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sniffnoy[Many approximations here - I don't really remember when events in different areas of the board occurred relative to each other...]
So it's me, Mickey and Nick, and we're at Nick's house, and we want to play a game. Nick suggests Skat, but neither Mickey nor I like that idea. I want to get out Falsche Fuffziger, but Nick didn't want to play that either.
Nick then suggests A Game of Thrones. I look at the clock. I suppose we have the time... "Mickey, you up for a long game?" "How long?" "About 3 hours..." "Well, I want to play something complicated..." "AGoT is complicated..." Mickey doesn't have work tomorrow, I certainly don't have work tomorrow, and Nick does have work tomorrow but he doesn't care. Will AGoT work with 3? I mean, you can't properly have a War of Five Kings with only three players! But there's rules for 3 players, so why not?
So I go back to the car and get the game and we go upstairs and start setting up the board. We have 3 players, so Tyrell and Greyjoy are neutral. I draw Stark, Nick draws Lannister, and Mickey draws Baratheon. (For those who have read the books but not seen the game: Baratheon in this game represents Stannis's faction. And, yes, the game should probably be called "A Clash of Kings" seeing as how that's when more of the war occurs, but it would seem a bit ridiculous to name a game after the second book in the series and not have anything named after the first.)
I explain the rules, wearing out my voice, and of course manage to forget quite a few important ones (raids can't cancel marches or defenses, for instance...), but thankfully I later manage to remember them before they become relevant (or in the case of what orders raids can cancel, on the same turn that it becomes relevant; Nick gives me the finger as he goes to change his orders). Also, I got the messenger raven early on in the game (yes, there's only one messenger raven in this game), but for several turns in a row I forgot to use it, until finally I had to say "Messenger raven! Messenger raven, messenger raven!" as soon as orders were revealed to remind myself to use it. Bah.
With only 3 players, there's really not much diplomacy, where by "not much" I mean "none". We all just decide on our orders independently, everyone vs. everyone. (Also note, 3 players means you need 8, not 7, for automatic victory...)
Anyway, as for how the game actually went...
Nick and I both immediately started going for Greyjoy's territory. Of course, with no ships in that area, I couldn't exactly hope to conquer Pyke, but... I manage to push Nick back, but he's well defended and I can't really go any further. Before long Mickey and Nick start fighting in the south while I try to see what else I can do... I figure I'll bring my troops around by sea and go for the Eyrie, then maybe start an attack on Mickey. ("Attack the Eyrie by sea?!" Yeah, the geography in the game doesn't really match the geography in the book. Whatever.) Meanwhile Nick is claiming lots of territory in the South.
Finally, a turn came where we all had lots of power tokens, but a Clash of Kings came up and we ended up bidding quite a lot... and then came a wildling attack. None of us had many power tokens, but the wildling strength was only 4...
I bid 1. Mickey bid 1. Nick bid 0. GAH! Wildlings sack the kingdom! Ooh, but look at what this does to Nick's position...
Suddenly, Nick has a lot of territory but not many troops to defend it with...
Meanwhile, there's still no way I can get past Nick's defenses, so I figure I'll go for a surprise attack on Shipbreaker Bay. Only, Mickey isn't in the least bit surprised, and what with his having the Valyrian steel blade (yes, there's also only one of those in this game, too) the attack is repelled easily, with me wasting my 3 card (Eddard). Well, not quite wasting it, as Mickey also played *his* 3, Stannis, which has both a sword and a tower on it, and Eddard does have towers (two, actually), so at least I took no casualties.
Meanwhile, all Nick's territory has given him an entire 6 barrels, though with no troops, that's not much use to him. Until a mustering card is drawn, and Nick immediately goes from no defense in the south to basically unattackable. Meanwhile - I think this is about turn 8 or so - I again attack Shipbreaker Bay. A Clash of Kings must have come up this turn because now *I* have the Valyrian steel blade. I don't have my 3 card, but I won't need it.
I'm attacking with 1 ship, modifier +0. Mickey's defending with 2, no defense order. So I'm at 1 and he's at 2.
Let's repeat that. I'm at 1, and he's at 2.
Somehow, in my head, I got this backwards.
Now, had I realized this, I would have played my 2 - Robb - who I would have liked to use elsewhere (he makes attacking knights count for 3) and used the Valyrian steel blade to just barely make it. Then I could have gone and started attacking Mickey in the south, maybe take Storm's End...
