How aggressive is your playstyle?

[NoLuckAndNoSkill]

So the other day I was in a four-player game, as usual, when a player asked me via chat why I had targeted them in so many games in a row. Turns out they were right -- I really had crashed their carts in almost every game we both had been in which, given how often I joined games, was done in quick succession. Kind of an eye-opener, that was.

It made me wonder: when you play, how much do you prioritize attacking other players? Do you make it your priority? Or do you prefer to leave them alone and focus on getting your own carts to safety?

Usually I have collisions as my priority when I see someone else has too many gems or is about to fulfill an objective, even placing that above getting my own cart to safety. After all, if others score less points, I have better chances, that's what I keep thinking -- and why I'm pretty into blocking others with my own carts, and also place tracks in inconvenient ways so other waste turns trying to deal with them. It's kind of an aggressive playing style, I think, and it works great for me, but I have started to wonder if perhaps that may not be the best way to play Off the Rails.

[Jabberwacky_JimB]

My aggressiveness depends on players in game. There are 5-10 of use who regularly play each other and the play is more aggressive as we all know who the hot players are, and their tactics.

Two factors contribute to people feeling picked on. 1) This game has a smaller player base so you are more likely to pick on the same players multiple times as you play them more. 2) The second is that people underestimate the luck factor in this game. If you have no / few gems accessible to you, you are more likely to get aggressive to try to get gems / steal others.

There is also the factor of if the chasm die is turned on or off. You need to be more aggressive earlier in the game with it off as you are more likely to have your cart destroyed by other players with it off.

When new players are playing, I try to give them not only a break from some of the aggressiveness, but also teach them so they enjoy the game and will keep on playing. Read my post "ode to Off the Rails."