GrogHeads Forum

Tabletop Gaming, Models, and Minis => Wargaming => Topic started by: Mad Russian on December 29, 2014, 01:04:11 PM

Title: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Mad Russian on December 29, 2014, 01:04:11 PM
I got this for Christmas and want to try it multiplayer with all 4 factions manned.

Is there anyone out there starting a Vassal game of FITL?

Good Hunting.

MR

Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: bayonetbrant on December 29, 2014, 01:31:20 PM
I'm sure you can get B_C to play, and if you send him a PM (so he doesn't miss the thread) you can usually rope Diced_T into a VASSAL game, too :)
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: ArizonaTank on December 29, 2014, 01:38:47 PM
I am interested.   On my second PBEM game, so happy to start a third.

Try asking Ubercat as well.

Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Mad Russian on December 29, 2014, 01:51:29 PM
I have never played any of the COIN series yet. So would be green. I would prefer to get at least one seasoned player in the group.

Good Hunting.

MR
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Ubercat on December 29, 2014, 08:38:45 PM
I'll have to sit this one out. I only have so much time for gaming and after 2 FitL games I'm getting a real itch to play something WW2 and operational in scale. I'm thinking DAK 2. A small scenario to start (for re-familiarization with the system) followed by a grand campaign, if I can get an opponent!
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Mad Russian on December 29, 2014, 09:36:18 PM
Well, after 2 FITL games what do you think of it?

How long did it take for you guys to finish a game?

Good Hunting.

MR
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Ubercat on December 29, 2014, 10:23:46 PM
We're still playing the 2nd game. I won the first as the VC in Coup 3(?). I believe that we just passed Coup 3 in the second game. I was close to winning as the US and my victory condition achievement faded away like some desert mirage shortly before the Coup came.  :(

It's a great system and I think that FitL is my favorite COIN game. I also have AA and got most of the way through a 4 player of that some time ago before the game just died when someone had to stop for R/L issues. One thing I've noticed is that Vassal players don't seem to negotiate much, if at all. There is a huge king of the hill aspect to COIN games and cooperation can be vital when someone has a clear lead. It doesn't seem that people do any coordinated operations and my first FitL game was a fairly easy win because of that.
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Mad Russian on January 01, 2015, 05:29:29 PM
Are these games played live on Skype or by PBEM?

Good Hunting.

MR
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Ubercat on January 01, 2015, 07:36:44 PM
DropBox and Vassal.

Each player makes a log file as they take their turns and drops it in the appropriate Dropbox folder. We have a continuing Gmail thread where we notify all the other players when we've submitted our latest turn and also give a helpful heads up to the player that's up next.
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Mad Russian on January 02, 2015, 10:08:08 AM
Could you not simply drop those files on Skype and have the message and the file all at the same time, in the same place?

Good  Hunting.

MR
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Ubercat on January 02, 2015, 11:06:26 AM
I suppose you could. I'm more conditioned to checking Email for messages as opposed to opening Skype, but I see no technical difficulty in that.
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: JasonPratt on January 04, 2017, 12:21:32 PM
Per Aztank's recommendation for trolling for players!

I've been setting up a four-player forum game of Fire in the Lake, which I'll be hosting on Tabletop Simulator -- but just using that to track the players, and reporting back to the forum using snapshots of the 'table' and some text reports. In other words, you won't need TTS nor to schedule a 'meet' time with me to play your turns.

ArizonaTank, Banzai_Cat, and I, have already started a test-run of initial turns. I'm taking the opportunity for some Absolute Newbie tutorial posts starting here (http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=18567.msg492556#msg492556), although tracking AzTank's first move (as the United States) starts here with a continuation of my tutorial attempt (http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=18567.msg492908#msg492908).

Once we get past my tutorial efforts, things will move a lot faster, but I wanted to help novice players (like myself!) be able to try the game, or at least try to understand what anyone else is doing and how and why!

