I wondered how it was possible to score under 10 points in this game, until Juliane and I played some 2 player games this afternoon. On our first attempt, it being our first 2 player game, we scored 6. We were caught out pretty badly by assuming it would be similar to the 4 player games we tried earlier.
Game 2 we scored 19 points. We worked out a slightly better strategy, mainly through sticking with the same communication and actually knowing what to do about it.
Game 3 we scored 23 points. We could have scored 25 but near the start we both discarded cards one after the other, and both cards were blue 4's. We agreed that for the next game we wouldn't ever discard right after each other, because then we wouldn't have the chance to tell someone they held the last remaining copy of a card.
I expect we'll get 25 points in the next playing session.
Okay, so I just googled Hanabi, then on a whim decided to see what googling "we name him Hanabi" would turn up. Google's first autocomplete option for "we name him..." was "we named him hanabi." I think Google knows me too well.
Juliane and I played our fourth 2 player game. We again got 23 points. This time we didn't discard any important card by accident, instead we ran out of turns! We knew exactly which two card we should have played next, except the game was already over. Bah!
Juliane and I played our fourth 2 player game. We again got 23 points. This time we didn't discard any important card by accident, instead we ran out of turns! We knew exactly which two card we should have played next, except the game was already over. Bah!
Whenever you discard you hasten the end of the game. There are 50 cards in the deck. In a two player game you start with 10 in your hand. You only have 40-42 play/discard actions before the game ends. 25 of those have to be play actions leaving you only 15-17 discard actions.
Yet, you have to discard to get through the deck to draw the cards you need to play next if you aren't currently holding them and also to get clocks to learn about them when they show up.
In a 5 player game you each draw 4 cards leaving only 30 in the deck. That means you can only use 5-7 discard actions the ENTIRE game otherwise you lose the ability to get a perfect score.
Also, consider that since you need to play 25 cards to get a 25 score, you are going ot have to take some risks and lose one or two of the fuses. The thing is, when you get it wrong that counts as a discard.
Yeah, it's pretty brutal. We realized we'd made a mistake a few turns from the end, but without discarding the two cards we wouldn't have been able to tell each other which of the cards we needed to play up to 23, let alone 25.
Next time we play... THEN we'll get 25. Has anyone else got 25, and if so, how many people were playing?
Yeah, it's pretty brutal. We realized we'd made a mistake a few turns from the end, but without discarding the two cards we wouldn't have been able to tell each other which of the cards we needed to play up to 23, let alone 25.
Next time we play... THEN we'll get 25. Has anyone else got 25, and if so, how many people were playing?
The most I have ever gotten was 22 with Rym. We are hoping to get 25 before everyone else so nobody can look down on us. Sadly, we will probably lose to you simply due to lack of playing.
Imagine getting 25 with the rainbow cards. Yeah, the deck is bigger, but still.
I'd give y'all a run for your money if I had a copy of the game. I guess I should buy one.
Good luck with that, I'm still waiting for mine 2-3 weeks from when the order was placed, the guy I contacted said it would be available to ship 4 days after my initial order.
When you Google Hanabi, the responses are mostly in regards to people on forums asking where to buy it from and any game sellers have it listed as back ordered.
I asked in some shops and they said a new printing would be out in September. I presume they are changing the packaging to reflect its Spiel Des Jahre status. I also learned never to bother with real life shops and go directly to Amazon (I learn this lesson all the time).
I also don't bother with real life stores. Amazon is OK, the only issue is that the shipping can take almost a month. For me, online Australian stores are often a better choice because of this.
I also don't bother with real life stores. Amazon is OK, the only issue is that the shipping can take almost a month. For me, online Australian stores are often a better choice because of this.
I ordered it online with Modern Art and the black box version of Glory to Rome.
$11? $13? I can't remember, it's one of those two. I wound up paying full retail for it via a "fulfillment through Amazon" gaming store, but at that MSRP, I didn't care and it was worth the convenience.
I did find it humorous that Scott and I saw it at the gaming shop in NYC and both went home to order it Amazon, for the same price the shop was charging. That may be the first and only time that ever happens.
$11? $13? I can't remember, it's one of those two. I wound up paying full retail for it via a "fulfillment through Amazon" gaming store, but at that MSRP, I didn't care and it was worth the convenience.
I did find it humorous that Scott and I saw it at the gaming shop in NYC and both went home to order it Amazon, for the same price the shop was charging. That may be the first and only time that ever happens.
