Gaming Recap - Quacks of Quedlinburg and 5 Minute Dungeon

 Gaming Recap - Quacks of Quedlinburg and 5 Minute Dungeon

I got to visit with some old friends whom I miss very much, and was so glad that we had the opportunity to play some games together! The last time I saw them was probably 3 or so years ago. Possibly more! We played Betrayal at House on the Hill and they introduced me to Lords of Waterdeep. I had brought a bunch of games with me and asked them if there was anything in particular on their shelf they wanted to play. They very graciously inquired about what I had brought, and ultimately, we decided to play Quacks of Quedlinburg. Personally, I think they were indulging me, but if you think that knowledge will stop me from playing Quacks, you are mistaken.

I've now taught Quacks two or three times, and I think I've made the same mistake each time: I've explained the game. Next time I teach it, I think I'll explain the gist of it, then we'll play a quick round that doesn't count. Because honestly, it's not really a difficult game to learn when playing with the level 1 ingredient books. We finally got to playing, and as always, the game is just a blast. We played with the level 1 spell books, and I bought hard into the black (African Death's Head Hawkmoth) and blue (Crow Skull) ingredients. I love the information I get from Crow Skulls, and the Hawkmoths become a staple (in my mind) the moment anyone else gets them. I probably bought in too hard, because while I did reap advantages, the Hawkmoths only come in denominations of 1, and there were two times I pressed my luck specifically because I wanted to draw one. The first time I did this, I had a 16% chance of drawing a Cherry Bomb that would blow up my pot. I did, and exploded. The second time I did it, I had a 14% chance of doing the same thing. I did, and exploded.

What can I say? I'm lucky like that. Anyway, the first time, I took the money instead of the victory points because I needed more ingredients. The second time, I took the victory points instead of the money because I needed to keep pace with the other two players. But I didn't get to roll the bonus die at all after the first couple of rounds, so I was just falling too far behind to catch up. I bought some Ghost's Breath, but honestly, the other two players just kept getting further along the track than me and outspending me. Allison was buying up higher value Garden Spiders and Crow Skulls, while Colin was in on Toadstools and Pumpkins, as well as a smattering of other things. By the time I bought into Ghost's Breath, it was just too late to make a difference.

Colin's strategy paid off: he was able to edge Allison by exactly 1 point for the win. I was way behind 'em both. But as always, I enjoyed the game. I really appreciate the thoughtfulness of the design. Yes, I was punished twice for pushing my luck. But I still had things to do, despite my pot exploding. It's not like that means the entire round is a bust. Just a thing I always enjoy about the game.

After wrapping up Quacks, we decided to play 5 Minute Dungeon so I could teach them the game I brought them. I think 5 Minute Dungeon should be on the shelf of any gamer with kids. It's a lot of fun, it's cooperative, it's got a very finite length, and it can weave a fun narrative. In the first game we played, I rolled with the Ranger, Allison with the Ninja, and Colin with the... Barbarian. I think? I'm pretty sure!

We started with the first boss: the Baby Barbarian. It was kind of slow going as we sorted through how best to navigate the game, so it's just as well that we got stymied by a mini-boss that we couldn't defeat. We all got stuck with no way to draw more cards and lost. Going into game two, I decided to switch from the Ranger to the Huntress so that I could give a player cards if we did get stuck. As a Ranger, I didn't use my ability once anyway, so why not change it up? Colin and Allison had a better handle on the game at this point and wanted to use their same classes again, so we got back to it. This time, we were able to handle things a little more efficiently. I know my draw was better this time around, too. We crashed through the dungeon and defeated the Baby Barbarian with something like 12 seconds to spare. VICTORY!

It was a good time! A good way to spend the evening with good people. If you haven't played either of these games, you owe it to yourself to give them a shot!