Anyway, we're still looking for one or possibly two more definite players to join in. I'll take a fourth player slot if absolutely necessary -- not grudgingly because I do want to play, but I'm trying to stay out in order to eliminate conflicts of interest since I have total control over the game functions and presentation.

Jomni and Panzerseast have both expressed interest, but neither has made a definite statement of joining, so anyone more certain that you want to play will get added.

(We may or may not continue the game we've started for test purposes, depending on whether players want other factions, and maybe on any issues that arise from tweaking the process -- I've already had to reboot a turn due to my forgetting that certain pieces should be flipped over before game start, for example, although I caught that early and so no damage was done to a player's efforts. Right now player order is being set first and then factions randomly assigned as they come up for play. Az got the United States, and Banzai has been assigned to the Viet Cong. The Army of the Republic of Vietnam, and the North Vietnamese Army, still remain, probably to be assigned in that order. The NVA player will have to deal with AzTank having seriously nuked your bases on his first turn!)


Here are the two current map halves for reference (after Az's move but before Banzai's):


(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimagizer.imageshack.us%2Fv2%2F1024x768q90%2F924%2FRqBypn.png&hash=df96caf59beb50243c60dbac45295c6bc64a6f28)


(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimagizer.imageshack.us%2Fv2%2F1024x768q90%2F921%2FrE2Iif.png&hash=bd604f4d088229d6a50089c217b7e9ecb320d9f2)
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Geezer on August 12, 2019, 10:47:02 AM
Fall of Saigon, a Fire in the Lake expansion, is coming some time next year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg0-S0Kq8GI
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: al_infierno on August 12, 2019, 03:21:48 PM
 <:-)
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: ArizonaTank on August 12, 2019, 04:17:33 PM
Quote from: Geezer on August 12, 2019, 10:47:02 AM
Fall of Saigon, a Fire in the Lake expansion, is coming some time next year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg0-S0Kq8GI

Very nice...thanks for sharing
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Geezer on August 12, 2019, 05:57:57 PM
Anybody play the 2nd Edition using the bots for solo play?  I read that they were significantly improved from the original game.  Just curious if it's fun and playable solo, even though I really have more games than time already.  :)   Thanks.
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: W8taminute on August 12, 2019, 06:08:34 PM
Quote from: Geezer on August 12, 2019, 05:57:57 PM
Anybody play the 2nd Edition using the bots for solo play?  I read that they were significantly improved from the original game.  Just curious if it's fun and playable solo, even though I really have more games than time already.  :)   Thanks.

I have the 2nd edition with the bots and have been dying to play it.  Haven't even unboxed it fully yet.  So many games so little time... :(
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Ubercat on August 12, 2019, 07:00:20 PM
I seem to remember walking by while that video was being filmed.
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Moreb on August 13, 2019, 09:28:09 PM
I have been thinking about getting this game for a while and decided last night to pull the trigger. Of course I came here to do a search to see if anyone played it and lo and behold, there is this thread right on the front page.

How is Fire in the Lake and would you recommend it? I'm not a huge wargamer like I once was but I still enjoy learning new systems.

What is the definitive Vietnam game?
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: W8taminute on August 14, 2019, 10:00:12 AM
Quote from: Moreb on August 13, 2019, 09:28:09 PM
...

What is the definitive Vietnam game?

Hands down without question this is the definitive Vietnam game:  https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/5620/vietnam-1965-1975 (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/5620/vietnam-1965-1975)

Even at my age and deteriorating brain power I am enjoying this game immensely despite it's relative complexity. 
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Yskonyn on August 14, 2019, 10:07:01 AM
Wow I didnt know this game could be played solitaire!
That firmly places it on my wishlist. If anyone wants to play via vassal, let me know.
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: BanzaiCat on August 14, 2019, 10:31:49 AM
Quote from: Yskonyn on August 14, 2019, 10:07:01 AM
Wow I didnt know this game could be played solitaire!
That firmly places it on my wishlist. If anyone wants to play via vassal, let me know.

