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76

Dominion General Discussion / Re: Duplicate Dominion, An Idea For Competitive Dominion

« on: July 11, 2011, 03:58:04 pm »

For a sufficiently large, electronic tournament there might be some marginal fairness gain by implementing some light duplicate principles:

1. All tables play the same board for each game.
2. The initial deck order is randomized for each seat, but duplicated per-seat between tables.
3. Players are awarded points based on placement in each game, based on the placing record for that seat and that board across all tables.
4. (possibly helpful?) The shuffle order immediately after the opening (and only this one shuffle) for each seat is duplicated between tables.

It's not quite as scientific as your solution, or nearly as complicated as some mentioned here but in the informal tournament I'm currently organizing, I have two rounds.  The first round everyone is divided into groups, with each group having the same $2/$3/$4 card in the supply each round.  In addition, several games are played 1 on 1 within the group to attempt to weed out instances of randomness and bad draws.  The best players are likely to win out in the end given a sample of several games.  Since the order is not completely random, it also compares strategy based around (potentially) the same opening.  It is only after this that they would make a "cut" to round two, with only one or two people in each group winning.

77

Game Reports / Re: Don't Fear the Pirate Ship

« on: July 11, 2011, 12:33:43 pm »

I almost completely play 1 on 1 on isotropic.  I buy Pirate Ship 9.4% of the time, and my Win Rate Without is 1.71.   

Even in this example from yesterday, where I was endlessly hounded by my opponent's Pirate Ships, and he had run them up to $6 or $7 or so after trashing at least one Platinum, he ran out of gas in the end.  I consistently had more buying power, and his early lead was mainly due to me ensuring a good chance of nailing VPs in the end.  My play wasn't perfect, but I don't regret my decision to ride out the wave.  At it's best, is a slightly better version of Thief, at it's worse, it's worse than Saboteur (in a two person match). 

http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20110710-140201-d4083174.html

A lot of people seem to hate Pirate Ship, even in 2p games. I've never been that sure why; I often find it easy to counter it: Just find ways to get money besides Treasure.

A board with Pirate ship ALWAYS has at least one non-treasure card that makes money...  Pirate Ship!

Don't fight the man; be the man!

When I saw his first turn Pirate Ship buy I looked at the board and almost went for a Goons/Hunting Party/Fishing Village engine that would explode due to the fact that he would be cleaning out my crappy treasures.  I decided that it would be hard in the late game to get up to Colony money with a bunch of 1$s and 2$s and there weren't enough good cheap cards or cost reducers for the VP chips off a Goon stack to race a dedicated +7/+8$ Pirate Ship deck that bought all the Colonies so I just decided to ride the high seas myself.  Hunting Party is, as always, a star player in this game.  Add enough Hunting Parties to an Uno deck and I'm sure it would start winning games.

What Colonies?  With your originally strategy, you could have potentially bought eight Estates in two or so turns and ran out the game, with your Goons and Fishing Villages, while your opponent would be nowhere near all the Colonies.  You also could have Embargoed the Colonies to stop him from getting close, if it weren't too much of a detour.

78

Dominion Isotropic / Re: Decline of civility on isotropic?

« on: July 10, 2011, 09:44:36 pm »

Someone today informed me that they "normally win" and that I'm a "lucky boy."  They were also a Level 1 player who happened to be about 120 games below .500.  I think the best policy, as I wrote in a long paragraph earlier in this thread, is: ignore them.  Some of it is thoroughly juvenile and rancorous, but...who cares in the end?  They obviously have flaws in their game and they're making up for it in a pitiful way.  It won't change the outcome.  Everyone I've played on isotropic who also posts on this forum is extremely civil and a pleasure to compete with, mainly because the people on this forum tend to have very solid games of some degree, and don't need to resort to personal attacks.

Also, I'd vote against posting the actual screen names of the people who have offended you on here...

79

General Discussion / Re: Math Nerds...

« on: July 10, 2011, 09:05:02 pm »

Small world. LOTS of people.

Since I've been on here, two gaming friends of mine (who are lurkers) have recognized me from my Introductions thread, saying that most of my posts are only things I would write.  I'm not quite sure how to take that... 

80

Variants and Fan Cards / Re: Post an interesting set of 10

« on: July 10, 2011, 09:03:23 pm »

If you just want power:
king's court
goons
grand market
market
vault
bishop
worker's village
village
fishing village
scrying pool

In the words of Tina Fey (Sarah Palin): You know, I would be afraid of where that would lead...

I have gotten boards like that on isotropic before, and it's like...where do you start?  I try to do something clever like wait for my opponent to put together a glorious deck without having bought any victory cards, while I do the same, and then buy 8 Estates next turn to win. 

81

Game Reports / Re: Seven-Pile Endings and Other Grand Finales

« on: July 10, 2011, 12:38:15 pm »

It's not that glamorous, but this was one of my favorite games of late (that I won).  It was back and forth the whole time.  I could not get the last Province for the life of me, not being able to buy one for nine agonizing turns, so I just bought two curses to win.

http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20110709-183437-f9a925de.html

82

Game Reports / Re: Seven-Pile Endings and Other Grand Finales

« on: July 09, 2011, 05:04:27 pm »

I'm very fond of <a href="http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20110528-203921-3ccc87fc.html">this one</a>, in which I ended the game by buying out all 32 victory cards on one turn (none of the stacks had previously been touched).

