There are few events I disliked as much as that 4 ops card.
I share your opinion that playing it as the US on turn 1 is always up for discussion.
But to be targeted by it as the US player on turn 1 opening is, I think, one of the most crushing moves in the whole game. It’s like USSR’s own tiny delayed Wargames card. In my experience, from inflicting and suffering from it a number of times, it turns the US game from “trying to not let the USSR get away with points” to “praying to not be totally crushed by turn 4”.
Meanwhile I have some more Sankt :-)
Game 4 is now over, and I’ve finally had time to watch video 4.1, so I think I should type out some thoughts from my side of the table.
First off, @Brian_Reynolds is altogether too kind to lump me in with the other experts he’s been playing. While I’ve had some good results (and ridden my luck a fair bit) in the Qt3 tournament, I’ve only played about 40 games so far in total. I’m very glad to have such excellent players here to play against and learn from. So apologies in advance for my suboptimal plays. :)
My turn 1 hand was: Asia + Europe scoring, Red Scare / Purge, Nuclear Test Ban, Korean War, Decolonization, Truman Doctrine, Formosan Resolution.
@Greatatlantic: The idea behind headlining Purge was that, while it’s not actually likely to cost my opponent more ops than me, the concentration of his ops is also important. There’s a reason the coup of Iran is the default play for the Soviet player on AR1: shutting the US out of western Asia is hugely valuable. Cutting two points off his coups into Iran could turn out to be a big advantage. Or, as here, I could end up getting nothing for it thanks to two 5s vs a 3. :)
Still, even without the benefit of knowing the rolls I agree that I misplayed T1. I’m not convinced about spacing the Korean War, particularly once it’s down to a 1/3 chance of success, but once it failed I should have aimed to get some points in Europe.
My turn 2 hand was: Defectors, UN Intervention, Olympic Games, De Gaulle, Independent Reds, Destalinization, Warsaw Pact, Decolonization. All four of the De- cards. ;)
Might have headlined the Olympics instead, though with my dice luck to this point it would probably have been 2 points to Brian. :)
I felt this turn went much better, not only that lucky 6 for the coup: I also think I played the turn well. I like the late play into Algeria to deny the USSR an easy battleground in Africa. I was quite surprised that Brian didn’t throw a couple of ops that way rather than secure Saudi Arabia, which was only going to be worth 1 point in the short term.
Am I better off spacing Decolonization or Destalinization? With the board as it is, I’m going to need some nice swings my way in the mid-war. South America is a strong candidate for a swing (in either direction), while Africa with its numerous Soviet events and weak battlegrounds is tough for the US to score for a large number.
Lastly, for those of you wanting the answer to the first part of the homework, the other card I drew from the deck before the reshuffle was that cornerstone of US defence, Norad.
First, I hope your opponent is okay. It seems like he may have gotten some real life trouble. Still, you can’t stop winning ;)
From your intro, it sounds like the high ranked players are a bunch of wusses who are all so scared of the random element of the game they are agreeing amongst themselves to turn the Cold War into a Lace one!
I am looking forward to watching the tournament finale.
Hmmm… Any reason why you didn’t consider headlining Panama Canal? It breaks control of both Panama and Venezuela, and your opponent can only coup one to take it back. The other, you are free to flip on your turn. Either a presence in South America, or more likely you take back Panama. It also makes Algeria a less obvious target.
Nixon Plays the China card struck me as very passive for a headline, and taking a possible move away down line. Playing Nixon for the VP isn’t going away as an option baring play of Cultural Revolution or you yourself finding the need to play the China Card. Then, I’d want Nixon to take it back.
I continue to enjoy this serious, and look forward to more games. Shame this one could not be finished, but c’est la vie.
(Just to be clear to everyone else, this comment is about the Sankt game)
I agree - in retrospect a significant mistake. As you say there isn’t any “hurry” on Nixon, and this gives me kind of a retro-AR7 play breaking control and probably saving Algeria. When I was running through my cards I had filed Panama in a “maybe play for AR7” place and so then didn’t re-consider it as a headline. Particularly since Brezhnev is the definitely right AR7 card, that exacerbates the silliness of dragging Panama along to mid-turn, but my brain didn’t re-flip the filing.
MORAL OF THE STORY: an example of where getting fully clear on “the plan” for the turn would have prevented a problem. The plan may need to change of course, but at least have the default plan ready!
