Game: Traders of Genoa, The

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rober — 2008-11-13T14:50:55+00:00

overview

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sauceybugger — 2008-11-12T11:21:02+00:00

Front of rulebook

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

dcorban — 2008-11-11T17:26:15+00:00

Gamegrunt wrote:
If you value your time, and I do, it is absolutely critical that the active player moves things along. "I've been offered 20 ducats for Villa Zasteri...going once, going twice, Villa Zasteri!"
The problem with this is that the tower player has an incentive to drag out the negotiations. Why would they end the negotiations prematurely just to "move things along" when they could talk another player into making a competing offer, etc.

Thread: Re: Player Trading

sasoose — 2008-11-11T07:46:26+00:00

"Non-tower players can also nudge the tower player in the desired direction by making promises of future deals. These promises are completely and totally non-binding on either party."

We play that you can actually throw some money at the tower player to go into a particular direction. This is a fun aspect to our house rules and opens the game to "backroom politics" in a strange way.

I will often give a tower player 5 ducats just to acknowledge how well he is playing.

Thread: Re: 2-Player Silly Question

Carmilla — 2008-11-09T23:02:06+00:00

Got it -- thanks.

Thread: Re: 2-Player Silly Question

jgrundy — 2008-11-09T22:32:43+00:00

Carmilla wrote:
So if the opponent takes NO action, the tower player only gets one. However, he could still play "1 further action", presumably. Make sense to anybody?That's right.

Noting again that the tower playing getting a second action if the opponent takes an action is only relevant in the 2P game.

Thread: Re: 2-Player Silly Question

Carmilla — 2008-11-09T22:16:34+00:00

Couldn't even finish typing!

Man, I can't wait to get this on the table. Sadly, it looks like I have to wait until Thanksgiving weekend, if that's still on. (And with my luck, I'll make the final table of the poker tourney for a change, and have to start late.)

The funny thing is, I'm not that keen on negotiation games -- Settlers is about as far as I go in that direction, although I admire Diplomacy from afar. But there's something about this game ... (And I've played it exactly once, years ago.)

Thread: Re: 2-Player Silly Question

Carmilla — 2008-11-09T22:11:34+00:00

OK, that was quick, but has me feeling particularly dense. Why would my opponent playing that card affect the number of my actions, regardless of number of players? I don't think that can be it.

Wait ... just noticed something.

"The tower player may take two actions if his opponent takes one." (Emphasis mine.)

So if the opponent takes NO action, the tower player only gets one. However, he could still play "1 further action", presumably. Make sense to anybody?

Thread: Re: 2-Player Silly Question

jgrundy — 2008-11-09T22:08:11+00:00

Yes the tower player can use the further action card.

I guess they thought there might be confusion between the situations where the tower player can take more than one action. The situations are independant.

eg Tower player takes their ordinary first action. Tower player plays "1 further action" and takes a second action. Non-tower player now takes an action. Now the tower player is entitled to an extra action (and doesn't need to play a "1 further action" card to get it).

Thread: Re: 2-Player Silly Question

coolpapa — 2008-11-09T22:06:13+00:00

I think they just mean that the two rules are independent of one another. So if your opponent uses an extra action tile to take two actions, you don't get three actions, for example.

Thread: 2-Player Silly Question

Carmilla — 2008-11-09T21:53:35+00:00

I just got my brand-new (well, gently used) copy of ToG, and have been devouring the rules. Now while I don't really plan on playing this 2-player, you never know. And most of the rules seem to make sense, actually -- except one, in the Rules for 2 Players.

The tower player may take two actions if his opponent takes one. (This rule and the special card "1 further action" have no effect on each other!)

What the heck does that mean? Can the tower player use a further action card or not?

Thread: Re: Sofia Reprint Changes

Bathtub Hoax — 2008-11-07T13:38:45+00:00

I don't like the new map. It looks like it was drawn on a computer. The old map looks hand-drawn.

Thread: Re: Using the 'take another action' special card

Vaughn — 2008-10-28T23:01:56+00:00

As I thought.
Thanks!

Thread: Re: Using the 'take another action' special card

dkeisen — 2008-10-28T22:59:23+00:00

Yes. Everything you get in this game is immediately usable.

