DK’s Warrior Knights Birthday bash!

So on Saturday the collective gathered together for DK’s annual birthday bash of games and food - apart from Sylon who had a better offer of hospitality at Sandy Park … although the result went the wrong way.  

We started at Helen’s diner for full English. 

Very nice - but you can’t go too wrong with a breakfast. Over the course of the meal there was some vigorous fingers pointing between DK and Snake-eyes over the roles and responsibilities of sales and purchasing …

Best move on to the games. DK had selected Warrior Knights (2006 Fantasy Flight Games edition).  So after about 90 minutes of rules explanation we were ready to start …

Then after and 69 minutes plus we finished the first turn … of what is a really a simple game - pick 2 cards out of 12 to play in 3 rounds, add 2 random  cards to each round, shuffle and play the rounds - by revealing the cards players put in …. Factor in the raising of money to pay for troops, the risk of revolt, the blessings or otherwise of the faith and that’s the game. 

Tiger King tried to keep the leader of the church and the speaker of the parliament for most of the game as these seemed to give some serious advantages.  The game played very closely without any taking  any major advantage. Mainly because we didn’t know what strategy to take. 

Key moment were when Snake-eyes attacked DK and took his stronghold - meaning that DK couldn’t score victory points in what turned out to be the final round …

This then caused some debate as DK had to give up a city, part of the penalty for losing the stronghold, which DK retook with the garrison which had just been evicted .. Snake-eyes was bit best please - but it was DK’s birthday party, so we couldn’t be too mean. 

The final scores were 19 to me (for just trying to hold on to the cheapest cities in could take and very little else), 17 for Steedo (usual trying to get others to do his fighting) and Tiger King (testing out various strategies - controlling the church and parliament, trying to block expeditions), Snake-eyes on 16 (after valiant attempt to steal victory by beating up DK) and DK on 13 (but unable to score in the final round). The game did improve once we got to grips with it, but there is still lots of depths to explore - but I’m not sure that I actually enjoyed the game that much - it just didn’t spark for me - perhaps after another game it will (possibly the long first turn…). 

DK then provided us with a very nice pork casserole. 

DK did get into some trouble with his better half by feeding us his children’s chocolate and cake … 

After the feast we tried War of Whispers - where you work to secretly influence the world powers fight - so sometimes you are working with somebody to improve a faction or against them to weaken a faction - it reminds me of the King is Dead. But with bells and whistles. 

I enjoyed this game - the mechanics were simple - and with the cards (which I didn’t really explore), plenty of depth to investigate. 

The result were Tiger King 29, Steedo 24, DK and myself on 20 (Snake-eyes sat out the game to get the rules right). Then I had to go - the reminder played another game of War of Whispers and as I understand it Mission Red Planet. 

A good day of games and food.  

Morts