I think all the COIN games can be played solo, versus bots/flowcharts.
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: JasonPratt on August 14, 2019, 02:06:10 PM
Yep! -- one of GMT's few restrictions on porting the games to Vassal and TTS (etc.), is that the random-roll charts for solo play not be included or linked to. The RULES for solo play can be linked to, since those flowcharts are included in the rules released by GMT themselves (usually in what's called the "playbook" which also includes more details on the event cards.)
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: BanzaiCat on August 14, 2019, 02:37:14 PM
Ah yes.

You could also play 'classic solo' mode where you pretend you're schizophrenic enough to manage all sides to the best of your ability. ;)
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: JasonPratt on August 14, 2019, 03:17:10 PM
I have in fact done that before!

I've even done that using different horrible vocal impersonations, for Churchill.
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: JasonPratt on August 14, 2019, 07:35:52 PM
While I can't do it this weekend (being gone to New Orleans to see some of Dad's family), I would be glad to set up a demo play of Fire in the Lake for Tabletop Simulator sometime soon, if there's any interest.

The game has no secret information (well, any such is secret to everyone, like the upcoming event cards and players' plans!), so the game can even be played over-the-shoulder, in a pinch, following someone along on Steam, without having to own TTS.

(To be a little more accurate, there's an optional secret point-draw bag which gives each player a random 0 to +2 points for application during game-victory checks.)

What you'd definitely need is a microphone that Steam can access. (The TTS voice chat is very-much still alpha, I think, and last time I checked it outright crashed my game. Steam is hashy but not that cancerous! We can also do Discord or Teamspeak or something.)
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Moreb on August 14, 2019, 08:22:38 PM
Quote from: JasonPratt on August 14, 2019, 07:35:52 PM
I would be glad to set up a demo play of Fire in the Lake for Tabletop Simulator sometime soon, if there's any interest.

I'd enjoy that for sure. My game will arrive tomorrow and I can't wait to break it open. TTS has really propelled me to buy more games.

Reading your AAR now.
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: W8taminute on August 15, 2019, 10:07:32 AM
Count me interested as well.  I kind of already know the rules but I would like to sit in on any demo that is being given. 
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: JasonPratt on August 15, 2019, 12:36:28 PM
About to be gone from Grogheads until Sunday night at the earliest; but a note about my video AAR series (and the screenshot/written AAR before it): I played through both of those games totally misunderstanding the rule about marching across roads/rivers (i.e. across LoCs).

Insurgent forces in COIN games, namely the NVA and VC in FitL, are less mobile than the government forces, so they can't travel along roads and waterways as easily. But they do cross LoCs without any problem.

In effect, LoC's don't count as separate spaces for insurgent forces (those with March capabilities) when the forces are crossing the LoC. Or shooting artillery over the LoC -- my misunderstanding of the rule led to a weird artifact of what I thought was the game design, where NVA artillery could not shoot across a LoC because they could only shoot into adjacent spaces, and the LoC of course is a "space". (The only "space" that isn't an "area", areas being where bases can be built.)

This also resulted in a more usual fault, where insurgent forces could only March onto or off a LoC during a March operation. That's true if trying to March along a LoC, but when Marching across then there's no problem. By contrast, Government forces (the US and ARVN in FitL) can not only "Sweep" across a LoC in one move, but also along the LoC. (This all assumes the LoC is free of opposing forces, of course, which would otherwise stop the movement.)

So the two AARs end up showing some very goofy movements thanks to my misunderstanding! Fortunately, thanks to another rule -- which I did understand correctly -- much of the time this wasn't a problem: towns (the little black named dots) are nulls on the map connecting areas and LoCs together, so don't count as spaces. That means nothing can be put in towns (unlike in Cities), but it also means that forces can pass through (indeed must pass through) from one space to another without any hampering.

Thus, in many cases, insurgent forces could simply March around the intervening LoC -- or even simply shoot artillery "around" the LoC! -- by going through a connecting town spot. This provided an inadvertent workaround for my misunderstanding of the LoC adjacency rule, so that effectively my misunderstanding didn't affect gameplay all the time. But sometimes there were still odd situations.

