Games in the Pub

 We singularly failed, whilst on holiday, to play any board games.  We played Regicide (app-aided card game) a few times but that was it.

Partly it was because none of the pubs we went to had quite the right combination of lighting, beer, tables and ambiance.  Partly, it was because we spent a LOT of time staring at the tide coming in and out.

So, back in the shire we doubled down on our attempts.  Sunday, we took games to Martha's (as per) and got a chance to play a whole new game - Splendour Duel.  It felt like it might be tricky but we soon got into the swing of it.

Yesterday, we were back to work and so I spent the day catching up on emails and Teams messages.  By 4.30pm, I wanted an easy pub trip so off we popped to the Barley Mow, and we took Splendour with us.

It was moderately quiet in the pub and we had a nice little corner on a suitable table.  The beer, as ever, was lovely and so a relaxing evening ensued.

We drink (even) slower when we play games so the extended time in the pub doesn't translate to more drinking.  

Since the earliest days of playing Zombies! in the Half Moon in Hitchin we've refined our approach and we have several really good pub games:

Jaipur

Lost Cities

Biblios

The Mind

Chrononauts (when you have a little more space)

Sail

Lost Expedition

Island of Trains

Splendour

...and we suspect "Crew" will also work but we haven't tested in a pub yet.

We've also learned that it's no good trying to learn a new game in a dark and noisy pub (as happened with Island of Trains) but having a game you know really well in your bag or pocket when conditions aren't ideal is a really good thing. (for us, this is Regicide:  one pack of cards, one mobile phone with the scoring app on it and one 3D printed phone stand).

The combination of great beer and a good game when we're not in the mood to just chat makes for a perfect evening out.