First Game of Marco Polo...

...and probably my last.

The concept of the game is nice enough, but every move is governed by the compass-like 'wheel of fortune' on the board; you spin it, and it points to the number of spaces you may move your pawn - OR indicates that you have been assailed by bandits/pirates (in which case you don not get to move at all). and when you have spent 3-4 turns moving 1 space and/or fighting bandits (probably losing some of your precious trading goods along the way), all the while your opponents move freely across the board, amassing fortunes through trading, the game begins to feel a little dull.

If the game could be finished in less than an hour, I would not mind the randomness, but at this point we already played 2-3 hours, and were only about half way through (the players need to return to Venice with their amassed wealth after visiting Kublai Khan and carrying out a mission for him).

Well, at least the game requires players to read cards, and to do some simple math, which is good for the kids - especially Lea, at only 10.

Getting Ready for Marco Polo

All set for trying out the next of my recently purchased board games. It is a step up in complexity from Columbus, which is very simple, as Marco Polo includes trading, fighting bandits/pirates, accepting missions from Kublai Khan, and returning to Venice with a certain size of valuables.

Board Games: Second-hand Deal!

I bought these games very cheaply on Facebook Sunday evening, and the kids and I are going to try them out over the next couple of days.

The forecast says it is going to be pouring down almost all days this week, so even though I start my 5-night work week Wednesday, we are going to have lots of time for indoor activities, as the girls ar well into their school holidays.