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Gonna play 2p Tash Kalar today for first time. Anything I need to know?
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Jun 2, 2018 16:37
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angel opportunity posted:Late chiming in, but people only ever playing new games really makes boardgaming unappealing to me. I've said before, but I find playing "learning games" incredibly not fun 90% of the time. Even if it's a game I really like, the main potential fun in a learning game for me is if I think: "I can't wait to play this again and know what I'm doing." That sucks and I agree. I found my small group's extension in the meetups around me and we've been lucky that they're willing to jam heavy euros/trains/wargames week after week to fill up slots in our games. Maybe try seeing what people like playing certain games in your meetups and just try playing with the same people the same sorts of games over and over? Thing is, even if you don't develop a metagame for specific games, you'll still develop positional/directional heuristics for similar games and that carries through others anyway. My group actually does what you describe. We call it the "active(ly played) rotation" and we have 4-5 core games in there and pad others around it. This is how we got 5 games of antiquity the week of reception and about a dozen times more in that month. We're doing the same with star game feast for odin right now and holy poo poo we're bad and overvalue the drat 2/2/2/2 mountain spot because that's like 16 coins or lots of ore and sticks!
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Jun 2, 2018 16:38
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CaptainRightful posted:He's right, though. Their videos would be 10x more watchable without the forced humor. Remember when this guy  and this guy  lectured us all on cultural appropriation? I remember.
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Jun 2, 2018 16:47
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I move a lot and have a kid now so finding a group is super hard now. I could MAYBE get three hours a week to play and don't want to waste that time slowly feeling out a bad group. Anyone live in Hershey? 
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Jun 2, 2018 17:18
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angel opportunity posted:My ideal group would pick like 2-3 games and play them almost exclusively for 3 or so months. CaptainRightful posted:So if anyone in Seattle is looking for a more dedicated group, hit me up! I'm moving there this summer.
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Jun 2, 2018 17:27
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angel opportunity posted:My ideal group would pick like 2-3 games and play them almost exclusively for 3 or so months. I like to actually get good at a game and have a meta-game evolve. It's insanely unfun to me to see who can do the best in a game when most people are playing it for the first time. Or worse, everyone is playing it for the first time against the guy who owns the game and is going to win because he's played it already and also sucks at teaching it. I felt the same way about meetup groups. It was open and play a game then immediately pack it up never to be seen again. I enjoy "learning games" more than you say you do (winning to me is doing better than last time) but I still like learning then wanting to put what I learned into place in a "real" game.
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Jun 2, 2018 17:28
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Yeah I don't give a poo poo about winning 95% of games (abstracts being the exception, for some reason they bring out my competitive side) but I really like learning a game deeply and trying new strategies or refining my play. If I'm teaching a game to all new players I'll intentionally try a different strat as opposed to doing something I know is effective but I still try to win as to not give a false impression of the game.
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Jun 2, 2018 17:33
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Additionally, rules explanations take a bunch of time that you could use actually playing.
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Jun 2, 2018 17:51
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Do you guys think it's important to give any specific strategy tips in teaching? I'm firm on things like FCM openings or Keyflower winter tile info being vital to not ruining the game for people, but what about things like pointing out the Kemet map being 100% equidistance city to city? Do you let players discover that stuff on their own or point it out from the start? I've always pointed out strategic pitfalls or warning of things to look out for but I have one friend that wants nothing but the rules and no tips and the discovery of every part of strategy is something he values a lot in games.
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Jun 2, 2018 17:58
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Tell this stuff after the rules explanation, as friends pointer while players ponder their very first moves.
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Jun 2, 2018 18:08
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Bottom Liner posted:I have one friend that wants nothing but the rules and no tips and the discovery of every part of strategy is something he values a lot in games.
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Jun 2, 2018 18:10
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I often give hints like that to my groups, but we also get together fairly infrequently and also are not extremely intense gamers. It seems to go over better if everyone can enjoy the first game with a little bit of strategic hints instead of waiting for subsequent plays. As the rule book reader and teacher I also grasp some of that information while reading the rule books so I feel like it is fair game. I agree with Lichtenstein though, I do not do this as part of the rules explanation but during the game as helpful pointers.
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Jun 2, 2018 18:11
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If there's something really non-obvious about the strategy, or stuff that seems like a good opening but is actually a total trap, it'd be good to get a heads-up for that. But I'd rather learn by experience than have someone lecture me on the finer points of strategy.
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Jun 2, 2018 18:17
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I play with someone who swore Container was the worst game he ever playedbecause he first played it at five after everyone blew all their money first turn. When I finally convinced him to replay it his opinion shot up from a 1 to a 10. Obvious pitfalls like that I'm going to tell you about no matter what because it doesn't just effect your enjoyment, it effects everyone else.
