Viva, Viva Pamplona

Imagine me in a gold lame jumpsuit. (Or don't. It's probably better for your mental health if you steer clear of that particular visual.) Anyway, had an odd & wonderful occurence the other night while officiating a game of Viva Pamplona. But before I tell you the tale, a couple of notes:

1. "Officiating" a game is a great way to introduce people you enjoy to a game you enjoy that won't play 7 players. In this case, Viva Pamplona tops out with six players, so I took the privilege of turning over the Toro cards and giving strategy hints.
2. Viva Pamplona is a really cool game in the same vein as the ever-popular Midnight Party or the less well-known (and ridiculously expensive) Viva Topo. Players attempt to run from the bulls (well, bull, in this case) while gaining courage points for staying close to him (but not behind him) and by pushing/shoving other players.

Back to my story. This is the first game I've seen where Toro (the bull) was so incredibly slow that the entire arena was filled with pieces. The winning player (hiya, Jimbo!) had 81 courage points. (I've seen games where all six players TOGETHER didn't have 81 courage points.) Best thing: fun to watch a game play out like that. Worst thing: not getting to play in the game myself. Sigh. Thank you, thank you very much. (Fluff Daddy has left the building...)