.
.
.
.
from..
the...
Game 7995, JohnPin569 vs. AxisSpec
I hear you, dude. I gave up a loooong time ago trying to figure out how this "post Pez" system works. Every now and then I'll look up my rank just for fun, even though I am clueless as to how I got there. I'd rather get head from an alligator than try to answer ranking questions. :)
Take care.
John
It may be too late, but I'll try to make amends by conceding now. As one of the Mothers of Invention said on the 'Live at Filmore East' album, "I know when I'm licked, all over." TOM
SS ~ Guys, this is a family
game; but now I know why you two get along so well.
Game 7901 Summland vs. DeBruce
GEM7779666: I smell blood
Summland: I cut my finger....
GEM7779666: take out the nose ring next time
SS ~ Picky, picky,
picky.
Game 7677
Reddwarf vs. qman34
US 1
36 IPC
4 sub(32) 4 saved
(Later)
Hey Warren now I know why I never bought subs the first round it's stupid
EK ~ It's much better to bid them,
qman...
Game 7599, EJGusto vs. Santiago
My luck has been horrendous of late, looks like I'll lose every game I'm playing Can't roll, can't roll, can't roll. Oh well, I'm getting married in a week, and that will take up most of my time anyway. I do therefore surrender.
SS ~ Well Gusto, indeed your luck is horrendous.
Who's
Who in IAAPA
The
Havoc Profile
If you'd like to see this feature continued,
please give me some nominations for future profiles. Go to the Knight
Site and use the Profile poll to submit your suggestion; or just send me
an email. Nominations for EK or AS will be ignored ~ you guys hear
enough about them anyway.
Polaris
Well known around the IAAPA campus, Polaris is one of the club's most prolific players. An active and seldom taciturn member of the IAAPA government, Polaris is best known for his series of seminars covering various aspects of A&A gaming. A member of IAAPA since August 1998, the 32 year old Polaris started playing A&A about 5-6 years ago. Although he was baffled about the members' choice for this month's Profile, he agreed to submit to the examination ~ as long as everyone understands that he really doesn't play that well...
Q: Any tournament wins?
How about a game IN a tournament?
A: I think I have one
or two in the Millinium Tourney and I won a couple in the recent IAAPA
round robin representing the Asia-Pacific area.
Q: Other accomplishments in IAAPA:
A: I suppose my most noteworthy
accomplishment was the ressurection of the Assembly position from a 'do
nothing' job into a position that permitted members to voice their views
and hear better ways to play A&A in a seminar format. In addition,
I think I have played a small role in insuring that new players in the
IAAPA rapidly learned the most basic and successful approaches thus radically
reducing their learning curve. Nothing is more disheartening to a
new member than to lose your first ten games straight. This used
to happen because here at the IAAPA, you face much better opponents that
you will typically find in casual face to face play. I like to think
that my seminars helped new players avoid the worst mistakes (and perhaps
even saved a game or two).
Q: Where do you live? (City,
State, Country, Planet....whatever's appropriate)
A: Hypothetically, I live in
Austin, TX USA on a wet dirtball in some totally unremarkable solar system
in some completely mundane spiral galaxy :)
Q: Who was/is your most difficult
opponent?
A: First of all every
opponent is different, and as such I think the most difficult opponent
is the one you are currently playing regardless of rank! Having said
that, I would have to give Brutus and AARommel my highest regard in terms
of difficult opponents to beat. Both play mistake free (or virtually
mistake free) Axis and Allies regardless of which side they play....and
the first mistake you make against either one of them will be your last.
New players could learn a lot from examining some of their logged games.
Now, having said all of that, my most *fun* opponent almost has to be a toss-up between Tusk or Kamikzi (ret. now). Those games were wild and completely different.
Q: Your choice for best player
in IAAPA, besides yourself :), and why?
A: I would say either
Brutus or AARommel. As for why, well see above. Essentially
neither makes mistakes and that shows in their records.
Q: Do you prefer to play with
the Axis or the Allies, and why/with what bid/whatever?
A: Regardless of what you might
hear, I really have no preference. I think that you are a lot likelier
to win as the allies unless the bid is at least 21. Unfortunately,
bidding isn't perfect as it tries to offset a long term Allied economic
advantage with a greater short term Axis military one. Because of
this however, I will restate something I have insisted on for a long, long
time: If you bid more than 21 you deserve to lose. 7inf placed
correctly for the axis will end the game quickly. OTOH, anything
less is a distinct Allied advantage, which is why we roll the dice.
As for favorite bids, I won't give one specifically. The best bid you can do is the bid that you are comfortable with and wins games. If you do /not/ have a clear idea of how you will win with a particular bid, then you need to be bidding something else. This is an old rule but a good one. My bids tend to be between 17 to 20 for obvious reasons. I have used a number of bidding strategies. Many have worked and many have not. Here are some pointers:
Favorite Bids:
Euro-bid: Bid inf/arm in
E.E. or Ukraine
Afrika Bid: Bid inf/arm in Libya
or Algeria
Japan Bid : Bid inf/arm in Manch
and Burma
I have done all of these at one time or another. Try not to spread the bid too much.
