Couldn't select gardener objectives

[titch990]

We're still quite new to this game, so we're probably missing something. When four of us played yesterday, at least two of us were unable to select new Gardener objectives as part of their turn. They had to choose Panda or Plot objectives. There was an option to choose a Gardener objective, but when they tried to choose it, there got a message saying they couldn't have that one.

At first, we thought that maybe the Gardener objectives had run out, but that wasn't the case, because later on, I was able to choose a new Gardener objective. So why couldn't my friends choose new Gardener objectives? We wondered if it was because they had already completed some maximum number of Gardener objectives, but that didn't seem to be the case either.

Any ideas?

[XCID]

BGA implements the "Advanced player" rules of Takenoko, which say:

If a player picks an objective card already completed in the bamboo garden, he must discard it and picks a new objective card of the category of their choosing.

[Jest Phulin]

And, the reason that it was available later was that it became "uncompleted". Something like the card available was "4 green on a tile without an improvement." If that existed in the garden at the time the card was attempted to be drawn, the rule would kick in and that card would be discarded. Then someone moves the panda and eats the bamboo. The card is now not completed, and could be drawn.

[Ankeszu]

There is also a bug that causes problems with drawing objective cards. You can click sometimes few times in a row for choosing the type of objectives, 2-3 times answers ending with the message that couldn't pick it, and the next time (in the same action, same turn!)... it allows you to draw one.

[Jest Phulin]

This isn't a bug.

Assume there are at least 3 gardener objectives available in the deck. The top 2 are currently completed. You draw card A, and get the error. Since the rule states that you are taking the draw an objective action, and not a draw a gardener objective action, you can choose which objective to draw: plots, panda, or gardener again. So, drawing gardener again, you get card B (completed) and the message. Trying again, you get card C (uncompleted), a successful draw.

[Ankeszu]

I'd still call it a bug, because while your words describe how it works, I do not think the online implementation should work like that. If there is any not complete objective card of a type, I expect to draw it when I click this objective type. The implementation doesn't show how many cards left in each objective type deck, so how can I know how many times should I click to be sure there is no objective card I can draw of this type? (As far as I remember, the message says something like "cause the stack is depleted", nothing about possible clicking again to try the next card.)

[Jest Phulin]

I'll agree that there could be a better implementation, especially showing the number of cards remaining in each deck.

[TrinaCat]

I have played several games now getting that same message half a dozen times in a row...it doesn't seem to be discarding and letting you draw another card (of course since we can't see which card was drawn, just the "picks an objective card (gardener) already completed: they must pick another one." message, its hard to tell. I have not yet in about four games been able to successfully draw a card, on the same turn, from the same pile, after receiving that message.

[whatshisbucket]

I have played several games now getting that same message half a dozen times in a row...it doesn't seem to be discarding and letting you draw another card (of course since we can't see which card was drawn, just the "picks an objective card (gardener) already completed: they must pick another one." message, its hard to tell. I have not yet in about four games been able to successfully draw a card, on the same turn, from the same pile, after receiving that message.

It is quite common for this to happen (although more often with plots) when all gardening objectives are either in hands, already played, or completed on the board. Next time that happens you should think about why, and if your opponent has any uncompleted ones you should figure out what they are.