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‘Merchants of Amsterdam’ by Reiner Knitzia.
Games night......21st November
Spiller arrives alone. Paul and Liz have cried off, seeing as Paul is working late shifts. Dicken is phlegmatic, pointing out that Carol fancies a game and that six might be too many for a first stab at 'Merchants of Amsterdam'. Too right, as it's a 3-5 player game. Spiller has it out now and everyone admires his 'Dutch Auction machine'. Surely one of the nicest pieces of kit ever, and surely one of the best birthday / Christmas presents that Spiller has ever received from Kendall / Dicken (that should give some indication of the price).
Spiller announces that he has only had time to read four pages of the rules in the last week - he's been so busy. Consequently he treats the gathering to a twenty minute narration. Entertainment value is limited, but Spiller does attempt to imitate the Kendall style - rapid muttering of inconsequential sections, slowing to pedantic pace for the 'crux' of the rules. It makes for hard listening; the brain finds the gear changing difficult.
Still, it looks good. A board shows four sections of the world (Africa, America, Far East, East Indies), with Amsterdam in four 'quarters' in the centre. Down the bottom is a track for recording player's strengths in different commodities (spice, sugar, silk, gems). Around the outside is a time track with various events scattered along it, including scoring turns - these are detailed in the rule book and provide a nice touch of history, though I wouldn't go as far as to say it themes the game enormously. Carol declares that it reminds her of the book 'Nathaniel's Nutmeg' (spice trading and skullduggery amongst the English and Dutch East India Companies).
Spiller is first 'Mayor', which means he gets to turn the cards and decide which card will be his, which will be discarded and which will be auctioned. Spiller proceeds to draw several sand-timers, which means that the years start to hurtle by as the marker is moved along the time-track.
Carol has had to leave a mind-numbing internet strategy game in order to join in. Popping balloons may be ok for the person with the mouse, but does little for the voyeur. Dicken is permanently wired into the net ( he's considering having a socket implanted behind his ear a la Neuromancer - he's a big William Gibson fan ) so no surprise when an e-mail arrives from a niece in Cornwall. Carol can't resist answering, which results in best wishes being sent for an enjoyable games' night. What a small world it is.
So too in the 17th Century, it would appear. Never has colonisation seemed so straight forward. Cards allow individual players to place his / her marker into different sections of the board. Events on the track give opportunity for everyone to join the fun. Domination (and second place) are the aim, whether it be overseas, in Amsterdam or on the commodity track. The three sections have a certain amount of interplay between them. At each scoring point money is distributed in accordance with the respective size of holdings within the particular section being scored for. This sounds a bit complicated (and is), but the principle is the same for each, so it's 'comfy' after a few shots at it.
Given that each player will get equal number of turns as mayor, and everyone profits from the events on the time-track it's to be expected that the game will ensure a certain parity between players. However, the rogue element - and the 'catch-line' of the game - is the auction.
Herr Knitzia loves a good auction system. This is not really his own system, but then good composers are happy to rip off other people's tunes. A 'Dutch Auction' is one in which the value of an item being sold reduces until someone bids. At which point, the item is sold for the price bid. Simple. The auction machine is a timer which winds down from 200.000 Guilders to 50,000 Guilders. Players press the knob (great name) to stop the clock (great Freudian slip opportunity).
Pringles (Originals followed by Hot and Spicy) and beer have mellowed the company. It must be a good game as there is precious little irrelevant banter.
Several bidding rounds come and go. It is quickly decided that hands aren't allowed to hover over the knob. They must be held lower than the machine. No one is quite sure what a sensible bid should be, so bids are generally 'Sensible' - around the 100 K mark. Good fun can be had by giving an involuntary jerk and seeing another player crash their hand down for a price several thousands above the norm. How long the machine can stand this punishment is a matter of some concern. Also, it can only be a matter of time before the third umpire is called in to determine just whose hand reached the knob first.
Spiller seems confident that he is winning. A little over half way through the game he stops bidding quite so energetically. It's important to keep up strength, but the actual Guilder value for placing markers is less (or so it appears) as the game progresses, simply because the number of scoring opportunities are fewer (although the last tally is double value). With some regret player's realise how cheap the early bidding rounds had been. Not for nothing that money is only to be borrowed near the start of the time track.
Spiller is so confident that he goes and makes coffee while the final money is dished out. He wins with 1,500,000 Guilders. Carol is second with some 1,400,000 and Kendall scrapes in ahead of Dicken in the 1,300,000 region.
A very fine game. Near impossible to get your head around how much to pay in the auction - especially when the heat is on. Paul and Liz will love it.
Just time to mull over the possibility of Alec Stewart and Mark Butcher putting a stand together on the second day of the test match. Dream on.
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..And one more time...
Michelle and Robin arrive. Dicken is beaming broadly, Kendall rubs his hands with glee. Good news! 'Funagain Games' have just ordered a consignment from the Ragnar Brothers. Only another few £ thousand to go and the Ragnars will be back in the black. Time to celebrate with beer, Pringles and a couple of rousing games. Spiller arrives and adds to the festivities by supplying chocolates from Cuba. What an exotic life the man leads. Actually, he too is bemused as he purchased said chocolates whilst skiing in Italy.
First up tonight is another Reiner master-piece (Michelle and Robin have played 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Modern Art'). 'Merchants of Amsterdam' was reviewed not many weeks ago, so you'll have to make do with edited highlights here:
- Kendall and Spiller try to tell the rules as a double act.
- Robin and Michelle try not to look worried.
- Spiller sets the bidding at around the 140,000 Ducat mark
- Kendall bids a bit higher
- Dicken reckons the bidding is too high
- Robin gets the hang of the bidding and starts slamming his hand down on the timer thingy.
- Dicken has yet to bid
- Spiller asks about bidding more than 200,000 Ducats.
- Spiller ensures the bid is more than 200,000 Ducats
- Spiller has got the rule wrong
- Michelle helps Spiller out making a bid of 300,000 Ducats! (a record and her very first bid!)
- Dicken has yet to bid
- Robin bids particularly hard
- The timer thingy stops working.
- Dicken fixes the timer thingy - he has his uses
- Kendall races ahead in Spices
- The Pringles arrive - Hot and Spicey, of course
- Robin finds he can't make a play on his turn - the world is full up
- Dicken is accused of 'not bidding' - true enough.
- Kendall finds he can't make a play - the world is still full up
- Everyone has a good time - even Dicken
- Dicken wins
Perhaps a rule got missed somewhere, but the report has to be that this feels less convincing as a five player game. And as for winning without once making a bid .... a bit rich, indeed. Maybe the Ragnars are losing their sense of values.
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