Goodbye Race For The Galaxy... Hello Settlers Of Catan Card Game & Expansion!

Courtesy of Stephanie K. @ BGG

The inevitable happened... I traded away Race for the Galaxy. In all honesty, the game grew on me more than I anticipated after my first couple of plays but ultimately its lack of success with the wife did it in. Van is my most frequent gaming partner so if she hates the game so much that she more or less refuses to play it, there isn't much use keeping it around even if it is an 8 in my book.

While I could always play it with others, the problem about RftG is it is terribly unfriendly to newbies. It takes at least 3-4 games for someone to get familiar with the symbols and even that's not a guarantee. It's basically a turn-off for casual and non-gamers due to not just the complexity of the symbols but also the various card powers. The learning curve is simply to steep for one to adequately familiarize himself or herself with the cards to be able to execute combos meaningfully.

Furthermore, while I like the game with 3 and especially 4, I find the 2 player game somewhat flawed due to a overly dominant Produce - Consume 2xVP strategy as highlighted in my previous post.

The fact that I had a better alternative drove the final nail into the coffin. Why play RftG when Glory to Rome trumps it on almost all accounts, at least in my opinion. While the quick play time is often viewed as a boon by others, I find that it leaves me somewhat unsatisfied. Glory to Rome plays in a comfortable time with far more interesting mechanics and combos, plus I prefer playing it regardless of the number of players. While the games don't play all that similarly, they are sufficiently in the same vein for me to pick one over the other for my collection.

The game I got in return was the Catan Card Game with expansions. While admittedly less flexible due to it being a mere 2 player game, it was one I had in view for some time. 2 player games are always a risk because if Van fails to give her seal her approval, the game is clearly headed for the cold storage. However, I am hopeful because the boardgame variant is one of Van's favourite games and I'm sure she'll take to the theme unlike that of RftG.

The game also seems sufficiently deep for me to enjoy and the CCG elements are an added appeal. I have heard the much touted tournament variant requires two sets of the card game plus expansion which I'm unfortunately to fork the dough for. Hopefully, the standard game will not disappoint but if all things fail, the small deck tournament rules may be the saving grace. Aka Datang!

Musings on Race for the Galaxy

Race for the Galaxy or RftG for short is one of the games I like quite a bit yet have issues with. It is highly rated on the geek (no.8 at present) and dubbed by many as the answer to a game that's quick yet deep. I agree with those views and for someone who has never tried a traditional CCG, really enjoy the pseudo CCG elements of various card combinations. 

However, Van really dislikes the game. We have played almost 20 times and part of me secretly hoped it would grow on her as she got past the steep learning curve but in vain. The space theme unfortunately doesn't appeal to her (no surprise there I suppose) but what really puts her off is the lack of interaction between players. The interaction in RftG has been termed as subtle in the geek forums and from experience, Van has surprisingly enjoyed games with more direct confrontation.

Additionally, it does not help that most of our plays have been 2-player games. I personally still like the game for its depth and length and currently rate it a 8 but some issues nonetheless linger:

1. Feels like multiplayer solitaire - like my wife, I prefer more direct interaction. Little incentive to keep a close eye on opponent's cards. 

2. Game length is a double edged sword - Quick games allow more plays but I can't help feeling at times that it comes across too short for a game of such depth. I recognize it's called RACE for the Galaxy but it doesn't help that I still often feel unsatisfied at the end of games because of it. 

3. Steep learning curve - tough to get casual players into the game and for them to be even somewhat competitive. As such, it's often only a legitimate option for regular game partners. 

4. Card draws can occasionally determine the outcome of games. I like a degree of luck in games but not to the extent when you just watch your opponent run away with the game. 

5. Playing according to cards obtained sometimes lead to mechanical choices. Consume - 2x VP / Produce is the dominant strategy for the 2-player game and once a few production worlds and consume powers are established, the game plays itself.

Admittedly, some of these issues are minimized with 3 or 4 players. But with the steep learning curve and my wife increasingly reluctant to play the game, it has been hard bringing the game to the table, much less with more than 2 players. I contemplated selling the game off at a both but I figured it fills a nice niche in my collection, and at the moment I still enjoy enough to want to own a copy.