Since I was a kid, I have loved trains, and I love board games. Therefore, it is logical to assume that I would highly enjoy train games. Unfortunately, up until now, my experience has been limited to TransAmerica and Ticket to Ride. Although light games, I love both of them and count TransAmerica as one of my favorites, but I have craved something more in depth.
Thus around my birthday, I set out to fix this dilemma with a purchase of a heavier train game. At the time I was debating among Age of Steam, Steam, and Chicago Express. During this time I was following the Age of Steam vs Steam drama and was unsure of which to get, so I settled on Chicago Express. Mostly because it was what my local game store had. I do not regret this decision; it is quickly becoming one of my favorite board games.
In Chicago Express, players assume the roles of investors and funnel capital into five seperate rail companies in the hopes of making the most money from dividends. The game features a beautiful map and money and stocks on what I would consider fancy paper. It is a visually appealing game.
One of the unique aspects of Chicago Express is that players aren't a single company. Instead, players all have control over a certain company. Well, as long as they have stock in it. This mechanic encourages a high level of player interaction which is why I love the game so much. You are constantly working with the other players to benefit yourself without benefiting them as much. Sometimes it is fun to use your one share of a stock to run a company into the ground, but for the most part, everyone seems to work together.
When the game begins, there is an initial stock auction for the four primary companies. The last company does not appear until later in the game. After a share has been distributed for each company, the game begins.
During the game, players get to choose from one of three actions: auction, develop, or expand. With the first auction, the player names one of the companies and offers a stock in it. Each company has a limited number of shares and a mininum bid. This bid is based off the income level of the company divided by the number of shares out including the one being auctioned. This formula is also how one calculates the dividends from these stocks.
The second action is developing hexes on the board. Developing allows a player to increase the income level of a company by developing cities or mountains. Forrests are a way to pump more cash into the company.
Finally, players can try to expand the network of the rail company. With this action, players use the capital in the railroad to grow and increas the income level by going to various cities. In another great mechanic, players have to use the money of the company to expand instead of their own. Players money is completely seperate from the companies.
All three of these actions can only be chosen a limited number of times. There are little guages on the board to show the progress of the actions. When the indicator is in the red, players are unable to choose that action unti they are reset. After two guages are in the red, the game pauses for a dividend phase.
During the dividend phase, players recieve revenue from the stocks they own. The amount paid out is calculated the same way the mininum share price is calculated. In both instances, the numbers are rounded up. It helps a little to be decent with math. At the end of the dividends, the guages are reset and play resumes. The game continues until one of several end conditions are met. Usually three or more companies being out of stock or trains to expand with.
In Chicago Express, resources are extremely limited. Each company has a set number of shares and trains. Therefore, players have to constantly struggle with how to expand. If they are too slow to expand, it may be more costly later. Then they will need more capital. To do so involves auctioning more shares which lowers the amount of revenue you might receive because more people become involved in the company of. The entire time playing I sit on the edge of my seat watching everything unfold and trying to plan what to do.
As of right now, I really only have two problems with this game: the box and the length. As for the former, the box is much too big for the game. It looks gigantic, but in reality, it really is not. I would say it is more similiar to Ticket to Ride, but it could have been in a smaller box.
With the length, I feel like the game ends too soon! It can be played in about 45-75 minutes which is actually a huge plus for the game as well. I am just always disappointed when the game ends because I feel like things are really starting to heat up and get super interesting. However, if the game went on much longer, it would probably drag some. Oh well. The positives of this game greatly out weigh the negatives.
Chicago Express is a wonderfully delightful game. It has great components, a decent play time, and with only three actions to choose from, a lovely simplicity. However, it has enough tough decision making to make it highly strategic, involving, and addictive. Without a doubt, Chicago Express is one of my new favorite games.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
I Wish Lunch Could Last Forever
Last night, I was discussing with Liza my theory on meals. Over the years, I have realized that each meal we eat has a distinct social characteristic. These characteristics relate strongly to time of the day.
