tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13530609.post6010637617041526346..comments2023-06-28T06:49:14.863-07:00Comments on A Boy Named Dug: Salishan 2008 Gaming Retreat, Part 3Dughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08827175240352968894noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13530609.post-80476700567042512452008-12-08T13:29:00.000-08:002008-12-08T13:29:00.000-08:00I think that the easiest way to teach this game is...I think that the easiest way to teach this game is to dive right into it. Discuss the parts of the various planets, and a brief discussion of the victory conditions. Set it up in a relatively fair manner (or have a preset layout of planets, if you can do it), then preset each player's activity tokens for the first turn, assuming all will do the usual Build/Move to adjacent planet, Research, and Build new base on new planet first move. That way you demonstrate how the various actions work. In general how you upgrade your bases will depend in part upon what resources you have access to, but you can do that on the fly. You can also discuss the event cards that everyone has. Best for the teacher to be the start player in a game like this, although I suspect that being first on the first turn has a bit of an advantage if you don't mind maybe not getting the best resourced or situated expansion planet.<BR/><BR/>For the second turn, you can talk a bit about how combat works, but ignoring most of the details and focusing on average strength and the idea of support units. Then you let players Plan as they would normally, but reminding people of how that process works (first in, last out) and perhaps demonstrating why you'd do it in a particular order. You are likely to get in at least one round of combat, but if not that's not a problem. <BR/><BR/>For the third turn, you can start discussing the victory conditions again as a reminder, perhaps some of the more esoteric elements as they come up, etc. If you're thinking about restarting the game at this point, I'd recommend making sure that everyone had gotten a chance to at least try to take an enemy held area so that they've seen how combat works in person and get a better sense of how to sequence your orders. <BR/><BR/>There's also something to be said for going through the rules and looking for the corner cases, then collecting them so that you don't have to constantly look them up. For example, the Stage is based on the current top card of the Event deck, not what card has been drawn. You reshuffle your combat deck when the deck runs out rather than when you need to draw a card from an empty deck. The rulebook is so big and ill-organized that it's better to try to nail those things down ahead of time, then note the new things you find during the game for next time. <BR/><BR/>Like most games, you really need to have had to do the 'splainin' once before a more effective plan comes to mind, and that's only more true with a complex game like Starcraft than with lighter games. <BR/><BR/>I have totally gotten over having to justify a $70 game purchase! Example: Tide of Iron. I knew that was a dog after the first play. Dust is another example - too much samey samey with other MPSGs and not enough to fix the problems. Perhaps the best part of Starcraft is the scalability to fewer players, where as most MPSGs require a full compliment to balance the game properly. Regardless, I'm happy to see, nearly a year after I bought it, that there's a game there. Yay!Dughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08827175240352968894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13530609.post-21428449364534707682008-12-08T11:26:00.000-08:002008-12-08T11:26:00.000-08:00I'd love to see your streamlined Starcraft explana...I'd love to see your streamlined Starcraft explanation. It isn't easy trying to teach someone those rules!Jonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01248905587983891548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13530609.post-79523720100817567102008-12-08T08:26:00.000-08:002008-12-08T08:26:00.000-08:00"To Chris' great disgust, we ended up tying for th..."To Chris' great disgust, we ended up tying for the win."<BR/><BR/>Sounds like a great game. I don't have the rules in front of me but I think there should have been a tie breaker with the person having the least amount of turns as the winner. This happened to Ian and I a week ago and he had gone first, so I won!mudrashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01870234422658625656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13530609.post-53056616469223523782008-12-08T08:17:00.000-08:002008-12-08T08:17:00.000-08:00"Dominion, a game that uses the best elements..."Dominion, a game that uses the best elements of CCGs"<BR/><BR/>Now you're just baiting me. I'll deliver the rebuttal in person.<BR/><BR/>"[Starcraft] is much better than [TI3 & A&A] for a couple of reasons"<BR/><BR/>You forgot "because I have to justify my $70 purchase". ;> It goes w/o saying that I'll eagerly play this any time...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com