Games: Havoc

"Cry Havoc, and Let Slip the Dogs of War!"

Sorry, I just had to. Ha ha.

Well, oddly enough, that actually sums up the game of Havoc decently well, at least in theme. You fight a series of battles against other players, not with weaponry or troops in miniature, but with poker-type combinations of cards. In fact, poker terms are used, such as straight flush and the like. Then the Dogs of War come out, adding another dimension to the game (more stategy rather than simply poker-type luck), allowing you to "loot" the discard pile, retreiving formerly used cards.

The theme is supposedly the Hundred Years War, although that is barely in evidence besides the limited card art and the presence of some cards named for actual battle sites. And, the whole dogs of war thing, for apparently dogs were in actual fact used to "retreive" dropped weaponry from the vacated battlefeild. Could have been done better, though.

Apparently, it is yet another well-designed and yet decidedly out-of-print game. Like Nuclear War. Or Seven Ages.

We also played Ticket to Ride last night. I liked it a lot better this time than earlier games, perhaps because I won handily. I have a renewed sense that it is especially notable as a game for mixed company (gamers and non).

See you next game night!