Last night didn’t quite end up as planned.
Yesterday morning I tweeted how I was looking forward to playing my favourite game of all time (do I really have to say it? You all know what it is by now. Oh ok) Scythe, that evening. That’d I’d also be teaching it to two new players.
Indeed that was the plan made on Saturday at the end of D&D so that Mark and Lizzy could learn the game before joining the Rise of Fenris campaign this coming Saturday.
Reality, life, call it what you want had other ideas.
I arrived early to get Scythe setup. As usual I wanted to maximise play time for everyone by having it so that once everyone had arrived we could dive straight in.
There were no tables so I set up the ones I needed, plus the one I thought Jonathan and his Railways of the World players would need.
Brief aside before carrying on with the retelling of the events of last night.
As the photo below shows I now have the realistic tokens for Scythe. I know that’s a major shock. After all I have been vocal in my preference for the wooden tokens that come with the game. However these were the final upgrade I needed to make my copy of Scythe the equivalent of the Kickstarter Art Connoisseur Collector’s Edition.
What surprised me last night was how they grew on me last night as I was setting up, and taking the photos (below). I actually quite like them!
I just need to save up and get the metal mechs (I need four sets, which ain’t cheap) to have everything you can officially buy for it.
Right back to my ramblings.
As I was setting up Scythe Jonathan arrived and not long after so did Shane.
With Scythe setup we just needed Mark and Lizzy to arrive.
However Shane asked if I had heard from them. Which I hadn’t. Apparently Lizzy was ill and wouldn’t be coming.
Bugger.
I asked Jonathan if he wanted another two players for Railways of the World.
After Jonathan started setting up for a five player game, and I had packed away Scythe, it transpired Mark was on his way.
“John got room for one more?”
While we waited for Mark to arrive there was banter and a brief discussion between Jeff and Jonathan about how best to setup the game so it didn’t go on all night.
Some cubes were removed from the board.
Once Mark arrived Jonathan explained the rules. For three of us this was our first time playing the game. Luckily there was no “it’s just like Agricola” moment.
I have to say despite nearly coming last, I really liked Railways of the World.
With three copies in the club now (Gav just bought a copy) I don’t feel a need to get my own. But if I want to play a railway themed game this is the one I’d play. It’s so much more fun than Ticket to Ride.
I like the bidding for first player at the start of each turn.
Another thing I like a lot is the almost sandbox like approach it has to building tracks. You can literally build a track anywhere on the board. Ok it might cost you a fortune to do so depending on the terrain crossing.
The having to upgrade your trains to be able to move goods further along the built tracks is cool.
But there is the whole making connections and delivery engine you are building to push you up the income track, whilst trying to get as few bonds as possible. Obviously the two most experienced players had this off to a tee. Eventually I managed to break even and then make a small profit. But this whole core to the game is so much fun and can be very cut throat.
As the results show the three more experienced players finished top three, with Shane almost breaking into third place.
Still a great evening of gaming with great gamers!
Here they are Jonathan’s photos of the evening to end the post with.
I remember playing the 6-player map, Railways of the Eastern US, several years ago, with four or five learners and it was an experience I did not want to repeat; the game length was far too long and bringing new players up-to-speed on such a large map is quite tedious. After this I stuck to the smaller 4-player Railways of Mexico (included in the base game) as the smaller boards generally play faster and are easier to teach (a smaller number of players). However, despite my initial reservations about playing the Eastern US map last night, after the cube reduction house rule to prevent the game taking more time than it should with new players, it turned out to be a fantastic, enjoyable game. Three of us were experienced and three newcomers. It is easier with more players who already know the game playing as they can assist when necessary, which speeds things along nicely, but now the newcomers know the game, I suspect they will do much better in upcoming sessions :)
In fact, I enjoyed this large map game so much last night, that I have done something that I never thought I would do; that is, I purchased the Western US expansion this morning while it is still available (it often goes out of stock while waiting for a reprint, and the reprint cycle can be quite a lengthy wait). The Western US map is for 6-players, is just as large as its Eastern brother, and both Eastern and Western boards can be combined for the Transcontinental version of the game for those really feeling up to the challenge!
