2010.11.06
Posted in Board Games at 12:31 am by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
Although I haven’t gotten Dominant Species to the table for a full game yet, I did another dry run this evening. Part of the reason was to figure out how to teach the game since inevitably I’ll be the one teaching it to my game group.
I think I figured out how to teach the game, but one thing really stood out as I played a mock three-player game. This game is a lot like Caylus, but with fangs. Sharp fangs; the kind that actually cause you to wind up in the hospital cursing your attacker.
There’s a lot going on in Dominant Species. It’s almost certainly too much to take in the first time you play, but I think I’ve found a reasonable way of teaching the game, given that my group has played Caylus numerous times before.
Here’s the strategy I think I’ll try:
- Explain that the game is like Caylus, in that everyone places their action pawns, then they are resolved in a specific order. Explain that also like Caylus, action selection is important, and that players have to make the best of limited actions each turn.
- Set up the board with a very fake setup, but as though we’re on turn 3 instead of turn 1. Meanwhile, go through some of the critical terminology (animal, species, element, element type, dominant species, etc.). Be sure to seed all of the actions with elements such as they might appear in turn 3 (put some tokens in Regression, Wasteland, and Depletion).
- Place the action pawns more or less randomly, ensuring there is at least one in each row, and at least 2 in Glaciation. Try to place them in a way such that you can demonstrate the actions meaningfully, which may also require some fiddling with elements on the board and dropping a few on player sheets, etc. Explain to the players that this is the part of the turn where the action pawns are placed, and explain the initiative track. Make sure to actually put 5 Dominance cards out, 3 Migration tiles, etc.
- Refer the players to their reference sheets, and have them follow along while you resolve the actions in turn.
- Resolve every action, explaining what is happening and why. Connect each action with the theme. For example, “Adaptation allows you to improve your ability to survive in various habitats on Earth.”
- When Glaciation happens, explain what the term “bonus scoring” means, and why it’s so important.
- When speciation happens, explain that this is the usual way of putting new species on the board, but also that it’s important to not run out of species since you have a limited supply.
- When Dominance happens, take a pause. Explain that Dominance is a very central part of the game and that it’s one of the primary scoring engines in the game. Explain carefully the related concepts (majority of species, scoring a tile, the food chain, dominant species, the dominance cards). Explain that it’s important to keep an eye on the Dominance cards.
- Go through extinction. Ensure at least one species goes extinct. Reiterate the permanence of death in this game, and the need to manage species carefully.
- Explain survival, and reiterate the bonus scoring mechanic.
- Show what happens during Reseed, and reiterate how actions on turn x affect turn x+1 and x+2.
- Explain the end-game. Do an extra Dominance as though the Ice Age card was selected. Resolve that card, and go through final scoring. Explain how the Ice Age card is the 26th card in the pile, and that the game generally lasts 6 to 7 turns. Again reiterate the importance of the Dominance action.
- Reset the game for the start of the game. Remind each player of their special ability.
- Begin.
- If turn 1 goes really sour for one or more players, start over.
There are also a few things that I think are key to success during the first game:
- At the start of each turn, read all 5 Dominance cards aloud, even the ones that may have carried forward from the previous turns. Explain fully each card, giving an example where applicable.
- For the first few turns, take a look at the actions that have elements which move forward. Remind the other players of how that mechanic works, to help them plan.
- Be liberal with rules clarifications and advice. If you see a player making an obvious blunder, speak up. Otherwise, offer suggestions and clarifications only when asked.
- Pause after the third turn, and ask the players if anyone has questions or wants clarifications. Remind players of the final scoring mechanic and the Ice Age card.
While it’s true that Dominant Species might favour players who know the Dominance cards better than others, I honestly believe that can be mitigated by explaining the dominance cards at the beginning of each turn. Players will see pretty quickly the value of the cards, and will understand the choice that needs to be made between choosing a card that benefits them the most, and choosing a card that may not benefit them much but which prevents an opponent from using the same card.
It’s worth noting that I’ve tailored this advice to my group in several important ways:
- They have all played Caylus enough to understand the worker-placement mechanic with little explanation.
- My group probably won’t be happy with “let’s just play the first turn” without discussion of the carry-over into future turns and understanding the end game which are both pretty key in Dominant Species. Otherwise, I’d go for a more “explain as you go” approach.
