Game: Cube Farm

Thread: Re: Legal Cubes

mrtomsmith — 2008-04-22T20:32:20+00:00

benbodrero wrote:
You will have to let me know about the double exit cube thing when you get a chance to play again and opinions of your group. Anybody else got an opinion on that?

Ben

We just played for the first time, and our interpretation was that the 'hallway cube' counts as a double.

Thread: Re: Legal Cubes

kidsplinter — 2008-01-16T14:18:06+00:00

benbodrero wrote:
You will have to let me know about the double exit cube thing when you get a chance to play again and opinions of your group.

Will do! It unfortunately might be a little while until I can present any further thoughts. My friends and family are all currently hung up on "Wyatt Earp" and "Quicksand".

Thread: Re: Legal Cubes

benbodrero — 2008-01-11T02:47:52+00:00

Under "Playing Stones", the instructions state that "employees can walk through open spaces and through bonus squares, but not through cubicles or walls". So, the player couldn't legally claim the right cube if the pair is treated as separate. Access to the elevator through walkways would have to be provided before claiming the right cube.

Indeed. I had conveniently remembered that as not being able to walk through occupied cubes, but I guess the rules aren't quite worded that way.

Thanks again. Your first reply has been printed and made into an official appendix to my copy of the rules. You will have to let me know about the double exit cube thing when you get a chance to play again and opinions of your group. Anybody else got an opinion on that?

Ben

Thread: Re: Legal Cubes

kidsplinter — 2008-01-09T19:44:01+00:00

Hello again!

benbodrero wrote:
Thanks! I wasn't sure how fast I would get an answer on this game. That does help a lot.

No problem. I'm glad I could help!

benbodrero wrote:
Also, on having a cube with two openings: many of the single cubes only have two walls and therefore two openings if you look at it that way. It seems conceivable to make some sort of hallway cube which would certainly be something to argue about how to score.

I hadn't really thought about that before, but you're absolutely right. Can I smack my forehead and let out a loud "duh"?

In the image below, the player using the green stone gets access to thee bonuses thanks to the pair of exits

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But if you had a standard U-shaped cube, your scoring bonuses change.

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You know, in the end there's not much of a difference between the first example above and this...

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I might have to reconsider how to deal with cubes like that.

benbodrero wrote:
Another question with that two (separate but neighboring) cube scenario: Say the left one had access to the elevator and someone claimed the right one. Someone could later claim the left one thereby blocking access to the elevator. Does the right cube still get scored at the end of the round without access to an elevator?

The scenario above couldn't actually happen according to the rules. Under "Playing Stones", the instructions state that "employees can walk through open spaces and through bonus squares, but not through cubicles or walls". So, the player couldn't legally claim the right cube if the pair is treated as separate. Access to the elevator through walkways would have to be provided before claiming the right cube.

benbodrero wrote:
BTW, how did you make your pictures that you inserted? Pictures like that would certainly make any more of my questions more clear.

All of the images are digital photos that I've cropped and manipulated for the examples. The work was all done in Photoshop and uploaded to my personal image gallery here on BGG. Then I simply called up the images using their imageID number. If you don't have access to Photoshop, you might want to give the GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) a try.

Link: www.gimp.org

-Nate

edit: correcting a typo

Thread: Re: Legal Cubes

benbodrero — 2008-01-09T17:57:55+00:00

Thanks! I wasn't sure how fast I would get an answer on this game. That does help a lot.

You were correct on the two-space cube that I asked about except that in our game it happened so that the lower left edge opend to the table, so it wasn't technically open until another card closed off that table space and converted it into open floor space.

Also, on having a cube with two openings: many of the single cubes only have two walls and therefore two openings if you look at it that way. It seems conceivable to make some sort of hallway cube which would certainly be something to argue about how to score. In the mean time I think I like looking at those kind of scenarios as two separate cubes as you do for simplicity.

Another question with that two (separate but neighboring) cube scenario: Say the left one had access to the elevator and someone claimed the right one. Someone could later claim the left one thereby blocking access to the elevator. Does the right cube still get scored at the end of the round without access to an elevator?

BTW, how did you make your pictures that you inserted? Pictures like that would certainly make any more of my questions more clear.

Ben

Thread: Re: Legal Cubes

kidsplinter — 2008-01-09T17:32:10+00:00

Good afternoon Ben!

benbodrero wrote:
Perhaps this is more a question of the artwork intent, but there are hallway looking white stripes between all of the floor areas. However, these are ignored to my understanding when determining walking distances.

The white areas on the cards just serve as dividers between all of the valid cube and walkway spaces (which includes the fax, printer, etc.). As you mentioned, they are indeed ignored when determining walking distances for bonuses and penalties.

benbodrero wrote:
Are they also ignored when determining legal cubes? On some of the cards, there may be an empty floor space, but on two (or three) sides across the "hallway" there are walls which could be used as cube walls for a legal cube if the "hallways" are ignored completely.

