by AJEddy
Jesselargent81 wrote:
Let me start out by saying I am trying to think of a approach for you to enjoy the game, not try and "sell" the game to you. It might just not be the game for you guys in the end. I wasn't there for your games so it's hard for me to know, and I am truly just trying to get you to think about different approaches, But it does sound to me like you guys are still trying to play classic pandemic. My group brought our classic pandemic game to the table at first and it did not go well for us until we broke some of our old habits. Maybe sit down with the Fam and have a regroup and strategy session to discuss what can be done differently?
PL2 is a different game (Have you played pandemic Iberia?) and needs a different and dynamic strategy. The cards certainly add that randomness but could it be in the games where you lost hard that your strategy needed to be different? Or in the games that you did super "boringly" well that your strategy fit perfectly to the situation?
In reading over your specific problems I've tried to formulate Some thoughts that might help :
1. IN PL1 you had power house characters with very specific roles (Medic, Scientist, Dispatcher). PL2 gives you characters with more subtle abilities that can turn into power houses, but then you need to really strategize your character choices.
For example: Did you play the instructor in the game where your son Didn't draw any city cards? If you're playing with a power builder, how important is it to have ways to also give them choice cards?
2. Character abilities are subtle and easily over looked. There were lots of times we could have and should have used a characters ability or used it differently in our early games. We had to learn that.
For example, the instructor can give any player card, not just city cards. The admins ability to move pawns to each other can help you set up next turns (think seating arrangements)
3.You mention games depending on the draw of a specific card. So you're either not drawing a search card or you need a specific card for reconning. What ways does the game provide you with ways to work with that difficult? The initial character upgrade of Broker might be very important.
4. Event cards can get burried in a deck. I experienced that a few times in PL1 even. But PL2 gives you lots of other cards to think about as well. In that game that was a certain loss your son must have had a TON of produce supply cards. Those are essentialy an event card with multiple types of use. The decks are different and if you treat them like the classic pandemic decks they will bite back.
One suggestion: Don't hold onto system wide production until you think it absolutely has to be used. It's like a d&d game where someone wont drink that awesome potion because they are waiting for the perfect moment.
Outside of this it sounds like you might also be running into some outlier probability scenarios that could make the game suck a bit. I've played through the game twice and most of the time we were having close games one way or the other. My experience in both runs was not way too hard or way to easy.
PL2 is a different game (Have you played pandemic Iberia?) and needs a different and dynamic strategy. The cards certainly add that randomness but could it be in the games where you lost hard that your strategy needed to be different? Or in the games that you did super "boringly" well that your strategy fit perfectly to the situation?
In reading over your specific problems I've tried to formulate Some thoughts that might help :
1. IN PL1 you had power house characters with very specific roles (Medic, Scientist, Dispatcher). PL2 gives you characters with more subtle abilities that can turn into power houses, but then you need to really strategize your character choices.
For example: Did you play the instructor in the game where your son Didn't draw any city cards? If you're playing with a power builder, how important is it to have ways to also give them choice cards?
2. Character abilities are subtle and easily over looked. There were lots of times we could have and should have used a characters ability or used it differently in our early games. We had to learn that.
For example, the instructor can give any player card, not just city cards. The admins ability to move pawns to each other can help you set up next turns (think seating arrangements)
3.You mention games depending on the draw of a specific card. So you're either not drawing a search card or you need a specific card for reconning. What ways does the game provide you with ways to work with that difficult? The initial character upgrade of Broker might be very important.
4. Event cards can get burried in a deck. I experienced that a few times in PL1 even. But PL2 gives you lots of other cards to think about as well. In that game that was a certain loss your son must have had a TON of produce supply cards. Those are essentialy an event card with multiple types of use. The decks are different and if you treat them like the classic pandemic decks they will bite back.
One suggestion: Don't hold onto system wide production until you think it absolutely has to be used. It's like a d&d game where someone wont drink that awesome potion because they are waiting for the perfect moment.
Outside of this it sounds like you might also be running into some outlier probability scenarios that could make the game suck a bit. I've played through the game twice and most of the time we were having close games one way or the other. My experience in both runs was not way too hard or way to easy.
Thanks for taking the time to write such a very thoughtful (in the sense you had given it a lot of thought, not in the sense of "ah, how sweet!" :) ) response.
I think you make a lot of great points, as others have. Seems I need to keep thinking about this.