Game: Turn The Tide

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jsper — 2008-09-11T13:53:35+00:00

Promotional sheet in german

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siuchak — 2008-06-12T22:38:41+00:00

the three types of card in a box

Thread: Re: Trick-taking game?

Eldard — 2008-05-30T02:55:38+00:00

Drew1365 wrote:
It's not really a trick-taking game. It's a bidding game. It plays very similar to the second phase of For Sale, so if you like For Sale, you should like Turn the Tide.

Yep.

But it also has the interesting mechanic of rotating the hands at the end of each round. In other words, after scoring the first round, players pass their hands to the left, and play the next round.

This is repeated until the number of rounds played equals the number of players. Eventually, every player gets to play once with each of the hands.

I think Turn the Tide is a great card game.

Thread: Re: Trick-taking game?

hancock.tom — 2008-05-30T02:32:12+00:00

I like both games and I agree they are not that similar. The blind bidding is similar, but its not really the central mechanic. Very different games- both good.

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Turbo Pascal — 2008-05-04T19:02:18+00:00

High quality image of the Amigo French version "Un Mouton A La Mer" - contains French box and rules but cards are still language independent.

Thread: Re: Do Land Unter rules = Turn the Tide Rules?

drasher25 — 2008-04-21T03:21:14+00:00

I've noticed a difference between the translation here and the "Turn the Tide" rules. The Land Unter translation states that when someone is eliminated, the remaining player with the highest water level loses a life preserver, so 2 people get hit that round.

The Turn the Tide rules have no such rule (that a different player will lose a life preserver when someone is eliminated), nor is it implied.

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felo — 2008-04-12T07:25:22+00:00

Playing Land Unter (Berliner version) with Jordi & Miquel in the EJ-4. I won :-o

Thread: Re: Trick-taking game?

nexttothemoon — 2008-03-22T03:27:12+00:00

Just adding my two cents but I definitely think both are worth owning. They aren't all that similar at all. Turn the Tide has the unique "pass the hands" mechanism which makes for some great balanced gameplay. The better players usually do well but there is just enough player chaos (depending on which cards each player is trying to get/avoid) that the game isn't just a no-luck game. I really like how the designer has taken a card game and removed a lot of the "too much luck" element while still retaining the fun and quick play inherent in a card game.

For Sale is likely the best light filler ever made so it's definitely worth owning and should be in almost all gaming collections.

Good quality, light fillers that still have enough strategic/tactical depth so that they can be replayed fairly regularly are pretty rare and having several good ones like these in a collection certainly isn't overkill.

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barnyams36 — 2008-02-29T09:45:58+00:00

Finishing daylight in a park

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jsper — 2008-02-15T18:25:38+00:00

Side of the box

Thread: Re: Trick-taking game?

GaryP — 2008-01-28T17:05:50+00:00

historysteph wrote:
Is it different enough from For Sale to warrant buying it?
They are both by Stefan Dorra, and they do have a similar feel. Still, I'm glad to have both. With 3P, I would tend to choose Turn the Tide. With 5P (or 6P), I prefer For Sale. With 4P, both are good.

Because everyone plays each hand in Turn the Tide, 5P takes too long for what it is. For Sale is great in that the short playtime holds for any number of players. It is also incredibly easy to teach and learn. Turn the Tide is still pretty simple, but just a bit deeper, and the starting hand of twelve cards can be a bit intimidating to new players. If I had to pick one, I'd go with For Sale, but for the price, getting both was a fine choice for me.

Thread: Re: Trick-taking game?

Trump — 2008-01-27T01:37:53+00:00

Yeah, this isn't trick-taking. Much more akin to For Sale.

I'd say the big difference in how Turn the Tide works is the second place bid. Two cards go up on the auction block. First place takes the best. Second place takes the other one. You often don't want that second one so you have to decide whether or not to bid well for the first one... and risk coming in second, or trying to bid really low to avoid the whole thing. The bid cards range from 1 to 60 so that's why the highest cards AND the lowest cards are the most desired.

Thread: Re: Trick-taking game?

Drew1365 — 2008-01-26T20:34:19+00:00

historysteph wrote:
Second question:

Is it different enough from For Sale to warrant buying it?

Well . . . the unique thing about Turn the Tide is that the cards are all dealt out once. At the end of each round, you take the hand you just played and pass that whole set of cards to the player on your left (likewise, receiving from the player on your right the hand of cards that they just played.)

Now you play a round again with this new hand. There are as many rounds as there are players, so everyone will get a shot at the same hand of cards eventually. The goal is to do better with a particular hand of cards than everyone else did.

