Is the player count in Arena mode locked?

[T_saur]

I've just started dabbling in Arena mode on BGA this season, and Love Letter is one of my favorite games. Problem is, it's one of my favorite games only up to 4p. At more than four players, with the additional cards, I genuinely hate it. I have my game settings such that I never want to play with more than 4p, ever.

It seems that Arena mode, though, has other ideas, at least for this season unless this is the case every season. I played one game, was surprised to see it was 5p despite my settings, and then chocked it up to the Arena settings. I went to Love Letter game page with Arena mode selected and it appears that it only allows the table to have 5p and that you can't change that?

Is that correct? Is this the case with Love Letter during every Arena season?

[Jellby]

Arena settings for all games are fixed, and they may change every season.

The only things you can change/choose is game speed and opponent level (in Arena, it means the league, not the Elo score).

[DoctorFianchetto]

Problem is, it's one of my favorite games only up to 4p. At more than four players, with the additional cards, I genuinely hate it. I have my game settings such that I never want to play with more than 4p, ever.

I'm curious about this. Why do you hate the additional cards so much?

[qatman]

I also strongly prefer the 4-player game. The additional cards seem to add a great deal of luck, especially the constable. It's a matter of personal preference.

[DoctorFianchetto]

Love Letter is more luck than anything but in my view 4 players is more luck based than 5+. That said I do think Constable is too strong but I am happy with the other cards in the expanded deck. It makes for a more dynamic game. 4 player is fun but limited, not something I’d want to play over and over. As you say, personal preference.

[T_saur]

Problem is, it's one of my favorite games only up to 4p. At more than four players, with the additional cards, I genuinely hate it. I have my game settings such that I never want to play with more than 4p, ever.

I'm curious about this. Why do you hate the additional cards so much?

I had two or three abysmal experiences on here playing the game at more than 4p. I was regularly knocked out of the round without even having a chance to play. I know there's always a risk of that in the base game, but it's punctuated here by the larger card pool lengthening the game time, so you don't bounce back into a new round as quickly. On that note, I don't think the larger card pool justifies itself at the lower end of that player count either. The card pool is just about doubled for only one or two more players. I think the card effects it adds only complicate and obfuscate an otherwise very breezy game.

Most of all, though, Cardinal. It has to be one of the worst cards I've ever seen in a boardgame, period. You get to play a card with literally no downside to yourself, and you give information to another player in the round who can easily use that to knock out the player they traded with. I got burned by that several times, and I was livid. It sucked every last ounce of fun out of the game.

So that's why I feel so strongly about it. I've had nothing but legitimately awful experiences playing literally one of my favorite light games due entirely to an expanded card pool. If I can help it, I will never play with the extra cards again. I have yet to find another game where an expansion module changes how I feel about the game as drastically as Love Letter.