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Game Reports / Re: Why I hate 4-player
« on: February 29, 2012, 01:36:37 pm »
Generally there are three goals one can play for in a game:
1. To win. 2nd place is the same as 4th place.
2. Rank. The difference between 2nd and 1st is comparable to 4th and 3rd.
3. Total score. You want as many points as possible and don't care about the other players.
#3 might be valid in bowling or poker but usually isn't appropriate for board games. I have heard of players refusing to buy the last province because they want to see how many points their goons can score.
On Isotropic I play #2 because that's how rank is calculated so I assume that's the implicit contract. For most Euro style games I weigh #1 and #2 fairly equally. If I'm in third I'll take a reasonable longshot to get 1st but I won't take a one in a million risk.
I agree that it's frustrating when you are playing for different goals than your opponent and I used to wish games rules would provide guidance (but I've since lightened up).
1. To win. 2nd place is the same as 4th place.
2. Rank. The difference between 2nd and 1st is comparable to 4th and 3rd.
3. Total score. You want as many points as possible and don't care about the other players.
#3 might be valid in bowling or poker but usually isn't appropriate for board games. I have heard of players refusing to buy the last province because they want to see how many points their goons can score.
On Isotropic I play #2 because that's how rank is calculated so I assume that's the implicit contract. For most Euro style games I weigh #1 and #2 fairly equally. If I'm in third I'll take a reasonable longshot to get 1st but I won't take a one in a million risk.
I agree that it's frustrating when you are playing for different goals than your opponent and I used to wish games rules would provide guidance (but I've since lightened up).