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Game report: Andy S, Jenn, Rob, Andy H & Joe
War on Terror on tour! The game comes to London for a weekend special. It's the morning after a heavy night and that's why we don't get started until 6 in the evening when heads are just beginning to clear. And what better way to beat a hangover than intensely plot against your friends, whilst trying to take over the world?
Jenn starts and takes Australia and Madagascar. Andy H turns up two blanks in North America leaving him with a guaranteed oil revenue of absolutely nothing for at least one round - definitely the worst start on record. Rob is in Asia and Africa. Joe goes for South America and Europe and Andy S finds himself displaced between Siberia and Nowhere, but pulls a lucky Explorers card in his first turn and ventures into North America too.
Andy H suddenly realises "Hey, this is a really nasty game!"Development is uncharacteristically slow with no one rolling any high development numbers, meaning after a few rounds, there's still plenty of space and even land undiscovered at the end of the game (Cuba and Japan both escape colonisation) - which is virtually unheard of.
Maybe we were too busy fighting the poisons inside us to fight each other, but the opening game is both peaceful and hesitant. Tensions only begin to rise when notes start getting passed around with messages such as "show this note to everyone except Andy H" and Andy H suddenly realises "Hey, this is a really nasty game!"
The axis of evil gets spun and it's Andy S who's labelled a baddie, so he tries to kickstart events by nuking Andy H, thinking he can take N.America for himself and force Andy H to turn terrorist in one fell swoop. This mastermind move is only thwarted by Andy H having a nuclear bunker. The most Andy S pulls off is a bit of WMD action in the Western States.
Suddenly everyone starts picking on Rob. Even Andy H, who stands nothing to gain from it. Forlornly, Rob reminds us all that it's his birthday but his plea for special treatment is met with more aggression if anything. Still, he bears the brunt of the attacks with weary stoicism. Only Andy S, who shares a border with Rob, tries to keep him onside in his own interests.
Meanwhile, recent WoT winner, Jenn, is sending a flurry of propaganda and notes around the entire table, offering "helpful advice" and making everyone think that she's a friend. Of course there's no such thing in a world of fear, but she gets away with it and quietly builds her empire, free of suspicion.
Meanwhile, Andy H steals the Kyoto Protocol card from Andy S and has his revenge, playing it against him instantly. Despite a decent pot of cash, Andy S is virtually bankrupted by the card. A blow, to say the least. Then Andy H turns terrorist after playing the Global Terrorism card, although being completely skint, he can only get about 5 vanguards on the board. It's a pathetic display and about the only sniff of terrorism we have all game.
Smarting from the bankruptcy, Andy S contemplates giving it all up for the dark side of borderless freedom that the terrorists are offering him. Andy H certainly looks like he could do with the company.
Joe and Rob keep having skirmishes over Europe, their attention fully diverted from a devious Jenn who grabs the 10 point victory before the terrorists even get a chance to rip into the board.
A two-and-a-half hour game - unnervingly quick for a 5 player and we've all learnt this is what happens when you hold back: Jenn wins.
Posted by TerrorBull Games on 8 January 2006 - 0 comments