Search & Destroy 2

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A second game with AS, this time using the standard rules with optional interrogation. We played Scenarion 27.12, which is an operation in Binh Duong (Iron Triangle) province on 10 October, 1965.

The VC racked up a lot of VPs early in the game with surprise attacks, really built a large lead. Apparently, they decided to chill out after that and didn't do whole lot through the middle of the game. The US, after having rolled super crappy through the first half of the game, changed the die. Once the US got on a roll, the VC were caught out and unable to engage the US forces effectively.

This game showed that the VC are probably going to get exposed, probably going to lose the caches, but if they can harry the US by isolating units and pinning them, there are a lot of VPs to be had that way. Also, the more US units are pinned, the less able the US is to search for caches.

Good game, and we'll be playing it again in the future.

Here's a shot of the late game:

Search & Destroy 2

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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.