A friend from the UK sent me a lovely GO set and it has really taken a fancy at home. Sushanth is completely taken in by it and we play Pente or Atarigo all the time. I think I have to slowly start getting a grasp of the full game and then teach to the others.

Just 23 plays and a lean month for gaming. But things have picked up in May.

Portobello Market - 5 plays

Sushanth keeps winning most of the games he plays.

Vikings - 4 plays

Elasund & Marracash - 2 plays

Fist of Dragonstones, Intrigue, Medici V Strozzi, In the Year of the Dragon, Princes of Florence, Puerto Rico, Shadows over Camelot, T&T:Power & Glory, TTR:Switzerland, TTR:1910 USa - 1 play each

A number of wonderful new games including Shadows, IYOD and INtrigue. Intrigue is just too nasty and the back stabbing is unbelievable. Another excellent gateway game I should say.

Aarthi did not like the asian theme in IYOD but we all enjoyed the game. This should see more plays in the coming months. I love Shadows but it will be sometime before I can teach and get them to play it with me. Medici  v Strozzi was ok but we a need a few more plays to get a good enough grasp of the game.

Was traveling in Europe in March. So the games were mainly 3 player plays. Also managed to introduce a few in Germany to play games. Imagine going to Germany and introducing their own stuff!!!

Marracash - 16 plays

Got the game in a shop in Saarbrucken and immediately was a big hit. After playing 4p I don’t want to play 3p anymore. But super game with a brilliant auction mechanic.

Vikings - 10 plays

The next new game that saw a lot of plays. The group was reluctant to try out the advanced version but the basic is so good and keeps us engrossed.

Portobello Market - 6 plays

Got a few plays in as soon as we got the game. But the game is just too light and not engrossing enough for the group. I think this will make a good intro game to newbie groups.

Marrakesh - 5 plays

This was mainly with Sushanth at home before I left for Europe.

Memmoir ‘44 - 4 plays

All with Sushanth. Aarthi thinks this just one of those ‘father-son’ things that we do. I enjoy this game and hope we will graduate to more detail and depth.

Lowenherz - 3 plays

Varadu learnt it and we had some good plays in before leaving for Europe. which reminds me I have to get in some plays next week.

TTR: USA 1910 - 3 plays

For Sale & Ingenious - 2 plays

Ingenious is another new game I got in Germnay but could not get it home because of luggage restrictions. Hopefully it should come in the next few months and we can play it more often.

Alhambra, Elasund, Hive, Modern art, Settlers of Catan & Thurn & Taxis - 1 play each.

No updates the last three months. Better get up there soon.

Princes of Florence - 12 plays

This is our staple three player sessions in the afternoon. We play so fast the game gets over in less than half an hour.

Elasund, Thurn & Taxis: Power & Glory - 3 plays each

Carcassonne, Cartagena, Settlers of Catan - 2 plays each

Atlantic Star, Bohnanza, Buy Low Sell High, For Sale, Hansa, Mammoth Hunters, Samurai, TTR:Switzerland, TTR:1910 USA - 1 play each

The new year began with the lowest number of plays since April 2006! A lot of travel and a crazy schedule effectively killed the chances of regular gaming at home.

Hive - 6 plays

Atlantic Star and LOTR:The Confrontation - 3 plays

10 days in Africa, Carcassonne, For Sale & High Society - 2 plays

Elasund, Giro Galoppo, King Me!, Mystery Rummy: Jack the Ripper, Seafarers of Catan, Settlers of Catan, Struggle for Rome and Thurn & Taxis: Power & Glory - 1 play each.

2007 saw a significant increase in the number of plays. More regular gaming, lots of new games bought and more choice to play games at home. This meant that some games were just moving fast to becoming hot in the household.

Ticket to Ride USA:1910 - 116 plays

The number 1 game for me as far as plays went was TTR 1910. Since I had got it only at the end of 2006, the game became such a favorite at home. So much fun but the excitement had finally worn off towards the end of the year. By Nov/Dec people just did not want to play it anyore.

Thurn & Taxis - 52 plays

This was the no 1 2 player game for me and Aarthi. Add the plays of the Power & Glory expansion and we have a real winner!

The Settlers of Catan - 39 plays

Settlers is the no 1 choice for our 3 player afternoon lunch sessions with Varadu last year.  Settlers enjoyed additional plays via Seafarers (11) and Fishermen of Catan (6) plays. I personally found that plain vanilla Settlers shone with 3. But with 4 I do want to play Seafarers or Fishermen. I have to get Cities and Knights this year positively.

Bohnanza - 32 plays

This was our favorite during the Oz holiday. Sushanth loved it and we played a lot. But again hardly any plays in the latter part of the year.

10 Days in Africa - 29 plays

The simplicity, speed and ease of getting newbies in made this a new star in our game collection. Though I have got bored of it and would like to try some of the other 10 days, this will see a lot of plays quite regularly I think.

San Juan - 28 plays

After so many 2 player games I finally got Mohan to learn it and we had some super duper 3 player sessions. Still one of my top games that lives upto its billing.

High Society - 27 plays

This has replaced For Sale as my preferred auction game now. Sushanth has also learnt it and we get plays quite regularly now.

Thurn & Taxis - Power & Glory - 23 plays

Puerto Rico - 20 plays

Shreyasi’s gaming ahs petered down this year. And the only others who know adn play this game are in Oz. ave to teach it to varadu this year to get more plays. Meanwhile I have got the expansion and we played a few games of the 2 player variant. But am missing the big 5 player games we had in Oz last year these days.

