

Jeff had taken up scuba diving with his friend Joe. As they were getting ready to go over the side for the first time, Jeff tucked some paper inside his wet suit and tied a pencil to his right wrist. Joe was puzzled and asked him what he was doing.

Jeff replied, “I’m just trying to be prepared in case I want to do some eelustrations…!”

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 29^th October 2024.  As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer.  The pub is doing food, and the table is booked from 6.30pm for those that would like to eat first.

This week, to mark Halloween, the “Feature Game” will be Ghosts Love Candy Too (rules, written review, video overview), which is a quick little card game where players haunt kids to steal their sweeties.  It should leave plenty of time to play other Halloween themed games like Broom Service, Witch’s Brew, Ticket to Ride: Ghost Train or Betrayal at Mystery Mansion.

– Image used with permission of BGG contributor ratpack

And speaking of ghosts…

Jeff was attending a big seminar about paranormal activities. The auditorium was full of people and a speaker was on the stage.

“Who here has seen a ghost?” The speaker asked. “Please raise your hand.”

Most of the audience raised a hand, then the speaker went on, “OK, so who here has had physical contact with a ghost?”

Maybe twenty people raised their hands. After a pause, the Speaker continued, “Now, who here has had sex with a ghost?” Jeff was the only one to raise his hand.

“YOU, SIR! Please come up on stage!” cried the Speaker and Jeff, walked down the steps to the front and joined the speaker on stage.

“Sir, please can you describe to our audience your experience having sex with a ghost,” the speaker asked Jeff holding the microphone out for him.

“Oh,” said Jeff. “I thought you said goat…”

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 15^th October 2024.  As usual, we will start playing shorter games from 7.30pm as people arrive, until 8pm when we will start something a little longer.  The pub is doing food, and the table is booked from 6.30pm for those that would like to eat first.

This week, the “Feature Game” will be Castle Combo (rules, review, how to play video), which is a tableau-building game where players draft cards from two markets creating a three-by-three square of people interacting with each other to trigger instant effects and end-of-game bonuses.  The game was released to coincide with Essen, but like many of the most popular games was sold out within a couple of hours.

– Image from facebook.com

And speaking of castles…

The knight, Sir Jeff and his men returned to the castle after a long hard day of fighting. Sir Jeff went to see his Liege Lord to report on their progress.

“So, how are we faring?” asked the King.

“Sire,” replied the knight, bowing low. “I have been robbing and pillaging on your behalf all day, burning the towns of your enemies in the west.”

“What?!?!” shrieked the King, “I don’t have any enemies to the west!”

Sir Jeff looked slightly crest-fallen as he replied, “Well, you do now your Majesty…”