First of all, I’d like to point that this contest is a great example of a Multi-Player game. It is a total mess! Pub Battles can be a great and rewarding solitaire game. It is even better if you can get more players together to play in teams.
At first, you might think that there isn’t enough to do for a player. If all you do is run 1 Command, that means you only control 2-6 blocks. How can that be a game? Because of this!
Yes, it is very different from the types of wargames we are used to playing. We are used to controlling hundreds of pieces by ourselves. We can do everything and have perfect control. The game isn’t moving your pieces. It is communication, teamwork and accomplishing the objective anyways.
I suggest that real command is a lot more like this contest. It is also a lot more fun. It is also easier for more people to do and join in. You don’t control everything. You aren’t responsible for everything. You only control 4 blocks. You are on a team trying to defeat the enemy but you can’t talk.
Yes, you don’t have tons of pieces to control. There may not be anything going on in your sector of the battle for awhile. I submit that the issues like this that you have to wrestle with can be just as engaging and even more fun. –Especially when you can watch the whole board. You can see what needs to be done. You can see what everybody is screwing up but you can’t talk about it. You can only control your 4 blocks to the NE.
I can’t over emphasize how GREAT this is. Looking back over my entire life of gaming, I have 4 great moments that stand out. Moments that we remember vividly and still talk about with excitement years later. Three of them resulted from a Multi-Player, Pub Battles conundrum like this with limited communications. (the fourth involved a player announcing a 12 ICBM launch in Supremacy)
I know it is hard to round up players. I urge you to make the attempt. It is worth the effort. Pub Battles is a simple game. How hard can it be if you only have to control 4 blocks? If you are a newbie, you can’t do too much damage with that, right?
Ok, so enough preaching. What is the correct answer?
Although I am partial to answer number 2:
“2. Write a letter to President Lincoln, asking him to remove McClellan from command for incompetence and give the Army of the Potomac to you.”
Answer number 1 is the best answer
“1. March SW and attack the 2 Confederates to the West near the river. (far left)”
I would also do part of 7:
“7. request clarification”, and inform McClellan of my interpretation of his orders and current action.
Followed up by number 11:
“11. Sigh and open a new bottle of whiskey.”
To refresh your memory, you can see the original contest here.
Do you agree with this answer? Why? Why not? Join the discussion below in the comments.
I haven’t played any of the games yet, but answer 11 to open the bottle of whiskey sounds like that should happen first before any other choices. Intriguing game system that seems to create fog of war and battlefield chaos like no other I have seen.
Answer 1 is a bad idea. It would potentially create a gap between your command and the corps on the your left flank that an astute Confederate commander could exploit.
I agree. It’s not ideal. What is your best answer?