Thread: Using the 'take another action' special card

Vaughn — 2008-10-28T22:53:48+00:00

At the start of my turn I turned in a large order at one of the villas. I collected 100 ducats and took the 'take another action' special card.

Can I use that card on this turn to take another action in another building?

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

Devonelle — 2008-10-25T04:46:19+00:00

Just acquired two shrink-wrapped new in box from Ebay for...a pretty penny.

Why? I have no idea.

THE TEMPTATION TO OPEN THEM IS OVERBEARING.

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

brdmartin — 2008-10-18T03:54:16+00:00

EndersGame wrote:
I love negotiation games, but the complexity and long play time frequently mentioned by other BGG users has scared me off this one. The negotiation and trading aspects sounds fantastic, but more than one person has said that ideally you need to make people commit to playing two games to try it: the first will be rough, but they'll only be be hooked after the second. Most also seem to agree that it's too long for what it is, and needs just the right people to work. Anyone care to comment on those reflections, and to what extent they are accurate?

Would Chinatown be a good alternative, for a quicker play time and more accessible game, with some of the similar appealing elements?

As far as negotiation games for families go, Dragon's Gold has been a big hit here, and the quick play time and simple rules of Quo Vadis? also make it a good choice (although it has the downside of requiring a full complement of five players for best results).

As far as the complexity, just like I said in my review, I really don't think that this game is all that complex, although it usually takes a game to figure out how to use all the options available to make money efficiently, with a coherent approach. Each building has a symbol on it that tells you more or less what you get for the action.

The personality make up of all the players has a much bigger effect on how this game plays than any other game I can think of. I would not suggest that you play this game with a bunch of strong type A personalities... the game would likely take 10 hours, and would not be fun. Strong type B personalities can drag down the fun of the game if they are too passive. The game could almost have come with the warning: Recommended only for play with mature, well balanced people. Play time will increase with type A's, and decrease with type B's.

From what I've read, Chinatown is a more approachable negotiation game, but I've yet to play it. If you can find anyone with a copy of Genoa, then give it a shot to see what you think.

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

brdmartin — 2008-10-18T03:33:19+00:00

unixrevolution wrote:
That route-at-once stuff sounds intriguing. How do you go about it?

A typical move will go something like: I'm starting here and I will be passing through the Post Office! Who wants to go where? or I'll be playing a Start Anywhere card and I want to get to XYZ, who wants to go where? And then the negotiations start. I'll give you $25 for the Guild Hall! But then I can't get to...Okay, I'll give you $20 and two pinks! I'll give you choice of cube from the spice market plus $10! If you're going to go to the Harbour I'll give you QRS to also go to... etc etc etc Sometimes the moving player never does get to where they wanted to go, sometimes they do. It all depends on what the other offers are. Slowly, or rapidly however a path starts to emerge that optimises some combination of the active player's preferences and the other players offers. The active player then states the entire list of offers he's accepting for the entire movement path of the tower and does the rest of his turn on autopilot with all the money, cubes, tiles etc changing hands as agreed.

You know, I've never thought about it in this way before, but I would say that we do this about half the time when we are playing. Interesting observation. The other half, negotiation begins again after each action.

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

sedjtroll — 2008-10-17T17:36:46+00:00

clearclaw wrote:
At 2 hours there's just not enough haggling going on and the players are not getting inventive enough in their offers.
Maybe your group just isn't efficient enough in your creativity

Oh, and open money of course.
Bah!

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

clearclaw — 2008-10-16T21:23:10+00:00

Gamegrunt wrote:
If you value your time, and I do, it is absolutely critical that the active player moves things along. "I've been offered 20 ducats for Villa Zasteri...going once, going twice, Villa Zasteri!" If you haven't had an action during a turn, you must be totally engaged in the process.

I make the entire route for every move one big auction. Typically four or five completely different paths are being discussed, wagered, and bid on in parallel with the active player only choosing among them at the last minute.

There is no good reason for this game to take more than 2 hours.

I like Traders of Genoa as a 3+ game, ideally around 3.5-4 hours. At 2 hours there's just not enough haggling going on and the players are not getting inventive enough in their offers. At roughly 3.5 hours it starts to shine.

