November 21, 2013
The Settlers: Shirley Thornton, Erica Corwin, Terry “the Bandit” Boldan, Nathan Putens, Leif Milliken
Shirley Thornton didn’t make any significant plays for the second week in a row, thus solidifying Terry “the Bandit” Boldan’s overall wins for 2013. However, Boldan, too, was unable to scrape together the points necessary for a win. Cue Leif Milliken, one of the group’s unsung heroes of 2013. Known for his ability to strategize with the best of ’em, Milliken has found himself coming up short in more contests than he would care to admit. But not this day. This day Milliken would take home the coveted Sheep with gusto.
The point totals say it all: Thornton—5, Boldan and Putens—6, Corwin—7, Milliken—10 (duh). Most would consider a 3-point margin of victory hefty; Milliken would consider it necessary and proper. In fact, Milliken’s win could be considered one of the slickest I’ve witnessed.
What usually takes an hour would only take Milliken 30 minutes. He effectively and efficiently settled, built, improved, and rolled. On any other day Corwin might have taken home the Sheep trophy. That she managed to build up 7 points is more than noteworthy. Corwin’s play was swift in its own right—but not swift enough.
Despite the notable W, this win would not do much for Milliken’s 2013 total wins (6), still leaving him 5 out from the leader, Boldan (11). It’s too late for Milliken to take 2013, but if wins like these become a more frequent affair, 2014 may be in his favor. Thornton still has a chance to tie Boldan for 2013 total wins, but it will take every bit of settler’s knowledge to do so.
November 28, 2013, Happy Thanksgiving!
The Settlers: No one. Families and feasts are more important than settling . . . sometimes.
Because there was no game due to the holiday, I’ve decided that a new segment is in order. It’s called Meet the Settlers, where you lovely and devoted readers get inside access to your favorite players in a Q&A-style interview. For the first edition we have the honorable Shirley Thornton.
Q: Good morning, Shirley.
A: Is that a question?
Q: All right, Shirley, I’m asking the questions here.
A: Whatever you say, bub.
Q: . . .
A: . . .
Q: You’ve had a pretty great year so far. How is it looking for you to hold the title of most wins in 2013?
A: Chances are slim. I’m not expecting to win enough for that.
Q: I suppose there aren’t enough opportunities to do that, but you could still tie. Are your chances looking for that?
A: I’m the Press Queen. Anything is possible.
Q: That’s right, you were elected last year and have managed to hold the title successfully. All hail the queen.
A: That’s right.
Q: . . .
A: :)
Q: So how and when did you get started settling?
A: I just happened to stumble on a game about 4 years ago, between Terry (Boldan), Erica (Corwin), and Terence (Smyre). They were playing and invited me to watch. I’d never even heard of the game before, but it reminded me a little of Risk, so I thought it looked fun.
Q: So you play Risk, too?
A: Yeah, my family and I like to play a lot.
Q: I suppose the games do share a few qualities. What was it like when you first played the game?
A: Well, it took me about a year before I finally won. And they had to tell me that I had won.
Q: Goodness, that’s rich. Once you ground out your first win, did the floodgates open?
A: No, not really. The first streak I had was this last January. And that was all luck. I haven’t done much since then.
Q: It would seem that you’ve done enough to position yourself to steal the total wins from Terry “the Bandit” Boldan. Or at least force a tie, that is.
A: It’s all luck.
Q: Shirley, you must be joking . . .
A: Oh, I know.
Q: I kid. What is your favorite aspect of Settlers?
A: Building churches, because they mean you’re winning.
Q: Truth. What is your least favorite aspect?
A: The robber. I don’t like it when he steals my cards. And you can’t get your resources.
Q: The robber can be detrimental. What’s your favorite resource?
A: I suppose it would be brick . . . possibly wheat.
Q: Two viable resources. And finally, what is your favorite number to settle on?
A: Well, I like 6 and 8. They really help me out.
Q: They surely do, Shirley. Thank you for the interview, and happy settling.
A: Yeah, right.
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