The Tao of Gaming

See the full story on the SABG blog.

(Non-Lou's are welcome to check it out, but I think he'll really appreciate it more).

My thoughts on candidate moves were inspired by reading Kotov, a Grandmaster from mid-century who discussed selection of candidate moves (and many other aspects of interest to chess players). His "Think like a grandmaster" book is, of course, mainly of interest to the chess player but has quite a bit on organizing analytic thought. Anyway, in my prior post I started to get into the idea of "Overlooked candidate moves" (but edited it out). Still, that brought up the memory of Kotov's most famous game versus Averbakh (from the Zurich Candidates Tournament of 1953).

David Bronstein (who later failed to win a world championship when he started daydreaming in a clearly won final game of the match and then made a horrific blunder) wrote:

It is usually thought that the prerequisites of chess creativity are logic, accurate calculation of variation, and technique... There is a fourth component, however, perhaps the most attractive, although it is often forgotten. I have in mind intuition, or, if you like, imagination.

Sometimes positions occur that cannot be evaluated on the basis of general principles...Similarly, a calculation of the variations cannot always be attempted. Suppose that white has six or seven different continuations and that black has five or six replies to any of them.... It is then that intuition, imagination is called into play, which brings to the art of chess its most beautiful combinations and which permits chess players to experience the genuine joy of creation.

Averbakh-Kotov, Candidates Tournament, Zurich, 1953.

30 ... QxP check! (Qxh3 in algebraic notation).

Bronstein again:

It is not true that imaginative games were played only in the time of Morphy, Anderssen, and Tchigorin, and that today everything is based on positional principles and calculations. I am convinced that the games that received beauty prizes in this very tournament were not calculated to the end of all variations. Imagination was and remains one of the foundations of chess creativity...

Full game here.

Wikipedia page on Kotov, and page on candidate moves. (The latter says that chess programs have basically abandoned looking for candidate moves, spending their time on more brute force approaches).

It's a stretch to say that all of you have already played this, but it's just a mild stretch (I wager), given that RttA was playtested/demoed at the Gathering in '08 (where, following standard procedure, I studiously avoided it).

It's solid, and the Jacqui enjoys it. I particularly like that:

• all the developments appear useful
• You have choices from turn 1 (no "build up" turns)
• The clever combination of skulls with two goods, and that 1 or 3 skulls are "Good." Adds tension

I've also printed out the Late Bronze Age expansion (no thanks to my crappy Dell printer, which stopped working less than six months after purchase). I'm sure we'll try it.

About the only thing is that I really want to just print out cards with the developments, so that I can quickly see who has what. And maybe toss in a Civilization-style on number of each card. A nice system that can stand plenty of variants and tinkering.... well done.

I finally played the St. Petersburg expansion, again probably years after everyone else. I liked that the Mistress is no longer a turn one game breaker, but we had a turn 1 judge do roughly the same thing. I'd burned out because of the computer game, but I think I'm ready to play St. Pete again, at least with the expansion.

I've also played four games of the BSG expansion, and I'm sure it will surprise nobody here that I like it, although when playing with 5 you have to not let someone play a Cylon leader. (With 4/6 it debatable).

Buy a Wii. UFC Undisupted is indeed sweet (albeit with insanely complicated controls for the ground game).

Played a lot of Face to Face Dominion for the first time. I've certainly played a lot on BSW, but I'm starting to enjoy the 'real' game. I'll certainly trade for a copy now. Also got in a game of Through the Ages, and managed to self destruct when I sacrificed my army to get a colony that provided enough yellow tokens that I could easily rebuy the people in one turn. I forgot I wouldn't have enough ore to rebuild the units for 2-3 turns. And two turns as whipping boy is one too many. I managed to recover somewhat and had a huge run in the end, despite only producing 4 ore a turn at game end (and one of those was via a trade agreement). Lots of mineral deposits, patriotism and military build ups (6 civil actions by mid game, 8 by mid Age III).

Also played the "Ace of Aces" book game. Exactly how many games use that exact same system? Ace of Aces, Blue Max, Richtoffen's War (which, I'm told, the Ace of Aces people used to build their book). There's a miniature version of Blue Max I've seen (the players had never heard of Blue Max, but their rules were identical, down to the damage chits).