Oh, and open money of course.

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

jgrundy — 2008-10-16T20:30:47+00:00

Gamegrunt wrote:
If you value your time, and I do, it is absolutely critical that the active player moves things along. "I've been offered 20 ducats for Villa Zasteri...going once, going twice, Villa Zasteri!" If you haven't had an action during a turn, you must be totally engaged in the process. There is no good reason for this game to take more than 2 hours.

GgHmph.

If you value your time, and I value mine, it is absolutely critical that you savour the experiences you enjoy the most and immerse yourself in them to their fullest enjoyment.

There is no good reason for this game to take less than three hours.

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

Gamegrunt — 2008-10-16T11:28:58+00:00

If you value your time, and I do, it is absolutely critical that the active player moves things along. "I've been offered 20 ducats for Villa Zasteri...going once, going twice, Villa Zasteri!" If you haven't had an action during a turn, you must be totally engaged in the process. There is no good reason for this game to take more than 2 hours.

Gg

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

mussels — 2008-10-15T23:00:59+00:00

mihair wrote:
On average it takes us less than two hours - never more. We played it in three, four and five players.

I agree that it's a brilliant game. The only warning is that it's very low luck, so don't play it with somebody who takes everything as a proof of his intelligence. (In fact, you shouldn't play anything with that kind of people).

I've played once, and it was a 4 hour marathon of a game, which left me with a bit of a bad taste.

It had been a game I'd looked forward to trying for a long time, and I'm wondering if a 90 minute - 2 hour play would be a lot more enjoyable for me.

I honestly wish I had liked this game more, as it includes a lot of the elements I like in my favourite games.

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

Snooze_uk — 2008-10-15T20:55:18+00:00

sedjtroll wrote:
We note that it's technically possible to reneg on a deal after making it (per rules) - but it's also a terrible idea to do so or you could be blackballed for the remainder of the game, and potentially future games (i.e. people will not deal with you until it's technically binding). If I'm worried when you say "I'll give you $20 for Spices" and I'm more than 1 step away, I might say "give me $15 to move here (adjacent to spices) then I'll sell you spices for $5.

Like I said, largely the same thing since noone every renegs in our group.

LoL - our group tend to have all the up front discussions too, but then fully expect to reneg on the deals! It's all part of the game!

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

toguopp — 2008-10-15T16:15:58+00:00

>>We note that it's technically possible to reneg on a deal after making it (per rules)

I think as far as the regular rules are concerned, you have to handshake to finalize a deal about the next space you move to, and there is no reneging on that. Future promises about future spaces are not binding though.

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

SVan — 2008-10-15T14:42:43+00:00

EndersGame wrote:
I love negotiation games, but the complexity and long play time frequently mentioned by other BGG users has scared me off this one. The negotiation and trading aspects sounds fantastic, but more than one person has said that ideally you need to make people commit to playing two games to try it: the first will be rough, but they'll only be be hooked after the second. Most also seem to agree that it's too long for what it is, and needs just the right people to work. Anyone care to comment on those reflections, and to what extent they are accurate?

Would Chinatown be a good alternative, for a quicker play time and more accessible game, with some of the similar appealing elements?

As far as negotiation games for families go, Dragon's Gold has been a big hit here, and the quick play time and simple rules of Quo Vadis? also make it a good choice (although it has the downside of requiring a full complement of five players for best results).

If you want a good simple negotiating game, I'm the Boss is the best I've played. It also clocks in around an hour, so it doesn't take too much time.

However, Traders gives you a negotiation feel that is unmatched. The fact that everything is tradable and each player going different directions makes the game very interesting. However, my average time is around 3 hours for this, so you have to be prepared for it. Most of the game you are kept busy; however, our games seem to be lacking in the end, as most people have nothing left to trade, or do not wish to use their turn to help anyone besides themselves.

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

sedjtroll — 2008-10-14T23:44:45+00:00

clearclaw wrote:
mihair wrote:
On average it takes us less than two hours - never more. We played it in three, four and five players.

