Leaving Earth 11 - a hard scenario

Previous:
Next:
Tags

After last week's successful game, I'm in the mood to set up a hard scenario. I'll probably be able to complete it, the curious thing is how fast. Typically, the hard scenarios require testing at least 8 or 9 advancements, which really puts a lot of time pressure on the game.

I may try and figure out how to separate planning into Boost Phase which provisions Earth Orbit, and Mission Phase, which launches the missions from Earth Orbit. I haven't been able to do this successfully in the past. It will be required to succeed at Outer Planets missions.

This game will be recorded the same way the last game was recorded, on a Google Sheet tracking mission requirements and yearly activity. Highlights will be noted below.

Missions

Eight missions total:

  1. 19 Mercury Sample Return: Mercury sample on Earth
  2. 15 Lunar Station: Man on Moon at start of year
  3. 13 Mercury Lander: Working Probe/Capsule on Mercury
  4. 11 Venus Lander: Working Probe/Capsule on Venus
  5. 7 Mercury Survery: Reveal Mercury location
  6. 5 Mars Survey: Reveal Mars location
  7. 2 Artificial Satellite: Working Probe/Capsule in Earth orbit
  8. 1 Sounding Rocket: Working Probe/capsule in space

I need 37 of 73 total points to "win" a solo game.

A quick refresher on Turn Sequence

Since I play this game solo most of the time, I don't pay a lot of attention to the turn sequence. At some point I hope to start playing with 1 or more opponents, whence the turn sequence will become critically important. The sequence goes like this:

  1. Resolve Start of Year effects.
  2. Receive $25.
  3. Conduct as many operations as desired.
  4. Resolve End of Year effects: * Remove 1 Time Token * Repair all damaged components on Earth * Check Life Support. Note monies left over here can only be used for Life Support research.

The Time Tokens are always the part which I don't recall correctly.

Mercury missions

To get a probe onto Mercury, I need a Juno in orbit. It's a 2 mass maneuver of 2 difficulty. To get a sample off of Mercury, I need to land a Juno, then have the Juno boost the sample back to Mercury orbit. What I need to get to Mercury Orbit is:

  • 3 Juno
  • 1 Probe

Which is total mass 4. I think I'm going to need a Soyuz to get it there from Inner Planets if I combine missions.

Doing some initial numbers, it looks like combining the missions is too difficult and risky. The sample mission can be run pretty cheap provided stuff is in Earth Orbit.

1958 First launch

This scores Sounding Rocket and Probe in Orbit for 3 points.

1962 Mercury Sample Return mission debarks

The Mercury Sample Return mission has debarked Earth Orbit. There is one more Outcome left on Ion Thrusters Advancement. It would be good to clear this before the thruster has to fire again at Inner Planets Transfer.

An alternative would be to have another Ion mission ready for sample return which could debark if there is an IPT Ion failure.

A better alternative is probably have the lander mission ready to fire, there is a lot less time pressure on that one, it can fail no problem.

1963 Sequencing testing

This is a critical year to get the Ion outcomes resolved. Sequencing will be important.

Here is what needs to happen:

  1. Launch repaired Ion into Earth Orbit, rendezvous with Juno and Probe, and debark Mercury Landing mission. Ion firing outcome is success.

  2. Purchase Atlas advancement, 3 Atlas.

  3. Debark for Venus Landing.

  4. Purchase Atlas Advancements and 3 Atlas Rockets.

1964 Juno testing

This needs to happen at some point, and this is a good point. I have a lot of Junos, so I don't need to buy off every success. The result is I bought off the first success, which was followed by a minor failure, then success, not bad.

Purchased Landing Advancement.

1965 Landing testing

I have a lot of Junos for this:

  1. 4 Juno, Major Failure.
  2. 4 Juno, Success.
  3. Atlas, Juno: Atlas Success purchased, Major Failure on Landing.

Not bad, I can deal with it.

1967 Surveying

I do not want to be caught without a working Surveying Advancement, so let's get that one knocked out right now. The idea is to boost an Atlas, Probe and a couple of Junos. The Atlas will be needed later for the manned moon mission. The two Junos can get the Probe to the Moon and survey it. If it's a failure I can buy it off, it not, having only a single outcome means success will leave me with $$$ for more rockets.

This also gets spacecraft to:

  • Mercury Flyby,
  • Venus Orbit.

At Venus Orbit, another Survey for Venus, then the Ion can cycle back to pick up the Mars Reveal Probe.

1968 Life Support

Purchased a 3 Eagle capsules, these get boosted in a couple of turns.

1969 Complex turn

  • Purchase 2 Soyuz, 3 Supplies, 1 Probe.

  • Launch 2 Soyuz, 3 Eagle, 3 Supplies, 1 Probe to Earth Orbit.

  • Mercury Sample return lands, samples, launches back to Mercury Orbit, then gets placed on IPT with 3 Time Tokens.

  • Mars Ion rendezvous in Earth Orbit with Probe, gets placed on Mars Orbit with 3 Time Tokens.

Now Life Support testing:

  1. Success.
  2. Success.
  3. Major Failure purchased for $5.

Remove 1 Time Token from Mercury Sample, Mercury Orbit, and Mars Reveal.

1970 Another complex turn

I need to clear Life Support, and it's going to cost me. I need to save $15 to be sure to clear it.

  • Mercury Orbit, survey to reveal then land probe. Nothing interesting revealed. Ion Thruster back to IPT with 2 TT.

  • Purchase 1 Soyuz and 1 Atlas.

Life support testing:

  1. Success.
  2. Success.

And only $2 left over.

Remove TT.

1971 A lull

Everything is in transit.

1972 Mars reveal "seasonal growths"

Mars reveal for 5.

1973 Coast

Nothing to do.

1974 Mercury Sample lands

Add 19 to score for 54.

1975 Man to Moon

Purchase Eagle and Buzz Aldrin.

Suborbital is no effect.

1976 Man on Moon at Start of Year

Score 15 points for 73 total and that's a perfect game.

AAR

I got lucky early on with no Soyuz Failures, and easy Rendezvouz testing. This let me use the Soyuz/Ion combo very effectively.

Using a spreadsheet is massively helpful. I can't imagine trying to manage this game without it.

Components without advancements

From a discussion about components and advancements:

Leaving Earth » Forums » Rules Re: Trading components without Advancement Robert is correct:

You can't buy a Saturn rocket without the Saturn advancement.

But you can receive a Saturn rocket from another player without having that advancement.

When you fire a rocket that you don't have the advancement for, you immediately gain that advancement with the full complement of outcomes on it.

I did not know this. There is follow on discussion on which components can receive advancements, and which do not. For example, (apparently) receiving an Aldrin component will not gain the Life Support advancement.

Previous:
Next:
Tags

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.