HF4A 47 - My First Colony (4)

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It's July 4, while I'd like to get a jump on work, it's also a holiday, and I've worked far too many holidays in the past. This game will also use the Solitaire Module 0, and the usual 4 card academia limit. The goal for the My First Colony series is to try and crank them out in about 2 hours. I don't always succeed, sometimes it's over 4 hours. I'm not usually tracking time, but I started a couple of games ago and I'm inclined to continue tracking it going forward. It will help me understand when I have time to get a game in.

  • 8:34am set up started.
  • 8:50am set up complete, taking a short break.
  • 8:56am Start of Cycle 1.
  • 9:36am End of Cycle 1, take a break.
  • 9:48am Start Cycle 2.
  • 10:40am Eichsfeldia colonized on Turn 19.
  • 11:02am All written up except for commit and build.
  • 11:14am Completely put away.

The end of the game with the successful rocket:

My first colony 4)

Turn 1

  • Current hand: Empty
  • Operation: Fund Raise: delegate to Equality, Active Law to Equality.
  • Starting Aqua: 6
  • Net Δ Aqua: 1
  • Ending Aqua: 7
  • Active Law: Equality
  • Score: 0
  • LEO: Crew

Notes: Crew is Taikonauts.

Event: Anarchy, purge Unity for no effect.

Turn 2

  • Current hand: Empty
  • Operation: Research: Basalt Fiber Spinning.
  • Starting Aqua: 7
  • Net Δ Aqua: -2
  • Ending Aqua: 5
  • Active Law: Equality
  • Score: 0
  • LEO: Crew

Notes: Nets a reactor as well.

Turn 3

  • Current hand: Basalt Fiber Spinning, Cermet NERVA Fission
  • Operation: Research: Fluidized Bed.
  • Starting Aqua: 5
  • Net Δ Aqua: -2
  • Ending Aqua: 3
  • Active Law: Equality
  • Score: 0
  • LEO: Crew

Event: Inspiration

Turn 4

  • Current hand: Basalt Fiber Spinning, Cermet NERVA Fission, Rankine Solar Dynamic, Fluidized Bed
  • Operation: Free Market: Cermet NERVA Fission, Rankine Solar Dynamic
  • Starting Aqua: 3
  • Net Δ Aqua: 3
  • Ending Aqua: 6
  • Active Law: Equality
  • Score: 0
  • LEO: Crew

Turn 5

  • Current hand: Basalt Fiber Spinning, Rankine Solar Dynamic, Fluidized Bed
  • Operation: Research: Kuck Mosquito, Penning Trap
  • Starting Aqua: 6
  • Net Δ Aqua: -2
  • Ending Aqua: 4
  • Active Law: Equality
  • Score: 0
  • LEO: Crew

Notes: Milling the patent decks.

Event: Budget Cuts, Kuck Mosquito

Turn 6

  • Current hand: Basalt Fiber Spinning, Rankine Solar Dynamic, Fluidized Bed, Penning Trap
  • Operation: Free Market: Penning Trap
  • Starting Aqua: 4
  • Net Δ Aqua: 3
  • Ending Aqua: 7
  • Active Law: Equality
  • Score: 0
  • LEO: Crew

Turn 7

  • Current hand: Basalt Fiber Spinning, Rankine Solar Dynamic, Fluidized Bed
  • Operation: Research: D-T Fusion Tokamak, Salt-cooled Reflux Tube
  • Starting Aqua: 7
  • Net Δ Aqua: -2
  • Ending Aqua: 5
  • Active Law: Equality
  • Score: 0
  • LEO: Crew

Notes: I have a good set of cards spread between hand and patent decks, main thing is to control Inspiration now.

Event: Solar Flares

Turn 8

  • Current hand: Basalt Fiber Spinning, Rankine Solar Dynamic, Fluidized Bed, D-T Fusion Tokamak, Salt-cooled Reflux Tube
  • Operation: Fund Raise: delegate to Individuality, Active Law to Individuality.
  • Free Actions:
    • Boost: Basalt FIber Spinning, Salt-cooled Reflux Tube
  • Starting Aqua: 5
  • Net Δ Aqua: -5
  • Ending Aqua: 0
  • Active Law: Individuality
  • Score: 0
  • LEO: Crew, Basalt Fiber Spinning, Salt-cooled Reflux Tube

Turn 9

  • Current hand: Rankine Solar Dynamic, Fluidized Bed, D-T Fusion Tokamak
  • Operation: Free Market: Fluidized Bed
  • Starting Aqua: 0
  • Net Δ Aqua: 2
  • Ending Aqua: 2
  • Active Law: Individuality
  • Score: 0
  • LEO: Crew, Basalt Fiber Spinning, Salt-cooled Reflux Tube

Notes: Bummer, that puts me behind a turn.

Event: Inspiration: cancel with Authority

Turn 10

  • Current hand: Rankine Solar Dynamic, D-T Fusion Tokamak
  • Operation: Fund Raise: delegate to Authority.
  • Starting Aqua: 2
  • Net Δ Aqua: 1
  • Ending Aqua: 3
  • Active Law: Individuality
  • Score: 0
  • LEO: Crew, Basalt Fiber Spinning, Salt-cooled Reflux Tube

Turn 11

  • Current hand: Rankine Solar Dynamic, D-T Fusion Tokamak
  • Operation: Research: Blackbody Pumped Laser
  • Starting Aqua: 3
  • Net Δ Aqua: -2
  • Ending Aqua: 1
  • Active Law: Individuality
  • Score: 0
  • LEO: Crew, Basalt Fiber Spinning, Salt-cooled Reflux Tube

Notes: Now I need an Inspiration to get that turn back, there is a thruster one down I need.