But the blind bidding is very similar to For Sale. I have both. I think they're different enough to justify having both.

Thread: Re: Trick-taking game?

historysteph — 2008-01-26T20:05:11+00:00

The second phase of For Sale is my favorite part; I love the simultaneous blind bidding.

Thanks!

Second question:

Is it different enough from For Sale to warrant buying it?

Thread: Re: Trick-taking game?

Drew1365 — 2008-01-26T20:02:58+00:00

It's not really a trick-taking game. It's a bidding game. It plays very similar to the second phase of For Sale, so if you like For Sale, you should like Turn the Tide.

Thread: Trick-taking game?

historysteph — 2008-01-26T19:41:51+00:00

I'm looking at purchasing Turn the Tide, but I'm not a fan of trick-taking games, and I see this has some aspects of that. I've played Euchre, David and Goliath, and Loot, none of which I thought was fun.

On the other hand, I enjoy For Sale. Is there enough elements of For Sale to downplay the trick-taking part?

Thread: Re: US Availability?

Drew1365 — 2008-01-22T19:29:15+00:00

I picked mine up at an educational supply store, and I see it at the Games by James in the mall. However, it's not one of those that's been moved to small-box format (like Loot) and sold in the big-box retailers. In other words, it's out there, it's just not as simple as going to Target.

The Gamewright game I can't find at local stores is Ka-Ching.

Thread: Re: US Availability?

Tradewinds Ted — 2008-01-22T19:22:46+00:00

If you don't mind buying online, then it is in stock as of today at both www.gamesurplus.com and at www.funagain.com

I haven't seen it in any local stores, so I bought it online myself. I enjoy the game, and would be happy to play it more, but it hasn't had much interest from others in our group to try it yet, as it looks lighter than it is.

I haven't tried Rat-a-Tat Cat, but I do like Loot, although I don't like the cartoon graphics of Loot. For reference, Turn the Tide is a touch more complicated that Loot, which for me means it is more interesting and therefore better.

Thread: Re: US Availability?

wmshub — 2008-01-22T19:19:44+00:00

Yes, I see it is available online. I guess Gamewright must push different games to different venues. I was surprised when the buyer for the toy store had never even heard of it - they have about a dozen different gamewright titles in their store, so I assumed their buyer would know the whole catalog pretty well.

Thanks for the answers!

Thread: Re: US Availability?

Psauberer — 2008-01-22T19:15:55+00:00

It is still listed at the Gamewright site with no indication of it being out of print.

It is currently in stock at Game Surplus, Fair Play Games, and Funagain Games.

Thread: Re: US Availability?

thatmarkguy — 2008-01-22T18:57:15+00:00

I've seen it several times at the "Miss TiggyWinkle's" chain of toy stores. Not recently, though.

Thread: Re: US Availability?

ljw74us — 2008-01-22T18:49:51+00:00

I have found this in Game stores that carry Euro games (not a toy store but a true boardgame store) and in teacher supply stores (the ones that carry games). It was a teacher supply store that I got my copy of Qwirkle locally.

Of course, you can always break down and buy it online.

Thread: US Availability?

wmshub — 2008-01-22T18:35:31+00:00

I see gamewright games everywhere - the local supermarket has a few (I got Loot and Rat-a-Tat Cat there), and the closest game/toy store has a large number.

But I can't find Turn the Tide anywhere! Even when I specifically asked the toy store about it, their buyer said he'd "never heard of it." Is Gamewright still printing this game? I'd really like to pick it up, it sounds like a lot of fun.

Thread: Re: Do Land Unter rules = Turn the Tide Rules?

cornelanner — 2008-01-14T01:06:05+00:00

metalchorus wrote:
Can I use Gamewrights rules with the German Edition I have?

Yes, you can.

Alternatively, you can download Christine Biancheria's excellent translation of the rules of 'Land Unter':

www.boardgamegeek.com/file/info/945

Thread: Do Land Unter rules = Turn the Tide Rules?

metalchorus — 2008-01-13T23:37:18+00:00

I received a copy of Land Unter in trade, still in shrink. Are the rules for Land Unter (The copy with the sheep)exactly like the rules for Turn The Tide? In other words can I use Gamewrights rules with the German Edition I have?

Thanks

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Jordi Gené — 2008-01-03T10:05:53+00:00

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henk.rolleman — 2007-12-27T17:48:08+00:00

He, Is your Jacket Waterproof

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henk.rolleman — 2007-12-27T17:44:41+00:00

He Phill, I Feel there something in the Air Today=

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henk.rolleman — 2007-12-23T22:47:55+00:00

Saved!

