That Special PBEM Game

[Zemke]

True to my word, if I post on Fragment I said I would post the same post here, and vis versa. Also gives me a record of my posts at both places, just in case some "disappear". I decided not posting here and only posting on Fragment was not the right answer just because I was mad at RD for deleting my posts, I love the Blitz, and only want it to be the best it can be. The answer is take what works from each and junk what does not. To me it is obvious what does not work here. I will post another article on close infantry assault techniques for Combat Mission next.


Just Some Thoughts
I find myself as I open my e-mail, getting ready to do turns, that I am prejudice. Yes I discriminate against some games. Its not like I am not going to do them, it's just not all my games have that special spark going for them. I'm sure you know what I mean, you open your e-mail, and you have five PBEM game files waiting to be downloaded. I find myself always doing that "special game", the one with the spark first. It may not be that I am winning, but that the game is just exciting, or hanging in the balance, or the "Big Push" is about to happen. The "special game gets done and returned right then! Don't get me wrong, I do the other games, but they wait till the special ones are done first.

On the flip side of the "special game" or "games", I do my best to drag up that game you KNOW you are going to lose. Things have just gone to shit, the enemy is in the wire, you have used you last artillery round and it landed on your last AT gun, yeah that game. The enemy gets a vote and sometimes you LOSE. So I try and do them just to get the pain over with, and I don't like games that slow down when I am winning either.

Then you have the games that seem to just drag out. Most games have their boring stage, for example, I just hate setting up, because I know it is the single most important thing I am going to do and sets the stage for the entire game, thus it takes me a long TIME, so I find myself putting a game at the setup stage off till I have TIME, which some days is rare. Or I just don't want to think that hard right then.....lol. But the setup stage game is not what I am taking about, I am talking about a game that just is not exciting, or whoever designed the scenario was smoking crack at the time. Those games get done last, if they don't get kicked to the rear again when that "special game" shows up just as you were going to do the boring one, guess what happens.........

Just some thoughts

[Der Kuenstler]

Usually the only thing that makes a game boring for me is a really slow file returner - the files come so infrequently you've forgotten the game situation, and really no longer care. Then I alternate between the attitude of "Oh yeah? Make me wait, huh? Now YOU can wait." Or "I'm going to get this back out quick 'cause he'll take a week to return it."

If I know something is going to happen like I gave "shoot and scoot" orders the previous turn, I'll rush to that next file to see what happened.

If I'm playing a player who makes me pay for every oversight, (like you, Zemke!) I may put that off until I have time for more concentration.

Speaking of dragging out, variable ending games tend to do that way beyond the stage of deciding victory or not so I've been playing less of those lately.

[Copper]

I must be pretty bland as I tend to have the motto 'first in - first out'.

The only exception being if someone is firing turns back to me as quick as I send them out I concentrate on that until the other guy goes to bed or gets back to work... LOL

Bootie

[Colonel Talvela]

I love those special games. Even better when the game and the email banter are both exciting. Had probably the best game ever in the last round of vultures cmbb double hammer blow tournament. It was exciting down to the very last second (when my elite flamer failed to torch an IS2 that did a last second flag rush - arrrrgggg still mad about that one).


The thing that slows me down in returning files is not losing, but not being able to decide what to do. Sometimes it is a big decision. Like realizing I need to adjust my strategy across the entire map. That can take as long as original setup (which takes me a really long time). Although that doesnt happen very often - maybe once every 5 games (or less often than that).

Or I sometimes I just cannot decide on one action that might have big consequences - eg my panzershrek finally has a shot on that tank, but it is only a 25% hit. Shoot or dont shoot. Or do I let the artillery fall, or wait to see if more men come in the kill zone. If it is a close game, sometimes I can spend an entire day trying not to decide. Call it buyers remorse.

[Fubar]

Maybe i'm odd but when i've got a game thats not very interesting or is going badly then i usually have a faster turn around for them, the idea being that i'll get it over and done with faster. The more interesting the game the slower i am because my brain starts to hurt with all that concentration. :jaw:

[Copper]

Drink more vodka... LOL

Bootie

[Fubar]

I've said it before and i'll say it again....love Vodka. :whis:

[KTN]

I almost always do the game im losing first.
My special games I save last because I take my time and look at ever little detail on the map. Ever move I do I think of what might or could happen and im prepared for a counter:)

[ATCS]

Reviewing all these posts since my ISP quit on me. I like this topic. I currently have six games going, and there is one I am particularly excited to fire up, every time. This game is against Elltee, the B&T IDP scenario. Lots of action, well balanced (so far) and very well played by my opponent. No knock against my other games or opponents, it's just that this one has "that spark".

[The Coil]