G&G XI Day 2: Runnin' & Gunnin'

Wednesday night's gaming and drinking session ran into extra innings, as it always does, so Thursday got off to a bit of a slow start. We did have enough time to play the Aliens tabletop game before lunch though.

Apone gets up close and personal with a bug.

It's not quite as tension-producing as the original Space Hulk, but the Alien placement is completely random, so it is not unheard of for one of the beasts to drop on a Colonial Marine from the ceiling, incapacitate him and carry him off into the ductwork before any of his comrades has had a single chance to react. Tough luck, Leatherneck!

The miniatures are a little basic, but good for the mid-80s when they were made.

The game supports up to nine players, at least in theory; since the scenario follows the movie fairly faithfully, no one is allowed to use their pulse rifles, which means a handful of players can be left controlling a terrified gyrene armed only with a pistol of incredibly limited affect. The parallels between these unfortunates and the red-shirted security officers from Star Trek are well deserved.

"Hey Top, what's the op?"

Still, as a team game, everyone can kibbutz and share strategies, and we managed to eke out a victory by having 7 uninjured Marines escape Sub-Level 3, including Hicks, Sgt. Apone, and both smartgunners, Drake and Vasquez. (Semper fi, Hudson and Dietrich!)

If we play the next scenario (Operations), we get all these Marines, PLUS Ripley! (and Newt, and Gorman, I guess...)

After lunch it was time for our first marquee game, Formula Dé. This Formula 1 racing game has been a G&G staple for years, partially because up to 10 people can play it, but also due to its elegant mechanics. Turn order proceeds from the leader to whoever follows him, and so on, making passing incredibly important. This year we had the pleasure of playing on an extra-large course, as I had received the elusive Zandvoort 2 track for Christmas, which connects to Zandvoort 1 from the core set.

We like big boards and we cannot lie...

It made for a long and challenging race, but Scott pulled his way up from starting in 7th position to winning the race by an enormous margin through a combination of cagey playing, bypassing the pit stop, and potentially soul-endangering luck (although no contract with the Devil was found amongst his documents during the standard post-race debriefing by the marshalls).

"You haven't heard of Scotty? He made the Zandvoort Run in under 12 parsecs..."

1/3 of the way into the first lap, Scotty isn't even in the front 4!

The victor and his faithful 30-sided/sixth gear dice.

There was a bit of an extended break for dinner, but it was completely worth it, as Jeff had prepared an enormous batch of thinly sliced and marinated Maui-style ribs that he grilled to perfection.

Serial grilla!

Filled to bursting with fire roasted pork, we staggered downstairs to return to Serenity Gulch using the old Legends of the Old West rules from Warhammer Historical.

Pete's assortment of sharp-dressed men; not a stetson in the bunch!

Hitch and The Emo Kid draw down on Dapper Dan.

Truth be told, this game doesn't support big groups terribly well, at least not in a straight-up fight scenario, but we still managed to have a good time.

Clear the streets!

I think next year we will need to introduce loot counters or some such to keep things from degenerating into a big mob on Main Street (not that such an outcome is completely bereft of charm!).

Big Joe and Wendell Kane take the high ground of The Emporium Saloon,,,to absolutely no effect.

And of course, hockey jerseys with broad sleeves are contraindicated for games involving pointy miniatures and lightweight scenery. In that aspect, at least, both sides got away clean!

Dapper Dan returns fire, as viewed by Big Joe and Wendell Kane.