Comments on: Essence of Euro-style games

By: Mikko Saari

Mikko Saari — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 18:14:20 +0000

I don’t consider Elasund flawed, I was just speaking in general terms. I have never played it, so I can’t really tell. I understood it’s not a common problem, though.
Still, my friend doesn’t like destructive elements in games and that one thing really irritated him, so there’s definitely a destructive element in Elasund.

By: Larry Levy

Larry Levy — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 18:08:53 +0000

Mikko, I think it’s theoretically possible, but not really a concern. Usually, previously constructed buildings can only be destroyed if a larger building is built, so there’s a limit to how long you can keep knocking players back. If you spend Influence cards, you can wipe out a building with a same-sized building, so that’s where the theoretical endless game can come from. But this is expensive and just doesn’t happen; someone will place their tenth cube sometime, if only by building things which can’t be destroyed (city walls and Church tiles). This may not change your opinion of the game, but it truly isn’t a problem. As my friend Stven Carlberg said when someone mentioned that a game could theoretically go on forever, “You know, I’ve never seen that happen!

By: Mikko Saari

Mikko Saari — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 15:10:50 +0000

And — to kind of prove my point — that was exactly what bugged my friend in Elasund to such degree that he suggested some limitations to building over other players’ buildings.
If something like that is possible in a game, the game is flawed in my opinion.

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 15:06:46 +0000

In Elasund, you can build over another player’s buildings to reduce their VP. Theoretically, two players could spend all their time knocking down & re-building the same buildings without progressing the game.

By: Mikko Saari

Mikko Saari — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 13:30:54 +0000

Tigris & Euphrates is different: there’s no personal property as such, and every war moves the game further towards the end (as it makes the tiles end faster). It’s a driving force in the game, not something that slows down the game.

By: pitris

pitris — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 12:00:16 +0000

There are some euros where you can tear down your opponents. Euphrat & Tigris and almost all of Martin Wallace’s designs are some examples…