tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932441.post113830548574928136..comments2023-06-13T06:15:10.688-04:00Comments on WAGS Chronicles II : The WAGSENING: Choo-choo-choosing (Settlers of Catan, Railroad Tycoon)Shemp Duchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143427949411525615noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6932441.post-1138560681273852462006-01-29T13:51:00.000-05:002006-01-29T13:51:00.000-05:00I was stunned at how well Shamus did at both games...I was stunned at how well Shamus did at both games.<BR/><BR/>We had to think a lot about the best "introduction" to German style games for Shamus. I actually thought that "Ticket to Ride" would be a better candidate than Settlers, but Tili thought that two railroad games in an evening would seem repetative to a newcomer unfamiliar with our theming concepts.<BR/><BR/>Settlers is fun to revisit once in a while, but poor rolls can absolutely destroy you if you are unlucky. It's nice and light, and still a decent introductory game, but not a star in my books.<BR/><BR/>Railroad Tycoon is very fresh and interesting, and after three plays, there isn't a distinct sign of repetativeness showing up yet. Certainly there are common strategies, but nothing set in stone.<BR/><BR/>I admit two major mistakes this time around that will certainly inform my strategy in the future - when you draw a Tycoon like Vanderbilt, who must connect New York to... er... I think it's Chicago, or something like that, you must build a line out of New York (or whatever city) as soon as is reasonably possible. Since the connections to New York are limited (three, I believe), this becomes even more critical. Since the large link operations cards from Boston-Washington and New York-Chicago are very dependant upon a link somewhere in the New York vicinity, it can be a lynchpin in strategy to have at least one line out of the city.<BR/><BR/>The second mistake (and I have done this in two of three games thus far) was to not start building track out to the midwest and western cities earlier in the game. It's easy to get caught up in the little deliveries on the east coast, and forget about expanding your network for the later 6, 7 and 8 link deliveries, which become very lucrative in the end game.<BR/><BR/>I'm pleased with this game in that there are seldom occasions where I feel the sense of not being in control of your own destiny (witness resource rolls in Settlers, or various other randomly controlled events or card draws in other games)- the "screwage" I got at the hands of my opponents was mostly avoidable, had I had the foresight to prevent them. Even Luch's end-run around me to Atlanta I might have prevented if I had expanded my network in that region prior to it being a hot-ticket (excuse the pun) item later in the game.<BR/><BR/>Even in Power Grid, another game I enjoy quite a bit, there are times when you feel that the random draws of plants (in certain combinations) more or less made the difference between first and second place.<BR/><BR/>Although the Railroad Operations cards are random, you see all of them that would become available before you start the bidding, and most of them (with a few notable exceptions) aren't things that instantly make or break you. You have to work towards a specific goal, and fufil that goal in good time.<BR/><BR/>...and Shamus -if you're reading this- you're a darn good player.Kozurehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01441385217527761214noreply@blogger.com