Pamparo in Toronto

We are on Week 6 of this young season. There were a lot of surprises last week, no wonder, I only got 7 out of 14 games correctly! The most surpising to me is how both NY Jets & Buffallo Bills got their wins. It was good to see these teams show some character. It was also good to see New England Patriots to be back on track, eventhough their defense almost gave the game away to the Atlanta Falcons. Oh yeah, the Colts are the only remaining unbeaten team this season. Yes, I admit that they are a good playoff-caliber team. They have to prove that they can win on pressure games especially in the playoffs before I can say that they are a great team, though. Anyhow, I will leave the rest of these analysis to the pros and stick to what this post is: picks!

Oh yeah, before I begin my weekly picks, I would just like to say how disappointed I was with the TSN crew for cancelling the Monday Night Pre-Game Show to give way to the Leafs game which they managed to give away, thanks to their stellar shootout performance. I don’t think anybody from the Leafs team had ever scored even 1 out of the 3 games they were involved in a shootout. Ok, here are my picks:

Regardless of whether Vick will play or not, the New Orleans Saints have their work cut out for them due to the loss of RB Duece McAllister. They will become a one-dimensional team and will make it easier for the Atlanta Falcons defense to bounce back after their lost week. Atlanta (+3)

Detriot Lions seems to be finally getting in to their groove. After almost winning the game 2 weeks ago, they came back last week to prove that they have a potent offense. Maybe, almost half their yardage came from penalties against a suppossedly good defensive squad of Baltimore Ravens. Carolina Panthers won a close one against a non-playoff contender again. They can’t seem to be consistent this year. It’s a tough choice, I will go with the Phanters to win this one close. Panthers (+3)

Now the 4-1 Cincinnti Bengals have something to prove after losing the Sunday night game against a good Jacksonville Jaguars team. Can they bounce back from that lost and show the leaugue that they are for real. I think so, Tennesse is just not playing consistently right now. Bengals (+7)

Cleveland Browns got their first win of the season against what analyst calls a very good defense squad last week. Now they are facing a suppossedly good defensive squad, Baltimore Ravens. In some way, the Browns will be facing the same squad in consecutive weeks: Good Defense, Bad Offense. It could be the same result. ButI doubt it, I’m sure the Ravens will sort it out for this week. Ravens (+7)

The Jacksonville Jaguars have shown how good they can be at times. the Pittsburgh Steelers have shown that they are capable of grinding it out in the ground. After getting impresive wins last week, both teams will be looking into extending that winning streak. The Jaguars has a very good run-defense so this might limit the production of Bettis & Parker. But getting drawn too much to the run might open up the game for Hines Ward. If Roethlisberger does not play because of his knee injury, then Jaguars have a very good chance of winning this game even against a good Steelers defense. Jaguars (+7)

Ricky Williams is back! Does it matter? It does a lot, especially for a team like Miami whose been not so good in their pass offense. He should remove some pressure off the QB. Although the Tanpa Bay Bucs knows this, they may be in for a big surprise in their secondary with a dose of play-action-pass. The Bucs also have a good chance if Cadillac Williams will play. From the previous posts, I mentioned the watch for Willie Parker & Cadillac Williams as the new breed of running backs: where are they now? Anyhow, it might surprise you, I’m taking Miami. (+7)

The Minnesota Vikes, as my friend Sonny calls them nowadays, the Yikes. Well, they pretty much done for the season. So I’m giving the Chicago Bears the advantage here especially with their stellar defense. Bears (+3)

Intereseting game for the Dallas cowboys defense. Can they stop the red-hot N.Y Giants QB, Eli (brother of Peyton) Manning from getting 4TDs this week. They probably can. After beating the Eagles by a huge margin in every aspect of the game last week, the Cowboys are pretty confident they can play against big passing teams. But can they play the run? We will see about that on Sunday? As much as I hate it, Giants (+3)

The Washinton Redskins gained a lot of yardage last week against the Broncos but still failed to get the win. Thanks to their run-defense collapse, which usually is one of the best. They are up against a Kansas City Chiefs team coming off a bye-week and a demoralizing loss to the Eagles 2 weeks back. The Chiefs should have sorted out what went wrong and should figure out a way to stop the Redskins. However, I think the Redskins is a tough team even on the road & will pound it out on the ground until they see the holes in the Chiefs secondary. Just like what the Eagles did to them last week & what the other teams did to them last year. Redskins (+7)

