Heating up

[spacealien_vamp]

This weekend was a lot of fun. mangaroo Came over to visit on Sunday, and she took me to the local game shop, where I picked up a copy of Lords of Waterdeep. Then we went back to my place and played a bunch of games for the rest of the evening. I really wish we had more opportunities to get together for activities like that.

Plans for my kitchen remodel are progressing. I have a preliminary design from the cabinet maker that looks great, and I should be signing the contract for the renovation on Friday. One thing I found out recently is that the reason the contractor took a long time to get back to me about the estimate was that he was contacted by HGTV to do a show about him, and he was busy dealing with that.

My garden is switching over from spring to summer. The beans have begun flowering, as have the tomatoes (at least, the ones that weren't damaged by pests). The blackberry plant is still small, but it has several clusters of fruit that are starting to color up. I've pretty much finished harvesting the cherries; I have just about exactly the right amount to make one pie. The apples are sizing up nicely. The fig tree in the front yard is sprouting bunches of baby fruits, which I'm looking forward to eating in the fall.

Comments

[mangaroo.livejournal.com]

I really wish we had more opportunities to get together for activities like that.

Because there is no pleasure in life greater than playing a board game with me screaming "I can't take the stress! WHEN WILL THIS END?" I bet I would be a lot of fun on a WoW raid. I did love the last two games (and baby Jasper's pet sheep), so I do hope we'll have time for another game day this summer.

In the context of our discussion about the new game, I've given a lot of thought to why the Agricola model doesn't work for me. I'm historically okay with competitive games (we can blame megory for my newfound infatuation with cooperative games), but even in competitive games, I prefer a mechanic where it's the game throwing a wrench in my plans rather than another player. For example, drawing a bad community chest card in Monopoly or landing on Go To Jail. In Agricola, neither the board nor the deck were my enemy. You were! It makes me sad that I probably won't be playing Ticket to Ride this summer, because I would like to see how I react to that.

One thing I found out recently is that the reason the contractor took a long time to get back to me about the estimate was that he was contacted by HGTV to do a show about him, and he was busy dealing with that.

Whoa. That would increase my contractor confidence tenfold. Nice choice!

Sad that I didn't notice the apple tree fruiting.

[spacealien-vamp.livejournal.com]

Because there is no pleasure in life greater than playing a board game with me screaming "I can't take the stress! WHEN WILL THIS END?" I bet I would be a lot of fun on a WoW raid.

<snicker> What really impressed me was how you continued to play seriously all the way to the end of the game. A lot of people would be tempted to give up and just do "whatever" until the whole thing was over.

even in competitive games, I prefer a mechanic where it's the game throwing a wrench in my plans rather than another player. For example, drawing a bad community chest card in Monopoly or landing on Go To Jail. In Agricola, neither the board nor the deck were my enemy. You were!

You know what's ironic about this is that most gamers categorize the Agricola-type game as "multiplayer solitaire" because each player can pretty much just go about doing his or her own thing until the game ends and points are scored. Aside from taking the space someone else wanted to use, which can be worked around without too much difficulty because there are so many other spaces, there really isn't any direct interaction. It's not like, say, chess or checkers, or an area-control game like Risk, where you are battling the opponent head-on.

Sad that I didn't notice the apple tree fruiting.

I had intended to take you out on a quick tour of the back yard to see all the fruit, but I got distracted. At least the apples should be around until the fall, so maybe you'll get another chance.

[mvrdrk.livejournal.com]

At least you are close enough to each other to be able to have the occasional game day! Sounds like you two had great fun!

[mangaroo.livejournal.com]

What really impressed me was how you continued to play seriously all the way to the end of the game.

That may be one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. Thank you! Though, to be honest, when I lose interest in/tolerance for something, I simply stop doing it. Gracious people do whatever until the whole thing is over. I just make it be over. So even though I found the game incredibly stressful, I also thought it was interesting and I wanted to learn it.

most gamers categorize the Agricola-type game as "multiplayer solitaire" because each player can pretty much just go about doing his or her own thing until the game ends and points are scored

But the game is radically different if you're playing it solo, so I don't buy that. Plus, deliberately thwarting other players is a valid strategy. You just have to balance it with meeting your own goals.

Yes, I hope I get to see your parents and the fruit before the season ends.

[spacealien-vamp.livejournal.com]

But the game is radically different if you're playing it solo, so I don't buy that.

I don't think it's as different as you believe. You don't have as much competition when playing alone, but at the same time you have access to fewer resources, so it balances out.

In my game against you, I ended up with 30 points. When I played solo, I ended up with...30 points. I made different choices during both games, but the result was exactly the same. If there were a radical impact from changing the number of players, I would have expected to see it show up in the score.

In any case, there is a growing stack of games that we still need to try!

[wednesday-10-00.livejournal.com]

I think with Ticket to Ride it depends on who you're playing with. Like, you can play a really cutthroat style and do your best to block opponents once you figure out what they're trying to do. Or you can play the way mereflair and I do, where we're actively trying not to get in each other's way.

(Depends on how many people are playing, too--the more players, the higher the chance that someone else is going to get in your way.)

[wednesday-10-00.livejournal.com]

he was contacted by HGTV to do a show about him, and he was busy dealing with that

How cool! Agreed with mangaroo: that makes it seem like you made a good contractor choice. Also, I want to see the show!

[spacealien-vamp.livejournal.com]

Also, I want to see the show!

Me too! I think he said it would start filming in July, so it will no doubt be a while before it airs.

[sara-tanaquil.livejournal.com]

Great news about the contractor! A local Holmes?

for mangaroo:

I bet I would be a lot of fun on a WoW raid.

You should see ME on a raid (the, like, three times I've done one). "WHAT WAS THAT? WAS I SUPPOSED TO SHOOT IT? HEY, WHERE DID EVERYONE GO?"

dies
is resurrected
repeat

[mangaroo.livejournal.com]

If you could accidentally shoot a member of your own guild on a raid, that would be me. Also, do characters still resurrect at the nearest graveyard, so you have to commute all the way back to the site of the raid?

[sara-tanaquil.livejournal.com]

Depends on if someone in your group wants to resurrect you or not. If they do, you resurrect on the spot, but people generally don't resurrect in the middle of a battle. (I believe there is some advantage to this, like you're only eligible for the loot at the end of the battle if you haven't been resurrected in the interim, but I'm fuzzy on that part.) I have done my share of corpse runs.

[spacealien-vamp.livejournal.com]

people generally don't resurrect in the middle of a battle.

This is because only certain classes can battle rez. It used to be just Druid, but I think Death Knight can do it too now. (I think Druids also have to be in caster form, which means no bear or cat battle rez. If the Druid is your bear tank, you're out of luck.) Also, the cooldown is fairly long. The last time I used it, I think it was 10 minutes, but I'm pretty sure it used to be even longer.