We managed to get 7 gamers together yesterday, so we broke "Diplomacy" out - it's a strategy game where each player gets one of the pre-WWI great powers, and you maneuver to gain control of a majority of the board. That involves diplomacy and agreements - there's no way to win a solo victory.

I started out with Austria-Hungary, which is one of the weakest opening positions. In order to get anywhere, you have to ally with someone quick - and manage to keep Italy, Turkey, and Russia out of your area. I blew that - the three of them carved me up. Simultaneously, England and Germany allied and took France apart - not quite the way WWI actually went :)

We didn't finish the game, but the end game was clear - England and Germany had driven into Northern Russia, so the "Eastern Alliance" was about to lose a major player. 2 of the guys had to go home, so we broke that up and set up "Power Grid". I did much better at that - I almost blew it at the end, but managed to drive the game to a conclusion at a point where I won.

All in all, a nice day.