Yeah, the strat charges full MSRP and almost never has sales. I was sure Amazon would be at least a few dollars cheaper.
I also don't bother with real life stores. Amazon is OK, the only issue is that the shipping can take almost a month. For me, online Australian stores are often a better choice because of this.
Dealextreme have a dedicated australian storefront now. You should check it out, they have a lot of good shit.
I got mine from amazon a while ago but only got to play it for the first time last night. We misread the rules and thought you only drew when you played, not just when you discarded so we had a lot of trouble. We kept entering situations where no one held a playable card around 10 points. Then we read the rules a second time and got a 21.
If someone has an important card they don't know about, tell them. Important cards: a 5, a card that would block off a color if discarded. A 1 of a color that hasn't been started?
If you have a card you know you can play, play it.
If someone has a card they can play and don't know about, tell them.
If you are going to discard, try discard a card that is no longer useful, e.g. a 1 of a color that was already started. Failing that, discard the most-recently drawn card you have no knowledge about.
Try to tell them about more than one card, if you are going to tell them something.
This is all dependent on the number of clocks you have, the number of fuses you've blown, what colors are blocked off, and how many cards are left as well. Maybe a better approach than listing off rules would be to segment it into info-giving strategy, discarding strategy, and playing strategy?
This is actually something I've been considering doing a Master's thesis on ^_~
Those kinds of heuristics might do the job, but I think to do (well and truly) do it properly you would want a proper model of the state of the game. This includes: - probability distribution over the hands you might have - modeling the other players in terms of what knowledge they might have
I suspect optimal (or near-optimal) play would require you to even go to the level of, for example, modeling other players' models of yourself.
After all, info-giving strategy is meaningless unless you have a good model of the information that other players actually have, or just happen to have very good heuristics.
Comments
Game 2 we scored 19 points. We worked out a slightly better strategy, mainly through sticking with the same communication and actually knowing what to do about it.
Game 3 we scored 23 points. We could have scored 25 but near the start we both discarded cards one after the other, and both cards were blue 4's. We agreed that for the next game we wouldn't ever discard right after each other, because then we wouldn't have the chance to tell someone they held the last remaining copy of a card.
I expect we'll get 25 points in the next playing session.
Yet, you have to discard to get through the deck to draw the cards you need to play next if you aren't currently holding them and also to get clocks to learn about them when they show up.
In a 5 player game you each draw 4 cards leaving only 30 in the deck. That means you can only use 5-7 discard actions the ENTIRE game otherwise you lose the ability to get a perfect score.
Also, consider that since you need to play 25 cards to get a 25 score, you are going ot have to take some risks and lose one or two of the fuses. The thing is, when you get it wrong that counts as a discard.
Next time we play... THEN we'll get 25. Has anyone else got 25, and if so, how many people were playing?
Imagine getting 25 with the rainbow cards. Yeah, the deck is bigger, but still.
When you Google Hanabi, the responses are mostly in regards to people on forums asking where to buy it from and any game sellers have it listed as back ordered.
What is the normal retail price of it?
I did find it humorous that Scott and I saw it at the gaming shop in NYC and both went home to order it Amazon, for the same price the shop was charging. That may be the first and only time that ever happens.
- If someone has an important card they don't know about, tell them. Important cards: a 5, a card that would block off a color if discarded. A 1 of a color that hasn't been started?
- If you have a card you know you can play, play it.
- If someone has a card they can play and don't know about, tell them.
- If you are going to discard, try discard a card that is no longer useful, e.g. a 1 of a color that was already started. Failing that, discard the most-recently drawn card you have no knowledge about.
- Try to tell them about more than one card, if you are going to tell them something.
This is all dependent on the number of clocks you have, the number of fuses you've blown, what colors are blocked off, and how many cards are left as well. Maybe a better approach than listing off rules would be to segment it into info-giving strategy, discarding strategy, and playing strategy?Those kinds of heuristics might do the job, but I think to do (well and truly) do it properly you would want a proper model of the state of the game.
This includes:
- probability distribution over the hands you might have
- modeling the other players in terms of what knowledge they might have
I suspect optimal (or near-optimal) play would require you to even go to the level of, for example, modeling other players' models of yourself.
After all, info-giving strategy is meaningless unless you have a good model of the information that other players actually have, or just happen to have very good heuristics.