Warren Adams
Australia
Perth
Western Australia
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The Western Australian Boardgame Association (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/guild/308) meets monthly in Perth on the second Saturday of each month. At the December 2008 meeting, the inaugural Decembacon (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/359790), one of the featured events was a fifteen player, three board game of Fische Fluppen Frikadellen.
Being involved in, or monitoring, a fifteen player game over three tables precludes the ability to write a session report of any substance – so this is not really a session report, but more an overview of how we went about it and what happened. **Warning - it is long**
Stew picked up the requisite three copies of the game on his jaunt to Essen. So we had the raw ingredients (just add players). A month before the event we played a five player, one board game (which we made a mess of, playing with flawed rules). A week out we played a four player, one board game with the rules sorted out. Surprisingly on the second attempt the game seemed to actually make more sense.
At both attempts we only used the merchant/trader cards numbered 1-12. The reason that our first attempt was unwieldy was that initially we did not use this set of cards (as recommended in the rules for beginners). Both times while playing, we were always considering the implications of what we were doing when applied to a fifteen player game. This enabled us to sort of sort out a lot of the logistics well in advance.
It was agreed that having one of us (Stew, Helen, Warren) at each of the three tables in an explaining/facilitating/moderating/assisting role would be the best (unless a player shortage enabled us to play).
For the meet we offered the opportunity to register but the response rate was not high (probably as the game and concept were unknown). That said, on the day we had little problem gathering players to have a go at the game.
On Your Marks
The three tables (T1, T2 & T3) were set up quite apart from each other. T1 and T2 were at either end of the large room and T3 was outside in the corridor. This meant that players could hardly see the other tables let alone establish what was happening in each particular economy.
We also took some plastic containers for players to put ‘their bits’ in as they moved between the tables.
We used merchant/trader cards 1-12 on each of the tables (all the same) but used a different fetish dealer on each table. Each of the three fetish dealers sold only one type of fetish so the players had to go to all three boards to collect what was required to win. As a part of the set up, the fetish tokens were moved between the games so each game only had one different type of fetish available.
A brief handout of the types of merchant/trader card symbols to be used in the game was available for players to use. This was important because the rules show a range of available symbols but only an abridged version was required as we were only using merchant/trader cards 1-12.
Get Set
Having set up their board, Helen (T1), Stew (T2), and Warren (T3) each manned a table, whilst the tables filled with five fresh faced players.
The rules were then explained to the players with the most important rule being that the game could not accommodate a rules lawyer. As those explaining the rules had only played the game twice, the rules may vary between the boards - which they did (well they are separate economies). For example, at T1 and T3, fennel was to prove popular but when the players arrived at T2 requests for fennel were greeted with "We call them Spring Onions here, stranger..."
Questions were dealt with and the countdown to commencement began.
Go
Game on – and it looked just like a normal game for a while, with little interest in changing tables. The moderators assisted with the rules and guided the games. Tauel assisted by moving between the tables and keeping an overall eye on what was happening, providing information to the three moderators (this proved to be a very useful role).
All three tables started off fairly slowly as players came to grips with the mechanics of the game. The fairly non-intuitive role of the traders saw players making slow progress, as they wrapped their head around exactly how to manipulate the market to suit their plans.
The notion of collecting a fetish and heading to another land to get the next one seemed to escape people.
Some players were attempting to grab hold of as many commodities as possible (working under the assumption that they must be useful somewhere!).
On T2 some were mining a fortuitous 'spring onion' production/sale engine in one corner of the board and accumulating as much cash as possible, whilst at T3 a similar circuit was established for fags. On all tables each move seemed calm and considered...
Go West
Everything changed when the first player arrived at T2 from T1. The sight of another player, already with a fetish in hand, and the presence of six players at the table (and the slower turns that resulted) threw the T2 starting players into a state of panic and frustration as everyone rushed to get off the board as soon as possible.
T3, operating out of the sight of T1 and T2, was not affected by the sudden movement and remained so for some time (as the exchanges of players initially seemed to be only between T1 and T2).
To acquire a fetish at T1, players only had to accumulate four commodities of the same type so this was quite easily achieved.
Slowly, T1 and T2 players started to acquire the needed fetish and headed off for unknown realms...
As newer players arrived at each table, it was interesting to see their stunned reactions at the idea they had to gather a different ratio of commodities for the fetish at the new table, as they'd usually arrive with a fistful of commodities that suited their previous table and the expectation that this table would be an easy run.
Well, the moderators found the reactions amusing anyway 
As I write this, it has occurred to me why players at T3 were so slow to change tables. They had the more difficult of the commodity combinations to collect for their initial fetish (compared to T1 and T2). Up until now it has just been blamed on the rules interpretation at T3.
Some players were arriving at T3 with two fetishes in hand, before the original players at T3 had left. At one stage T3 had 10 players so down time was considerable.
Correspondingly, for some time during the game, T1 had only one player who found his movement around the economy to be rather brisk.
By two thirds of the way through the game, players had a good enough handle on the mechanics that the moderators were mostly able to sit by and watch as players came and went, occasionally assisting with managing the board and prompting with rules (eg the price only goes down when a commodity is sold!)