Any future AARs I do will definitely fix this problem. ;) As will any demos I run next week or whenever.  O:-)
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Yskonyn on August 15, 2019, 12:45:40 PM
I'd be interested as well, but
A) I am currently on vacation
B) I am not sure the timezone would work out.
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Moreb on August 15, 2019, 06:05:41 PM
I'm going to delve into the rules a bit and try to play through the tutorial provided in TTS. I'm not very proficient with using the program but right now I don't have the space to leave the actual game set up. It arrived and is quite heavy. Always a good sign. Appreciate the clarification on the rules and how you explained it. I'll use caution when going through the AAR.

Jason, when you run a demo are you talking about doing so live through TTS? Is that what you mean?
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Moreb on August 15, 2019, 07:11:48 PM
Appreciate the info Jason. I'll keep it in mind while viewing. My game arrived and it's heavy. Always a good sign.

When you say a demo, are you talking about a live event through TTS?
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: JasonPratt on August 18, 2019, 06:09:16 PM
Yes, a live event through TTS.

As long as you have Steam, you don't even strictly need TTS! -- you can watch 'over-the-shoulder' at a ten second delay. The game has no secret information, so you could play that way, too.


Relatedly, I survived the not-vacation (as did the family), and I'm back home with my giant home computer at last...  :smitten: I miss "the Presence" whenever I'm gone, though I did take my Surface. (But mostly tried to catch up on reading.)

I don't mind doing a live demo of the game more than once. Saturday or perhaps even Sunday morning might work best for Ysk, since he's going to be Zulu or +1 I suppose. Central US should be -6, so a 6 or 7 hour difference. (Or 8? ...unsure how far east Holland goes.)
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Moreb on August 18, 2019, 07:38:37 PM
Quote from: JasonPratt on August 18, 2019, 06:09:16 PM
Yes, a live event through TTS.

As long as you have Steam, you don't even strictly need TTS! -- you can watch 'over-the-shoulder' at a ten second delay. The game has no secret information, so you could play that way, too.


Relatedly, I survived the not-vacation (as did the family), and I'm back home with my giant home computer at last...  :smitten: I miss "the Presence" whenever I'm gone, though I did take my Surface. (But mostly tried to catch up on reading.)

I don't mind doing a live demo of the game more than once. Saturday or perhaps even Sunday morning might work best for Ysk, since he's going to be Zulu or +1 I suppose. Central US should be -6, so a 6 or 7 hour difference. (Or 8? ...unsure how far east Holland goes.)

I do indeed have TTS. Now that I own the physical copy I'm gonna start skimming the rules to try and get a basic understanding of the game and I'd probably like to spectate at first, if possible. For me having the free time to play out the large tutorial that comes with the game will be a chore in and of itself. Many of the reviews on BoardgameGeek elude to it being more complex than the rest of the COIN series and I'm not versed in those earlier ones either. But I am exited about FitL. I've been wanting a game on the subject for some time. This seems like the great trade off in abstraction and ease of play with good historic flavor that intrigues me.

I appreciate it Jason. Hopefully I can digest some rules before then so that it really sticks when I see it in action.

Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: JasonPratt on September 01, 2019, 07:03:43 PM
Tomorrow being Labor Day, if anyone will be around, and at least has Steam (ideally also TTS), drop me a line and let me know if you'd like to learn FitL!

Let me know your Steam name if so; and send a friend request to me at the Grogheads Steam group. Should be "Sabreman" or possibly "Mikonesesagaman" (from back when Steam required an absolutely unique username and dang well no one else has THAT one. ;) )
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Ubercat on September 01, 2019, 08:01:04 PM
Heh. We're already friends and have been for years. I sometimes get a message that Sabreman is playing such and such, but completely forgot that that was you!
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Moreb on September 02, 2019, 07:29:15 PM
Quote from: JasonPratt on September 01, 2019, 07:03:43 PM
Tomorrow being Labor Day, if anyone will be around, and at least has Steam (ideally also TTS), drop me a line and let me know if you'd like to learn FitL!

