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| "I thought it was your turn to bring the ASLSK?" |
A week
ago, I posted about my desire and reasons for setting some goals for myself
around wargaming in 2024. Since than I’ve spent some time thinking about over the last
seven days, mostly because I wanted to be able to make a big announcement for the
first anniversary of A Fast Game is a Good Game. I had hoped this would be the 100th
post to the blog, rounding out the year nicely, but with other demands on my time,
it wasn’t to be (this is actually the 96th post). But like most things to do with A Fast Game,
I haven’t
got all the details bedded down as yet, but I have settled on the structure of
my goals. My first priority is to complete the outstanding 6x6 obligations that
were left uncompleted last year. Playing six games six times each – thirty-six
games in all – seemed like an achievable goal, but various circumstances conspired
to make it impossible. Nonetheless, I am committed to finishing that goal. I
have fifteen games outstanding, having knocked off two already in January and
completing my run of Napoléon 1806 (Shakos, 2019), and played my first
game of Great War Commander (Hexasim, 2018). My review of Napoléon 1806 can be found here). I won’t put
completing the outstanding games ahead of everything else, but I’ll try to
complete them in the first half of the year.
On to
the new goals. Learning from last year, I’ve decided to have two ranks of goals;
Primary goals – the ones I will strenuously try to complete in 2024, and Extra
Credit goals – the ones that I would like to get to but won’t die in a ditch
over. Any Extra Credit goals I don’t complete this year may become Primary
goals in 2025.
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| The bottom of the fourth in Napoleon 1806. |
As I
said earlier, I haven’t squared away all of the details regarding these goals, but
I can present the essential structure I’m setting for myself and fill in some
of the details. So, without further ado:
Primary goals for 2024:
A 5x3 Challenge
I
thought about increasing it to a 6x3 or 7x3, but with the outstanding 2023 6x6
games to be played, a big chunk of my gaming year is already spoken for. If I
get to November having completed this, I may add another rank or two. I haven’t
settled on all five games yet, but there are a couple that will almost
certainly make the cut; Brothers at War: 1862 (Compass Games, 2022), and
Napoléon 1807 (Shakos, 2020). As with the previous year’s program, only
plays against another human opponent will count to the tally. I’ll post a session
report for each game and a full review after completion of the three games for
each title. This won’t be as thorough as the six-game regime of the past, but
three games is still a good sample for appraisal (considering many reviewers
seem to base their opinions on a single run-through*).
Twenty Game Reviews posted in 2024
In 2023
I posted twelve game reviews. Writing reviews is hard if you’re doing it right.
Anyone can say, “This is the best thing ever!” or “I had to scrape this game
off my Hushpuppy with a stick!” It may be a little easier for me because I only
post reviews of game I like. That doesn’t mean I won’t point out their weak
points or how they might be improved. But if I can’t be positive about a game,
I’m not going to waste my time telling you why you should hate it (there are enough
people doing that already). I’ll stick to my three-play minimum promise for
games I review that I made last year; a game is a dynamic experience, and if it’s
worth it’s salt, it might throw you under a bus your first time out. In my opinion,
three bites of the cherry is a minimal requirement for beginning to get
to know and understand a game. I wouldn’t trust myself to offer a considered opinion
with less.
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| WWII Commander: Battle of the Bulge (Compass Games, 2020), one of the games I'm planning on getting around to reviewing in 2024. |
So,
three more 6x6 reviews, another five from the proposed 5x3 challenge, and one
down already. Eleven more reviews (minimum) to make my goal. Which leads me to
my third Primary goal for 2024.
12 Solitaire or Solo-Friendly games, New or Revisited, in
2024 (with reviews)
One of
the things that made the 6x6 out of reach for me last year was the stipulation
of the games being played against a human opponent. A full half of the individual
games I played last year were solitaire or two-handed learning games. These also
made up about half of the reviews I posted in 2023. I own a handful of
solitaire games that I either haven’t played yet or haven’t played in years (Skies Above Britain (GMT Games, 2022) and Beneath the Med (GMT Games 2020)
spring to mind). If I still have them in my collection, it's because I enjoyed
them and could see myself revisiting them, or I think I’ll enjoy them. It’s
time I started getting some of them back to the table (and thinking more deeply
about them for review purposes).
