 |
| British attack at Shoemaker's Bridge |
By watching play unfold in the games and simply taking the role of umpire and figure-mover, can I form valid opinions and insights based upon these passive activities? What lessons did I learn by watching? Doubts began to creep into my thoughts. A better and more balanced retrospective would include my perspective from that of a player.
Those doubts are over. Matt has taken up my challenge to replay the scenario. He will be reprising his victorious role as Lord Percy in command of the British column while I take command of the Rebels attempting to slow the British advance upon Brooklyn. Should be fun and insightful. Will the Rebels be able to slow Matt's British juggernaut? That remote game is scheduled for this weekend.
Besides the weekend game with Matt, two more games are on the gaming docket this week. One game today with the Graham's UK group and a F2F game on Thursday. Busy week on the gaming front, again.
On cycling the Palouse, mileage continues at a good pace but wildfires and heat are making cycling less enjoyable. Over the last three weeks, the Palouse has been enveloped in a thick smoke as wildfires burn all around. Smoke passing through the area from fires afar, tend to pool in the area when the wind calms. Air quality has been poor of late with AQI frequently measuring in the 200-300 range. Many outdoor activities are canceled under these conditions. I may be feeling some of the effects of these smoky conditions.
Despite this, the GoPro captured the following photos while cycling on days I could see the sun.
Great idea to play through the scenario one last time Jon. Anyone who has been paying attention can guess what your tactics are likely to be, so I wonder if Matt can come up with a new plan to counter you...time will tell. Your record as the AWI Rebels is pretty impressive .... I predict Matt is in for a hard game! Glad you survived the close encounter with Kermit!
ReplyDeleteYou can guess my tactics as the American commander? That suggests, Matt will be able to outsmart me too! I hope I can offer up a challenging match for Matt.
DeleteAs for the last time playing this scenario, I will be hosting the battle another time at next Tuesday's remote game. Since I will not have time to reset the table from sunday's match with Matt, the UK group agreed to an encore performance.
It was a very close encounter. Luckily, most cycling is uneventful.
I await the report with interest. A scary encounter there, I was knocked off my bike by someone coming round the corner on the wrong side of road.
ReplyDeleteWe must always ride defensively, don't we? It is probably good that I cannot see vehicles coming up from behind. If so, I may never get on the road again.
DeleteOh sweet God, what a great landscapes!
ReplyDeleteGood cycling country, for sure.
DeleteDefinitely worth a fourth go around to see whether the Americans can do it this time, especially given your past record as their commander.
ReplyDeleteWatching the other battles unfold, there are definitely maneuvers I would like to try as the American commander. Now, I will get a chance. Still may go down in defeat but at least I will know!
DeleteAgain, a pretty area to bicycle , traffic idiots are everywhere.
ReplyDeleteAnother go at the game will be interesting. Hopefully you will break the American's drought.
Traffic idiots are, indeed, everywhere. I rarely cross paths this closely, though.
DeleteI hope for an American turn of fortune...
Sounds intriguing. Looking forward to the upcoming game.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to the match too!
DeleteExcellent - will be interesting to see American tactics on this occasion.
ReplyDeleteGreat cycling country you have there. You have also reminded me, that I forgot to ask you about cycling during our meetup - once a real passion of mine - now fallen by the wayside in favour of running - possibly due to reasons similar to your 'green demon' episode.
My plan may not survive contact with the enemy. we will see.
DeleteWe can discuss cycling next time we meet up.
Be interested to see how you fare up against Matt! Lovely countryside, less so the sports car coming at you!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
I wonder what Matt may have up his sleeve too. Good thing to keep an eye on traffic and one eye on scenery.
DeleteI find with motoring that discourteous / dangerous episodes by SOME other road users have become pretty much a daily occurrence and I had wondered whether it was a more UK thing. Driving, rather like lack of swimming discipline at the pool does much to reveal character! It was once explained to me that one’s own encounter with an idiot is usually but a 5 second episode, while some other poor bugger has to live with them and has a lifetime of experiencing the same!
ReplyDeleteAs for the ‘passive’ observer at a game, I imagine that there are two influences, the first being that you you designed the scenario, so will have inbuilt thoughts and even intentions of how it should unfold / progress. Secondly, being remote from the emotion of getting drawn in to winning / losing seat, it may be easier for you to ‘see’ the true influence of dice and disseminate whether there was noticeable disadvantage (while actual players may see EVERY failed throw as being ‘robbed’ of the moment and the game).
What might be more interesting is whether you play in the shadow of lessons learned from previous players ….. or whether you are compelled to play the way you saw / intended the game to be played at the point of design :-)
Most drivers are considerate of bicyclists, I find. There are exceptions, of course.