This will show what is the real deal with both teams. The Denver Broncos have won 3 straight & the New England Patriots have win-loss-win-loss-win streak. It will be a tough game for the Pats defense especially with the superb running game of the Broncos. However, the Pats have always come in prepared for something big. Can they prove they are stillt the team to beat? This is the week we will find out. Patriots (+3)

Two teams struggling to get things going. The Buffalo Bills are staying with Holcomb, and they should. Although the NY Jets looks like the Dallas Cowboys from last year, but a little better, thanks to Curtis Martin. The Jets are going to have a slight advantage on this one. Jets (+7)

San Diego Chargers lost a game to the Steelers last week which they had a chance of winning. The Oakland Raiders are not the team that they should be on offense & their defense is just not strong. San Diego will bounce back, and they should. They have been loosing very close games to top opponents and this may prove to be a deciding factor comes playoff times. Chargers (+7)

Can the Texans get their first win. It may very well be. If you look at Seattle Seahawks’ performance against loosing team, they are unpleasant. This may be the surprise of the week so I’m going with the Texans. Houston (+14)

Let’s be honest here. St. Louis will try to score a lot of points. Marc Bulger will keep on throwing deep, that is if he can get it fast enough to stay away from the Indiana Colts linemen. If he commits a turnover, the Colts will make sure that they capitalize on it. The key for the Rams, no turnover! I will pick the Colts just because they have a better overall game. Colts (-7)

It’s time of the week once again! I had another good week of 9 wins. So here’s my current track record by week (W-L):

Week 1: 4-12
Week 2: 6-10
Week 3: 10-4
Week 4: 9-5

Though, I did well, I was feeling good about 2 things that happened last Sunday. One, the way the Chargers beat the Pats which I predicted correctly (not the margin, unfortunately). The other is the way my Eagles came from behind to beat the Kansas City Chiefs! Even if I didn’t get a good record, these 2 are good enough for me.

Ok, here are my picks!

Tough lost by the Detroit Lions last week, which in my opinion they should have won. They’ll be facing a very good defensive team which has struggled in their offense. The Baltimore Ravens got their first win against the lowly Jets. Can they pick up from that win? If Detroit plays consistently, they have a chance. But the Ravens defense is too strong for them. Ravens.

A good defensive team against a poor offensive team. Your Pick! Mine: Chicago Bears.

Who knows? Miami Dolphins beat a good Carolina Panthers team & the Buffalo Bills are struggling to get their offense going. Miami have a good chance of winning if their defense plays the way they did last game. Miami.

This is one of the highlight game of the week. Can the New England Patriots bounce back from a somewhat lopsided loss to the San Diego Chargers last week. The Pats have not lost twice in a row in recent memory. They are facing a potent offensive squad that can run the ball like crazy. The Atlanta Falcons can win this one if Vick can make throws to his wide-receivers, thereby opening up the middle even more for Warrick Dunn & T.J. Duckett. The Pats should spy Vick & let their corners do their job against the deep pass of Atlanta. That should leave them enough people to stop the run. My gut feeling, the Pats will win this one.

The Green Bay Packers were a little too late on Monday. They almost gave themselves a chance to win. Although watching the game, Favre’s receivers are not helping him. You can’t drop the ball or let the defenders just take away the ball from you! Anyhow, the New Orleans Saints are on the road are coming off a home game win. However, the Packers should be confident that they can still play and probably win games. This is what will be their motivation. Packers.

What a heart-breaking loss by the Seatlle Seahawks which they could have won on regulation. They will bounce back from that loss & win this game against a pass-crazy-who-cares-about-turnovers-anymore St. Louis Rams. Seatlle Seahawks.

Tampa Bay Bucs will feast on the Jets this Sunday. Although they lost Cadillac Williams last week, they had proven that they can still win: thanks to the officials for overturning the touchdown of Marcus Pollard. The Jets would not have any answer to the Bucs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Who will win this game? Who knows & who cares! Oh yeah, I should. This might prove to be a deciding game for my Win-Loss ratio. Ok, I’ll go with McNair & his Tenessee Titans’ team.

