We are playing Time Stories. It’s an old game, French in origin, very cleverly designed, but kinda not really very replayable so I expect it goes round on eBay reasonably quickly. It’s very well designed and needs four people to play it. We are puzzling.
John is teetotal and I’ve been off the sauce today and it is fascinating to be with people as they gradually get more and more blotto and not go with them. They slow down and thought links get simpler and simpler as volume rises. We are at the stage now where we called a break to eat kebabs. I bought a load of lovely skewers from a Surrey butcher on the way out of London. I’m hoping we can get some food into them so they start making more sense, and I’m hungry too so it’s great. Prawny things and chicken things. We have a huge great big impressive gas barbeque. And it is all cooked. I’m getting stuck in, then it’s back up John and I and the two growlers. It’s great fun.
The weekend started with Deep Regrets, the unfortunate fishing game. Then Boss Monster. I was on a roll, which might be to do with the state of my brain at the mo. Both excellent games and you start to realise how a board game round a table with three or four people is really a frame for conversation and catching up. We’ve covered a lot of ground.
This morning we started with Era Medieval age. Then Mind Management and I had to take time out and just put my head down for a bit. Now it’s half ten and we might be very close to finishing this epic strange time travel pirate themed game. Back to it I think.
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And done.
This board game thing is an excellent Macguffin for getting together with old friends. It’s been a biannual thing for a few years now and feels like it is becoming an institution which can only be a good thing. As we get older it is harder to stay in close social touch with loved friends. I’ve enjoyed this catch up. But it’s late. Time for bed, just as soon as I’ve tracked down this persistent mosquito, and been a terrible Buddhist for a moment.
AlBarclay 