Breakfast is the most solitary of meals. For most normal people, it is the first meal of the day, and you are just waking up. If you are like me, you don't have the energy to carry on any sort of conversation. It is a time to get focused on the day and to get prepared. Not to be distracted by people.
On the other hand, lunch is the most social of all meals. It should be enjoyed in a noisy cafeteria surrounded by friends and acquaintances. It is like a mini-midday vacation! Lunch time conversations are always light hearted and never too serious. In college, many of my favorite memories are of eating with groups of people in the cafeteria. In fact, there were times that I had my lunch friends who I never really hung out with outside of the cafeteria. Lunch is the meal that is best enjoyed with other people.
As for dinner, it is the most intimate. It is meant to be spent with significant people in your life: family, lovers, and very dear friends. It is a time to truly get to know someone and reflect about each other. Why do you think dates are supposed to occur in the evening?
Of course, that leaves brunch. To be honest with you, I don't understand brunch. It wants to be breakfast and lunch, but it always turns in to one or the other. Not both. In my case, it usually winds up being lunch. After all, lunch is my favorite meal, and like the Jimmy Buffett song, "I wish lunch could last forever."
Breakfast is the most solitary of meals. For most normal people, it is the first meal of the day, and you are just waking up. If you are like me, you don't have the energy to carry on any sort of conversation. It is a time to get focused on the day and to get prepared. Not to be distracted by people.
On the other hand, lunch is the most social of all meals. It should be enjoyed in a noisy cafeteria surrounded by friends and acquaintances. It is like a mini-midday vacation! Lunch time conversations are always light hearted and never too serious. In college, many of my favorite memories are of eating with groups of people in the cafeteria. In fact, there were times that I had my lunch friends who I never really hung out with outside of the cafeteria. Lunch is the meal that is best enjoyed with other people.
As for dinner, it is the most intimate. It is meant to be spent with significant people in your life: family, lovers, and very dear friends. It is a time to truly get to know someone and reflect about each other. Why do you think dates are supposed to occur in the evening?
Of course, that leaves brunch. To be honest with you, I don't understand brunch. It wants to be breakfast and lunch, but it always turns in to one or the other. Not both. In my case, it usually winds up being lunch. After all, lunch is my favorite meal, and like the Jimmy Buffett song, "I wish lunch could last forever."
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Stars, Savings, and Shootouts
So yesterday, I took a page from Liza's book and slept until noon. I haven't done that in quite some time actually. Although it was nice, I didn't actually care for it all that much. I guess I can no longer sleep away my day. I prefer getting up at a semi-decent time. Even if it is just to watch some TV.
Speaking of which, I am on the final season of Deep Space Nine. I got through a disc yesterday, and a disc today. Actually, I may have watched more yesterday. Anyway, I am down to the final nine episode, ten hour story arc. I am really considering trying to marathon my way through all those episodes in one sitting. I think it will be easy to do because they all have cliffhanger endings.
While watching DS9, I started cutting coupons. I am hoping they will save me some money, but I see a flaw in this plan. I cut out coupons for somethings that I don't really need. It was more like "Oooh. I have a coupon for this, so I should get it next time I go to the store." We shall see. The other problem with coupons is that most of them require you to buy two of some items. Is it really worth the savings? I don't know. I guess it is dependent upon whether or not the items are perishable. If it is something like laundry detergent, then I do not see as much of a problem. Thoughts? On the plus side, I am super excited for the KFC coupons I found. Huzzah!
On Saturday, I am going to spend the day visiting someone in Olympia. I am super excited, and I need to finish out the itenerary. I told her I would plan everything out this time, so she won't feel as stressed out. Speaking of Saturday, it is also Derby Day. Luckily, I have talked her into watching the race with me. Now, I just need to find a sports bar in Olympia. I also need to find a place to eat lunch and dinner. Yikes. Oh well, it will be something to do later in the week.