If I understand correctly, you're asking if new cubes can be formed by using the walls from other cubes on a card. The answer to that is 'no'.

On the card pictured below, the areas marked in red do not form a new cube where the red X is. That space is only to be used as a walkway.

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benbodrero wrote:
Another example: consider a two space cube of one row and two columns and card borders splitting the cube. The right top of the cubicle is open, as is the bottom left (table border in this case). The right side was claimed first, does it expand into the left side when the next card is played?

I believe you're referring to a cube like the one shown below.

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You're right that the rules are a bit ambiguous on what constitutes a legal cube. This is one of those forms that I've never been totally sure how to handle. If used as a two, it could provide an unfair scoring advantage due to the pair of exits. My wife and I currently treat this as two single cubes. Anyone else care to shed light on this?

benbodrero wrote:
Is it ever a legal grab for a two space cube?

I would say 'yes' to this question. In first example below, we're three turns into a two player game. Player 1 (using green) claims the cube marked "A" after placing a card (which is partially cut off) above the elevator. Player 2 (using red) then places his card on the lower right side of the elevator and claims the cube marked "B". Player 1 continues by placing a card above the one just placed by player 2. The cube marked "C" is claimed and has a 2 point bonus.

Example 1
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In example two, the game continues and player 2 places the elevator card marked in red. The double cube "A" can now be legally claimed.

Example 2
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Well, I hope some of that helps to answer your questions!

Thread: Legal Cubes

benbodrero — 2008-01-08T19:17:54+00:00

Only two plays on this so far, and they obviously didn't spend TONS of time on the rulebook, so my question concerns legal cubes and cube extensions.

Perhaps this is more a question of the artwork intent, but there are hallway looking white stripes between all of the floor areas. However, thess are ignored to my understanding when determining walking distances. Are they also ignored when determining legal cubes? On some of the cards, there may be an empty floor space, but on two (or three) sides across the "hallway" there are walls which could be used as cube walls for a legal cube if the "hallways" are ignored completely.

Another example: consider a two space cube of one row and two columns and card borders splitting the cube. The right top of the cubicle is open, as is the bottom left (table border in this case). The right side was claimed first, does it expand into the left side when the next card is played? Is it ever a legal grab for a two space cube?

Hope that makes sense. Any help would be great.

Ben

Image

kidsplinter — 2007-12-10T13:42:55+00:00

Image

Von Cougar — 2007-08-07T01:29:33+00:00

End of a two-player game

Thread: Re: Question about cheapass game Cube Farm

kusinohki — 2007-08-03T07:40:28+00:00

I'll add that the next round starts with a fresh playing field of a single elevator and nothing else. All other cards get reshuffled and dealt.

I played that wrong the first couple of games.

Playing a card, drawing a card, game ends when the deck is exhausted might make for an interesting variant....

Thread: Re: Question about cheapass game Cube Farm

kevster — 2007-08-03T04:59:35+00:00

thanks for the answer. and sorry about posting in the wrong area...thanks for the heads up though!

Thread: Re: Question about cheapass game Cube Farm

molnar — 2007-08-03T03:22:04+00:00

The round ends when you have played those five cards. You do not replenish.

Also, since this is a question about a specific game, it belongs in the forum for that game, not "General Gaming".

David

Thread: Question about cheapass game Cube Farm

kevster — 2007-08-03T03:03:42+00:00

No where in the rules does it say that you draw a card from the pile. so is a round over after everyone has exhausted the 5 cards in there hand, or are you supposed to draw a card every turn and go thru the whole deck?

thanks

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Robrob — 2006-07-24T01:37:08+00:00

Card Examples

Thread: Be careful who you play with

hymie — 2006-07-12T17:21:56+00:00

I've started introducing some games to my co-workers. Today's entry was Cube Farm.

It's been a while since I last played, so I forgot that the Receptionist is a -2 cubicle. One of our group is the company receptionist, and she noticed right away. So she didn't enjoy the game much.

I thought I had sealed a victory when I dropped an elevator in between two inaccessable Supply Closets (4 each). But I didn't notice that my (real-life) boss had assembled a Supply Cabinet, Paper Shredder, and Water Cooler (10 pts total) in the middle of a cluster of his cubes.

Game was a little slow for my co-workers' taste (only played one game of Cube Farm in the time we played 3 games of Fluxx yesterday), but we had fun. Final score -- boss 50, my 31, receptionist 29, co-worker 25.

Thread: User Review

SashaGreen — 2005-03-15T21:03:18+00:00

I was on the Cheapass web site looking for the Very Clever Pipe Game, and came across this little gem. Went out on a limb and actually bought *two* copies, one for a colleague and one for myself. And I was not disappointed!!
This is a light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek take on office geo-politics: lay tiles to build the office layout, and try to get your people closest to the good stuff (the coffee machine, water cooler, laser printer, and photocopier), while avoiding the receptionist and (heaven forbid) the vp's desk. Now, you could get silly and ask why the VP is in a cube, or complain that the laser printer should be worth *more* than the photocopier, but it's a silly game. And good fun, especially with a bunch of fellow cube-farm inmates.