- My group is comfortable with rules complexity. I fully expect to be able to run through the sample turn in about 15 minutes before we start. And I know they’re OK with an explanation that takes that long.
As another observation while I write this: if my group wasn’t familiar with Caylus, I would teach them that game first. Dominant Species really is like Caylus with fangs.
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2010.10.29
Posted in Board Games at 7:16 pm by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
I picked up two more board games recently: Hansa Teutonica and Dominant Species. Which has created an even larger problem with lack of shelf space in my apartment (I now have 5 games that won’t fit). But on with the games themselves:
Hansa Teutonica is an interesting game that reminds me partly of Maharaja, partly of Blue Moon City, and partly of Yspahan although it’s quite unique on its own. The game centers on a fight for control over cities on the board, but there’s also a strong incentive to upgrade your abilities and pursue other secondary goals as well. It’s quite interesting in that there is a fairly wide variety of ways to score points in the endgame. Although I’ve only played it a few times, it seems to me that the way to win this game is to focus on gaining points in a way different from the other players. Less contention for the goals you’re pursuing would seem to lead to more points, although this is something I have to test out over a number of plays. There are a lot of options that could work well as strategies, although the short game length means some strategies will be more difficult to pull off than others (if they take longer). I’m curious how the game plays with more than 3 players, and looking forward to trying it a few more times.
Dominant Species is a very unusual (and unfortunately somewhat expensive) game. It’s a Eurogame in terms of basic mechanics, but it’s published by a wargame company (GMT) and so it has a decided mean streak in it. Each round of dominant species is somewhat similar to Caylus in that first the players all place their action pawns, and then the actions are all resolved in a pre-defined sequence. But the game plays out very differently. Your figures represent a single type of animal (for instance, lizards) and you have to evolve, adapt, and yes even kill off other species in order to survive. There are two types of area control that you’re working for simultaneously: majority of species in an area, and dominant species in an area. You score points based on the majority of species (with second, third, etc. place scoring less points in turn), but to gain access to a potentially powerful dominance card, you also have to be the dominant (most well-adapted) species. I have yet to play a game of this, but from a few practice rounds I know I’m going to thoroughly enjoy the game. The mechanics are complex and the strategy is rich and nuanced. I think what I like most about the game is that the mechanics fit the theme well for the most part. But remember: nobody said evolution was a friendly affair. Your species have to fight to survive, and some will almost certainly be lost along the way.
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2010.10.11
Posted in Board Games at 8:22 pm by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
This autumn I’ve played a variety of games including Snow Tails and Metropolys. Snow Tails can be compared with RoboRally but there’s more opportunity to take calculated risks in Snow Tails given the rules simplicity and the hand management mechanic. Still it’s a fun game and you can crank up the difficulty easily enough with the right group. Maybe it’s time to bust out RoboRally again soon.
Metropolys is a deceptively simple game with a lot of depth lurking just beneath the covers. Now that I’ve played with the full compliment of 4 players and tried the expansion from the Ystari Box, I can say that I’m a bit surprised at how much game is there. I was expecting more of a light filler, but it’s actually a medium-weight game with a lot going on. The curious combination of secret goals, area control, and bidding means that deciding to pass during your turn is seldom an easy decision.
In the future, I hope to get one or more of the Steam expansion maps to the table, maybe some RoboRally, and I’m definitely due for another go at Power Grid…
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2010.08.16
Posted in Board Games at 9:36 pm by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
I’ve managed to get a few hikes in so far this summer, more than last summer anyways. They’ve all been great hikes, and I took a number of photos (as usual). I’ve started to upload some of them here. The photo on the right is from a hike I did with Brian, Pam, and Arman to Elbow Lake. Click on the photo to see the rest of the photos rom the hikes.
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2010.06.12
Posted in Board Games at 8:57 pm by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
Observed today on 17th Avenue SW:
- A guy on a motorcycle wearing a full gorilla suit.
- A guy on a motorcycle with a chocolate lab in the side car (not the same guy).
- An entire wedding party (bride, groom, and all the rest) in Tubby Dog.
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2010.05.10
Posted in Board Games at 8:36 pm by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
If December was the month of the ‘A’ Games (Acquire, Agricola and Agatha) then May is the month of the ‘S’ games. I picked up Santiago and Steam this past weekend and I’m looking forward to getting them to the table over the coming months. I’ve played Santiago in the past, but I’ve never played Steam (or any of the other incarnations of Age of Steam over the years). I think they’ll both be good additions to my collection since they’re pretty different from what I already own.