Let me know your Steam name if so; and send a friend request to me at the Grogheads Steam group. Should be "Sabreman" or possibly "Mikonesesagaman" (from back when Steam required an absolutely unique username and dang well no one else has THAT one. ;) )
Dang. Was out of town and unplugged for the weekend. My Steam name is Ozark Rebel  and I've sent you a request. I should be around next weekend if your schedule is clear. I'm not much of an online gamer so I'd need to get my mic going again. Shouldn't be too much trouble. What program do you use for voice chat?

Thanks for the effort, especially considering that I'm newish to TTS and the COIN system. I really wanted to dive into the rules this past week but Ive hardly had an hour of time to myself.  My fear of looking like an idiot has kept me away from most online experiences. Be gentle.  #:-)
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: JasonPratt on September 02, 2019, 08:48:14 PM
Moreb / Ozark Rebel then for next weekend! -- I'm relatively free at any time during the weekend.

Maybe Yskonyn will be free one of his evenings next weekend; that should be around noon or a little before to start with for us (if you're still in the Ozarks. I'm across the Mississippi River halfway to the Tennessee River, roughly on a line between Chicago and Biloxi/Mobile.)

If we got a third, we'd have a foursome to play with; or if we got a fourth, I could just umpire. I'll check with Tuna.
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Moreb on September 02, 2019, 09:25:17 PM
Quote from: JasonPratt on September 02, 2019, 08:48:14 PM
Moreb / Ozark Rebel then for next weekend! -- I'm relatively free at any time during the weekend.

Maybe Yskonyn will be free one of his evenings next weekend; that should be around noon or a little before to start with for us (if you're still in the Ozarks. I'm across the Mississippi River halfway to the Tennessee River, roughly on a line between Chicago and Biloxi/Mobile.)

If we got a third, we'd have a foursome to play with; or if we got a fourth, I could just umpire. I'll check with Tuna.

I'll try to skim the rules a bit. I'd hate to be a drag on an actual game.
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: JasonPratt on September 03, 2019, 07:33:49 AM
Ysk wants to join, but already made extensive plans for the weekend, so he'll have to do a demo later.

Unsure that I can convince Tuna, but I'm trying.

Anyone else?
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Moreb on September 03, 2019, 06:02:21 PM
Appreciate the effort Jason. BTW, I am currently in The Peoples Republic of Illinois and spend most weekends at our place just in the Ozarks of Missouri. I despise Illinois. High taxes, stupid laws, broken roads etc. I miss Missouri every day I am not there. Being in this state where dreams go to die was never a planned event. A family member in trouble and a conscience larger than my brain has me a prisoner here for just a short bit longer.

I'm feeling emotional. Only a sing-song will help.


Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: JasonPratt on September 03, 2019, 07:27:26 PM
"We got a thing in this territory... {spit} ...called a Missouri boatride."

Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Staggerwing on September 03, 2019, 07:32:57 PM
"Missourah Boat ride"
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Moreb on September 03, 2019, 07:48:30 PM
Us Missoruhns have come a long ways since those days.  Optics are much better now.....  ;D
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Moreb on September 04, 2019, 09:27:08 PM
Hey Jason.  What faction would you think is best for me to learn as I am discovering all play different and have their own rules for ops etc?

Keep in mind, I'm a COIN noob.
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: JasonPratt on September 05, 2019, 08:08:30 AM
I can definitely say not ARVN! -- they have the trickiest rules. Statistically they tend to win the least, too.

VC have the least rules, but that's partly because they have no divisions (cubes) and also have the fewest overall pieces they can play. They tend to win the most statistically, so once you learn to play them they can be handy.

The US is the strongest fighter on the board, but their scoring rules are a little weird and actually weigh AGAINST just crushing everyone off the board.

