Massive loss on Hive 39

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This was an iPhone game against a live albeit anonymous player.

I just got seriously smoked at Hive, losing by having no pieces available to move. This game was played turn-based via the iPhone Hive application, against a live, albeit anonymous opponent.

What happened in this game is I completely lost perimeter control, became unable to move any pieces at all. Hive isn't really a game about surrounding the Queen piece, it's a game about controlling the perimeter. Given perimeter control, surrounding the queen is almost an afterthought. Also, once a player has established perimeter control, unless he or she blunders, it seems to be very difficult to regain it as the opponent.

Here is the screenshot from the iPhone. It's not very high quality, but it's nice to have for posterity. (I played white.)

Hive game 39 end

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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.