HF4A 36 - My First Claim (12)

Dec 5 2021

AAR

The game turned out well, and resulted in a stack I want to use as a pre-built stack in an upcoming Futures game.

Thruster: Metastable Helium
Reactor: Mini-Mag RF Paul Trap
Radiator: Qu Tube
Robonaut: Cat Fusion Z-pinch Torch
Refinery: ISRU Sabatier
Generator: Rankine Solar Dynamic.

This stack can be improved on. For example, acquiring Ericsson Engine generator reduces mass and allow any reactor on its C-produced black side.

Dry Mass: 8.

Thrust: 1. Depending on the load, the base thrust could be as low as 1, but the afterburning helps.

Fuel consumption: 1. Base fuel consumption is really good, makes up for lack of speed with better efficiency.

Robonaut: Cat Fusion Z-pinch is a great robonaut for smaller sites

Black-Sides: The black sides of this stack are some of the better cards in the game. The fuel efficiency of the Li Microfission thruster puts Neptune within reach, ordinarily not a great destination unless operating GW/TW thrusters.

Stack Improvements: Any C or V spectral cards are likely to provide good black side alternatives.

Take this if: you are patient and willing to invest early for big mid-game payoffs.

Don't take this if: you need to move fast to industrialize. While this rocket can make some early claims, prospecting a slam dunk V site like Vesta will require some careful play.

Here's the game play extracted from the google sheet:

Turn 1

Current hand: empty
Operation: Research: Cat Fusion Z Pinch Torch robonaut
Event: Anarchy
Notes: A legitimate examination of the stacks reveals enough good patents either on top or second to build an ISRU 2 robonaut. The early game strategy here is controlling Inspiration events by loading up the Politics placard. Roscosmos gets me a head start with Authority.
Starting Aqua: 6
Net Δ Aqua: -1
Ending Aqua: 5
Active Law: Centrist
Score: 0
LEO: Roscosmos

Turn 2

Current hand: Cat Fusion Z Pinch Torch robonaut
Operation: Research: Qu Tube radiator
Notes: I'll lobby if an Inspiration or Budget Cuts occurs, then Fund Raise back to Authority on the following round.
Starting Aqua: 5
Net Δ Aqua: -1
Ending Aqua: 4
Active Law: Centrist
Score: 0
LEO: Roscosmos

Turn 3

Current hand: Cat Fusion Z Pinch Torch robonaut, Qu Tube
Operation: Research: Photon Kite Sail
Event: Budget Cuts: ditch the Photon Kite Sail.
Notes: I'll Free Market this later.
Starting Aqua: 4
Net Δ Aqua: -1
Ending Aqua: 3
Active Law: Centrist
Score: 0
LEO: Roscosmos

Turn 4

Current hand: Cat Fusion Z Pinch Torch robonaut, Qu Tube
Operation: Resarch: Metastable Helium thruster
Starting Aqua: 3
Net Δ Aqua: -1
Ending Aqua: 2
Active Law: Centrist
Score: 0
LEO: Roscosmos

Turn 5

Current hand: Cat Fusion Z Pinch Torch robonaut, Qu Tube, Metastable Helium
Operation: Fund Raise: +1 Aqua, delegate to Authority, Active Law to Authority
Event: Budget Cuts: discard a delegate to induce Inspiration, which is perfect.
Notes: This worked exactly as planned.
Starting Aqua: 2
Net Δ Aqua: 1
Ending Aqua: 3
Active Law: Authority
Score: 0
LEO: Roscosmos

Turn 6

Current hand: Cat Fusion Z Pinch Torch robonaut, Qu Tube, Metastable Helium
Operation: Research: Mini-Mag RF Paul Trap reactor
Notes: Not a great reactor on the white side, but the black side is excellent, especially since it builds at a C site. I can work with it. Will need to take the crew with me.
Starting Aqua: 3
Net Δ Aqua: -1
Ending Aqua: 2
Active Law: Authority
Score: 0
LEO: Roscosmos

Turn 7

Current hand: Cat Fusion Z Pinch Torch robonaut, Qu Tube, Metastable Helium, Mini-Mag RF Paul Trap
Operation: Fund Raise: +1 Aqua, delegate to Authority, move 1 delegate to Centrist.
Event: Glitch
Starting Aqua: 2
Net Δ Aqua: 1
Ending Aqua: 3
Active Law: Authority
Score: 0
LEO: Roscosmos

Turn 8

Current hand: Cat Fusion Z Pinch Torch robonaut, Qu Tube, Metastable Helium, Mini-Mag RF Paul Trap
Operation: Fund Raise: +1 Aqua, delegate to Centrist, move 1 delegate and Active Law to Individuality.
Notes: Fund Raise and boost next turn.
Starting Aqua: 3
Net Δ Aqua: 1
Ending Aqua: 4
Active Law: Individuality
Score: 0
LEO: Roscosmos

Turn 9

Current hand: Cat Fusion Z Pinch Torch robonaut, Qu Tube, Metastable Helium, Mini-Mag RF Paul Trap
Operation: Fund Raise: +1 Aqua, delegate to Authority, Active Law to Centrist
Free Actions:
- Boost: whole hand.
Event: Pad Explosion: I'll take it, Qu Tube back to hand, +1 Aqua for Centrist.
Starting Aqua: 4
Net Δ Aqua: 2
Ending Aqua: 6
Active Law: Centrist
Score: 0
LEO: Roscosmos, Cat Fusion Z Pinch Torch robonaut, Metastable Helium, Mini-Mag RF Paul Trap

Turn 10

Current hand: Qu Tube
Operation: Fund Raise: +1 Aqua, Active Law to Individuality
Free Actions:
- Boost: Qu Tube.