For all my complaints about Small World, there really is something nice about a game where the vast majority of your turns take less than a minute.

Qwirkle isn't growing on me, per se, as much as making me want to play Scrabble. But its not bad.

Caylus Magna Carta is still hitting the table; and I'm completely sold that it is superior to straight Caylus (for replayability).

Blue Moon continues to amuse.

Played Battle Cry again, which just reminds me why Memoir, Battle Lore, and C&C are such hot commodities. Still, I prefer Battle Cry (with a bit of handwaving to update the card deck).

Also played a few of the "good every now and then" card games, like Castle, Gargon, and Ark. Ark is still a touch too long.

And I spent hours trying to fix my computer. For some reason Firefox crashes after 3-4 minutes -- this was a known issue in 3.0.9, but I've got 3.0.10. Fortunately the 3.5 Beta seems stable, but if anybody has any ideas (hint: mozcrt19.dll) on what to do, I'm listening.

After my various misadventures, I did get to play Fiji yesterday. I don't recommend the experience.

So I may as well see what all ya'll tried during the last week (or longer) that may be of interest...

Oh, and if you wonder what I was bringing to the flea market, look no further.

Hey, I played in that! Which saves me from writing a session report. Not that I was going to.

Wasabi -- Clever, quite boring.

Conspiracy -- I remembered playing this as a kid, but was worried it wouldn't age well. Despite having some blind bidding (you pay money towards the agents, but can move any agent. You reveal money to control and agent and lose money to kill other agents) I rather enjoyed it. It helps quite a bit that it's a 20 minute game in our group.

Also played was Le Havre. At five games, its got kind of that pleasant sameness going. Interesting ideas to keep me going back, but nothing worth obsessing over.

Race, like the Dude, Abides.

Having played Wabash again last night, I realize I never followed up on my earlier thoughts from the Gathering. In some ways I'm still hesitant, I just get the feeling that my 4 plays have scratched the surface; still, Wabash is a solid game, dense and fast. And if someone wanted to sell/trade me a copy of the expansion I'd be happy to try it, too. Or the Preussische Ostbahn game from the same series...

I'll have to get play a few more times in quick succession to do a detailed review, but anyone who likes meaty economic games should try this.

I also got in another game of Middle Kingdom, which apparently falls into the category of "games I do not do well at." It joins the (also-played) Die Mauer, which I'm amazingly bad it. That's why I like my simultaneous selection games fast. No lingering losses.

Drafting in the Race expansion is a nice little change of pace. I've also been losing to the robot every now and then (in general).

... I finally got in a good session (unlike last month).

The people have spoken ... no need to punch the Race expansion tiles. In that sense, I understand those who think it's overpriced. I'm paying $18-25 to use 25 cards. I don't particularly care about the solitaire part, or the tiles. From a game point of view, it's still a great investment if I'll get another few hundred games out of it.

Middle Kingdom is better with five, but (like many impulse purchases) not something I'm going to play compulsively. It stays in the bag to see if it grows on me.

The Tribune 'Alea iacta est' victory condition (only three requirements, but tribune is mandatory) didn't work nearly as well as I hoped. I was the first person to get a Tribune (on Turn 5) and had an unblockable victory next turn. Tribune may be best with 4.

Power Grid China felt vaguely like "Power Grid: Age of Steam." Less plants than players (per turn) and few resources. (It still isn't as brutal as a typical AoS map). I'm probably not going to buy it anytime soon, because I don't need 10 PG maps, but worth playing if you like the system. Haven't tried Korea.

Apart from Bridge and Rock Band, a few other games have managed to hit the table.

Notre Dame remains a nice middle-length game from last year. Requires a little bit of thought, but isn't really taxing. The sad part (for me) is that N.D. seems to have a 'one-true path' to victory. Actually, it's more of a "one path to avoid." Early game victory points are rarely worth forgoing resources for. (In last night's game, I got 5 VPs in Turn 5, doubling my score, and won by a dozen points).

