Lots of board gaming lately

 

Our Sunday evening game crew has been playing a lot of board games, lately. I think everybody is in a lull phase on having a miniatures game ready to host, so we've been falling back on board games. Last Sunday, we were at Ptom's house and he pulled out a new purchase. There were seven of us in attendance, and that tends to limit what games we can play.
 

So, we decided to give Ptom's "Steampunk Rally" a try. Wow, what a complex game. Ptom read us the rules, and we were all confused at several points. Several times I quipped, "So, tell me again why we're not playing Seven Wonders right now?" Seven Wonders is my favorite multiplayer boardgame right now, but Steve said he dislikes it and had nixed it. Of course, he brought Munchkin...which to my thinking, is about as limited a game as you can play. Who draws the lucky cards? Who does everybody pick on? Whoopie...! So, I nixed that one in reply...ha, ha!

Anyway, back to Steampunk Rally. Players take on the role of famous inventors or scientists -- Tesla, Marconi, Einstein, Edison, and several others were in our game. They are constructing a steampunkish contraption from the cards they draw to race around a rocky track that tends to tear apart your machine. There are three different types of energy -- steam, electricity, and heat. Your contraption will probably specialize in one of them, but need all types eventually. There are a number of strange mechanics in the game. You place colored dice on your machine to represent you powering up your machine, but then you have to pay to take them off -- "venting" them -- before you can re-power it.

There is certainly a lot of variety, and we felt a lot more confident about the game after playing several rounds. However, not my favorite new game of the ones we've played.

The previous Sunday we had also been at Ptom's. We tried another recent purchase of his -- the inaptly named "Five Tribes," which seems to be quite popular. As often is the case with Eurogames, there is a "veneer" of history or setting thrown over game mechanics. This one seemed to have the thinnest of veneers. Tribes is a terrible English word for what in the game are five different castes or guilds that you try to utilize to earn the most victory points. They even call their pieces "meeples" at one point -- the generic gamer's term for the little wooden playing pieces that appear in most Eurogames. They couldn't think of another term that fit their Middle Eastern / South Asia motif and setting? 

All complaining about the veneer aside, this is an excellent game. There are so many paths to victory, so many strategies to utilize to win, that every game could be different. We played it twice and had two completely different strategies win the game. In the first game, Joel won by focusing on controlling tiles for victory points, while in the second game Ptom won ("Ptom's Winning!") by using the commodities. I look forward to playing this one again.

Finally, the previous week we got to try out a new purchase of mine. I had picked up a copy of Splendor at Barnes & Noble because they were having a sale to benefit my school's library. I run a weekly board game club at the school, and the kids were complaining I was bringing the same games over and over again. Earlier, I had posted on the Facebook page of the  Columbus Area Boardgaming Society (CABS), asking what game would be good for middle schoolers. Four or five of my 30 responses were for this game.
 

In Splendor, you are a gem merchant, picking up five different types of gems (or gold -- which is like a wild card). You use these gems to purchase cards, which give you a permanent bonus of one gem of a certain color. There are three tiers of cards, each costing progressively more gems. Some of the cards provide victory points, most of the lower tier ones do not. If you collect enough "bonus cards" you may acquire a noble as a customer, which provides you with more victory points.

Between the one time we played it at Joel's two Sundays ago, and the twice I've played it at the school board game club, I've yet to win this game. It is fun, fast, and a clever design. The kids loved it and picked it up quickly. So, it was a worthwhile purchase, and definitely a game I enjoy playing and look forward to trying again (and getting that elusive victory!).

Three weeks of Sundays, and three new board games!

Midway Point in the Lead Painters League: 3-3

There have been few pictures on this site of my newly-painted figures, lately. The reason for that is I have decided to once again enter the Lead Painters League. This competition on the Lead Adventure Forum website matches work by painters head-to-head each week. This year, there are 34 participants, and the competition level is very high, in my opinion. After six weeks of the league, I am a solid 3-3.

One new things this year is that matchups are done on a Swiss Chess format. It has had a humorous (for me) result that led me to calling myself the League's Whack-a-Mole. Much like the old arcade game, I am smacked on the noggin, and trounced severely in contests. However, that means I sink towards the bottom of the standings and get matched up against more equal competition. After each loss, I've been fortunate to win my next round. This rises me up in the standings, only to be -- you guessed it -- swatted back down in the next!

