Couple of more Cuba Libres. Two 4-player games, both won by Government. First one was a bit shock for everybody (during first Propaganda spent most of the OPs for securing the support/points from the cities and couple of provinces, then just hold the positions until next Propaganda - which arrived fast!) but second was quite narrow - both Government and Syndicate achieved the victory condition but Government had slightly better margin - by 1 point! Love this game. When playing solo, Syndicate has loads of money but when played by player (like I did this time) the situation is suddenly totally different. Perhaps I should play them by following strictly the non-player AI chart :)

Gears of War: The Board Game is a forgotten gem we have. Started the scenarios from the beginning and after fifth try succeeded in completing the first mission. Especially good if you have played the GoW on console - you can imagine then how Boomers make those "Boom!" sounds and why Tickers should be kept at distance.

I believe I have mentioned earlier that I'm probably one of the few people who don't like Agricola. It's too long for what it is and too boring as well. 2-player Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small, on the other hand, is a game I've played already 11 times and I strongly believe there will be lots of plays in the future as well. Base game alone can become a bit repetitive after some games but expansions add a lot of replayability. A lot. Really like them.

Last time I played Indonesia was something like 3 years ago - and yesterday had another chance to try. Excellent game. I was left last (in 3p game) despite my oil monopoly and shipping network that covered most of the board. Seems I spent too much when acquiring the monopoly :) Nevertheless it was interesting game with practically no downtime and multitude of decisions - really good one. Recommend for everybody who likes something meatier with mergers and acquisitions but not 18xx-heavy.

And also...

...please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.
I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2014, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures.