So I've run into this weird thing recently. I've played several games of both Ark Nova and Terraforming Mars this past week, which are games that are often compared to one another. I love both, and I can comfortably say both are in my top 10 favorite board games of all time. Yes, I need to get around to updating my list, but that is a constant need. (Most recent publicized version can be found here)
An interesting difference between the two is their win conditions. Ark Nova's end triggers once one player's score gets high enough (slightly simplified, but that's the base idea). Terraforming Mars end triggers once all the global parameters are complete.
The important difference between the two is it being an individual vs a group thing. Ark Nova ends once one person, completely separate from everyone else, does something (it's effectively a race). Terraforming Mars ends once we've all collectively finished terraforming Mars.
I've discovered that I'm not a fan of race win-cons.
I think the main reason that drives this is because it makes me feel bad for winning. I am prematurely cutting off other people's wonderful thing they have going on, and if I hadn't been there, they would still be having fun building up their stuff.
I've seen this happen several times in Viticulture as well. I play with a new player or something, and I win so quickly that they were just getting things up and running -- they were just about to see the fruits of this engine they've been building up and I cut them off, and I don't like how that makes me feel. It makes me feel that if I had not been playing, they would have had more fun.
Especially in a game like Ark Nova, which is so solitaire with little to no interaction, ending the game when other people are just seeing success is not a feels-good moment.
Perhaps in closer games, the race win-con is more fun than the normal "end-after-n-rounds" etc., but idk. When it's not close, it just feels bad. I don't want to feel bad for playing my best.
No comments:
Post a Comment