Matrix Games Forums

Just posted on another thread asking for advice and information on Head to Head games. Are there any others playing this type of game. If so I would welcome any information or thoughts you may have.

Do you mean with another person or playing against yourself?

If the latter I've done quite a lot of it. It's not much fun since you always know what is going to happen, but can be useful for learning and experimentation.

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

Do you mean with another person or playing against yourself?

If the latter I've done quite a lot of it. It's not much fun since you always know what is going to happen, but can be useful for learning and experimentation.

Playing against yourself. I know what you mean, and that is why I asked if there may be guidelines or disciplines (in house rules) to use to try to keep it a little bit interesting.

This is popular at game clubs. Often we put players in the same room - and switch computers when the turn changes hands. Or play a different game when the other guy is on his term. Or engage in discussion - game clubs do a lot of historical and contemporary event analsysis discussion - at least if I am around.

I also think it is a good way to learn the game = play head to head against yourself.

I mostly use it as a modding tool.  Have played with my father for a while, but he's not so good with computers, so he is very slow on the turns.  We started last year and are just now approaching Feb 42.
The other times that I have played I have tried to play an entirely historical game, only to have the randomness of battles throw everything into chaos. (Imagine the Exeter and Houston winning in the Java Sea).
Another time I have run the Japanese entirely historical, until the battles forced me to react differently.
It kind of works as a guided AI.

I find guided AI much more tolerable and competative.

It requires more work, but I think it's worth it.

ORIGINAL: el cid again

This is popular at game clubs. Often we put players in the same room - and switch computers when the turn changes hands. Or play a different game when the other guy is on his term. Or engage in discussion - game clubs do a lot of historical and contemporary event analsysis discussion - at least if I am around.

I also think it is a good way to learn the game = play head to head against yourself.

Jeez Sid, when the hell do you have time to referee club games? You work (but have no idea doing what), and you are the most dedicated submitter of "substance posts" and mods to the board. Alaska must be in some sort of a time warp to allow so many different activities.

ORIGINAL: Buck Beach

Jeez Sid, when the hell do you have time to referee club games? You work (but have no idea doing what), and you are the most dedicated submitter of "substance posts" and mods to the board. Alaska must be in some sort of a time warp to allow so many different activities.

There is an evil mirror-mirror-universe-duplicate of El Cid running around. Maybe more than one duplicate. It's an extreme example of the old leader bug.

ORIGINAL: Buck Beach

ORIGINAL: el cid again

This is popular at game clubs. Often we put players in the same room - and switch computers when the turn changes hands. Or play a different game when the other guy is on his term. Or engage in discussion - game clubs do a lot of historical and contemporary event analsysis discussion - at least if I am around.

I also think it is a good way to learn the game = play head to head against yourself.

Jeez Sid, when the hell do you have time to referee club games? You work (but have no idea doing what), and you are the most dedicated submitter of "substance posts" and mods to the board. Alaska must be in some sort of a time warp to allow so many different activities.

And I spend more time working on China - and China games - than on WITP. It is alleged I must have a staff. I don't - except for RHS - where I do (Cobra, Mifune almost full time, others regularly). I write open source intelligence papers over a hundred pages long and academic technical historical papers for authors as well.

Buck Beach,
 
Way back in the days of board games I played about 75% of my games solitaire. You just have to be honest with yourself and play both sides to the best of your ability.
 
For some games I would write up strategies on cards and select one and follow that approach. Once I got both sides to execute a left hook and had them going in circles.
 
If you wanted, you could try a historical approach with one side while the other tried something radical.
 
It would be better than fighting the AI, maybe....

What I do is "change sides" mentally. I literally change my emotional affiliation. Since I have done both so often, it isn't hard to pretend this is a different game. Or that I really switched sides. [When someone gives up - I often say - "OK - lets switch - and I will show you why you should have kept on and how you could have won"] More tricky, I also forget what I planned as the other side. That is, I act as if I don't know, and I worry about other possibilities - and cover them.

I can also admit to having forgotten what I planned on one side, even lossing 2 RN carriers on convoy support (left them following a troop convoy to Australia) to KB.
On the reverse I've left a surface task force sitting at Wake after a Midway bombardment. They must have sat there about 3 weeks before being hit by USN.

The only person you can cheat is yourself, so it would be a bit silly to be dishonest.

ORIGINAL: Norm3

I can also admit to having forgotten what I planned on one side, even lossing 2 RN carriers on convoy support (left them following a troop convoy to Australia) to KB.
On the reverse I've left a surface task force sitting at Wake after a Midway bombardment. They must have sat there about 3 weeks before being hit by USN.

The only person you can cheat is yourself, so it would be a bit silly to be dishonest.

I have been known to perform "do overs" for such mistakes during an AI game. I rationalize as me not being dishonest only forgetful and/or a bit drunk. Some how I find a way to live with myself after ,mmm, maybe seconds of sole searching.

I completely understand where you are coming from, but the instances above were 2 examples of games that I continued with after drinking mistakes.

I think it adds to the challange though. It has improved some of the games that I had been doing, because it forces me to adapt and scramble a bit.

I am a bit possessive of Saratoga and have done a "do over" or 10 for her. (One of my great uncles served on her for a bit late in the war). Otherwise everything is pretty much fair game, excepting Hibiki, damn you Cuttlefish (just kidding!). But sleep loss has only been a problem because of playing the game, not in response to it.