Message:
One of the Libraries doing it's Monthly thing.
(1) Gamers are on their own frequency. It's who we B. There is a big push to try their "new" game.
(2) Gaming 9 AM to 10 PM. Too much for me but there are some who still try.
(3) Queen Games Venezia - A game in German, about a City in Venice played in the US of A.
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1470/venezia
Pigeons playing as Mafia and Tourists and stuff --- It must make better sense in the German.
Two phases of the game. One Grid Semi-Random thing where you get new birds and then a Territory thing with the Birds where you get points.
Appreciated the mechanism. Appears it was never released in the US. Theme was a miss.
(4) Ruins - Card Building. The cards come in sleeves which allows the cards to be reversed to an alternate side. And, as you play, you can insert additional clear inserts (with some new markings on them) to "improve" the card which remains in the deck for the next hands.
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/428635/ruins
Pretty cards. The card upgrade was bland. Interesting ideas but a miss.
(5) Sequoia (w/Expansion): Roll 5 dice. Make 2 pairs. Assign them to the number "Area" rolled 2-12 which had points assigned. Fluffy but a bit of (obvious) statistics. A bit of luck.
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/305986/sequoia
The crowd was amused at my ability to quickly pick the best pair of the 5 dice rolled as others struggled. (Then, it was revealed I had simply rolled 5 of a kind and had no choice to make.)
Light game. Themed to charm the audience. It was exactly what it appeared to be.
(6) With what we thought was time running out (but was not) and having picked up a couple of amusing fellow gamers, out came "The Crew". New to two of them but they picked it up quickly.
It's a deceptive game that makes dramatic moments. We coined a phrase of "hard driving Captain" to indicate the throttle was maxed out with big guns ... uh ... cards blazing.
Not sure if it is a good strategy but it was a hoot.
At least 8 hands. The over analysis guy was wearing down but couldn't just wing it.
(7) By then, the library was "closed" but every social group in the area had events. Tea Mysteries, Crafting, Some sort of planting thing. It was a buzzing place.
While the young bloods wanted to continue, the gray hairs recommended "not chasing the dragon". Take your wins and rest.
(8) Drive home. Eat a meal. Watch the dog zoomies. What's to complain about.
Yours,
IronConrad
19-Oct-2025