LotR 174 - The Redhorn Gate (3)

May 30 2021

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My usual LotR collaborator dropped by today to start into Dwarrowdelf. We've been on a bit of hiatus for about 6 weeks. A lot of work issues, and I've been dealing with stolen car, etc. Anyways. The Redhorn Gate kicks off Dwarrowdelf, in which we escort Arwen from Lorien to the peaks of the Misty Mountains on our way to Rivendell (Imladris) to meet with pops, that is, Elrond. Given we survive climbing the Dimrill Stair (?), we'll pick up the next quest Raod to Rivendell and deliver Arwen safely.

For this play, we ended up drowning in resources with all the allies buried in the bottom of both of our decks. Nori was felled by the Snowstorm treachery, taking 12 damage to reflect the 8 progress tokens on Caradhras. I zapped Caradhras with 2 Ancestral Knowledge at the same time which probably cinched the game for us. Our last turn we quested for 27 which did the deed.

All in all, The Redhorn Gate is not too bad of quest. Apparently I beat it on my second play with my Deeds of Dwarves deck. I should replay it with that deck some time to ensure I played it correctly.

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.