My Experiences From Years of Gaming

Years Of Gaming – My Doubles Experiences

by legionbuck
(Major Command Risk Game Player and Blog Contributor)

After all these years of gaming I have a regular doubles partner here on Major Command, and we both migrated here from another site. Edsdad and I fought about 4 games against each other on the old site, then joined forces. That was on July 10, 2008… and we have been doubles partners for all these years of gaming. Playing with a partner for that long can get more involved than just playing tactics and styles.

I live in the Pacific NW, and Edsdad lives in Ottawa, Canada. We have never met face to face, and yet his family and mine have become intertwined. Through those years we have celebrated Canada Day and the Fourth of July via e-cards and video calls, have exchanged photos of stuff we do, discussed family events ( good and bad ), and have conversations on a weekly basis.

When you play on sites like this you might be surprised at who you play with that might become a part of your family. The members here are a friendly bunch ( one or two bad apples IMHO ), so when you are doing team games you might be surprised at the camaraderie that is possible from players you have no idea can become your friends.

My First Game of RISK

It all began in 1996…

by JCUK (jon7064)
(Major Command Risk Game Player and Blog Contributor)

I wanted to write a few words about why I play risk and what have I learned from playing this great game.

Gornji VakufMy first introduction to the game of Risk was during a tour of Bosnia in 1996. I had been in the army for 6 months and found myself in a little place in the Balkans called Gornji Vakuf. We had 1 TV channel to watch while we were out there and a bar that we were allowed to drink 2 cans of beer a night (when I say 2 cans, it wasn’t policed very well), It was 1996 after all. As you can imagine board games where a big pass time and it wasn’t until after a few months I was introduced to the board game ‘Risk’. It took me a little while to understand how the dice and cards worked but that was it, I was addicted. We played every Sunday and the games started late afternoon as it was our day off and went well on into the night. Good times.

I never played Risk again until around 2007 when Zynga created an app to play Risk online on Facebook, this lasted for about 6 months I think until they were caught infringing copyright I imagine and it was taken down – I was gutted. I have looked over the years and no site stood out as being managed well or had regular players until December 2015 when I found MajorCommand. I played a lot of real time risk games at first and became a little disillusioned as players leave when they realise they are losing and they are generally not very polite. I soon realised that causal games were the place to be, players were respectful, polite and were also happy to share some strategy. I found sharing strategy odd at first due to my experience playing real time, but soon realised that actually most players on MajorCommand are genuinely respectful and honest which was a breath of fresh air.

Warrant OfficerI, like most, found myself chasing commands, over rolling and hoping for great dice and finding more bad luck than good luck. It seems I forgot more from 1996 than I learned. I quickly (after about a month, I’m sorry to say) realised the amount of dice you roll changes depending on how many troops you have and it changes again whether attacking or defending with less than 4 troops. Understanding this changed my whole style and I quickly started to progress through the ranks to Warrant Officer. This is where the game changed again. At Warrant Officer I noticed that more senior/experienced players would play against me, at first very few officers would join any of my smaller games, understandably with a lot of their points at stake. I watched carefully as I got beat game after game and could not understand why, what was I doing wrong? This was when I started to watch how they were beating me and often it was on the larger maps where I realised that owning a few extra territory and gaining the extra deploy of an additional troop started to make a large difference. Instead of attacking 3’s or 2’s it made sense to break a 3 and attack the singles behind it reducing the tert count and indeed dropping the initial deploy of the opponent increasing mine. Again, I started to over roll and lot leave a trail of 2s in my wake, to my frustration watching an even worse counter attack. Never getting in front was frustrating but a valuable lesson learned. Strategy starts from the first roll and a careful look at that map at the start is important.