I've played with groups who consistently finish games of Traders of Genoa in less than an hour. I've also played with groups who never finish games of Traders of Genoa in less than 3 hours. I far prefer the latter longer games and have little to no interest in the short and well optimised games. The one change we make is that we sell the entire route up front rather than step by step. If find this makes the game and the negotiations more interesting.
We do negotiations much like you do, though not as organized maybe. It's largely the same thing - we just don't want to commit to one path without seeing what would happen if we did.

We note that it's technically possible to reneg on a deal after making it (per rules) - but it's also a terrible idea to do so or you could be blackballed for the remainder of the game, and potentially future games (i.e. people will not deal with you until it's technically binding). If I'm worried when you say "I'll give you $20 for Spices" and I'm more than 1 step away, I might say "give me $15 to move here (adjacent to spices) then I'll sell you spices for $5.

Like I said, largely the same thing since noone every renegs in our group.

I far prefer the latter longer games and have little to no interest in the short and well optimised games.
Not sure why you think the shorter games are in any way "optimised"...

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

unixrevolution — 2008-10-14T21:44:34+00:00

clearclaw wrote:
unixrevolution wrote:
That route-at-once stuff sounds intriguing. How do you go about it?

A typical move will go something like: I'm starting here and I will be passing through the Post Office! Who wants to go where? or I'll be playing a Start Anywhere card and I want to get to XYZ, who wants to go where? And then the negotiations start. I'll give you $25 for the Guild Hall! But then I can't get to...Okay, I'll give you $20 and two pinks! I'll give you choice of cube from the spice market plus $10! If you're going to go to the Harbour I'll give you QRS to also go to... etc etc etc Sometimes the moving player never does get to where they wanted to go, sometimes they do. It all depends on what the other offers are. Slowly, or rapidly however a path starts to emerge that optimises some combination of the active player's preferences and the other players offers. The active player then states the entire list of offers he's accepting for the entire movement path of the tower and does the rest of his turn on autopilot with all the money, cubes, tiles etc changing hands as agreed.

I will have to give that a try sometime.

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

unixrevolution — 2008-10-14T21:42:42+00:00

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

EndersGame — 2008-10-14T20:42:02+00:00

I love negotiation games, but the complexity and long play time frequently mentioned by other BGG users has scared me off this one. The negotiation and trading aspects sounds fantastic, but more than one person has said that ideally you need to make people commit to playing two games to try it: the first will be rough, but they'll only be be hooked after the second. Most also seem to agree that it's too long for what it is, and needs just the right people to work. Anyone care to comment on those reflections, and to what extent they are accurate?

Would Chinatown be a good alternative, for a quicker play time and more accessible game, with some of the similar appealing elements?

As far as negotiation games for families go, Dragon's Gold has been a big hit here, and the quick play time and simple rules of Quo Vadis? also make it a good choice (although it has the downside of requiring a full complement of five players for best results).

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

clearclaw — 2008-10-14T20:20:22+00:00

unixrevolution wrote:
That route-at-once stuff sounds intriguing. How do you go about it?

A typical move will go something like: I'm starting here and I will be passing through the Post Office! Who wants to go where? or I'll be playing a Start Anywhere card and I want to get to XYZ, who wants to go where? And then the negotiations start. I'll give you $25 for the Guild Hall! But then I can't get to...Okay, I'll give you $20 and two pinks! I'll give you choice of cube from the spice market plus $10! If you're going to go to the Harbour I'll give you QRS to also go to... etc etc etc Sometimes the moving player never does get to where they wanted to go, sometimes they do. It all depends on what the other offers are. Slowly, or rapidly however a path starts to emerge that optimises some combination of the active player's preferences and the other players offers. The active player then states the entire list of offers he's accepting for the entire movement path of the tower and does the rest of his turn on autopilot with all the money, cubes, tiles etc changing hands as agreed.

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

unixrevolution — 2008-10-14T19:55:36+00:00

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

clearclaw — 2008-10-14T19:43:30+00:00

mihair wrote:
On average it takes us less than two hours - never more. We played it in three, four and five players.

I've played with groups who consistently finish games of Traders of Genoa in less than an hour. I've also played with groups who never finish games of Traders of Genoa in less than 3 hours. I far prefer the latter longer games and have little to no interest in the short and well optimised games. The one change we make is that we sell the entire route up front rather than step by step. If find this makes the game and the negotiations more interesting.

