Gwen and I have occasionally had groups of people over to play games, and we sometimes pull out a game or two with people we've had over for dinner, but this past Saturday was the first time we've really ever had another couple come over for the express purpose of playing games. 

Since the first time that we were sure Britt's fiancé Carol actually existed (yeah, for a while we thought she was a figment of his imagination), we've been trying to find a time to get together to play games and get to know each other better.  They were great company, and the conversation was really nice and stimulating, but I won't bore you with all that.  Instead, let's talk about the really important stuff, what games we played!

We started off with the brand-new Z-Man cooperative game Pandemic.  The theme was pretty interesting to everybody, and we figured that a cooperative game would be the perfect way to start a couples' game day.  The game also, however, has a bit of a learning curve in figuring out how to work together and make turns more efficient.  Before long, the Red Fever swept over Asia and the Pacific, spreading even into the United States and eventually consuming the whole world!

Immediately, we set back up and tried it again.  This time, we did a lot better.  While  few Outbreaks popped up from time to time, for the most part we kept the board pretty under control as we tried to feed Gwen (the Scientist) cards to cure the three diseases.  Yellow was the one disease that we hadn't concentrated much on early, and so late in the game I was scrambling to find the cards I needed to cure it.  In the end, we came up a turn or two short as we ran out of cards just before I could get the last yellow card I needed.  Still, everyone enjoyed Pandemic a lot, and it continues to be one of my favorite new games!

 
Britt is overwhelmed by our failure to save humanity from pestilent doom!
After that, we pulled out my favorite game, The Princes of Florence.  It's also one of Gwen's favorites, and Carol had been wanting to try it out for a while.  Britt actually didn't care too much for it the only time he had played, but was willing to give it another good try.

Now, I think that Princes is an absolute work of genius, and I tried to convey how perfectly all of its little pieces fit together as I explained the rules.  I also warned Britt and Carol not too worry so much about winning on their first (or second) game, because the game requires a lot of planning to really do well.  I went straight for a Jester/Works strategy, and ended up crushing them pretty easily (mainly to show them how powerful this strategy is).  Gwen went with her "usual" strategy as well, a balanced approach focusing on Prestige cards, and ended up leaping from last place up into second on the last turn.  Carol really liked the game, and in a dramatic change of opinion, Britt came around to like it as well. 

After that, we worked on supper.  I made the mistake of trying to start explaining Race for the Galaxy to everybody else as the food was being prepared, but Gwen was back and forth to the stove enough that she really didn't pick up anything at all.  When we finally got done with the food and back to gaming, I had to start over with the explanation but didn't do a very thorough job, thinking that Gwen had picked up more than she actually did.  Anyway, we had some frustrated moments in the early game as I tried to explain to her on the fly how to play.  

Later on, however, things seemed to get more into a routine.  I got a pretty good little produce/consume engine going and ended up winning, but Carol and Britt seemed to enjoy the game as well.  Gwen and I still need to sit down alone and go through the game again to get her up to speed.  

Unfortunately, it was getting late by that time, and our evening of games and fellowship had to end.  This was a really nice and relaxed atmosphere to play in, and Carol and Britt were just fantastic guests to have over.  I got to show off my growing game collection, and we shared a nice meal.  This is definitely the kind of evening we need to plan more in the future.  Hopefully, the little baby girl that will be joining our family in four weeks will give us the chance every so often!