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Verkisto — 2004-06-02T23:01:02+00:00

"Cover" of the game.

Thread: User Review

zombiemonkey — 2004-04-14T15:58:45+00:00

Cube Farm is another tile laying game in the Hip Pocket range from Cheapass. It seems that almost every other game in the Hip Pocket range involves laying tiles in one way or another, which is excusable given that the Hip Pocket range consist of sets of cards with minimal amounts of additional components required - I guess there aren't that many genres that can be applied to custom sets of cards! Cube Farm differs from the rest in that the score does not become apparent or final until the last card is laid and the layout scored - whereas most of the Hip Pocket titles allow for strategic thinking and steady progress, it seems all too easy for opponents to create problems for a well laid plan right at the end of the game.

Players take turns laying cards in order to create an office in which their employees have easy access to the good stuff (such as water coolers) but can't get to or are really far away from the bad stuff (such as the Vice President). Once a card is laid, an employee is also added - with the player attempting to place him/her somewhere that isn't going to end up changing too much.

It's an okay game but there are far better alternatives that are a little more abstract (even in the same range) - Agora and Nexus are probably the best tile-layers in the Hip Pocket range and are far more satisfying to play than Cube Farm. Fans of the range or tile-laying games in general should enjoy Cube Farm, but I must admit that it left me a little cold. Average.

Thread: Session Report

jsdougan — 2003-08-18T13:51:18+00:00

A round of Cube Farm was the second game, with a few more people added.

Having now played it a couple of times, I've decided that I don't like this one as much - there are too many instances of people not having a cubicle they can legally claim. I think this might be alleviated if there were fewer 3-wall cubes.

I squeaked out a victory, but only by a couple points. One player did very well with getting larger cubes, including a 4-stone one.

Thread: Re:Quick Comments

vitas — 2002-10-25T15:38:17+00:00

I think you're trying to make this game more than it is. Cube Farm is a simple abstract game with an office cubicle theme on it.

I think it's perfectly legitimate to box stuff into a cubicle with no way out.

Just like scoring good stuff, you have to be able to enter the square with the stuff to score it. After all, only player expand to fill larger cubicles, but stuff doesn't.

Thread: Quick Comments

jsdougan — 2002-10-24T14:04:29+00:00

This review is based on one game solo and one game with my wife; time will tell whether anything written here changes substantively.

Cube Farm is a tile-laying game with a neat little premise behind it: in designing a new office, you want the employees who work for you as close as possible to the good stuff (i.e., things that can be used for work avoidance), while putting your opponents as close as possible to the bad stuff (i.e., folks who will make certain they're being productive). The primary constraint is that each placed employee must have a clear walking path to the elevator.

Most of the cubicles drawn on the tiles have three walls defined, but occasionally there are cubes with only two walls. These can be linked to other cubes with two or three walls to form a larger office, worth more points. In addition, things like the supply cabinet, photocopier, water cooler, and candy machine all score bonus points for a cube that's close enough, while the receptionist and vice president incur a penalty for being located nearby.

Our chief frustration last night was a couple of ambiguities in the rules regarding what constitutes a legal tile placement. It is never made clear whether a tile can be placed to form a cube with no entrances, and the rule about the receptionist or VP not needing a clear path to the elevator doesn't address the scenario of whether they can be completely closed in. In addition, it's not clear whether a penalty is incurred by being able to get to just outside a penalty cube in the specified number of steps, or whether you must be able to enter the penalty cube before the negative is incurred.

I think that the game has some overall promise, but I'm not sure when I'll next be able to play. No numerical rating, for now.

Thread: User Review

DSeagraves — 2002-10-09T01:04:00+00:00

Cube Farm is the latest of CAG's "Hip Pocket" games, which include the very Clever Pipe Game, Agora, and Nexus. Cube Farm is a tile-laying game in which you try to place your employees' cubicles closest to the good stuff (snack machine, copier, water cooler, etc.) while at the same time trying to keep them away from the more annoying things (such as the receptionist or a VP). Points are awarded accourding to how close you get to the good stuff.

As for actual play.... Each player starts out with 5 cards. On each turn a player places a card and claims a cubicle. To claim a cubicle you have to be able to get from the cubicle to an elevator (one elevator is placed at the beginning of the game, and three more are available in the deck.) Once all the cards have been played the score is calculated. After a set number of hands the game is over. Highest score wins (natch.)

Overall, the game is pretty simple, as is the strategy. Ideally you want to put the good stuff close to you while keeping you opponent from getting close to the good stuff. Also you want to aviod being close to negative-scoring things, while also trying to stick the negative stuff close to your opponent's cubicles.

Cube farm is a pretty good game at a fair price. I'd rate it a 7.

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greg — 2002-07-24T22:39:34+00:00