Board Game Arena

Hey,
is there any rule about who is the starting player in BGA Pandemic games? Last role picked? Some ELO-related way to determine who starts? Table-starter?

And if not, if it is truly random, how about adding a note in Log about who is to be starting player - either before picking roles, either after all picked roles, and they need to see initial diseases, so other players are "waiting for other players". That would allow to start thinking about the moves efficiently, instead "if X starts, then... if Y starts, then...".

From the rules: 'The player with the highest City population goes first.'

I think is truly random who start the game.

ufm wrote: ↑16 September 2021, 19:02 From the rules: 'The player with the highest City population goes first.'

This.

Reyes wrote: ↑05 October 2021, 14:28 I think is truly random who start the game.

Not this, except in the sense that the cards you draw are random.

I checked some replays, but it seems BGA implementation does not track the population written on city cards.

ufm wrote: ↑06 October 2021, 03:46 I checked some replays, but it seems BGA implementation does not track the population written on city cards.

I just started 5 two-player solo games in a row and in each the role with the highest population was first. Yes, it's possible to flip a coin and get heads 5 times in a row, but another explanation is that it actually *is* using the population.

Can you provide a game number where this did not happen? It is worthy of a bug report.

Edit:
Turns out this *was* submitted in a bug report four months ago and the developer implemented a fix.

From bug report #42388

• Which part of the rules was not followed by the BGA adaptation

The first player should be determined by the one who has the city card with the greatest population. This was not the case in our game:
- Medic had Beijing (17,311,000) and Riyadh.
- Quarantine Specialist had Seoul (22,547,000) and Montreal.
Medic was chosen first player, even though it should have been Quarantine Specialist.

Jun 5th 2021 2:37 • Moof • Bug has been fixed:
Done in version 210605-1132
(I discovered this rule with your report ^^)

Meeplelowda wrote: ↑06 October 2021, 06:23 Can you provide a game number where this did not happen? It is worthy of a bug report.

Edit:
Turns out this *was* submitted in a bug report four months ago and the developer implemented a fix.

https://boardgamearena.com/table?table=206957391

TieDyeChameleon with Moscow should've been the first player.

https://boardgamearena.com/table?table=207009890

Joseph White with Mumbai should've been the first player.

https://boardgamearena.com/table?table=206748413

krao with Seoul should've been the first player.

I can't figure out how the game calculates the city population.

ufm wrote: ↑06 October 2021, 08:42

Meeplelowda wrote: ↑06 October 2021, 06:23 Can you provide a game number where this did not happen? It is worthy of a bug report.

Edit:
Turns out this *was* submitted in a bug report four months ago and the developer implemented a fix.

https://boardgamearena.com/table?table=206957391

TieDyeChameleon with Moscow should've been the first player.

https://boardgamearena.com/table?table=207009890

Joseph White with Mumbai should've been the first player.

https://boardgamearena.com/table?table=206748413

krao with Seoul should've been the first player.

I can't figure out how the game calculates the city population.

I noticed that in all of your examples the game setting was for players to pick their roles. I sampled 3 four-player games in which it was set to assign roles randomly, and the correct player started each, e.g., #185056287.

So it looks like it may be that the "pick roles" setting breaks the highest population starts programming.

I updated bug report #42388 (and credited you for finding the examples of the rule being broken).