Blocking in 2p

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wortsenawl
Posts: 14
Joined: 20 September 2015, 15:38

Re: Blocking in 2p

Post by wortsenawl »

You can zoom out to see the whole play area (I play on a phone too)
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Mickey45
Posts: 2
Joined: 10 July 2022, 00:39

Re: Blocking in 2p

Post by Mickey45 »

I’ve never posted on the forum before but like you I’ve had loads of players complaining at me lately. A player just said that he never took my colours, but surely the object of the game is to win. I’ve also been on the receiving end of being blocked and although it’s not nice I don’t complain and take it as that players way of being strategic. Surely Azul is a game to play either friendly or dirty if the player wants to play a friendly then they should say so at the start of the game. I’m not a mind reader so don’t know if someone is going to block me or not. I play to win. 2p Azul is all about blocking. Why do people have to be such sore losers? It’s a game and all the complaints just make the game miserable to play and I only play Azul. I think people need to toughen up and accept it’s part of the game. Is that unreasonable of me to think like that?
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asmallcat
Posts: 11
Joined: 30 April 2020, 20:57

Re: Blocking in 2p

Post by asmallcat »

wortsenawl wrote: 30 September 2022, 10:31
I often find myself on the end of blocks and swallowing points if I am not careful, and have always taken it as part of the 2p game. Am I mistaken and should I be playing less "dirty?"

I should point out that I wouldn't, for example, drop 5 tiles on an opponent (to be binned) if they were of use to me, unless it's a single point on the bottom row and for them it is -8 (I mean, that is simlple maths right there, why would I take a single point when I can effectively get 8 from you losing them).

just wondered
Worts
Naw, you're good, and if these people don't like getting tiles dumped on them they shouldn't play 2 player Azul. In a 2-player game, every negative point you give your opponent is the same as a positive point for you, so it's often objectively correct to dump tiles they can't place on them.

I'd understand being frustrated if it was a 4-player game and a player has actively sabotaging you and hurting themselves at the same time, but not in 2 player.
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Shobu
Posts: 415
Joined: 04 January 2020, 04:14

Re: Blocking in 2p

Post by Shobu »

Judding from forum posts, seems there's a huge market for a Ticket to ride/Azul Roll&write where everyone can build in their safespace
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Meeplelowda
Posts: 1210
Joined: 14 March 2020, 10:31

Re: Blocking in 2p

Post by Meeplelowda »

Shobu wrote: 26 January 2023, 17:30 Judding from forum posts, seems there's a huge market for a Ticket to ride/Azul Roll&write where everyone can build in their safespace
Add Carcassonne to that list (and probably every other game on here that isn't zero interaction).

I understand that some people prefer a "low interaction" play style. Fine. But to paint the alternative as somehow being dirty or immoral when the person is using exactly the same rules of the game as you is immature.
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Disco DG
Posts: 4
Joined: 13 December 2022, 17:59

Re: Blocking in 2p

Post by Disco DG »

Hi Warts

Blocking is totally fine. My thoughts:

1. The two player game of Azul can be a lot more aggressive than at other player counts. Maybe this comes as a bit of a surprise to those who are used to playing at other player counts? But whatever, if folk don't like the nature of the game at two-player, then they don't have to play it.

2. One of the great mental challanges of two-player Azul is to judge how aggressive you should be. Too aggressive, and your not gaining enough points for yourself. Not aggressive enough, and you're making the game easier for your opponent. The interesting thing is you are (unless you're very lucky) making a sub-optimal move for yourself when being aggressive. Have you worked it out properly? Is there another move they can make, meaning you just harmed youself for no good reason? Getting the balance of point scoring vs aggression is a key challange of tyhe two person game.

3. One of the reasons I enjoy playing on BGA arena is that you encounter some many different styles of playing the game - something I don't find you get when playing an AI opponent. I love the diversity of approaches that people bring to games.

4. I enjoy interaction and the feeling that I have really engaged with someone else. If we have both done a puzzle at the same time, without much interaction, and then look at the points at the end, that feels bland in comparision to an aggressively played game where we are both thinking about the others person's move. It's engaggement on a human level, and I like it.

5. Calling an agressive style of play 'dirty' is incorrect. Dirty implies cheating, or borderline compliant play. An certain level of aggression is baked into the two-player game.

6. Act with good grace when someone has acheived a cool aggressive move. Well done them. Mention it in the chat. They worked out the sequences of future events well.

Disco
swarmplay
Posts: 1
Joined: 06 February 2023, 19:35

Re: Blocking in 2p

Post by swarmplay »

I support you! I also like to block in 2P! That's one of the happiest things I have done in Azul :lol: :lol: :lol:
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SquashEngineer
Posts: 241
Joined: 05 October 2021, 02:18

Re: Blocking in 2p

Post by SquashEngineer »

AZUL is uber nasty by design. I love it. I regularly sacrifice my own points to load up the other players floor - even if just for spite. So satisfying.
They know it's coming!!!! They should be prepared, or have found a way to avoid it earlier.

There are no shields between players to hide their boards - it's all out in the open for me to see, scheme, plan and execute.

Renamed: Death by AZUL. Epic.
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dorifort
Posts: 1
Joined: 13 February 2021, 01:00

Re: Blocking in 2p

Post by dorifort »

Same here. It's part of the rules, AND in a 2P game, it's part of the strategy. It's absolutly impossible to win a game against a high ranked player without it.

You sometimes have to dump big stack of tiles on the opponent to deny him/her some points, if he wan't to avoid it, he should play accordingly (ie not trying to go for the 5 tiles lines if there are only 5 or 6 tiles in the game, just hoping that you don't take some of them)

That's a 15 minutes game. It's ok to loose and go for another game after this one. It's not the same as trying to build something during a 1 or 2 hours game and someone just ruin your plans.

When I play IRL, I don't play the same. Ther's definitly meta involved.
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Propaganda_Panda
Posts: 18
Joined: 15 October 2020, 19:40

Re: Blocking in 2p

Post by Propaganda_Panda »

Mickey45 wrote: 26 January 2023, 02:40 I’ve never posted on the forum before but like you I’ve had loads of players complaining at me lately. A player just said that he never took my colours, but surely the object of the game is to win. I’ve also been on the receiving end of being blocked and although it’s not nice I don’t complain and take it as that players way of being strategic. Surely Azul is a game to play either friendly or dirty if the player wants to play a friendly then they should say so at the start of the game. I’m not a mind reader so don’t know if someone is going to block me or not. I play to win. 2p Azul is all about blocking. Why do people have to be such sore losers? It’s a game and all the complaints just make the game miserable to play and I only play Azul. I think people need to toughen up and accept it’s part of the game. Is that unreasonable of me to think like that?
Ignore those people, they're just salty. What you are doing is absolutely fine.

Knowing how to block the opponent is arguably the biggest skill in 2p Azul. Without it, 2p wouldn't make any sense at all and the skill cap would be severely lowered.

If people just want to build their own tableau in peace, fine. I understand that some players just don't like games with negative interaction. But then do this at home with your own playing group. To expect pacifist play on a fricking competitive boardgame website is just delusional.
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