Thread: Re: Sofia Reprint Changes

wmshub — 2008-10-14T15:38:31+00:00

Wow that map is beautiful. Huge improvement (not that the old map was terrible, it was just functional and not all that pretty).

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

mihair — 2008-10-14T14:20:20+00:00

On average it takes us less than two hours - never more. We played it in three, four and five players.

I agree that it's a brilliant game. The only warning is that it's very low luck, so don't play it with somebody who takes everything as a proof of his intelligence. (In fact, you shouldn't play anything with that kind of people).

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

unixrevolution — 2008-10-14T13:32:42+00:00

We go 2-3 hours on Traders, maybe just a bit longer. It's so good though, I don't care. I could do 4-hour sessions of this back to back.

Thread: Re: Sofia Reprint Changes

westbrookgamer — 2008-10-14T10:18:54+00:00

Very interesting! The board design is nice - I like the way that the sun casts the cathedral shadow across the street.

If I am not mistaken though, the left-hand side of the board is pointing South ( or SSW ) (the direction of the cathedral and position of the port), so the time would be in the early afternoon - and with such long shadows, it must be winter. But the park and the trees are green!

Hehe.. I don't mind - it's great that there's a reprint of this game.

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

Snooze_uk — 2008-10-14T08:19:28+00:00

We find that 5p games would go quicker than 4p games because there is actually less competition for actions. We only play 4p now because of this - it makes the trading for actions a lot more interesting.

4 hours is not unheard of with our group either.

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

massimiliano.san — 2008-10-14T07:35:23+00:00

We had some 4-5 hours games with 5 players, due to the lenght of the trade proposal, but it was 4-5 hours of great fun. It is possible to play the game faster, anyway. This is a game I absolutely love.

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

jgrundy — 2008-10-14T07:13:52+00:00

brdmartin wrote:
10. Appropriate game length
For a game of this depth, one to two hours is right on the mark. When the game ends, I feel like I'm ready for the game to end, without feeling like it had drug on too long. I pack up the game feeling satisfied, even if I was nowhere close to winning.Traders' game length is VERY variable, and extremely dependant on the players.

We routinely hit three hours in Traders, and sometimes four.

Thread: Sofia Reprint Changes

chaosbreaker — 2008-10-14T05:57:47+00:00

So far according to the pix.

1) The name is Genoa, not Trader of Genoa
2) Ware tiles--no more ware cubes.
3) Paper coins--no more paper ducat bills

http://www.boardgamenews.com/index.php/boardgamenews/comment...

Thread: Re: Pricing Analysis

rembrand999 — 2008-10-14T04:12:25+00:00

ejclason wrote:

Dividing the ducats received by the OBAE cost to determine the maximum value of an OBAE used to fulfill an Order/Message:
Large Order = 100 ducats ÷ 3.5 OBAEs = 28.6 ducats/OBAE therefore 1 OBAE = 28.6 ducats
Small Order = 40 ducats ÷ 1.5 OBAEs = 26.7 ducats/OBAE therefore 1 OBAE = 26.7 ducats
Message = 30 ducats ÷ 1 OBAEs = 30 ducats/OBAE therefore 1 OBAE = 30 ducats

In completing a large order you also get a card of choice (which is normally an OBA), isn't it?
That would mean that the gross investment to complete a large order would only be 2,5 OBAE making the maximum you would pay for it 40 ducats.

Thread: Re: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

Carmilla — 2008-10-14T03:32:00+00:00

I've gotten to play this exactly once, and I've been dying to play again ever since. I'm not usually big on negotiation games (Settlers is about my limit), but this one just hit me perfectly. The key for me is #3 -- ANYTHING is tradable. Normally that would scare the #@#$@# out of me, but in this game, it just WORKS.

OK, that does it, I gotta find a copy of this before the next game day.

Thread: Top 10 reasons why Traders of Genoa is in my top 10 games

brdmartin — 2008-10-14T02:02:09+00:00

1. Constant player interaction
Just because you don't control the tower, doesn't mean that there's nothing to do. This is one of those few turn based games that has almost no downtime what so ever. Some complain that the amount and character of the interaction and negotiation can be harsh, and leave negative feelings. I have yet to experience this personally, and in my opinion it can only become negative for you like this if you let it. Don't be afraid to end negotiations (tower player or not), and remember that you can take any offer you want. It's only a game (although a very good one).

