Does anyone actually play this game for fun?

[MrsCoalFreak]

Most of the people I'm playing with seem to be playing just to block others. I get it, it's a game, and blocking is part of strategy and we all do it, but some folks it's like that is the ONLY strategy. It's such a shame because I think this is probably a fun game IRL but it's so cutthroat here it's hard to enjoy, and I am sure I'm not the only one frustrated...

[T72on1]

Why do you assume people who (also) use blocking as strategy don't have fun playing the game?

[Romain672]

Hi, I have some reading for you:
Ticket to ride: https://boardgamearena.com/forum/viewto ... t=blocking
Azul: https://boardgamearena.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27216
Catan: https://boardgamearena.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=36667 (friendly robber option)

I didn't read the ticket to ride one, but I participated on the Azul one.
When you play chess, the point of the game is to play against what the opponent does. Going for a 'let's be friend and don't attack each other' don't really make sense on that game, and so everyone plays as intended against the other player moves.
When you play a board game with young children, the consensus is to not tryhard and make them lose hardly, but to (if you don't let them win) simplify the game by just making them do what they are going for, and not going against each other. When you are playing with people who don't play much board game, they should be focus on the rules, and so going full into blocking them would be considered bad by many.

When I was young, I played Carcassonne and some others games where you can goes in a lot of blocking, and I instinctively goes not to the point of playing against others (I have read there is some strategy about adding road to an opponennt to not make it close their big castle), but to try to share a lot of castle/roads, just because the point system encourage at 3+ players to share a big construction at two (even if prisonner's dilemma https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner%27s_dilemma can make it harder).
At one point, I got the feel bad to steal a castle per example from another player, and since I was the only one playing like that, that transform (to me) the game into something annoying to not want to play the game 'as I want' because of ethics. And the limit of it is extremely vague.

But the more you goes into hardcore gamer (ie wanna play board game not irl but online), the more you will find people goes into that chess option, and the less you will goes into 'let's all be friend'.
If you goes into abstract game, the consensus will be completely to block each other.
Here on bga online, on thematic games like Carcassonne or Azul, nearly all people on forum (ie who are even more invested) will tell you to block. Random people on bga, I think many will copy what others will do and what work, and so even if they are in the other category, will finish by blocking too.

But that's not a definite rule. You can see in Catan, that when enough players agree on something, they can finish by making the developper add an extra option for that 'let's all be friend' part.

Ty for reading

[Meeplelowda]

The implication that just because you don't find it fun means the other players aren't having fun is a narrow perspective. Sometimes there are ways to play a game that don't suit your style, and that's fine. Either you can house rule it with people you know or don't play the game online.

This keeps coming up not just in Carcassonne, but as mentioned above Azul, TTR, and I'm sure many others. The attitude that people who are playing within the rules of the game are 1) bad people and 2) should be forced to play "normal" is problematic.

My example comes from Roll for the Galaxy. There is a mechanism in the game that will allow you to keep drawing cards from the deck and practically cycle through the whole deck hunting for the card you're looking for (or maybe they call them tiles, but that's beside the point). I once had to sit there watching my opponent do this. It was not fun for me. But I accept that it is within the rules and probably all the top players do it.

I didn't go running to the Roll for the Galaxy forum to complain. I simply stopped playing it and moved on to one of the other 700+ games on here.

[Jellby]

Play in friendly mode, and you'll be more likely to find less cutthroat opponents.

[Shanhop11]

Yes, I know exactly how the OP feels. I will no longer play in Carcassonne tournaments, just with friends and family.

[Kaladry]

I like to but the blocking is frustrating. Just played a three player game where one only tried blocking and stealing from me the entire game, never to the other person. Presumably this was because my ELO was higher than the other person's but when its 30 to 120 to 180 its very annoying to continue getting blocked.

[D4reck]

Just try to find fun in blocking others. It's that simple.

[islandape101]

i do play for fun but so many players want to win at all costs

[Jellby]

And they have fun doing it.