The second Wednesday of the month is our monthly meetup. Last night was that Wednesday.
While the Pandemic crew were working to save the world, Diego, Katie and myself decided to take a leisurely walk from Kyto to Edo. Determined to have the best experience possible along the way. Yep we were playing Tokaido.

I’ve had this game for a couple of years now I think. Well certainly since seeing it on the original airing date of Tabletop, and the initial post Tabletop difficulty of trying to get a copy. You remember those don’t you? An episode of Tabletop would appear on YouTube and all of a sudden you can’t find a copy of the game because everyone wants to play the it, so they rush out and buy it, clearing up any stock that is out there in the real world.

Anyway I have played Tokaido a couple of times previously. Once with Nath, and the other with some friends on a game night I had over a year ago now. It was a hit on both occasions. However those plays were before I started recording plays with the app.

Diego and Katie hadn’t played before, and this was my first time in over a year. Even getting the deluxe kit, didn’t get it back to the table despite wanting to play it.

In fact it has been in the bag for game nights a couple of times recently, but it just didn’t see the light of day for whatever reason.

Our game last night was with the deluxe stuff thrown in. So the nice plastic minis, metal coins, and the little plastic parcel score markers.

Tokaido is a beautifully looking game, But when it’s pimped out like this it looks even nicer.

There was a little back and forth between Diego and myself for the lead, with Katie trailing behind on the score board. But in the end, when we added everything up, my journey from Kyto to Edo was the most enjoyable! Yes thats the flowery way of saying I won.

I’m so disappointed with my writing about Tokaido above. I had promised myself the next time I played the game, and wrote about it, I would dig out some of my photos from doing the TGO Challenge, and compare the experience of walking from one side of Scotland to the other was like playing Tokaido, and having that great experience.

The world still hadn’t been saved by the time we had finished playing, in fact they were looking defeat in the face apparently, and wouldn’t be long. So we needed a quick game to play.

Step up to the plate newish arrival FUSE. FUSE plays in ten minutes. Potentially less but no longer. At the end of ten minutes you have either beaten the game, and defused all the bombs, or you have failed miserably and everything has been blown to pieces.

This was the first time for us all playing this co-op dice chucking game. So we set it at it’s easiest level. The game still kicked our butts.

But it was an enjoyable kicking. Look we are not in to that Tory stuff. Although its not very convincing I would imagine because this is the second time I’ve had to make this denial in a post recently.

You really do need the free companion app that you can install on your smart phone, that basically gives you a ten minute countdown with sound effects, and a way to record scores. It just makes life easier when playing, and a bit more atmospheric.

For me FUSE is leaps and bounds above Bomb Squad. Its more enjoyable, and although dependent still to some degree on who you are playing with. It is much much less so.

Our final game of the evening was The Manhattan Project Chain Reaction, while the Pandemic crew played Piece ‘o Cake. The Manhattan Project Chain reaction is a favourite, and probably one of my top Kickstarter backed games. Easily in the top three I think.

Diego and Katie picked the game up quickly, it is very easy to teach and after a turn most people get it. Diego pipped me to the win. One more turn and I would also have scored ten points.

Afterwards a little time was spend discussing Seafall, and Jonathan being lured by shiny metal coins in the copy of the game he was looking at. Plans were made for getting together and playing the prolog of the game. So that we could get a taste for wether this was a game we wanted to make a big commitment to.

Good byes were said. And another great monthly meetup came to an end.