Strategy - The Thoughtful Gamer https://thethoughtfulgamer.com Board Game Reviews, Analysis, and Strategy Sun, 07 Feb 2021 08:26:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/cropped-TTGlogoWHITELETTERS-5-32x32.png Strategy - The Thoughtful Gamer https://thethoughtfulgamer.com 32 32 124167274 5 Strategy Tips for Lost Cities https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2021/02/07/5-strategy-tips-for-lost-cities/ https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2021/02/07/5-strategy-tips-for-lost-cities/#comments Sun, 07 Feb 2021 08:26:02 +0000 http://thethoughtfulgamer.com/?p=2859 Lost Cities is a perfect example of Knizian elegance. It calls to mind a sort of dance or duet as opponents tip-toe around giving each other aid while trying to hold on as long as possible before cashing in points. I’ve found it perhaps a bit too mesmerizing as an “in between meetings” diversion over …

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The post 5 Strategy Tips for Lost Cities appeared first on The Thoughtful Gamer.]]> https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2021/02/07/5-strategy-tips-for-lost-cities/feed/ 2 2859 Analyzing the Wonders in 7 Wonders https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2020/05/09/analyzing-the-wonders-in-7-wonders/ https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2020/05/09/analyzing-the-wonders-in-7-wonders/#comments Sat, 09 May 2020 21:53:15 +0000 http://thethoughtfulgamer.com/?p=2699 The delightful variability the titular wonders bring in 7 Wonders is one of the most fun aspects of the game. I specifically remember the first time I played 7 Wonders at a friend’s house. It was one of the first modern board games I ever played and I was mesmerized at the possibilities. I exclaimed …

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The post Analyzing the Wonders in 7 Wonders appeared first on The Thoughtful Gamer.]]> https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2020/05/09/analyzing-the-wonders-in-7-wonders/feed/ 5 2699 10 Strategy Tips For 7 Wonders https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2020/05/05/10-strategy-tips-for-7-wonders/ https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2020/05/05/10-strategy-tips-for-7-wonders/#comments Tue, 05 May 2020 22:22:23 +0000 http://thethoughtfulgamer.com/?p=2691 As of the time of writing this I’ve cracked the top 100 on Board Game Arena’s 7 Wonders rankings. I don’t know why I felt the need to grind out that accomplishment before writing this, but we live in uncertain times and I’m not about to question my impulses too deeply. Nonetheless I’ve played a …

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The post 10 Strategy Tips For 7 Wonders appeared first on The Thoughtful Gamer.]]> https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2020/05/05/10-strategy-tips-for-7-wonders/feed/ 7 2691 Games Outside Of Games: Policy Debate https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2019/09/07/games-outside-of-games-policy-debate/ https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2019/09/07/games-outside-of-games-policy-debate/#respond Sat, 07 Sep 2019 21:04:14 +0000 http://thethoughtfulgamer.com/?p=2119 A few weeks ago I wrapped up a week-long debate camp for high school students. I’ve probably coached at 10 or so of these kinds of camps over the years, and this one was a highlight. One thing I tried to emphasize this year was the role of strategy in debate, as I noticed it …

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The post Games Outside Of Games: Policy Debate appeared first on The Thoughtful Gamer.]]> https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2019/09/07/games-outside-of-games-policy-debate/feed/ 0 2119 7 Strategy Tips For Spirit Island https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2019/05/15/7-strategy-tips-for-spirit-island/ https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2019/05/15/7-strategy-tips-for-spirit-island/#comments Wed, 15 May 2019 06:26:30 +0000 http://thethoughtfulgamer.com/?p=2013 My first play of Spirit Island was a bloodbath. We were all new to the game, trying to wrangle these temperamental spirits while invaders poured in like water in a bath. No matter what we did we felt like we were a step behind. Soon blight covered the island. Looking back, it’s a bit amusing …

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The post 7 Strategy Tips For Spirit Island appeared first on The Thoughtful Gamer.]]> https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2019/05/15/7-strategy-tips-for-spirit-island/feed/ 6 2013 Anatomy Of A Deck: Sunny v1.0 https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2018/06/16/anatomy-of-a-deck-sunny-v1-0/ https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2018/06/16/anatomy-of-a-deck-sunny-v1-0/#respond Sat, 16 Jun 2018 21:11:23 +0000 http://thethoughtfulgamer.com/?p=1482 The news that Netrunner is going to be cancelled was kind of a blow to me. Fantasy Flight had just released the new core set. We were getting a new deluxe expansion, and the Kitara cycle had resulted in the most balanced, interesting meta I’d ever seen in the game. But apparently the license from …

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The post Anatomy Of A Deck: Sunny v1.0 appeared first on The Thoughtful Gamer.]]> https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2018/06/16/anatomy-of-a-deck-sunny-v1-0/feed/ 0 1482 The One Question You Should Ask After Every Game https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2018/04/17/the-one-question-you-should-ask-after-every-game/ https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2018/04/17/the-one-question-you-should-ask-after-every-game/#respond Tue, 17 Apr 2018 22:23:24 +0000 http://thethoughtfulgamer.com/?p=1353 I am truly blessed with a great group of friends to play games with. If you listen to The Thoughtful Gamer podcast, you’ve heard from pretty much all of them. Frequently after playing games we’ll have an informal debrief of sorts where we discuss the game and our strategies and why or why not they …

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The post The One Question You Should Ask After Every Game appeared first on The Thoughtful Gamer.]]> https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2018/04/17/the-one-question-you-should-ask-after-every-game/feed/ 0 1353 10 Strategy Tips For Dominion https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2017/10/22/10-strategy-tips-dominion/ https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2017/10/22/10-strategy-tips-dominion/#comments Sun, 22 Oct 2017 23:13:00 +0000 http://thethoughtfulgamer.com/?p=1041 Writing a strategy guide for Dominion is hard. The modular nature of the game and the fact that there are now hundreds of different kingdom cards means that a strategy guide can quickly turn into a guide of how to use specific cards in specific ways. Not so much strategy as memorization. There’s nothing wrong …

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The post 10 Strategy Tips For Dominion appeared first on The Thoughtful Gamer.]]> https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2017/10/22/10-strategy-tips-dominion/feed/ 13 1041 Anatomy Of A Netrunner Deck: Titan Fast Advance https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2017/07/31/anatomy-netrunner-deck-titan-fast-advance/ https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2017/07/31/anatomy-netrunner-deck-titan-fast-advance/#respond Mon, 31 Jul 2017 22:07:21 +0000 http://thethoughtfulgamer.com/?p=795 I drove over to Connecticut on Saturday to compete in my second and final Regionals for the season and had a great time as always. I say this a lot, but the people who play Netrunner, in my experience, are universally friendly and great to compete against. I always hear bad things about different competitive …

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The post Anatomy Of A Netrunner Deck: Titan Fast Advance appeared first on The Thoughtful Gamer.]]> https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2017/07/31/anatomy-netrunner-deck-titan-fast-advance/feed/ 0 795 Satisficing https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2017/07/25/satisficing/ https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2017/07/25/satisficing/#respond Tue, 25 Jul 2017 21:04:19 +0000 http://thethoughtfulgamer.com/?p=774 If you’ve taken an economics 101 class you probably know the idea–the ‘homo economicus’ rational being that pursues their own self interest and makes economic models neat and tidy. It’s the frictionless flat surface of economics. It helps us understand very broad, general concepts of economic behavior, since people are generally self-interested and generally rational. …

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