Tonight, I watched Dirty Harry and Magnum Force. It has been about a year since I have seen them, and I was super excited. Both of them are really good movies in my opinion. Harry is more of a suspense oriented action movie in my opinion. It has some action, but it is rather limited really. Still the movie is filled with some great camera shots and scene transitions. I was appreciating it from more of a technical standpoint this time.
Magnum Force, on the other hand, is much more of an action film than its predecesor. In this one, Harry kicks a lot more ass, and I am pretty sure within the first thirty minutes, they double the body count from the first movie. It only goes uphill from there. I have to say that I really like this entry in the franchise. It is filled with action, but it also has a good story. The vigilante cops idea works really well and helps to establish where Harry draws the line with fighting crime. Although he hates the system, he isn't willing to circumvent it. Good movie.
I popped some popcorn tonight, and while the bag was in the microwave, it some how burned a hole in the bag. From the hole, kernels started popping their way out of the bag and shooting around the microwave! It was the damnedest thing. I swear I have never seen this happen before. It was crazy.
Speaking of which, I am on the final season of Deep Space Nine. I got through a disc yesterday, and a disc today. Actually, I may have watched more yesterday. Anyway, I am down to the final nine episode, ten hour story arc. I am really considering trying to marathon my way through all those episodes in one sitting. I think it will be easy to do because they all have cliffhanger endings.
While watching DS9, I started cutting coupons. I am hoping they will save me some money, but I see a flaw in this plan. I cut out coupons for somethings that I don't really need. It was more like "Oooh. I have a coupon for this, so I should get it next time I go to the store." We shall see. The other problem with coupons is that most of them require you to buy two of some items. Is it really worth the savings? I don't know. I guess it is dependent upon whether or not the items are perishable. If it is something like laundry detergent, then I do not see as much of a problem. Thoughts? On the plus side, I am super excited for the KFC coupons I found. Huzzah!
On Saturday, I am going to spend the day visiting someone in Olympia. I am super excited, and I need to finish out the itenerary. I told her I would plan everything out this time, so she won't feel as stressed out. Speaking of Saturday, it is also Derby Day. Luckily, I have talked her into watching the race with me. Now, I just need to find a sports bar in Olympia. I also need to find a place to eat lunch and dinner. Yikes. Oh well, it will be something to do later in the week.
Tonight, I watched Dirty Harry and Magnum Force. It has been about a year since I have seen them, and I was super excited. Both of them are really good movies in my opinion. Harry is more of a suspense oriented action movie in my opinion. It has some action, but it is rather limited really. Still the movie is filled with some great camera shots and scene transitions. I was appreciating it from more of a technical standpoint this time.
Magnum Force, on the other hand, is much more of an action film than its predecesor. In this one, Harry kicks a lot more ass, and I am pretty sure within the first thirty minutes, they double the body count from the first movie. It only goes uphill from there. I have to say that I really like this entry in the franchise. It is filled with action, but it also has a good story. The vigilante cops idea works really well and helps to establish where Harry draws the line with fighting crime. Although he hates the system, he isn't willing to circumvent it. Good movie.
I popped some popcorn tonight, and while the bag was in the microwave, it some how burned a hole in the bag. From the hole, kernels started popping their way out of the bag and shooting around the microwave! It was the damnedest thing. I swear I have never seen this happen before. It was crazy.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
My Adventuerous Tuesday
Yesterday, I walked about 6 miles total. I am really proud of myself for that feat. Unfortunately, my feet are now sore from it. I wore my sandals, and I've not worn them since last summer. Thus, I have a blister or two on my feet. It was worth it.
My morning was fairly calm. I tried exercising some in the morning, and then I goofed off online. Eventually, I ate a light lunch and prepared myself for my adventure... to the post office because I had something to mail to someone. If you ask me, that is a perfectly reasonable reason to go to the post office.
