Hoplite, Netrunner and more

Previous:
Next:
Tags

CC stopped by for a last game day before I start work in a couple of days. Ramping up at work is going to fill my brain to exclude much game, so it was nice to have a blowout day before starting. We played three games in total.

Think Thrice is a small set puzzle game for matching tiles. The rules are very simple, but it's not clear how to play the game correctly. I think maybe this isn't a very good game. We'll play it a few more times I'm sure, but it's not destined to be a classic in my collection.

Hoplite finally made it to the table with the Mycale battle. This was overdue, we just hadn't gotten around to it yet. I played the Greeks under Xanthippus, while CC played the Persians under Tigranes. Despite the Heroic Xanthippus suffering an arrow from the Persian Archers, the mighty and noble Athenians led the Greeks to Victory over Tigranes pusillanimous Persian peasants. The Spartans watched the action from the comfort and safety of a nearby hill. Jerks.

Here's the situation at the end:

Hoplite Mycale Persion rout

Android: Netrunner finally hit the table. I've had this for years, but haven't made it past a single solo learning game. We slogged our way through it with me taking the Runner faction Sphere with Kate, and CC taking the Corporate faction Jinteki. After much rules consulting, I won at the end with 7 Agenda points on 3 cards. I think we'll play this again, taking the same factions to better understand the game play.

Previous:
Next:
Tags

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.