Fire in the Lake 16

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My usual opponent AS and I played the Medium scenario at EGO.

I played FWA with AS playing the NVA/VC. We're continuing with the reverse factions, as I usually play the reds.

For most of the game, the VC and especially the NVA were in really good shape. At one point just past the second Coup, the NVA had 41 resources, the most I've ever seen the NVA accumulate. However, right after that, the US was first eligible for Peace Talks, which allowed Linebacker II to proceed and stripped the NVA of 24 resources. A bad break to be sure. From there, the relentless pacification of the US was not countered by either VC or NVA, leading to US win.

We played 31 of the 39 cards in the Medium scenario, not bad for us as we'll often call a game for time before the last coup.

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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.