2. Great looking, quality components
The wood pieces, board, and dice are all of great quality. The only place I feel the game is lacking are the ducats. These pieces of paper are just too thin, and I'm always afraid that I'll miscount by missing one accidentally if they stick together. I bought a set of high quality poker chips to replace the paper money, which has made the game even more enjoyable to play.

3. Ability to trade anything
This rule really opens up this game, and allows players to be very creative and flexible with strategy. That start any space card may not be useful to you, but it may be very valuable to another player who's trying to get to a villa to trade in a large order. And knowing this can be very valuable indeed.

4. Mostly simple, elegant rules
Roll the dice, negotiate for good offers, take the action on a building, and make money. For the most part, it doesn't get much more complex than this, although there are lots of important decisions to make. Knowing what things are actually worth in the game is where things can get pretty complex. The only place where the game gets fiddly is with the owner markers and their dependents, the 1 building actions cards. I was confused by the 1 building action cards my first play, and I've seen most other players be confused by them as well.

5. Reading the players is just as important as reading game position
A part of this game is the bluff, and although it isn't as important as it is to the game of poker, it's still significant. It can be very advantageous to bid up the price on something you're not actually interested in. However, then there's the danger the other player 'calling your bluff,' and letting you pay a large sum of money for an action you didn't want in the first place. A good poker face, and the ability to read subtle body cues can be a great asset.

6. It's often not clear who has won until the game is over
Because the money is hidden, and because money changes hands so frequently, it would be extremely difficult to keep count of how much money each player has. By my observations, players often come to a conclusion about who is winning, but this assumption is often wrong when the money is finally counted, suggesting the difficulty in even estimating how much a player has earned in the game after the first couple of rounds. This uncertainty helps keep everyone actively involved in the game until the end.

7. Many ways to get money
six to be exact: large orders, small orders, messages, owner markers, privileges, and of course, trade. This translates into multiple and varied paths to victory. Always a good thing to keep a game fresh.

8. Just enough randomness to create variety without luck controlling the game
The luck of what you get on the dice and cards forces you to have some dependence on other players, and your ability to persuade those players to help you achieve your goals. However, the dependence isn't so great that it is impossible to meet your goals without the help of others, it only takes more time.

9. Well matched theme
Mechanically, the game fits well to theme. I can imagine a bunch of traders/businessmen, riding around in the same cart trying to make as much money as possible, but because only one of the traders can drive at a time, they spend a lot of their time bribing and trying to convince the driver to go where they want. The theme gets a little fuzzy on the special cards. I'm not exactly sure why a park would give me an extra action, or why a restaurant would allow me to trade one good for another good.

10. Appropriate game length
For a game of this depth, one to three hours is right on the mark. When the game ends, I feel like I'm ready for the game to end, without feeling like it had drug on too long. I pack up the game feeling satisfied, even if I was nowhere close to winning.

Thread: Re: Reprint?

Devonelle — 2008-10-10T20:38:39+00:00

If anyone still has the original Traders of Genoa in shrink, I'd be willing to trade. Have some good stuff up for bid...Please email if interested. Thanks!

Thread: Re: Reprint?

unixrevolution — 2008-10-09T13:52:38+00:00

Gamegrunt wrote:
Cardboard coins replaces paper notes, and tiles replace the wooden bits. I'm neutral on the money (although I like the paper currency just fine), but the tiles are a downgrade. The board is certainly more colorful which is probably a good thing. Overall, it seems to be more cheaply produced, so the original will remain the standard for Mr. Dorn's classic.

Gg

paper money is easier to disguise, and I definitely like the chunkier wooden bits over the tiles. But I think the Genoa art is more attractive.

Thread: Re: Reprint?

Gamegrunt — 2008-10-09T12:46:12+00:00

Cardboard coins replaces paper notes, and tiles replace the wooden bits. I'm neutral on the money (although I like the paper currency just fine), but the tiles are a downgrade. The board is certainly more colorful which is probably a good thing. Overall, it seems to be more cheaply produced, so the original will remain the standard for Mr. Dorn's classic.