In the "Blast from the past" category (one that's showing up more often) is "Two Hedgehogs #$(*ing in the dark." [One point of Geek-cred to any who explains where I got that title from]. I've no doubt that the sheer number of included variants means that there's one combination of 2+ variants that makes this the greatest game ever made. Sadly, the sheer number of included variants and my rate of play means the universe will end before I'll discover it. So I've settled for just owning an amusing filler.

I don't remember the last game's name, but it's a "Think of objects the fit the category." Everyone gets 30 seconds to write down the answer, and then secretly bids a number they think they can read. Players read from low-number to high (with ties broken clockwise by the moderator, who moves around the table). And it's boggle-style. Once someone says an answer it's done. But whoever bid lower gets to score it. If you make your bid, you get it. If not, get zero. This scoring could be transported to any boggle-style game.

I should play Ticket to Ride:1910 more often. I slightly prefer Marklin, but 1910 has a much simpler setup. I also tried a second game of Nexus Ops, which works by giving plenty of incentive to expand and attack, and (almost) no incentive to turtle. Other designers should take note.

Friend of Tao Mike Zarren gets profiled in the New York Times, because his job is better than most.

My favorite line?

As for what the Celtics know about their own and opposing players — well, that information is guarded like the crown jewels. Off the record and under duress, Zarren did reveal some valuable information, but we judged credible his threat to hunt us down and kill us if it were published.

As for the 4 National Quiz Bowl titles, you'd better believe it. He crushed the field on the Stage II tournament I ran, lo these many years ago.

As for local gaming, I've got a second game of Dry Gulch Junction in, as well as playing my (10th anniversary edition) El Grande, and new Blue Moon set. And some Race, of course.

I like Dry Gulch Junction, its a tight game; very streamlined. Once I organize my thoughts (and perhaps play another game or two), I'll write a review.

Looking back on the games I played ...

• The dogs that didn't bark in the night ... I turned down chances to play Tribune, Change Horses, The Ticket to Ride Card Game, and countless others. In general, I had my full curmudgeon on for any game I wasn't specifically looking for.
• I pretty much stuck to my "No Prototypes" rule, which continues to serve me well. I did try one game that was described as "like Race for the Galaxy." It's not bad, but I wouldn't suggest it enter a vice-presidential debate, if you know what I mean.
• You know, by not actively trying to play every new game (some of which are fairly old), I had a pretty good time. On the other hand, I wouldn't mind trying Cuba, In the Year of the Dragon, etc etc etc
• I was pretty good at the flea market, getting rid of 10 or so games and only buying one. The prize table? The 10th anniversary edition of El Grande, and some Blue Moon expansion decks.

Individual Game thoughts:

• Brass -- I could play this again, but it's off the purchase list.
• I ordered Wabash Cannonball. Very heavy, for such a fast game.
• I'm tempted to buy Galaxy Trucker ... but my wife doesn't like it. Onto the "Want" list ... we'll see if I can trade for it.
• No other new game even makes it onto the want list (remembering that I've already ordered Agricola). I probably could trade for a few of them, but I'm not desperate.
• Oops. Palastgefluster probably goes on the want list.
• That being said, I'd play almost any game again ... I'd probably beg off Hamburgum, but I just don't like those Rondel games.
• Jamaica was the prettiest (published) game. All of the cards can be laid out to form a diorama. Who knew that all pirates had huge schnozzes? Game play is OK.

I'll review Wabash in a few weeks, after I've gotten my copy and played a few more times.

Back home and with the final totals...

• Race for the Galaxy 12 (Not counting expansion games)
• Agricola 6
• Race for the Galaxy: The Gathering Storm 6
• Glory to Rome 5
• Galaxy Trucker 4
• RattleSnake 3
• Stone Age 3
• Unpublished Prototype 3
• Brass 2
• Celebrities 2
• Jamaica 2
• Liar's Dice 2
• Wabash Cannonball 2
• Airships - The Flying Giants 1

And the games that got a single play ... Breaking Away, Die Kutschfahrt zur Teufelsburg, Halali, Hamburgum, Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage, King of Siam, Marrakesh, Oregon, Palastgeflüster, Password, Phoenicia, Poker, Pyramidos, The Hanging Gardens, Titan.