Bids to avoid:
IC bids
Air bids
Naval bids
They cost too much for too little gain IMO.
Q: Your favorite strategy:
A: Whatever strategy your opponent
is not expecting is my favorite strategy. This might sound glib,
but it's not. Different people have different strengths and weaknesses.
You need to be *flexible* enough to change what you do on a moments notice
based on what your opponent /does/ and not by what you want them to do.
Having said that, I am currently fond of Warfare with Camels, but I am
not as dedicated to it as Brutus is. On the allied side, my favorite
*if the board allows it* is the Red Army Express. I generally think
that pulling out of Karelia early is an invitation to lose except under
very specific circumstances.
Q: What would you like to see
changed in IAAPA?
A: Hmm, tough one....
I think that everyone needs to remember that those in government work for
US (the membership) and not the other way around AND I think that all in
the IAAPA need to remember that we are here to play Axis and Allies (and
to have fun) and for no other reason. If we can keep those things
first and foremost in our minds, the rest comes down to taking care of
the details. Unfortunately (IMO anyway), many members (esp those in Government)
have forgotten these two underlying maxims.
Q: Do you have any suggestions
or hints for new players/members?
A: First of all read the strategy
pages, read over some of the logs by our better players, and (if I get
elected) ATTEND my seminars!! There are a lot of ways to play axis
and allies, and most of the really 'dumb' moves have been made by someone,
somewhere (and yes that includes yours truly). It is a lot less painful
to read about someone else's mistake than have to eat a loss on your own.
Secondly, *HAVE* a coherent plan. While it is true that no plan ever survives contact with the enemy (or your opponent in this case), it is equally true that you don't survive contact with the enemy w/o a plan. Even a poor plan is much better than no plan. The one thing you /never/ want to do (esp vs top level competition) is to react to someone else's plan. That is an almost sure path to a loss.
Thirdly, in a competition between prudence and flair, prudence wins everytime. While it is true that odd dice results can (and do) happen, it is equally true that you should never *rely* on those odd results. Baring unusual dice, bear in mind that he who makes the last mistake loses. Try to be sure that isn't you. [And this is coming from an old geezer that has made a number of mistakes in his IAAPA career!] Speaking of mistakes, try to learn from each game (win or lose), especially your mistakes and misjudgments.
Finally, try to remember that you can't beat luck. Don't (or try not to) let it upset you, just adjust to it and go on. Everyone will lose the occasional game due to poor dice. Just try to be honest with yourself and ask yourself if you lost because of luck or because of a mistake you made. Usually, you will find it is because you made a mistake (even a small one).
Q: Any other comments, stories,
etc. ~
A: I think I have taken up enough
of your time as it is. I think my most memorable experience was a
Live game I played against Gem **** KAMIKZI (and yes I lost but it was
memorable). We started at 9pm (CDT) and the game lasted until 3pm
CDT the next day. The game ended when Germany fell (in turn 20 I
think) and Japan just BARELY failed to take Washington DC (having siezed
control of the Atlantic). It was a crazy and wild game (and not the
approach I suggest for starting players), but it remains a fun memory even
a year and a half later.
Q: One last question...Why
haven't we ever played each other.....and would you give me 20 if I promise
to include a foolish naval unit in the bid...? (OK, that's two.)
A: ???
FOR THE STATS FREAKS:
RECORD AVERAGE WINNING BID
Total:
61 - 53
In All Wins: 17.2
In All Losses: 17.8
As Allies: 28 -
14
In Allied Wins: 16.4 In Allied
Losses: 17.4
As Axis:
33 - 39
In Axis Wins: 17.9
In Axis Losses: 18
If you've discovered an error in your stats
and fired off an email about it to someone, you may have been referred
to me for help. I've been s-l-o-w-l-y making my way thru the records
with the help of Pete Llewellyn. Most of the stuff we've found is
clerical in nature, but there have been several errors which will affect
the stats of at least one of the players involved in the errored game.
Our review also helped to identify an error in the ratings program which
means that everyone's stats are inaccurate. Halldor and Micwil
are busting their butts to debug the program and make it do what it's supposed
to do....but, in the meantime, there's not much anyone can do to verify
the stats of anyone in IAAPA. Stay tuned for further news, and please
be patient.
Recon Squad
I could really use some help from you guys. Anything I had saved to print got lost with all my other EK files last month. If you've got something to contribute, send it in!
To submit an Intelligence Report please sign into the logbook:
The Knight Site can be found at: http://www.geocities.com/errant_knight_2000/
Errant Knight