SCS - Panzers on the Chir River

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It’s been a busy summer, not much in the way of games. But there is a bit of slack in our schedules, so what better time than now to visit the east front and see what’s going on?

As it turns out, 11 Pz has been mauled and retreating south to safety. Uncle Joe isn’t happy with this, so it’s 1 Tank to cut them off. Sadly, the Germans stole the march. With a blocking position west, and artillery sheltered in the woods, panzer grenadiers 110 and 110 are well positioned retake Farm 79 from the 5 Mechanized infrantry. 1 Tank will have to break through the picket and move fast.

This played about like one would think. PGs 110 and 111 took Farm 79 and the adjacent village a bit later in the week (i.e., the next turn), and the Russians could not break the picket line and exploit to the east. Whoever is currently in charge of 1 Tank I think will not be in charge much longer

Turn 1 Balck scenario

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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.