BSW stands for BrettSpielWelt (Board Game World). It is a German site that runs many online board games:

6 Nimmt! (Take 5)
Alles im Eimer (Bucket King)
Attika
Attribute
Backgammon
Bazaar
Bluff
Bohn Duell
Cafe International
Can't Stop
Carcassonne
Carcassonne: Erweiterung (Inns & Cathedrals)
Carcassonne: Handler & Baumeister (Traders & Builders)
Cartagena
Clans
Diamant
Doppelkopf
Dudeln
Dvonn
Einfach Genial (Ingenious)
Emerald
Fursten von Florenz (Princes of Florence)
Funkenschlag (Power Grid)
Geister
Go (9x9 only)
Halali!
Intrige
Carcassonne: Jaeger & Sammler (Hunters & Gatherers)
Kardinal & Konig (Web of Power)
King Lui
Ligretto
Lost Cities
Manhattan
Manitou
Medina
Meuterer
Niagara
Ohne Furcht Und Adel (Citadels)
Paris Paris
Piranha Pedro
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico Erweiterung (Expansion)
Ra
San Juan
Saint Petersburg
Schrille Stille
Siedler von Catan (Settlers of Catan)
Siedler von Catan Turnier (Tournament)
Sticheln
Street Soccer
Tichu
Tongiaki
Top Race
Trans America
Turn It
Vabanque
Verflixxt! (That's Life)
Veratter
Yinsh

There is also a smaller set of single-player games:

Asteroids
Darts
Dislodge
Einfach Genial (1 player)
Farm
Mah Jongg
Mogel Pat Solitaire
Pac Man
Rotactical
Saint Petersburg (1 player)
Solitaire
Solo Gammon
Yahtzee

I recommend that you download and install the client rather than using the browser-based applet. You will need the Java VM if you do not already have it. Then register a name for yourself (free):

http://www.brettspielwelt.de/gate/jsp/base/enter.jsp?nation=...

The interface is particularly unfriendly for new players. One reason is that it's simply not very well done. The organization and accessibility of the screens and windows is counter-intuitive. The other reason is that the entire system is geared towards what is called the Meta Game. The server is run very much like an old-fashioned MUD. Players are actually characters running around a world with cities and buildings. You must find and enter the proper building to play the game hosted there. Players gain experience by playing games. Players can join cities. There are taxes, and resources that cities need to accumulate based on the citizens and buildings they have, etc. All of this serves to alienate new players who simply want to play games.

The worst interfaces for BSW games in my opinion:

Fursten von Florenz - some places you must click on what you don't want, others what you do want, it's very easy to make a mistake

Funkenschlag - popups all over the place that cover important info and don't stay where you put them

Siedler von Catan - just awful, I won't even play this one it's so bad

There are a few things you can do to make your experience a little easier.

Customize the Client

Edit the file Brettspielwelt.prop using notepad. It's in the directory where you installed the client. Make sure you have the following lines with no # prefix:

Name = yourname
Password = yourpassword
Nation = en

This makes it so you don't have to type your name and password every time you run the client, and that you are in English mode (there are other codes for other languages). Note that not all the text you see will necessarily be in your chosen language, and that there are many players from other countries.

The BSW interface typically has 3 resolutions of graphics for each game. If your client window is small, it will download the smaller-resolution images. If your client window is large, it will download the larger-resolution images. These are all saved separately, and only need to be downloaded the first time. To force a particular location and size of the client window, add the following to the .prop file:

WinHeight = 1100
WinWidth = 1220
WinPosX = 0
WinPosY = 0

The above are my settings. This puts the window in the upper left corner of my screen, and guarantees the largest resolution graphics (1220).

Server-side Options

Once you have some friends that you like playing with, you can tell the server to remember them. The server will tell you who's on when you connect, and alert you as they connect when you are already on.

/add watch somename
/save

Make sure the name uses the proper case (ekted is not the same as Ekted).

Useful Commands

Commands are typed into the input text field at the bottom of the main client window. If the cursor is not there (because you have previously clicked on the window with the mouse), you will need to click on the input field or use TAB.

To get to the master list of all games:

/manager

From here you click scroll and click on the game of your choice. You will be presented with a list of rooms for that game with the players and observers shows graphically.

To find out where a player is (will also show game name if they are playing):

/whereis somename

To talk to someone in your location, just type. If they are elsewhere, type:

/tell somename text

A popup window will appear that is a two-way chat to that specific person. If you want all popups to be collapsed into the single main chat area, press F11 when the main window is selected. In this mode, you will need to select which "chat" you want to talk in using the list on the right side.

To jump to a player's location:

/hook somename

Game buildings are a special case. There are 2 locations: the building itself, and the game room. To jump to the game room of a given player:

/ghook somename

Once in a game room, you can play if there is not already a game in progress there:

/join

At this point you can change any game options using the Game menu:

invisible - game does not show in /manager game list (makes the game pseudo-private)
drawseat - scrambles player positions before game starts (start player is random regardless)

Each game usually has it's own special options that are also available. Note that if you are not the first player to join a game, that it is considered rude to change options without asking.

