Nice game session yesterday. I had to leave early so my wife could go visit some neighbours – in what turned out to be an Amway sales attempt. Ugh. Fortunately I got to start early, too, and got a good batch of games:

• Glory to Rome, twice with a newbie. I think I prefer more players than two. Still, the game offers interesting challenges. Games were closer than usual against a new player. I’m digging the new Black Box edition – I like the card art, and thanks to the new edition, I’ve got the game on table a bit more than before. Suggest.
• Qin is not much of a game for gamers. Luck plays too large a role, and the box is a big for a filler. I still like it, but it’s clearly a family game. The four-player game was good, but three might be the best player count to balance between more activity and better planning. Suggest.
• Dominion, with cards from only the Dark Ages. Ages were dark: the scores were 18-18-16-12. Rarely you see such dismal scores. Lovely new cards, though – I quite fancy the Dark Ages set, lots of interesting cards in the set. Enthusiastic.
• Coup is a trendy microgame: just 15 cards, and only 5 unique cards. Gameplay is very much based on bluffing and counter-bluffing. I found it entertaining – a quick game for up to six players is not a bad thing, but I can see how some groups will not see or enjoy the game here. This was with a DIY copy, but I’ve already placed an order for an actual copy of the game. Though I think my 19th century Russia -themed version with Czar Alexander II and Nihilists is much cooler than the official version. Suggest.
• Famous 500 is also a microgame, with just 9 cards. Kind of neat, but I had already passed on this and given my copy away. I agreed to play one more game to try the Spa-Francorchamps track and to get my plays to 5 for bragging rights. But not my game, this one. Indifferent.