Event: Pad Explosion: cancel with Authority Lobby action to trigger Inspiration.

Turn 12

  • Current hand: Rankine Solar Dynamic, D-T Fusion Tokamak, Blackbody Pumped Laser
  • Operation: Research: Monotomic Plug Nozzle
  • Starting Aqua: 1
  • Net Δ Aqua: -1
  • Ending Aqua: 0
  • Active Law: Individuality
  • Score: 0
  • LEO: Crew, Basalt Fiber Spinning, Salt-cooled Reflux Tube

Notes: Next: get boosted, fuel up.

Turn 13

  • Current hand: Rankine Solar Dynamic, D-T Fusion Tokamak, Blackbody Pumped Laser, Monotomic Plug Nozzle
  • Operation: Fund Raise: delegate to Authority, Active Law to Equality.
  • Starting Aqua: 0
  • Net Δ Aqua: 1
  • Ending Aqua: 1
  • Active Law: Equality
  • Score: 0
  • LEO: Crew, Basalt Fiber Spinning, Salt-cooled Reflux Tube

Notes: I need to get some cards to get boosted.

Event: Anarchy

Turn 14

  • Current hand: Rankine Solar Dynamic, D-T Fusion Tokamak, Blackbody Pumped Laser, Monotomic Plug Nozzle
  • Operation: Free Market: Rankine Solar Dynamic
  • Starting Aqua: 1
  • Net Δ Aqua: 3
  • Ending Aqua: 4
  • Active Law: Equality
  • Score: 0
  • LEO: Crew, Basalt Fiber Spinning, Salt-cooled Reflux Tube

Turn 15

  • Current hand: D-T Fusion Tokamak, Blackbody Pumped Laser, Monotomic Plug Nozzle
  • Operation: Research: Rankine MHD, Metallic Hydrogen, ETHER Charged Dust
  • Starting Aqua: 4
  • Net Δ Aqua: -3
  • Ending Aqua: 1
  • Active Law: Equality
  • Score: 0
  • LEO: Crew, Basalt Fiber Spinning, Salt-cooled Reflux Tube

Event: Budget Cuts, discard ETHER Charged Dust

Turn 16

  • Current hand: D-T Fusion Tokamak, Blackbody Pumped Laser, Monotomic Plug Nozzle, Metallic Hydrogen, Rankine MHD
  • Operation: Free Market: Rankine MHD
  • Starting Aqua: 1
  • Net Δ Aqua: 3
  • Ending Aqua: 4
  • Active Law: Equality
  • Score: 0
  • LEO: Crew, Basalt Fiber Spinning, Salt-cooled Reflux Tube

Notes: This is the boring part of the game.

Turn 17

  • Current hand: D-T Fusion Tokamak, Blackbody Pumped Laser, Monotomic Plug Nozzle, Metallic Hydrogen
  • Operation: Free Market: Metallic Hydrogen
  • Free Actions:
    • Lobby: Individuality.
    • Boost Monotomic Plug Nozzle, Blackbody Pumped Laser, D-T Fusion Tokamak
    • Cargo Transfer: 6 FT
  • Movement: Move to the hohmann at Vesta
  • Starting Aqua: 4
  • Net Δ Aqua: -4
  • Ending Aqua: 0
  • Active Law: Equality
  • Score: 0
  • LEO: Crew, Basalt Fiber Spinning, Salt-cooled Reflux Tube, Monotomic Plug Nozzle, Blackbodu Pumped Laser, D-T Fusion Tokamak

Notes: Discarding ETHER Charged Dust to Budget Cuts in Turn 15 was a mistake which will cost me many turn, possibly a half cycle, as the weight difference means I'll have to refuel to land on Vesta, which is my target. It's probably not a great target. I'm going to try for Koronis instead, it's higher risk but in a long game it's the obvious target given the 2 S cards I have in hand.

Event: Budget Cuts

Turn 18

  • Current hand: Empty
  • Operation: Prospect: Claim Vesta, roll 3 for Eichsfelia and claim
  • Movement: Move to Vesta barycenter.
  • Starting Aqua: 0
  • Net Δ Aqua: 0
  • Ending Aqua: 0
  • Active Law: Equality
  • Score: 2
  • Rocket: Crew, Basalt Fiber Spinning, Salt-cooled Reflux Tube, Monotomic Plug Nozzle, Blackbodu Pumped Laser, D-T Fusion Tokamak

Notes: Need to land on Eichsfeldia and fuel for a couple of turns.

Turn 19

  • Current hand: Basalt Fiber Spinning, Salt-cooled Reflux Tube, Monotomic Plug Nozzle, Blackbodu Pumped Laser, D-T Fusion Tokamak
  • Operation: Industrialize: Eichsfeldia
  • Free Actions:
    • Colonize: Eichsfeldia
  • Movement: Land on Eichsfeldia.
  • Starting Aqua: 0
  • Net Δ Aqua: 0
  • Ending Aqua: 0
  • Active Law: Equality
  • Score: 2
  • LEO: Crew

Notes: No Solar Flares.

This wasn't really a very smart play. Vesta cluster is a bit out of the way, high gravity, and not so many good refinery and reactor cards. However, Eichsfelidia is a decent C site, and ET Produced Sails are viable there as well as radiators. V sites are also good for a couple of excellent Factories.

Going to Koronis would have been much higher risk, particularly with the Hazard. It would be an obvious next target.

Event: Pad Explosion, no effect.

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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.