Life had once again aligned the two schedules of Diego and myself so that we could once again have a morning together playing Vampire the Masquerade Rivals.

We selected our prebuilt clans for the morning. Both of us went with the “default” leader for our clans.

To decide who was first player we rolled two of my “who goes first” dice. Diego won that one. I should have heeded the warning sign.

This mornings games couldn’t have started off any worse for me.

Turn one for Diego, play Constant Surveillance and shutdown my Agenda.

My thoughts were to hold off playing another vampire until my next turn, and instead draw two cards trying to dig for some alchemy cards. Which I had none off in my opening hand. And that was my first and only mistake in the game.

Despite drawing four cards in that opening first turn of mine I didn’t find a single alchemy card. Which made Diego’s next turn sting just that little bit more.

Turn two for Diego was to attack my leader in my haven. I had nothing to do but take the beating and watch my leader get sent to torpor, and Diego get one of the quickest and easiest wins possible.

Game one over and done with.

Game two it was my turn to start.

I wasn’t making the same mistake twice.

This second game lasted much longer, and went the distance so to speak of an agenda points win.

I had the early lead on that front, but that was capped at a max of six points from my agenda ability. Diego soon caught up, and then went ahead.

I was much happier this second game. I was getting alchemy cards and attaching them to vampires. We were up to three S.A.D. Agents in the Street. I was more than happy to leave them there as a problem for Diego as I could absorb their damage by spending a prestige.

In the meantime I started picking off citizens in the street. Sadly not fast enough to catch up with Diego who grabbed an agenda point win.

We followed up Diego’s comprehensive victories at Rivals with a game of Port Royal.

This was a different experience to the two player game I played with “has to keep pushing his luck” Jeff.

Diego was a much more cagey player. I don’t remember either of us not getting to choose a card on our turn through two ships of the same colour being out.

But like our second game of Rivals after I took an early lead Diego closed the gap and took the lead by completing at the time the only contract that had been drawn. A second contract did appear near the end in which I was in a better position to claim. However the cards didn’t work in my favour, and Diego was able to get the final two points he needed for the win.

Although I lost this morning. I still had a great time. I look forward to our next Vampire Thursday Morning.