I really already know what the answers are that I'm going to get from this topic....but I promised my nephew and his friends I would bring it up.
Is it fair, that a player, say Captain or above join a game with recruits, privates, etc.
In some cases the recuits have a) never played the game or b) haven't played in so long, they forget how to statagize a game.
The end result of these old guys joining the games has been recruit elimination in 7 to 10 rounds.
My nephew and his friends are now disenchanted with the game, and can't wait for the games they are in to end. I've talked them out of deadbeating, but they no longer want to play period.
I can understand their feeling, like a lot of games, experienced players will seek out the new and inexsperienced to pick on. Maybe there should be some games set aside with limits, like introductory games, so new players have the option of joining without fear of being jumped on by those players who go looking for easy games.
I think there could be two options for this.
1. games that can only be joined when you have played less than a set number of games, eg. 10 games or less limit
2. Games where the limit is based on rating, eg 1001 or less only, so that the good players cannot join.
The only downside i see to this is that with a limit on number of games, meaning they are basically for newbies, there is an added risk of deadbeating and players could get bored and think all games end up with half the players timing out.
If they want special priveledges, they buy premium and make private games and do whatever they want. If they whine about the cost or dont like the site then they need to find some other source of amusement.
I have played 700 games and my rank sucks because I really do not strategize too hard and simply play for fun; I also play primarily against higher ranked folks and play singles games...my point is, I do not mind losing too badly but really enjoy the game.
As wicked would so eloquently put it, Suck it up Cupcakes.....;o)
"Gypsy told my fortune...she said that nothin showed...."
Honestly i avoid playing the lower ranks (recruit, private, and sometimes sarg) like the plague when there are 5 of them and one of me. There is a 5 in 6 chance that my score is going to take a big hit, whereas the new recrtuits have nothing to lose and the higher ranks have everything to lose(which new players gun for the higher ranks in my experience).
In the end the cost benefit analysis isnt worth even joining with lower ranked players.
Your nephews should try and play the higher ranks to get a HUGE point boost. Thats what i did when i was a prtivate.
P.s. in no way do i think that because someone is lower that they are inferior. i know many excellent players who are private.
I think you're looking at this the wrong way. When a higher ranked player joins your game, it is an opportunity for you to score a lot more than you would playing against someone of the same rank. By the same token, the higher ranked player is taking more of a risk by playing against lower ranked players. Furthermore, luck is a big element in this game so experience is not necessarily going to be the determining factor in any game.
Back in the days when I had a decent score/rank, I always tried to be sure I was in some games with privates - for me, it was a good way to raise the stakes because I was putting more points on the table than the other players.
I've tried to get them to understand it's a game, not life, just a game to kill time and have fun with. Have a few beers before you play and then just say screw it.
KoolBak, I told them "Take your lumps and live with it, if you can't take it, tuff sh..!"
But, you know the problem with kids these days, they get that gotta win attitude, and when they don't they get pissed off.
If they want special priveledges, they buy premium and make private games and do whatever they want. If they whine about the cost or dont like the site then they need to find some other source of amusement.
I have played 700 games and my rank sucks because I really do not strategize too hard and simply play for fun; I also play primarily against higher ranked folks and play singles games...my point is, I do not mind losing too badly but really enjoy the game.
As wicked would so eloquently put it, Suck it up Cupcakes.....;o)
please join any of my games whenever you want...ill make it as fun as i can if you dont mind losing....lol
I'm Spanking Monkey now....err...I mean I'm a Spanking Monkey now...that shoots milk Too much. I know.
"New Recruits" should only be able to play "New recruits" period. When they play and finish 5 games they can then enter any game they choose and vice versa, any player that has played more than 5 games can't enter into a New Recruits game.
This not only helps new players learn but also stops more experienced 'bad' players capitalizing and being awarded points because a) they're all new recruits but him. b) a new recruit does something unexpected because they don't understand the rules and other players suffer because of it (this is not a win due to skill of the game) - (by unexpected i mean that a player would have done something differently if he/she had know they could.)
I have also noticed too that “New Recruits” tend to join doubles games because they just want to start playing and don't want to have read anything. Well surprise surprise, it's usually well experienced players who reap the points in those games.
New players make mistakes not because there stupid, simply because they don't know or are not familiar with the rules. Most New Recruits DON'T read the rules and DON'T even understand what kind of a game they enter into, (e.g. Terminator, Unlimited Fortifications, No cards, etc). This is simply because Risk the 'board game' doesn't have all these different types of games so they just assume it's like the board game but by this time it's too late and they're already in a game they don't want to be in.
... and you wonder why there are so many deadbeats.
if you make New Recruits Games for New Recruits Only, loads and loads of people will lose interest in the site.
Because instead of the burden of deadbeats being spread around the site, it will fall totally on them. Can you imagine how many New Recrits games will end with half the people (or more) deadbeating?
I think a lot of people who might otherwise learn to like the site would drop off.
Maybe the words Terminator, Freestyle, etc. need to be color coded in the listing. With a little "What's This?" link at the top of each category.