Instead I play a 1. Mickey plays a 2. Wait, *I'm* at 1 and *he's* at 2... uh oh. Luckily for me the 1 I played had a tower on it...
Nick points out that had I been succesful, I might have very well have handed him (Nick, that is) the game. But as for what actually happened....
So I have 5 while Mickey and Nick both have 6, but I'm in a much worse position than them. With my attack on Shipbreaker Bay having failed, there's really nowhere I can expand. Meanwhile Nick is moving his ships up north and making for Winterfell...
Last turn. Still 5-6-6. It looks like we may need the tiebreaker... which is your position on the supply track - oh, look at that, Mickey and Nick are also both at 6 on the supply track! We may need a *double* tiebraker... which is power tokens. Could this game really come down to how many power tokens Mickey and Nick have?
Well, it's the last turn, so I may as well go for broke. I put march orders on anything that's adjacent to a city or stronghold.
Resolve raid orders. There are only 2 raid orders (very few raid orders were used this game...), both by Nick, and both in positions where they couldn't do anything.
Resolve march orders. Mickey has the Iron Throne (he's actually had it for the entire game...), so he goes first. And attacks my forces at Crackclaw point. Basically, there's nothing I can do. I had put a march order on them in the hopes of possibly taking Harrenhal or King's Landing - neither of which really seemed possible, but as I said, I figured I might as well as it's the last turn. Of course, Mickey had enough support that even if I had used my +2 defense order, it wouldn't have mattered anyway. He gets Crackclaw Point and nobody else gets anything. No tiebreakers needed; Mickey wins 7-6-4.
After all this is over, Nick says to me: "And you wanted to play Falsche Fuffziger!"
-Harry
[By the way guys, I actually got a rule wrong - house cards are meant to be entirely public knowledge. Not like it would have affected the game significantly, but it makes sense. The FAQ also says that you can't start a battle and attack neutral forces with the same march order, but I think that's silly as attacking neutral forces doesn't count as a battle; I probably just won't play like that. Also, as for what you do if you have to retreat but can't due to supply limits, you retreat what you can and destroy the rest; the expanded FAQ just deals with if you have to retreat them so as to destroy the least; I don't remember what it says, but I think this is also silly and you should be able to retreat them as you like.]
So it's me, Mickey and Nick, and we're at Nick's house, and we want to play a game. Nick suggests Skat, but neither Mickey nor I like that idea. I want to get out Falsche Fuffziger, but Nick didn't want to play that either.
Nick then suggests A Game of Thrones. I look at the clock. I suppose we have the time... "Mickey, you up for a long game?" "How long?" "About 3 hours..." "Well, I want to play something complicated..." "AGoT is complicated..." Mickey doesn't have work tomorrow, I certainly don't have work tomorrow, and Nick does have work tomorrow but he doesn't care. Will AGoT work with 3? I mean, you can't properly have a War of Five Kings with only three players! But there's rules for 3 players, so why not?
So I go back to the car and get the game and we go upstairs and start setting up the board. We have 3 players, so Tyrell and Greyjoy are neutral. I draw Stark, Nick draws Lannister, and Mickey draws Baratheon. (For those who have read the books but not seen the game: Baratheon in this game represents Stannis's faction. And, yes, the game should probably be called "A Clash of Kings" seeing as how that's when more of the war occurs, but it would seem a bit ridiculous to name a game after the second book in the series and not have anything named after the first.)
I explain the rules, wearing out my voice, and of course manage to forget quite a few important ones (raids can't cancel marches or defenses, for instance...), but thankfully I later manage to remember them before they become relevant (or in the case of what orders raids can cancel, on the same turn that it becomes relevant; Nick gives me the finger as he goes to change his orders). Also, I got the messenger raven early on in the game (yes, there's only one messenger raven in this game), but for several turns in a row I forgot to use it, until finally I had to say "Messenger raven! Messenger raven, messenger raven!" as soon as orders were revealed to remind myself to use it. Bah.
With only 3 players, there's really not much diplomacy, where by "not much" I mean "none". We all just decide on our orders independently, everyone vs. everyone. (Also note, 3 players means you need 8, not 7, for automatic victory...)
Anyway, as for how the game actually went...