One word to San Fransciso: OFFENSE. They managed to score 2 touchdowns on Sunday night in Mexico. But only because of their defense. In the end, they lost the game. Anyhow, here’s a team that can fire it up on offense, Indiana Colts. And most analyst are praising their defense nowadays. I think they are a good team but not that good against playoff-caliber teams. C’mon, they’re 4-0 because they played Baltimore, Jacksonville, Cleveland, Tenesse and now San Francisco. If any of this teams have potent offense, Not sure if that 4-0 will stand. Whoever made the schedule wants to see the Colts win their division easily! As much as I hate to do it, I have to pick them for this game, they are just too much for the Niners. Indianapolis Colts.

Carolina Panthers almost gave the game away the the Packers on Monday. Again, where’s the consistency! Now, I’m worried in picking them against the Arizona Cardinals came out with 31 points on Sunday night. Conventional wisdom dictates picking Carolina because they are a better team in paper. I will stick to that since the odds are higher! Carolina Panthers.

What a comeback last week, a mark of a true champion! Philadelphia will win this game, eventhough it is going to be tough against a good Dallas defense. They are just too much on both sides of the field! Philadelphia Eagles.

Denver Brocos are playing solid football recently and they are facing a 3-0 Washington Redskins coming off a huge OT win against the Seahawks. Mark Brunell was solid in that game. But it will be harder for him this time around against the Broncos defense. The Redskins did manage to stop Shaun Alexander slightly & would have to do the same to the Broncos superior running game. Denver Broncos will win this one.

What a treat for the Sunday night game. The Cincinatti Bengals are on the way to making it 5-0, the best start ever in their franchise (i think). They will be going against a Jacksonville Jaguars team who are hungry to avenge their poor loss to the hand of the Broncos last week. I like the Bengals to win this one and I think they have the formula to do it. Talent on both offense & defense and the confidence that they are a good team that is playoff-bound this year and more! Bengals.

The other higlight of the week. And a highlight it will be for Monday Night Football. Two powerhouse teams on the AFC are meeting up. The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a loss to the New England Patriots and a bye week last week. I’m sure they had a chance to study both their lost & the win of the San Diego Chargers for the past 2 weeks. It will be a toughgame to call but I will have to go with the Chargers on this one. They are in the groove right now & riding on the back of LaDainian Tomlinson. Like I said last week, with Tomlinson playing well, he is giving his teammates a chance to play better. The Steelers knows this and will try to stop him. But can they, that is what we will be looking for on Monday. San Diego Chargers.

What a week it has been! I finally broke the double-digit mark of 10 wins!

Can you believe these Patriots! What a way to shut the Steelers down. Oh man, that will sure put a doubt on those Steelers fans of their chance to play in the Superbowl this year. By the way, who’s Willie Parker? Where was he? After the Pats lost Harrison, he should have carried the ball more. I wonder why he didn’t.

Congrats to my Eagles team. Akers you are the best! I told you Moss would not be a factor. But my guy Westbrook was!

What scares me is the Colts defense! Not because they have a very good chance to go all the way. But they may not be for real! Peyton is not getting his touchdown passes yet. Not because he does not want to. But I think teams are more prepared for their offense now than last year. If they continue their stellar defensive efforts, they may be the next champs. Although I very much doubt it. Eagles will fly over them & rip them out to oblivion! Can you tell who I’m rooting for this year

Anyhow, here are my picks for this week.

It’s the Saints first official “Home Game” this Sunday. I’m sure their emotions will carry them in this game. Well, they are a pretty good team if you think about it. The Bills lost Takeo Spikes last Sunday. That is a big blow to their defense, which in my opinion, the only thing that is carrying this team. Willis McGahee, had a good game last week. But that’s about it. Losman didn’t even had time to scan the field before he gets hurried by the defense. Saints will win this one.

The Jags are continually making it hard for me to pick against them! They beat the Jets last week & had a very close game the week before against the Colts. Although Denver had a good game, Monday, I don’t think they are up to the challenge against the Jags. Jacksonville on this one.

