John Morgan
United States
Tucson
Arizona
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Note: This review is focused on playing Take Stock with only two players. It is not a review of components or game play in general. I may at a later time do a full game review.
On of the things that I do not like in two-player games is the tit for tat play (TFT). In many two-player games, if you do X (ex: gain 5 victory points) then i do counter X (ex: make you loose 5 victory points) and the sum result is no gain for either player. Another form of TFT is, if you do X (ex: get a bonus such as larger hand size) then i do X as well (ex: get a bonus such as larger hand size) and again the sum result is no gain for either player. This can go on ad nauseam, making for a boring game that is won by the player that is able to perform tit that the opponent can't respond with tat.
Very good news, Take Stock does much to prevent a game of TFT.
The first TFT buster is the draw of the cards. Like most card games, Take Stock has the element of luck with the cards you draw. But, since Take Stock is not a "draw one, play one" exercise, you can mitigate a lot of that luck with good hand management.
The second TFT buster is hand management. Whenever, you "take stock", that is save a stock certificate, your hand size is reduced. This becomes a slight disadvantage for you as you have reduced your playing resources in favor of scoring resources. On the other hand, if you opponent doesn't save stock certificates and reduce his own hand, he gives you the advantage of controlling when the round ends. This is due to the fact that one way a round ends is a player discards their last card.
The third TFT buster is the number of play options. On my turn I can increase the price of a stock, perform a market event, save a market event for another turn, play a saved market event or save stock certificates. I can increase the price of a stock I have invested in, but my opponent cannot directly reduce the price of that stock. For market events, both saved and immediate, there may be some opportunity for your opponent to tit your tat by playing a counter market event but the odds are not in favor of that happening. Saving stock certificates is the closest to a TFT play in Take Stock. I can save three certificates in tech and my opponent can answer by saving three certificates in tech, that is if he has the cards for it.
The fourth TFT buster is the stock option tokens. My opponent may go out after taking the lead or catching up in a stock for which we both hold certificates. My opponent was able to end the round to his advantage, but if I have stock option tokens I can mitigate damage or even gain advantage. I can play my stock options to get certificates out of my hand and into scoring position. But with only four tokens I have to choose when it is most advantageous to do so.
Conclusion
So my conclusion is that Take Stock plays quite well with two players. A game can be kept close by strategic play rather than TFT play. Most games seem to be close down to the wire. I am not saying that decisive victories are not possible, they are just the exception rather than the rule. So if you are looking for a fun two-player game, I would... ummm... Take Stock!
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