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101

Dominion Articles / Re: Save the Hovels!

« on: May 29, 2013, 09:17:06 am »

I'm afraid I don't really get the "keep your hovel" logic. It's a totally dead card that doesn't do anything in terms of actions, buys, cards, money, VP, it doesn't play well with trash-for-benefit, and it doesn't combo with cards like true victory cards do. Given 5/2 and no good 2's, I would usually trade my Hovel for an Estate. Anytime I draw that Estate, I would have just drawn my Hovel instead. Really no difference, except I now have 1VP extra and perhaps something to combo with my Crossroads or Baron (or God forbid, Scout). So what if I can trash the Hovel later with a more worthwhile victory card buy?  Of course, taking the time to specially buy a victory card to get rid of the Hovel is probably a bad idea, but if you can do it early, why not?

I suppose that ditching the Hovel late game could improve your future reshuffles, but how many more reshuffles do you really have once you've started greening? I feel like this would have more of an impact in slog games, where you might have more time to get the benefit of that efficiently-trashed Hovel. However, that 1 dead card card less in your deck won't matter as much in bigger decks, which is usually the case with slogs. I guess most games aren't decided by 1VP though, so the extra Estate is usually worthless in the end, and that extra card less *could* have made a big difference.  After writing all this, I could see some benefit to keeping the Hovel, but only in games where I'm likely to have several reshuffles AFTER I've started buying endgame victory cards.

102

Puzzles and Challenges / Re: Edge cases of rules questions

« on: May 15, 2013, 12:40:56 am »

What are some situations where you prefer to have a Silver instead of a Gold? 

Trying to boost Fairgrounds, already have a Gold.

103

Game Reports / Re: Well then.

« on: April 22, 2013, 03:28:43 pm »

That's what happens when your opponent thinks that the way to victory is buying and remodeling estates... and also stops playing 80% of the way through the game.

104

Other Games / Re: Two-Player Worker Placement Games?

« on: December 14, 2012, 01:02:17 pm »

I agree that Carcassonne isn't quite "worker placement" in the same way as something like Agricola. Your "workers" don't create an economy of resources to spend or anything like that. But, they do represent an investment of points that will pay off later. I've also played Troyes, which has a cool mechanic of being able to buy other people's dice if you roll poorly. I enjoyed it a lot, but it's somewhat complex as well. Never played it two player, though.

105

Other Games / Re: Two-Player Worker Placement Games?

« on: December 14, 2012, 09:57:37 am »

I became a huge fan of Carcassone after playing it at my friends' last year. It's a relatively simple game where the board (made up of square tiles depicting a countryside) gets built turn-by-turn, each player adding one tile and putting a "worker" there if they choose. You get points when you finish landscape features that are controlled by your workers, like ending a road or finishing a city wall. It can be played by up to 5 people, but I think it's really great as a two-player game - it allows you to pursue certain strategies a lot more directly without as much luck-of-the-draw variance. It's simpler than other Eurogames like Agricola, but it's got good strategy depth, especially once you start throwing in some of the expansions. I've only played Agricola a couple of times. I enjoyed it, but it is indeed quite complex - there are a LOT of decisions to make each turn!

106

2012 / Re: Thief Division: Bracket and Results

« on: December 12, 2012, 02:00:56 pm »

zpriori has already posted these results, but here's my thoughts from a strategy persepective.

Game 1: BadAssMutha 34 – zporiri 29
http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201212/11/game-20121211-210245-de92cb7d.html
A Mountebank game that ends on piles. I'm lucky enough to get the first MB, and can continue to build my economy with gold. I open with a $3/$3 Lookout/Silver to cycle things a little faster, while zpriori goes with a $3/$2 Loan/Lighthouse.

Game 2: zporiri 53 – BadAssMutha 38
http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201212/11/game-20121211-211739-77cf75fb.html
I way overdo it on Menageries, winding up with 9 of them after some Talisman plays. I was hoping to trash down with Stewards with extra actions from Festival, but it only really lined up once, when I get a double Province turn (directly following zpriori's double Province turn).

Game 3: BadAssMutha 49 – zporiri 42
http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201212/11/game-20121211-212329-bbbcc92f.html
zprioriri relentlessly rushes Silk Roads on turns 4 through 9 on this Baron board. I get early Gold instead on turns 3 and 5. After losing the Silk Road split 6-2, I hunker down with a couple extra Golds on turns 11 and 13. I secure half the stack of Provinces while the Estates disappear, but zpriori can't regularly get Duchies with all his green. A close match that was all about controlling the pace of the game.

Game 4: zporiri 35 - BadAssMutha 41
http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201212/11/game-20121211-213154-dda03328.html
I'm not usually an Apothecary man, but there was not much else on the board as well as help from Horse Traders. In fact, there's so little else out there, zpriori goes for Big Money. An early Chapel speeds up my deck and I'm good to go. The extra buy from HT is gravy, since I can usually grab a Province and another Apothecary to keep things running. I was kinda happy when zpriori vetoed Fishing Village on this board; I feel like it made things a lot simpler strategically for me.

