'Diggers' by Reiner Knitzia - 23/11/00
The well laid plans have not come to fruition. Carol had to attend an evening meeting at Def.Com. One, so Dicken was marooned at station X until 8.15. No chance then of reaching Spiller's before Zero Hour, so an emergency landing is made at Kendall's. Spiller arrives early. Kendall provides a calm and quiet welcome; confident that the kids have been shown to their beds in good time and that, despite the absence of Sandi (visiting her new nephew), they will rest and wake refreshed in the morning.
It's half time somewhere in Greece and Liverpool are 1 - 0 up. Messieurs Hanson and Lawrenson are smugly singing the praises of Emile Heskey and none too subtly deriding their opponents. Spiller opens his second birthday game: 'Diggers'. Accustomed as he is to opening packets of cigarettes, the shrink-wrap presents no problem. In fact it is relatively thin. Once upon a time a Ragnar birthday game was re-shrinked with cling-film and sent back. Another game had been ordered from a shop (name with-held), this game (name with-held) arrived, it was opened by a small child, the contents were examined, it was found to be unplayable in less than seven years. 'Diggers' looks easier. Spiller reads the rules to Kendall, announcing half-way through that he's got it sussed.
The porch door is pushed back and Dicken delivers the quietest of knocks. A not-so-small voice from the top of the stairs announces his arrival. Kendall administers a rebuke that would send Margaret Thatcher to bed.
The rules are explained to Dicken and the game components are scrutinised. Dicken chose this gift and is a little disappointed to find that the A5 (ish) sized box contains just sixty playing card s, an A4 set of rules and a brochure advertising more Avalanche games. The playing cards have been cunningly housed in an insert with two rectangular holes. Unfortunately, once the cards have been released from their shrink-wrap the holes serve no function and the cards swim around in their spacious accommodation.
But, tsh! It's the game that counts!
'Diggers' is a mining game, presumably set somewhere in the Wild West. The cards depict photographs of a couple of roguish fellows scrambling around some mine workings. If it were set in England you would expect to see a sign reading, 'Ye Olde Golde Mine'.
There are three types of mine; Gold, Silver and Copper with cards for three corresponding Ores, valued at 3, 2 and 1 point. Mines can be closed-down and (for some strange reason), points are only scored for closed-down mines. Naturally, there are some Close Down cards (or some such name).
The player with the longest hair is the dealer (novel). Play begins. Spiller plays a Silver Mine, Dicken plays a Copper Mine, Kendall plays a Silver Mine. Spiller picks up a card, Dicken picks up a card, Kendall plays Silver Ore. Then everyone picks up another card. Then everyone picks up another card. Then Dicken attacks Kendall's mine with a Bandit.
The Bandit cards each have a painting on them. The same painting. It looks mysteriously like a bare chested Rhett Butler with Scarlet O' Hara about to remove some clothing (at last). Is that Atlanta I see burning in the background? Such a long film and how is it Scarlet never gets any older? Kendall Closes Down his mine. Alternatively he could have stuffed Dicken's Bandit with a bigger Bandit of his own. Closing Down the mine means the Mine stays in Kendall's possession.
Kendall's eldest daughter re-appears, dressed in red velvet pyjamas - spooky! She has some lame excuse for coming down and is sent on her way, muttering under her breath something about returning to Tara.
There are some other bits and pieces; for example, doubling of Ore if the double Ore card is laid first (a la } 'Lost Cities'. But, essentially that's it for the three player game. The four player game looks more intriguing as players play as a pair and cards can be passed between partners. So, Mines are opened, worked a bit, attacked by Bandits, occasionally stolen (Claim Jumping) and then shut down. When the final card is drawn each player has one more round (i.e. one more card). We must be doing something wrong! We've each got a fist-full of unusable cards. Our scores are pitiful, Spiller winning with a princely 8 points.
Time for the two youngest Kendalls to brave their father's wrath. This time there is good reason. The much repaired upstairs toilet has breathed its last. The handle has come off. It needs to be Closed Down.
Meanwhile however, Kendall has begun a total re-read of the rules. There has to be a twist, a flash of genius which has escaped the feeble Ragnar mind. But there isn't. A second game is played. And a third. The victory total of 60 points is not yet on the Horizon. We give up. Where's that cling-film?
This has been a disappointing experience given the Knitzia pedigree but we shall reserve final judgement until we have tried the Partners version, for which it was originally designed. It is definitely not much of a three player game.
Spiller is introduced to the delights of Camel, which he thoroughly enjoys. It's his type of game - apart from the final scoring which seems distinctly tricky with three inebriated players. Spiller suggests we finish with Sequence, which Kendall wins having drawn four Jacks inside a quarter of the pack. Normality has been resumed.
Liverpool have scraped a 1 - 1 draw.
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