Thread: Re: What is the Breakdown of the Tide Cards?

fehrmeister — 2007-12-05T19:56:16+00:00

Just to wrap this thread up: I contacted Gamewright about the missing cards, and they promptly sent me my missing ones which I just received yesterday. This is an example of great customer service from Gamewright!

Thread: Re: Turn the Tide – Throwing a Preserver to Casual Gamers

jdberry — 2007-12-04T20:40:58+00:00

Drew1365 wrote:
Turn the Tide is a very enjoyable card game. When I play I've tried to hold off taking any cards for as long as possible. If everyone else is thinking they need to make sure they get first pick (the lowest card) it's easy to throw off, and just not take anything -- until everyone else catches on.

Yep.

There's also the risk of getting snowballed. You spend your lone low card early to avoid the first (what seem like) bad Tide cards and then eat five worse ones in a row because you have no protection. Or so I've heard... ahem.

Thread: Re: Turn the Tide – Throwing a Preserver to Casual Gamers

Drew1365 — 2007-12-04T20:28:53+00:00

Turn the Tide is a very enjoyable card game. When I play I've tried to hold off taking any cards for as long as possible. If everyone else is thinking they need to make sure they get first pick (the lowest card) it's easy to throw off, and just not take anything -- until everyone else catches on.

Thread: Turn the Tide – Throwing a Preserver to Casual Gamers

jdberry — 2007-12-04T19:26:45+00:00

I differentiate between non-gamers and casual gamers (and I don't mean to belittle either group--we all have our tolerance levels). Casual gamers enjoy games ("Yes! We love games—Uno, Monopoly, Dominoes"), but their focus is a comfortable and engaging social environment. Too many new rules/too much thinking probably won’t comfort. Multiplayer solitaire probably won’t engage.

Turn the Tide is a gateway to a gateway game for casual gamers. Playing it won’t make them inquire, "so, what else is out there to quench our new found thirsts for gaming goodness?" But they may be ready for a gateway game when later you introduce them to Settlers and Ticket to Ride (although, maybe not simultaneously.) Why? Because they had a blast playing that other game you showed them, and, hey, that one was easy.

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(photo by Chris Brua)

The components are two decks of cards (Tide and Weather, pictured left and right, respectively) and a few handfuls of life preserver tokens (pictured center.) Also included (but not pictured) is a score pad which is functional and even helpful at first, but not necessary once you're familiar with the game. You probably won't want to buy extra pads—just use a piece of paper and draw a quick table grid (unlike, say, Yahtzee where it would be a pain to draw your own.)

The graphic design meshes perfectly with the game play, helping everyone tune into the game ruleswise and spiritwise. It even provides an illusion of theme: Sheep, rafts and lighthouses—of course!

The Cards

The Tide cards are clearly numbered and charmingly rendered. The higher the number (ranging from 1 to 12) the farther out to sea the sheep is. Poor sheep.

The Weather cards are numbered from 1 to 60, color coded to help sorting and inject a quick, relative value feel (red card—high, yellow—low, blue or green—uh oh!) The artwork is fine here too, but it gradually fades into the background of non-game impact. I don't consciously notice the weather cards or the sheep when I'm playing, especially the Weather cards, because they're removed from play after each trick. The numbers are the thing.

Before Play Begins

Both decks are shuffled. 12 Weather cards are dealt to each player (so with less than 5, there will be unused cards.)

Life Preserver tokens score points at the end of each round. Based on the initial hands, each player receives a certain number of Preservers, based on—in theory—the overall quality of the hand. Crappy hands get more tokens, better hands get less.

Not only do you get more tokens if you get a bad hand, you will also have the opportunity to play all of the other hands. In each game, there are as many rounds as there are number of players. Everyone will play each hand once.

Each player will need an area for an upturned Tide stack, indicating current "out to sea" status. Each round this status starts at 0 for everyone, meaning no Tide cards have yet been taken this round. Once you take a card, that Tide card's number becomes your status, overriding what was there before (or becomes the first card in your pile.)

Play Begins

-- Start the current round (Number of rounds = number of players.)

If not the initial round, pass Weather hands and Life Preserver tokens to the left, and turn in all Tide cards to replenish the Tide deck. Shuffle the Tide deck.

-- Start the current trick (12 tricks per round.)

Reveal two Tide cards from the top of the deck. These will be the Tide cards up for bids.

All players choose a Weather card from their hands and place it face down on the table. All reveal their cards.

