Variant Friendly Robber Disabled

[Kaladry]

Ignore them and steal from them anyways. If they team up to only steal from you then when the game is over give them a red thumb for teaming and also so you don't have to play with someone who doesn't respect the setup again. After that move on, there is nothing else you can do, they're the one limiting themselves in the game if they are playing with that rule when its not enforced. It's not worth arguing with them in the chat.

I usually play Arena where it is enforced and when I play regular I'm always relieved to not have friendly robber and can block someone straight away. I do like Easy Start though, Friendly Robber just changes the whole strategy of the early game though.

[Jontia]

You said a pair of opponents. Does that mean this is a three player game? I never seen this kind of thing in four player games, indeed I disabled friendly robber immediately and have never seen any in game chat or reference to it at all.

Exactly, I always set up a table for 3 players (myself included) because I prefer a shorter game time. Would it be different if it was a 4 player game, and if so why?

The game plays quite differently with 4. But in your specific case the obvious benefits are;

1) This situation has literally never come up for me playing four players.
2) Ganging up on one person is harder if there are three players to work with.

[desertman]

I always play without Friendly Robber, but with Easy Start.

I use the "modify" option to add this sentence to the table descriptioon: "At this table: Easy Start = YES, Friendly Robber = NO."

If a player then complains in the chat (which almost never happens), I reply: “The table description explicitly says: ”At this table: Easy Start = YES, Friendly Robber = NO.” Why did you join if you don't want that?” and make sure that this player never plays with me again.

This system works pretty well for me. Before I started using it, I had a lot of angry complaints and so many red thumbs that I kept getting (in my opinion very stupid) reminders from BGA for months that I should be nicer to avoid the red thumbd. Now I've been OK for months. The only downside is that I sometimes have to wait a long time for others to join my table - probably because so many players don't want to play without Friendly Robber. Fine with me.

[Mucklan]

I always play without Friendly Robber, but with Easy Start.

I use the "modify" option to add this sentence to the table descriptioon: "At this table: Easy Start = YES, Friendly Robber = NO."

If a player then complains in the chat (which almost never happens), I reply: “The table description explicitly says: ”At this table: Easy Start = YES, Friendly Robber = NO.” Why did you join if you don't want that?” and make sure that this player never plays with me again.

This system works pretty well for me. Before I started using it, I had a lot of angry complaints and so many red thumbs that I kept getting (in my opinion very stupid) reminders from BGA for months that I should be nicer to avoid the red thumbd. Now I've been OK for months. The only downside is that I sometimes have to wait a long time for others to join my table - probably because so many players don't want to play without Friendly Robber. Fine with me.

This is a good strategy. How does one use the modify option?

[Kaladry]

This is a good strategy. How does one use the modify option?

From the Play Now lobby it will be a dropdown in the Table Configuration panel on the left after you click to create a new game. Change the Easy Start dropdown to Enabled. Or from the game specific start page it will be a check box near the bottom on the right in the table options panel.

[DVC]

My issue is that the friendly robber variant rule is incorrectly applied. Friendly robber should apply until the person at 2 VPs starts robbing the person at 3+ VPs. I just played a game with friendly rules enabled and I was robbed - no joke - nine times by both players before either of them reached 3 VPs, instead choosing to invest in roads and dev cards. As soon as you start to rob someone, you should be fair game to be robbed.

It is applied as per the official variant rules. As soon as you hit 3VP visible, then you are fair game. Until then, you cannot be blocked or robbed. If you want to house rule it a different way, go ahead, but the BGA implementation is correct. Your example illustrates well why the variant is unfair and open to abuse. I have never understood why it is so popular online, and even worse, why its use is expected by some players. If you must have an easier start, then Easy Start (reroll 7s for 2 rounds) is much fairer and doesn't impact the game so negatively.

[Miss game play]

I don't deserve getting red thumbs and bad rep because the opponents don't care to read the chosen set-up options before accepting to join the game.

If you quit a game, you deserve a bad rep.

And red thumbs you, and everyone else, always deserve them, as they can be given for no reason at all.

If the other players were abusive in some way, report them.

definitely disagree with you there. also annoying when friendly players join then gang up because i say set up and they have a big cry about it. it should be removed to go anywhere else so "friendly" (ironically never are) players will there for join there own there own games and not team up on 1 player.

[surrealkiwi]

I recently played with a pair of opponents that refused to collaboratively abandon the game, when it was clear they wanted to play Friendly Robber despite my set-up where the variant was DISABLED. My only option in that situation is to leave the game and get a penalty, which is incredibly unfair!

Huh? Your obvious option is to play without friendly robber in spite of their requests. If they don't like it, they can quit. Sure, they could team up against you in "retaliation"... but that can happen in any game for any other reason.

I don't deserve getting red thumbs and bad rep because the opponents don't care to read the chosen set-up options before accepting to join the game.

kind of off topic but the overall vibe i see is people joining games without awareness of all selected options. i play slow boards. most hate it. i’m not able to work through trade math fast & in placing i need extra time for making sure i am not mixing up numbers. i’m continuously yelled at. i time out a lot from stress and that i take accountability for 100%. but it’s a miserable game.

my point is that there needs to be more emphasis somehow i guess on what people are signing up for, and maybe if someone quits before 10% the penalty shouldn’t apply

[Suoivax]

my point is that there needs to be more emphasis somehow i guess on what people are signing up for, and maybe if someone quits before 10% the penalty shouldn’t apply

Cant really do the under 10% no penalty thing, or it would get abused to heck and back.

Terraforming mars: didnt get the corportation i want, just quit and start a new game.
Catan: dont like my starting locations, just quit and start a new game.

I appreciate what you meant, just pointing out that people are jerks if you give them the chance to be.

[Jontia]

Catan: dont like my starting locations, just quit and start a new game.

I appreciate what you meant, just pointing out that people are jerks if you give them the chance to be.

I mean, this whole thread is about people being jerks because the game is not playing out how they want, so I totally agree with this point that early game bails would go absolutely through the roof with the option to do so without penalty.