Board Game Arena

I'm of the opinion that going first is a big disadvantage in this game. I' haven't played ten games yet so I'm open to hearing other opinions. It seems to me that the second player can easily (taking out the luck factor of having needed cards) just react to whatever first player does through the entire game. If player one plays a high card on a stone player two can match or play higher different color. Then, just continue to react to whatever first player does. Anyone else feel the game needs some mechanic to take away that imbalance?

Yes, going first is not the best as you don't have momentum, i usually just play some cr*p on the sides (or start with 2 cards for a suited run that opponent may not immediately overplay)
There's Schotten Totten 2 if you want some 1p tweaks (like the retreat mechanism),but it's way less smooth.

RuudDog wrote: ↑11 October 2025, 20:34Anyone else feel the game needs some mechanic to take away that imbalance?

Not every game has to be balanced, especially not if it’s 25+ years old and still getting played. Mind you, Schotten Totten is definitely not imbalanced, it just can be a bit volatile occasionally.
Yes, it’s sometimes annoying to have to go first with a crappy hand, but it is what it is and just another reason why playing multiple games in a row makes a lot of sense (preferably in a best-of-x format and not just adding scores).