One reason I haven't been posting regular updates on what I'm working on is that you receive bonus points in the competition if they are "new" -- with no pictures having appeared of them before on the internet. So, as the Lead Painters League draws near, I tend to draw a veil over what I'm working on and not post updates with pictures of the figs. However, once their round is over, we're free to publicize our figs as normal.

So, without further ado, here are my first six rounds of the Lead Painters League!

Round 1 (Theme round - "Seated/Laying Poses"): Passing the Peace Pipe

These figures are 25mm Old Glory, and are actually from their Plains Indians collection. However, the styles of dress are still similar in many respects to they were in the Eastern Woodlands period. My favorite figures are the two with the wolf headdresses. As always for Lead Painters League entries, I go a bit further in my detail work. The beadwork on the center figure and the detail on the blankets came out pretty nice, I feel. These figs will be good for village raid scenarios, whether as objectives or simply eye candy. I lost this round 275-83.

Round 2: Painted for War

These are probably my favorite miniatures that I have painted for the competition, so far. They are from Bob Murch's "Flint & Feather" line of early Woodland Indians. I picked up 3 packs of them as Christmas presents this year (thank, Mom and Dad!). These are the first batch I painted up. I chose them because they have the wooden slat armor that some early Woodland Indians used. It is an option for players in my current campaign playtest of the Beaver Wars in Ohio. This is a supplement for my French & Indian War rules, Song of Drums and Tomahawks. Check out the warpaint on these guys! I am particularly proud of the three in the middle. It is interesting how my painting of warpaint on Woodland Indians is evolving. Before, I was very conservative on warpaint -- shooting for more of an occasional decoration to give the effect of a painted group. Now, I'm more willing to take risks and cover more and more of the figure with warpaint. Also note the extra detail in the leggings. Much as I love my Conquest Miniatures Indians (the manufacturer of most of my Indians), I have to admit Bob Murch's figs are simply gorgeous! I won this round 435-16.

Round 3: Hunting L'Anglais

 I had the double misfortune in round three of not only facing one of the league's more accomplished painters, but also in that they also chose to paint 28mm Indians. Sometimes I can luck out and win a matchup because my colorful Woodland Indians are a brighter, more eye-catching entry than a perhaps better-painted, but duller colored, opponent. No such chance here! This batch is a mix. The two French Coureurs de Bois (woods runners) are from my staple Conquest Miniatures line. The three Indians are "Skraelings" from Footsore Miniatures. I really like the Skraeling figures and have painted up a number of them already. In fact, having eight of them completed (but not photographed yet) was the tipping point for me entering the competition again this year. I painted up these two French to make 10, which constitutes two entries (minimum five figures). I really like how the French came out. These two are a good example of what I do when painting miniatures that are supposed to have a fairly uniform look. Coureurs de Bois tended to have red caps and white shirts. I used a tan color for the basecoat of one and a light gray for the other. Drybrushing them white makes them look similar but different. I used two different shades of red for the hats, too. Despite all this work, though, I was thoroughly crushed this round, 474-18.

Round 4: Guard the Canoes

So, a pattern was developing that would hold true for at least the first six rounds. I lose on odd numbered rounds, and win on even-numbered ones. The Whack-a-Mole effect. I get thoroughly beaten and then drop down far enough to be matched up against someone more at my skill level in the subsequent round. Were these figures better than the previous, "Hunting L'Anglais" entry? I don't think so. In fact, when you take into the account the Frenchmen, I like that entry better. To be fair, my favorite in this round is the guy in the center with the blue leggings. The color combination of red and blue stands out, and I really like his warpaint and tattoos. These five figures are more from Footsore Miniatures "Skraeling" line. The three with warclubs are my own modification. The figures come with spears, which were kind of out of fashion by the time of the French & Indian War period that I most of my games cover. They are simply a paperclip with a bead on it, covered in blue tack and glue. This was by far my closest match of the competition, so far. I barely squeaked out a win -- 254-231. My opponent was a very good painter -- one that, I generally consider superior. To check out his entry and make your own call, click here.

Round 5 (Theme Round, "High Middle Ages"): Fearsome Friars

This is the first matchup where I thought I should have won when I ended up losing. No criticism of my opponent's entry, but I was thinking my friars would pull this one out. These are Old Glory 25mm Monks. I know that Old Glory figures are not highly thought of among the Europeans that make up the bulk of the members of the Lead Adventure Forum. So, I pulled out all the stops to jazz them up. I painted them a base tan color, then applied a series of medium brown washes to give a better shading effect. I then applied a very light tan dry brush to set off the highlights that had been covered by the wash. It was actually very refreshing to paint these figures. No warpaint, no tattoos, no packs and pouches and sundry festooned all over the figures! It was fun to get out my scratch-built monastery with beehive huts to stage the photo. Alas, even the setting (and chickens and goats) could not help the doomed friars pull out this match. I lost 295-112.