Warning: Tricky to Read (but not to play.)
The player who played the highest Weather card takes the lower Tide card up for bid and places it face up on top of his Tide "stack". The player who played the second highest Weather card takes the higher Tide card and places it face up on top of his Tide "stack". This is trickier to read than it is to see in action; it will make sense quickly when you play the game.

Important: After each trick, rather than setting aside all four Weather cards as a group, each player should take back the card played and set it face down nearby. Remember, this exact hand will be played again by other players, so you’ll need to have the hands intact for the next round.

Now whoever has the highest Tide card currently showing turns over a Life Preserver (in case of a tie, everyone with the highest Tide card must do so.) This is determined by each player's current upturned Tide card, which may or may not be the Tide cards just taken. A tide card stays with you for the duration of the round until you replace it by taking a new one in the bidding.

If you're unable to turn over a Preserver (meaning you're at zero and you're forced to turn one over), you're out of the current round. Put your hand to the side and your head on the table (just kidding about the second one.) You can play while having zero Preservers, and this is an important scoring consideration.

If tricks remain to be played, repeat the current trick steps above.

After all the tricks are played, it's time for round scoring. Each player scores one point for each Preserver, um, preserved. Zero points for zero preservers and Minus One (you heard me) for being knocked out of the round.

Start a new round, unless you’ve played all the rounds (that is you've played each hand) and then the game is over. Add up the round scores. (This will be no Power Grid housing calculation. You might have to compute something like 3 + 0 – 1 + 2.) High total wins.

Show me the fun(ny)

-- Watching people get aggravated (in a good way) and teasing them (in a good way.)

-- Anguishing over which card to play.

-- Scoring with a hand no one else could.

-- Seeing someone (else) lose a Preserver with a low Tide card.

Strategy

I find I enjoy this game as a gentle test of intuition and people-reading. I like knowing I'll score with the 58 because Ernie will hoard the 60 and Shelia is scared to play the 59 because of that 60. Or "feeling" all low cards coming and getting away with a 30. Or watching it all blow up in my face.

Avoiding the first high Tide card can work well. Having a "0" in front of you can last several tricks, while even a "4" may end up being the high card. Those with higher Tide cards will be more desperate and therefore easier to read.

I suppose I track the obvious cards—it's hard not to remember the 1 was played, for example—but I don't focus on this aspect. If it's a truly competitive and challenging game you're after, you should probably look elsewhere.

Conclusion

Turn the Tide balances a sense of doing and accomplishment with just having fun.

Anyone new to Turn the Tide will need a practice round, but even casual gamers catch on quickly. The main (but still low) hurdle is Tide cards being persistent. After a second game, casual gamers will be able to win even against gamers.

The discrepancy between ease of rules being read and being shown is why this is a gateway to a gateway game—casual gamers will need this shown to them (they could learn it on their own with just a little effort and desire, but that's why they’re called casual gamers). The game is easier than even the small rule set would have its reader believe.

Thread: Re: What is the Breakdown of the Tide Cards?

Drew1365 — 2007-11-26T15:43:26+00:00

I got mine used from a teacher's supply store. It was a demo copy, so it was opened. So assuming that my copy is also correct, that's a pretty serious error. I would think they'd fix that.

It's a fun, light game, which my family actually played more than once, so for that I'll give it high marks.

Thread: Re: What is the Breakdown of the Tide Cards?

fehrmeister — 2007-11-26T15:18:27+00:00

Thanks Drew! Yikes - my cards are really messed up. I only got 22 tide cards, and 3 of them are 12s! I'll have to contact Gamewright about this.

Thread: Re: What is the Breakdown of the Tide Cards?

Drew1365 — 2007-11-26T03:46:42+00:00

There are two of each number, 1 to 12.

Thread: What is the Breakdown of the Tide Cards?

fehrmeister — 2007-11-26T03:42:39+00:00

I am missing 2 of the 24 tide cards that are supposed to come with the game. Do any of you know what the breakdown of the numbers on the tide cards is supposed to be (how many of each number from 1-12?)

Thanks!

Thread: Re: REVIEW: Is this For Sale or Category 55?

guttedgeek — 2007-11-23T18:36:44+00:00

citylife wrote:
but for others it will just take a good filler and make it drag

Yup, I'd agree on this. Best played with no more than 4 to keep the playtime in check.

Thread: Re: REVIEW: Is this For Sale or Category 55?

meowsqueak — 2007-11-23T06:32:59+00:00

Good review, but Andy, Andy... you really need to edit your work... it's "Category 5", after the classification system for hurricanes (northern hemisphere tropical cyclones, which in fact rotate the same way as our southern hemisphere anti-cyclones, or something...) not "Category 55"!

