three player games

[hurrican]

I was wondering if anybody has any thoughts on a three player game out there.

[gorthan313]

EDIT: Looks like I came off as a bit harsh there(I got an unsigned -rep for this post). Sorry about that.

[Cavalier]

Originally Posted by hurrican

I was wondering if anybody has any thoughts on a three player game out there.

There are several 3-player maps in the Maps & Scenarios section.

Are you wanting to play 2 on 1 or a 3 way free for all?

[MattWolf99]

Do a two on 1. I think three way free for alls aren't as fun, because politics usually become a huge part of it. Well, make a rule saying no one can talk about anything but what they're doing, and their cards.

[Agatagary]

I find that the best way to handle a free for all is to rule that as soon as one player is out of units, the game ends (and the remaining player with the greatest number of points left wins). This ensures that players do not gang up on other players, because the player in 1st place will want to attack the player in 3rd (to end the game), while the player in 2nd will want to attack the player in 1st (to get ahead in the game). It also prevents the problem of the first one out becoming bored.

[Warlord Alpha]

Originally Posted by Agatagary

I find that the best way to handle a free for all is to rule that as soon as one player is out of units, the game ends (and the remaining player with the greatest number of points left wins). This ensures that players do not gang up on other players, because the player in 1st place will want to attack the player in 3rd (to end the game), while the player in 2nd will want to attack the player in 1st (to get ahead in the game). It also prevents the problem of the first one out becoming bored.

I like that! Whoever is in the lead gets ganged up on. And the politics happen automatically - you don't have to try as hard to convince your "allies" you aren't going to backstab them!

[Kroc]

Originally Posted by Agatagary

I find that the best way to handle a free for all is to rule that as soon as one player is out of units, the game ends

This is a great idea, I used to play a lot of three player games but then I abandoned them for a more traditional 1 on 1 tournament style.

In general, hurrican, its a personal thing. You have to realize that with 3+ players politics are going to come into it a lot. A player who holds back and lets the others hack it out will win, you have to watch for them and form (shaky) alliances to go after anyone like that. Some people like this, some hate it.

To try and overcome this problem I usually made my 3 player games "glyph grabbing" or gave some other advantage to the first movers. But that only partially offset the problem. It's hard, in the end you either have to embrace the politics or go back to two player games. There are a lot of maps and discussion around for and about this type of format, you should use the search engine to look for other threads.

But the short answer is that you may love or hate this style of gaming. You definitely should be aware that it is different.

[Devil's Advocate]

With multiple players I find the best way to be the:

Kill the person's army sitting to your left

As soon as this happens it is game over and you have a winner. This method prevents players from passively letting others battle it out and also greatly reduces politics.

[chas]

I've mentioned this elsewhere as a "local varient," but it was originally devised due to the fact that we used to have 3 players available. Bounty Hunter: You get the points for what you kill. Only the last squad figure or hero wound count. This creates a simple and practical way to replace table talk politics with action!

[Dredd Stev]

I had a post on the dynamics of a FFA a while back. (With the magic of the search function I found it HERE) Just about everything I'd want to say is there, so read up friends!

Also welcome to the site hurrican, I've not seen you around these parts before. While I don't have an issue with this post pre-sae, you really could have ran a quick search or two and found that there are many threads about this topic already! I highly suggest reading THIS and THIS, not so much because of posting problems, more so because you are a new member and it SHOULD be required reading for all noobs.

[StarofEarendil]

I once tried playing two games at once against my dad and my sister.

[cmgames]

Since I almost always am playing with two other players, I keep a permanent link to this three-player maps thread in my subscriptions.

~Z