Breaking the Tape
The game end was almost an anticlimax to the mad rushing around that had been developing. When Art won it was a bit like...oh...well that is that then.
There are two reasons for this I think. Firstly, no player has any idea what any other player is really up to, as they are working on their own game so there is no sense of a climax approaching. Secondly, only the players at the table were the winner is, even know that a winner has been found.
The Good
There were a number of planned and unplanned things that worked very well.
- Keeping the nature of the fetish dealers secret (i.e. the commodity combinations required). We could probably only get away with it this one time but it really added to the sense of 'arriving in a new place'.
- Having a good distance between the tables really worked to keep players focused on what was happening on their board...and unable to see what was going on the other tables. Putting the tables any closer could have been a problem.
- Finally, and this is an important thing, having an explainer/ facilitator at each table was very important. As none of the players had played before, keeping the economy running (topping up production, moving the price index) was essential. Also really useful was the wandering monitor role performed by Tauel.
While the game isn't a complicated game by any means, there is certainly enough confusion to it that could easily have lead to lengthy rules discussions, derailing what is essentially a race against time.
The Bad
Well, not much really...just some things to think about.
- The explainers could have been a bit better versed in the rules (there were a couple of relatively trivial ones that we got wrong and/or interpreted differently).
- Although it is not a complex game, this format does lead to some AP. Arriving at a new table and then having to establish or re-establish an approach to suit the new economy does leave the door open for AP, as does the changes made to the board as a player’s turn approaches – again leading to replanning moves.
- Encountering different players throughout the game and then trying to assess what they are up to also slows the game down. In a normal game you are with your opponents the whole way through the game and can assess what they are up to and attempt to hinder their progress. This is near on impossible in this game so don’t waste your time (and the time of others).
- At the start it needs to be emphasised that ultimately the game is a race and players won’t know what other players are doing, so they just need to do their own stuff quickly.
- Players arriving at a new table completely unprepared for what was required there (arriving with surplus useless commodities or no cash etc). That was bad for them but did entertain the moderators.
The Ugly
Some might think the moderators and their rules interpretation..!
- The pictures of the traders and merchants sure aren’t pretty.
- Needing only one more move to win and being stuck on a table of ten whilst hearing first, second and third place get taken from under your nose might be ugly.
- Having to re-sort the fetishes, commodities and actions back into their separate boxes was probably not a lot of fun (note – do a stock take before you start)!
That's about it really.
Reviewing the Tape
- Everybody seemed to like it.
- Changing tables during a game is different as is changing opponents during the game.
- The way the room was set up meant that the moving between tables sent players through areas where other games were being played - this added a great sense of dynamism to what is normally quite a 'static' games meet.
- Perhaps the fact that players were all new to the game added a sense of chaos and the 'unknown' that wouldn't happen with experienced players.
One wonders if the game would be as much fun if everyone had a good idea of what they were doing. But then again, that's where a more random distribution of tiles would spice things up....after all we did only use the beginner merchant/trader cards numbered 1-12, so there are plenty more to try. All the economies we used had the same merchant/trader cards on each (set out differently of course). Other cards, with more difficult options could vary the game significantly, especially if they were not repeated at another table.
I think it's safe to say that everyone had a blast with the game. And next time we try it, well it will doubtless be a little better and a lot different.
Thanks also to the players (that we can remember) that gave it a go:
Art (1st place)
Can’t remember (2nd place)
Tim (3rd place)
Chris
Daniel
Dean
Helen
Jenny
JM
Josh
Katie
Richard
Steve G
Steve R
Terry
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Homo Ludens
Canada
St. Albert
Alberta
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The title is worth a
 by itself! 
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Warren Adams
Australia
Perth
Western Australia
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cvandyk wrote: The title is worth a by itself!
It took almost as long as the rest of it did!
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Werner Bär
Germany
Karlsruhe
Baden
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Using cards #1-#12 (except for the fetish trader) might have caused additional problems for table with Friedemann as Fetish Trader (i assume T3). Needing all different wares for a fetish drives the price the goods down a lot on exchange; usually, there's also #13 in play together with #14, which will move the prices up again.
In your game, i assume the players on this table will have big problems to aquire additional money for more wares. On the other hand, players coming from other tables with some spare money can pick up wares cheap there.
If you use different sets of merchants for the next event, and tell them so, it's an additional incentive to change tables early in the game (not only after you have your first fetish). Got lots of one ware that's not worth much, and need money? Go try to sell it at another table for big profit. But it surely needs to know more icons; the explainer at each table was a very good idea.
I haven't played the 3 table version myself, but i think i would prefer it with just 10-12 players total. 5 players on one table starts to slow things down a lot in the base game, compared with 3-4 players.
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Warren Adams
Australia
Perth
Western Australia
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Werbaer wrote: 5 players on one table starts to slow things down a lot in the base game, compared with 3-4 players.
You should see how slow it goes with 10 at a table!
Some good thoughts/suggestions, thanks.
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Chris
United States
Marysville
Pennsylvania
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F-'ing good subject line.
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Posted Fri Jan 9, 2009 1:17 am
