Afghan

Turn 1

TTG plays Here 'n' Now, rolling a 6 for no effect, then plays the Fools' Guild on VIOLENT, who pays $5.

VIOLENT plays the Pink Pussycat Club, gaining $3, then Nobby Nobbs, taking $3 from TTG, then plays Modo, discarding a card and adding a minion to Isle of Gods.

PIKES plays the Thieves' Guild, taking $2 from each other player and placing a minion and Trouble marker in Isle of Gods.

CJVH plays Drumknott, allowing the play of 2 other cards, then plays Dr. Crucis, removing a PIKES minion and the Trouble marker from the Dolly Sisters, then plays C.M.O.T. Dibbler, rolling an 8 and gaining $4, then Foul Ole Ron, moving a PIKES minion from the Scours to the Shades and removing the Trouble marker, and finally the Mended Drum, spending $6 for a building in Dolly Sisters and gaining $2.

Turn 2

TTG plays Groat, placing a minion in The Hippo.

VIOLENT plays Harga's House of Ribs, gaining $3 and placing a minion in Longwall.

PIKES plays Gimlet's Dwarf Delicatessen, gaining $3 and placing a minion in Dragon's Landing.

CJVH plays The Ankh Morpork Sunshine Dragon Sanctuary, collecting 1 card from each player, then plays Rosie Palm, placing a minion in Dimwell then giving a card to PIKES and receiving $2 in return.

Turn 3

TTG plays The Librarian, drawing 4 cards from the draw pile.

VIOLENT plays Mr. Gryle, removing the green minion and Trouble marker from Isle of Gods and gaining $1.

PIKES plays Mrs. Cake, looking at 2 unused personality cards, gaining $2, spending $12 to build a building in Dragon's Landing.

CJVH plays Bank of Ankh Morpork, gaining $10.

Turn 4

TTG plays Rincewind, drawing the Earthquake random event. Earthquakes are rolled in The Scours and Dimwell, neither of which contains buildings, so no effect. TTG moves a minion and Trouble marker from The Shades to Dimwell, then plays Fire Brigade on PIKES. PIKES pays the $5. TTG finally plays The Seamstresses' Guild, placing a minion in Isle of Gods then giving a card to CJVH and getting $2 in return.

VIOLENT plays The Royal Mint, spending $6 for a building in The Shades then gaining $5.

PIKES plays the Agony Aunts, removing a red minion and Trouble from Isle of Gods, gaining $2, and placing a minion in Small Gods, then gains $2 from Dragon's Landing.

CJVH plays Zorgo the Retrophrenologist and exchanges his personality card for one drawn randomly from those not in use, then spends $6 to build a building in The Scours.

Turn 5

TTG plays the Opera House, spending $12 for a building in The Hippo, gaining $1 from 1 minion in Isle of Gods.

VIOLENT plays Captain Carrot, placing a minion and Trouble marker in Isle of Gods, removing the Trouble from Isle of Gods, and gaining $1.

PIKES gains $2 from Dragon's Landing then plays History Monks, drawing 4 cards from the discard deck and placing a minion in Unreal Estate.

CJVH plays Mr. Boggis, taking $2 from each other player and placing a minion in Dimwell.

Turn 6

TTG plays Leonard of Quirm, drawing 4 cards, and gains $2 from The Hippo.

VIOLENT plays Sargent Angua, removing the Trouble market in Dimwell, then plays the Cable Street Particulars on PIKES, looking at his hand and choosing a card to discard, then placing a minion in Seven Sleepers.

PIKES gains $2 from Dragon's Landing, plays Drumknott, allowing him to play 2 more cards, playing Sacharissa Crisplock, gaining $0 from trouble markers and placing a minion and a Trouble marker in Dimwell, and finally playing the Agony Aunts, killing a blue minion in Dimwell, removing the Trouble marker, gaining $2, and placing a minion in Dimwell, adding a Trouble marker.

CJVH uses The Scours to discard a card, gaining $2, then plays Hobson's Livery Stable, paying $2 to VIOLENT and moving his minion from Dimwell to Nap Hill then spending $12 to build a building in Nap Hill. Trouble removed from Dimwell.

Turn 7

TTG gains $2 from The Hippo then plays Hex, drawing 3 cards and paying $6 for a building in Dimwell.

VIOLENT plays Hubert, forcing PIKES to give $3 to TTG then placing a minion and Trouble marker in Small Gods.

PIKES gains $2 from Dragon's Landing then plays Canting Crew, moving a CJVH minion from Nap Hill to Seven Sleepers, adding a Trouble marker to Seven Sleepers, then adding a minion and Trouble marker to Longwall.

CJVH gains $1 from Nap Hill, uses The Scours to discard a card for $2, then plays Dwarves, placing 2 minions and a Trouble marker in Unreal Estate.