Cartagena - 17 plays

Still gets regular 2p games with Aarthi. Good solid game.

Zooloretto - 17 plays

Coloretto was one of my early favorites of 2005. I really looked forward to this and the game saw a number of plays early. But somehow cannot find the table these days.

Mystery Rummy: Jack the Ripper - 16 plays

Still is one of our top 2 player games at home with Aarthi. A pity I haven’t been able to get anyone else to play as yet.

Ticket to Ride: Switzerland - 16 plays

A number  of plays as soon as we got the game but have got tired of it now. But I like it a lot with 2 or 3.

Fist of Dragonstones - 15 plays

A sleeper hit if one may call it. Sushanth and Shreyasi both love it and it is our no 1 game where we all play together at home.

Get the Goods - 14 plays

One of my favorite games with so much tension and drama as the game unfolds.

A number of games have dropped out of last year’s top 15. Notably Elasund, Alhambra and the Knizias - Modern Art and Through the Desert. Some of the games that were great hits but not enough plays were Princes of Florence, Struggle for Rome, Thebes and Cleopatra & the Society of Architects. Other surprisingly fun games were Oasis, Mammoth Hunters and Santiago.
Sushanth and me have got some 2 player games going and we have LOTR: The Confrontation at the top. Also will look at Memoir ‘44 and probably Dungeon Twister.

The biggest disappointments of the year were Corsari, Luca Citta and Empire Builder. These have very little chances of seeing more plays and I should put them on the trade list I think.

Games that I have and must play this year - Struggle of Empires, Die Macher, Perikles, Caylus (Just could not get it out at all!) and Tigris & Euphrates!

The toughest month for me in the year because of my professional commitments. But the arrival of Mohan from Oz also helps in a lot of 4 player gaming especially. But still a low month I should say.

Settlers & TTR: Switzerland - 5 plays

LOTR: The Confrontation, Mammoth Hunters, San Juan, Struggle for Rome & T&T:Power & Glory - 4 plays each.  Of these I play LOTR a lot with Sushanth. The only problem is that he insists on playing only the dark side. So atleast I have a good chance to try different strategies. He has picked up the game and plays it well. Mammoth Hunters was finally opened and played. A very very good game with a lot of fun and nastiness. After many many plays of 2p San Juan we played some 3 p games. It plays wonderfully well and all the games were very close. I seem to be preferring this to PR more these days. Struggle for Rome was the other new game. A bit long but a solid Settlers spin off. Seems to lack the nastiness that Elasund but a very good game nevertheless. The length which is longer than our normal 30-45 minute mark is stopping us from getting more plays in at the moment.

Memoir ‘44 - 3 plays - Another new entrant this month. Nice and fun game. Sushanth loves it but will play the Allies only at the moment. We just played the Pegasus Bridge scenario without the special cards. I want more of this in the coming months. Hopefully I can get Aarthi to play this more often.

New England - 2 plays - We got to play this after a year and it still is fresh and interesting.

10 days in Africa, Cleo and the SOE, Elasund, Fist of Dragonstones, For Sale, Hare & Tortoise, Mystery Rummy, Power Grid: Benelux/CE, Seafarers of Catan, Through the Desert & TTR USA 1910 - 1 play each. 

The December music season takes its toll and I just could not get myself to sit and update. Anyway the hit game for November 07 was TTR - Switzerland with 11 plays. Fist of Dragonstones is now our favorite 4 palyer family game and there were 6 plays. Our staple diet of 2 player  San Juan continued with 3 plays and 3 plays of  Settlers as well. Cartagena, Elasund, King Me, LOTR: The Confrontation, Thurn & Taxis and T&T Power and Glory all saw 2 plays each. 10 days in Africa, Cleo and the SOA, Coloretto, Get the Goods, Mystery Rummy Jack the Ripper, Princes of Florence, Puerto Rico, Thebes and Union Pacific - 1 play each.

Firstly I hardly had time to sit and post this. Not a great month but 1 definite hit game I should say.

Fist of Dragonstones - 7 plays The game of the month. It plays superb especially with 4. Can get a little drawn out with more. But kids understand and take to the game fast. I introduced it to a couple of boys aged 13 and 11 who had never played these games and they loved it. Sushanth picked it up very fast and Shreyasi also enjoyed it.

Power Grid - 3 plays I think they were all 2 player games. OK but definitely better with more.

10 Days in Africa, Oasis, San Juan, Settlers, Thebes, Thurn & Taxis, Thurn & Taxis Power & Glory expansion, TTR 1910 USA & Zooloretto - 2 plays each. A variety of games played. Thebes was really good and fun. Have played only 2 player and want to play with more.

Bohnanza, Caesar & Cleopatra, Carcassonne, Cartagena,  Cleo & the SOA, Elasund, For Sale, Get the goods, Hare & Tortoise, High Society, Mr Jack, Mystery Rummy Jack the Ripper & Pwer Grid Italy/France - 1 play each.

Overall a lot of games played but lesser number of plays. November also has not been that great so far. But plays will get up pretty soon as the month ends and December starts. Some new games really need to be played. Unfortunately no one wants to read up the rules and teach me. So I have to find the time to do it.

Yesterday I had a chance to shake hands and say hello to a champion boardgamer. Vishy Anand Chess champion of the world! Maybe another day I’ll probably ask him if he knows about Power Grid or Settlers of Catan! For now I was just happy to invite him to me next concert.