Nick and I both immediately started going for Greyjoy's territory. Of course, with no ships in that area, I couldn't exactly hope to conquer Pyke, but... I manage to push Nick back, but he's well defended and I can't really go any further. Before long Mickey and Nick start fighting in the south while I try to see what else I can do... I figure I'll bring my troops around by sea and go for the Eyrie, then maybe start an attack on Mickey. ("Attack the Eyrie by sea?!" Yeah, the geography in the game doesn't really match the geography in the book. Whatever.) Meanwhile Nick is claiming lots of territory in the South.
Finally, a turn came where we all had lots of power tokens, but a Clash of Kings came up and we ended up bidding quite a lot... and then came a wildling attack. None of us had many power tokens, but the wildling strength was only 4...
I bid 1. Mickey bid 1. Nick bid 0. GAH! Wildlings sack the kingdom! Ooh, but look at what this does to Nick's position...
Suddenly, Nick has a lot of territory but not many troops to defend it with...
Meanwhile, there's still no way I can get past Nick's defenses, so I figure I'll go for a surprise attack on Shipbreaker Bay. Only, Mickey isn't in the least bit surprised, and what with his having the Valyrian steel blade (yes, there's also only one of those in this game, too) the attack is repelled easily, with me wasting my 3 card (Eddard). Well, not quite wasting it, as Mickey also played *his* 3, Stannis, which has both a sword and a tower on it, and Eddard does have towers (two, actually), so at least I took no casualties.
Meanwhile, all Nick's territory has given him an entire 6 barrels, though with no troops, that's not much use to him. Until a mustering card is drawn, and Nick immediately goes from no defense in the south to basically unattackable. Meanwhile - I think this is about turn 8 or so - I again attack Shipbreaker Bay. A Clash of Kings must have come up this turn because now *I* have the Valyrian steel blade. I don't have my 3 card, but I won't need it.
I'm attacking with 1 ship, modifier +0. Mickey's defending with 2, no defense order. So I'm at 1 and he's at 2.
Let's repeat that. I'm at 1, and he's at 2.
Somehow, in my head, I got this backwards.
Now, had I realized this, I would have played my 2 - Robb - who I would have liked to use elsewhere (he makes attacking knights count for 3) and used the Valyrian steel blade to just barely make it. Then I could have gone and started attacking Mickey in the south, maybe take Storm's End...
Instead I play a 1. Mickey plays a 2. Wait, *I'm* at 1 and *he's* at 2... uh oh. Luckily for me the 1 I played had a tower on it...
Nick points out that had I been succesful, I might have very well have handed him (Nick, that is) the game. But as for what actually happened....
So I have 5 while Mickey and Nick both have 6, but I'm in a much worse position than them. With my attack on Shipbreaker Bay having failed, there's really nowhere I can expand. Meanwhile Nick is moving his ships up north and making for Winterfell...
Last turn. Still 5-6-6. It looks like we may need the tiebreaker... which is your position on the supply track - oh, look at that, Mickey and Nick are also both at 6 on the supply track! We may need a *double* tiebraker... which is power tokens. Could this game really come down to how many power tokens Mickey and Nick have?
Well, it's the last turn, so I may as well go for broke. I put march orders on anything that's adjacent to a city or stronghold.
Resolve raid orders. There are only 2 raid orders (very few raid orders were used this game...), both by Nick, and both in positions where they couldn't do anything.
Resolve march orders. Mickey has the Iron Throne (he's actually had it for the entire game...), so he goes first. And attacks my forces at Crackclaw point. Basically, there's nothing I can do. I had put a march order on them in the hopes of possibly taking Harrenhal or King's Landing - neither of which really seemed possible, but as I said, I figured I might as well as it's the last turn. Of course, Mickey had enough support that even if I had used my +2 defense order, it wouldn't have mattered anyway. He gets Crackclaw Point and nobody else gets anything. No tiebreakers needed; Mickey wins 7-6-4.
After all this is over, Nick says to me: "And you wanted to play Falsche Fuffziger!"
-Harry
[By the way guys, I actually got a rule wrong - house cards are meant to be entirely public knowledge. Not like it would have affected the game significantly, but it makes sense. The FAQ also says that you can't start a battle and attack neutral forces with the same march order, but I think that's silly as attacking neutral forces doesn't count as a battle; I probably just won't play like that. Also, as for what you do if you have to retreat but can't due to supply limits, you retreat what you can and destroy the rest; the expanded FAQ just deals with if you have to retreat them so as to destroy the least; I don't remember what it says, but I think this is also silly and you should be able to retreat them as you like.]
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Date: 2006-08-29 02:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-29 08:58 pm (UTC)