A Question of Attitude

ActionBurk

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If you have been defeated by a rule, tactic, unit, whatever are you more likely to avoid it or master it?

I watch Cutthroat Kitchen and have seen chefs who will never again cook the dish that defeated them. This attitude baffles me. If I got eliminated by Devils Food Cake I would bake it till I mastered it.

Have you done this with ASL?
 

bprobst

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Do you mean "defeated" as in "my opponent used that thing and I couldn't think of a way to counter it" or "I tried that thing and I couldn't figure out how to make it work for me"?

If the former, then you don't really get much of a choice about "avoiding" it, do you? What you want to do is try and analyse the issue, probably discuss it with other players, and see if there's something you can come up with. I guess in a lot of cases the answer is either "run away" or "more dakka", according to the situation. Or maybe just learn how to roll dice better.

In the latter case ... it can be frustrating but I think it's usually a more interesting challenge to try and work out how to get the best value from it and what pitfalls to avoid. For me it's cavalry. I'd love to be able to threaten the enemy with my cavalry, instead of just using the horses as a way of moving guys around, so long as I do it where the enemy can't see me. Of course the problem is inherent in the system: horses are not usually the best way to approach hostile men with guns.
 

von Marwitz

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In fact, if I get defeated by elegant play or some very good tactical trick, I gladly lose those games. These are the ones in which you truly learn. I very much prefer to be beaten by good play rather than due to a series of snakes to my disadvantage because (hopefully :D) there is no skill in the latter - besides it is questionable to blame the dice in the first place. If you went "wow" on how you opponent managed to overcome an obstacle or a threat of yours, then the experience of it will stick in your memory. Learning the hard way one might say.

Seeing and remembering such things is the first step in mastering them. That does not mean that you will be immediately able to replicate the tricks that your opponent played on you in all situations. But it is a ground to start from. I reckon, it would be foolish to "avoid" such insights.

von Marwitz
 

ActionBurk

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Do you mean "defeated" as in "my opponent used that thing and I couldn't think of a way to counter it" or "I tried that thing and I couldn't figure out how to make it work for me"?

If the former, then you don't really get much of a choice about "avoiding" it, do you? What you want to do is try and analyse the issue, probably discuss it with other players, and see if there's something you can come up with. I guess in a lot of cases the answer is either "run away" or "more dakka", according to the situation. Or maybe just learn how to roll dice better.

In the latter case ... it can be frustrating but I think it's usually a more interesting challenge to try and work out how to get the best value from it and what pitfalls to avoid. For me it's cavalry. I'd love to be able to threaten the enemy with my cavalry, instead of just using the horses as a way of moving guys around, so long as I do it where the enemy can't see me. Of course the problem is inherent in the system: horses are not usually the best way to approach hostile men with guns.
Both instances but more so the latter. Your example of Cavalry comes close. I would say it is more a case of some aspect of the rules or module, such as caves or deluxe.
 

bprobst

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Apropos of nothing, why do you keep hiding these topics in the "ASL Spotlight" forum (which I thought was just a placement header for the sub-forums), and not the main "Advanced Squad Leader" forum?
 

ActionBurk

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Apropos of nothing, why do you keep hiding these topics in the "ASL Spotlight" forum (which I thought was just a placement header for the sub-forums), and not the main "Advanced Squad Leader" forum?
Having problems with the new format. Sorry.
 
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