Absolutely Aces (71)

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Bright sunny day, good time to fly.

Schlock gets Roll 8, Scissors 2, Climb 7, Ace, bids Swoop 9.

Kaff gets Break 4, Climb 6, Scissors 3, Break 5, bids Roll 10.

Out of play: Swoop 11, Joker.

  1. Kaff opens with Break 5.

  2. Schlock blocks with Roll 8.

  3. Kaff blocks with Scissors 3.

  4. Schlock blocks with Climb 7.

  5. Kaff blocks with Climb 6.

  6. Schlock blocks with Ace.

  7. Kaff blocks with Swoop 9.

  8. Schlock blocks with Scissors 2.

  9. Kaff blocks with Climb 7.

  10. Schlock blocks with Climb 6.

  11. Kaff blocks with Roll 8.

  12. Schlock blocks with Scissors 3.

  13. Kaff blocks with Ace.

  14. Schlock blocks with Swoop 9.

  15. Kaff blocks with Break 4.

  16. Schlock blocks with Break 5.

  17. Kaff blocks with Scissors 2, Scissors 3.

  18. Schlock blocks with Climb 7.

  19. Kaff blocks with Climb 6.

  20. Schlock blocks with Roll 8 taking Round 1.

Score: Schock 9, Kaff 0.

This is a game I really ought to analyze, and taking notes through every analysis is no fun and too slow and I just won't do it first time. What I'm doing next is setting this hand back up and seeing if I can get Kaff to take the round. And I can, I can force Schlock to play Scissors 2, Scissors 3 to block Break 5, which sets up for the two opposing Climbs and Kaff's Roll 8. Further, it's Kaff who drives this, and it happens in about half the time.

Kaff tries again opening with Climb 6. This also leads to a Kaff win with Roll 8. Let's set that up and do it:

Here's Round 1 deal again:

Schlock gets Roll 8, Scissors 2, Climb 7, Ace.

Kaff gets Break 4, Climb 6, Scissors 3, Break 5, with Swoop 9 in Reserve.

  1. Kaff opens with Climb 6.

  2. Schlock blocks with Climb 7.

  3. Kaff blocks with Break 4, Break 5.

  4. Schlock blocks with Roll 8. Fork here, this could have been blocked with Schlock's Ace.

I need to shut this down for the evening, too tired to think straight.

AAR

I'm calling this a play, as I've played as many rounds as I would have normally played during a "real" game.

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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.