Cargo Transfer: build rocket.

Internal Tankage: Fuel it up with 4 tanks - Movement: Move to Cycler, need to swap thrusters to get through radiation belt. - Notes: No need to afterburn, save a step of fuel. There is an error here: I have 2 delegates in Authority with the Active Law in Individuality. I'm going to remove one of the Authority delegates and roll forward.

Starting Aqua: 6
Net Δ Aqua: -3
Ending Aqua: 3
Active Law: Individuality
Score: 0
LEO:
Rocket: Roscosmos, Cat Fusion Z Pinch Torch robonaut, Qu Tube, Metastable Helium, Mini-Mag RF Paul Trap, Qu Tube

Turn 11

Current hand:
Operation: Research: ISRU Sabatier refinery
Free Actions:
- Cargo Transfer: Swap to Crew Thruster.
Movement: Move to radiation belt space.
Event: Inspiration: going to Lobby to be able to acquire a good generator
Notes: I picked up the refinery as that's what I'd be doing in a long game anyway. Pity I'm not playing a long game, this is looking like a pretty good stack.
Starting Aqua: 3
Net Δ Aqua: -1
Ending Aqua: 2
Active Law: Individuality
Score: 0
LEO:
Rocket: Roscosmos, Cat Fusion Z Pinch Torch robonaut, Qu Tube, Metastable Helium, Mini-Mag RF Paul Trap, Qu Tube

Turn 12

Current hand: ISRU Sabatier refinery
Operation: Research: Rankine Solar Dynamic.
Free Actions:
- Cargo Transfer: Swap to Helium thruster
Movement: Afterburn to move to Hohmann at Vesta.
Notes: I'm one short of fuel, I miscounted, will have to land on Eischfeldia to ISRU fuel. Bummer.
Starting Aqua: 2
Net Δ Aqua: -1
Ending Aqua: 1
Active Law: Individuality
Score: 0
LEO:
Rocket: Roscosmos, Cat Fusion Z Pinch Torch robonaut, Qu Tube, Metastable Helium, Mini-Mag RF Paul Trap, Qu Tube

Turn 13

Current hand: ISRU Sabatier refinery, Rankine Solar Dynamic Generator
Operation: Fund Raise: +1 Aqua, delegate to Centrist, move to Authority.
Free Actions:
- Boost: all in hand, mitigate budget cuts.
Movement: Burn to Vesta barycenter.
Event: Inspiration: Lobby to cancel, I want the next generator on the stack, the C type black side is great!
Notes: Will need to switch to Crew for the landings.
Starting Aqua: 1
Net Δ Aqua: 0
Ending Aqua: 1
Active Law: Individuality
Score: 0
LEO: ISRU Sabatier refinery, Rankine Solar Dynamic Generator
Rocket: Roscosmos, Cat Fusion Z Pinch Torch robonaut, Qu Tube, Metastable Helium, Mini-Mag RF Paul Trap, Qu Tube

Turn 14

Current hand:
Operation: Research: Ericsson Engine generator
Free Actions:
- Boost: Ericsson Engine.

Cargo Transfer: switch to Crew and land on Eischfeldia. - Movement: Land on Eischfeldia. - Notes: Risky, need to get through 2 budget cuts. If prospecting succeeds on Eischfeldia, will call the game here. Otherwise will work through the turns for landing on Vesta. - Starting Aqua: 1 - Net Δ Aqua: -1 - Ending Aqua: 0 - Active Law: Individuality - Score: 0 - LEO: ISRU Sabatier refinery, Rankine Solar Dynamic enerator, Ericsson Engine generator. - Rocket: Roscosmos, Cat Fusion Z Pinch Torch robonaut, Qu Tube, Metastable Helium, Mini-Mag RF Paul Trap, Qu Tube

Turn 15

Current hand:
Operation: Prospect: Eischfeldia roll 2 claimed, +1 Aqua for faction privilege.
Notes: And that is this game. In a long game I'd ISRU fuel up here to be able to use the crew to land on Vesta. I'd probably park a Bernal at the Vesta barycenter as well, due to the strength of the V & C cards I already have in hand.
Starting Aqua: 0
Net Δ Aqua: 1
Ending Aqua: 1
Active Law: Individuality
Score: 0
LEO: ISRU Sabatier refinery, Rankine Solar Dynamic enerator, Ericsson Engine generator.
Rocket: Roscosmos, Cat Fusion Z Pinch Torch robonaut, Qu Tube, Metastable Helium, Mini-Mag RF Paul Trap, Qu Tube

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.