The NVA has as many specs (insurgents, special forces, which I nickname specs) and bases as the VC, and as many Troops (the cubes) as ARVN, all readily available to deploy, and they have very straightforward win conditions. They also have the only nearly-invulnerable territory in the game, and can best exploit the side-territories (in Laos and Cambodia). The first time I taught the game to someone, he was playing NVA and came back from literally one point to win the game for Team North (NVA and VC) with a crushing tidal wave.

So, I recommend the NVA on balance.
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Moreb on September 05, 2019, 08:27:39 PM
NVA sounds good. I keep hearing how FitL is the hardest of the bunch but the subject matter intrigues me the most. Now what do you use to chat while playing TTS?
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: JasonPratt on September 06, 2019, 02:14:49 PM
Forgot to drop a line here (duh): after doing some test connections last night, I'll be introducing Moreb to FitL gameplay tonight (time still to be determined).

Anyone else is welcome to join! -- or if you have a preferred time and day, drop me a line (here or by Steam chat, the latter likely to be seen more quickly.)
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Nefaro on September 06, 2019, 08:24:58 PM
Quote from: Moreb on September 03, 2019, 06:02:21 PM
I am currently in The Peoples Republic of Illinois and spend most weekends at our place just in the Ozarks of Missouri. I despise Illinois. High taxes, stupid laws, broken roads etc. I miss Missouri every day I am not there. Being in this state where dreams go to die was never a planned event. A family member in trouble and a conscience larger than my brain has me a prisoner here for just a short bit longer.
..

Hey Moreb, sent you a PM.  Fellow Ozarkian here.  :)
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Moreb on September 06, 2019, 09:27:24 PM
So tonight I had my first experience with FitL and what a system it seems to be. I want to thank Jason for patiently and thoroughly running me through a large part of the game. And thanks to W8aminute for his patience while Jason did so. You will be a tough adversary no doubt. 

I can honestly say that I'm both overwhelmed and enthralled to dig further into FitL. There are so many moving parts and layers that I am having trouble seeing how they relate to each other but thanks to Jason, I certainly understand much of the mechanics.  If anyone gets the offer to be taught a game by Jason, I highly encourage you to take him up on it. You'd be hard pressed to find a more talented orator and concise teacher.

Thanks again. Now off to dig into the rules. Maybe after some time I can actually formulate a strategy? Maybe.
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: JasonPratt on September 06, 2019, 09:53:26 PM
Both Moreb and W8 did very well tonight -- granted, following some advice but they both had to choose between good choices for themselves, and have left their factions (NVA and US respectively) in better position than at game start.

In order to balance out the game as fairly as possible, I've taken the position of playing both VC and ARVN; so I'm on each of their side -- but by playing a full competitive game, that means I only have a 50% chance of winning (maybe less since after all I'm playing ARVN ;) ) instead of 100% chance of sharing a win. This has also brought out more of the crazy political flavor of the game, much to their interest and appreciation!

(For what it's worth, the Viet Cong just leaped within a few points of winning -- if I can keep the points up! -- and ARVN has had some fine luck to exploit so while I'm much farther away from winning than the VC, NO I AM NOT SCHIZOPHRENIC, YOU'RE THINKING OF HYSTERIA!  :crazy2: )

I didn't film things, because I didn't want to post people actually learning the game; but I may take some snapshots of the gameboard for illustration. Both of them are set to do some real pounding, although overall I'd say the United States is struggling the most right now (as might be expected in 1964.)

Amusingly, the first card we drew was a Coup Round! -- which (I think correctly) we skipped as that would be poison to ARVN out of the gate. (Also amusingly, I completely forgot to make my pdf of the rules easily available.  :crazy2: ) So we got through the first seven turns without needing to process that.

Thanks again to W8 and Moreb for giving me an excuse to mess around with the game! -- hopefully we can continue later, and if one or two other players want to team in as the VC and/or ARVN, you're welcome to do so.  O:-)
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Nefaro on September 07, 2019, 02:48:06 AM
Sorry for missing it.  Had company over. 
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: JasonPratt on September 19, 2019, 06:29:07 PM
Moreb and W8 did very well again two weekends ago. (This past weekend W8 and I played Scythe with Tuna and his son Eric.)

