Hive 44

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This opponent started out very aggressively, as can be seen in the first screenshot. Shortly after that he managed to get 5 pieces around my Queen. Then I systematically dismantled him, because I had many more bugs in reserve, and was able to re-assert control of the perimeter.

It was nerve-wracking at this point, but I had to have faith that with all the bugs I had in reserve, I would be able to turn the game around, or at least not lose by too much.

Here's the early game where the opponent was apparently feeling very confident in a win:

Hive Game 44 early situation

After a lot of back and forth, we finally got to the point shown in the screenshot below and the opponent conceded the game. I'm not sure he could have won it if I didn't make any mistakes. On the other hand, given the mistakes he or she made, I may have been able to pull something out had I been in a similar situation. But who can say?

Here's where he or she conceded:

Hive Game 44 end situation

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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.