Is Carnel Williams going to run over 100 yards again in this game? I think he can. If he does, then I’m with the Bucs. However, Harrington should have a good game after a week off. Is it enough to get them past this game. I doubt. TB Bucs.

Hmm, I wonder what new dance Chad Johnson will do this Sunday. How about some lambada! Bengals! Wow, 4-0!

C’mon Peyton, throw us some TDs. Titans might spoil this party for Manning though. If not for the interception — returned for a TD, thrown by McNair last Sunday, they could have won the game. I’ll go with them on this game. Titans will hand Peyton & the Colts their first lost this season!

Pats did a very good job last Sunday against the Steelers. Same goes with the Chargers against the Giants. This is a tough game to call. I am tempted to go with the Pats, though they are missing a lot of starters, they are still a very good team mainly because of their coaching staff & Mr. Brady’s demeanor. But, Tomlinson broke out last Sunday & that is freeing up space for Gates & the other receivers. It also enables the Chargers to run play-action-pass & set up screen passes. Though it’s tough, I will go with the Chargers on this one. This will be a close game & I, for sure, will closely watch it. That’s if it is being televised here in Canada! Argh!

Kudos to Shaun Alexander for his 4TD performance last Sunday! Whatever happen to Clinton Portis? He should have never left Denver. Well, that’s the past. We have to face this Sunday’s game which features 2 of the 5 best backs in the league right now. Whoever runs more than a 100 yards will win. If both do, I’ll be surprise. The Redskins might win this one only because the Seahawks are inconsistent especially coming off a good performance a week before. Redskins by a bunch.

This will be a very entertaining game, in a good way, though. It will be a high-scoring affair & whoever scores the most TD will win! Doh! Of course! Kidding aside, Marc Bulger played with confidence last week. Coming back after turnovers (fumble & INT) to win the game. Eli Manning didn’t do that. He looked like a kid who didn’t get his wish last Sunday against the Chargers. And he will continue to be like that. Although he’s getting good protection in the pocket, soon enough, teams will find away to put him in the highlights of “Jacked Up” this Monday pre-game show! Rams.

Jets are facing a dilemma: No Martin + No Pennington = No Wins. On the other hand, Ravens are also facing a dilemma: 0-2. The best defense on paper is not getting it done. It’s not entirely their fault, though. The Ravens offense has to put some scores on the board & take control of the game by power running of Jamal Lewis. He has been quite — that’s because he can’t even get out of the backfield! What a waste! The offensive line must do a good job stopping people from just storming behind the line of scrimmage. This was the reason their QB is sitting on the sideline right now. Anyhow, the Ravens should get their first win this season. Ravens.

Randy Moss is growing moss waiting for the ball to come his way! Give him a chance to be in the highlight reel just like the old times with the Vikes. I’m sure he will do good. Although it will be hard the way the Cowboys are playing. I like their defense especially that guy DeMarcus Ware. He’s good, but he still has to learn a lot. Anyhow, I think the Raiders will finally get their first win this Sunday as well.

The Vikes finally won a game. What a way to do it. Kudos to Culpepper & to those who have him in their fantasy lineup! Ok, like I said last week, I have to go against the Vikes until they win one. I’m standing by my word: Vikes (pls don’t disappoint me)!

Kansas City is looking to bounce back after a terrible loss inthe hands of the Broncos. Bounce, they will, on the turf that is! Eagles will just kill these guys again! Eagles all the way!!!

As much as I hate to do this, I would have to pick the Niners. They have been playing solid football of late, except their loss to my Eagles team.

Again, I just hope the Favre won’t get hurt in this game. And whatever happen to Carolina? I’m starting to think that Miami is a good team. Or how about Carolina is inconsistent! After you beat the champs, you loose the game to a non-playoff team! Oh man, it was a fluke, me thinks! Good thing they have Favre & the Packers on Monday. They may be able to get my respect back. Where in the world is Ahman Green? Who knows, until he shows up for work, they will not win any games. Carolina.

Well, I didn’t get my 50% ratio but I got 2 more wins from this week which brings my scores to (W-L):

Week 1: 4-12
Week 2: 6-10

By the way, I like how my Eagles team trampled the Niners last week! Kudos to Mang Sonny for trying

Did anybody notice up and coming running backs, Williams & Parker? They are pretty good. But they haven’t faced a very good run-defense team. Parker will be tested this week. We will have to wait for Williams to prove himself.

