I wish you had brought up the concept of Dirk. It pays to warn gamers that are looking for a game to play with their significant other that this game does not play as well with two due to the fact that you have to add an imaginary third player. I like this game with 3+, but do not view it as an enjoyable two-player game.
I wish you had brought up the concept of Dirk. It pays to warn gamers that are looking for a game to play with their significant other that this game does not play as well with two due to the fact that you have to add an imaginary third player. I like this game with 3+, but do not view it as an enjoyable two-player game.
This game plays very well with two because of Dirk. My wife and I played several games with the normal rules and didn't enjoy it nearly as much as we did with three or more players. Then we realized there was the 'Dirk' rules for two-player play and have loved it ever since.
See, with games like this, usually you can sit there drawing card after card after card, and know that you're going to have an advantage someday. But if someone pays exact change, they buy a tile and they can draw a card, which puts them ahead of you.
I find that Alhambra actually suffers more from the problem of having players drawing lots of cards before buying things. Sometimes I'll not buy a tile until the first scoring round has passed. By then, I'll have so many cards in my hand, that it will be much easier to make exact change with which to buy tiles, netting more free actions than if I had not drawn so many cards to begin with.
As a result, I don't like Alhambra much since I tend to stick to this strategy each time I play (similarly to Ticket to Ride, I hoard cards and take longer routes to get the most efficiency out of my actions).
This game plays very well with two because of Dirk.
So it plays well with two because it requires an imaginary third player? The fact that it requires Dirk to achieve a balanced game should tell you that this is not intended to be a two-player game.
Now if you don't mind Dirk, that's fine. Kingsburg does something similar to make it playable with two. Furthermore, many co-op games can be played solo if you are willing to control all the characters. It works, but I find the practice of a shadow player misleading.
My original comment was meant to be a wish that Tom would have mentioned it, allowing the viewer to draw his own conclusions. Better to make an informed purchase than to go into this game blind. Of course, I would like to hear what he thinks of the game as a two-player experience as well.
In conclusion, I think the use of Dirk is a cheat, but it's a well-done cheat. If you are thinking of getting this game, keep that in mind when you make your purchase. If you can, try before you buy.
Last edited Mon Aug 17, 2009 10:41 pm (Total Number of Edits: 3)
This game plays very well with two because of Dirk.
So it plays well with two because it requires an imaginary third player? The fact that it requires Dirk to achieve a balanced game should tell you that this is not intended to be a two-player game.
Now if you don't mind Dirk, that's fine. Kingsburg does something similar to make it playable with two. Furthermore, many co-op games can be played solo if you are willing to control all the characters. It works, but I find the practice of a shadow player misleading.
My original comment was meant to be a wish that Tom would have mentioned it, allowing the viewer to draw his own conclusions. Better to make an informed purchase than to go into this game blind. Of course, I would like to hear what he thinks of the game as a two-player experience as well.
I don't like playing with Dirk in Alhambra. He seems arrogant and snooty. Plus he has bad hygiene and can smell pretty bad too (no deodorant). Don't they have any other imaginary third players we could use instead?
This game plays very well with two because of Dirk.
So it plays well with two because it requires an imaginary third player? The fact that it requires Dirk to achieve a balanced game should tell you that this is not intended to be a two-player game.
Now if you don't mind Dirk, that's fine. Kingsburg does something similar to make it playable with two. Furthermore, many co-op games can be played solo if you are willing to control all the characters. It works, but I find the practice of a shadow player misleading.
My original comment was meant to be a wish that Tom would have mentioned it, allowing the viewer to draw his own conclusions. Better to make an informed purchase than to go into this game blind. Of course, I would like to hear what he thinks of the game as a two-player experience as well.
In conclusion, I think the use of Dirk is a cheat, but it's a well-done cheat. If you are thinking of getting this game, keep that in mind when you make your purchase. If you can, try before you buy.
I think this is one of the few games where Dirk works. I was surprised this game worked so well with 2.
I don't like playing with Dirk in Alhambra. He seems arrogant and snooty. Plus he has bad hygiene and can smell pretty bad too (no deodorant).
FYI, 'Dirk' is named after the designer, Dirk Henn, whom, AFAIK, does not have any of these attributes.
I'm sure the real Dirk is a nice guy with none of the bad qualities I mentioned. But the imaginary Dirk is kind of a dick.THen again, maybe he was just having a bad day when we played with him.
Appreciate the video. I've stayed away from this one for some reason, and after watching your video, I'm glad I did. But interested in seeing the expansions. I'm not sure, but it looks like it has a bit of a Vegas Showdown flavor to it.
I just wanted to point out one rule error here that you repeat under expansion 3 (The Characters) as well).
If you use the "Take a Money Card" option for your turn, you may take any single card or you may take ANY combination of cards totaling 5 value or less. You mention in both places you may take two cards if they total 5 or less (or 7 or less with Faruk Will'haben). You could potentially take all 4 money cards if they were three 1's and a 2.
Great review series and looking forward to the final one. I thought Alhambra was an OK game but wanted to get it with all the expansions. We have the Big Box now and looking forward to getting the expansions out on the table. In the meantime, I have a greater appreciation for the base game.
I'd also be curious to see a quick recap of your ranking on all 20 expansions. I know you have them listed within the episodes but I already forgot most of their spots.
Last edited Mon Aug 24, 2009 3:21 am (Total Number of Edits: 1)
Top 100 Games of all Time
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