Armistice Afterthoughts 2010

[Stephen]

Bragging on my teammates...

Garrett and Michael had some rough luck - I'm sure they would both agree. But they did as best they could under their circumstances and both were able to make significant contributions while they were in the game. Overall I guess they'll have to wait for a better day, but both scored some good bursts early on.

But did anyone else notice how well Dory and Stephen Dale played? SD was a legitimate contender early in the game and but for one well-placed bullet, appeared to be making his strongest run at a title. It was a big leap forward for his game, and also made him a strong threat until his untimely demise.

Dory never really had a shot to win (no kills, no pilot hits, couldn't roll a big burst on anyone) but she is most certainly the reason I did. She doesn't play as often as she did years ago and has had some lackluster performances in recent years simply due to being rusty.

But her performance late in the game (when she and I were outnumbered 4-2) was spectacular. Championship caliber play. Considering our situation, the game turned out as well as we could have possibly hoped... one of us won the tourney, the other escaped successfully and both survived.

That's one of the strongest game performances she's had in some time. Was it just me or did it look like the old Dory out there for a while? The way she played yesterday was on par with anyone in the game.

Thanks to all my teammates!

And thanks to Rick and Pam for hosting. Whoever hosts has to set aside their day, clean house, adjust their schedule and clean up after everyone leaves. So thanks for having us. Rick probably has more space than anyone so it makes for a really nice place to play.

[albpilot]

For the Allied side::

For the first time I can remember, Wayne's dice were not stellar. He had some genuinely bad initiative rolls. Wesley flew a solid game, Scott had the same bad break SD had (random bullet), and Kevin kept plugging away right to the end, as he always does. Overall, I'd say that luck favored the Allied side in the game, but Stephen took a chance and it paid off for him (although if I'd managed to stay on Dory's tail one or two turns I win...).

I liked the plane mix overall, even though the Allies were severely outperformed early. Stephen, you said that the game is not won at the beginning but at the end. I will agree with that, but the game is certainly lost at the beginning if you happen to take those magic bullets or get juumped 3 or 4 to one because of initiative. While I don't think I would have changed it, it's interesting to note that the Allies were outturned and outclimbed for the most part, and their superior straight speed only came into play at then when there was no box, as the box takes away straight speed as a tactic. Just something to think about.

Looking forward to the next gameday!

[Stephen]

Nov 14, 2010 19:28:11 GMT -5 albpilot said:

For the Allied side::

For the first time I can remember, Wayne's dice were not stellar

NO KIDDING. Glad someone else noticed that.

but Stephen took a chance and it paid off for him (although if I'd managed to stay on Dory's tail one or two turns I win...).

True. And after that all I could do was sit and wait to see what happened.

The really remarkable thing (IMHO) about the win was this - my strategy actually worked. How many times does that happen? If your strategy had worked and you'd stayed on Dory's tail, you win the title. It didn't. And your strategy was good. It actually had a better chance of success than mine. Mine was a desperation long shot against lousy odds simply because I couldn't think of anything else, I was out of time, and it was the only shot I had at the medal.

But after all the positioning and strategizing is done, ultimately, you need one or two good rolls to execute it. You didn't get the roll. I did.

And that's unusual for me. My luck isn't horrid, but it sure isn't Danoski or Mrozak caliber either. When I really, REALLY need a roll to turn a crucial point in the game, I fail about as often as I succeed.

So the high risk gamble looked great on paper... I just can't believe it worked. It was really one of the cool "moments" I've experienced in DP.

it's interesting to note that the Allies were outturned and outclimbed for the most part, and their superior straight speed only came into play at then when there was no box, as the box takes away straight speed as a tactic.

True. But remember, altitude was the unknown factor... by design.

If the game had rolled up a low altitude, you'd have had climb, top speed and ammo capacity (no small issue in this instance - I finished the game with 4 rounds left and had been managing my ammo for several turns) in your favor.

I admit that I do enjoy leaving an unknown factor in the game. It's just too easy to choose the best plane in the game when you roll for plane choice. I've seen it time after time. The top two or three rollers get superplanes and everyone else gets comparative junk.

But when Plane A has a slight advantage at this altitude, Plane B has a slight turn speed advantage at that altitude, and Plane C has a rotary right but no straight speed... well, now the players have to think, strategize, and commit. I like that. Maybe you'll end up with the best plane... maybe you'll be a touch off. Everyone has an equal shot and the altitude roll decides the issue after all sides and planes are chosen.

However, I agree that sometimes it leaves someone at a slight disadvantage. The key is to make sure any potential disadvantage is not decisive.

When the first two guys get Seimens Schuckert DIV's and can outclimb and out turn anything in the air by a country mile... well, to me, that's pretty decisive. I'm sure my method has faults, too, but there is some logic to it.

[Michael]

T'was a good game me laddies!
Minor note to Stephan:

My pilot woke up like halfway through his blaze of gory lol.

(haha "gory" is intentional)

[garrett]

That was crappy luck for me haha.
it was still fun though!