I’m curious to see what my Monday night group thinks of the games when they come up in our queue.
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2010.04.24
Posted in Board Games at 5:34 pm by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
No I’m not talking about angsty teenage girls fawning over vampires that have cranked their bedazzlers up to 11. I’m talking about a more imperial kind of twilight.
One of my game groups and I are going to give Twilight Imperium a try for the first time. I’ve been studying the rules in some vain hope it will help me win. The good news is that of the five of us, exactly zero have played before. So we’re all be fumbling around the galaxy together.
It all goes down tomorrow at 11am. Here’s hoping I do well, or at least have a ton of fun losing.
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2010.04.11
Posted in Board Games at 11:34 am by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
The top ten list in the latest Dice Tower episode was the top ten games that cause you stress. I found the lists interesting, and I thought I would post my opinion.
One of the most stressful games for me, like Tom, is Diplomacy. And I agree it’s too stressful to the point where I don’t enjoy it.
Battlestar Galactica came up as one of the games people find stressful, as did Ghost Stories, but for me I find pretty much all cooperative games stressful. I’d say the most stressful for me is Lord of the Rings, followed by Arkham Horror, and then Battlestar Galactica and Ghost Stories. The rich themes in Lord of the Rings and Arkham Horror always make me feel small, insignificant, and like there’s absolutely no hope of victory.
One other game stands out for me as one that I find very stressful. Power Grid.
Don’t get me wrong, I love power grid and will never turn down a game. Maybe it’s just the group I usually play with, but I feel constant pressure during the game, and some maps (like Brazil) up the ante quite a bit. I think a lot of the stress in the game for me comes from the hidden money aspect of the game. My group uses poker chips instead of the paper money that comes with the game, partly because it’s easier to hide poker chips. I usually keep general track of everyone’s finances, but it’s hard to keep the exact numbers in my head and that lack of knowledge is really stressful for me. If I could only know for sure how much money someone had, I could probably figure out what resources they want and what cities they want and then bid them just a little too high in the power plant auction.
Another thing about my group is that we’ve all played the game a number of times, and we all play to win (read: viciously). Which again adds to the stress. And makes me enjoy the game that much more.
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2010.04.11
Posted in Board Games, Friends at 11:16 am by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
Last Monday, Union Pacific made it to the table again (at my suggestion). And once again, I came in second. And once again, the reason I lost is that I was tied for first on the Union Pacific shares instead of having a clear majority. And yes, once again, it was Jason B. who snapped up that crucial share and caused the tie. I lost by such a small amount that this would have made the difference.
I think I played well, but I should have been paying more attention to the UP shares than I was. Maybe my fate is to always come in second in this game. I still really enjoy the game, and it’s a shame it’s out of print.
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2010.03.11
Posted in Board Games, Friends at 10:47 pm by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
I’ve played a large number of new (to me) board games over the past six months, both with my regular group and otherwise. For the most part, I’ve enjoyed all of the games, but a few games stand out as ones where I’m not so sure. To be perfectly fair, I’ve only played each of these three games once to date.
First up: the Farmers of the Moor expansion to Agricola. I like Agricola by itself, but I’m not sure about the expansion. The biggest issue I have is that it extends the game time by too much for too little gain. It also adds complexity and hence makes the analysis paralysis problems in Agricola even worse. Maybe the problem was that we played it with five players. I’d be willing to try it again, although only with three or four players next time. I don’t think I’ll buy it though. I can’t see playing it very often with my regular group.
Next up is Dungeon Lords. I did enjoy the theme of the game, but it seemed like things progressed too slowly and there weren’t enough interesting choices to make. I don’t know that I really want to even try it again. I think I’d rather give Galaxy Trucker a go as an alternative.
The most recently played game I’m unsure of is Primordial Soup. I finished in the middle of the pack, but the last place player finished way behind. It seemed like the game balance was tilted towards needing to stay in a somewhat tight pack to make it interesting. There was a mild “punish the leader” mechanic in the game, but it was such as small disadvantage that I’m not sure it was enough. This one I definitely want to try again now that I’ve played once, and I suspect I’ll like it better. I also wonder whether it would be better with only four players (we had five).
Aside from these three, I’ve enjoyed all of the other games I’ve tried over the past six months or so. Hopefully the trend continues through the rest of 2010.
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