I knew there was a post office not too far away from here, and the weather was beautiful. Why drive when I can walk? So I left the apartment, walked down 67th avenue until Powell, and started walking down Powell. Technically, I was walking West which isn't really down. Anyway.
The entire time I tried to walk a little briskly, and eventually I made it to the post office. I mailed my package using quarters, and then I checked out this used media store next to the building. It did not have anything I really wanted, so I saved money which is a plus.
Instead of walking the same way home, I trekked north up 50th until I returned to Division. Then I turned East and headed towards home. Along the way, I remembered that there was a Dairy Queen, and I thought to myself. A Blizzard would be delicious right now, so I got my self an Oreo Blizzard. It was tasty. Unfortunately, I think it negated the effects of my walk.
When I got home, I checked my distance out of curiosity. It ends up I walked about three miles which is about a mile more than I anticipated. I was really proud of myself. To celebrate my accomplishment, I applied for a job with the Beaverton Library as a Circulation Supervisor. Wish me luck on that!
For dinner last night, I decided to experiment with this recipe for Beer Pork Chops I found online. It was pretty simple to make, but I am not sure how much I enjoyed it. The first few bites were really good, but then it seemed rather bland. I could not taste the seasoning I did have on the pork chops which was sad. The beer I used was Pyramid's spring seasonal, Rollick. It is an amber lager. I tried it the night before, and I found it to be about average. Not bad at all, but nothing spectacular. To go along with the pork, I had some roasted garlic potatoes and some garlic cheese bread. I made it all by myself. Go me.
After dinner, I tried reading outside for a little bit, but my roommate and I decided to go out drinking. It was dollar PBR night at North Bar, and both of us wanted to get out of the house. Thus we headed down to 50th.
North Bar is a fairly nice bar. It has a pool table, a dart board, friendly staff and PBR is only a dollar on Tuesdays. I do not always care for PBR, but when it is only a dollar, I can't complain. I had about three PBRS, and I had to pay for the last one with quarters. I am fancy. Anyway, the bar has a great juke box too. They play classic country, classic rock, and good indie rock.
As I mentioned, the staff is nice. When I went to order, the bartender asked "How are you doing?" I responded asking for a PBR. She said sure, but first, "How are you doing?" I laughed, said I was good, and asked how she was. I appreciated that.
While we were sitting there, my roommate and I started talking about how amzingly delicious onion rings would be right then. Unfortunately, North Bar doesn't have deliciously deep fried snacks, so we decided to go to Gators instead. Thus, we walked down to Powell and headed east towards 68th.
Ultimately, my roommate and I walked the reverse of my earlier trek. In my quest for beer and onion rings, I walked another 3 miles. At Gators, I had another two PBRs and half a basket of onion rings. It was amazing. What I love about Gators is that when you get ranch to dip stuff, they don't just give you a little cup of it. Oh no. They give you a condiment bottle of it to use. It is amazing. Gators may not be the most amazing bar ever, but it has good food. I enjoy it because it is kind of a dive, but it hasn't been run over by hipsters yet. Now that it is smoke free I may go a little more frequently... assuming I get a job.
When I got home. I looked around the web and made a quick drunk dial. Luckily, the person had her phone off, but I knew that when I called. I just wanted to leave a nice message. After that I was tired, so I passed out. It was a nice end to a fairly epic Tuesday.
My morning was fairly calm. I tried exercising some in the morning, and then I goofed off online. Eventually, I ate a light lunch and prepared myself for my adventure... to the post office because I had something to mail to someone. If you ask me, that is a perfectly reasonable reason to go to the post office.
I knew there was a post office not too far away from here, and the weather was beautiful. Why drive when I can walk? So I left the apartment, walked down 67th avenue until Powell, and started walking down Powell. Technically, I was walking West which isn't really down. Anyway.
The entire time I tried to walk a little briskly, and eventually I made it to the post office. I mailed my package using quarters, and then I checked out this used media store next to the building. It did not have anything I really wanted, so I saved money which is a plus.
