Absolutely Aces (19)

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I'm too tired this Friday evening to write any snazzy, witty lead ins for our evening's bout. It has been a long week, and my other hobby, raising tropical milkweeds (hoyas) recently enjoying a too-large shipment from Thailand. So I'm not just tired, I'm distracted.

But mastery calls!

So here we are, once again enjoying the spectacle of two dunderheads dogfighting it up.

Schlock gets Roll 8, Break 5, Scissors 3, Break 4, bids Joker.

Kaff gets Ace, Climb 6, Climb 7, Roll 10, bids Swoop 9.

  1. Schlock opens with Break 4.

  2. Kaff blocks with Ace.

  3. Schlock blocks with Swoop 9.

  4. Kaff is forced to block with Climb 6 and Climb 7.

  5. Schlock blocks with Roll 8 to take Round 1.

Score: Schlock 9, Kaff 0.

Round 2

Schlock gets Scissors 2, Break 5, Break 4, Roll 10, bids Swoop 9.

Kaff gets Climb 6, Climb 7, Swoop 11, Roll 8, bids Joker.

  1. Kaff opens with Climb 6.

  2. Schlock blocks with Roll 10.

  3. Kaff blocks with Swoop 9, Swoop 11.

  4. Schlock blocks with Break 4.

  5. Kaff blocks with Roll 8.

  6. Schlock blocks with Scissors 2.

  7. Kaff blocks with Climb 7.

  8. Schlock blocks with Climb 6.

  9. Kaff blocks with Roll 10 to take Round 2.

Score: Schlock 9, Kaff 11.

Round 3

Schlock gets Climb 6, Scissors 3, Swoop 11, Roll 10, bids Scissors 2.

Kaff gets Break 5, Climb 7, Ace, Roll 8, bids Joker.

  1. Kaff opens with Break 5.

  2. Schlock blocks with Roll 10.

  3. Kaff blocks with Scissors 2.

  4. Schlock blocks with Climb 6.

  5. Kaff blocks with Climb 7, which is the game.

Score: Schlock 9, Kaff 18.

In this game, controlling Roll and Climb allowed Climb to score.

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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.