Thursday night tonight, with the weekend coming up, so I thought I'd check if SDR and/or Nef want to take shots this weekend.
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Yskonyn on September 22, 2019, 06:20:00 AM
What about the 27th?
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: JasonPratt on September 22, 2019, 12:03:38 PM
As far as I know, I'm free on the 27th! (That's Friday afternoon/night.) Work might shift that a little, but normally I'll be back at the house by 4 pm Central Standard (-6 Zulu/Greenwich).

That seems like 10 or 11 pm your time though...?  ???
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Yskonyn on September 24, 2019, 02:18:09 AM
Ok, keep you posted!
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Yskonyn on September 27, 2019, 06:34:18 AM
Unfortunately I will have to sign off for today, Jason.
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: JasonPratt on September 27, 2019, 08:36:52 AM
Quote from: Yskonyn on September 27, 2019, 06:34:18 AM
Unfortunately I will have to sign off for today, Jason.

I was going to have to say the same thing -- it looks like I'll be running late at work (actually out of the state).
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: Philippe on November 11, 2019, 01:45:27 PM
Does anyone know how Fire in the Lake compares with the 3rd Edition of John Poniskie's Hearts and Minds?

I've noticed a few complaints about the physical quality of the earlier editions, but the 3rd edition is published by Compass games (and includes a solitaire bot scenario).

I know everyone seems to play Fire in the Lake, but I really don't care for wooden cubes because they lack immersion and remind me of Risk.

I'm not a big fan of block games either, but at least when playing a board game on a tabletop there's a reasonable rationale for the blocks.  But I think my dislike of wooden cubes explains why my copy of Pendragon has been gathering dust for about a year.

Unlike Fire in the Lake, the counters of Hearts and Minds actually have something drawn and written on them that makes them worth looking at.  I'm also a fan of John Ponisikie (the designer of King Philip's War and Blood on the Ohio).
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: GJK on December 21, 2019, 06:46:50 AM
I've been curious about FiTL but read a BGG comment that struck home with me about these types of games: that during the game, it becomes less about the actual conflict and simulation and more about card play as if it could be a game of Gin or something.  Also, because of the duplicity of the card play, it becomes a case of some major historical event not happening because the card was played for the points and not the event.  A big turn-off for me for a subject that I'd want to experience historically.
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: JasonPratt on December 21, 2019, 12:46:38 PM
That couldn't possibly be the COIN system. The event deck generates opportunities for everyone (usually), and only in some games do players have any control over just one card.

In FitL, each faction has one and exactly one card they can kind-of control play on; the same card every time for that faction. ARVN's card is Vietnamization which brings the rest of their pieces to available from out of play and allows putting a number on the board at once; VC for another example is the Tet Offensive which allows all their pieces to go on a free attack, joined by control of some of the NVA pieces. These cards can only be played once certain criteria are met, and players are penalized with some risk of failure if they try to play one of these events historically early out of sequence with each other.

None of these single cards that are alone controlled by the players, gives any points (directly anyway). Players control no other cards. The gameplay is definitely not like Gin.

You are probably thinking of the Twilight Struggle system -- I don't know if the series has a name, but there are several games kind of running the same system. There is no simulation or even really any direct conflict in that system; it really is an area control card game. There are no pieces on the board except influence trackers.

Compare this text/screenie AAR (http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=16763.0) I wrote vs Barthheart on TwiStrug, with my video series demonstrating Fire in the Lake. (http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=20369.msg550652#msg550652)
Title: Re: Fire In the Lake
Post by: JasonPratt on December 21, 2019, 12:49:07 PM
Incidentally, while I'm not free tonight, if anyone wants to take a stab at learning the game on Tabletop Simulator (even over-the-shoulder streaming, because there's no hidden information and I can move the camera and pieces around upon direction), I may be somewhat free throughout the week.  8)