A Study in Emerald IV

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This was a solo game which I set up to play in successive turns while doing chores and whatnot.

It stayed up around a week, as I don't have very good light on that table during the evening, and I'm usually pretty whupped when I get home from work anyway.

But it was good for reviewing the game and getting more of the mechanics figured out. There is a fair bit of deep strategy involved in the multiplayer game, which really needs 3 people to shine.

One player was Royalist, the other Restorationist. The Loyalist snagged the zombie card, but ended up not using it this game. My focus was more on figuring out how to manage assassinations as the Restorationist player.

I'll probably set this up for another solo play in a few months. Keep semi-warm on the rules in case I can find someone willing to play it.

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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.