4 ms·
> Nobody else around the table is going to know the game better than him, and hence, there really isn't much sport in bringing your Dominion box out and suggest
by gwd 6y ago
> Nobody else around the table is going to know the game better than him, and hence, there really isn't much sport in bringing your Dominion box out and suggesting we play. This reviewer is perfectly proud of the fact that a newbie doesn't stand a chance against a veteran player.
That's basically true for any game where there's a wide range of possible skill levels. The question is -- how much fun is it, as a beginner, to play against an expert, knowing that you're probably not going to win?
Most games like this (chess, Starcraft, etc), it's not fun at all: the core strategy is to damage your opponent's ability to play and execute their strategy.
Losing in Dominion isn't nearly so bad. A beginner can look at the cards, form a strategy, and see their deck beginning to start to work (or see that it doesn't work) before the game ends. That means you can still try things and have a sense of satisfaction, even if you end up losing.
If you're the competitive type who can't have fun if you're not going to win, then sure, playing someone at a much higher skill level isn't going to work. But lots of people don't mind losing if the process isn't crushing / humiliating like chess, and in those situations, Dominion is a pretty good game. I know a couple where the husband is really into board games, and the wife thinks games are kind of fun but not super-serious; Dominion is one of their go-to games, because he can minmax to his hearts content while still making it fun for her.
- superhuzza 6y ago>That's basically true for any game where there's a wide range of possible skill levels. In the last few years I've gotten a lot of enjoyment out of collaborative board games. 5 Minute Dungeon is more fun than it has any right to be. My family really enjoyed Pandemic. Haven't tried Gloomhaven but it seems fun as well. Then there's the whole style of DnD types games, even if they're a bit different.
- ocdtrekkie 6y agoI think my comment here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25549645 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25549645 explains why I find Dominion uniquely terrible to play with mismatched skill levels, beyond just the "no chance of winning" aspect. In video games, we call this "snowballing", where once you or your team is losing, the power differential continues to grow, to the point it's not fun. This can happen in MOBAs where teams level, and get more powerful each time they do... the larger the level differential, the less fun the game is for all involved. As soon as the losing team has no chance to recover, there's not much reason for them to continue playing... And the lack of challenge usually gives the winning players or team an unsatisfactory game too, there's no challenge. In games with a mechanic that snowballs, generally, the game developers try to tune it out, ensuring that players and teams stay within a one or two level margin... a margin that the losing team at least stands a chance of recovering from. Dominion is not just a game with a snowball effect, but one that does not remotely try to curb it.