London Season

Ok ok, I know I use a lot of my posts to talk about new games I've played but I think it is a completely valid thing to count as something I learned. Sorry to all of you who read this blog and don't like gaming!

Today we went to the Sonnenberg's to play games all day. And when I say all day, I mean it (we got there at 8:50am and left at 10:30pm). While I played 7 games today, there was only one new one that I learned.

After arriving at the house, I inquired where my cousin Wendy was and I was told she was in the bedroom, working on finishing up her board game so that we could all play it. I was surprised that I had not once heard that she was making her own game. I was intrigued. Later in the day, the board game was apparently ready and six of us sat down to learn London Season. It is a game that takes place in June 1814 and revolves around the theme of ladies trying to win husbands. Each player is a lady who has a set fortune and rank and has "stats" relating to how beautiful, virtuous and accomplished she is. Throughout the game, you try to raise your standing by gaining beauty, virtue and accomplishments. You attend dances to charm men, go to church to earn virtue, and even attend the races at Ascot to raise your income. The game is wonderfully themed (as any Jane Austen fan would attest) and very well thought out.

This was the first time the game had ever been played so it took almost 4 hours from the time we started reading the instructions (which we did out loud so we could all see what did and didn't make sense or what wasn't clear to benefit Wendy so she could edit the rules) to the time we all (except for Blake, teehee) had a husband. For being the first time the game had ever been played, there were no glitches and nothing that didn't make sense. It was a really good game and I am proud of my cousin for making something so awesome. I can't wait for it to get published so I can buy it. She needs to get in a lot of test plays however before it gets close to that point, so I'm hoping I can play it again this week while they are still here (they live in Des Moines). Great job on the game Wendy!

What I learned: How to play London Season; also, my cousin is super talented and awesome.