Friendly robber again

[Parténope y Ulises]

Honestly Friendly robber is making my Catan experience worse and worse.

I started a game in Arena, one player (I imagine I cannot write his name) asked to play in Friendly robber until 3. I don't like it, but I always respect it. my both rivals agreed FR mode. 2 is more than one and democracy is democracy so I don't use my first 7. In the second 7, the player who asked for Friendly mode wrote "open robber" (it means, "I have 3 points, you both have 2, I have a 7, so... I am going to rob). I wrote I don't like that, despite he didn't rob me, but this is not the case. After that he robbed me with 2 points, he attacked me and he wrote he robbed me because my "bad attitude".
He won the game, but I didn't enjoy to play that game. It is a tricky way to win with no consequences. Play with a flexible rule is difficult. 3 points??? 3 points or 2 dev cards??? Not more FR when the first player gets 3 points (never seen it, but today one player did that).

I use a red flag and report, but that situation made me angry and sad with something I love (playing Catan).

Not sure about the opinion of Klaus Teber about this, but it is an open door to trick, to have problems and to be angry playing Catan.

Because the other issue is when I steal with my first seven (the first seven). Normally, after that, I am robbed all the time and I have to read text a little bit menacing. "Ok, you decide not FR". "Really??? Not FR???!!!!". "I think it is better not using the first seven, now we will rob you because you have not been fair", etc.

I am upset with this. More than a long time.

I will appreciate your comments on favour or not.

James, American boy, now you can explain why you think is normal to use the robber with players with 2 points after agreed Friendly robber mode.
Maybe you play on that way at your home???

Thanks to understand.

PyU

[Jontia]

Stop playing 3 player games.
This is the only advice that I can give you to avoid Friendly Robber players and the 2 Vs 1 version of 'democracy'.

I have literally never seen anyone ask about Friendly Robber in a four player game.

Though I should say I play almost exclusively Turn based games which might have an effect too.

[Theana]

I made a post yesterday with a similar rant..

I agree with you and I am sorry. Also, if there is a rule for arena I would expect it to be follow without questions. When FR is active I have no choice to ask not to play FR, so why the other way round should be even contemplated?

I guess I will just stop playing Arena and will only play 4 players games.

It is sad, yes, but BGA doesn't do much to keep bullies away.

If you quit, you are the penalised one
Reporting is not possible
The red thumb does nothing.

[alemango1]

don`t take it personal. it`s just one guy playing tricky. that shouldn`t spoil the game. remember the name. don`t join with him. happened to me too. bga is not to compare to plat with friends

[Meeplelowda]

remember the name. don`t join with him.

The OP doesn't have to rely on memory. Giving him a red thumb will prevent him from being matched during table creation (except in tournaments).

[Romain672]

I asked chatgpt for ideas to resolve that problem, here is what I though could be good:
- add a message in the top of the game, like it is done in regicide, reminding players of the settings. I really believe there is some improvements to do there. Per example, in tranquility the ascent some years ago, I tried playing with 100- elo players with specific settings, and nearly all of them ignored them. Having them displayed would be really nice. As a computer user, having the settings always been displayed at the top like in regicide would be positive to me.
- for bga: update the legal documents and punish players which ask in chat to play friendly robber in arena
- for bga: show a 'recent red thumb' with the reason, like 'rule-negociation abuse'. That would be good for the social part
(- disable chat: very drastic, pretty weird but that resolve some of the problem, and add some others)

I didn't though there would be so much interesting ideas though.

[Kaladry]

I had a similar arena game recently where nobody even asked for FR but when I rolled the first 7 and stole from someone else they said "not friendly robber then ???" and then they proceeded to steal from me the entire game because I had replied "this is arena if you want to play FR go play regular" and they didn't like that attitude. The third player also stole from me the majority of the game because I cut off their road.
Guess who won... the player who was annoyed at me for not abiding by FR and then they still had the gall to insult me in chat for being American. Yes, I reported them for that.

[Theana]

I had a similar arena game recently where nobody even asked for FR but when I rolled the first 7 and stole from someone else they said "not friendly robber then ???" and then they proceeded to steal from me the entire game because I had replied "this is arena if you want to play FR go play regular" and they didn't like that attitude. The third player also stole from me the majority of the game because I cut off their road.
Guess who won... the player who was annoyed at me for not abiding by FR and then they still had the gall to insult me in chat for being American. Yes, I reported them for that.

Same happened to me, reported the 2 players but have no idea how the report is going and I have little faith anything will change

[Slartibartfst]

If people want friendly robber, thats an option right? I mean a setting that enforces it. People playing in non friendly robber games and asking for it to be a friendly robber game just sounds like people trying to do this kind of thing, or am i misunderstanding?

[Parténope y Ulises]

Thanks everybody for your comments. Appreciate them.