January 18, 2015
Well, Andy has made it as far as Chicago and is having dinner with an old friend. Kristin and I are getting excited about his return. We’re guessing he’ll definitely make it by Wednesday, and maybe by Tuesday! But that means that I have to decide what to do with this mess that I’ve made in our ongoing Homeworlds game. Up until about two turns ago, it was looking like I had a chance of winning, and therefore being grandfathered in to the upcoming “I Beat Andy” medal ceremony. But I made a stupid move that has probably cost me the game, and I’ve been reluctant to take my turn because of it. 😉
In any case, this is the state of affairs right now. I am the player on the right, Andy on the left. The golden pyramid is just the turn marker. The little circles with names of stars on them are something Andy came up with to help me in recording our games easily. He got the idea from Aaron of Super Duper Games (a great game site!), and made a set of disks with a star for nearly every letter of the alphabet.
Although I could definitely use some help in this game, please don’t post any game play suggestions for either me or Andy. If you do, I wouldn’t feel like I won the game fairly. Similarly, I have actually beaten Andy at Homeworlds once already, but I don’t count it, because it was during an Andy vs. Everyone session and he was highly distracted and let himself get “bluebirded.” I want to beat him fair and square when he’s had time to think. I doubt this game is going to be the one, but hopefully I’ll pull it off before the late February medal-giving event. Wish me luck!
View from the Elf 
Luck!
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sounds much too complecated if you are having trouble!
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OK. The game is over. I conceded.
Discuss strategy all you want. And if you’re interested in the full play-by-play, here is the complete description (including my disastrous movement of reds into Andy’s homeworld). Enjoy!
Laurie: Build Homeworld One (B3R1) and populate with G3
Andy: Build Homeworld Alpha (R2B1) and populate with G3
Laurie: Build G1 @ HW1
Andy: Build G1 @ HWA
Laurie: Trade G1 for B1 @ HW1
Andy: Trade G1 for B1 @ HWA
Laurie: Build G1 @ HW1
Andy: Build B2 @ HWA
Laurie: Build B2 @ HW1
Andy: Trade B2 for Y2 @ HWA
Laurie: Trade B2 for R2 @ HW1
Andy: Build B2 @ HWA
Laurie: Build B2 @ HW1
Andy: Trade B2 for R2 @ HWA
Laurie: Trade B2 for Y2 @ HW1
Andy: Build B2 @ HWA
Laurie: Build B2 @ HW1
Andy: Discover Deneb (Y3) with B2 from HWA
Laurie: Discover Sirius (Y2) with B2 from HW1
Andy: Build G1 @ HWA
Laurie: Discover Vega (G2) with R2 from HW1
Andy: Discover Altair (Y3) with G1 from HWA
Laurie: Build Y1 @ HW1
Andy: Build Y1 @ HWA
Laurie: Build R1 @ V
Andy: Build G1 @ A
Laurie: Trade G1 for R1 @ HW1
Andy: Move R2 from HWA to A
Laurie: Discover Gemini (G2) with R1 from HW1
Andy: Build R3 @ A
Laurie: Sacrifice Y2 @ HW1 to move R2 & R1 from V to A, catastrophe R
Andy: Trade Y1 for R1 @ HWA
Laurie: Build R2 @ G
Andy: Discover Betelgeuse (G3) with B1 from HWA
Laurie: Build Y1 @ HW1
Andy: Build Y1 @ HWA
Laurie: Build G1 @ HW1
Andy: Build G2 @ HWA
Laurie: Sacrifice Y1 @ HW1 to move R2 from G to A
Andy: Sacrifice Y2 @ HWA to discover Taurus (Y2) with G1 from A and discover Capricorn (Y3) with G2 from HWA
Laurie: Attack G1 @ A
Andy: Move R1 from HWA to D
Laurie: Sacrifice G3 @ HW1 to factory: G2 @ A, G3 @ HW1, & B2 @ S
Andy: Sacrifice G2 @ C (star dies) to grow B3 @ B & B3 @ D
Laurie: Sacrifice G2 @ A to build R2 @ A & R3 @ G
Andy: Trade B3 for Y3 @ B
Laurie: Trade B2 for Y2 @ S
Andy: Move B2 from D to T
Laurie: Trade B1 for Y1 @ HW1
Andy: Sacrifice G1 @ T to grow R3 @ D
Laurie: Sacrifice Y2 @ S to move R2 & R2 from A to HWA
Andy: Sacrifice R3 @ D to attack R2 & R2 (giving up 3rd attack) at HWA
Laurie: Build Y2 @ HW1
Andy: Move R2 from HWA to A
Laurie: Sacrifice Y1 @ HW1 to move R3 from G to A
Andy: Move R2 @ A to discover Capricorn (G2)
Laurie: Grow R3 @ G
Andy: Grow R3 @ C
Laurie: Sacrifice G3 @ HW1 to factory: G1 @ A, G2 @ HW1, & G3 @ HW1
Andy: Sacrifice B2 @ T (star dies) to change R2 to Y2 @ C & R1 to Y1 @ D
Laurie: Move Y1 from HW1 to G
Andy: Grow R1 @ C
Laurie: Sacrifice G3 @ HW1 to factory: G3 @ HW1, R2 @ A, & B1 @ S
Andy: Move R2 from HWA to B
Laurie: Move R3 from A to HWA
Andy: Attack R3 @ HWA
Laurie: Trade G2 for B2 @ HW1
Andy: Move R3 from HWA to A
Laurie: Sacrifice Y2 @ HW1 to move G1 & G1 from A to HWA
Andy: Sacrifice R3 @ C to attack G1 & G1 @ HWA & R2 @ A
Laurie: Concede 😉 Good game, Andy! Thank you! 🙂
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Yes, I’d say both of your red movements into HWA is easily what did you in. You might have been in good position, had you been able to hold that out for awhile once you got to within one move from HWA. Seems maybe you got a touch excited and stormed the gate without proper backup (Leeeeroy Jenkins, anyone?) I think the faster the game play unfolds, favors Andy more and more. He is an offensive player that attacks small windows quickly, looking to see what kind of reaction ensues. If he sees panic, he presses. It’s crazy how he builds and spreads, choking out the bank, yet without moving himself out too thin, and his process is refined over time, like a stored vault of chess openings. You may have set him back a bit with the first catastrophe, and just possibly even held an edge once you got those two reds kinda close – obviously it’s easy to comment after the game is over – but…at that point, slowing down the game, shoring up your defense a touch, and setting up a red catastrophe in HWA may have been the route to attempt taking. Once you lost control of those pieces, however, the task at hand was certainly beyond daunting! Nice game!
– Anonymous (for my own protection! 😉
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You read it all exactly right, Anonymous! My only chance ever was that I surprised him early on with the catastrophe. Then I held my own until I got close, and then half panicked, half got too excited and stormed in too early without thinking through his response well enough. But I still have time to get in another game or two before the awards, so I’m crossing my fingers and practicing playing patiently. 🙂
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