Agonizing Over Balance

bendizoid

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Tiger of Tongoo (another DASL) is another good one where Kindling makes it very pro-Defender. A lot of heavy grain scenarios are candidates. 'Course it can be hazardous as Wild Bill once tried it in one of the boxing title scenarios (The Weigh-in? maybe) & managed to burn down the VC building (after a wind change IIRC) giving me the W.
Hamper to victory! The main reason I don't want kindling is all those extra dice rolls for the blaze/flame spread. Gimme a break. Also, why the hell do we have to roll flame spread before blaze spread? Just for some extra meaningless dice rolling? I've wracked my brain trying to figure out why that is. Can't figure it out.

Bob
 
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Ronnblom

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The article in the latest LFT is really good. Instead of working out balance, make VC that both sides can bid for. For example, if the objective is to control 15 stone locations, start with 15 and let each side bid more or less. The person bidding the most is the attacker.
That model works well in a tournament setting, but otherwise I would think most people prefer to play a balanced scenario rather than trying to figure out the balance themselves before the fun can start. Even if they did, most of the times, they would fail.
 

ecz

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(...) Even if they did, most of the times, they would fail.
sure, but best players fail less times and hit with more precision a decent (if not optimal) VC level more quickly than others.
It's just another face of the generic ASL skill everyone has.

Finding a good bid number It's the same thing as a complex setup when players try to figure the best choices and options themselves and most of the times they fail since no scenario card suggests the setup.
How many times did you use repeatedly the same identical setup of you first playing without corrections because it was *perfect* ?

Usually with two or more playings of the scenario anyone is able to adjust his sub-optimal initial setup placing properly HIPs, AT guns, deciding better zones to defend, or better paths for the attack etc etc . or at least changes something.

A skilled player succeeds more quickly than others and needs less time and playings.
Same happens with the bid.

At his second game a player who finds his first bid was too high or too low can properly modify the offer as it is just a failed setup that needs a fix.
And, again, best players find the fix sooner than others.
Do not think about the bid level as something unrelated with the scenario. It is the heart of the scenario, likewise the setup. And likewise any setup can be adjusted game after game.
And likewise any setup players can have different opinions about it even after many games.
 
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