Peter Playswell, Sam Sportsman and Grant Goodsport are haivng a Bunko Party and I have been asked to open it up to other Friends..... so Come On Out it’s really a good time..

ok guys ... its that time again ... BUNKO!
WHERE ... PETER PLAYSWELL’s 9876 Squaredice Ave.
WHEN ... SATURDAY JAN. 26TH 7PM
HOW MUCH? $10
BYOB ...but we’ll have snacks....
CASH PRIZES ... EVERYONE’S A WEINNER!
Bunko is a social dice game involving 100% luck and no skill (there are no decisions to be made) The host may also provide a door prize. Small amounts of money can be involved as well. The object of the game is to accumulate points and to roll certain combinations. The winners get prizes for accomplishments such as the highest score, the lowest score, or the most bunkos.
please RSVP ASAP ... thanks ... Peter Playswell

My mom likes no-decision games.  I only introduce her to simple games, and those she plays fairly randomly.  I think LCR would be just her kind of game.  Now there’s a 100% luck game for you.

I think most gamers overestimate the luck factor of Fluxx.  There are ways to mitigate the random elements of the game.  And the random elements even out over time.  But since it’s a short game, “over time” means multiple plays instead of one play of a long, meaty euro.  I’m not saying it’s a deep strategy game, but I’d put the luck factor in the 66-75% range.

I would agree with your conclusion that “the amount of luck doesn’t define the quality of the game.” In my case, luck doesn’t seem to be a predictor, positive or negative, as to whether or not I’ll like a game.

I think the issue of luck in games is one of the most misunderstood aspects of gaming.  It’s my opinion that the majority of non-bbg-class people who play games do it for the social aspects, not the gaming aspects.  The game is just the catalyst for social interactions, not an exercise to see who can create the largest economic engine out of a few wooden cubes.

Although Bunco may not be a great game (I dunno, since I haven’t played it), in the case you describe it gets a bunch of people who may or may not know each other well sitting around a table and enjoying themselves (with the exception of the proto-gamer in the group!).

Now, I agree that there are better games out there that serve the same purpose, but it’s doing the job well enough.

It’s about socializing, not gaming.

Kevin,

I agree with your comments.  I also think that a good percentage of “gamers” play for the social aspect as well. 

And my point wasn’t that games of 100% luck aren’t fun, just that they’re not fun for me. 

I wonder, though, would Bunco be as fun for the same people if there was no money involved?  Similarly would casino slot machines still be “fun” if there were no monetary payout?

I believe you don’t have to add a cash payout to a good game fun.

http://weregeek.comicgenesis.com/d/20080128.html

For some people, strategic thinking is not fun.  Games like LCR, Bunko, and DVD trivia games are for them.  I won’t ever understand it (the way I don’t understand how someone doesn’t like chocolate), but I am forced to admit that they’re out there.  I’ve had some great gaming successes - I know a couple and the husband was up for lightly strategic games but the wife was a party gamer.  In fact, she did host a bunko party which I attended.  The evening was fun, but entirely due to the joking and interaction with others at my table as opposed to the game.  But we worked on her, and eventually we had her playing Power Grid, which she enjoyed and won her first time playing!  There is another couple, however, that won’t play anything with “math” (and “math” for them is the adding of three single-digit numbers) and I think they’re hopeless. 

Party-type non-thinking games aren’t necessarily awful, but when asked to play one I always think back to my pile of 100 or so games - every one of which is better - and wish we were playing one of them.

Scott, with Shogun, in addition to the effects of the dice tower, there’s also a good deal of luck in the way that the actions come out.  Sometimes you have to gamble that one action of the last five will occur before another one.  The order can have a significant effect on your turn.  There’s also some luck with the choosing of the Winter events.  I actually think the game’s luck factor is pretty high.  The combination of planning and reasonably high luck is why Shogun is a game I avoid.

Larry, you’re right about the Winter events, that does add some to the chance, but I have a different opinion about the way the actions come out.  I don’t attribute that so much to chance, unless your opponents are randomly choosing their actions.  I think there is less luck in simultaneous action choice games than some believe. 

Which is why I find Shogun to be an interesting and fun game.

Another big luck factor in many of the low luck games that is almost always overlooked is determining seating order.

I may be using incorrect terminology, Scott.  I wasn’t referring to the players’ selections.  What I meant was that there are 10 action cards which are randomly ordered each turn.  At the start of the turn, only the first 5 are exposed.  You have to do your planning based on this information.  The order that the last 5 cards come out can have a significant effect on the game and that’s just based on luck.  Obviously, players can try to play the percentages, but sometimes it just comes down to a 50/50 guess.

I play boardgames for the social experience. I enjoy the workout games with less luck offer, but I still enjoy the people more.

It’s the whole reason I don’t play video games as often as I used to. Most of them are a solo experience. I used to play a lot online, but it’s just not as satisfying as a good lan party where you can talk trash and/or see the face of the person who are harming the most :)

Dave, that is exactly the reason I got into gaming.  As much as I love pc games, sitting in a dark room alone for several hours is not all that great.  Tabletop gaming, to me, is about the social experience.