Instead of walking the same way home, I trekked north up 50th until I returned to Division. Then I turned East and headed towards home. Along the way, I remembered that there was a Dairy Queen, and I thought to myself. A Blizzard would be delicious right now, so I got my self an Oreo Blizzard. It was tasty. Unfortunately, I think it negated the effects of my walk.
When I got home, I checked my distance out of curiosity. It ends up I walked about three miles which is about a mile more than I anticipated. I was really proud of myself. To celebrate my accomplishment, I applied for a job with the Beaverton Library as a Circulation Supervisor. Wish me luck on that!
For dinner last night, I decided to experiment with this recipe for Beer Pork Chops I found online. It was pretty simple to make, but I am not sure how much I enjoyed it. The first few bites were really good, but then it seemed rather bland. I could not taste the seasoning I did have on the pork chops which was sad. The beer I used was Pyramid's spring seasonal, Rollick. It is an amber lager. I tried it the night before, and I found it to be about average. Not bad at all, but nothing spectacular. To go along with the pork, I had some roasted garlic potatoes and some garlic cheese bread. I made it all by myself. Go me.
After dinner, I tried reading outside for a little bit, but my roommate and I decided to go out drinking. It was dollar PBR night at North Bar, and both of us wanted to get out of the house. Thus we headed down to 50th.
North Bar is a fairly nice bar. It has a pool table, a dart board, friendly staff and PBR is only a dollar on Tuesdays. I do not always care for PBR, but when it is only a dollar, I can't complain. I had about three PBRS, and I had to pay for the last one with quarters. I am fancy. Anyway, the bar has a great juke box too. They play classic country, classic rock, and good indie rock.
As I mentioned, the staff is nice. When I went to order, the bartender asked "How are you doing?" I responded asking for a PBR. She said sure, but first, "How are you doing?" I laughed, said I was good, and asked how she was. I appreciated that.
While we were sitting there, my roommate and I started talking about how amzingly delicious onion rings would be right then. Unfortunately, North Bar doesn't have deliciously deep fried snacks, so we decided to go to Gators instead. Thus, we walked down to Powell and headed east towards 68th.
Ultimately, my roommate and I walked the reverse of my earlier trek. In my quest for beer and onion rings, I walked another 3 miles. At Gators, I had another two PBRs and half a basket of onion rings. It was amazing. What I love about Gators is that when you get ranch to dip stuff, they don't just give you a little cup of it. Oh no. They give you a condiment bottle of it to use. It is amazing. Gators may not be the most amazing bar ever, but it has good food. I enjoy it because it is kind of a dive, but it hasn't been run over by hipsters yet. Now that it is smoke free I may go a little more frequently... assuming I get a job.
When I got home. I looked around the web and made a quick drunk dial. Luckily, the person had her phone off, but I knew that when I called. I just wanted to leave a nice message. After that I was tired, so I passed out. It was a nice end to a fairly epic Tuesday.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Wally's Americana Mix: Volume 1: No Depression
Recently, I made someone (Liza) a mix of Americana music. I hope this to be the first in a series, and I focused volume one on alt-country bands. Specifically, I placed artists whom I consider to be the foundation of the genre. I shared a few songs from each act. Here is the list.
- "No Depression" by Uncle Tupelo from No Depression
- "Still Be Around" by Uncle Tupelo from Still Feel Gone
- "The Long Cut" by Uncle Tupelo from Anodyne
- "Don't Wanna Know Why" by Whiskeytown from Pneumonia
- "Crazy About You" by Whiskeytown from Pneumonia
- "Two Hearts" by Ryan Adams from Easy Tiger
- "Box Full of Letters" by Wilco from A.M.