It's really funny how your reviews often indicate that you really enjoyed a game immensely. This often comes as a total surprise because you moan and complain so much during the game anyone would think you hated it!

Thread: Re: REVIEW: Is this For Sale or Category 55?

wmshub — 2007-11-23T03:27:23+00:00

Bad hands score better than good hands? Expecting a war game?

If you were American, I'd advise you to lay off the turkey for a bit...

Thread: REVIEW: Is this For Sale or Category 5?

citylife — 2007-11-23T01:25:01+00:00

Tide of iron had me thinking this was a war game of some sort …turn the tide of the battle so to speak, so I was bewildered when I discovered I was playing a game with lighthouses and waves. Tame theme, tame game? However I was thrilled to find the game play was a combination of Category 5 and For sale, both of which are excellent games.

But to my viewing this game behaves badly. It is entirely too easy to score points with ‘bad’ hands and entirely too hard to score points with ‘good’ hands. This actually makes one think that a bad hand is actually a good hand, and that a good hand is actually a bad hand. Fortunately the game saves itself since its redeeming feature is that the game mostly evens out since you play all the hands at one stage or another.

The game does not excel for its theme or its art. Lighthouses, lifesavers, tides and waves, I am a LUNARtik to be playing this game? Everything is functional and of reasonable quality but it just doesn’t stand out. Category 5 (C5) is similar in this respect though not quite as attractive, yet For Sale (FS) is the standout for its smart and classy application of the theme is an attractive setting. No one, at least no boy, can resist getting a space station after all. Turn the tide will not wow you with its art, but don’t worry it won’t look like the black sheep in your otherwise beautiful gaming collection.

The gameplay combines elements from C5 and FS. The cards that you play are numbered from 1 to 60 and in any one round each player play one card. This exactly the same as the cheque phase of for sale. The number on your card determines what lighthouse (if any) you will get. The key twist of the knife is that the second highest card gets the higher value lighthouse and that the lower two cards get nothing. Lighthouses may be good or bad for you depending on position and the game rolls on from there.

After allocation one player will lose a lifesaver according to who has the highest lighthouse in play. It is the lifesavers at the end of the round that determine the score and they are the key complexity in the game. Each card provides an allocation of life savers for the round. Hence the more you have the higher your potential to score. ‘Worse’ cards give more life savers, and more potential for scoring. Yet they also provide a greater risk and are more likely to cost you points. But in reality with all the uncertainties and changing priorities, a card with a lifesaver could and often will earn you a point at the end of the round. So the ‘bad’ hands score better on average than the ‘good’ hands. A quirk you must become familiar with. This is evened out by each player playing every hand once, but the result is a far extended game. For some, this rotation of hands will appeal as it completely balances the fairness of the game, but for others it will just take a good filler and make it drag.

There is depth here, and will be more than enough for your considered gamer, yet its like a good cartoon movie in that it can be played simply and quickly as well. Although it’s nothing special, it is a light-hearted non combative game that will appeal to a wide audience. Perhaps the second edition could give this a war game theme …

Thread: Re: End game scoring - resolving a tie?

meowsqueak — 2007-08-29T02:29:19+00:00

Thanks for letting us know

Thread: Re: End game scoring - resolving a tie?

Arnott — 2007-08-29T02:22:53+00:00

meowsqueak wrote:
If two or more players have the same score at the end of the game, the rules seem to imply that the result is a tie. I don't like ties. Has anyone found a sensible tie-breaking metric?

Kind of a late respomse, but in the original game - Zum Kuckuck! - there actually is a tie-breaker rule. If two or more players are tied, the one who scored the highest single round wins. If that is also a tie, the win is shared.

Not sure why they got rid of this, other than it's entirely possible someone forgot it

-Dave

Thread: End game scoring - resolving a tie?

meowsqueak — 2007-02-10T03:53:18+00:00

If two or more players have the same score at the end of the game, the rules seem to imply that the result is a tie. I don't like ties. Has anyone found a sensible tie-breaking metric?

Thread: Turn the Tide - A Light Review

Neil Thomson — 2007-01-03T15:34:38+00:00

All of my reviews aim to offer a brief overview that allows people to get a good feel for what the game may offer them. I feel that other reviews can be sought if detailed game mechanics is what you are after.

As this is a game based on educational principles I am also able to draw on my experience as a primary school teacher (Australia) when reviewing them. I hope you find this insight useful.

In Turn the Tide each player is a lighthouse keeper and the aim is to keep the tide as low as possible. Why? Well there are sheep grazing at the bottom of your lighthouse. Won’t somebody think of the sheep !

