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Still insanely busy at work, so anyone up for some Mornington Crescent? I’ll start with an easy move, for people new to the game:
Edgware Road
That should get things off to a nice start.
Also, let’s just play by Stovold’s Basic Rules (with, of course, the Sheffield Amendment.) To keep things simple.
Oxford Circle for the reverse loop on the red line. That won’t shut down blue for counterbidding, but at least it opens up the west all the way to Turnham Green. Not that anybody’s interested in Turnham Green.
I’ll counter that with Russell Square. As the station nearest the British Museum, you’ll know I’m bidding in both blue and red lines, and unless you’ve got some hidden maneuver from Islington, I’ve got the middle of the board.
Wow, two strong starts. I’m practically forced to go with Monument to avoid a Bludgeon.
I’ll trade you my Park Place and Oriental Avenue for Short Line.
Argh, fine, forget the blue line. I’m just gonna go ahead and complete the loop I started and take Baker Street, so no cross-side shunts are permissible on any of the alternate stations until the loop is broken.
Shoot, already a few moves in. This is going to be hard. Well, to avoid a Wellington-Oxford circuit I am practically forced to go with Camdon Town. Sorry about that Mathew, but that might mess up your blue-line gambit.
Anyone up for a game of Fizzbin?
Now that Matthew’s got Sherlock Holmes on his side, I worry the game may already be half over.
Nevertheless, I’ll enter the fray by selecting Seven Sisters. Everyone knows those crazy gals have Elminster on speed dial.
Interesting! Hampstead is the obvious choice now (through a Pollard Reversal), but I think I’m going to go with Waterloo instead. That puts Euston, Shoreditch, and Limehouse in Spoon.
I’ll take Sheperd’s Bush, since Seven Sisters is in play. That should forestall the monopoly on the Paddington crosslink. Duno what to do about Baker St. though.
Anyone up for a game of Fizzbin?
On a Thursday? Shyeah, like I WANT to lose!
Well, I’m game for a Pollard Reversal so I will take Hampstead. I can’t figure out how to avoid getting a bar-run now that Deirdra put Seven Sisters in play and Anna went with Paddington crosslink. Unfortunately, this will probably make Schotzki’s defense possible, sorry about that.
I’m pretty sure you meant a Pollard Inversion, as a Pollard Reversal would put you in knid. I’ll go Angel to unspoon Euston. Mornington Crescent in two.
In two? Hell, I don’t see it in less than 14 at this point. What am I overlooking?
I’m grasping at straws here, but since Highgate Boxes several optens at this point, I’m thinking it can’t be a bad move.
I don’t mean to be a spoil-sport, but I’m going to have to call in to question Dave’s Waterloo move earlier that put Euston into Spoon in the first place. If I’m understanding correctly, the Basic Rules did allow this move, but only through a typo that was fixed in the errata (check section 2). So, I’m surprised no one caught it earlier, and its a little late now, but IMHO it makes Matthew’s Angel move illegal as well. I’d have gone with Pentonville Road instead.
Crap, he’s right.
The only solution I can think of is to allow the Baden-Henderson Inflection from 1974. That makes both moves legal, though obviously some players may object because they would have moved differently under the circumstances (not to mention the usual objections to Baden-Henderson, which I don’t think there’s a need to go into now.) But surely we can all be good sports in order to avoid an unfortunate Shamrock?
I’ll allow the Baden-Henderson so we don’t have to start the game over entirely, but that means now I’m not going to be able to make Mornington Crescent in two, of course. Baden’s strictures on Spoon mean I can’t double-back to Oxford Circus (and then on to Mornington Crescent by way of the opened verticals, as I’m sure you can see now).
I’m calling a tuppence delay-of-game penalty, making it my turn. I’ll go Aldwych. I know it’s dangerous, but at this point I’m tired of weak positional play.
Mornington Crescent!