I don't think anything could possibly top that.

83

Variants and Fan Cards / Re: New Types of Cards

« on: July 09, 2011, 10:02:06 am »

On another note, I'd like a Treasure-Duration card, just to see how it'd play.

New types of hybrids were my initial thought, but again, as you've seen, they're a combination of something that's already been done.  We've already entertained hybrid Curse cards quite a bit on here.  There have been no hybrid Duration cards, and I don't know if Donald X. would put them in a future set, seeing as how he's only had Duration cards in Seaside so far.  Also consider Action-Treasure cards.  They would affect both phases, possibly an Action card that you return to your hand during your buy phase.  Victory-Duration cards could also be interesting.  Perhaps a card that gives you VP chips this turn, and then gives you VP chips net turn based on how you play it. 

84

General Discussion / Re: Dominion intrudes on real life

« on: July 08, 2011, 02:57:50 pm »

When a friend of mine sees a girl he finds attractive, he remarks how he'd like to "Throne Room" or "King's Court" her.

I mainly find it coming into other things when playing other games.  In Notre Dame, I once ran out of tokens, and played a second action without doing anything.  I commented that at least the Peddler cost $4 now.  I was recently forced to play Settlers of Catan (one of my least favorites), and whenever a card matched a Dominion card, I'd pretend like I was executing the action from Dominion. 

85

Variants and Fan Cards / Re: Really bad card ideas

« on: July 08, 2011, 01:53:04 pm »

Sleeve mat? No, no, this should literally require you to set this card aside up your sleeve.

Though, considering the stereotypical hygiene of gamers, I can't blame you for having a sleeve mat.

 

86

Dominion General Discussion / Re: Pearl Diver

« on: July 08, 2011, 01:37:20 pm »

The reason why I talk about Pearl Diver so disparagingly is that it's the one card, I think, more than any other (maybe even curse!), where I'm never like "Man, what I really need here is Pearl Diver." That doesn't mean it's horrible, just that it's nothing special. At all. And yeah, the moving card ability is probably underrated.

^^^^THIS, and...

1)Suppose I Throne Room/King's Court the Pearl Diver.  There's a Copper at the bottom of my deck.  Well, that doesn't really work out, does it?  Sure, I get +3 Cards, +3 Actions, but there's probably better sources of this.  What I'm trying to say is, it doesn't really pair well with itself.
2)Even in decks without good trashing, I'm just as likely to find something "bad" at the bottom of my deck, then "good."
3)If there's no other source of better non-terminal actions, it could be used in things like Conspirator chains, and to soak up buys with Goons as some people have mentioned.  But again, there's almost always something better.

Personally, I buy it only if I have an extra buy and there's nothing because, it's like, why not?  Occasionally, with nice trashing, moving a bad card to the top of your deck can benefit you too.  But I don't think you'll ever hear about someone building their deck around a glorious Pearl Diver strategy.

87

Tournaments and Events / Re: Competitive Dominion?

« on: July 07, 2011, 07:11:06 pm »

Comparing Starcraft, a computer game which already had a massive fanbase waiting for it as "Warcraft in space", with Dominion, is probably not a good idea.  Starcraft also costs less to get into the pool, and computer games are far more universal than strategy games.  I think Dominion has a bit more work cut out for it...

88

Tournaments and Events / Re: Competitive Dominion?

« on: July 07, 2011, 05:33:47 pm »

Do you think the attendance would be higher with a larger prize, or would it not matter?  For example, what if it were $500, $1000, or even $2000?  (currently approximately £310, £625, and £1250?)

89

Tournaments and Events / Re: Competitive Dominion?

« on: July 07, 2011, 03:46:50 pm »

Here's a question:  What, do you think would be a good money prize for 1st in a Dominion tournament?  Something that is enough to entice people to come, but also realistic considering the state of the game?

90

Variants and Fan Cards / New Types of Cards

« on: July 07, 2011, 01:34:34 pm »

Not sure if this has already been mentioned in a thread, but I recently was taking a look at the different types of cards in Dominion and what colors they are:

Cards that perform actions that sometimes affect what other people do (Greyish)
Cards that react to what other people (or sometimes, you) do (Blue)
Cards that add to your VP total (Green)
Cards that decrease your VP total (Purple)
Cards that directly affect more than one turn (Orange)
Cards that influence your buy phase (Gold)

What other types of cards could be introduced in future expansions, and what would be the best color for them?  I honestly can not think of something that could not be classified as a combination or special version of the above, though red seems to be the obvious choice for the next color.

91

Puzzles and Challenges / Re: The Ultimate Legal Fairground

« on: July 07, 2011, 12:41:38 pm »

Yes, but 5 cards = 2VP, 10 cards = 4VP, 15 cards = 6VP, 20 cards = 8VP, 21 cards = 8VP...

