Ever thought of organising a Board games retreat? Escaping to a self-catering cottage in the country for a week of games and visiting local sites of interest appealing? For those familiar with me, you’ll know that each year, and for the sixth year running, three of my friends and I do just that and this year was as good as ever.
So, here’s the deal, four friends hire a cottage, we take two cars, fill them with a good games selection and meet up at a supermarket near the destination to do a group shop. I don’t drink, so we split the drinks three ways and the food four ways. We then head to the cottage. Over the course of the trip two of us do the main cooking, useful as two of us are vegetarian, so I tend to cook the veggie stuff.
Each player gets two picks that get placed in a hat or similar and we use this to determine who gets to pick the next main game. Over the course of the week, we should get at least all eight main picks in, plus whatever fillers and bonus games time allows. We do like to visit local sites of interest if the weather allows and previously, we’ve visited castles such as Caernarvon and Harlech and the Eden Project. This year we stayed in a village called Three Crosses near Swansea.
Saturday
To be honest we were too tired on the Friday night so we skipped games to help us feel refreshed after our journey. In the morning, we started the games with Arcs. The game is a space themed, influence based game and is relatively quick to play. We used leaders to add more detail and the game is generally liked. The game was competitive, with battles being waged across the board. Ultimately, it’s about who can cross the line first with securing victory points from ambitions, which can be tricky as not all of the options come up for each scoring.
We also paid a visit to the Mumbles; it was good to get out and get some fresh air.
Next up for games was my first pick of Heroquest. I played this in the Eighties and I brought the re-release a couple of years ago. I thought it was about time to roll it out. We ended up playing the first four quests, following on the next morning, and had a lot of fun. Sometimes we like to relax with easier games and although the game takes up a bit of space, it is quick to learn and easy to play. I played the GM, whilst my friends co-operated as the party of four adventurers. The turns are straightforward, heroes move then act or act then move, but we still enjoyed the tactical play and there were moments when the heroes got caught out searching for treasure only to get ambushed by hidden orcs. The next time we play they’ll be on quest five and the chance to claim their first artifact.
We also drove down to Rhossili beach for a short walk and view of the Worms Head before a drive into Swansea and then back to the cottage.
Sunday
We finished off playing Heroquest and then next up was Jaws. Not the childrens’ game from the Eighties, but rather the 2019 game. It’s not a difficult game to play, but it is a bit of light-weight fun. The game is split into two Acts. In the first one, the Jaws players is trying to eat swimmers whilst the central three characters of Brody, Cooper and Quint are trying to add barrels to Jaws to track it. Success for either equates to the number of cards each side receives during the next Act. In this second Act, Jaws wins if the boat is destroyed, and unsurprisingly, the heroes win if Jaws is destroyed; not only did we win as the heroes, but I even managed to survive as Quint, who survived on one wound having delivered the majority of the injuries to the shark, but it was close run thing with three of us clinging to separate sections of the broken boat at the end.
Monday
We started with SETI. One of the highlights games wise for me. The game is reasonably involved, and we do generally prefer the bigger games, but it gets easier as you play and can appreciate the options more. The game is about discovering extraterrestrial life and you take actions which include moving probes to explore the Solar system and scanning nearby star systems looking for clues. You’ll get victory points based on your actions and the game is balanced enough that players can do well following different strategies. It was certainly a game that left me wanting to play again and giving me food for thought as to how I might do things differently next time.
Tuesday
Ark Nova was the big game for today, we started it the night before, but thought it best to complete the bulk of play the next day. It is a group favourite, even though we’ve only played it a couple of times before. But then that is partly why we set up this yearly retreat in the first place, so we have time to get a few bigger games under our belt. It is quite an involved game, but the gameplay is good and it’s a very colourful and engaging theme. There are a few aspects to the game that require experiencing to fully appreciate, but the game is forgiving enough that a poor start doesn’t necessarily mean you are out of contention. You do have to watch game progress as the end of the game can be triggered quite suddenly if a player scores enough conservation and / or appeal points in a turn.
Next up was Wildlands and more tactical action. It is a quick enough game that we were able to get two plays in using different maps and it has a nice degree of asymmetry about it. You all play different teams, with different strengths and weaknesses, vying to capture your own-coloured crystals or eliminate other heroes to reach the target of five first. There is luck involved and it’s easy to end up helping other players by damaging other heroes or moving closer, but key to success is understanding how best to use your cards. Everyone it seemed had a chance to win at different points, so both games were close all round.
Wednesday
Vinhos was the game to start today. We had watched what we thought was an unhelpful How to play video using a kickstarter version the day before, which was based on a different gameboard. Today we started afresh after a read through of the rules and managed to complete the game. Essentially you establish vineyards, produce wine and showcase it at a wine fair or sell on for profit or victory points. It was ok, but not one we’re likely to play again.
Endeavour Deep Sea was played next and this is another favourite in the group. Players build a crew to explore the ocean, diving and scanning for resources, gaining advancements, carrying out research and conservation actions. It is a very colourful and visually appealing game to play with multiple routes to scoring victory points. Another game that like Ark Nova and SETI will get to the table again for sure.
Thursday
So, with all eight picks chosen and played, we had a wind down day to play some extra games. Previously, we’ve simply agreed on fillers as we go, but this didn’t happen on this retreat. Instead, we all nominated our preferences to play two of the four selected, being barred for voting for our own choice, with the two with most votes being chosen.
Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition
This was the first to get played. I think collectively we all prefer to pay the full board game for Terraforming Mars and I nearly took it on holiday, but since I wanted to get both Ark Nova and Heroquest played, I chose not to. The theme and global parameters are essentially the same, but the gameboard is different as is the way you take actions. But that said, we all enjoy playing this version too.
Finally, to wrap up the retreat, we played Tribes of the Wind. This was a new game for everyone to try from me and it is a quick and easy game to play. Players take turns securing forest plots, building villages and temples, clearing pollution and qualifying for victory point at the end.
Overall, we had another excellent retreat. I mentioned food at the start. We weren’t short of tasty dishes during the trip. We had a delicious Sunday roast with plenty of veg, a couple of meals were home made curries with paratha, dhal and rice and sides. One day we made pizzas and another a veggie stew for two of us and a meat-based casserole for the other two.
So, whether you like to play the heavy games or a mix of games, we find these retreats are great for playing a good batch of games and having a break at the same time. You could easily use a retreat like this for roleplaying games too if that is your preference and if you have the weather and inclination for it, the odd walk and local visit is a good addition too. I would highly recommend a board games retreat!
About the author:
As well as playing board games, Neil has been playing a variety of roleplaying games since 1982, including creating campaigns as a GM and espousing the art and craft of being a good GM and the therapeutic value of games generally.