Once all the players are there:

/start

Each game has its own interface, which you will have to learn. Get someone to teach you the first time. Check out the English rules and descriptions here:

http://www.brettspielwelt.info/rules

There are many more commands and a lot more going on in BSW: watching for players needed in specific games, adding custom menu items, joining a city, commands available only at higher levels, guilds, touraments, lotteries. Rather than overwhelm you, I think you should experiment with the above first. If it is desired, I may discuss other aspects of the game system in the future.

One final note. There are some pretty intense players on BSW. They can be exceedingly rude at times, especially to new players. If you are new to a game, let the others know, and offer to leave if they have a problem.

"All the world is a cannibal
Even time itself will eat us all
But that's no reason to be a jerk
You either make it better or make it worse" - Adrian Belew


- ekted

http://ekted.blogspot.com/

Wow, thanks a lot. I downloaded the client, but could never get it in English, and eventually gave up. I'll try again.

Wow. Great job ekted. I'd just like to add that while the Meta Game is an option, you don't have to be involved in it in order to play games on BSW. I play there and I've never once bothered to look at a town or anything like that. I just go to the game manager and look for a game to get into.

Is there anywhere that has a list of all of the / commands for BSW? I know a lot of them, but I'm sure there are more. It would be helpful to new players too.

This page is pretty decent: http://www.brettspielwelt.info/tutorial/commands.html

Thanks for the info. I've never been able to figure out BSW. One thing I don't understand is how do you find games waiting for new players? And how do you let others know of your game? I always see this huge ugly list of people standing at boards, with no hint as to who wants a partner to play against and who doesn't. Then I never know how to set up my own games, other than jumping into a game with nobody else in it (is this the right way to do it?), and when I do that, then nobody else ever comes join.

Overall it's a horrible, horrible interface.

First, nice job ekted! (And, for some self-promotion) I wrote some geeklists with basic BSW info (look for BSW tagged lists), and will have to add a link to this post!

As for finding opponents: you can
1. type a message in a chat window. Everyone gets the SPV-Chat window, although that is mostly German-speakers. You can still enter game requests there. This is not the best way, but it often works. If you join EnglishTown, you'll have an ET chat window for we english speakers.
2. Use the partner finder. If you hit the game partner button, you'll get a list of games/people looking to start a game. The list scrolls, so you have to stare at it and wait for what you want to come up, or just put a call out yourself. How? First, go to a game room and join the game. Then, open the GamePartner window (there's a button for it at the top of the screen). Then, if you like, type a message (e.g., "have 2, 1-2 more needed"). Finally, hit the send button. Wait for people to show up!

The #2 option is better. You can filter the list for just certain games, if you like.

I'm on BSW a fair bit, although much less than before. Feel free to message me some time (snoozefest). Also, look at the other BSW-tagged geeklists for information about other BGGers, etc. My own list is kind of useful, I think

PS Get skype.com; easier to help you navigate your way if we can chat while we're both on BSW

EDIT: Added the following links:
my list: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist.php3?action=view&listi...
BSW tag: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist.php3?action=viewtagged...

On a side note, if any of you are interested in a great game with a fantastic interface, check out http://kgs.kiseido.com/

Hehehe, well ekted thanks for the comment. I have in fact seen KGS (*cough*), and while I do think it is an easier to use interface, I think it could also be improved.

And snoozefest, thanks for the info there. That was pretty much just what I was looking for, and what I'd never been able to find in any help pages. I thought about chatting, but I also don't understand how the chat system works - I get these popup windows with chats in them, and never know whether they are private messages, or in some sort of room, or whatever, and they're in German 99% of the time anyway, which made me pretty nervous about suddenly typing questions.

But maybe I'll give BSW another chance soon. There are some games there I'd like to try out!

For me BSW is the right up there with BGG as the best thing that's happened to the hobby, my only quibble is that despite the large selection of games you CAN play, finding players who actually WILL play games outside of the most popular ones isn't always easy, but hey it's not a perfect world.

BSW has given me the opportunity to play games before buying them, against different opponents, without having to do any of the fiddly stuff like actually set the game up or shuffle cards. I also have made friends that I play with regularly and I've had the opportunity to find out many things about other parts of the world from talking to people. I can also keep track of how many games I've played of what against whom and who won, my win percentage for each game, etc etc.

Regarding the comment about certain people being intense or rude, I think there will always be some rude people no matter where you go, but for the most part my experiences on BSW have been positive. what IS true however is that people are generally accustomed to playing faster than in real life, and you will be too once you pick up the interface, but in the meantime you should announce yourself as a newbie so you don't give someone the unpleasant surprise of an hour and a half long ordeal when they were expecting an half hour affair... also it helps ALOT to join a town, the most popular being English Town but there are also others...

