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Solitary Soundings

Musings of a solitary gamer. I've loved games all my life, and I like people too, but I'm indifferent about playing games with other people. (Go figure.) Comments welcome.

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Player's Point of View

p55carroll
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"If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly." (GK Chesterton)
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The comments on my last blog post started into a discussion of a different topic than I had covered there. Now I'm wondering about that other topic, so let's see what thoughts cross my mind today.

The topic is what point of view a player adopts while playing a game. Different games appear to call for different vantage points.
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Thu May 17, 2012 8:30 pm
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Off-Board Record Keeping

p55carroll
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Having just completed four solo scenarios of Richthofen's War, I'm reminded of an old pet peeve: off-board record keeping.

In RW, you have to fill out and maintain an aircraft status sheet for each plane or balloon. You start by copying data onto the sheet from a chart, and then you update the data as the game goes along.
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Tue May 15, 2012 6:05 pm
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The Joy of One--or One at a Time

p55carroll
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Paul Zaichik wrote a book called The Power of One. It's a strength-training book, and the idea behind it is that all too often we exercise our arms or legs together instead of independently. There's some benefit to lifting a dumbbell with one arm instead of lifting a barbell with two.

This blog post is about games, though, and not even so much about mental exercise, to say nothing of physical exercise. But it does tie in with the "power of one" idea. (I'll get to it by the end.)
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Thu May 10, 2012 6:00 am
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Mathematical and Verbal Models (Games vs Stories)

p55carroll
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Back in my school days, aptitude tests were often divided into "mathematical skills" and "verbal skills." There might be subcategories, but those were the two main headings. It's debatable whether those are the most important aspects of intelligence to be testing, but that's how it was. And maybe it still is, for all I know.

The other day, I was reading the rules to a new-to-me game, Ranger. I haven't played it yet, but I got some strong first impressions just from reading the material and looking at the components. And my impressions were mixed.
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Tue May 8, 2012 7:00 pm
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Some First Impressions

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Well, I suppose that last blog post ought to be followed by something lighter. Luckily, I've got some light notions fluttering around in my head today--impressions of a couple games I just acquired.
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Fri May 4, 2012 11:29 pm
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Strategy, Tactics, and What Else?

p55carroll
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The question of strategy versus tactics often crops up in BGG forums and anywhere games (or military conflicts) are discussed. Most people seem unclear on the definitions in the first place; and then they try to tie personal preferences in with those fuzzy terms, generating further confusion.

No, I'm not going to clear things up once and for all. My understanding of these matters is likely as faulty as anyone else's. I'm just going to rattle off a few thoughts as they come to mind.
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Thu May 3, 2012 6:00 am
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Hey, I Do Have a Goal--and I Like It!

p55carroll
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I guess I just set a gaming goal yesterday--or remembered one. I hadn't thought of it as a goal, but that must be what it is.

The reason I hadn't thought of it as a goal is because goals are generally intimidating to me, not exciting. They impose pressure on me; they don't fire me up to get creative and active. Hence I've spent my life shunning goals--just because I've only looked at the dark side of them.
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Wed May 2, 2012 8:36 pm
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Still Puzzled by Games

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Oh, how many times have I seen a game described as too puzzle-like? Or heard people complain that solitaire games feel too much like puzzles?

For years, I myself went around telling people I hated puzzles but loved games. I stopped doing that recently because I'm not sure whether or not it's true.

But what does it all mean? Where's the dividing line between a puzzle and a game? And what do we get out of doing puzzles or playing games?
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Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:14 am
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Playing with Army Men

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When I was little, I'd often get together with other boys in the neighborhood and play army. Often it meant running around with toy guns, pretending to be soldiers at war. Other times, it meant moving green plastic "army men" around on the floor or in a patch of dirt in the backyard, making up stories about what they were doing.

I've always believed that was the root of my fascination with wargames.
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Thu Apr 26, 2012 8:20 pm
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Firepower and Field Commander

p55carroll
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I played three solo games of Firepower (just the basic game, to knock off some of the rust that had accumulated after twenty-seven years or so). Then I started a game of Field Commander: Alexander and completed the first turn.

So, how did the games go, and what do I think of them today?
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Tue Apr 24, 2012 5:56 pm

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