Silver Bayonet 19, 20; Than Phong

Nov 18 2018

Scenario 2 Plei Mei

First up was a rematch of Lure and Ambush, opening salvo (first 7 turns) of the operation, consisting of the NVA siege of the Special Forces camp at Plei Mei. We played this a few weeks ago, where I lost by a few points as the PAVN. On this rematch, I was determined to do much better. And I did. The FWA player, my usual opponent AS, forgot that this is a 7 turn game, and did not charge his ARVN in to get the US forces on the map. With no US forces on the map, Plei Mei was doomed and finally occupied by the PAVN at the top of Turn 6. FWA conceded the game at that point.

Scenario 7 Than Phong

Second match was Scenario 7: Than Phong. This excerpts a small piece of the campaign game to model the PAVN escape at the end of the campaign. Tables turned here, the PAVN being no respecter of ZOCs slipped through the lines and got onto the Chu Pong Massif. I actually conceded as the FWA for a PAVN minor victory, but I think I conceded too soon. The PAVN would have taken a couple more turns to escape, and I could have possibly reduced another step or two via airstrikes. I'll know for next time.

6 Nimmt!

Another ghastly loss at 6 Nimmt!. This game continues to elude me. I really have no idea how to play it well, and I usually lose, often quite badly as was the case here: 35 to 63. Given I usually lose, I suspect there is something quite fundamental which I am missing; I have some fundamental misconception about how the game plays.

Star Realms Colony Wars

Conversely, I won at Star Realms, another game I usually lose to this opponent. This was a pretty close game, coming down to a final hand. AS draw all Scouts, I drew enough to interact with two bases on the table to deal 25 damage to his 10 Authority remaining. A sweet, sweet win indeed.

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.