Rocketmen 3

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JC and I go for another round. Our first play wasn’t really a disaster so much as an “extreme learning experience.” Since then I watched a few videos to get a better handle on the rules. We did pretty well on the first play at least mechanically. The following game I consider my first “real play” of the game, as I’m discounting a solitaire play from a few years ago.

For this game I took Red to JC’s blue, not that it makes any difference, the factions are all identical.

Both of us made a lot of unforced errors. I had a Mars mission (Asteroid Mining) lined for many, many turns before I finally pulled the trigger on a launch. I probably waited 5 or 6 turns after I had a very good shot at completing it. JC didn’t play a Launch Pad card which would have helped him out a lot.

Overall we had a good time. I like the game, which is unusual as I not much of a “euro” game player, but for some reason Martin Wallace games seem to work for me.

Final score:

  • Me: 26
  • JC: 19
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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.