92

Puzzles and Challenges / Re: The Ultimate Legal Fairground

« on: July 07, 2011, 12:18:33 pm »

Am I missing something painfully obvious, or is it only possible to get to 8VP as Titandrake has written it...?

93

Dominion Articles / Re: Conspirator

« on: July 07, 2011, 12:16:04 pm »

Very nice article on a card that I never saw the point of when I was a n00b.  One use I've found for them on certain boards is Upgrading/Remaking them into Dukes/Duchies.  That way, I can decide whether I need the $2 to assist in buying one of those cards (and drawing more occasionally), or simply Upgrade them.  It's too slow to be the focal point of the strategy, but it's one use for the card at $4, especially when there's not a lot of non-terminals to reap its extra benefit. 

94

Puzzles and Challenges / Re: My Dominion Logic Puzzle

« on: July 06, 2011, 10:10:49 pm »

Nobody else can gain anything from a Smugglers, even if that clue is not there. Darlene only has a Smithy, and everyone else's turn is unaffected by the previous round.

Anyway, that was fun! Looking forward to the next one.

Again, more to clarify a .1% chance that there's some odd exception, but still unnecessary.  And thanks!

95

Dominion General Discussion / Re: Jester

« on: July 06, 2011, 10:05:01 pm »

I generally like the Jester, as it's a more powerful Smugglers with a twist.   It's also one of the few cards in Dominion that lets you gain an Alchemy card without buying it.  (Oh, the joys of Jestering an Alchemist.)  But it can also lead to some awkward mid-game decisions like...do I really need more Silver?  Should I give them a Saboteur or me?  A Swindler?  The decision is not always easy.  All this being said, I think the best way to defend against is...buy them too, and as, Taco Lobster said, get rid of the cards you wouldn't want more of.  When the curses are gone, they also could be helping you by discarding a non-action victory card off the top of your deck.  This, obviously, means that Jester is far more powerful in decks without good trashing than with.

96

Tournaments and Events / Re: Competitive Dominion?

« on: July 06, 2011, 12:19:53 pm »

The WBC is open to everyone who pays the entrance fee.  It's a month away.

http://boardgamers.org

I will most likely be there.  Thanks.

97

Tournaments and Events / Re: Competitive Dominion?

« on: July 06, 2011, 11:36:10 am »

WBC is the so called "World Boardgaming Championships" in Lancaster, PA.  They held a Dominion tournament the last two years.  They also hold tournaments for about 100 other games.  It's a good time.

http://www.boardgamers.org/yearbook/dompge.htm - I was 2nd last year
http://www.boardgamers.org/yearbook09/dompge.htm - theory was 2nd in 2009

Is it invitational, or open?  That's only 2 hours from me and I'd love to participate, just to see how I'd do.

98

Tournaments and Events / Re: Competitive Dominion?

« on: July 06, 2011, 11:17:06 am »

The game would lend itself extremely well to intense competition.  It would be far easier for an audience to follow the finals of, given its simple mechanics, than other board/card games with championships.  The interest in Dominion has far from peaked IMO, and I think Superdad has some interesting points on generating interest by making "stars", and the prospect of a reward should you win.  It wouldn't happen overnight, but it could happen.  This is especially due to the fact that it's a non-collectible game that you can easily acquire, and it's not bogged down with too many things happening at once. 

One rough idea I had was a tournament with two parts: first, you play many different people, and have to make a cut, based on how many games you win, who you played, and perhaps your difference in score as a tie-breaker. You are then seeded in a bracket where you play one person per round in a Best of 3 series.  Starting at the quarter finals, it'd be Best of 5, and the finals, Best of 7.  You could generate some more interest ahead of time by making one of the sets of 10 in the finals known, one with a ton of different possible strategies. 

I had a pipe dream of organizing/financing such a tournament, I just have no idea how to gain the permission or even legitimacy to do something like it.

There really isn't anything. There will be a world champion this year, but that event is struggling to be more fun than serious. The WBC no doubt crowns a champion; that is probably as serious as it gets.

What is that event?

99

Game Reports / Re: Sabotuer is a terrible card

« on: July 06, 2011, 09:43:48 am »

I generally find that the card is helping your opponent in decks without good trashing.  A friend of mine is an extremely aggressive player who buys attack cards without fail.  Naturally, he loves the Saboteur.  In a game recently with King's Court and no trashing, he TR/Sab'ed me three times in the game, and all he hit were Silver, Menageries, and a few villages, all the while getting some of the crap (copper/estates/curses) in my deck out of the way for me.  There were far, far better things he could have TR'ed with more benefit to him.

Also, since they're forced to replace a card, they can easily keep taking estates, low cost non-terminals, or as in my case in one game recently, Duchies, to try to end the game early if they're ahead.  This is not a common situation, but I've seen it happen a few times. 

According to Council Room, it is ranked 6th in Action Cards in Win Rate Without, and 4th worst in Win Rate With.

100

Game Reports / Re: 8 Provinces on turn 13 with no KC

« on: July 06, 2011, 08:14:35 am »

A vineyard or two would have been nice.   

The one card I see more than any other in these glorious turns is Bridge.  I'm shocked it has such a high Win Rate Without.