- "I've Got You (At the End of the Century)" by Wilco from Being There
- "California Stars" by Wilco from Mermaid Avenue, Vol. 1
- "Windfall" by Son Volt from Drown
- "Drown" by Son Volt from Drown
- "Caryatid Easy" by Son Volt from Straightaways
- "Blue" by The Jayhawks from Tomorrow the Green Grass
- "Waitin' for the Sun" by The Jayhawks from Hollywood Town Hall
- "Save It for a Rainy Day" by The Jayhawks from Rainy Day Music
- "Big Brown Eyes" by Old 97's from Too Far to Care
- "Murder (Or a Heart Attack)" by Old 97's from Fight Songs
- "Rollerskate Skinny" by Old 97's from Satellite Rides
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Potpourri
This post will just be a bunch of random thoughts. Let us begin.
- Lately, I have been drinking gin more. In some ways, I feel like I am neglecting my relationship with borboun/whiskey. I am not sure how long this tryst will last.
- I took a mini-vacation to see the girl from my Star Trek date again. It was good, but kind of awkward. We are going to work on the awkward parts and see each other again soon.
- Unemployment is kind of lame. You would think I would be more productive, but all I do is watch Star Trek. Actually, that is kind of lame. I just need some income.
- Why am I drinking beer less?
- Reading is reaching a standstill. I am almost done with Three Soldier. Less than 100 pages to go. I just need motivation.
- Hook was better than I remember. Or maybe it was worse. I am not really sure, but I do think it was the first time I have seen the movie since it came out.
- I still think I prefer the first half of Small Time Crooks more than the latter. At least this time, I better appreciated the second half. It made some more sense.
- I've got nothing...
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Indefinite Weekend
As most of you already know, I am currently unemployed. Instead of letting this situation depress me too much, I am trying to make the best of it. During the past week, I have actually made it a mini-vacation. Mostly, I have taken time to myself to just relax. I have spent this time watching Deep Space Nine. I love this series. Upon watching it this time, I have decided to get back into the Star Trek: CCG. Luckily, Zip has agreed to play it with me. Hopefully, I can find some more.
In terms of the job search, I have not been trying much yet. That will come soon, but I wanted some personal time first. As for the initial jobs I applied for, I have not heard anything yet. Not even rejection letters. It is kind of frustrating. I'll start looking for more towards the end of the week.
Tomorrow, I am heading to campus to take care of a couple of things. I have been meaning to do them for a week now, but I keep sleeping in instead. However, I need to get it done. Since I made plans for tomorrow, there is no backing out of it now. I just have to make sure I wake up in time.
So over the weekend, the real weekend that is, I had a date-type engagement. It was probably the best one I have had in a long time. I mean come on. It consisted of Star Trek, beer, pizza, How I Met Your Mother, and a pretty lady. Does life get any better? Currently, I am making plans to see her again. Time for a bit of a road trip...
I simultaneously like and dislike being unemployed. I have managed to get some stuff done around the apartment with my free time, but I wish I was being more productive and spending some time outside of my flat. I better start the job search soon. Hopefully I have decent luck. Just in case, you better wish me some.
In terms of the job search, I have not been trying much yet. That will come soon, but I wanted some personal time first. As for the initial jobs I applied for, I have not heard anything yet. Not even rejection letters. It is kind of frustrating. I'll start looking for more towards the end of the week.
Tomorrow, I am heading to campus to take care of a couple of things. I have been meaning to do them for a week now, but I keep sleeping in instead. However, I need to get it done. Since I made plans for tomorrow, there is no backing out of it now. I just have to make sure I wake up in time.
So over the weekend, the real weekend that is, I had a date-type engagement. It was probably the best one I have had in a long time. I mean come on. It consisted of Star Trek, beer, pizza, How I Met Your Mother, and a pretty lady. Does life get any better? Currently, I am making plans to see her again. Time for a bit of a road trip...
I simultaneously like and dislike being unemployed. I have managed to get some stuff done around the apartment with my free time, but I wish I was being more productive and spending some time outside of my flat. I better start the job search soon. Hopefully I have decent luck. Just in case, you better wish me some.
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