The game is made up of 2 decks of cards. There are 60 weather cards (used for bidding) and these have a value ranging from 1-60. Each player is dealt 12 of these cards and any leftovers are returned to the box. The 2nd deck consists of Tide Level cards. There are 24 of these with a value ranging from 1-12 (two of each). Before play begins each player must consult their hand and count up the number of life preserver tokens printed on their cards (each card may have 0, half or a full life preserver icon). They take these tokens and place them in front of them. Most of these tokens are printed on the middle value cards. These values are not desirable but the tokens are (they earn points later), so the game is perfectly balanced from the get-go.

The aim of the game is very simple. The players are trying to avoid holding the highest tide level card after each hand (or trick) is played. Before the start of each hand, 2 tide level cards are turned face-up and the players must bid on these by selecting 1 of their weather cards. The players reveal their choice simultaneously. The highest weather card will win the lowest valued tide level card and the 2nd highest weather card will take the remaining tide level card. If the players already had a tide card from previous hands, the newly won card will replace it. The table then checks to see who has the highest valued tide level card and that person will lose a preserver token. The next hand (trick) then begins with 2 more tide level cards being turned over ready for bidding. Players are eliminated from the rest of the round if they run out of life preservers. A round will last for a maximum of 12 hands as this is how many weather cards each player starts with.

At the end of the round the players will earn 1 point for each life preserver they have left and the player with the lowest tide level card earns an additional bonus point.

Sounds simple but the design is very clever. Some players will aim to collect no tide cards, others will go after the lowest tide card each hand. The trick is knowing what card your opponents will play each turn and what cards remain. Get it wrong and your sheep will be bleating madly. But here comes the twist! At the end of each round the players must pass on their hand of weather cards and life preservers to the player on their left. This means that over the course of the game, every player will have had the same resources to work with (there is 1 round of play per player in the game). It’s how well you use them that will determine the winner!

The Final Word

Turn the Tide is an excellent game and one of the best in the Gamewright collection. It is balanced perfectly and appeals as much to adults as it does children. The luck factor is significantly reduced due to the hand swapping mechanic and playing with 5 players will appeal to serious card players as all of the cards are in play.

Thread: Re: One of the best..

mrbass — 2006-09-10T06:45:23+00:00

I don't think 3 players works all that great. Seems like everyone is getting screwed. 4 and 5 definitely better.

Thread: Turn the Tide for 3

TimothyP — 2006-05-25T15:59:28+00:00

Turn the Tide requires different strategies and planning based on how many people are playing. This session was played by three players, which is the minimum. In this setup, two people always come out good each hand, one player always comes out bad. So the goal of each player is to avoid the middle number when weather cards are played. The strategy is always in guessing what your opponents will play based on the numbers showing on the two face-up tide cards.

I’ll refer to the players as 1, 2, and 3. Here was the initial distribution of life preserver (LP) tiles:

Player 1: 4 LPs
Player 2: 7 LPs
Player 3: 4 LPs

For those of you not familiar with Turn the Tide, the more LPs you have, the worse your hand is. The cards and life preservers are very balanced, which is a cool mechanic of this game.

Here are the results of the rounds in simple form. I will make note of how things looked halfway through each round (6-hand), and then what the final score was for each round (12-hand).

Round 1

6-hand
Player 1: 1 LPs left. Tide = 9
Player 2: 4 LPs left. Tide = 5
Player 3: 4 LPs left. Tide = 8

12-hand
Player 1: -1 points. Tide = 7
Player 2: 5 points. Tide = 1
Player 3: 2 points. Tide = 4

Round 2

6-hand
Player 1: 1 LPs left. Tide = 6
Player 2: 4 LPs left. Tide = 3
Player 3: 2 LPs left. Tide = 1

12-hand
Player 1: -1 points. Tide = 12
Player 2: 5 points. Tide = 5
Player 3: 1 points. Tide = 8

Round 3

This round ended after only six hands, so here are the scores for the round.

6-hand
Player 1: 7 points. Tide = 2
Player 2: 3 points. Tide = 6
Player 3: -1 points. Tide = 12

Final Score

Player 1: 5
Player 2: 13
Player 3: 4

This session played out like many sessions I’ve had before. It often seems that one or two players are a good margin above the others. For instance, a couple games ago, I played two 4-player games in a row with one group. Coincidentally, two of the players tied for the win in BOTH games with high scores, while the other two of us had very low scores in both games. The same thing happened in this game, and happens quite often. I have no idea why this split occurs. Turn the Tide depends so much on luck and guesswork – I can’t imagine how a pattern could exist on any level. But so far, this score anomaly seems to be true for most sessions I’ve played in. Perhaps I just need to play more.

