Board Game Arena

Hi,

I think Hanabi is a wonderful game and a great puzzle to enjoy with friends and strangers.

I love seeing if we can give each other good clues to get a good score; will the cards come out in an order that sets up a good run of plays or will we get blocked by an awkward deal order; will someone discard a card that makes all say "nooooooooo!" before we get on with the game and still try see how well we can do anyway.

Unfortunately it has gotten to the point were almost every time I join a game here I leave having been given out to for not understanding the clue I was given; having been criticised for not giving the right clue; being made to feel I was playing the game "wrong".

Perhaps this is on me, maybe I'm being over sensitive.

If I'm not - can I encourage people to have a look at how they are playing the game? Are you approaching it with a specific tactic and are only interested in getting a perfect score? Or are you looking for a game, with all its mistakes, successes, failures and accomplishments along the way?

If someone doesn't share your tactic, maybe you could tell them your approach afterwards, or at the start if you can type quickly - but please do not make someone wrong for not understanding what you expected them to do. They are there to play a game, just like you. Share the highs, and the lows.

Honestly, I can't stand to play Hanabi here. It's as you say: There is a specific, optimized, tactic of cluing that all the players here expect all the other players here to use, and if you are not doing it, you're not doing it right. I think playing this way... you might as well just play by yourself or with some kind of algorithm or whatever. It's not a game anymore, and it's not fun.

People aren't going to change though. They have their way to 'win', and they don't want to play another way. My advice: Try some of the other non-cooperative games. Hanabi is the worst player experience on this site.

That is one of the reason Hanabi is the place where it is raining Red Thumbs.
Play, don't care of what they say.
This is a cooperative game : give the clue you think that will helps the others.
Yes, it would not the best clue.
Yes, sometimes you will not understand this non-sense clue.
But with more and more games, you will get those layered finesses that make this game really interesting.
This is a game of non verbal communication by number and color, just a game.
There are players that have built conventions and not knowing those should be allowed, but read this first :
http://hanabilogic.eklablog.com/
my2p

As with most co-op games, if you're only just following some elses orders then you're not really playing the game, you're just a robot.

Specifically with Hanabi, the game is working out (with a partner of similar noob ability) what it is you're going to try for the next game. This *is* the game. Not the winning or losing of 1 game. If the other players do not appreciate that then that is their lookout. They shouldn't have played with a stranger in the first place. What should probably happen is that there is a dialogue afterwards so that the reasoning both ends can be understood. It is human behaviour to try and win, it may just be that they are talking about the game after the game and you are feeling a bit over sensitive about being the one to bring the fireworks home.

I have found Hanabi pretty friendly. I do give feedback to players that seem less experienced than me (and I am not that much more experienced) in a friendly fashion about some basic conventions that help get strangers moving in the right direction. I have received feedback too when making mistakes - always friendly in 40 games so far. But it is indeed about the sequence of games and getting to know each other better. I do enjoy the logic and satisfaction if people know and use things like prompt and finesse.

I think it's interesting to play with players who have the same expectations for the game. If players with 500 games (and some co-developed convention ideas) play with people who played 10 games and are still enjoying playing free format than that might not be the best match.

Personally I enjoy most to play with those who also have 1000s of games and who have common understanding of how we read clues, even this far optimized version of the conventions played at BGA leave enough room to be creative on decisions and put in some own "style". But over time those with similar ideas have gathered in a group/ are in my friend lists / have gotten notes about how they play.

Sometimes I also enjoy to dive in a game where it's not "my" convention we play, I join a table with people with players who have 10 or 100 games played and ask them shortly what their ideas on conventions are (basically a "which types of finesses do you play with?") then my goal becomes to adapt to their style, or go slightly beyond their style. But I won't expect them to understand the clues I normally use, so there is no fun for nobody to use those clues.

I think there is indeed some being over-critical, especially during games this can be annoying (I sometimes make the mistake of commenting as well). I think there are 2 good ways you can try to avoid this, if you really dislike the discussing of the game. If people start chatting about the game say that you prefer them not to chat about the game (the original game has a no talking because you can't avoid giving info that way). If they start discussing after the game and you disagree just shortly say that you had different interpretations of the convention and go for the next game.