tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4233750478881985931.post4958074174970071698..comments2013-04-03T22:53:17.516-07:00Comments on The Most Victory Points: Dungeon Lords Game ReviewPhoenickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11950261687959728860noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4233750478881985931.post-19358850271987194552013-01-05T12:27:07.538-08:002013-01-05T12:27:07.538-08:00Hey Ben!
Great comment, and a thoroughly valid cr...Hey Ben!<br /><br />Great comment, and a thoroughly valid criticism. Your right that my anecdote is maybe not the best for displaying my point about why I rate the strategy low in this game. I feel like I'm rarely making complex choices in this game (if tax day hasnt happened, dont build tunnels) so the choosing order selection for me is almost always a choice of 3 amongst 4 options, and if you assess the other players, it often comes down to that as well. <br />I think the main reason that I rated the strategy as low is because I don't really feel like making the best dungeon choices correlates with winning the game. Maye you are right that it is more of a flavor criticism, but I have felt like the game scoring mechanic at the end could do a better job of reflecting (what I see to be) as the main goal of the game: killing heroes with your dungeon.<br />You are, ultimately, right in saying that my criticism of the strategy was a bit too harsh. For some reason, I view Dungeon Lords as a strategically light game and it was pretty difficult for me to words to it. Thanks for calling me out and thanks for reading!Phoenickshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11950261687959728860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4233750478881985931.post-24094919941226058052013-01-04T23:52:38.964-08:002013-01-04T23:52:38.964-08:00Disclaimer: I have played *part* of a Dungeon Lord...Disclaimer: I have played *part* of a Dungeon Lords game *once*. We weren't able to finish the game because none of us had ever played before so it was a learning experience for everyone.<br /><br />I find your rationale for giving this game such a low strategy ranking confusing. Your anecdote is that you got unlucky early on, recognized your only hope of victory was to go for as many titles as you could, and played the rest of the game with an eye on that, and then you won. To me, that sounds like you were in a tight situation, came up with a strategy, executed the plan, and won as a result. That makes the game sound strategic to me. The fact that you didn't lose because you got unlucky/made some bad calls early on is a plus. <br /><br />It seems like your real beef isn't with the strategy of the game, it's with the thematic integration of the scoring, which is ironic because you gave the game a full 5/5 for theme (which I agreed with by the way). If it makes you feel any better, recall what the scoring system represents thematically - it's a Ministry of Dungeons bureaucrat coming in and assessing your Dungeon. The Ministry isn't some gleaming gem of bureaucratic efficiency mind you, it's a bloated, corrupt, self-serving monstrosity reminiscent of the Soviet Bloc Vlaada grew up with. So why should "the best dungeon" as you see it be rewarded. The Ministry inspector has boxes to check, you've got lots of tunnels, good for you! Never mind that they go nowhere and you only dug them to get the box checked.<br /><br />I also want to point out another strategic element that you didn't mention. After our partial game we debriefed a bit and talked about how there's this worker placement game that involves you creating a fiendish little puzzle for yourself that you then have to solve optimally. This by itself makes Dungeon Lords unique. Add on the secret, simultaneous order selection and you have a couple of really interesting dynamics. What you didn't mention strategy-wise that I think is important is not just getting inside your opponent's heads to play around them, but finding ways to screw with their puzzle. Unexpectedly lowering (or raising) your position on the evil-meter for example might throw-off which adventurer ends up in your opponents' dungeon. Maybe you can recognize that another player is short on monsters (or ghosts) and picking up an extra one just to leave them without or with one that won't help them is another layer.<br /><br />Like I said though, I haven't even played a full game of this yet.Ben Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13541920895586558809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4233750478881985931.post-84603501804167298362012-12-17T10:15:29.034-08:002012-12-17T10:15:29.034-08:00I think the real question is when we will get a re...I think the real question is when we will get a review of Flying Pyramids, the best board game ever!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05118773362690340855noreply@blogger.com