Catan in Alameda

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I seem to spend a fair number of holidays at PL's in Alameda, and of those we seem to usually get a game onto the table. And this is usually either Catan or Dominion. This time it was Catan for a six player game.

This has to be the worst die rolling I've had in Catan yet. Just really, really bad, and I got the Robber right away for many turns. I went over a full round of 6 people without drawing any cards at all, and never really recovered from that. I did come close using Development cards, but not close enough.

Lessons learned: Soldier cards move the robber and must be played to count. Don't ever give up, even when the dice hate you. This game is so well-designed, that it's possible, if one is careful, to stay very competitive.

Note: my placements were otherwise really good this game. I just didn't have anything on a "6" or an "8," which were rolled turn after turn after turn. Oddly, very few "7"s were rolled.

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What to play next?

Deciding what to play next is always a tough call when faced with a closet full of games, all of which were purchased with intent to play. Here's one I'm dealing with the decision.

  • Something New: this means both something new to me and a game which has been published recently, within the last two or three years.
  • Something Classic: I've acquired a number of games properly considered "classic" which haven't yet been played. The current example would be PanzerGruppe Guderian.
  • Something Again: mastery requires constant practice, which means playing games many, many times to allow nuance to appear.
  • Something Vietnam: as I'm on a Vietnam binge. I don't have all the Vietnam games ever published, but I can say that I have a lot of them, and probably more than most people.
  • Something Obscure: as it's fun to poke around in the dustier corners of game design.
  • Something Different: break away from the same old publishers and try a game from one of the new kids on the block. Or, conversely, dip into legacy with a classic tried and true.
  • Something Light: once in a while it's nice to actually finish a game all the way through in one sitting, in an hour or two.
  • Something Heavy: if possible, it's nice to set up something big and complicated which can be left out for days or weeks or even months, for a leisurely stroll through a very large or long game.

There are surely many more ways to choose, but the above method keeps me busy enough, helps me get both breadth and depth into my play, and provides me with a sense of progress.

The odd man out

When there is an odd man out:

  • Have a solo game ready to play.
  • Keep score or advise on a game in progress.
  • Referee a game in progress.