This was a fun session though, and Player 3 actually voted to play this game again the next time we had a game session. Even if you lose, this game is very fun to come back to for another play.

Thread: Re: Similar to 6 Nimmt?

markhu — 2006-03-21T01:03:48+00:00

Land Unter has ugly pigs.
Turn the Tide has the cute sheep.

Thread: Re: One of the best..

Kobra1 — 2006-02-01T00:27:22+00:00

ynnen wrote:
This is a game I've had my eye on for quite some time, as my family and in-laws absolutely love cards games, and are always willing to try out a new card game I want to introduce.

I'm wondering if you think there is a "magic number" for number of players -- that perhaps the novelty of the mechanic works great with a certain number of people, but doesn't really hold up to a different number, etc.

We've done 3, 4 and 5 player games with it. I will say the dynamics of the 3 player game are somewhat different than 4-5 player, and it requires some strategic changes. For example in a 4 player game, you have an addition person to "Cushion" the bids and somewhat reduce your chances of taking a bad card. But at the same time, gameplay is more cutthroat and deliberate.

Overall though, i've found it works with all numbers equally well, and I enjoy it with 3, 4 or 5 players about the same.

Thread: Re: One of the best..

ynnen — 2006-01-31T14:19:32+00:00

This is a game I've had my eye on for quite some time, as my family and in-laws absolutely love cards games, and are always willing to try out a new card game I want to introduce.

I'm wondering if you think there is a "magic number" for number of players -- that perhaps the novelty of the mechanic works great with a certain number of people, but doesn't really hold up to a different number, etc.

Thread: Re: One of the best..

Kobra1 — 2006-01-27T21:05:40+00:00

Poor wording on my part, but given there are only 2 tide cards out, it essentially meant the same anyway.

I reworded it to say "Remaining" card to make it crystal clear.

Thread: Re: One of the best..

Ponce1944 — 2006-01-27T20:36:17+00:00

This is another game that Gameright has transformed to make it appealing to children audiences with an educational and attactive look in mind. Loot is another one that underwent that process. Anyway I like'm both.

Thread: Re: One of the best..

AEFGIRT — 2006-01-27T19:34:08+00:00

The highest bid takes the lowest card (good), and the second highest weather card takes the second highest tide card.

That's second-lowest tide card! You fell victim to the same confusion that we had to overcome at Mind Games(tm) last year. You bid high to take a low card, because low is more valuable. (Or you bid low to avoid taking any card when you're happy with what you have.)

The game isn't tough once you get going, but you have to help new players over that high/low mixup.

Thread: One of the best..

Kobra1 — 2006-01-27T06:50:20+00:00

Turn the Tide

The Components (Bits):
This is a quality production overall. The cards are fairly thick with a nice finish, the box is quite wonderful, giving the impression of a much more expensive game. Included inside is a really nice score sheet and pencil, as well as life preserver tokens that are very well done. The illustration and print quality is excellent!

The Setup and Rules:
The rules are well translated without any obvious errors or ambiguities, and the only downside is they are printed on normal paper with black and white ink. Otherwise there are no complaints with them whatsoever, and the game takes seconds to setup. Each player is dealt a hand of twelve “Weather” cards, then takes the corresponding life preservers on each card and places them face up in front of him. Then two tide cards are turned over, and the game begins. Note: The life preservers shown for each player vary depending on the hand you are dealt, which may seem unbalancing, but it isn’t. More life preservers simply means you have a weaker hand, and need more lives to survive.

The Theme:
The theme is quite loose and pasted on and is one of the weakest points about the game. With that being said, I should point out that the pasted on theme doesn’t detract from the overall quality or feel of the game. I just don’t get a “I must save the sheep” feeling when I play it, but I rather appreciate the extremely high quality artwork on the cards.

The Gameplay:
Turn the Tide is a hybrid bidding and trick taking game. Players bid with their “Weather” cards on Tide Level Cards placed face up two at a time in the middle of the table. Each player selects a weather card to use for “Bidding”, and them places it face down in front of themselves. Simultaneously all players reveal their cards, and the bid is resolved. The highest bid takes the lowest card (good), and the second highest weather card takes the remaining tide card. The players examine all displayed tide cards to determine who has the highest tide showing, and that person loses a life preserver – for a tie – both players lose one. This process continues until all twelve cards of each player has been exhausted, or until there are only two players remaining at the table. The life preservers are now scored, and players get ready for the next round. Now the fun part, for the next round each player passes his hand and preservers to the person to their left, and they have to play the next round with the previous persons hand! As you can imagine, this results in some pretty impressive tactics and showmanship, and it all works wonderfully. Enough rounds are played to equal the amount of players at the table, and all scores are tallied and the winner is declared.

