Friendly robber ruining Catan

[Candlelit]

... since the new season has adopted the friendly robber rule, the game play has declined steadily.

One simple solution is to avoid tables with the Friendly Robber option activated.

Even better, become a paying member and open your own tables without the Friendly Robber option.

My tables don't have Friendly Robber, but they do have Easy Start. I can't stand Friendly Robber, but I like Easy Start. It doesn't hurt anyone, and it makes the beginning of the game a little easier for everyone.

Those players join normal tables it's infuriating

[el cosimo]

friendly robber on arena is the biggest mistake.. why put a noob option in an arena where you play for real..

it is good to practice but to be competitive it is so stpd..

[twiddly2]

I like playing with the FR variant. I'm a paying member and I open tables with both options. Feel free to avoid my table! LOL

[John McVegan]

And here we go for an other arena season with friendly robber activated... That's it, I won't play anymore

[Satori Sanada]

I will be playing Catan New Energies or trying to find another site. BGA clearly doesn't read least update section comments or u would see the 10 plus people asking for friendly robber to be OFF. The 5 plus people are asking for expansion & 4 players for rank. NO ONE APPRECIATES WHAT CATAN IS. U have been asked for 2 SEASONS to turn off friendly robber for multiple reasons. 1 NO ONE TRADES, 2 people will delay getting to 4+ points for as long as possible, 3- IT ENCOURAGES TEAMING, 4 It punishes people who actually position good & can do things like longest road with 1/2 extra settlements make total of 6/7 points. 4- 3 player rank isn't the same as for tournaments. Also, people have been asking for the expansion because it fixes some issues like u can use a knight to STOP a player from expanding where u want to go or denying the longest road. I've had MANY 3-player games I feel as I was teamed on for putting a settlement early &/or a city. Also, were a player or both did placement to deny an area to me or to rush settlement, so I am perma stuck in that 1 area. If u WON'T add the expansion, at least turn OFF friendly robber & easy start or put easy start back on since it's until everyone has 2 turns. U can swap between easy start on with 3/4 player & off 3/4 every new season in whatever combination until each has been picked before the rest so BOTH sides are happy. You need to figure something out. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!! My suggestion is to leave both FR & easy start turned off just swap between 3 & 4 players for ranked also make a decision on adding expansion or not & swap between every 2 seasons with it on/off.

[Jontia]

And here we go for an other arena season with friendly robber activated... That's it, I won't play anymore

You can always play outside the Arena, in normal ELO games with the setting you want. That's what I do because I recognise that the setting that I like, that are competitive will not get picked for the Arena, simply because of the way gurus are selected. Yeah, it's occasionally good to vent, but if you want to play Catan with decent settings then "Simple game" is the only option.

[zasfp]

Wow two seasons in a row is brutal. I just open my own tables without FR, but waiting 3 months to be able to get back into arena only for it to be FR again kinda stinks. It's just not great for competitive play. I understand it's still "fair" since everyone has to option to pick a strategy to benefit off FR, but the rule is intended to be a house rule to help new players get their development going. I'd rather get stuck with a robber on my hex turn 1 just cause I have the best set up than not have the option to move the robber where I want.

[Lynaï8]

I hate friendly robber too.

[el cosimo]

I like playing with the FR variant. I'm a paying member and I open tables with both options. Feel free to avoid my table! LOL

You can’t in arena.. it is arena.. so FR in arena is like play bowling with no gutters…

It need to be competition not starters kid activate

[Trevor-UK]

Who is it that makes the decisions as to what rules form part of the arena games? I feel like some kind of campaign is needed to protest the inclusion of Friendly Robber.