Board Game Arena

Just played my first game online here, but I know the game from the tabletop. Still great.

What makes this game sparkle on the table is often the aftermath, players reacting when a brute knocks them out or total lying the scores and only then realizing that you all left a carpenter and gambler in THAT players den, or coming out just a doubloon behind and staring through your opponent’s den to see what they did, etc.

The automatic bookkeeping is convenient, of course, but most of the game’s best moments flash past you in an instant. I found the game to be a shadow of what it is in person. Anyone else feel this way? Is there any appetite for, or support for, allowing players to slow down the bookkeeping and step-by-step through the auto daytime, night time, and end of campaign effects in order to grab better hold of the game flow and interplay? Experience those interpersonal moments? I suppose it could be a checkbox (auto advance) for those who just want speed.

The replay also exists for the games in progress, but you can see the moves coming at full speed. It is almost useless without the possibility of controlling the progress of the moves and stopping you on an interesting move.

Can the game be updated to allow for players to select a different character as long as not everyone else has chosen? This is supported in Sushi Go!, and you can alter your dice face choices in Roll for the Galaxy before committing. Seems like it would be an easy thing to implement here as well.