High Frontier initial thoughts

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High Frontier is a very big game. It weighs something like 10 lbs in the box. There are two 24" x 36" maps in the box, both mounted.

This is the sort of game which isn't really very difficult, once you understand everything. It's the getting to understand which is the hard part.

The Mission: Industrialize Luna

This exercise follows Section H9 in the Colonization rules. The difference is that I'm showing the initial research buildup, and using different components.

Year 1

  • Operation: income 2, just because. (H1)

Year 2

  • Operation: research: acquire Photon Heliogyro for 0. (H2)

Year 3

  • Operation: sell Photon Heliogyro for 5 WT. (H3)

Year 4

  • Operation: research: acquire Pondermotive VASIMR. What does the Yellow signify? Apparently this thruster is "pushable;" cursory examination of the rules reveals I don't care about that right now. Cost 0. (H2)

Year 5

  • Operation: research: acquire Tungsten Resistojet, cost 0, mass 2. (H2)

Year 6

  • Operation: boost crew, thruster and robonaut to LEO stack; Dry Mass 6. (H4)
  1. Free Action: Cargo Transfer: Form rocket from current LEO stack, mass 6. Net Thrust is 5.

  2. Free Action: Fuel up, 5 WT, moves fuel figure (wet mass) to 11, Net Thrust: 4.

  3. Move: move rocket from LEO, burn 4 to get into HEO. Wet mass 9.

  4. Free Action(?): Switch to crew thruster.

  5. Free Action: jettison Tungsten Resistojet, Dry Mass now 3, Wet Mass 6. (D1.5)
  6. Free Action: decommission Tungsten Resistojet. (D1.6)

Year 7

  1. Move: land on moon, 1 burn, 8 steps, Wet Mass now 3 & 1/2. (G1)
  • Operation: prospect the site, which fails because the Tungsten Resistojet has ISRU 3, and there are only two hydrations. Bummer. (H6)

If we ditch the robonaut, we can get to DM 1, WM 1 & 3/7, not enough to boost. So we need to mine fuel in-situ, which is an operation.

Year 8

  • ISRU for fuel. The ISRU rating of the Tungsten Resistojet is 3. The yield on Luna is too. Looks like crew is stranded on Luna: 1 + 2 - 3 = 0. No fuel for you! (H5)

Ok, that was interesting. I think I'm getting a feeling why this game could get very addictive very quickly.

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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.