Gg

Thread: Re: Reprint?

unixrevolution — 2008-10-09T12:16:55+00:00

rmontemor wrote:
Just anounced on boardgamenews:
http://www.boardgamenews.com/index.php/boardgamenews/comment...

Wow, it looks nice. I wonder why the name change from "Traders of Genoa" to just "Genoa".

As nice as it is, I'll stick with my Alea version

Thread: Re: Reprint?

rmontemor — 2008-10-08T20:55:35+00:00

Just anounced on boardgamenews:
http://www.boardgamenews.com/index.php/boardgamenews/comment...

Thread: Re: Reprint?

tawny — 2008-09-27T06:35:50+00:00

claudio212 wrote:
howaa wrote:
What are the chances that this game will ever be reprinted?

There was talk of a Filosofia reprint? When? Is that for sure? An earlier thread said November, but we're getting close to that and no word from the major online retailers. Will it be distributed in the U.S.?

I NEED THIS GAME!

FiloSofia is reprinting this - it will be available early November in an event that will be held in Montreal. But it will be a French version (there isn't much text on the components).

Thread: Re: Reprint?

westbrookgamer — 2008-09-22T10:51:37+00:00

In response to
unixrevolution wrote:
We play aggressively, but not maliciously. Perhaps this was meant for the Diplomacy forum?claudio212 wrote:
Actually, I agree with you. I don't think this is really a game where the knives come out. I really think the best negotiator should win, not the best schemer. There should probably never be a 'stab'.unixrevolution wrote:
I'm not sure how you *would* execute a stab. The rules seem to make it nearly impossible. You can't promise stuff on future turns...You can't renege on a deal...I just don't see how you'd backstab here.
Well first of all, our group doesn't own or play either Diplomacy or Intrigue - so I wasn't (and am not) claiming that Traders of Genoa is the most violent of games there are - just that it is very aggressive. Also, I wasn't saying the game was particularly malicious - just aggressive. The NY trading room floor isn't malicious either - there's no money in it - though sometimes emotions get in the way. However, I guess my 'wounds' phrase allowed for an interpretation that Diplomacy-style stabs take place.

Having said that - a good negotiator can, within the scope of one turn (thanks to negotiation over the multiple sub-moves of the tower) evaluate and identify the motives of the other players - and sometimes at no cost at all - which is, if not a military/hot stab, often involves several intelligence/cold stabs - sometimes to every other player on the board - but at the potential cost of their later ire.

We play the game with the (house rule) addition of 1 Ducat pieces, and allow full negotiation of the moves immediately after the dice role (which may not be a house rule). We find that especially with 1 Ducats, the nuance of deals and negotiations are far greater than the rules would otherwise indicate.

Also, only one of the group is a numerical analyst - and he often fails to win at Traders of Genoa. Our experience of the game is that it's much more about negotiation, temporary alliances, and emotional control; but I guess that depends a lot on the particular group of gamers. If we were all analytic, the game would not be so aggressive, and it certainly wouldn't be so fun.

Thread: Re: Traders of Genoa: Pure Negotiation At Its Best

dwculp — 2008-09-21T01:49:55+00:00

I just played this one for the first time today with five players and I agree with the review for the most part. My only real comment is that the game is VERY long with five. It was great fun at the start but took around three hours to complete, I had checked out mentally from the game during the last 45 minutes.

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kin2x — 2008-08-17T17:47:46+00:00

we watch everybody's move

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Deadwood — 2008-08-06T02:31:41+00:00

He`s cheating ... !!

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Deadwood — 2008-08-05T01:49:54+00:00

Mid game progress

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Deadwood — 2008-08-05T01:49:09+00:00

Mid game progress

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GamingWench — 2008-05-15T16:56:01+00:00

Trying to figure out what to do on the last turn with wares, but a hand full of only privileges and messages she can't deliver.

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fehrmeister — 2008-04-21T16:02:37+00:00

Board at the End of a Game

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Lurtz — 2008-02-07T20:46:36+00:00

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henk.rolleman — 2008-01-30T22:56:35+00:00

Close up from the Market Quare