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Solitary Soundings

Musings of a solitary gamer. I've loved games all my life, and I like people too, but I'm indifferent about playing games with other people. (Go figure.) Comments welcome.

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A Day in the Life

Patrick Carroll
United States
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Minnesota
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"If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly." (GK Chesterton)
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Some might wonder what a typical day off is like for an angst-ridden fellow like me. Well, it goes something like this:
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Fri May 25, 2012 5:45 am
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Inventory

Patrick Carroll
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I've noticed lately that I have games stacked all over the place at home, even though I hate clutter and excess.

So, why are they there? Because I love games. Each of them represents a dream I had at the time I acquired it. In my imagination, each game would get played a lot and generate a great deal of fun.

Unfortunately, real life doesn't always (or even often) correspond very well to what I imagine. So just now, I did an inventory of my games, as listed in BGG.
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Thu May 24, 2012 3:21 pm
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Game Preferences as a Mirror of One's Life

Patrick Carroll
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peakhope wrote:
Maybe a topic for a future post: How does one's preferences in gaming reflect their outlook on life? Do I enjoy the RPG style because it represents a similar lone exploration through life? Does someone else dislike it for that same reason? Or do some people like the "god view" because that's how they see their life unfolding, according to plan? Or, more likely, because that's how they would like it to be?


Well now, that sure sounds interesting. I'm not sure I have any answers, but I love the questions So, let's see what happens if I explore them a bit.
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Tue May 22, 2012 12:00 pm
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Player's Point of View

Patrick Carroll
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The comments on my last blog post started into a discussion of a different topic than I had covered there. Now I'm wondering about that other topic, so let's see what thoughts cross my mind today.

The topic is what point of view a player adopts while playing a game. Different games appear to call for different vantage points.
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Thu May 17, 2012 8:30 pm
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Off-Board Record Keeping

Patrick Carroll
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Having just completed four solo scenarios of Richthofen's War, I'm reminded of an old pet peeve: off-board record keeping.

In RW, you have to fill out and maintain an aircraft status sheet for each plane or balloon. You start by copying data onto the sheet from a chart, and then you update the data as the game goes along.
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Tue May 15, 2012 6:05 pm
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The Joy of One--or One at a Time

Patrick Carroll
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Paul Zaichik wrote a book called The Power of One. It's a strength-training book, and the idea behind it is that all too often we exercise our arms or legs together instead of independently. There's some benefit to lifting a dumbbell with one arm instead of lifting a barbell with two.

This blog post is about games, though, and not even so much about mental exercise, to say nothing of physical exercise. But it does tie in with the "power of one" idea. (I'll get to it by the end.)
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Thu May 10, 2012 6:00 am
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Mathematical and Verbal Models (Games vs Stories)

Patrick Carroll
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Back in my school days, aptitude tests were often divided into "mathematical skills" and "verbal skills." There might be subcategories, but those were the two main headings. It's debatable whether those are the most important aspects of intelligence to be testing, but that's how it was. And maybe it still is, for all I know.

The other day, I was reading the rules to a new-to-me game, Ranger. I haven't played it yet, but I got some strong first impressions just from reading the material and looking at the components. And my impressions were mixed.
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Tue May 8, 2012 7:00 pm
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Some First Impressions

Patrick Carroll
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Well, I suppose that last blog post ought to be followed by something lighter. Luckily, I've got some light notions fluttering around in my head today--impressions of a couple games I just acquired.
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Fri May 4, 2012 11:29 pm
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Strategy, Tactics, and What Else?

Patrick Carroll
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The question of strategy versus tactics often crops up in BGG forums and anywhere games (or military conflicts) are discussed. Most people seem unclear on the definitions in the first place; and then they try to tie personal preferences in with those fuzzy terms, generating further confusion.

No, I'm not going to clear things up once and for all. My understanding of these matters is likely as faulty as anyone else's. I'm just going to rattle off a few thoughts as they come to mind.
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Thu May 3, 2012 6:00 am
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Hey, I Do Have a Goal--and I Like It!

Patrick Carroll
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I guess I just set a gaming goal yesterday--or remembered one. I hadn't thought of it as a goal, but that must be what it is.

The reason I hadn't thought of it as a goal is because goals are generally intimidating to me, not exciting. They impose pressure on me; they don't fire me up to get creative and active. Hence I've spent my life shunning goals--just because I've only looked at the dark side of them.
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Wed May 2, 2012 8:36 pm

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