Random... really ?

[Fanou15]

... lddi17 allways wins in Arena mode !

How is it ?

[tyranno25]

It's a very interesting question. I find that that the strategies and tactics I employ tend to work towards winning, But to move up the arena standings generally means that you have to avoid getting third place in a game. You're severely punished for finishing up in third place rather than second place. I find that there's enough of a luck factor in the game that it's hard to avoid a third place finish, no matter how experienced you get in the game.

But Iddi17 somehow manages to avoid 3rd place finishes more than the rest of us. I don't know how he does it. He must have a secret about how to win consistently or how to not lose badly consistently, but he's not sharing . Maybe he can see patterns better or sense the card probabilities better. My main weakness in the game tends to be when games finish fast by the other players, and I still have trouble reading when that might happen and how to adjust my tactics and strategy accordingly.

[Book Lover10]

I agree the wonders do not seem to be given out randomly. I often get the same wonder over and over. I keep getting Rhodes.

[Jellby]

I keep getting Rhodes.

So easy to prove false. Your last 5 games:

https://boardgamearena.com/table?table=522358620 Rhodes
https://boardgamearena.com/table?table=522355843 Alexandria
https://boardgamearena.com/table?table=522356204 Ephesos
https://boardgamearena.com/table?table=522354559 Giza
https://boardgamearena.com/table?table=522367581 Halicarnassos

... or you have strange definition of "keep getting".

[Book Lover10]

It does not happen all the time but once in a while I will get the same wonder over and over.

[Jellby]

Yes, that's called random. If you were guaranteed not to get the same wonder twice in a row, it wouldn't be random.

[Book Lover10]

Whatever, that's not what I meant.

[tyranno25]

I think the spirit of the original post is whether the game is as random as people often say it is, or whether there is actually substantial scope for strategy and skill.

I see that Iddi recently fell off the number 1 spot and now he's back on again as number 1, so he sure knows how to climb back. And he had won the previous tournament. I checked his profile and he was a 74% win rate, whereas I only I have a 62% rate.

My goal of course is to figure out how to get to get as skillful as he is about the game and get to the number 1 spot . No doubt, luck can play a factor in many games, but he seems to be able to counter the luck factors better than the rest of us.

Or possibly, he's just better at managing the ranking system, knowing how to minimize third place finishes, which pushes one's ranking way down. If you can accomplish first and second place finishes in the large majority of your games, you'll be able to move up the rankings very well.

[DoctorFianchetto]

It does not happen all the time but once in a while I will get the same wonder over and over.

My favourite of the numerous "the game is rigged" posts.

"When I flip a coin repeatedly it doesn't happen all the time but once in a while I get 5 heads in a row. THE SYSTEM IS RIGGED."

[cosmosis]

I'd say one strategy element that is not super obvious starting out is understanding the tempo of the game. Some wonders like to rush the end, some like to prolong the game. From the initial wonders your opponents get you can probably get a sense as to whether you might want to rush, collect points, military, etc. This might change based on card draws, but it's important to keep evaluating throughout the game how people are rushing/prolonging the end and how that affects your finishing strategy.