Round 6: Sisters Tending 3 Sisters

 This was my least favorite of my six entries, so far. I almost went back and re-photographed it prior to the deadline for the round. However, I decided that they looked good enough and stayed with my original submission. These are more villagers from Old Glory's 25mm Plains Indians collection. However, I decided I liked the stark, black and red pattern on the central Indian woman. And I also felt the detail on the dresses of the two Indian girls was good. The faces I wasn't overly pleased with, but Old Glory does not always give you the best sculpts to work with! The "Three Sisters" corn pieces are my own scratch-built creation. For more information on how I did them, check out my entry on Three Sisters elsewhere on the blog. As I type this, I am way ahead in this matchup. Once again, are these figures better than the ones I've lost with? No, it is simply a more favorable matchup. I am winning this one 377-37 right now with just a few hours to go in voting.

So, that sums up the first half of the league (there will be 11 instead of the normal 10 rounds). My record sits at a solid 3-3. Considering the level of the competition, I am quite happy with how things are progressing...!

Beaver Wars in Ohio playtest: Turn 5

 

    Inside the friendly confines of Jenny's house, the living room hosts two games (from left, Keith, Dave, Jenny, Mike)

The local pizzeria where we'd been doing our Saturday morning playtests was booked with birthday parties all month, so we had to look elsewhere. Jenny (Miami tribe player) offered up her place, and threw in a nice spread of chili, veggies, and more, to boot! What's more, we added a ninth player last turn -- Bruce, who would play the Honniasont tribe. This would be the first meeting he could actually show up and get in a game. That meant my Erie tribe was the fifth wheel. We had four battles, and as GM I'd volunteered to be the odd man out on days that everyone could show up. The good news is it meant I had more time to wander from table to table and photograph games. So, I hope you enjoy the pictures in this update -- there are a lot more than usual!

    While the dining room hosts (from left) Steve, Andy, Bruce, and Joe (not pictured)

Once again, my players were very accommodating and send in their strategic card play by email. We ended up with the following order (taking my Erie out of the chain):
Susquehannock > Kickapoo > Seneca > Shawnee > Honniasont > Miami > Mohawk > Neutrals

    Close up of some of my 28mm Indians

Humorously, the Susquehannock decided to attack the Kickapoo, who'd thought by playing a higher War card they'd get to be the Attacker for a change. The two had fought last turn and Andy's Kickapoo had "kicked the poo" out of Steve's Susquehannock. Steve wanted revenge, and the scenario they rolled up was "Hold Them at the Gates." The battlefield centers on the winding, palisaded passageway that was the entry to a Kickapoo town. It turned sharply against the Susquehannock early when their leader was shot down and a momentary panic scattered their forces. Steve's warriors bravely regrouped and tried to force their way into Andy's town, but the Kickapoo's blood was up and they slew their enemy mercilessly. The Kickapoo scored a Major Victory, racking up 14 Scenario Victory Points (SVP) vs. Steve's 2.

    Neutral trading party escorts pack horses through a narrow defile, ready for an ambush

Our next battle saw my two co-authors on Song of Drums and Tomahawks rules slugging it out. Mike's Seneca tribe had yet to lose a battle, and attacked the campaign leader, Keith's Neutral tribe. The only battle Keith had lost so far was in the opening turn, which was actually a tie, but I called it based on the scenario outcome in his opponent's favor. They rolled up "Ambush the Traders," and Keith brought over a couple special terrain pieces to recreate a defile for his Neutral trading party to be marching through with a column of packhorses. It looked great, and added a lot of atmosphere to what was easily our most brutal, blood-soaked game of the day.