That’s
all I’m committing myself to. Actually, that’s quite a bit. I hope I’m not
over-extending myself. These are the things I’m going to focus my efforts on.
My Extra Credit goals are more opportunistic in nature. If the situation avails
itself, I’ll grab it, but I’m not going to flagellate myself if I don’t meet
any or all of these. Well, maybe a little.
Extra Credit Goals for 2024:
Learn the GBACW system
After a long hunt, I’m the proud owner f a pre-loved (clipped and trayed) copy of Death Valley: the Battles for the Shenandoah (GMT Games, 2019). The hunt came about, in part, because I already had the confusingly titled Battles for the Shenandoah: a Death Valley Expansion (GMT Games, 2022), and Into the Woods: The Battle of Shiloh, April 6-7, 1862 (GMT Games, 2022) which several people said in no uncertain terms was an inappropriate game to try to learn the Great Battles of the American Civil War (GBACW) system. Hence the hunt for Death Valley.
Now By Swords and Bayonets (GMT Games, ~2024) has made the cut on GMT's P500 and is likely to be released this year; covering smaller battles often overlooked in ACW series, probably will be the best game to learn the system. I’ve made a significant investment in time and cash sourcing these games, and I really want to sink my teeth into some wargaming rib-eye, but in the short term, I’m willing to wait for By Swords and Bayonets, which may drop as early as June. That date isn't carved in stone, however, so that's why this one has been relegated to an Extra Credit goal.
Teach
myself to play Fields of Fire
Another
GMT game, Fields of Fire (2008) is a company command solitaire game,
covering three theatres of war, WWII Europe, Korea and Vietnam. The original
game – long out of print – is getting a Deluxe Edition release, probably later
this year. In the meantime, I have Volume 2: With the Old Breed (GMT Games,
2018) in the series. (A third, covering the British Parachute Regiment is in
the works.) The game has a reputation for being difficult and for demanding much
from the player in terms of concentration and commitment. But if I can crack
it, that would potentially count to my 12 Solitaire Game goal, so it would be a
win-win.
Table and play Chase of the Bismarck
I
bought Chase of the Bismarck (Vuca Simunations, 2023) last year, along
with Task Force: Carrier Battles in the Pacific (Vuca Simulations 2023).
Vuca make really beautiful games and chase of the Bismarck is an unruly beast
of a game that has probably the biggest overall footprint of any game I own
(with the possible exception of Death Valley with its expansion). A game of Chase
will require several things; a place to set it up (probably the night before),
a full day clear to teach the game, then actually play it, and an opponent equally
committed to the task. This is probably the Extra Credit goal I would most like
to achieve, and the one least likely to occur, but a fella can dream. (To get an idea of the scope of this undertaking, have a look at my unboxing post of Chase for the Bismarck here. I forgot to mention just how distractingly beautiful the whole ensemble is.)
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So,
that’s the plan in broad brushstrokes – more details as they come to hand. I want to nail down the 5x3 games in the next week or two, and I need to take inventory of what I have on had to play, because I anticipate not having the luxury of buying as many new games this year as last. Nobody is supervising me in this, and I have a history of flaking on
commitments when they get difficult. So, I write a blog to self-police my own
behaviour. That it’s fun to do – not as fun as the games themselves, but quite
fun in its own way.
Anyway, if you're still reading this far in, thank you for being a part of this, and helping to keep me keep for playing new games and writing about them. I hope you've enjoyed it, and I hope you'll stick around for year two.
* That jab
was not directed at anyone in particular. I do understand the pressure to
produce new content can force some to cut corners. That’s why I write a blog –
Nobody reads anymore, so no pressure, I can do what I want; I could spend a
month writing about the intricacies of diplomatic relations in Here I Stand
(GMT Games, 2006), and probably nobody would notice or care. There is one outstanding exception; while I don’t
always agree with his opinions, I am in awe of the consideration Calandale
puts into every game he reviews on his YouTube channel.
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