Take away Birthday card

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LillaJag
Posts: 13
Joined: 15 September 2020, 14:42

Take away Birthday card

Post by LillaJag »

The Today is Special card must go, because everyone choose at its there birthday and you cant judge ghat online. Its a card that doesn't work on a online game..
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voriki
Posts: 773
Joined: 28 August 2020, 12:27

Re: Take away Birthday card

Post by voriki »

I had made a suggestion for it, but it got denied.

I was faced with such a "cheater", and she just exclaimed that "in this game, every day is my birthday".
This was in response to me asking if it was really her birthday, in order to congratulate her.

A week ago, May.13 I played the Holiday card 3 times, and each time in chat proclaimed it is Ascension Day. This is how it should go.

My suggestion would have been:
- Normal day: normal action
- Holiday: small pop-up "are you certain it is a holiday, other players might not like it if you use this card unfairly"
There would be an OPTIONAL text field they can leave blank, or fill out the name of the Holiday, for example Christmas. This would display in the action. PLAYER CELEBRATES CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY.
If they however change their mind and there is no Holiday, they return to the 3 options for the card.
- Birthday: same, maybe an OPTIONAL textfield where they can name their birthdaywish or something.

But I understand it would be hard to implement, and I am the devs already very grateful for making the game. Maybe they can just change the text a little bit, encouraging the players to state their actions in chat?
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fiscused
Posts: 58
Joined: 27 December 2012, 05:34

Re: Take away Birthday card

Post by fiscused »

I agree with this card being a pain. The first few times I saw it played people were honest. But the last few games it is just an opportunity to cheat. In Fluxx...which is more fun than strategy anyway.
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shparks79
Posts: 33
Joined: 10 April 2014, 08:08

Re: Take away Birthday card

Post by shparks79 »

LillaJag wrote: 20 May 2021, 13:50 ... everyone choose at its there birthday...

I don't do that.
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voriki
Posts: 773
Joined: 28 August 2020, 12:27

Re: Take away Birthday card

Post by voriki »

shparks79 wrote: 13 June 2021, 03:54
LillaJag wrote: 20 May 2021, 13:50 ... everyone choose at its there birthday...

I don't do that.
No one accused you, nobody says everybody else does it, but a certain percentage of players does, and it is unfair towards those who play according to the rules. So we should try to decrease the temptation to "cheat", without taking away the card or change the rules in general.
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Jest Phulin
Posts: 1856
Joined: 08 July 2013, 21:50

Re: Take away Birthday card

Post by Jest Phulin »

I was thinking there would be people very strongly concerned about their ELO for this game....
I'm thinking private red thumbs will help, but this is definitely a game where my primary goal is to have fun, not be the best strategist.

About the only other option I could see is at the start of the game, the system picks a random number between 1 and 365 for each player. If that number is the current day, it assigns a "birthday status" to that player. It then looks up a table of approved holidays, and assign a status for the rest of the table.

But then there would be the controversy of which country/religion is the system going to base the holiday on. Bastille day vs US Independence day (sorry, England...) Does Christianity only get Christmas, while Judaism gets to claim all 8 days of Hanukkah, and Islam claims the entire month of Ramadan? (Or, y'know, Christianity ups it by claiming 40 days of Lent...)

I see no good answer that a computer can implement. Removing the card is also not a good idea, as then BGA would be implementing house rules.
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voriki
Posts: 773
Joined: 28 August 2020, 12:27

Re: Take away Birthday card

Post by voriki »

Jest Phulin wrote: 07 July 2021, 03:31 But then there would be the controversy of which country/religion is the system going to base the holiday on. Bastille day vs US Independence day (sorry, England...) Does Christianity only get Christmas, while Judaism gets to claim all 8 days of Hanukkah, and Islam claims the entire month of Ramadan? (Or, y'know, Christianity ups it by claiming 40 days of Lent...)

I see no good answer that a computer can implement. Removing the card is also not a good idea, as then BGA would be implementing house rules.
And time zones. I could play a Holiday on December 25th in Europe while the US is still on the 24th of December.
pjt33
Posts: 209
Joined: 05 April 2020, 15:35

Re: Take away Birthday card

Post by pjt33 »

Jest Phulin wrote: 07 July 2021, 03:31It then looks up a table of approved holidays, and assign a status for the rest of the table.
This card always makes me think of a quote from a humorous book I read many years ago (Nuts in May by Richard Gordon). One of the characters has been instructed by his doctor that he can only drink on special occasions, so he asks the waiter for a bottle of brandy and an almanac - the point being that every day is the anniversary of something that someone thinks worth celebrating.
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voriki
Posts: 773
Joined: 28 August 2020, 12:27

Re: Take away Birthday card

Post by voriki »

pjt33 wrote: 07 July 2021, 14:06 every day is the anniversary of something that someone thinks worth celebrating.
Like today it is World Chocolate Day 🍫

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Chocolate_Day
eyebooger
Posts: 18
Joined: 26 February 2012, 21:22

Re: Take away Birthday card

Post by eyebooger »

Agree with getting rid of the card.

It's just an opportunity for bad faith players to exploit something unenforceable, and a feeling of frustration and anger for people playing the game legitimately.
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