    Another closeup of native Americans painted for war

Mike's Seneca crept up on their Iroquois cousins and began sniping at them, picking off a few of Keith's warriors. He made his mistake when he decided to charge in and take the fight to the hand-to-hand stage. Keith had purchased many of his warriors on his roster with the "Strong" trait, which gives them a bonus in melee. This turned the tide in Keith's favor, but not before many warriors fell on both sides. For a more blow-by-blow account of the game, check out Keith's blog here: OrcaFinn's Basement

    The wily Shawnee hold the confined space between two bark-covered longhouses

Our third battle only proved the wiliness of our second-place Shawnee. He chose to attack the new guy, Bruce's Honniasont, knowing not only would he be less familiar with the rules, but his forces would be less built up from accumulating SVPs and Beaver Pelts. In the campaign, players receive a higher proportion of troops armed with firearms the more Beaver Pelts they accumulate. They also receive more upgrade points for traits depending on how many SVPs they've accumulated in the campaign. Bruce decided to throw Joe a curveball, though. He took his entire force (minus his leader) as Youths. This meant the Honniasont outnumbered the Shawnee 17-10 in figures. Bruce confessed to me that his plan was to swarm the enemy. Either way, he would certainly be throwing Joe off his game. None of us had faced an opponent who used this tactic, yet.

    Honniasont Youths advance towards towards the more experienced Shawnee raiders

They'd rolled up the "Slaughter Among the Lodges" scenario, which has the battle take place entirely within the palisade of the Honniasont town. Seeing the teeming hordes, Joe took a page from Thermopylae and placed his smaller number of warriors in the gap between two bark-covered longhouses. He decided to snipe away at the enemy at long range. His plan looked like it was working, as one or two of Bruce's warriors fell. But there was a flaw in Joe's plan. The Shawnee are no Greek hoplites. Each time a Shawnee gunned down an enemy, he would have to make a scalp check. Failure meant he would move uncontrolled towards the spot of his downed foe and attempt to scalp him. This was a facet of Eastern Woodlands warfare. Indian braves would commit acts that Europeans thought foolhardy. Honor and prestige was incredibly important in Native American society.

So, guess who failed the first Shawnee scalp check? Joe's leader! The Shawnee tried their best to follow up their leader so that he would not be swarmed under by a pack of Honniasont Youths, but that is exactly what happened. The game could have been lost for Joe right there, but he rolled very well on his Morale checks. He was able to re-engage the Honniasont and began to whittle away at their numbers. The Honniasont gave it a good try, but the more experienced Shawnee warriors came out on top with a 18-5 Major Victory.

    A moment of drama as the Shawnee leader in the green shirt charges into the midst of the Honniasont Youths

The final game I got to see very little of (I confess, I was enthralled by Bruce and Joe's game, and wanted to be there to help the newbie with advice if he asked). Our host Jenny and her Miami were still unable to notch a victory. Her forces have been frustrated in the first five turns, and she fell in the "Who's a Thief?" scenario to the Mohawk, 16-3. Everyone was appreciative of Jenny's pot of chili, though, if not earning a win, she received ample praise for feeding 9 hungry gamers!

    Kickapoo race to block off the entrance from the Susquehannock raiders

I plan for this playtest to go 10 turns, so we are at the halfway point, now. Here's our Leaderboard, which shows the Neutrals continuing to dominate the contest for the Ohio Valley in the late 17th century. A surprise rise in the ranks to third came from the Kickapoo, who'd racked up two Major Victories in two turns.

Tribe	Place	Victory Points
Neutrals	1st	26 points
Shawnee	2nd	24 points
Kickapoo	3rd	19 points
Mohawk	Tied 4th	18 points
Seneca	Tied 4th	18 points
Susqehannock	6th	11 points
Miami	7th	10 points
Erie	8th	8 points
Honniasont	9th	3 points

 

    Another shot of Keith's cool-looking defile as mayhem gets ready to unfold

These points come from three categories: Prestige Points, which come from Major and Minor Victories or Minor Defeats; Beaver Pelts; and Scenario Victory Points (SVPs). Here are the leaderboards in each of these, in case anybody is interested.

Tribe	Prestige Points (PPs)
Neutrals (Keith Finn)	13 (4 MajV, 1 MinD)
Shawnee (Joe Merz)	12 (2 MajV, 3 MinV)
Seneca (Mike Stelzer)	9 (1 MajV, 3 MinV)
Kickapoo (Andy Swingle)	7 (2 MajV, 1 MinD)
Mohawk (Dave Welch)	7 (2 MajV, 1 MinD)
Erie (Mike Demana)	5 (1 MajV, 2 MinD)
Susquehannock (Steve Phallen)	4 (1 MajV, 1 MinD)
Miami (Jenny Torbett)	3 (1 MinV, 1 MinD)
Honniasont (Bruce Adamczak)	—

