Café Games: Sunda to Sahul, Sticheln

I've been quite anxious to play Sunda to Sahul lately and finally, after one canceled attempt last week, I was able. After finishing the morning session of Der Wahnvorstellung, I met Ville and Laura at the Klubi, which has became the standard location for these spontaneous game meetings.

So, we started with Sunda. Ville came a bit later than Laura, so we had time to play a two-player game and after that two games with all three of us playing. This time I completely skipped the turns game. That turned out to be a wise choice, as the no turns game is much more interesting and exciting. Not to mention faster: all three games were over in max 15 minutes.

I completely ruled all three games. It's like Ricochet Robot - (almost) all-skill game which requires quick thinking. Novices just can't beat experienced pattern matchers. But I think no turns game is still more interesting, even with unequal players. It's more fun and a better learning experience to play, say, four games of no turns instead of one slow turns game.

We played with the basic rules (well, theoretically we had water rights, but that didn't make a difference), which were enough. I'd like to try the other rules, too, but even the basic rules make a good game if played simultaneously.

Then it was time for another great gaming experience, when I completely beat Laura and Ville in Sticheln. Another case of experience in action. I took points in every trick, eventually winning the game with about 30 points. But Laura and Ville seemed to figure it out while the game progressed. I'm not that much experienced, really, after just five games.

So, another pleasant gaming experience. Now, I'm back to playing Der Wahnvorstellung!