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Jun 2, 2018 18:22
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I like teaching games in a way that includes showing how to win. Rule books don't usually do this. For example, teaching Puerto Rico I always include how the crafting actually works in the game instead of just glossing over it so that people have an awareness of how using the crafting action affects the game, not just saying it's something you can do.
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Jun 2, 2018 18:23
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al-azad posted:I play with someone who swore Container was the worst game he ever playedbecause he first played it at five after everyone blew all their money first turn. When I finally convinced him to replay it his opinion shot up from a 1 to a 10. Exactly, although you've pointed out a reason why I sold Container. I don't like having to babysit players through games, and you have to babysit players through Container so that everyone can appreciate what the game is trying to do.
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Jun 2, 2018 18:24
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Can someone please write a FCM opener guide? I have a copy and now I’m scared to play it.
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Jun 2, 2018 18:26
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When I'm explaining a game, and going over all the things you're allowed to do, I at least try to touch on WHY you want to do that thing, and in some cases why you would not want to do it. I also try to cover non-obvious things, like 'how many turns will you be likely to have' and 'what mistakes can lock you out of even meaningfully participating any more'
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Jun 2, 2018 18:51
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Bum the Sad posted:Can someone please write a FCM opener guide? I have a copy and now I’m scared to play it. Get a recruiting girl first turn.
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Jun 2, 2018 18:56
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Bum the Sad posted:Can someone please write a FCM opener guide? I have a copy and now I’m scared to play it. Biggest thing to keep in mind is to not hire people you can't afford to pay. Milestones are also very important. Those two things will generally steer you in the right direction without giving you a full on chess opening style strategy.
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Jun 2, 2018 18:58
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Played a pretty fun 3 player game of Bull Moose last night, though it turned out to be the historic "Republicans and Bull Moose split vote, Wilson wins" outcome. What an terribly written rulebook though, glad I didn't pay anywhere near full price for it.
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Jun 2, 2018 18:59
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Bottom Liner posted:Do you guys think it's important to give any specific strategy tips in teaching? I'm firm on things like FCM openings or Keyflower winter tile info being vital to not ruining the game for people, but what about things like pointing out the Kemet map being 100% equidistance city to city? Do you let players discover that stuff on their own or point it out from the start? I've always pointed out strategic pitfalls or warning of things to look out for but I have one friend that wants nothing but the rules and no tips and the discovery of every part of strategy is something he values a lot in games. I absolutely mention that when teaching Kemet. I even note a few of the more popular powers as a pointer for possible strategies.
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Jun 2, 2018 19:12
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Yeah in Food Chain Magnate it's important to remind people that you have to pay people the same turn you hire them, but you can't use them until NEXT turn. It along with other rules (like ahem Gloomhaven with "you can't use an element the same turn you create it") needs to be shared, but more than that, it needs to be shared in a specific way and that way is "hey drop what you're thinking for a second and listen up because this is important and I always explain it but someone always goes awwww! I didn't KNOW thaaaaat later and pouts, so clean the poo poo out of your ears"
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Jun 2, 2018 19:14
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Those are two important examples because if someone fucks them up you can't just rewind the turn because it involves decisions that have already been made and possibly already acted on by others by the time it comes up. Speaking of tips Cthulhu Wars has an appendix of how to lose (or win) with each faction and what to look out for. It's stuff you could figure out on your own but it helps you hit the ground running. It's well done.
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Jun 2, 2018 19:18
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Bum the Sad posted:Can someone please write a FCM opener guide? I have a copy and now I’m scared to play it. Baby's First Game: hire a waitress. With the waitress milestone you can now afford to pay one advanced person and waitresses work towards breaking ties at dinnertime. Slow but Strong: hire a trainer, then someone who can be trained (preferably manager). You'll get $15 discount on paying people relieving a heavy burden early game but other players have a head start making money. Fast and Flexible: hire a recruiter first round, then a recruiter and someone else the next (if nobody got a trainer round 1 then call them dumb and get a trainer), then three other people based on the current board configuration. Getting two managers right off the bat gives you a lot of flexibility. I always do one of the latter two depending on my opening position. If my restaurant is in a really strong location I'll go for recruiter so I can have the flexibility of undercutting my opponents. If I'm not in a good starting position I'll go trainer and beeline for guru, especially if someone else is going the recruiting strategy. al-azad fucked around with this message at 19:35 on Jun 2, 2018 |
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Jun 2, 2018 19:31
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Just bought a copy of spirit island. I've heard many good things. Also got the expansion and some promo cards. Is there anything I should know before I play my first game.
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Jun 2, 2018 19:48
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Play without the expansion for a bit before adding it in. Start with the base game which is basically tutorial mode to learn the round structure and flow. Don't play Lightning's Swift Strike for a few games because it ignores a crucial element in learning the game.
