It is that time of the year again...

It is that time of the year again, and tomorrow morning the annual tournament errata of Mornington Crescent will arrive for the Queensbury and Tudor Court formats - by far the most played. While Veeky Forums have traditionally preferred the 1890 Rule Britannia format, the fact that it has become less and less popular means we should consider the Queensbury rules. I am personally stoked that the international Board will finally recognise and include the changes brought about by "Mornington Crescent Ruleset for British Army and Navy Personnel", it was how I, as a non-brit but part of the joint NATO army learned the game in Afgahanistam and is still my favourite set of houserules. To see them get officially adopted is a thrill, and a major recognition of the work done by the late Mrs. Margaret Arsebottom where she would keep an updated manual for those in the service over three decades.

However, I do see some problems, and I would like to run a small game here to hash them out. Ready, gentlemen?

First of all, the fact that the playmat now includes rail stations opens the game up.

As such, I start at Tufnell Park and carry an umbrella.

Elephant and Castle, wearing my mackintosh coat.

A fine play, a fine play indeed! It really makes me think.

This makes my follow-up a bit riskier.

Gospel Oak.

I'm afraid the Enfield Lock is in effect, closing Elephant & Castle to macintosh users

I have entered the underground at Plumstead. Due to the semi-dismal weather I am wearing a bowler hat.
I apologise for my late arrival but I was visciously savaged by a stray pelican upon disembarking from my cab.

But this is one example of how good mrs. Arsebottom was at pushing game balance. While under traditional Queensbury, the Enfield Lock would very much be in effect from the start, the 2018 torunament errata delay the enfield lock to turn three.

We can already see how little we'll miss that bastard Quaid, he exclusively pushed hex-mono strategies for years.

Either way, I made my move here , so we are still open to new players. Your move.

I continue along the line to Denmark Hill to change lines.

The handicapping of oneself to the linear ruleset, at least until the turn four counteract manouver is deliberate to show my expertise and induce fear in my opponent.

>You're doing an Essex gambit?

I move on to Finchley Road & Frognal, which mean I box in the entire Thameslink line.

Screw you guys, the Edgware connection is still valid no matter how much errata you put in. I'm loading up the Northern line for keeps and weeps.

Tis lucky then that I head to Clapham Highstreet where I shall procure bandages to recover from the pelican bites. This enables me to take advantage of the full vitality bonus and run along the line during the upcoming 9am driver exchange.

Now I'll get the last journey to East India before the exchange. Should have checked the DLR before announcing the driver changeover.

Hmmm...this leaves me at a disadvantage. But with Thameslink boxed in, I can still claim Golders Green.

Picadilly Circus is my next stop and using the remainder of the bandages to secure the entrance reducing the business of the line by a full 54% percent per capita travelling. This move also requires the application of scissors or the citing of the lobster involvement clause to bypass and recomission the entryway.

Hang on, how does the Lobster Involvement clause interact with the Edgeware Connection already in effect?

The August and Venerable 2021 Pre-Errata Planning Commission rewrote that clause to specifically apply to lines not in use by any other player, I'm afraid. I don't personally agree with it, but there's got to be some semblance of order in this game.

You have to stop this right now. Just because the Clarkson&Clarkson 1982 rulings were streamlined in the 2018 edition doesn't mean you can now blatantly use a vitality bonus without first paying your dashing fee first. Rajandrash's rule of 2 still applies to every line.

Guys, what's the best way to nip a South Kensington Standoff in the bud? My friend pulls it every game, and I swear unless you're very lucky in the early game, it pretty much guarantees a win for the southernmost player. Obviously this fucker brings a compass to every game, too.

Also I enter at Pimlico without a dog, and move to Uber tokens to Seven Kings, netting five International Transit Points.

The dashing fee and subsequent exhaustion meter were an attempt to hamstring those of us with tactical sense, if it was a decent rule they would have come up with 20 years sooner. Also by using the food deficit investment schene I can ignore the penalties. Ranjandresh's rule is also a limiter which can be disabled by the dissolution of the east india line, and isnt effectual in any but the first seven editions.

International transit points were subsidised into irrelevancy in 1998. There is no point unless you attempt the risky alle-de'foreignal and that would mean we have to bring out the secondary board.

Like this, and incidentially this is my move to counter Hampstead to Leicest Square, and I pay the hobo to move to Headstone Lane.

I don't even have to state how this force everyone else's hand.

Anyway, I head to South Acton to meet my solicitor and set up a lawsuit that if not interrupted by cutting off the Pelicans route to trial will allow me to sue him for the cost of one oyster card. This action will complete in 3 moves.

>The dashing fee and subsequent exhaustion meter were an attempt to hamstring those of us with tactical sense, if it was a decent rule they would have come up with 20 years sooner.
It's a necessary fix now that you can parachute your way in DLR using the Emirates Airlines Line Cable, so is course it wasn't needed 20 years ago. Check Appendix LVII, it's written right between the tiger's kidneys.

My tiger is missing both its 57th appendix and one kidney. Vetinary surgeon must have stolen the damn thing, I dont know how they expect us to compete when they ship the rules to various miscreants for spellchecking. With this I incur the injusticiary penalty on you for failure to check rule unification which prevent you from visiting St James Park lest you deal with the wrath of New Scotland Yard

I was wondering how long until someone did that.

Very, well a minigame of Numberwang it is.

19

I begin my move at Action Town and proceed to Heathrow with double citizenship. I will arrive in NYC in 3 turns.

NYC is only visitable should one provide the third tier board. With us using the exhaustion meter a jet lag reduction is applied on both flight to and from as per chapter 83 sub section A, and check for that value on the table by calculating average air temperature in °C multiplied by pressure for duration of journey.

That's Numberwang, let's rotate the board

What do I win?

