Lords of Vegas & A 10 x 10 Game Challenge Update

Beginning in January I started three board gaming challenges to complete in 2016 for myself:

1. 10 x 10 Challenge - Play 10 Games 10 Times Each
2. 2016 52 Game Challenge - Play 52 Different Games Based on Specific Criteria
3. 1 x 100 Challenge - Play 1 Game 100 Times (Not constrained to complete in 2016)

So here is where the 10 x 10 Challenge stands to date:

1. 7 Wonders Duel = 6 plays
2. Guillotine
3. Lords of Vegas = 1 play
4. Machi Koro
5. Munchkin = 3 plays
6. Pandemic
7. Power Grid = 1 play
8. RoboRally
9. Yedo = 1 play
10. Zombicide

Last night Mark and I kicked off the first plays for two more games on this list Power Grid - which I reported on here - and Lords of Vegas.

Lords of Vegas is a fun game where you are building casinos on the Las Vegas Strip. The game mechanics are pretty simple. You draw a card which tells you which lot you get and which color of casinos pay out. If you have casinos in that color you get more money plus $1 million per parking lot (game term for an empty lot) you own. When your color of casino pays out, you also get victory points. The player with the most victory points when the Game Over card comes up wins.

Dice are used in this game to determine control of a casino. If two players build the same color casino right next to each other on adjoining lots, that is considered one casino and the player with the highest number of dice pips showing gets the victory points when the casino pays out. The non-controlling "partner" can contest this arrangement by challenging the other player to a dice duel by paying $1 million/pip showing. They then roll the dice concerned and whatever the outcome, that is the who controls the hotel. Sometimes control changes. Sometimes it does not.

The pips on the dice also control how much a player is paid for his/her casino when that color pays out. The number of pips showing for that casino (on all of the adjoining lots with that color) x $1 million = the payout. This provides incentive to acquire neighboring lots and build really big casinos.

Another incentive to acquire neighboring lots and build large casinos is the victory point track. It uses a unique mechanism to keep one player from getting a gigantic lead. Every so often the ability to move forward on this track suddenly becomes difficult because you don't move forward one point at a time. for awhile you have to be able to move forward two points at a time - or not at all. Then three points at a time - or not at all. Then four...and then five...and then six. Each lot involved in a casino counts as a victory point. A two lot casino will get you over the two point hump, but not the three point hump.

Another way to get over the victory point humps involves the only expansion to come out for this game. It's called UP! It allows you to add floors to your casinos. Each floor counts as a victory point as well.  Last night when Mark and I were playing, I had a two-lot casino that was five stories tall. That's 10 victory points and gets me over two five-point humps.

I actually won the game last night! I know I sound astounded, but it's very rare for me to win this game, especially when playing against Mark. It was a close game for most of the time. I would pull ahead and then he would pull ahead. However, in the end I made a few moves that shot me into the lead and he was not able to catch up. He did some analysis after the Game Over card came up and figured that even with two more turns, he would not have been able to catch up to me. That really felt good. I don't usually win by that much.