Turn 8

TTG gains $2 from The Hippo, then plays Moist von Lipwig, placing a minion in Longwall, collecting $3, and gaining 2 cards, then plays Sir Charles Lavatory, gaining $7 for 7 buildings on the board then spends $12 to build in Isle of Gods.

VIOLENT plays Harry King, placing a minion in Nap Hill, then discarding 3 cards and gaining $6.

PIKES gains $2 from Dragon's Landing then plays Inigo Skimmer, removing a red minion and Trouble marker from Small Gods and gaining $2.

CJVH uses The Scours to discard a card for $2, Nap Hill to gain $1, then plays Mr. Pin and Mr. Tulip, removing the red minion and Trouble marker in Seven Sleepers and gaining $1.

Turn 9

TTG gains $2 from The Hippo then plays The Senior Wrangler. The event drawn is Mysterious Murders. TTG rolls a 5 and removes a blue minion from The Scours. VIOLENT rolls a 10 and removes a yellow minion from Isle of Gods. TTG plays Susan to prevent the removal. PIKES rolls a 12, removing the red minion from Nap Hill. CJVH rolls a 5, removing the red minion. TTG places a minion and Trouble market in Isle of Gods. TTG then plays Archchancellor Ridcully, drawing the Explosion event in The Scours, destroying the blue building there. TTG places two minions and a Trouble maker in Nap Hill.

VIOLENT plays Cosmo Lavish, paying $2 to TTG and forcing him to remove a minion from an area containing trouble that is not a VIOLENT minion. TTG chooses the green minion in Longwall. Trouble removed. VIOLENT then plays Carcer allowing him to roll twice and remove a minion from that area regardless of Trouble. The first roll is a 5. TTG plays Gaspode to prevent the removal of his minion. The second roll is a 5. TTG plays Wallace Sonky, allowing him to ignore the text on the Carcer card, preventing the removal of the minion. VIOLENT plays Syblil Vimes, gaining $3 and paying $6 to TTG to take over the building in Dimwell.

PIKES gains $2 from Dragon's Landing, then plays The Luggage, removing a blue minion and Trouble marker from Unreal Estate and discarding a card.

CJVH plays Deep Dwarves to place a minion in The Scours without adding Trouble, gains $1 from Nap Hill, then plays Edward d'Eath to remove a yellow minion and Trouble from Nap Hill, gain $3, then spend $18 to build a building in Seven Sleepers.

Turn 10

TTG gains $2 from The Hippo then plays Ruiby, placing a minion and Trouble marker in Nap Hill and spending $12 for a building in Longwall.

VIOLENT plays Errol, rolling a 10 and allowing him to remove a yellow minion and Trouble from Isle of Gods, then spends $3 to use Dimwell to add a minion and Trouble marker in Longwall, and finally plays Cheery Littlebottom to draw 2 cards.

PIKES gains $2 from Dragon's Landing, plays Ponder Stibbons, drawing The Dragon, which lands in Dimwell, removing all units from that area, then plays Sargent Detritus, removing the Trouble markers in Longwall and Nap Hill, and finally The Shonky Shop, discarding a card for $1 and spending $18 to build a building in Small Gods.

CJVH plays Dr. Whiteface on VIOLENT, who accepts it, then places a minion and Trouble marker in Nap Hill, gains $1 from Nap Hill and $2 from Seven Sleepers.

Turn 11

TTG plays The Bursar, creating the Fog event, discarding the following cards from the deck: The Smoking Gnu, William de Worde, Wilikins, The Chair of Indefinite Studies, and The Post Office, then exchanges the blue minion in Seven Sleepers for the red minion in Longwall, adding Trouble to Longwall. He gains $1 from Longwall and $2 from The Hippo. He then plays Lord Downey, removing the blue minion and Trouble from Nap Hill, gaining $3, then spending $6 to build in The Scours, then plays Dr. Mossy Lawn, retaining Lord Downey.

VIOLENT plays Mr. Teatime, gaining $3, removing the yellow minion and the Trouble marker from Longwall, then playing The Beggers' Guild on TTG, gaining 2 cards and placing a minion and Trouble marker in Isle of Gods.

PIKES gains $2 from Dragon's Landing, then plays Burleigh & Stonginthearm, paying $2 to blue to remove a yellow minion in Nap Hill.

CJVH collects $1 from Longwall and $3 from Seven Sleepers then plays Sergent Colon, removing the Trouble marker from Isle of Gods and adding a minion and Trouble marker to Seven Sleepers.

Turn 12

TTG gains $2 from The Hippo and $1 from Longwall, then plays The Clacks, drawing the last two cards from the deck and ending the game.