Game 5: zporiri 39 - BadAssMutha 42
http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201212/11/game-20121211-213932-1e082d94.html
Interesting match that was ultimately decided by a few Islands I picked up here and there. The lack of buys torpedoed any Highway or Peddler shenanigans, and I felt the lack of trashing or sustainable drawing made Conspirators a little unwieldy despite the Treasuries and Fishing Villages on the board. zpriori seems committed to the plan, however, taking a Treasury over Gold on turn 3. He's forced to break the Penultimate Province Rule near the end of the game, but was probably the correct decision - behind by 2 turns, not 1, and with an extra +$2 coming off the Fishing Villages.

107

Game Reports / When to take curse+copper in Gardens/Mountebank

« on: December 06, 2012, 12:14:46 pm »

So I just played an interesting game involving Mountebanks, Gardens, and Ironworks.
http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201212/06/game-20121206-085141-5d0931c8.html
I lost the Garden split 3-5, but won due to my larger deck size, fueled by my Ironworks. Both of us sort of ignored Lighthouse, as the Curse+Copper from Mountebank isn't that terrible in a Gardens deck anyway. I get so into this mentality that at one point, I voluntarily take the Curse+Copper even though I have a Curse to discard. If my opponent had done the same at some point, he would have won! This got me thinking as to when this is actually a good move. Let's consider the last reshuffle of the game, so the curse and copper never get played. Is this worth is from just a VP perspective?

Supposing that you have no idea how many cards are in your deck, adding 2 cards gives you a 1/5 chance that you'll cross into the next decile of cards and get more points from your Gardens. So, the benefit is dependent on how many Gardens you have.

With 3 gardens, you have a 1/5 chance of +2VP, 4/5 chance of -1VP = -0.4VP
With 4 gardens, you have a 1/5 chance of +3VP, 4/5 chance of -1VP = -0.2VP
With 5 gardens, you have a 1/5 chance of +4VP, 4/5 chance of -1VP = 0VP
With 6 gardens, you have a 1/5 chance of +5VP, 4/5 chance of -1VP = +0.2VP

So, with 6 or more gardens, it's beneficial to take the copper and curse. At 5, it's an even split. 4 or less, probably not worth it. That being said, we all know that Dominion doesn't work on averages. If you do get the 2 cards you need to go from a deck size of 38 to 40, it could just mean the win!

108

2012 / Re: Thief Division: Bracket and Results

« on: December 06, 2012, 01:51:58 am »

Right, I always forget to subtract out the card you buy INSTEAD of the province...

109

2012 / Re: Thief Division: Bracket and Results

« on: December 06, 2012, 12:40:07 am »

BadAssMutha defeats Insomniac-X in a 4-1 victory!

Game 1:http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201212/05/game-20121205-202449-38612813.html
BadAss Mutha 69 - Insomniac-X 52
I win on Silk Roads after I get some good drawing going with Fishing Village - Embassy, with extra buys from Bridge. Insomniac seems like he's got Silk Roads in mind too when get starts buying Harems on every $6 and $7, but he ultimately ignores them and I wind up with 7 Silk Roads worth 5VP apiece.

Game 2:http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201212/05/game-20121205-203904-f32e7375.html
Insomniac-X 78 - BadAssMutha 12
An ugly game that really got away from me. I start out thinking I'm lucky since Insomniac's opening Young Witch doesn't hit me until Turn 9. But, I don't hit $5 for a long time, by which time he already has a Tactician and Goons (with extra buys from Workers Village), and is starting to beef up with highways. I try to dig myself out with Stewards, but the discarding from Goons makes it really tough to trash my curses.

Game 3:http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201212/05/game-20121205-204822-cdccb6a6.html
BadAssMutha 45 - Insomniac-X 37
I think I'm in serious trouble when the Duchy split goes 5-3 in this Duke game. I realize I have some time, however, when I see that we're not going to pile out anytime soon. I'm able to upgrade one of my Duchies to Gold to get some more buying power, and then just gobble up 2-point Dukes to deny them from Insomniac. I take enough of them away, and grab a few late-game Provinces with my still-functioning economy.

Game 4:http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201212/05/game-20121205-205527-151e1fbc.html
Insomniac-X 24 - BadAssMutha 42
I get slightly nervous when Insomniac buys a Province on turns 10, 11, and 12, but just then my highway-workshop-hunting party engine kicks into gear. In retrospect, I dodge a bullet when my opponent gets $7 on his last turn and can't buy the last Province for the win. I probably misplayed this and should have left 2 Provinces.

Game 5:http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201212/05/game-20121205-210617-a11fa111.html
Insomniac-X 70 - BadAssMutha 90
A high-stakes Colony and Possession game for our final match. I hit early Gold and keep on truckin', but start to worry that my economy is getting too good when Insomniac picks up some Possessions. I try to keep my deck opponent-unfriendly by picking up Monuments and Militias, and start greening. I am unable to play the Possession I buy on turn 14 until my final turns (30 and 31), by which it is a moot point.

