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…”

Happy Birthday to Us!

Our next meeting will be Tuesday 8^th October 2024, when we will be celebrating our twelfth birthday.  We will be eating together to celebrate at 6.30pm with cake and games afterwards.

As is now traditional on our birthday, the “Feature Game” will be Crappy Birthday.  This is a party game where players give each other comedy birthday presents and the recipient has to decide who gave the best and worst gifts.

– Image by boardGOATS

And speaking of birthdays…

Jeff and Joe were chatting over a beer. It had been Jeff’s girlfriend’s birthday and he was explaining how had been stuck as to what to get her.

“In the end,” Jeff said, “I had a brainwave. I just thought about what I would really like and got her that.”

“Oh?” responded Joe.

Jeff replied, “A new fridge.”

“That’s a great gift, did she like it?” pondered Joe.

“Oh yes,” answered Jeff. “You should have seen her face light up when she opened it…!”

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 17^th September 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 Stamp Swap (rules, review, how to play video), which is a game where players take on the role of stamp collectors at a convention collecting, trading and then scoring their stamp album.  It is a fairly light game that features the “I cut, You Choose” mechanism used in games like Isle of Skye and …aber bitte mit Sahne.

– Image from stonemaiergames.com

And speaking of stamps…

Jeff was visiting his crazy Uncle Josiah at his cabin in the woods of Montana. After After dinner Jeff noticed eggshells stuck to his plate, which had a peculiar dull shine.

“Are these plates clean?” asked Jeff.

“We ain’t got no fancy plumbing out here and them plates is as clean as Cold Water can get’ em,” replied Jeff’s Uncle.

The following morning, Jeff woke up rested and hungry (as usual). Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he asked, “What’s for breakfast Uncle Joe?”

“Oh, I thought we’d go to town for breakfast,” answered the old man. “I need to go to the post office. Cold Water’s coming too.”

Jeff was confused, “I don’t understand, Uncle, we’re taking water to town? Don’t they have water there?”

Uncle Josiah laughed. “No, no, Cold Water’s my dog, he likes to lick the postage stamps when I send a letter…”