‘Nuff talk, here are my picks for the 3rd week. C’mon 50%!

Tough choice right away. Especially both are lost their week 2 games. If Buffalo defense will hold Atlanta to less than 100 yards rushing, they have a chance. Although they had a hard time stopping Cadilac Williams last week. The Losman effect is already showing. I may regret this, but, I will go with Atlanta.

Carolina is on a high right now after beating the Pats last week. Most people said that they avenged their superbowl lost to the Pats, I say the only way to avenge it is for them to beat the Pats in a Superbowl game. But that’s just me. Anyway, I’ll pick Carolina here.

Are the Bengals for real? Yes! Are the Bears for real? I don’t think so. So you guessed it: Bengals.

Be realistic … Indy.

If Leftwich playing, they have a chance. Pennington played pretty good last week but they may have lost Martin for this week. Even so, I think the Jets have a better chance if both Leftwich & Martin are out. J-E-T-S!

Seems like the emotions are wearing out for the Saints player. The Vikes really misses Moss. Culpepper has to step up to show that he is the QB that he is with or without a star receiver. A hard choice. Until the Vikes win one, I would have to go against them. Saints.

Philly has a very good passing defense. Moss should not be a very huge factor as far as coverage is concerned. The running game might work for Oakland. If Trotter doesn’t do anything stupid this time, they may be able to stop that as well. Philly all the way!

I just hope that Favre does not get hurt on this game. The Bucs have won 2 with their defense & their running game. Has anyone heard where Ahman Green is? Unless he shows up for this game, it will be another long day for them. Bucs.

Superbowl rematch? Not at all. I think these are just teams trying to make it to the next year. But of course, I still have to pick. So I pick the Rams to win it (hopefully)

Arizona, bad late-game coaching. Seattle, can’t finish up a game. Tough to say, but I think Seattle will prevail.

The Niners are a thing of the past. They are being punished for not letting Jerry Rice retire on a Niners jersey. The Cowboys almost had the Monday nighter if not for their late defensive collapse — which also cost me another win! Well, they better finish this game because I’m picking them again.

The Pats have never lost twice in a row during their Superbowl runs. But that seems eternity past. Last week, Carolina had proven that the Pats are still human & can be beaten. Can the Steelers do the same? I’m not sure. They got a pretty quick running back & a pretty good QB. Their 2 wins came from 2 non-playoff team last year, though. I will go with the Pats. I think they already have Big Ben’s number … Pats by 7+

What happen to the Chargers? They lost 2 close games by an average of 3-points. Can they bounce back & win this time. They would have to get the ball to LT more often and should run 100+ yards. That should free up the middle for thier tight-end Gates. On the other hand, I have to say that Eli is getting comfortable in their offense. Maybe it’s just me, shouldn’t they blitz this guy more often to disrupt his rhythm. The Chargers will win this one and they will make Eli look like what he really is, a sophomore QB. Chargers let’s go!

Can the Chiefs go for 3-0? They may be able to. Can Denver win these game. Certainly. But who has more leverage? I think it’s KC. They will win this one by 7 points or less.

After my pathetic 25% prediction & after Mang Sonny has challenged me even more in his blog here, I started thinking what went wrong. Well, to sum it all up, the teams that were supposed to win didn’t. If they did, I would have been 100% on my picks

Enough talking, let’s get down to business. Here’s my 2nd week picks & hoping I can improve to 50% at least!

Ravens should bounce back and route the Titans offense easily. But then again, Boller was hurt. I will stick with the Ravens.

First tough choice. I think the defense will dictate this game so I will go with the Bills. They have been superb since last year.

The Lions surprised me last week by winning. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again so I’m picking them to win this one.

If Colts have beaten Ravens that has the best defense in the league right now, I don’t think the Jags can hold them.

I’m starting to believe that the Vikes missed Moss. Bengals was one of my winner last week so I’ll stick to them.

Toughest choice this week. A rematch of Superbowl XXXVIII. After losing Jenkins, it might be tough for the Panthers. I’ll go with the Pats.

Big Ben with a speed runner! Enough for me … oh yeah, they play defense, too. Steelers.

