I just wanted to lead by saying this is probably the best adaptation of a boardgame I have played on this platform, coupled with what is probably my favorite game. I really appreciate both how easily it shows a medium complexity game and UI clearly, and how the brief tutorial signposts the accessibility options, including the ability to modify board appearance to a really substantial degree (especially the purpling of France!). I thought some things would really help, based on my experience with the physical boardgame:
1-Opportunity to house-rule the number of starting choices. I know that the rules as written give you an equal number of XO/country combos to the number of players. I have always played with +1 in 3p, and since I got the expansion, with +1 in 4p (I don't play 2p, so it's not something I have thought much about). In both cases, I think it opens up the game start in exciting ways, especially for the Introductory part of the game, where that is much of the asymmetry between players. It's actually the only thing I don't like about the less restrictive 3p game, that in the base game, it can lead to a lot of inadvertent country/xo repetition from one game to another.
2-Opportunity to add in the bidding system for the starting player choice. I think it's a really great way for more experienced players (which is not the same as players who win a lot! Ask me about that!) to counterweight strong opening XO/country combos.
3-Any word on Leeghwater? I would gladly pay a premium to use it for setup, despite strongly disliking the additional board and thinking of the Netherlands as the least-liked country. But I just really value the additional XOs and the 5 choices/4 players dynamic that it allows.
4-Cheat sheets: I think in addition to the instructions, it would be really handy if there were a one-click access to a pdf of advanced techs, to make it easier for players to think about what may come out in the next rounds, and plan accordingly. I know people have this stuff memorized, but at this point I have (for example) over 500 plays of Beyond the Sun, and I still make regular use of the tech cheat sheet there to avoid relying on my memory when I make bets about what's going to come next in each tier.
Thanks again, and I absolutely love the game as-is. I just figured there was no harm in mentioning these things.
1-Opportunity to house-rule the number of starting choices. I know that the rules as written give you an equal number of XO/country combos to the number of players. I have always played with +1 in 3p, and since I got the expansion, with +1 in 4p (I don't play 2p, so it's not something I have thought much about). In both cases, I think it opens up the game start in exciting ways, especially for the Introductory part of the game, where that is much of the asymmetry between players. It's actually the only thing I don't like about the less restrictive 3p game, that in the base game, it can lead to a lot of inadvertent country/xo repetition from one game to another.
2-Opportunity to add in the bidding system for the starting player choice. I think it's a really great way for more experienced players (which is not the same as players who win a lot! Ask me about that!) to counterweight strong opening XO/country combos.
3-Any word on Leeghwater? I would gladly pay a premium to use it for setup, despite strongly disliking the additional board and thinking of the Netherlands as the least-liked country. But I just really value the additional XOs and the 5 choices/4 players dynamic that it allows.
4-Cheat sheets: I think in addition to the instructions, it would be really handy if there were a one-click access to a pdf of advanced techs, to make it easier for players to think about what may come out in the next rounds, and plan accordingly. I know people have this stuff memorized, but at this point I have (for example) over 500 plays of Beyond the Sun, and I still make regular use of the tech cheat sheet there to avoid relying on my memory when I make bets about what's going to come next in each tier.
Thanks again, and I absolutely love the game as-is. I just figured there was no harm in mentioning these things.
. Tisaac has stated a few times it's on it's way.