'Vinci' - 27/07/00
Dicken informed Kendall that he would be home late, and would Kendall mind arriving early to set up the game. 'Vinci' by Phillipe Keyaerts has 150+ counters to sort into six sets, one set of 50+ empire tiles and 50+ declined empire tiles; fortunately components are housed in a cloth bag and a sensible box. Kendall agrees with as much enthusiasm as he can muster. Dicken gets home just as Kendall finishes the setup - Kendall suspects that he has timed his entrance a little too neatly, could Dicken be psychic? this could explain his uncanny winning form, surely not.
Paul and Liz are with us. Spiller hasn't been seen by his wife, who rings up anxiously. He will not be seen for the entire evening, but later informs us that he spent the time getting smashed out of his head. Quite why, has yet to be discovered. Carol (Dicken's wife) steps into the breach, proving once again that the Ragnar's are a family firm.
Kendall breezes through an explanation of the rules, which is greeted by vociferous yawning from the ladies. Paul hangs on every word before announcing that 'Vinci' is similar to 'Risk' , a point he is forced to deny at regular intervals thereafter. No-one (except Dicken and Kendall who have played this one three or four times) quite understands what they are doing, but this is a 'tall poppy' game with plenty of time to work things out. Paul wins the dice roll (a dice is included just for this - how kind!) and abruptly grinds to a halt trying to decide which empire tiles to choose.And he is absolutely right to halt, because upon this decision (repeated two or three times during the game) will the contest be decided. Winning combinations in the past have included 'Allied messengers', 'Mountaineering mountaineers' and 'Barbarian miners'.
Combinations which can appear freakishly good within the circumstances of a particular game, but in another context will prove embarrassingly ineffective. Advice flies around and Paul becomes a Barbarian field-general with absolutely masses of counters to play with. Others grind their teeth and look for solace in Port-building astronomers or Revolutionary pig-farmers. Dicken ducks the awkward choice by lapping up six victory points, collecting something feeble which everyone else passed over.
Turn upon turn follow, with Kendall and Dicken sparring to give the best advice and with cries of, "Leave it!" whenever Paul attacks a la 'Risk'. Into the third set of empires Kendall selects Mining Astronomers and the game's up before people have time to react. Dicken limps home in last place scoring just six points on his last turn (and with a new empire!). Kendall is accused of whinging his way to victory. Dicken broods on his loss of form. Can't be psychic afterall.
Go to top of page
|
