LotR 72 - Into the Pit (2)

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Playing my first dwarf deck.

Initial hand:

  1. Unexpected Courage
  2. A Test of Will
  3. Longbeard Orc Slayer
  4. Narvi's Belt
  5. A Test of Will
  6. Dwarven Tomb

Let's see what happens.

Initial encounter: Stairs of Nain.

Round 1

  1. Resource: 3, draw Feint.
  2. Planning: none.
  3. Quest: Thalin, draw Goblin Tunnels, Threat 31.
  4. Travel: none.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: none.
  7. Refresh: Threat 32.

Round 2

  1. Resource: 6, draw Gandalf.
  2. Planning: Narvi's Belt on Dain, Unexpected Courage on Dwalin.
  3. Quest: Thalin, Dwalin, draw Goblin Scout, Threat 35.
  4. Travel: none.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: none.
  7. Refresh: Threat 36.

Round 3

  1. Resource: 5, draw Citadel Plate.
  2. Planning: none.
  3. Quest: Thalin, Dwalin, draw Patrol Leader.
  4. Travel: none.
  5. Encounter: Patrol Leader.
  6. Combat: Dwalin defends, draw Goblin Scout for no effect. Dwalin takes 2 hits.
  7. Refresh: Threat 37.

Round 4

  1. Resource: 8, draw Quick Strike.
  2. Planning: Gandalf to put 4 hits on Patrol Leader, draw Goblin Follower, no result. That hurts.
  3. Quest: Thalin, draw Goblin Swordsman, Threat 43.
  4. Travel: none.
  5. Encounter: Goblin Scout and Goblin Swordsman.
  6. Combat: Gandalf defends Patrol Leader, draw Signs of Conflict, Threat
  7. Dain defends Goblin Swordsman, draw Shadow Lightless Passage which cancels the damage on Goblin Swordsmand, bummer, Dain takes no hits. Goblin Scout is undefended, draw Zigil Mineshaft for no effect, 1 hit on Dain. Dwalin kills Goblin Scout, Threat 41, puts 1 hit on Goblin Swordsman.
  8. Refresh: Threat 42.

Sadly, with no allies in play, and losing the damage on Goblin Swordsmane, I don't think I can pull this one out. I still have a Feint, so let's see what the cards do next.

Round 5

  1. Resource: 6, draw Unexpected Courage.
  2. Planning: Unexpected Courage on Thalin.
  3. Quest: Thalin, draw Signs of Conflict, Threat 44 draw Dreadful Gap. Canceling that with A Test of Will. Threat 48.
  4. Travel: none.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: Feint on Patrol Leader. Thalin defends Goblin Swordman, Shadow is Goblin Follower, Thalin takes 3 hits. Dwalin kills Goblin Swordsman, Threat 46. Dwalin and Dain attack Patrol Leader, draw Burning Low, apply 1 hit to Patrol Leader.
  7. Refresh: Threat 47.

Round 6

  1. Resource: 6, draw Khazad! Khazad!
  2. Planning: Longbeard Orc Slayer, draw Burning Low for no effect, 3 hits total on Patrol Leader. This isn't going anywhere without the weapons I have not been drawing.
  3. Quest: Thalin, Dwalin, Longbeard, draw Zigil Mineshaft and that's the game, location locked, Threat 53.
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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.