bid there won that

Monday, September 11, 2006

Blue Moon City


I've played Blue Moon City about six times in the last two weeks. I do enjoy the game (obviously), but I do have a concern about player order. It seems to me that the first player has a significant advantage over the last player. The first player will always have as many moves as the last player, and possibly more. Given the nature of the game-ending conditions, this seems like A BAD THING. Also, the first spaces on the obelisk are cheaper, meaning the first player has the opportunity to snap them up first at a better price -- all else being equal.In my six games, the first player didn't always win, but I'd say it happened a majority of the time, with the last player having the worst odds. If players know about this issue, then they can possibly self-balance by not cooperating with the first player as much, but this tactic presumes that there *is* a balance issue, and one that's not at all obvious. You'd think Knizia would have addressed it somehow. We thought it might be interesting to offer more cards to start the game the further you were from start. Perhaps. 8 for the start player, 9 for second, 10 for third, and 11 for fourth. This idea is not tested, however.

1 Comments:

  • At 7:59 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Stephen, I think the first-player advantage in moving is somewhat balanced by the later players being able to swoop in, finish off a building unexpectedly and claim the big prize.

    In my most recent playing, I moved to the tile with the four wild blocks and claimed the lowest two on my first turn, thinking that no one else would be able to afford the 5 and 4 so early in the game. The second player came right in, finished the file, and I was down lots of cards with little to show for it.

    Maybe I just played like a doofus, but that game taught me a little bit about turn order in BMC.

     

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