This is Alpha, the first-born, when he was 2YO.
This is Beta, the second-born, when he was about 2YO.
This is Gamma, the third-born, when he was about 18MO.
May
7
2013
It sounds rather impressive – like it needs an announcer voice and some dramatic music after it is announced.
The kids liked it – plenty of areas for climbing.
And the view from the top of that rock was pretty good, too
And that was just at the visitor center, before we drove to any of the impressive formations.
(more…)
May
2
2013
This is a guide for how to play the game Airlines Europe. This game is a cross between Ticket to Ride and Monopoly. Or, as I like to say, it’s like Monopoly except it is fun.
The instructions that came with the game were a bit confusing, but now I have played it a few times and explained it a few times and now I will attempt to explain it here.
1. How do I win?
– you win by having the most points at the end of the game.
2. How do I get points?
– by having played shares of airlines when a scoring card is drawn
2b. How is a scoring card drawn?
They are inserted somewhat randomly into the deck of share cards, so as the game goes along and someone wants to draw a card, it might be a share card. At that point, the game pauses and points are tallied. Read the instruction manual to learn how the points are tallied – that is outside the scope of this simple overview.
3. How do I get airline shares?
– by drawing a card after buying an airplane. Both of that counts as a turn.
4. How do I play airline shares?
– by using your turn to take the shares from your hand and place them on the table.
5. How do I buy an airplane?
– by using your turn to spend money from your account.
5b. How much does each airplane cost?
– it depends where it is going. The routes have numbers on them. Whichever route you pick will tell you how much the plane costs.
5c. How do I know which route to pick?
– it usually doesn’t matter. Some airlines have a bonus available, so if you are buying one of their planes you should aim for the bonus destination.
5d. How do I know what to do on my first turn?
Some people are a little perplexed at first. If you don’t know what to do on your turn, here is a suggestion until you form your own strategy:
A. On your first turn, if a scarce card is showing in the draw pile (stock market), then buy an airplane of that company, place it near the hub, and then draw that card. A scarce card is any card with a number smaller than 10.
Otherwise, if no scarce cards are showing, then just draw money on your first turn.
B. On your second turn, build up one or both of the airlines that you played at the start (setup) of the game (i.e. buy airplanes of that color.)
C. On your third turn, you should have a sense of what other people are doing and what you want to do. If not, then I recommend playing some of the shares in your hand.
So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me now a man who can play well and bring him to me.”
1 Samuel 16:17
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