DeleteNorm, you make a number of interesting points in your analysis of game-play perspective.
Of course, I have a mental image how I expect the battle to flow. Rarely does it follow that defined stream but meanders from my expectations. Having dice and different players in a game with do that. I may see opportunities in the scenario and play that may only become evident with study. Will it work out as planned? Probably not but it is worth a try. I do tend to follow the general distribution of the dice throws and progression of the game when umpired. From an umpires vantage point, one can differentiate brilliant from lucky play.
Playing with hindsight of earlier games will be almost impossible to discount, I think. After three games, one gains a good grasp of time/space/force relationships. In this scenario, American play requires more finesse. My hunch is that all of the American players recognize the finesse needed after having played that first game.
Beautiful country Jon but the wild fires are bad, a bit more heat here would be nice as while Southern Europe basks in 40 plus degrees Cumbria reached a high of 17 today ! What strategy I wonder can the British employ to outfox the American fox ?
ReplyDeleteThis is good cycling country, matt, but I am not so sure it can compete with your lovely cycling country.
DeleteYes, what strategy will the British put to use in this game? I look forward to finding out.
Looking forward to the next refight. I have greatly enjoyed the series and am planning to fight this game myself.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful countryside. Thank you for sharing with us.
Mark, I look forward to seeing how get on with my scenario. Once played, I would appreciate your comments.
DeleteGlad you enjoyed a glimpse of my part of the world from the seat of a bicycle.
You are getting a lot of mileage from this game Jonathan.
ReplyDeleteToo much?
DeleteNo, interesting.
DeleteIt will be interesting to compare your take on the game against the other players during the previous three runs of the scenario. I look forward to your thoughts on all four games.
ReplyDeleteAs for idiots on the road, both 2 and 4 wheeled, sadly this is becoming an increasing occurrence here the UK. I spend as much time listening for traffic behind me as I do looking at what's in front. Rarely does someone pass me with enough of a gap, hence I now cycle on quieter side roads or the cycle track, but even the latter is not immune to idiocy!
Hi Steve. It will be interesting to see if the Americans fare any better in my game. From a design point, I think the Americans have a fair shot at making the best of a difficult situation.
DeletePerhaps the American troops simply do not have the resolve to complete their mission successfully? We will see.
Vehicles passing too closely is a constant issue here too. Many do not observe the minimum three foot rule. In the urban setting, many of our streets have separate bike lanes so that helps greatly. When there is no such separation, a bicyclist must ride defensively and use the law of the road to protect oneself.
Good luck, Jonathan! For the rebels I suspect an aggressive defense, along with a plan to withdraw a good handful of units should win the day. You certainly have the combat power by turn 3 or 4 to mount a counterattack and provided it's not wasted in too many counterattacks (as mine was), you could pull out a "w" for the rebels.
ReplyDeleteMy plan was to hold key terrain, that being the entire hill. Seeing as how the farms count, too, you could focus on holding very specific hexes and that might prevent you from trying to hold too much, like I did.
Thanks, Steve! Your plan sounds like a solid one.
DeleteYou know, if you are interested in testing YOUR PLAN, I encourage you. Maybe Darren would enjoy a rematch?
Otherwise, I am working up the next scenario if the pair of you want to tackle a new scenario.
Yes! Would love to test another scenario or even have a crack at this one again.
DeleteLet's work out the details...
DeleteYour home landscape never ceases to fascinate me Jonathan, and the knowledge of risking to lose all that beauty to climate change only serves to increase my apprehension that we are firmly sliding down the wrong chute. The Med burnt savagely this summer and even your area hasn’t been spared even though it is far more north. Worrying trends indeed!
ReplyDeleteMike, I am pleased that this area of the world intrigues you. Much different landscape than your Malta. This year has been particularly dry and hot leading to forest and range fires throughout the Western USA. We have been engulfed in smoke for much of the summer.
DeleteIt will be interesting to see how you play it, Jon. The wildfires out west have contributed to a lot of grey cloudy/smoke hazy days even here in the East, where it has been decidedly cooler than normal. WE have a hurricane slated to pass over us tomorrow; hopefully by the time it crosses Long Island and moves inland it will have lost a lot of its punch. We'll see!
ReplyDeleteThat was too much adventure on the last ride for sure; stay safe. We don't need any more orthopedic issues!
Its outcome will be interesting to see unfold. In the first three games, the Rebels have been soundly beaten. Perhaps that is as expected given the situation? I will try to give a better accounting by making the margin of British victory less.
DeleteIt has been a long, hot summer out West. This weekend is cooler. Perhaps, Autumn has arrived?
Yes, I do not need another broken foot although if contacted by an oncoming car, a broken foot would be the least of my concerns!