Cabin Con 2021 - Part IV
To close out that first full day of gaming, we played Infinity Gauntlet Love Letter and Ca$h 'n' Guns. I'm a big fan of Love Letter in general. I think it's a great palate cleanser and also just a lot of fun. Infinity Gauntlet Love Letter is reasonably different than the other Love Letter games I've played, because "battle" (comparing the number of one card to the number of another, with the lower of the two being eliminated from the game, along with the player who held it) is much more common. However, it has also been changed, as Infinity Gauntlet Love Letter is a team affair. One player is Thanos, while all of the others team up to fight him as he works to collect the Infinity Stones. Or just ROFL-stomp the heroes. Either way.
For the first hand, I was Thanos and lucked out in drawing into a bunch of Infinity Stones early. I was able to start warring against the heroes from the start of the game, picking off the ones I knew I could beat up on. These players aren't eliminated from the game, but it was basically scoring a bunch of early victory points before they could get their feet under them. They had one good turn in which they knew what cards I had in my hand and they had also scouted the upcoming cards in the deck, and so could plan an entire turn of hitting me again and again. Ultimately, though, my headstart was too much for the heroes to overcome and I won the first game as Thanos.
Except this time, I actually was!
The second game went a little differently. I'm pretty sure Drew was Thanos for this round (Johnnie is a big Cap fan and, understandably, wanted to win as one of the heroes). This time around, though, we had a better handle on the game and got off to a fast start. I suspect Drew's opening hand wasn't as strong as mine had been. But also, we realized that unlike other Love Letter games, we aren't trying to set ourselves up for big plays, because that tactic won't work for the heroes; the abilities Thanos boasts are just too disruptive for that strategy. So we started setting each other from the first turn. I give full credit to the designers of this version for forcing such a team effort, because it really does capture that feel of fighting an enemy that no one single player can take down alone.
Drew got a little traction towards the end, but at that point, it was sort of a forgone conclusion because we'd more or less kept him on his back foot throughout the game. The heroes win! It was fun, but I prefer the other versions of Love Letter. Can't entirely tell you why, except that I like that the other versions feel a little more free-wheeling to me. I think Infinity Gauntlet Love Letter raises the stakes of the game just slightly above where I best enjoy Love Letter. Would totally play it again! It's just a different experience than what I'm looking for from Love Letter.
And then came Ca$h 'n' Guns. I really enjoy this game. Honestly, playing it once per gaming weekend is enough to scratch that itch for me. But in my opinion, this is also one of those games that requires two things to be enjoyable: a good group of people, and an uncaring attitude toward winning. I say that because some of us point our little foam guns at other people simply because we're feeling vindictive rather than because we think they're winning.
Quick primer for anyone who is unfamiliar with the game: we're all gangsters and we're in the process of splitting up the loot. We each have a little foam gun, as well as a bunch of cards that say either "blank" or "bang." Once all the loot is on the table for the round, we load our guns, then point them at one another, disguising whether we've got a blank or a bang. Everyone's got a chance to bow out of the round before the triggers are pulled, but only people who stay in get a cut of the loot. By the end of the game, the people who are still alive count up the value of their loot to see who won.
So you can see how it's possible that people get upset when someone else points a gun at them, despite "it not making sense." In my opinion, competition gets left at the door before playing this game. Oh absolutely, everyone should try to win! I know I was! But the kind of competitive streak that keeps me playing Armada and building at least one fleet a day is something I leave behind when playing a game like Ca$h 'n' Guns. Everyone also gets a special ability. For this game, mine was being able to hand another player a bullet card (blank or bang, my choice), and then randomly receive one in return.
I appreciated that this allowed me to be an agent of chaos by stealing other people's cards. All but one time, I was handing people blanks. But I got clobbered early, taking two wounds (my limit before being shot out of the game was only three). Since I was getting shot, I wasn't getting much in the way of loot. So I decided I needed an ally. What better ally than the player who kept taking on the role of Godfather? In this case, it was Johnnie who was taking it, round after round. So I did him a favor, he did me a favor. Ultimately, I chose to give him a bullet card as a sign of trust. He thought it was a threat! So he then chose to point his gun at me. Rough justice. Luckily, I convinced him to point his gun elsewhere. That moment was definitely a make or break moment. I managed to survive until the end and made way more money than I deserved by going all in on picking up diamonds from the loot pot. But it was only enough to get me second place, as Ryan had quietly been collecting artwork and had accumulated quite the small fortune! So Ryan landed first, I landed second, and it wasn't particularly close.
**It's worth noting: some people may not like playing a game in which they point guns at friends. I can appreciate that, and it's not for everyone. But I'll also say this is one of those times where I can set aside my advocacy for gun control and just enjoy this game with a group of people who I know don't see it as a way to advocate for NO gun control. Some people reading this may say, "Was that even worth mentioning? It's just a freaking game!" My answer is simply "yes." Guns are not a game in this country, and so it's worth noting that when a game centers around guns, people will react to said game differently. Given this country's penchant for mass shootings, it's worth asking questions like:
- Do the guns look realistic?
- Do players benefit from "shooting their friends?"
- What's the intention of the game?
- Could a similar game have been designed around a concept that didn't require pointing foam guns at other people?
After running on fumes from making the drive, it was time for me to get some sleep. I know everyone else stayed up and got into some other games, but I was quite simply toast and needed to rest. And it's a good thing I did, because upon waking up the next morning, the first thing I'd be doing was teaching my friend Josh how to play Star Wars Armada!
To that end, I'm going to start writing out of order a bit. See, I've got two Armada matches yet to cover, as well as a game of Twilight Imperium. Each of those can be A LOT to cover. And while I don't intend to go through each game, move by move, I do want to give them the space they need. But we also had a bunch of other games that are more in line with the ones I've described so far. So, we'll see how it goes. But at this point, I'm not even sure this entry and the last one are completely correct with regards to being in chronological order, so, screw it. See you here for the next installment!
**Just a reminder: if anyone reading this is interested in this most excellent group of adventurers and their exploits, you should check out their Twitter! They're the Champions of Valinwood!
https://mobile.twitter.com/ValinwoodHeroes/status/1417585561817260038
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