Military Disaster Proves Genius of Simplicity

Introducing COH
For those of you who don't know, Conflict of Heroes (COH) i s THE best of the new-school military strategy boardgames. It is easy to play. It has a limited number of rules. And, with all its simplicity, it can be a real brain-buster when it comes to strategic decision-making.

For Starters
COH has about five starter scenarios that help illustrate game rules, strategies and methods. A and I have worked our way through four of five starter scenarios. I think the fourth scenario took us about 4 hours to play.

NKOTB
Summer is here. We've got a tent set up in the back yard. The boys are enjoying some of their free time by playing COH in the tent. This is the first time the two younger boys have tried COH. So, they are learning the ropes. It's always a concern when the younger kids learn new games. It can be frustrating for them. And, guaranteed, it's frustrating for me. Everyone hates losing and it's obvious that someone will. And, with a complicated military game, you have good odds betting on who will suffer the disgrace of losing.

Not So Fast
The starter scenarios generally take a few hours to play. They usually require lots of unit movement, some terrain strategy and a chunk of resource management. It's easy to get very involved in thinking through all the possible issues. So, imagine my surprise, when my oldest is defeated in the first few minutes of a larger starter scenario. My youngest moved a mortar up on a hill, got line of site on one of two houses that might house the enemy general and opened fire. Once he got a dice roll that represented a hit, the General had to reveal himself. Then, J opened up and used all his resources to try for a second hit so he could get the kill. On his last resources for his mortar unit - he got the kill which won the game. He took a four-plus hour scenario and boiled it down to one squad moving about 4 clicks and using all its resources to take out the objective without any other engagement. All this took no more than a few minutes after a lengthy and painstaking setup.

Overkill
By the way, that's the third game my youngest has won against A and myself in the last three days. It got me thinking that my tendency to over-analyze is not good. Between us, A and I have played ultra-defensive, ultra-offensive, and a good mix. And, in every condition, we've been thoroughly trounced. Not bad for an 11 year old.

To the Victor go the Spoils
For a kid who takes great pleasure in teasing, gloating over small and large wins and providing play by play for anyone who misses the action, J is being relatively reserved about kicking our butts. I think he might realize for the first time that he is capable of beating absolutely anyone. And I think my oldest is just realizing, after a lifetime of easily beating his little brothers, that he's defeatable. The genius of victory isn't always in out-thinking your opponent. Somethimes it's about getting to the salient point of the scenario and getting efficient about getting it done.
It's the lot of little brothers to get beaten by older brothers because they grow up together on parallel tracks but with staggered starts. The danger of consistent winning is, perhaps, just as impactful as the danger of consistent losing. And, the sting of defeat can be healthy sometimes.
This is a good life lesson. Good job J.


GF