I really feel positive about my chances to win now.

I'm redacting my contract preventing me from playing in the following challenge round, with this the show cannot continue and holding the most wangs at the current point in time autonates my victory. Provided the numberwang robot in the basement doesnt atomise me with its lasers.

>What do I win?

As for you, military rules, which I will once again remind everyone will be tournament legal from tomorrow, states that you may now do three moves, and then when we do our next move, you get to undo two moves after drinking a pint of Guinness or Newcastle Brown Ale.

You however, only get the license to kill in her Majesty's Service

A successful Numberwang should only rotate the board through 90 degrees, with 180 only reserved for a Wangernum or numberwang numberundrum, no? Just how out of date is my Henderson & Archibald supplement?

Osterley

Temple

Bethnell Green

Ha ha, the Pelicans trial is complete now, and I have received my oystercard which I will exchange with a pack of fairgoers who I will tell that an early christmas market is located in Regents Park, clogging the venue.

Read the OP, this is the 2018 tournament rules which will be officially adopted tomorrow. They wouldn't be in the Henderson & Archibald supplement, seeing as Jupiter Archibald has been a vocal opponent of merging Queensbury with the Military rules for years.

Oh... ummm...I'll move to Southwark then.

Mornington Crescent

Well, played, and this really proves my point. This is a game of skill, not luck.

Damn, while I was playing the long game you took the subtle route and deservedly won. That was a fine match gentleman, I suggest we do this again sometime.

Literally anyone could have prevented this by just playing the replacement bus service before Keat's congestion law came into effect.

Can't believe we didn't see this coming. :^(

Well, damn. Late again to the session, late again to put into practice my brunch rush strategy.

As a brit I am reading this and am very interested in joining.

I shall start at Hammersmith with my trusty mug of tea.

Twinnings of course

Provided (albeit a bit poorly. I'm afraid I must take the Poor Mapping penalty). From Howard Beach I take the Blue Line to Broadway-Nassau/Fulton St. As per the 1774 Declaration, Article D "Mornington Crescent Compliance", I send a missive to the Queen, informing her of my intent to perform The Amtrak Connection.

Over already? Damn, I was about to hop the Green Line to Grand Central next move.

Trafalgar, and for the nobility bonus from a Lord Nelson station, Im drinking Earl Grey

Ooh that's a strong start, I guess I'll need to travel to tower Bridge while avoiding the French worker surrender strike happening.

Also gonna stop by a coffee shop for another cup of tea, this time for some tetleys

I'll join.

Poplar, and to counteract the tea-drinking strategy I'll buy and read newspapers, starting with The Guardian

YOU NEANDERTHAL!!

How dare you strike such a low blow like that!

I'm going to have to go to maiden head and put a preemptive vote for the next elections. And to make sure you repent that play I'm voting for Lord Bucket head.

MAIDENHEAD?!

SIR, YOU'LL FIND THAT MORE THAN ONE PLAYER CAN TAKE UMBRAGE AT MEAN-SPIRITED PLAYS.

Shepherd's Bush,where I'll ditch "The Grauniad" and perform the next move of the newspaper strategy: DAILY MAIL. I didn't want to play the Shepherd's-Bush-Daily-Mail-stratagem this early, but you forced me, sir. You forced me.

YOU STREET URCHIN!

Stooping even lower! Well then I'm going to have to employ radical tactics...

I'm going to tower hill to not only get a London tower tourists shirt, but also get a selfy with a beefeater! How about them apples you hooligan!

I take those apples in stride, as now that I am wielding the mail I can use the Ban this sick filth maneuver. Apples indeed.

Now, I believe that according to the rules, you will now take the foreigner penalty until you've bought a commemorative plate with the queen on it?

Ah ha that's where you're wrong, I can, through the rulings of the newspaper tactics you so proudly used, can read the sun and automatically consider myself an expert on British everything which in tandem with the complain about wheather maneuver turns me back to being fully british, thus counteracting your ruling.

Now you have to deal with your new ukip debuff that you obtained for playing ban this sick filth.

Bollocks to that, I'll play we won brexit, and stop my subsription to The Eye. Now my Ukip debuff is halved and goes from a hefty -6 to a -3.

Royal Oak. Your turn.

I begin a late play at Royal Oak by accepting the Clueless Tourist rebuff, which destroys my Read The Fucking Map maneuver. Since I'm in a station with a another player, I can use my fallback Tourist Action and ask you...
Do you know the way to Mornington Crescent?

I'm going to have to go, I have a meeting at the local gentleman's club.

So my finishing move is Knightsbridge to join the rest of the upperclassmen in Harrods.

If you can top that then hats off to you.

And now I have to laugh, as this sort of beginner tactics normally wouldn't work on a level as sophisticated as what we demonstrated here tonight. But it is viable, my daughter won a local tournament this fall using that tactic.

I was hoping for another round. Sorry that you'll have to go.

Anyone else up for a round? We can start a fresh game.

Of course. Noah's acquisition rules in effect, lets make this one a fun game, the last one got a bit hot.

I go to Paddington, and collect my bear.

Noah's Aqcuisition rules? You'd have to help me, I don't know them well. They're a Docklands variation, no?

Canary Wharf then. Myy winning condition will be the Gibbons-Powell triad.

Well you need at least 3 pairs of animals in your exhibit before you can process to the post-game exuberances. No impact on the game, but you won't be recieving the invite to the after-party.

What's funny is you can continue the game and remove the Tourist by calling a Paki-Cabbie and providing him with the phrase "He's a bit clueless." Which knocks the tourist out for a minimum of ten turns and 75 quid, with a chance for the 12 Pints rule to come into effect.
This also creates the condition My Aunt Works There, which allows double moves for your next four actions.