Agreed. I have so far bought the following games directly because of BSW:

Attika
Carcassonne: Erweiterung (Inns & Cathedrals)
Carcassonne: Handler & Baumeister (Traders & Builders)
Cartagena
Einfach Genial (Ingenious)
Kardinal & Konig (Web of Power)
Medina
Meuterer
Ra (will buy)
San Juan (will buy)
Saint Petersburg
Tongiaki

And I will not buy the following games because of BSW (a good thing):

6 Nimmt!
Cafe International
Can't Stop
Diamant
Fursten von Florenz (Princes of Florence)
Niagara
Trans America
Verflixxt! (That's Life)

I may still play some of these online, but from playing them I know either I would not like them in person or would never be able to find a group to play them.

Please don't let Princes of Florence from BSW taint you. It's a nasty interface and I refuse to play it on BSW. It is, however, my favorite game in real life.

A well-managed properties (.prop) file is the key to successfully navigating BSW. The .prop file that is provided with the initial download is woefully inadequate, especially if you have joined one of the many cities. Try to find a custom .prop files that you can edit/customize to suit your needs. Most cities have at least one available for download.


If ekted is inclined, he should also list some BSW ettiquette... such as not leaving a game before it's over, or not commiting to a game that you have no intention (or the time) to finish. Those are probably my two pet peeves.


I've been a member for almost five years, and aside from the days when my home network was acting up, I try to get in at least one game (even if it's only solitaire) each day. I've only experienced rude behaviour once... and that was nearly a year ago. For the most part people are friendly and helpful, and if you try to be the same, you'll have a great time. BSW is a highly recommended gaming experience... I think that you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Jim_P
Ex-Deputy Mayor
C-113 The.Great.White.North

P.S.-A good 'rule of thumb,' to set the position values in your properties (.prop) file, is to log in to BSW, adjust your screen size to what is comfortable for you, and then issue the '/getsize' command.

Record the values you find and enter them. You should never have to resize your screen again.

My screen resolution is set to 1024 X 768, so the values given by ekted would MORE than fill my screen. The values that I use are as follows:

WinWidth = 963
WinHeight = 772
WinPosX = 56
WinPosY = -11

I like PoF quite a bit. My reason for not wanting to buy it is simply because I don't think the people I game with would play it more than the first time. Otherwise I would have bought it months ago.

I highly recommend that new players who speak only English visit EnglishTown, use the EnglishTown game manager, and download the EnglishTown prop file.

http://englishtown.brettspielwelt.info/

http://englishtown.brettspielwelt.info/Brettspielwelt.txt

You don't have to "join" EnglishTown in the metagame to visit their game rooms and use their prop file. Once you get familiar with the interface, you can start visiting other parts of BSW and find games outside of EnglishTown.

One great thing about BSW is that it is very bandwidth friendly.

Except for the first time you play a new game...

You could also go to an empty gameroom, join, set the options you like and then do a gameyell. Just type /gameyell message.
You don't have to have a message but it's usefull, something like: looking for 2 more players.

When I go to English Town, everyone is speaking German! Is it too much to ask our German friends not to speak german in English Town? Nothing against germans; my wife is from Frankfurt, and I'm learning to speak German. There just needs to be a room wher english speakers can understand what is happening.

hey ekted, u think you can program some kinda boardgame mechanics like this into continuum? u DO have the skills and u have SOME followers...

hmm lets see.. if i were to port a boardgame into ss, id be something simple like ttr ... or i dunno, pr? hehe

Thanks for all the info.

I didn't have a very good initial experience with the BSW UI, but maybe I'll give it another try.

Extreme Games uses my bots to implement some board games, notably Scrabble. The problem using Continuum as an interface is that it doesn't support the notion of mouse clicks, so you have to use text commands for everything.

Peter... come to The Great White North too. Everyone speaks English (or the occasional French). We have a good relationship with English Town and a number of other BSW cities. And you'll get to meet other like-minded Canadians.

Most of the German players that game in ET or TGWN are ARMFelders (i.e.-have NO home city), so you still have to put up with a little German. There are some decent "German Phrases" in TGWN's .prop file to help you get by.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I think the BSW's difficult interface is a blessing in disguise. The vast majority of the people I meet on BSW are polite and helpful. I think the difficult interface weeds out the people who would rather be a pain than play games.

We don't speak very good English, but we do speak it over in Pirate's Cove, C63.

- Gremdel

ekted, i'll be off-topic, but i bought Razzia a few weeks ago, it's a cards version of Razzia, by the same author (knizia) and much much cheaper (below 10$)

really nice to play. i have no experience in ra but on some reference gamers' sites they say razzia surpasses ra.

ekted, i'll be off-topic, but i bought Razzia a few weeks ago, it's a cards version of Razzia, by the same author (knizia) and much much cheaper (below 10$)

really nice to play. i have no experience in ra but on some reference gamers' sites they say razzia surpasses ra.