Does skip mean 'play' or 'discard'?

[apotap]

The fact that you were skipped does not add any information about your half-clued card.
It's still 50% chance only - don't play it unless you get real information (not from skipping)!

Ok, thanks. It was my opinion too, and I'm glad community think similar.

[Romain672]

I will point something, if you are playing slot 1 when someone skip you (maybe because you are angry), you will often cause the receiver to assume a bluff, which is just bad/just reduce the probability for you to have a play.

[Jellby]

If you have some card clued that you're not sure is a play or a save, and
If the player before you has an obvious (to you, at least) clued card to play, and
If the player before you instead of playing clues something that you could have clued instead, and
If you don't see any reason why having that card clued could be useful for you (e.g., lets you finesse/bluff/reverse/correct something else), and
If it can't be a double-chop save...

then

It might be that your clued card is actually a play.

[apotap]

Yesterday we had game for 3 players, I was the 1st player. The 2nd player has trash in all his 5 positions. So I skipped him and give a clue to the 3rd player. 2nd player discarded and draw 5 (which could not be played). I skipped him again. And then... he played the left 5! Why? Because "I have been skipped (and not once!), so I should play, but I hadn't clued cards, so I play the left one". Ridiculous logic? Yes. But 2nd player had 6xx ELO! And it was abandoned game

I think there is psychological explanation here. Discarding is... boring. To play and (especially) to hint is much more interesting. So people get offended when are skipped. They want to "play" themself more than to reach a common goal with maximum probability.

[Jellby]

I skipped him again. And then... he played the left 5! Why? Because "I have been skipped (and not once!), so I should play, but I hadn't clued cards, so I play the left one".

So... the first time you skipped him was just a preparation so that when he drew the next card you could "finesse" it by skipping him again?

[apotap]

Yes But I think it was just accumulated irritation

[Travis Hall]

I think there is psychological explanation here. Discarding is... boring. To play and (especially) to hint is much more interesting. So people get offended when are skipped. They want to "play" themself more than to reach a common goal with maximum probability.

Yes, I think you’ve found the root cause here. It explains not only this, but some other really annoying behaviour we see from some players.

There’s also the players who basically refuse to ever discard until they are left with no tokens. I haven’t had to do it for a while, but I’ve occasionally had to starve the next player of tokens to get them to discard. We would be 50 moves into the game, and they haven’t discarded, and have been giving inefficient clues to the left card of the wrong players to avoid discarding, and I need them to discard something like 1m so I can safely clue them. Some of these people won’t play until forced either.

There’s a definite hierarchy of interest. Discarding is boring, playing is mildly interesting, and cluing is heaps of fun. (For these people. I’m more interested in skilful play.)

[Aurorafalter]

There’s also the players who basically refuse to ever discard until they are left with no tokens. I haven’t had to do it for a while, but I’ve occasionally had to starve the next player of tokens to get them to discard. We would be 50 moves into the game, and they haven’t discarded, and have been giving inefficient clues to the left card of the wrong players to avoid discarding, and I need them to discard something like 1m so I can safely clue them. Some of these people won’t play until forced either.

I think this is not so much about fun, but about control. If someone keeps clueing whenever possible, they dominate the game. If others are interested in winning a good score, they have to work around the uncooperative behaviour. It makes the game much harder and more frustrating fot the others, but the persistent cluer probably feels smart - and powerful.

[apotap]

You are right, there is a lot of psychology in this game. Different levels of psychology.
We should sometimes concede the game to our teammates just out of politeness.

[Blacktango]

I agree with this, the most interesting thing about the game is giving clues.
If all the players give all the clues and just let you play/discard you will get bored quickly.

But it also a part of the game. If they are doing well and you don’t feel you can give better clues, then stay calm and finish the game.

In the next game, you may be the clue dealer, as the player after you always draws playable cards : )