I now own most of the Railways of the World maps, with just Railways of Europe alluding me, but Jeff does have a copy of the Europe map, so all is good :)
Railways of the World is one of my all time favourite games and it is even better when playing with the right company. A fantastic night had by all involved :)
I was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable I found Railways of the World. A very different experience to the game of Scythe that I was anticipating being involved in.
Thank you for explaining the rules so clearly Johnathan and for making us feel so welcome, I really couldn’t believe how quickly we all picked it up. I spoke with Mark this morning and he found it most enjoyable too. I’m sure we’ll endeavour to give you a closer ran game the next opportunity we get to play and perhaps not be so keen to delve into debt so lightly.
I shall definitely try to make myself available for another session, it really was a most enjoyable evening. Thanks again.
Hi Friends!
I am hoping to get your take on one of the scoring rules. My partner and I love playing Railways, but always argue about the penalties for Bonds versus. Bond Certificates, and we can’t find a clear answer.
The rulebook says “At the end of the game, each Bond Certificate a player holds will cost them one victory point.”
I argue that this means each physical card is worth one point, regardless of the denomination on it, as they are all titled “Bond Certificate”. Ex: if you have a 10 bond card and a 5 bond card, you deduct 2 points, one per Bond Certificate.
My partner argues that it it the number of bonds listed and you deduct one point per bond denomination. Ex: if you have a 10 bond card and a 5 bond card, you deduct 15 points.
The rules specify that you have to pay in increments of $1,000 per bond in the income phase, so my counter-argument is that if they were that specific about Bonds v. Bond Certificates in that line, then they would have been that specific again in the scoring note.
His argument is that he could take out 10 individual bonds, and then change them up to reduce his score impact at the end. Ex: changing ten “One Bond Certificates” for one “Ten Bond Certificate” changes his score impact from -10 points to -1 point.
I’m curious as to your interpretation, and how you score.
Many thanks,
Rhys
Hi Rhys I’ve asked my local expert Jonathan on the game to answer this for you.
Hi Rhys.
I think I can clear this up for you. Your partner is correct. Any other interpretation is stretching the rules beyond their logical interpretation.
Let’s look at this hypothetical situation: I have borrowed less money that you over the course of the game and I have 4 x 1 bonds. You, however, have been frivolous with your spending and have 7 bonds, which you have exchanged for one 5 bond and two 1 bonds. Now, at the end of the game, am I supposed to be penalised more because I have spent less? That would be, quite frankly, a ridiculous interpretation.
In fact, the current rules state “All players move their markers back one space for each Bond Certificate they have issued.” If you have a 5 bond certificate in front of you it means you have issued 5 bonds. One bond is worth $5000.
Look at the official rules regarding Bond Certificates:
“Bond Certificates & money
Players don’t start with any money. At any time during a player’s turn they may issue one or more Bond Certificates by taking a Bond Certificate. For each Bond Certificate issued, the player receives $5,000 from the bank.
There is no limit to the number of Bonds that may be issued when cash is needed to make a purchase or pay for a bid. However, only the Bonds needed at the time may be issued.
Once issued, Bonds may never be paid off, Bonds stay with the player for the remainder of the game, and cost the player $1,000 for each issued Bond during the Income and Dividends phase. At the end of the game, each Bond
Certificate a player holds will cost them one victory point. Issuing Bond Certificates does not count as an action. Bond Certificates and money are public information.
Note: The Bond Certificates consist of denominations of five (5) and ten (10) that can be exchanged to save space”.
I think this clears up any confusion. Each Bond Certificate issued is worth $5000. If you have a 5 Bond Certificate that is worth $25000, then you have issued 5 Bonds (5 x $5000).
The last sentence is revealing. Notice, the five and ten Certificates are to save space, not to save points.
Hope that helps :)
Thank you so much! This helps!