Conclusion

First, we will cover the guesses. Neither Andy nor Christopher supplied any, but Bill and Kevin both guessed that Andy was a lord. Bill and Kevin each guessed that the other was a lord as well. Bill believed that Christopher was Crysoprase and Kevin believed he was Vimes. Here is the reality: In the initial draw, Andy, Kevin, and Christopher each drew a lord and Bill drew Vimes. Christopher later used Zorgo to change his personality to Crysoprase, so Bill not only wins the game, but also guessed everybody's personalities correctly. Congratulations, Bill!

The Players

IKES is P-Math Institute of Klatch, Ee Section. VIOLENT is Violent Indigent Order Legally Embezzling Non-citizens' Treasures. TTG is Texan Tenement Guild. CJVH is Cunning Junior Vetinari of the Hippo.

Board Position

Dolly Sisters: Yellow, Red, and Blue minions, Blue building

Unreal Estate: Green and Blue minions.

Dragon's Landing:  Green minion and Green building.

Small Gods: Green minion, Green building.

The Scours: Yellow and Blue minions, Yellow building.

The Hippo: Yellow minion, Yellow building.

The Shades:  2 Green, Red, and Blue minions, Red building.

Dimwell: None.

Longwall: Blue and Red minions, Yellow building.

Isle of Gods: Yellow and 2 Red minions, Yellow building.

Seven Sleepers: Red and Blue minions, Blue building, Trouble.

Nap Hill: Yellow minion, Blue building.

End of Game Statements

Kevin Wilson (PIKES): Well, having had a peak with Mrs. What’s Her Name I was pretty sure the 3 lords were in play so if I couldn’t find a path to 4 area for myself I had to do what I could to see none of the others did. While I flirted with getting there, it just wasn’t in the cards! ;-) So, once again, the deck runs out and Vimes takes home the win. While 2 games don’t mean much, with 2 games with 4 players and 2 wins by Vimes, is that a trend?

Thanks to Chris for running the game as usual. Loads of fun. Thanks to the rest for playing so we all could. And, I guess, congrats to Bill although winning by just not losing long enough seems a bit unsatisfactory. Not to say I wouldn’t give Vimes a shot myself were I to draw him!

Christopher Hunt (CJVH): Congratulations to Bill for winning and to Chris for running the game so well. My only guess was that the person who gave me the Bank of Ankh-Morpork was Crysoprase, which as I then become Crysoprase this was totally wide of the mark. Tried to slow them by avoiding playing plus play cards. Agree that with four people is is difficult to win before all the cards are played. Suggest play with three people or four and more and exclude the Vimes and say the winner in the case of cards running out is the best guesser, if drawn the person controlling most areas (we are supposed to be gang leaders fighting for control of the city) then the most cash then the most money (cash and property) then he most minions.

Bill Scharf (VIOLENT): I’ve had a lot of fun these discworld games and it’s due to all of you, you’re very good, and it’s been a pleasure gaming with you. Chris, thanks again for running it.

As it’s been commented on before, a Vimes win with four players who know what they are doing is more likely than any other outcome. I can see why it’s an option though, the alternatives would be to say at round ten, hey nobody won! Or, I achieved 80 percent of my goals, but this other guy reached 83 percent of his (after doing a lot of calculating) so I lost, or let’s shuffle the deck and play for another seven hours until we get a winner....no, the appeal of this game for me is it’s simplicity, and I find it satisfying and appropriate (being very familiar with the novels) that Vimes wins if he can keep anyone else from winning.

As for figuring out who the other players are, that’s half the game. Once people figure out who you are they can more easily stop you. For example, let’s say dragon king of arms and ventenari are both in a game, how do you stop them? By removing a trouble marker, or by removing a minion? If you don’t know you could guess wrong and lose the game...while if you can figure out who he is....

Anyway, if was very clear no one was dragon, everybody was removing trouble markers not adding them. No one was actively spreading themselves all over the board, so no ventenari either. I was Vimes, so that left the other three players as lords or the troll. One player (ahem, you know who you are) made enough plays that didn’t improve his board position at all...but it did bring him money, bingo there’s the troll.

I prefer a long run strategy that either directs people into thinking I’m a character I’m not, or them not being sure who I am....or by being so straightforward people don’t think I’m the character because I’m being too obvious about what I’m trying to do....misdirection, subtlety, trickery, oh yeah....great game!

When you’re Vimes, you want to burn through the deck of cards as quickly as possible....because the quicker the deck depletes the sooner you will win and the less time your opponents will have to set up a win. Conversely, if you aren’t Vimes, you may not want to use the “MAY play another card” option unless it’s a particularly devastating combo...since it will end the game sooner, with you not the winner. If everyone draws two new cards each round, you can see the game will end in half the number of turns compared to everyone only drawing one. Ok I’m done. Thanks again.

Andy York (TTG): Good game, all working hard to win (or in the case of Bill to prevent anyone else from winning - congrats on outlasting the rest of us). Finding out I'm enjoying this game more as I'm figuring out the mechanics - plus I've started reading the novels. As always, thanks to Chris for another well run game - certainly making these times we're in less trying.