Session - KFCgamers S03E01.5 (7 Wonders [PB], Harbour [PB])

25th March 2016 (Tuesday)

Game(s) Played:

Our next planned session is actually supposed to be taking place way down the road in May, as I have a short term thing happening on Saturdays until then. However I do intend to do some non-Saturday closed sessions every now and then that are by invitation only, which I originally did not intend to blog about, but here I am.

The main reason I did not intend to blog about these closed sessions is because I wanted to focus on being a boardgamer and enjoy myself for the evening, as opposed to being a boardgame blogger taking photos, diligently recording scores and making notes for the blog later. So what changed my mind?

Whilst contemplating whether I should put up a post about our session, an idea came into my head to incorporate "Things I Learned Whilst Playing..." into my session reports. I’ve seen many boardgame reviews, let's plays, session reports but rarely have I seen videos or blogs with tips & tricks to a specific game that seem so prevalent among PC & Console games.

Maybe boardgame enthusiasts have been stuck in evangelism mode for so long that we've never crossed over into ways to being a better boardgamer. This is not to say that I am an expert at any one of the games I will be covering (a quick look at my win ratio would dispel that notion), but I just thought I would like to share some tips to my choices on my turns and how they contribute to both my wins & losses at games.

Consider this the beta launch of the new template for my content – "Play Better".

Session – 7 Wonders

7 Wonders may or may not have been the pioneer of "boardgames that are strategic, thought provoking and fun that can be played in 45 mins and accommodates 7 Players without significantly increasing playtime" but it certainly became famous for it.

Player(s):

TIP #1 – Remember Your Bonuses (Mark Them)

When you're deep in the zone, it is easy to forget bonuses & special powers that you have. As an example, I was playing as the Alexandria civilization and totally forgot my resource bonus throughout the entire game, handing out my coins for resources to my neighbours as charity. I think Sean who was playing Olympia also forgot his "build for free each age" power as well.

An easy way to never forget these things is to put a small marker (like a coin) on your bonuses and to check through them at the beginning of each of your turns.

TIP #2 – Count Your Points (Including Coins)

When choosing a card to play (particularly Age 2 onwards), compare the points each card would give you. This seems like a given since the points are usually stated on the card itself but Players often forget that you get 1 point for every 3 coins as well. Any coins you need to pay for resources to build the card need to be taken into account as a reduction of points as well. The above Arena is a good example where the points gained are not as clear cut as it seems.

TIP #3 – You Don’t Need To Be Mean But Always Consider It

Even when you pull the best card for your given situation, you should always be aware if you will be passing the best card for your opponent's situation to him as a result. More often than not, I would prioritize my own points over my opponents' because being mean to all your opponents at the same time is going to come at the cost of your own progress and most likely your chances of victory as well.

You should always bear in mind Situation (1) & (2) as per the above picture to see which cards are safe to be passed on. But in a situation where, for example your best card nets your +4 points but you end up passing your opponent a card that gives him +7 points, it may be in your overall interest to burn that card and deny it to your opponent. You would want to avoid Players getting the above combination of cards for example which I surprisingly managed to get this round.

Time Taken: 45 minutes

Results Of Game(s)
Justin = 56 Points (Winnah)
Sean = 53 Points
Gideon = 46 Points

Session – Harbour

Harbour feels like Le Havre compressed, streamlined and repainted with a comedic fantasy theme. What's not to love?

Player(s):

TIP #1 – Play To Your Character’s Strengths

With so many characters in Harbour it is hard to definitively say if there are any OP characters amongst the myriad of characters available in the game but what is more important than an OP character is playing to your character's strengths.

Because the game ends one turn after a Player builds his fifth building, it is more advantageous to build to your strengths as opposed to shoring up your weak points in Harbour. So if you start with a building discount bonus, you should try to get more and steamroll your way from there. Or if you have an anchor bonus, monopolize the production with anchor buildings. Cumulative bonuses beyond the second bonus give amazing returns per turn and should definitely not be sneezed at.

Case in point per the above image where Moses was playing the Efficiency Expert which gives the ability to gain goods even during a building action where other Players would have to lose a turn of gaining goods to build a building. Instead of focusing on continuously accumulating goods to fast build, he spent too many turns manipulating the market to no effect. Which brings us to the next tip.

TIP #2 – It Is The Net Effect That Counts

There are all sorts of building cards with varying production powers but what really matters is how many additional resources you gain as a result of using the building. You should really focus on buildings that give you net +2 resources, even if the building's power is simply +1 resource A & +1 resource B. Naturally, if you use another Player's building, that's a -1 to the net result unless you have the Top Hat power of course.

TIP #3 – Anticipate The Market

Like in real life, not the easiest thing to do. But instead of watching the market, watch the Players instead. It is usually easier to tell which Player is going to be the next to build a building then stock up on the appropriate goods based on the goods this Player is likely to sell. You can always manipulate the market to boost the value of your goods but if the manipulation power does not come with a build power in the same card, you might be better off not losing a turn to create more goods.

Time Taken: 115 minutes

Results Of Game(s)
Sean – 35 Points (Winnah)
Justin – 30 Points
Gideon – 28 Points
Moses – 24 Points

I decided to start with 3 simpler tips for each game. Hopefully these are beneficial for those looking to play the game for the first time and understand the rules but are unsure as to how to proceed on their turns.

Until next time, keep calm and play better.