The Depth and Tactics:
Turn the Tide isn’t much different than other Stefan Dorra games in that they sound more simple than they are in practice, and usually offer some pretty deep and exciting gameplay. The bidding dynamic is quite similar to Dorra’s other big game “For Sale”, but is an improvement on the system. Losing a bid doesn’t mean you lost a life preserver, because if someone already has a higher one on display from the previous bidding round, and they fail to get any card lower, THAT person loses another life preserver for that. So for example if there are three players, and they have a 5, 11 and 2 tide level cards showing. Up for bid is 2 and 9, if the person holding the 5 gets the 9, then they don’t lose a preserver, the person holding the 11 from the previous bidding round loses a preserver – HOWEVER – if the person holding the 11 on that same round, wins the 2, then the person getting the 9 suddenly loses a life preserver! As you can imagine, this opens up some pretty unique tactics and sneaky gameplay with a healthy dose of “Take that” going on and tremendous interaction. Turn the Tide requires very deliberate and thoroughly considered gameplay to come out on top, and a victory is very rewarding – especially with the hand of a previous player who lost on the round before! The one-upsmanship aspect of this hand exchange system is absolutely brilliant.

Summary:
Turn the Tide is a truly fantastic game, one of the best card games I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing. It accommodates 3-5 players, and is quite easy to learn, yet fairly difficult to master the strategies to consistently win. It offers fairly brisk game durations, ranging from 30-50 minutes in duration depending on the players, yet has enough depth and inventive tactics to not outlive the table time. This is one of Stefan Dorra’s very best games – if not the best – and I consider it a cut above his famous “For Sale” (a game I really enjoy).. The interactive, competitive gameplay, and hand exchange system has to be seen to be appreciated. Turn the Tide comes with my highest recommendation possible, this is simply a must purchase!

Kobra
www.boardgamespiel.com

Thread: Re: number of players?

Kobra1 — 2006-01-25T23:48:15+00:00

Once a game gets to 2 players, the game immediately ends.

I've played it with 3 and 4 players, and enjoy it equally with each without preference. I think it scales very well.

Tactics can take a bit to wrap your brain around, but when you do, you can really smoke in this game and it becomes a seriously competative adventure in cardplay and hand management! Awesome game btw.

Thread: Re: number of players?

rootbeer — 2006-01-16T05:35:56+00:00

Thread: Re: number of players?

HaoleBoy — 2006-01-16T04:58:13+00:00

Our next two games were 5,4,4 life preservers (final score 5-0-0) and 6,3,3 life preservers (final score 3-2-0) with only a couple of eliminations for both games. I think we were starting to see some better tactics to use.

Thread: Re: number of players?

clearclaw — 2006-01-15T08:40:54+00:00

HaoleBoy wrote:
...most rounds one of us got eliminated at some point.

Of course. That is one of the goals of all the other competing players. It will happen in about a third of hands until your group get's practiced and then fall to somewhere around 7%-15% of hands.

Thread: Re: number of players?

clearclaw — 2006-01-15T08:37:51+00:00

HaoleBoy wrote:
Not three players. We just played three games of Turn the Tide, and most rounds one of us got eliminated at some point. When that happens, it's really just the two players left playing their hightest cards - no fun. Our best game was when we each had 5, 4 and 4 life preservers - very balanced and entertaining. Final score was a tie at 2, but it came down to the end.

ObNote: We make the deal face up, cards after than in-hand being private so that you'll always have the same exact perfect information.

Conversely I find three players the most interesting. If you get a hand weak in life preservers you'll need to play smart and canny to stay alive, and the other players with larger numbers of belts will feel themselves under direct threat and will be fighting to wear you out of the game. You know exactly what cards are in each player's hands and what ends they are trying to achieve against both your hand and your mutual opponent's, and that's the delight of the game. It is the game equivalent of the three body problem. Its easy to predict a two body relation, but for three players each with a different skill level, risk level, and different set of cards? Delightful. With more than three players the game becomes too difficult to predict.

Thread: Re: number of players?

HaoleBoy — 2006-01-15T05:39:37+00:00

Not three players. We just played three games of Turn the Tide, and most rounds one of us got eliminated at some point. When that happens, it's really just the two players left playing their hightest cards - no fun. Our best game was when we each had 5, 4 and 4 life preservers - very balanced and entertaining. Final score was a tie at 2, but it came down to the end.