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Click on the linked names below for those particular games....
Viking Fury by Ragnar Brothers
‘Vinci’ by Phillipe Keyaerts
Games night....... ‘Viking Fury’ by Ragnar Brothers - 23/02/05
Tim opens the door to a complete stranger. It’s 8.15 p.m. and he’s not suppose to do this. What chance a ten year old boy, dressed in pyjamas? Fortunately, it’s Janine – who is not a complete stranger to Kendall, but rather a colleague from work and a guest at Games Night tonight. Janine has arrived on foot, having braved the elements and run the gauntlet of the Pub and dodgy neighbours in order to be here. She has Viking potential, which is just as well as ‘Viking Fury’ is already set up.
Kendall begins to explain the rules only to be interrupted by the arrival of Spiller and Dicken. Introductions over and it’s back to the rules. ‘Viking Fury’ is surprisingly tricky to explain because so many rules in one section will mesh with rules in another. It’s made even more difficult when three Ragnars are trying to explain simultaneously. Kendall notices that his game is missing the Crew cubes and asks Dicken to go rummage amongst the stock to find a replacement set, thus reducing the explainers to two. Kendall resumes – Dicken can’t find the cubes – Kendall rummages – Dicken explains – Kendall returns.
It is presumed that Janine understands the rules. She has the longest hair, so she starts. Kendall, Dicken and Spiller help her with her choices. She decides to load three Goods and two crew and to draw an extra two Runes. Spiller, Dicken and Kendall then follow suit.
Pringles are opened and beer is drunk. Janine is on water, but shows surprising interest in a box of nuts. She is welcome to them. Nuts are not traditional Ragnar fair – although Spiller is also somewhat partial.
Janine sails to England and trades into York and Norwich. No-one else has the third Goods needed to complete that Saga, so Spiller sails North and settles in Shetland and Faeroes (very historic). Dicken nicks in to the Orkneys to complete that Saga and Spiller licks his wounds. Raiding Lindisfarne is the next Saga card, so Kendall duly obliges and then raids York.
And so the game continues. And what a strange game ‘Viking Fury’ is. After weeks of playing games like ‘Ticket to Ride’ and ‘Ra’ and ‘Taj Mahal’ this feels so different. Spiller and Dicken talk in a range of accents, Kendall comments on historical accuracy, everyone guffaws when dice rolls are dismal.
After three turns Janine is in the lead and has started to concentrate. The Ragnars advise her that this is not a good idea. After initial forays into the immediate West, attention shifts to the east and it’s all Sweden as far as the Sagas are concerned. Spiller meanwhile raids in Spain and then forges on to Rome. The Gods are with him as the Rome saga appears on cue and he is successful with a Berserker raid. He takes the lead, closely followed by Janine and Kendall. Dicken has barely left Port.
The ‘Raid Lubech’ saga emerges. Spiller is derisive about how easy it is. Kendall refers to his history book whilst sailing down for a quick plunder. To no avail; he returns with three crew slaughtered. Spiller happily cleans up and then sails on to Constantinople. Inexplicably, he loses his nerve and is massacred under the walls.
Meanwhile, Lubech proves troublesome for Janine and then Dicken, both failing to settle there. Kendall returns and is more successful, only for Janine to play the Rebellion Rune and for Lubech to be free once more. Finally Dicken prevails and then takes Kiev to claim the Saga.
It is a defining moment. Spiller has failed in a brave bid to settle l‘Anse aux Meadows; instead he has to endure another history lesson from Kendall. Janine and Kendall have returned to the West, but make little impact on the rich pickings of Northern France.
Dicken wins handsomely as master of the Sweden Sagas and ruler of England. Spiller comes second with Kendall third. Janine is left in the traditional place of the guest – fortunately she is not perturbed and hopefully will join us again.
Time for a quick coffee and more ribaldry. Kendall tells an old joke which he has just heard at church.
Question: ‘What is the largest crustacean in London?’
Answer: ‘King’s Cross Station… or it could be Charing Cross Station …. Or St Pancras Station’. The assembly laughs dutifully but not with their eyes.
Dicken and Spiller both offer to run Janine back to her digs. How kind.
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