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The Board Game of the Alpha Nerds (2014)
21–30 of 74 posts
Re: The Board Game of the Alpha Nerds (2014)
#22I have this game but I've never been able to play, because I've never been able to find willing players. One day...
Re: The Board Game of the Alpha Nerds (2014)
#23This is a trip down memory lane. Back at HuskyCon 2009 I was on a board with Brian Ecton. When it was my turn to read orders, he stepped away from the board for a smoke. Since he was gone I made up new orders for his fleets. Boy was he livid when he got back. Unfortunately it seems like the face to face hobby is aging out. The last decade has seen several luminaries of Diplomacy retire from the game or pass away.
We had lots of people under 30 at WDC this weekend - including two high school students and one pre-teen (who is ... really good at handling both the complexity and the stress). Don't age us out yet!
Re: The Board Game of the Alpha Nerds (2014)
#24What's interesting is how the macro-cooperation game gets completely ignored by so many people when they play a game like this. If you're never going to interact with someone again, then betrayal has no long term consequences, but if it's someone you plan to continue a relationship with in real life, then betrayal, even if it's "just a game", will damage that relationship, possibly terminally so. It's almost like our…
> if it's someone you plan to continue a relationship with in real life, then betrayal, even if it's "just a game", will damage that relationship, possibly terminally so. Do you also hold it against someone in real life, if they bluff you while playing poker? What you're saying might be true as a descriptive statement - many people can't separate gameplay from reality. But betrayal is a key mechanic that's designed i…
revealing your ability to be explicitly socially deceptive and manipulative can really undermine other peoples' real-life trust in you, especially if they notice you're particularly good at it
Re: The Board Game of the Alpha Nerds (2014)
#25How long does a game of diplomacy usually last? Does someone often win?
We play using a "central timing clock" for the games at WDC - 45 boards over three days (Friday 9am Friday 5:30 / Sat 9am / 5:30pm / Sun 9:30 am) - and they keep the games moving very nicely. 34 minutes per game year, with adjustments being done on the clock. We had one game go to 1916, but most games are done in less than 6 hours.
We've had two solo wins over the 36 boards played so far.
Re: The Board Game of the Alpha Nerds (2014)
#26I absolutely loved this game in high school. It’s very special, in that it’s primary mechanic is real world relationships placed into a tactical context. The downside is that it pulls real world relationships into a simulated zero-sum environment where the game ends but the relationships persist. I’ve never played any game quite like it. Unfortunately, I can’t think of a situation in which I would ever play it again,…
Did you try to set up a few axioms for the environment beforehand to try and contain actions within the context of the game? I always envisioned declaring a group objective of betrayal so that someone doesn't try to come in with preconceived tactics based and bonded on real world relationships.
"We're all here to win, so let's screw each other over and see who can be the most selfish"
Re: The Board Game of the Alpha Nerds (2014)
#27I college, I'd do 18 player games on a world map. Definitely changed your impression of people, particularly when you'd only vaguely know them otherwise - but it also got you into long-term close contact (these games were a turn a week, and would last for ~18 months before a winner was obvious).
Which variant map did you play? I have seen a few world maps but hard to see the potential balance issues without playing a few rounds…
Re: The Board Game of the Alpha Nerds (2014)
#28I absolutely loved this game in high school. It’s very special, in that it’s primary mechanic is real world relationships placed into a tactical context. The downside is that it pulls real world relationships into a simulated zero-sum environment where the game ends but the relationships persist. I’ve never played any game quite like it. Unfortunately, I can’t think of a situation in which I would ever play it again,…
Same for me with monopoly. Monopoly doesn't have backstabbing that much, but certainly has alliances and some people already don't take too well to other people cooperating without them.
Re: The Board Game of the Alpha Nerds (2014)
#29I absolutely loved this game in high school. It’s very special, in that it’s primary mechanic is real world relationships placed into a tactical context. The downside is that it pulls real world relationships into a simulated zero-sum environment where the game ends but the relationships persist. I’ve never played any game quite like it. Unfortunately, I can’t think of a situation in which I would ever play it again,…
I've been brutally betrayed twice in Diplomacy. I'm still good friends with those people. It's only a game. If you can't separate player's behavior in the context of a game with who they are outside of it, then maybe board games is not the hobby for you, or at least not social/negotiation board games, which are very common in recent years.
Re: The Board Game of the Alpha Nerds (2014)
#30This is a trip down memory lane. Back at HuskyCon 2009 I was on a board with Brian Ecton. When it was my turn to read orders, he stepped away from the board for a smoke. Since he was gone I made up new orders for his fleets. Boy was he livid when he got back. Unfortunately it seems like the face to face hobby is aging out. The last decade has seen several luminaries of Diplomacy retire from the game or pass away.
> Since he was gone I made up new orders for his fleets.
How does that work?