This matchup made me even happier! After Mang Sonny publicly confessed his love for the Niners, all the more I’m eager to pick my team — Eagles! With that said, I will do a spread for this one. Eagles by 14+ …

Are the Falcons for good? Are the Seahawks showing up this Sunday? Hard to say. I’ll go with Atlanta.

Kurt Warner’s showed that he can still play. My heart goes with him after what NY Giants did to him last year. I’ll pick him & his team just for that.

Bret Favre will prove me right in picking the Packs again. I hope

Another tough one. If Pennington is ok, then I will go with the Jets. Jets by a field goal …

Denver was disappointment & San Diego played pretty good although lost to the Cowboys. So I will give the Chargers another chance.

Hmmm … I hate picking on this games. It lessens my chances of above 50%! Despite the Moss/Jordan show, I will pick KC. Hopefully their defense will come through for them on this game.

Sentimental favorite against Eli Manning. Like I said last week, it’s Eli Manning on the other side so I’ll go with the Saints.

Redskins starting QB got hurt. Dallas played pretty good last week against the Chargers. They have a good chance so I’ll go with the Cowboys

Big Ben should put a cap on the Titans; pun intended.

The Bucs are not what they are anymore. Same goes with the Vikes - but on the plus-side. Vikings …

Do I really have to pick? Ok, Rams. There.

Seattle should be the easy winner here.

2004 Conference Final rematch. Should be the same result unless Vick proves everyone wrong about his arm.

Patriots all the way, it’s too hard to go against them.

My heart goes with New Orleans but my wits goes with the Panthers.

KC had some glimpses of glory but the Jets are tempting. And I’ve been tempted - NY Jets.

The only other team (besides NE) that defended Indy last year. Baltimore — I’m a defensive-minded guy!

Hmmm … Losman or Texan? Losman or Texan? If I really have to pick — Texans.

Bret is back. That says it all for me. Even with a winning record team, I’ll probably pick the Packers because of him.

This should be a easy for Denver. Ricky might be in trance!

This is an interesting game. But I think the Chargers will prevail.

New coach or better offense. Hard to say. I’ll go with the Bengals.

Washington. Bears are not going anywhere this year.

I like the Cardinals just because it’s Eli throwing the ball on the other side.

It’s almost NFL season. I know. I started to have dreams of football again. The other night, my pregnant wife told me that I was talking in my sleep, like I always do. I said, “Really?”. To my surprise, my wife said, “10 Yards”!

10 yards, that is all it takes. 10 gruelling yards to get another set of downs. This is what makes football very interesting. American football, that is. Offense thinks of running, defense thinks they’re passing. Bam! 10-yard gain. Offense is thinking pass, defense sends 2 extra guys to the QB. Bam, 10-yard loss. You snooze, you loose. That is the main thinking.

Anyhow, I can’t wait for the season to begin! McNabb’s Eagles better be ready, otherwise, I would have to go with Mike Vick’s Falcons this year … to go against the Pats, AGAIN!

After a long while, I finally had a chance to play Bohnanza again. I actually came up with my own title for this game:

Bohanza: Bean There, Plant That

Ok, that sounded too corny. Not the game itself though. It is a light strategy game but comes with a whole lot o’fun! Basically, you ought to plant beans & sell them for a price. Of course, it depends on the type of beans you plant for it to yield plenty of coins.

So we did play last Friday night at Ptr. Mike’s & my sister-in-law’s , place. It was a tough round at first because we are still trying to remember the proper rules & most of the people around the table had not played it before. After a while, the flow of the game got better and everyone is trying to collect their beans to sell. In the end, it was Jackie who collected the most coins with 12 followed closely by her fiance Anthony & Ptr. Mike with 10. I checked-in with 9 coins.

We played another round and it so much better as everyone had their own strategies in mind. At the end of the round, yours truly, checked in 1 coin shy of tying my wife. She had 10 coins …

Overall, it was a fun night … not until I left Ptr. Mike watching “Sniper” by himself, all the while talking to me while I was already sleeping! Now that is so much funnier!

