What do people think of this game?

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nandblock
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Joined: 23 December 2015, 02:13

What do people think of this game?

Post by nandblock »

I got this one in the Diamant version largely based on the Shut Up & Sit Down recommendation, as I was looking for a light filler for large groups of people. -- There's a lot to like, especially the amazing tension that results as people push their luck further and further, but I'm bemused by the designers' failure to account for the laws of probability. So many of the expeditions die quickly or have no interesting decision-points--it's really easy to have situations where decisions are a formality (e.g. if the first card is a trap or a low-value gem card, of course everyone will explore further), or pointless expeditions (one trap after another until two of the same are hit--at no point is there a reason for anyone to turn back). The odds of this kind of damp-squib adventure happening 1 or 2 times out of the 5 are annoyingly high. -- There are a few variants listed on BGG to overcome these problems, but I'm finding the vanilla game frustratingly uneven.

Thoughts?
Liallan
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Joined: 26 May 2014, 07:01

Re: What do people think of this game?

Post by Liallan »

I agree with you. You could have an entire game where every level is a total bore, ends quickly, etc. It's definitely more fun when you get higher gem cards, mixed well with traps. And a "traps only, level is over" can happen far too easily. If I own a game, I always play a fake game with myself before ever trying to teach anyone, and this kind of thing happened with regularity in my fake games (several), but there were rounds that went quite well and were fun. (I had a "strategy" for one of my fake players to be outlandishly gutsy, which got a bit funny.)

When I then pulled it out at my group, I warned them that sometimes it can fall flat like that, and you just start again and don't worry about it, and they accepted that. We didn't have many bad rounds but they were at least forewarned.

But I also got the weird feeling that no one thought much of the game anyway. We played it twice fairly quickly. One guy was just getting silly cause he would never leave - I think he got bored. I heard it was better with more people, but I thought it was worse with more people. That does create more tension in wondering who is going to leave (especially if there's an artifact up for grabs), but overall I liked my fake game with 3 people better.

I think one thing that made it more difficult with more people (which won't affect it here) is that it's difficult to see the cards, and difficult to tell the difference between them across a table and with tents everywhere, and seemed like a big waste of time a lot, like those situations when you know no one is going to leave. There are some other weird things about the game that you probably wouldn't notice playing here (like how remarkably stupid it is to shuffle the artifact cards and hide them under the temple cards), so in the overall scheme of things, I just don't think much thought went into designing/testing this game.

I can think of a couple of people who weren't playing that night who might like it, and it comes in handy as a filler. But there are certainly better fillers.
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CB Droege
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Re: What do people think of this game?

Post by CB Droege »

I agree that it feels a little untested, but I love the idea of the game.

I never much liked push-your-luck type games, because they usually just turn into 'luck' games, and there is not much real decision making going on, because the odds are usually pretty clear, and if you lose it's because the odds went against you or because you went against the odds (Like: I like the theme of Dungeon Roll, but it's a mostly pointless exercise). Having the same results for everyone to work off of makes it more interesting. Now you not only have to think about what you think your opponents will do, which nicely complicates it a bit beyond just calculating odds, but the randomness gets balanced out, since everyone is getting the same randomness.

HOWEVER this game does feel like it could use a few tweaks, and not just like "I think I want a house rule because of my playstyle" tweaks, but rather tweaks that should have been obvious in the playtesting stage. (For example, it would make sense that at the beginning of an expedition that you keep drawing cards until you get a non-trap card, assuming that no one will turn back when there is no reward to do so yet, and if you ever have a bum round in which no treasure is ever revealed, then that round just shouldn't count at all - little things like that that seem obvious after playing a few games)
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Morgalad
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Re: What do people think of this game?

Post by Morgalad »

Hi,
I've spent the last three months programming this game and analysing every detail of it.
In live audiencies the game requires a bit of roleplaying, something like Celestia, if there is a bit of bluffing and cockiness it becomes much more funny.
Also I reckon that the playability is way too simple STAY or GO... sometimes I miss some extra options (maybe assigning roles like saboteur, where there is a bad guy, or a thief, etc) or some ways to avoid the temple traps (use the artifacts as protective amulets??).
Anyway it is a good filler or starter for gaming nights.
If you like this game you are going to love my next project... more of the same but with 6 decks and some fights!!!
Cheers...
Morgalad

Developer of: Incan Gold , Takara Island , Taluva and Veggie Garden
Shaq Jenkins
Posts: 156
Joined: 27 November 2013, 04:49

Re: What do people think of this game?

Post by Shaq Jenkins »

I wonder if BGA users are getting tired of this game. When it was first introduced, it was easy to join tables, but now, it's a struggle just to get 3 other people to play.

Like Morgalad said, games like Incan Gold, Saboteur, and Celestia are social games where the interaction between players is important. Incan Gold is probably much more fun in person than online. One of my offline friends played Incan Gold on BGA with me recently, and he was completely unimpressed because playing with a bunch of strangers online who don't chat with each other completely goes against the purpose of social board games.

As far as the game itself, the rules really need revised. It's not uncommon for the winning score to be less than 10 because we received a bunch of terrible rounds filled with obstacles (I won a game once with only 8 points, and that's because I took a big risk in round 3 and kept going even though there were 4 obstacles drawn already).

I like the temple amulets and think there should be more cards like that. Suggestions:
-Safety Card (2 per deck; lets you leave the temple without losing your treasure, and you can only use it once). It would work just like the Amulets - only one person gets it.
-Emergency Evacuation Card (1 per deck; when you play this card, everyone has to leave the temple with their current treasure and cannot explore anymore). Only one person gets it.
-Steal Treasure (2 per deck; when a person decides to leave the temple, you can play this card and steal half of their treasure).

The rules for these cards definitely need fine-tuned, but something needs to be done about this game to make it more dynamic. I like Incan Gold, but it can get boring after a while.
Dceodato
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Joined: 05 June 2017, 04:38

Re: What do people think of this game?

Post by Dceodato »

I prefer this game more than Celestia is that it is much faster, and there are less other stuffs other than pushing your luck. A game can be finished, when in about 5-10 minutes when there is not many players. Adding other features may enrich the game, but it will be a longer duration game.

Well I usually play this game in 3-5 players.
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Morgalad
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Re: What do people think of this game?

Post by Morgalad »

Morgalad wrote: If you like this game you are going to love my next project... more of the same but with 6 decks and some fights!!!
Now I can say it, Takara island is like Incan Gold but 6 decks and some deduction mechanincs.... I invite you to test it... NOW AVAILABLE!

https://en.boardgamearena.com/#!gamepan ... karaisland
Cheers...
Morgalad

Developer of: Incan Gold , Takara Island , Taluva and Veggie Garden
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EMBison
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Re: What do people think of this game?

Post by EMBison »

When players talk and chat... it's a really fun game. Not that deep, but lots of fun smacktalk and bluffing.

If people are silent (often can't be helped because of language differences) it's just a guessing game. Luckily, games are short so if a particular play isn't as fun as others, there is always another one.
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