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Games that benefit from a spreadsheet
Michael Tsuk
United States
Arlington
Massachusetts
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I have a laptop that I use as a boardgame aid, and over the years have created a few spreadsheets that I find useful with certain games.
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Posted Wed Oct 12, 2005 11:02 pm
1. Board Game: 1830: The Game of Railroads and Robber Barons [Average Rating:7.67 Overall Rank:86]
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Michael Tsuk
United States
Arlington
Massachusetts
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Actually, any of the 18xx games really benefit from a spreadsheet. Certainly for doing the final tally, but I find that just tracking the dividends paid out to players on the spreadsheet for the operating rounds, and paying a lump sum just before the stock round, really speeds up the game.

Here's a link to the spreadsheet I use:

http://www.bggfiles.com/viewfile.php3?fileid=13229

Feel free to ask me questions about how to use it!
J C Lawrence
United States
San Jose
California
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We typically run out the last rounds of the game, once holdings have settled out, either via spreadsheet or paper. Running all the money by spreadsheet (no monopoly money or poker chips) can easily take an hour or more off the playtime.
Steve McIlhatton
Australia
Leumeah
NSW
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friends of mine just started using a spreadsheet to help with this game. They reckon it knocks about 25% of the total playing time for them...
2. Board Game: Advanced Civilization [Average Rating:7.95 Unranked] [Average Rating:7.95 Unranked]
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Michael Tsuk
United States
Arlington
Massachusetts
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Calculating all of the discounts for civilization cards can be a real pain. This spreadsheet should help with that. I haven't yet used this version during a game, so if you find any problems with it, please let me know.

http://www.bggfiles.com/viewfile.php3?fileid=13230
David Bohnenberger
United States
Swarthmore
Pennsylvania
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I bought a few $1 calculators specifically to help with my Addition Deficiency Disorder.
Chris Hawks
United States
Twin Cities
Minnesota
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I downloaded a spreadsheet a year or 2 ago that we use when we play. Not only does it keep track of everyone's discounts, it also automates the AST, keeps track of population and cities and turn order and calamities, as well as gives player summaries at the end of the game. I can't imagine playing without it, now.
John Holmstrom
United States
Hillsboro
Oregon
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Having a spreadsheet that everyone fills out with purchases has helped us with some strategy. Namely: the guy in the lead by AST or on the board may not be in the lead by points (what really matters).
3. Board Game: Time Agent [Average Rating:6.73 Overall Rank:1469]
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Michael Tsuk
United States
Arlington
Massachusetts
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Here's a spreadsheet for tracking resource and victory points as various historical events are turned on and off. This removes a lot of the fiddliness and allows the players to concetrate on the fun parts of this enjoyable game.

http://www.bggfiles.com/viewfile.php3?fileid=12809
4. Board Game: Take it Easy! [Average Rating:6.73 Overall Rank:567]
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Michael Tsuk
United States
Arlington
Massachusetts
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If you're as bad at mental arithmetic as I am, totalling up the score in Take it Easy can take almost as long as playing the game. I haven't created a spreadsheet for this one, but it shouldn't be too difficult.
5. Board Game: Lost Cities [Average Rating:7.23 Overall Rank:129]
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Michael Tsuk
United States
Arlington
Massachusetts
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You'll understand just how poor I think my mental arithmetic abilities are when I tell you that I've made a spreadsheet for Lost Cities. I haven't uploaded it to the Geek, because it's pretty basic, but if people ask for it, I will.
Sonja Elen Kisa
Canada
Toronto
Ontario
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This was the first game I thought of.
Joe Steadman
United States
Evart
Michigan
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Please upload it!!!! :D
Justin Thomas
Canada
Unspecified
Saskatchewan
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BGG already has a spreadsheet file that you can download and use for Lost Cities. I've downloaded it and used it for the past month. It is really well done.
6. Board Game: Pax Britannica [Average Rating:6.52 Overall Rank:1149]
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Michael Tsuk
United States
Arlington
Massachusetts
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Here's a game that just begs for a spreadsheet: each turn, the players have to fill out a form that's been likened to the US 1040 tax return. There's a spreadsheet on the Geek, but it doesn't actually do any of the calculations for you. My next project.
7. Board Game: The Campaign for North Africa [Average Rating:4.70 Overall Rank:5395]
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pronoblem
United States
Holyoke
Massachusetts
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Benefit? I think you MUST have one for this game.
8. Board Game: Consensus [Average Rating:7.79 Unranked]
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Joe Huber

Westborough
Massachusetts
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I've only tried this game once, but my immediate reaction was "This game needs a spreadsheet". Haven't gotten around to doing one yet, but I will before we play it again.
9. Board Game: Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game [Average Rating:6.83 Overall Rank:786]
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Jorgen
United States
Ferndale
California
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Matthew Goddard
Canada
Toronto
Ontario
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Care to elaborate on why this is in the list? I don't own the game and I'm interested.

Thanks.
Jorgen
United States
Ferndale
California
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Well you can get programs for a lot of things for RPGS such as Dice rollers, Char sheets, NPC programs and Map programs ect ect ect
10. Board Game: Puerto Rico [Average Rating:8.32 Overall Rank:2]
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Patrick Dignam
United States
Wesley Chapel
Florida
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This one can be entirely played using Excel http://www.bggfiles.com/viewfile.php3?fileid=8766

Its darn good too.
1
11. Board Game: Barbu [Average Rating:7.05 Overall Rank:2484]
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Al Capwn
United States
Glenshaw
Pennsylvania
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7-8 different contracts, each scoring differently. Plus, the possibility of doubling, and redoubling. Not to mention, making sure each player chooses each game once on his/her deal. The bookmaking alone scares most people away from this game. Real gem if you play it. A spreadsheet speeds the game up quite a bit, and saves the constant double checking of math.
12. Board Game: J.U.M.P. Into the Unknown [Average Rating:5.38 Overall Rank:4725]
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Joel Imhoff
United States
Ames
Iowa
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Jump is a nice game, but has way too much paperwork. A simple spreadsheet would help.
13. Board Game: Age of Renaissance [Average Rating:7.16 Overall Rank:248]
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Bill Dickerson
United States
Niskayuna
New York
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There is almost always one turn a game where all of the available leaders come out with their discounts and everybody starts furiously re-calculating their buys. There is a lot of math in this game that turns a lot of people off. I'm pretty sure there is a spreadsheet here on the Geek, if not there should be.
14. Board Game: A World at War [Average Rating:7.33 Overall Rank:1400]
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Michel Boucher
Canada
Ottawa
Ontario
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The support site for this game has a ton of spreadsheets, mostly around the idea of production and use of various accumulated points. There are so many of them it's hard to keep track.
15. Board Game: Twilight Imperium 2nd Edition [Average Rating:7.02 Overall Rank:930]
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Chris Comeaux
United States
Birmingham
Alabama
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The 3rd edition rules made money management much easier. But in TI2, we couldn't play at all without some help.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/filepage/24955
3 comments [Hide]
Have faith
United States

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"Spreadsheet" and "games" - is one allowed to use these in the same sentence?
;)
Fraser
Germany
Melbourne
Victoria
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Ooh yes. See the Puerto Rico entry.
Devi Hughes
United States
Irvine
California
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Reminds me of the Onion story about a guy that worked at a video game company who got fired for using spreadsheets during his lunch break.
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