Tribe	Scenario Victory Points (SVPs)
Neutrals (Keith Finn)	82
Shawnee (Joe Merz)	72
Seneca (Mike Stelzer)	54
Kickapoo (Andy Swingle)	47
Susquehannock (Steve Phallen)	42
Mohawk (Dave Welch)	41
Miami (Jenny Torbett)	36
Erie (Mike Demana)	32
Honniasont (Bruce Adamczak)	5

Tribe	Beaver Pelts
Mohawk (Dave Welch)	34
Neutrals (Keith Finn)	30
Kickapoo (Andy Swingle)	24
Shawnee (Joe Merz)	24
Miami (Jenny Torbett)	21
Seneca (Mike Stelzer)	18
Susquehannock (Steve Phallen)	18
Erie (Mike Demana)	15
Honniasont (Bruce Adamczak)	14

Our next game should be April 23rd, so stay tuned for that!

Beaver Wars in Ohio playtest: Turn 4

We're getting into a groove cranking out the turns for the Beaver Wars. I send out an email with the order for players to declare which strategic card they will play this turn. My players have been quick to respond with their choice. Once the turn order is established, it takes even less time for the tribes on the most aggressive footing (War cards) to declare their targets for the turn. This turn, my Erie tribe ended up being attacked by the Shawnee. Joe had won every game, so I knew I would be in for a challenge. His force would have more upgrade points than mine would. Nevertheless, I had to make a plan to maximize my chances in the battle. That is one side benefit of this campaign that I've noticed the player seem to be really enjoying. They like the chance to try out different combinations of Traits. My Shawnee opponents even fielded their leader with the "Running Blow" trait -- one I've never seen utilized in a Song of Drums and Tomahawks game before. He was never able to use it, though, because of the clustered nature of our melee.

 

    My Erie warband fans out as they notice "Tracks in the Mud" around our canoes

I decided to go with one of my favorites tactics -- arming my Leader with a matchlock and giving him Marksman. I gave one of my other matchlock-armed Warriors Marksman, as well (which gives a +1 to shooting). I spent the rest of my upgrades on Primitive Weapons for Warriors. They would form the front line, with my firearms behind them firing through the gaps. Interestingly, after the game, Joe and I reflected that those Marksman purchases were all wasted points this time. That was because every single one of my shots missed! Despite that, the Erie warriors gave a good account of themselves. We were actually winning until we had a run of fatal luck.

    Another full house at Taranto's Pizzeria, as eight players fight out battles in Turn 4 of our campaign

I'm getting ahead of myself, though. Our scenario, "Tracks in the Mud," was one of three that were being playtested for a second time, that week. This time, though, I remembered to bring my canoe models! The idea is that my Erie hunting party was returning to their canoes when they noticed strange moccasin tracks around them, which they'd hidden in the woods not far from the creek. We immediately fan out, almost immediately catching sight of the Shawnee advancing stealthily through the trees towards us. Our game was one of four being played at the pizza shop on a chilly Saturday morning. It is my goal to eventually playtest all 18 of the scenarios that will be included in the Beaver Wars rulebook multiple times.

    A Kickapoo village was the scene of a fierce counterattack by fresh defending forces against the scattered, Susquehannock raiders in "Save Our Brothers!"

On the other boards, the Kickapoo were counterattacking a Susquehanock raiding party that was looting the center of their town, in "Save Our Brothers!" The Neutral tribe -- who went into the week in the lead -- attacked the Miami in "Trapper's End." And finally, the Mohawk had attacked the Seneca in "Drive Them Like Game." We'd actually picked up a ninth player between this turn and the previous one, bu the had a prior commitment for this weekend and would join us next time, he said.

    Miami warriors bravely advance towards a Neutral warparty to rescue their blood brother in "Trapper's End"

Back in our game, the Shawnee advance rapidly, with one of their warriors being a bit out in front of the rest of their warparty. On our turn, I had one of my warriors armed with Primitive Weapon dash out and attack him. The Shawnee outnumbered us, haven taken an extra pair of Youths. Since most of his warriors armed with Matchlock were also bought as Marksmen, I did not think exchanging shots was the way to go. Each time I felt one of his braves was overextended or could be pounced upon by more than one of mine, I charged. My strategy was winning slightly, despite the fact that my Erie couldn't seem to hit the broad side of a barn. I guess we're too new to this whole firearms craze!

