Ghosts of the Jungle 2,3

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Revisiting Ghosts of the Jungle as I also now have its companion game Long Range Recon Patrol. I don't recall the exact details on how to play, other than it's pretty simple and straightforward. Hence, replaying Mission 1 again. Here is the setup at least for Mission 1:

  • SAS members roll for entry square, with roll 6 being players choicel.
  • VC roll for placement into numbered squares.
  • SAS loses if any one of them lose all their health.
  • SAS wins if all of them are on the top edge of the map at the same time, in a square without a VC.

The last turn was interesting. Clarke was the last man to move the top row, and there was a VC already in that square, so it wasn't the win. However, I roll in alphabetical order, so Dixon was up next, rolled a 6 and shot that the VC in that adjecent square and caught the win.

Here is the result:

End of Mission 1 Game 2

Mission 2 1:3

Reviewing the key structure for game tracking, we have Game 3 of Ghosts in the Jungle, with the first play of Mission 2.

I believe this game is almost asterisk free. I may have missed an end of turn roll, but I have several which rolled 5-6 which is All Quiet. Also, I used a grenade to take out a stack of 2 VC, which was pretty cool as only one is replaced. I also did a hand-to-hand to take out another VC. This kept the VC under control until right at the end, but I got the win before the VC exploded on to the map.

Here's the start:

Mission 2, game 3

Here's the situation at the end:

Mission 2, game 3 end

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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.