Brian
Oops - which thing did I say that sounded like that? I was hoping to present a factual synopsis of high-level methods (and juxtaposing it against ratings as a way of second-guessing which direction an opponent might be leaning on the opening round). I don’t think anything about (for instance) Sankt-style play is a resistance to random elements in the game - rather it seems to be a considered and extremely effective way of increasing one’s win rate!
Brian
Oh my comment wasn’t a reaction to Sankt’s strategy. I am not a proponent of the immediate scoring of all VP yet, but if there is one thing that happened watching you play, it is that it convinced me to avoid as much as possible giving away my adversary his free VP events!
I was reacting to the Italian coup commentators you mentionned in your prologue. Anything is circonstancial in TS, but priviledging an option (the Italian one) over another one (the Iranian one) in fear of bad luck striking back shows an excessive concern about mitigating misfortune. To me, reacting to mishaps of the capricious d6 might be what makes the game so thrilling – I may be masochistic.
In this week’s installment of the tournament finals, I attempt to repair a booboo I made last time, with at least some success.
More booboos? More repairs!
And now, the epic conclusion! How does a QT3 finals game end?!?!
Nice game!
I was thinking about the possibility of toying with the Cuban crisis on turn 7, to put him under some (silly) pressure with his ABM treaty and his European situation, although it probably wouldn’t have mattered.
On the last turn, though, since you had 5 points pretty much in hand, why not play We Will Bury You for the VPs after your Glasnost headline, and try to hailmary the Marshall Plan into space for victory if he happened to have no other scoring mean (which it seems he didn’t - Edit: except spacing something as well, obviously). Maybe I am missing something?
Never seen such a tearjerking overpowered ops hand, though =D
Brian knew at that point (via hand knowledge and the process of elimination) that any attempt to play We Will Bury You would just be countered by UN Intervention, negating the VPs and disposing of four otherwise potentially useful ops.
He’s a machine.
No way I can notice my opponent is holding such an usually inconsequential card on reshuffle, let alone remember it again on the following turn :O
Note to self: never play those 1800s players.
Back making the videos this fall :-)
Welcome back!
the title cards were all over the place!
On turn 1, in staying true to what you taught me about fighting to the end for scoring when there is a chance, I would have played Decolonization right after your initial coup, into the 3 single influence countries, and the last point probably into some 2 influence African country. This would have given you Asian domination, as you pointed out. His only counter would be to play into Japan, Korea or Thailand at this point, which are all not very optimal. If he goes to Thailand, obviously a coup with the Japan card was in order. In the case of Korea, I would have gambled Pakistan using the ops of European Unrest: if he isn’t succesful to put some of his influence, I’d then grab Thailand and the potentially hurt Pakistan with the Japan card to secure the domination. Worst case scenario was him holding Indo-Pakistan war (which he did), and succeeding at it, or him successfuly couping Pakistan. But this makes throwing away the now useless scoring card through Five Year Plan a decent option, and saves the China card.
If he didn’t react to the Decolonization to begin with, I’d just have scored Asia, and let him do whatever he wants couping single influence country at defcon 4, if that is his thing.
Of course, restropectively all this sounds silly, since it would have prevented you from that wonderful European scoring discard incoming on turn 3!
I’d play the risky thing on opening of turn 3, and attempt CIA. The chance he drew Duck and Cover are slim, and looking at his rating, he probably knows your hand. If he takes the coup, it neutralizes his Norad as well. Finally, if he Defectors it, everybody wins!
You’re the second person to mention weird title card things, but when I play it back (on youtube!) I don’t see any problems - I wonder what can be the matter?
Okay found the title card problem - oops. I figured out why it happened and will avoid more of that.
I think you may be right about Decolonization - it was probably worth using it to gain an almost sure domination (he could theoretically use a 4-op to break control of both Koreas, but since he doesn’t know I’m stuck with US/Japan that seems an unlikely play for him). Obviously makes Africa much worse for the future, but “I’d do almost anything for an extra 4 Victory Points”!
Brian
Here comes the Turn 3 Defectors Headfake Game…
Wacky game! All that buildup of tension for that crazy turn 4. That Cambridge five play was just awesome. Something I need to absolutely remember when I know what the US holds as a score card.
We lost you for a couple of seconds at the 39th minute.
For action 6 of turn 3, I would have probably tried a Botswana coup with the Five Year Plan, to get the domination and threaten a South African wipe.
For turn 5, I’d boringly headline Cuba, and protect Asia and expand in South America in the interval. Duck and cover obviously to space.