110

General Discussion / Re: "You think too much"

« on: October 26, 2012, 04:19:55 pm »

I love puzzles and strategy board games, but sometimes certain games require more thought than I'm willing to invest. In my regular game night group, we tend to play Eurogames with a rule books about an inch thick that usually take several minutes for each person to take their turn because there are so many tactical choice to make. However, we broke out Chinese Checkers the other week, and it was a welcome respite to have such simple rules that didn't require too much thought - move only one piece per turn. Of course, there's still plenty of strategy to be had in Chinese Checkers, it was just nice to have a game built around a very, very simple mechanic.

111

GokoDom / Re: IsoDom 5: Round 1 Thread

« on: June 13, 2012, 09:30:04 am »

BadAssMutha defeats methods of rationality in an somewhat unlikely 2-1-2 match.

Game 1: BadAssMutha 37 - 37 methods of rationality
I thought my Tunnel strategy, fueled by Navigator and Inn would get me a win for sure. A misclick on turn 7 made me keep cards I should have discarded with Nav, making me miss out on another Gold, but more importantly, giving me a dead turn of $2 on turn 8. Probably could have won otherwise, but got out of it with a tie.
http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20120612-201920-8667196e.html

Game 2: methods of rationality 34 - BadAssMutha 30
Never really developed a cohesive strategy, and ultimately paid the price on this one. My Tacticians probably weren't the best investment.
http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20120612-202812-62b314a1.html

Game 3:BadAssMutha 34 - methods of rationality 34
Here I get sucked into a Duke-Duchy battle I didn't want to pursue, but still got out of it with a tie. Things are looking grim, I need both of the next 2 games to win the match.
http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20120612-203533-0eacc308.html

Game 4: BadAssMutha 46 - methods of rationality 24
I opened Sea Hag/Silver vs. Sea Hag/Warehouse in the hopes of getting an early Jester. It paid off, and methods' Hags weren't able to cycle a ton, and I still gave out 4 of the curses. Menagerie turned out to be extremely useful in this longer game.
http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20120612-204757-b51d8f33.html

Game 5: BadAssMutha 48 - methods of rationality 24
My Highway/Ironworks strategy came together even better than I could have hoped. methods opened with Ironworks/Trade Route, while I went with IW/Silver, which got me to highway quicker.
http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20120612-205602-9fd57e36.html

Great match!

112

GokoDom / Re: IsoDom 5: Sign-Up Thread (ENDS 09 June)

« on: June 08, 2012, 10:49:56 am »

I think we're past 64 people by now, but if someone drops out, I'd like to be in.

113

Puzzles and Challenges / Re: A One Hand Puzzle

« on: June 07, 2012, 09:33:32 am »

Reveal the Horse Traders and set it aside. Reveal the Secret Chamber, draw 2 non-actions, and put the Ghost Ship and Secret Chamber on your deck. Now put the Gold on top of the deck because of your opponent's Ghost Ship. You have Shanty Town and two non-actions in your hand, with Gold, Ghost Ship, and Secret Chamber on your deck. On your turn, draw the Gold from the Horse Trader, play the Shanty Town for 2 cards and 2 actions, and then Ghost Ship for another 2 cards.

If using another Shanty Town instead of the Ghost Ship, it may be worth it to use Secret Chamber to discard the Horse Traders so the second Shanty Town draws 2 cards as well.

114

Dominion General Discussion / Re: Math request: Nomad Camp

« on: April 18, 2012, 12:05:44 pm »

One comment about the Lightning Town problem - while the most likely day for the next lightning storm is indeed tomorrow, we can still say that there will probably not be a lightning storm until next week. By this I mean that  the cumulative probability of there being a storm won't reach 50% until a week has passed. Each day has a decreasing probability of being the first day that it rains, but we need to add these all up to get the intuitive answer that storms happen, on average, once a week. Hope I didn't open another can of worms here.

Actually, that's not correct.  If storms happen once per week, the median time between storms is actually about 4.5 days.  For some very inexact intuition, think about that fact that at a minimum, the time to the next storm is a day, but there is no maximum time to the next storm...and thus for a mean interval of a week, there are more intervals less than a week than greater than a week.  See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometric_distribution

True, but my main point was that even though tomorrow's the most likely day for the first storm, it still probably won't rain for a few days. I was pretty inexact with my definition of "average" time between storms (mean, median, etc.), plus I didn't read close enough to see if there is on average, "one storm per week" or "a week between storms", which are indeed be different. Gotta triple check the details before post here, I suppose.

115

Dominion General Discussion / Re: Math request: Nomad Camp

« on: April 18, 2012, 09:45:55 am »

One comment about the Lightning Town problem - while the most likely day for the next lightning storm is indeed tomorrow, we can still say that there will probably not be a lightning storm until next week. By this I mean that  the cumulative probability of there being a storm won't reach 50% until a week has passed. Each day has a decreasing probability of being the first day that it rains, but we need to add these all up to get the intuitive answer that storms happen, on average, once a week. Hope I didn't open another can of worms here.