More thoughts about the actual quality of the games later this week.

... while waiting for a lunch group ...

Just tried Airships, yet another new dice game. (Are dice the new hot thing? Are they the old hot thing, like retro? Anyway, Airships was amusing, but it seemed like one or two early busts killed you. To be fair, you rarely win if you get a Jester in Court the King. This has manipulate dice powers (to very the type of dice you roll), but no dice manipulation powers. You just want to roll high. One local vendor sold out (and not many other games), so I guess the buzz is reasonable.

Late night/Kids game -- Rattlesnake. You have to put (reasonably strong) magnets on a small board without having them snap together or roll off. Did I mention they were ovals? Yes? Did I mention powerful? If you try to slowly lower a new magnet in the others start shivering and shimmying, which resembles a pit of snakes...

Played a prototype baseball game. Nice, and had a hell of a game.

Another quick/amusing/fast game was Jamaica.

I think I may pick up Galaxy Trucker ... I keep playing it once a day instead of trying new games. We'll see if Jacqui likes it. Played several more games of Agricola, including several two player games to explore specific issues. Full review post-Gathering.

For now, lunch.

Detailed thoughts later:

Memo to self -- when Ted Alspach's decaying body finally washes ashore on the Olentangy, loudly proclaim that I did not murder him for his nice copy of Wabash Cannonball. Ditto David Fair/Agricola.

I had put a "I'll trade for this" on Wabash, figuring that the reviews were a fast, brutal economic game with the feel (if not the rules) of the more cut-throat 18xx games. It delivers all that and more. Little downtime, important decisions, no luck, auctions, and complex stock valuations. Amazing.

I stopped playing Age of Renaissance even though it's fun. Why play a 5+ hour game when one or two card deals will decide it. This flaw clearly applies to Agricola -- both games saw the person with the better starting hand run away with it. Still, I enjoyed AoR the first dozen times I played it ... and Agricola is only 1/2 as long. I think most of the people who obsesses over this recognize the flaw and I'm not sad about it ... yet. Ask me in another 10 games.

Everything I've ever written about Brass is suspect. I don't know if we got any rules right. More later.

I'd never heard of Palastgefluster, but it's another good little game in a tiny box. Only got to play half a game, but I'll probably pick this up. It's only $6, after all.

I've noticed a nice (and commendable) trend of upgrading games you love with custom components (see -- estate sale of tragic victims, above). I think I'll have to look into this. I'm definitely moving towards fewer, better games.

More later.

Got in three new-ish games.

King of Siam is a partnership abstract with no communication. 'Abstract' means that I'm not likely to play it again, although the 'partnership' part intrigues me. But I'm working on squashing that thought.

Oregon has you placing meeples (w/Cowboy hats) and buildings on a grid. Each 2 rows (and three columns) are grouped by a symbol, and you playing two symbols (one for row, one for column) gives you 12 (or six) potential placements. I didn't particularly care for it, but it wasn't bad. I may play it again.

Stone Age was good enough to play twice, and I think I'd play it another 10+ times, but then I'd be done. It uses a "place your workers" idea, but there's no order to resolving places and you can place one group at at a time. (Six of the spaces allow multiple workers, with most of them capping it at seven).

Anyway, it reminds me (in my reaction, not mechanisms) to St. Petersburg (also by Tummelhoffer, or part of him). I'll explain more later.

I won 3 out of 5 games of Race yesterday, lost a close one and came in second (with 43 points) by over 15 points. Guess which one was a tournament game? Ah well, more cake for me.

If there's a game you'd really like to see me bring, let me know. (Nothing huge, like Starcraft).

Update: And here's a sign of the Apocalypse ... Race is my #2 game played in the last 30 days.

You know, now that I've pulled it out (just to play solitaire), I think it's too much. Scrabble doesn't need to be longer ... although you could play to a fixed score (say, 400 points) and just call it. Still, from a solo standpoint it's fine. I didn't finish the bag but put it away after 1100 points (33 turns).

Word of the evening -- AUGuRIeS (later I discovered GIAoURs). I also played my first nine letter bingo, UNTREATED.