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Jun 2, 2018 19:58
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discount cathouse posted:Their videos would be 10x more watchable without the forced humor. They'd certainly be shorter. On a semi-related note, what's with all the praise for Ethnos? When I played it I was mostly drawing cards looking for a matched set. It seems like the kind of game designed by and for people who are really into card drawing as a mechanic. Who knows what the next card you draw will be? these people say, and in many games card draws are used to bring new elements into the possibility space. In Ethnos the card you're going to draw is always boring without the context of your hand. The area control stuff is all right, but I've found it's not the most important part of scoring. It's a matched set game with a map to the side. Maybe I just don't like matched set mechanics, or maybe I'm missing something.
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Jun 2, 2018 20:05
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Ethnos is just a slight step up from Ticket to Ride so that's really appealing to a lot of people. I don't care to play it again but I think it's fine. It also gets praise for being the rare CMON game that's substance over style, even if it ends up being pretty ugly. Here's a fun statistic: the total value of the Goon rated top 200 would be approximately $7742.26, not counting any expansions, according to the tool here http://bgg.jsmackin.co.uk/ My personal collection with 67 games and about half as many expansions is just under $3k.
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Jun 2, 2018 20:11
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pospysyl posted:They'd certainly be shorter. The best thing I can say about Ethnos is that it’s got a great sense of flow. By the second round of the first game everyone will understand all the rules and the game moves fast as heck.
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Jun 2, 2018 21:56
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The best CMON game is Dogs of War, a really good tug of war area control game. And it's hilarious because any other publisher would've used cubes but being a CMON game you get this ugly rear end plastic busts.
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Jun 2, 2018 22:02
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Is SUSD hilariously funny? No. Are they more entertaining than 90% of the channels out there, which are just dudes standing in front of a shelf, talking over a board? Yes.
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Jun 2, 2018 23:16
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I think the longer the game and the earlier you can make decisions that completely cripple you. So in FCM it's totally mandatory to tell people their turn 1 play is a recruiting girl or a trainer, but Junk art doesn't need any strategy advice.
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Jun 3, 2018 00:48
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Thanks for the FCM tips. Had a good two man game day today. Played two rounds of Tash Kalar for the first time. Very impressed, second game game ended up ending due to friend running out of summons though. I think my buddy was super focused on just massacring my pieces instead of going for tasks. Then we set up a game of Antiquity which we’ve also never played. Realized it would take us a long time and are leaving it set up to play tomorrow for the first time. Then we played Jaipur for the first time. Great little easy 2p game. I think this should be in everyone’s closet as a fun little time killer.
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Jun 3, 2018 02:05
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Jaipur is a great one. I've got lots of 2p duel games but I come back to that one.
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Jun 3, 2018 02:39
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Jaipur Schotten Totten/Battle Line The Fox in the Forest Santorini/Tak/Onitama Hanamikoji Patchwork That set of light 2 player games would last you a lifetime. I’m curious about Biblios for 2 as well if anyone has thoughts.
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Jun 3, 2018 03:35
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I really enjoy Raptor and King & Assassins for middling weight two player games, though it seems that's not often something people are looking for.
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Jun 3, 2018 04:40
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Bottom Liner posted:Jaipur I love Biblios at all player counts, and might even actually prefer it at 2. Quick, easy to teach, and incorporates so many elements of different mechanisms elegantly. Two players is an especially great bit of press your luck and bluffing (attributed to using the Clergy cards anyway). With 3 and 4 you get a little bit of a break on the PYL element since you have more cards to choose from ultimately, so passing up something good-not-great isn’t as tense a decision. Then the memory component of what cards/colors/values you’ve relinquished to your opponent is a lot easier to manage with 2 (at least until you’re unsure if they’re burning them face-down during the auction), vs with 3 or 4 which can be tough to keep track of everything at once. Merauder fucked around with this message at 04:53 on Jun 3, 2018 |
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Jun 3, 2018 04:51
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Got to play onitama for the first time, had a lot of fun! Tried reading through the instructions for Eko though and...oof, that game's instruction booklet is not that good. I knew I was in for a ride when the opening instructions told me to take all of the tiles for the game and put them back into the box. e: to clarify, it said before setting up the game board, to take tiles that have the letters A through U on the back of them and place them into the box because those tiles will only be used for special rules variants of the game. ...but A through U covers every tile
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Jun 3, 2018 05:14
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FirstAidKite posted:Got to play onitama for the first time, had a lot of fun! I don’t know anything about the game but wha\t rules are you reading? The one posted on BGG as the retail editions tells you to return the small tiles which are distinct from the large tiles.
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Jun 3, 2018 05:38
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