High Frontier 4 All (1) Space Diamonds (1)
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I'm supposed to be finishing other games which I've already started and had to shelve because of work overload, but I just could not resist getting the new edition of High Frontier on the table. It came about 2 weeks ago, and I had First Team: Vietnam in flight. Having started that game in June, I figured I really needed to finish it up. I also have unfinished games of Sorcerer and Burma, and haven't yet beaten We Must Away Ere Break of Day quest in the Lord of the Rings card game. All of which I'm "supposed to finish" before cracking open a new game. Whatever. YOLO. I'm not as stoked about those as I am about High Frontier.
Today, I play the new beginner scenario "Space Diamonds." It's pitched as its own game, and it sort of is, but I'm logging the play as High Frontier regardless.
I've drawn the sail mission "The Heart of the Comet," which grants me 3 victory points (VPs) by taking the first Discovery Chit (DC) from a synodic comet. Synodic comets in High Frontier are comets with extreme orbits which can only be approached (in the regular game) at certain times.
For Space Diamonds, all the missions are with the Mars zone on the map, for which there are 2 synodic comets: Phaethon, and Icarus. Both require a bunch of burns to get to. I'll record the burns turn by turn.
Turn 1
Mapping my route: going sunward to pick up some solar thrust at the Venus-Sol L1 right by Venus.
- I will only have +0 thrust as the bonus accrues at the start of movement, not during movement. Here's where I ended up:
The image comes from Nornagon's handy route planner, something I'm not capable of building at the moment, but would very much like to learn how to build.
Turn 2
I get a +2 boost, so I can burn 4 times. There is a different route which is 3 burns and 1 turn (which costs a burn), which is how the mission planner wants to do it.
In any case, 4 burns gets me to Phaethon, where I pass the hazard roll (4) and I find an isofuel chit. This is pretty cool as I am in the Earth zone. I could spend this to get an extra 2 burns and bring it on home in Turn 3.
Turn 3
Just burn twice to take off from Phaethon.
Turn 4
Burn once to get to Apophis which yeilds an acorn looking thing, which the manual informs me is Industrial, in this case for 3 more VP.
Turn 5
Let's fly home.
My route goes to Earth-Luna L3 with two burns, let's see what the mission planner says. It wants make a pivot, which would cost me another turn anyway, so I'm taking my route which puts me at the L3 as mentioned. Actually, it puts me at a space right past the L3, but still one burn from LEO.
Turn 6
LEO, and game over. Let's count the victory points:
- Chits: 1 + 3 = 4.
- Mission accomplished: 3.
- First player home! 4.
Total: 11 points.
What to do next? Another sail mission, or should I do a rocket mission? I should probably all the missions, just for fun. They don't take very long solo.