I bought this game and have played it quite a few times. This I can say,
VERY ADDICTING! I played this game with my ever dearest (& fellow gamer) Tin and she also loved it.
Now we’re both “Lost Cities addicts”. Even my mother loved it, and she only played it once!
Ok! Ok! Enough of these loving & addicting sentences … how does it work. Here’s a brief
explanation taken from the rulebook (well, part of it).

from Rio Grande Website Rules

Preparation
Place the game board with areas for the five destinations between the two players.

Decide how many rounds to play; three is a good number. If you choose to play more than one round, use paper and pencil to record the scores for each round.

Shuffle the cards and deal 8 to each player face down. Place the remaining cards face down near the board as the draw pile.

Players may now look at their cards; these are their starting hands.

Each player starts one or more expeditions and then uses cards to continue his expeditions as far as possible. At the start of an expedition, players may increase their investment and their risk. As backtracking is not allowed, successive cards added to an expedition must advance the expedition toward its goal. The cards show the progress of the expeditions from beginning to end, but, for ease of play, they are also numbered 2-10. When the round ends, the players‘ expeditions are scored based on their success.

Playing the game

On each turn a player must first play one card from his hand, and then must draw a card to replace it.

Play a card - The player has two choices when playing a card from his hand:

1. Add a card to an expedition

The player can start a new expedition or extend an expedition already begun. Players may only start or add to expeditions on their side of the board. To start a new expedition, the player simply places a card from that expedition face up next to the space on the board that corresponds to that destination. To extend an expedition, the player places a new card from the expedition so that it partially covers the previous card from that expedition. Any new card placed must represent further travel than the previous card. The cards must always be added at the end of the expedition and with increasingly higher
numbers. The numbers do not need to be consecutive, any higher number is permitted. The cards of an expedition are placed so that the values of all can be seen by both players.

For each expedition there are 3 investment cards. These may only be played at the beginning of an expedition and represent increased investment by that player in that expedition. Any number of these cards may be played before the first numbered card of an expedition. Once a numbered card has been added to an expedition, further investment cards are not allowed for
that expedition.

2. Discarding a card

The player can discard a card instead of adding to an expedition. To discard a card, the player places the card on the board in the space for the destination that matches the card to be discarded. If other cards from that expedition have been discarded, the new card should be placed so that it completely covers all the previous cards. Thus, only the last
discarded card for each destination will be visible.

Draw a card : The player adds a card to his hand.

He may either take the top card from the face down draw pile or the top card from any of the destination discards. The player may not draw a card he discarded on this turn.

Game end and scoring

The game ends when a player takes the last card of the draw pile. Players are allowed to count the cards remaining in the draw pile to better plan their plays.

Then the players calculate their scores. Each expedition is scored separately. The cards in the expedition are added together and then 20 is subtracted from the total. This is the value of each expedition except that if no cards have been played for an expedition its value is zero instead of 20.

The value of each expedition (whether positive or negative) is then multiplied by the number of investment cards that player played for that expedition plus 1. Thus, the multiplier will be 2, 3, or 4, if the number of investment cards is 1, 2, or 3, respectively. An expedition with only investment cards would be worth 20 multiplied by the number of investment cards plus 1.

In addition, each expedition which contains at least eight cards, earns a fixed bonus of 20
points, after the multiplier.

Thus, an expedition’s value will be between -80 and 236.

One player records the scores on paper, adding scores from the current round to those from previous rounds. All cards are shuffled for another round of play. The player with the most total points so far in the game begins play for the next round.

After the agreed number of rounds, usually three, the game ends. The player with the most total points is the winner.

Oki, now that you have read the rules maybe you can start playing … just remember, don’t be too conservative & of course not to be too obvious as well. Have fun!!!

Addittional info: From the e-mail I got from Rio Grande

>Hi, I just want to clear up something which is not too clear in the rulebook.
>What happens after the last person draws the last card from the draw deck ?

The game ends IMMEDIATELY!

>As what I have understand from each turn, discard one card then pick up one
card
>back(except the one that just got discarded).

Play or discard and then draw.

>It doesn’t make sense to draw the last card & not do anything with it, or
does it?

Drawing the last card ends the game, but it will never be played.

>What happens to the cards that were not used for any expedition that are
still in your hands after the round?

Nothing. Set them aside and score the cards in the expeditions.

Thanks.

Jay M Tummelson
Rio Grande Games