Board Game Arena

"This whole "it's cheating" idea is so ELO-focused. Maybe we can actually teach people something and not worry about THIS game if they're interested in learning..."

--> But how do you intend to teach them, if after the first mistake, you already act as if they've just made you lost the game when they missed a clue you know ?

(generic you obviously)

The game is not lost when a player misses a clue. It is lost when you have 3 bombs

So if they miss one, you can reclue and/or adapt your next moves to a less experienced player.

Personally, after reclueing or the card to be played, I like to ask the player: "Hey, what was wrong with that card?".
If they answer, we may be able to re-synchronise about the level of the table, and the player may be more focused if they missed something.

Totally agreed. Hanabi is about hidden information. It's unlike Pandemic where players are free to discuss. Any sort of hinting or commenting or explaning is strictly cheating. It's also extremly annoying when players who cheat to get high Elo blame others in the chat channel.

A high ELO simply tells you that the player will not play with new players. It is otherwise not very useful when describing someone's level of Hanabi skill.

I completely agree with OP here. I wish i could turn off chat for all of Hanabi, but leave it on for other games where talking/discussing/strategizing is not only preferred, but ALLOWED during the game.

IMO, the higher the player's Hanabi ELO, the more likely I'm about to get flammed by them for any perceived incorrect action. More likely, it's something that goes against their personal convention and preference. It's extremely toxic. Just play, and trust your teammate. If they actually, honestly make a mistake, let it go. No need to berate them and spam "?????????". That's now how one plays in person with a partner, and shouldn't be here.