SpielByWeb

[Wernazuma]

Hi,
when I noticed that Reef Encounter is available here, I jumped to read the rules, but for some reason I just didn't get how the game works. Without actually seeing the bits I lost myself between alga cylinders and larva cubes as I did when following Oliver Stone's JFK plot.

Would it be possible to learn the game better in an introductory game? And, more importantly, is there some kind person here willing to help me a bit?

Thanks,
Wernazuma

[Golux13]

I'm happy to try to help, but (as I noted in another thread) the only way I could figure out the game mechanics was by playing a live game first. No knock on Milksheikh, but the rules here are just confusing as all hell. (I suspect that's because the rules in the game box are confusing if you're not actually looking at the pieces and learning as you play.)

Note: When I say I will try to help, I make no claim to being any good at the game. I just have a handle on how to play it, not how to win it.

[milksheikh]

Go ahead, knock me on this one -- I did a simple copy/paste of the rules, minus the images, for the sake of getting it up there, hoping to go back and clean it up. Which I haven't done...

If anyone wants to volunteer to clean it up, please do -- I'll be tremendously appreciative. Somebody in fact already did, but I can't seem to find the message he/she sent. I'd like to keep it as similar as possible to the rules as printed, just modified as needed to reflect the SpielByWeb interface and with images for the examples.

[shugyosha]

I had the same thing, but after two games and a couple of nice helpful players, I feel at least I can play the game without embarrassing myself.

Just create a game, make it clear you are a beginner and go from there.

[GuruMoonweed]

Just so you know - the rules with the gme are terrible. It took me 4 reads to even vaguely understand it. I have to say that the controlled way in which this website takes you through legal moves is brilliant - now all teh mistakes are my own.

[7inchsplit]

Indeed, the rule book is terrible - it first lengthily discusses each and every possible action you can take (there are 9) without touching on the purpose of any of it. My suggestion would be to organize the rules like so:

- Gestalt
- Shrimps/Corals (note their relationship, but emphasize the neutraily of corals)
- Laying polyps and consuming polyps
- Polyp relationships (rock-paper-scissors) and the alga cylinders
- What you can do with consumed polyps
- Eating a coral
- Scoring
- The finer points:
--- Diversity
--- The need to get consumed polyps and how difficult it can be to get them
--- Chains
--- The shifting values of coral colors over a game
--- Watching your opponents diet - how fast they eat and what they eat

[gische]

Is a year + one day the longest gap between posts in a thread?

Anyway, I think we all agree that the rulebook for Reef Encounter is about as obtuse as they get. But I think we also can agree that we'd rather the site administrators spend their valuable free time creating more games rather than improving existing rule books.

Having said that, if some enterprising squeaky wheel wanted to write an updated version of the rules, I am sure the effort would be appreciated...

[stargate]

[7inchsplit]

Darn! That's the real reason I posted