LotR 73 - Into the Pit (3)

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A second play of my first dedicated dwarf deck. The first play didn't go nearly as well as I thought it should, so let's try it again and see what happens.

Initial hand:

  1. The Galadhrim's Greetings.
  2. Veteran Axehand
  3. Khazad! Khazad!
  4. A Test of Will
  5. Feint
  6. Dwarven Axe

Let's roll with this and see what happens.

Watchful Eyes revealed and added to Dain.

Round 1

  1. Resource: 3, draw Feint.
  2. Planning: none.
  3. Quest: Thalin, draw Signs of Conflict, Threat 31, surge Dark and Dreadful 1 D to Thalin, 2 P on quest.
  4. Travel: none.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: none.
  7. Refresh: Threat 32.

Round 2

  1. Resource: 6, draw Unexpected Courage.
  2. Planning: Unexpected Courage on Dwalin, Veteran Axehand.
  3. Quest: Thalin and Dwalin, draw Cave In and remove 2 P from East Gate. Net +4 Progress on East Gate.
  4. Travel: none.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: none.
  7. Refresh: Threat 33.

Round 3

  1. Resource: 7, draw The Galadrim's Greetings.
  2. Planning: none.
  3. Quest: Thalin and Dwalin, draw Goblin Swordsman, net +3 Progress on quest which clears it.
  4. Travel: First Hall, Threat 36.
  5. Encounter: Goblin Swordsman.
  6. Combat: Dwalin readies and defends, draw Shadow Burning Low, enemy gets +2 Attack, deals 3 D to Dwalin. Yikes. Veteran Axehand kills Goblin Swordsman.
  7. Refresh: Threat 37.

Round 4

  1. Resource: 8, draw The Galadhrim's Greetings.
  2. Planning: none.
  3. Quest: Thalin and Dwalin, draw Goblin Scout, only 1 Progress.
  4. Travel: none.
  5. Encounter: Goblin Scout.
  6. Combat: Veteran Axehand defends, draw shadow Signs of Conflict Threat 39, no damage on Veteran Axehand, Dwalin readies and kills to reduce Threat to 37. About time.
  7. Refresh: Threat 38.

Round 5

  1. Resource: 11, draw Veteran Axehand.
  2. Planning: play Veteran Axehand.
  3. Quest: Thalin, Dwalin and 1 Veteran Axehand for 5, draw Stair of Nain, no biggies, net +3 which clears the First Hall and puts 2 P on quest.
  4. Travel: Bridge of Khazad Dum, cannot play cards…shouldn't be a problem with what I have out.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: none.
  7. Refresh: Threat 39.

Round 6

  1. Resource: 12, draw Blade of Gondolin.
  2. Planning: none.
  3. Quest: Thalin, Dwalin, both Axehands, draw Branching Paths for net +2 on quest. This is a bad card and may end up being the game as if I can't clear this location on the next round.
  4. Travel: none.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: none.
  7. Refresh: Threat 40.

Round 7

  1. Resource: 15, draw Feint.
  2. Planning: none.
  3. Quest: all for 6, draw Fouled Well and that's the game as I'm now in location lock.

MAJOR BLUNDER: DID NOT PLAY THE CAVE TORCH! Actually, it might not have helped in this game, but still, I completely overlooked it which is dumb.

Not bad, but I think the deck needs a few more Allies.

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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.