Team games where the next challenge, I managed to join a couple of games with some experienced people and I would take their lead to a win. On a high, I set up some team games where random people would join and found a real lack of communication lead to a lot of losses. It put me off playing team games for a while and stuck to large singles escalate games. A whole new strategy in escalate, ‘How many different strategies are there?’ Lots! In escalate I continued to try and build commands and then after 6 rounds the game was over, not enough time to build a command! What was I doing wrong! I noticed that Tapeworm put some game advice on his profile which I found enlightening and sped up understanding of strategies for different settings (Thank you Tapeworm). I realised that in escalate a command was just the byproduct of a good drop but the aim. I found the aim was to keep my troops geographically separated build the cards and wait. Timing is everything in escalate, ensuring that it is difficult for someone with a set next to me to take me and my cards out on a turn and then go on a run. This ensured that I lasted at least until after the second set and then it is just luck I suppose of when the sets drop. What I learned is try to get to the second set but not be the first on the second set to get the least amount of cards. I started to hold 4 cards and not take a territory and getting 5 cards until the timing was right. I believe I have captured most of the strategy, well it seems to have worked for me a few times and always relying on lady a little on the cards.

The Twelve Domains MapMy favourite map use to be 12 domains, a lot more complex than other maps apart from Nukes, and the settings make each strategy very different and interesting. I won’t go into all the strategies I have learned as that would be whole essay in itself. I have had some really good runs on 12 domains, it’s exciting to play and still play it a lot now. I have found the map attracts some frequent players that also understand strategies which tend to be really good games.

So a few months ago, I found the BSQUAD, I believe it was SamPaul and Rosco that wanted to start a new clan, JProcwalk was next to join followed by myself, Deandrum, Zapatera, F15FreeEagle, Tyme1Risk. We had a ropey start but settled down and started organising some team games and posting them on the board for anyone to join. We won a few, lost a few, found the maps we liked and won a few more.bsquad clan We are not particular who we play, we win more than we lose but due to the nature of our ranks we tend to lose a lot more points that we win. We generally have to win 7 out of 10 games to break even. This hasn’t always happened and caused us all to drop a few ranks and then slowly build back up again. I’m happy to say that we play for the love of the game and the points and rank are a byproduct of playing but not the main goal. Because we all have the same outlook, we have fun, have plenty of humour in games (sometimes too much) and our clan forum is generally busy with game and personal chat. I have got to know the guys in the clan and see them as my friends now which is a great bonus and one of the reasons I love MajorCommand so much. A place to chat with honourable friends and have fun doing something we all enjoy. I will say that we have an interclan game going that I think will never finish as nobody wants to be the one to break a boarder lol (although no diplos are allowed in that particular game). It’s almost become our unofficial team meeting room.

I could have gone on so much more about many aspects of the site but with the risk of losing you as a reader I will close it here.

So what have I learned from being on MajorCommand for the last 12 months? It’s reminded me that RISK is the best simple strategy game around on a great site, with great admin and great players. I think it will be around for a long time. If you see me (or the BSQUAD) in game, please chat, I may want to kick your ass, but in a friendly way and we have chat whilst doing it ;-D

My advice, play good players that beat you, learn why they are beating you and employ similar strategies. You will eventually get better and win big, and when you do it is satisfying. Join or create a clan and have fun. At the end of the day that’s why we come to this site, not to win but to have fun. If we win while having fun, then you really are a winner.

Certa Cito

by JCUK (jon7064 was my old nick)

Hey, It’s Only a Game

“Hey, It’s Only a Game”… or is it?

by Redstorm
(Major Command Risk Game Player and Blog Contributor)

family playing only a game

Only a game… Many of us fondly remember those long hours spent playing those wonderful board games as a child. Sure, there were moments when we went savage about who gets what color or marker and most assuredly someone always probably cheated somehow. But we learned things as we played like cooperation, sharing, and sportsmanship. We also felt the thrill of winning and the crush of defeat. Most likely it was then that we first heard someone, probably Dad, say “hey, it’s only a game“.

Who doesn’t remember those young adult years spent chasing wine, women and song while really anticipating the next 27-hour board game marathon where the levels of testosterone were matched only by the mountainous pile of empty beer cans? All the while we were learning about comradery, establishing friendships, often for a lifetime, as we mostly stumbled our way to responsible adulthood. Meh, pass me a cold one since ‘hey, it’s only a game“.