    A close up view of the Neutrals warparty -- the tribe that so far is dominating the struggle for the Ohio Valley in this playtest of the Beaver Wars

The Shawnee were one casualty away from a morale check when I decided to take a risk. I had one warrior already in contact with one of his. My Leader charged in, so with the extra man he was up on the score 3-to-1, before we rolled. Of course, my luck deserted me at that moment. Joe not only rolled three higher than me on the six-sided die, but he also rolled an even number which meant my Leader was knocked down. The next turn his Leader rushed in and brained my chieftain with his warclub. Losing your leader in Song of Drums and Tomahawks means all of your surviving figures must take an immediate morale check. Enough of my guys fled off the board to drop me below 50%, which necessitates another morale check. This meant my entire force pretty much fled the field. One brave warrior was a bit slower, and suffered the indignity of being chased down by a Shawnee Youth and killed. Otherwise, the rest of my force got away. This was actually good, because it minimized the Shawnee victory points. I'd killed and scalped enough of his Shawnee that it counted as only a Minor Defeat for me. The mechanics stipulate that players whose opponents earn are doubled or more Scenario Victory Points suffer a Major Defeat.

On the other table, the Neutral tribe continued their recent run of success. Keith had experimented with a force that had a significant number of warriors bought as "Strong" (+1 to melee). He slaughtered the Miami, 14-5. Meanwhile, the Kickapoo picked up their first victory of the campaign in a blood-soaked victory fought in the midst of a Kickapoo town, 18-14. The Mohawk and Seneca ground out a game that was tied in SVPs, but victory went to the Seneca, who held the field. These results meant that we had two clear front-runners: Neutrals were in the lead at 26 points, followed by my opponent of this turn the Shawnee at 21.5.

Here are the scores, followed by the individual breakdowns in each category.

Tribe	Place	Victory Points
Neutrals	1st	26 points
Shawnee	2nd	21.5 points
Susquehannock	3rd	17.5 points
Seneca	4th	16.5 points
Mohawk	5th	15 points
Kickapoo	6th	14 points
Erie	7th	11.5 points
Miami	8th	10 points
Honniasont	9th	3 points

Note the brand new player, the Honniasont, a tribe that dwelled in Western Pennsylvania during this period. They will struggle to make up the deficits on missing four turns of games -- but hey! They just want to play, and who am I to deny them?

Here are the scores for Prestige Points -- which are obtained by Major Victories, Minor Victories, and Minor Defeats.

Tribe	Prestige Points (PPs)
Neutrals (Keith Finn)	10 (3 MajV, 1 MinD)
Shawnee (Joe Merz)	9 (1 MajV, 3 MinV)
Seneca (Mike Stelzer)	9 (1 MajV, 3 MinV)
Susquehannock (Steve Phallen)	5 (1 MajV, 2 MinD)
Erie (Mike Demana)	5 (1 MajV, 2 MinD)
Mohawk (Dave Welch)	4 (1 MajV, 1 MinD)
Miami (Jenny Torbett)	3 (1 MinV, 1 MinD)
Kickapoo (Andy Swingle)	3 (1 MinV, 1 MinD)
Honniasont (Bruce Adamczak)	—

 Here is the number of Scenario Victory Points each tribe has earned.

Tribe	Scenario Victory Points (SVPs)
Neutrals (Keith Finn)	58
Shawnee (Joe Merz)	54
Susquehannock (Steve Phallen)	50
Seneca (Mike Stelzer)	44
Miami (Jenny Torbett)	33
Kickapoo (Andy Swingle)	33
Erie (Mike Demana)	32
Mohawk (Dave Welch)	25
Honniasont (Bruce Adamczak)	0

And finally, here is our tally of Beaver Pelts. The amount of these obtained each turn comes from where you are on the continium from most to least aggressive (the higher the value of Hunt card you play, the more beaver pelts you generally obtain).

Tribe	Beaver Pelts
Mohawk (Dave Welch)	25
Neutrals (Keith Finn)	20
Kickapoo (Andy Swingle)	19
Shawnee (Joe Merz)	18
Susquehannock (Steve Phallen)	17
Erie (Mike Demana)	15
Miami (Jenny Torbett)	15
Seneca (Mike Stelzer)	15
Honniasont (Bruce Adamczak)	9

Expect another update relatively soon. Our pizza place was booked up for March, as were most of the players. We could squeeze one weekend in, though, and it is this coming Saturday! Thanks for reading, and remember, you can purchase the game rules Song of Drums and Tomahawks by following the links on the First Command Wargames website.