6 ms·

Settler's is great, but a lot of people will complain it leaves too much to chance. That's actually partly why it remains fun for beginners, and the law of ave

Settler's is great, but a lot of people will complain it leaves too much to chance. That's actually partly why it remains fun for beginners, and the law of averages usually works out for the experienced folks in the end anyway. For those looking for a less random experience, there's Puerto Rico, which is almost entirely deterministic. Agricola showed up on the scene recently and everyone's been raving about it.

LogicHoleFlaw 17y ago
I find generally that the people who most berate the game for it's dependency on chance are the ones who are losing :) Of course, if you're winning, it's all skill!
msluyter 17y ago
For more games like the above, see games ranked according to BGG: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/browse/boardgame http://www.boardgamegeek.com/browse/boardgame
- eru 17y ago
  The Board Game Geeks generally prefer heavier games. That skews the rating somewhat, if you are looking for lighter stuff.
dminor 17y ago
>Settler's is great, but a lot of people will complain it leaves too much to chance. I've noticed this quite a bit in the board game community, which I think is unfortunate. Chess is a great game, but Poker is too. The element of chance not only makes the game more entertaining against a better player, but also disguises the winning strategies so that the game requires deeper thinking to master.
- jacobolus 17y ago
  Poker isn’t really a game of chance, in even remotely the same way that Settlers is. Settlers doesn’t really require much deep thinking to master, or allow particularly hidden strategies.
  - dminor 17y ago
    On the contrary, both games have hidden information and an unknowable optimal strategy. Poker is more challenging because more is hidden, but there are similar underpinnings.
    - jacobolus 17y ago
      Okay, but that’s true for any game that isn’t completely deterministic, for instance, Yahtzee or Guess Who. Poker and settlers are worlds apart in any reasonable comparison though: one is a light-hearted family game in which any player has a reasonable chance of success, and the rules are set up to keep games relatively close feeling, and the other is a ruthless betting game, in which superior players quickly and consistently trounce less experienced opponents (and take all their money), with chance generally only entering substantially in games between players of similar skill.

LogicHoleFlaw 17y ago

I find generally that the people who most berate the game for it's dependency on chance are the ones who are losing :) Of course, if you're winning, it's all skill!

msluyter 17y ago

For more games like the above, see games ranked according to BGG: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/browse/boardgame http://www.boardgamegeek.com/browse/boardgame

eru 17y ago
The Board Game Geeks generally prefer heavier games. That skews the rating somewhat, if you are looking for lighter stuff.

dminor 17y ago

>Settler's is great, but a lot of people will complain it leaves too much to chance. I've noticed this quite a bit in the board game community, which I think is unfortunate. Chess is a great game, but Poker is too. The element of chance not only makes the game more entertaining against a better player, but also disguises the winning strategies so that the game requires deeper thinking to master.

jacobolus 17y ago
Poker isn’t really a game of chance, in even remotely the same way that Settlers is. Settlers doesn’t really require much deep thinking to master, or allow particularly hidden strategies.
- dminor 17y ago
  On the contrary, both games have hidden information and an unknowable optimal strategy. Poker is more challenging because more is hidden, but there are similar underpinnings.
  - jacobolus 17y ago
    Okay, but that’s true for any game that isn’t completely deterministic, for instance, Yahtzee or Guess Who. Poker and settlers are worlds apart in any reasonable comparison though: one is a light-hearted family game in which any player has a reasonable chance of success, and the rules are set up to keep games relatively close feeling, and the other is a ruthless betting game, in which superior players quickly and consistently trounce less experienced opponents (and take all their money), with chance generally only entering substantially in games between players of similar skill.