Can't see opponents cards?

[Wonderboat]

Why can't we see our opponents cards? We can see their buildings, but it's even more important to see their cards because it indicates what strategy they are going for. It's not hidden information because we see when they buy them. But we shouldn't have to memorize this. Am I missing something?

[BenInJapan]

The rules explicitly state that the cards are kept face down, only the player acquiring them may look at them. So yes, of you want to get an edge by knowing your opponents cards, you just have to memorize them as they are acquired. It's basically the same with many games, but at least a few offer you a display deck function when playing turn based, basically because it would be very trivial to just take a memo on the cards taken (at least lost ruins of Arnak does that, and I consider that a fair solution)

[Wonderboat]

Thanks for your answer

I think that makes some sense in real life, but in the digital realm, I could just screenshot every round or write a script to track it etc. Feels so tedious and I'm usually not a fan of making people memorize stuff when it's not hidden information anyhow.

[RobertBr]

I think that makes some sense in real life, but in the digital realm, I could just screenshot every round or write a script to track it etc. Feels so tedious and I'm usually not a fan of making people memorize stuff when it's not hidden information anyhow.

So, in real life you cannot be bothered to remember this and in the virtual game you cannot be bothered to screen shot it - how is that different? Its trackable information, you can know it if you want to spend the effort, most players do not.

[BenInJapan]

I think it's fair for real time games, as I don think you will get into time problems when taking screenshots and trying to recap the information from there. Also note taking will be quite difficult with the real time time constraints, so I really do think players print in the effort to memorize things at a real time table should be on an advantage, as is the same in real life games.

However, that changes a lot in turn based for me, as there is really is easy to just now down the important information (an in game note function is already available), so I really think it would be fair to give access to all trackable information in turn based games (like lost ruins of Arnak does)

I've done this note taking myself, mainly in Res Arcana, and it really helped my winrate there. But it definitely depends on the game you're playing

[Wonderboat]

I understand your guys' points, but the fact that one can simply make a script to track it and then have an advantage over others makes me think it would be better if they just added it. That's the difference here for the digital realm and physical realm for me.

I don't really see why a strategy game has to test memorization. They feel like separate skills to me. Especially sad if someone has a memorization disability, but understands the game at a deep level. Weird way to punish them.

But anyways, I understand not everyone sees it the way I do.

[Pistol Star]

I very much agree that at least in turn based games this information should be publicly available as it can easily be tracked and tracking it just feels like work to me. If you play Stone Age turn based and you do not track the cards you can't really play on the highest possible level.

It's alright in real time especially because the game rules state that this is not publicly available information.

But this game was surely never invented and intended for online (turn-based) play. So let's think twice of possibly changing this rule for turn based games.

[Angis0]

I do like to request a game option to show opponents cards.

[Patrick of the Isles]

I agree that the game would be much more playable with the ability to view opponent cards. However the game has been released on BGA for over a decade. So do we know if it's still being maintained? Sometimes the original developer isn't around anymore and so requests go unnoticed.

[agriancito]

It is being maintained, there are even some of the newer expansions on beta.