As jobs became careers, girlfriends became wives and children followed seemingly too soon, we often lacked any spare time and struggled to keep the boat steady and on the course. Somehow we and the kids managed to play a few games even as the board games morphed into an ever-changing digital mystery to us. Did we give enough of ourselves? Sadly, after too many excuses, we all heard “it’s ok, Daddy”, “hey, it’s only a game”.

computer game

Comes to the worldwide networks gushing an explosion of connected and online goodness. For the aging gamer, it appears as manna from heaven. Once again discovering the games of our youth while meeting people from all over the Earth on sites like the awesome MAJORCOMMAND.COM all while sitting in our most comfy chair. Total bliss? hmmm. My adorable grandson asked me just the other day, “Papa, why you yelling at your ‘puter?”. Slightly embarrassed, I realized that after all these years I could still learn about myself and my dealings with those around me. Laughing in the way young children do, I can just imagine him saying “Papa”, “hey, it’s only a game“.

500 Games at Major Command Risk

“500 Games”

by Redstorm
(Major Command Risk Game Player and Blog Contributor)

500 games risk online

Approaching my 500th game on MAJORCOMMAND.COM there are a few things I would like to share. First would be “WOW, what a great site to play live or at least semi-live risk like games with new friends from the world over who, as a whole, enjoy the games and site as much as I do. I find myself hopelessly addicted and actually will check for my turns throughout the day. I’m quite sure I’m not the only one. The maps are the first rate, game options are plentiful and varied, several different options exist for the number of game players, etc.

As a newer player, I find the most difficult thing for me is to learn, mostly the hard way, the myriad of strategies to be successful in these games. No one strategy will work across the board with all the different options and maps. I’ve found the best way to get the knowledge is through team games such as doubles and to simply ask the more experienced players. I’ve yet to encounter one who didn’t eagerly pass along their experiences and opinions. Even more difficult than learning the strategies is to internalize them and remember to use them in the heat of battle. I still am guilty of attacking too aggressively only to find myself eliminated because I didn’t secure my gains properly.

dice rolling risk online games

Oh, those damn dice! I’ve read all the discussions and wiki notes but like a lot of players, I think there is something imbalanced about the random dice. Maybe it’s just human nature but too many times I have been doing quite well rolling once in assault mode then try to finish it with the blitz mode only to lose heavily. Meh, the bottom line is that we all have to deal with the dice so it evens out I suppose in the long run.

Real-time (RT) versus casual games. RT games are a whole different environment and too often I think newer players start there and get discouraged then leave the site. I’ve heard it referred to as “the wild west” but I think it is more like a shark pit. This is where you can find some of the less honorable players preying on the unsuspecting player. A favorite tactic is to open a 4 player game with one or two players then when the unsuspecting ‘victim’ joins the game another shark will enter to close the game. Usually one goes AWOL and the other two attack the newer player. It’s never a fair game from the beginning. My best advice to newer players is to always check the profiles of all the players in any game you want to join. The honor and diplomatic rating is a dead giveaway with very few exceptions. Thankfully the fair and honorable players far outnumber these few brigands. The good news is that you will never hardly see that happening in casual games so I would recommend those for the newer player.

by Redstorm

Major Command Second Family

Major Command as a Second Family

by legionbuck
(Major Command Risk Game Player and Blog Contributor)

psychology session sign vector

Recently I have read a few posts in The Mess that has a player venting about family issues . We all can use some vent time for various reasons. What I find so amazing is the fact those issues expressed in The Mess show a depth of personal experiences that someone would not disclose unless they felt completely at ease with posting them in public ( so to speak ) and carry a heavy dose of personal pain that normally no one would disclose to people.

zen stone water relax

I will not name that player out of respect for them, but be it known that Major Command contributing to being an outlet for this kind of discourse is therapeutic in more ways than the usual game site can provide. We have some very special people as members, and [some challenging ones]. With that said, it goes to show that our members have experiences and lives that sometimes need an ear to relieve stress, The responses I saw to that particular thread were compassionate and encouraging. THAT is what makes Major Command special ! Players form partnerships, friendships, and count on there being the same type of members. Ya just can’t find that on other sites, or at least that has been my experience.

zen relax clouds peace

The people here are fantastic, and Major Command will continue to not only provide gaming fun but when ya need a friend you can find one here. I might suggest another forum slot… for personal stuff that would be considered classified info and posters can send “read permission” passwords to others they want to discuss things and keep it private. Just a thought… Semper Fi !

by legionbuck