LotR 98 - The Seventh Level (2)

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A second attempt at The Seventh Level. The deck is almost the same as the Deeds of Dwarves deck used to win Into the Pit, the main change is pulling out Protector of Lorien in favor of Forest Snare.

Initial hand:

  • Dwalin
  • Kili
  • Bifur
  • Longbeard Map-maker
  • Miner of the Iron Hills
  • Dwarven Tomb

Initial Encounter: Plundered Armory.

Round 1

  1. Resource: 3, draw Bifur.
  2. Planning: none.
  3. Quest: Dain and Thorin for 6 Will, draw Goblin Spearman, net +1 for 1 P on quest.
  4. Travel: Plundered Armory.
  5. Encounter: Goblin Spearman.
  6. Combat: Dain defends, shadow Goblin Archer for no effect.
  7. Refresh: Threat 32.

Round 2

  1. Resource: 6, draw Forest Snare.
  2. Planning: play Miner of the Iron Hills.
  3. Quest: Dain and Thorin for 6 Will, draw Goblin Scout for +3 Progress on quest.
  4. Travel: none.
  5. Encounter: none.
  6. Combat: Ori defends, draw Goblin Tunnels for +3 Attack, Ori is dead and I'm calling the game right here. Too early in the game to survive with two heroes.

AAR

Since I've only played this once, and that was several months ago, I really don't have any recollection of how this quest plays out. It will be fun to figure it out.

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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.