Valerie Putman:  The Long Game

One of the joys of the gaming convention is the opportunity to play longer games.  Of course, as you walk by the other gamers with your precious Die Macher tucked under your arm, someone will snicker that they’ll see you in _____ (grossly overestimated) hours.  I just sigh and smile—maybe they don’t know what they’re missing.  Personally, I would much rather spend a four-day weekend playing Age of Steam, Die Macher, Through the Ages, Das Zepter von Zavandor, Caylus (though this *isn’t* a long game!), Antiquity, Roads & Boats, and other really great 2–5 hour games than fill a notebook with 100 shorter games.  Even when I’m looking for something more social than the solitaire-prone games mentioned above, I prefer Tichu and Password which can be played for several hours at a time.  Last weekend at the Oasis of Fun, I managed to get Die Macher and Zepter to the table.  I (enviously) watched some friends play Through the Ages for a bit and actually enjoyed watching it almost as much as playing it.  But it did end up highlighting for me some of the drawbacks of the long game. 

I was watching three experienced players introduce a fourth player to the full game of Through the Ages.  The fourth player was very familiar with the mechanics of the game and asked intelligent questions about the new opportunities in the long game.  Against three other equally unfamiliar players, he easily could have won the game.  Instead, the experienced players (who were more familiar with the cards that might score end game bonuses and other important information) vied for 1st place while Jay (quite happily) nurtured his own engine into a well-working 4th place machine.  I would have been in the same shoes if I’d been playing in Jay’s place.  I’ve played the full game only once (and the advanced game twice and the introductory game three times).  I would be at a disadvantage if playing against other players that knew the game well.  But one reason that I really enjoy long games is that they have an opportunity for me to play against myself.  As long as I get my own engine progressed from a sputtering hiccup to a purring (though last place) steam roller, then I’m happy.

I also take great delight in seeing my efficiency progress from game to game.  My old Athens game group fell in love with Zepter when it came out and the first time they taught it to me, they left me in the dust.  The next time they left me in the dust but I understood better how they had done it.  This last game I actually could have been a contender!  I ended up tied for third place in our five-player game (so you could also argue that only one player was behind me on the score track!), but actually all of our scores were relatively close.  I’m used to being on the opposite side of the scoreboard in Zepter when the game ends.  In general, the winners didn’t do anything specific that was “right” where I made a “wrong” choice.  But in a long game many seemingly unimportant opportunities to be slightly more efficient can really add up.  I love long games because slight advantages have an opportunity to make a difference and spectacular come-from-behind strategies can really work.  But this also means that you might lose a lot if you are playing against friends that know the game better.

On the flip side, I kicked some Athens butt in Die Macher last weekend. The other players had each played just once before and this is a game that I play at least 5–10 times a year.  Familiarity with the game helped me to see more of the big picture and to plan a few more moves ahead.  Either that or I got really lucky—I could accept that.  I did watch a player have a horribly miserable experience with Die Macher once as a result of some really bad luck.  The other players had a lot of cohesion in the party platforms, and the elections tended to agree.  The odd man out couldn’t win an election, couldn’t force a coalition, couldn’t change the issues, and couldn’t get the cards to change his own.  He lost more and more money and opportunities and by the fourth election he was so far out of the game that if he had asked to be allowed to bail I would have totally understood.  The fact that he continued to maintain a positive attitude and put his efforts into trying to win one (very small) election as a consolation prize earned him the good sport of the convention award from me.  The truth is, when a long game is going south, it has time to get very far south.

My favorite long game is Age of Steam.  The new boards allow everyone (with basic Age of Steam knowledge) to start on more equal footing as everyone is trying to figure out the best way to navigate the new challenges.  And yet, the familiarity with the game lets you jump right in instead of tacking on an hour of rules to your three-hour game.  I’m lucky enough to get AoS to the table as often as 3–4 times a month.  I wish that my other longer games got played more often as well.  Thankfully I’ve found some like-minded friends and I attend a lot of longer gaming weekends.

Next stop?  Origins!

I’d rather be gaming,
Valerie Putman

© 2007 Valerie Putman

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Comments:

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I definitely agree Valerie.  I usually prefer one longer game like Die Macher or Age of Steam or Antiquity or whatever if I have the time (you’re right that Caylus is not a long game, especially when played 2-player which is how I generally play it, and it can be done in about the same amount of time as an intro game like Ticket to Ride) rather than a bunch of shorter games… but I’ve definitely noticed people like to say that they’ll see you in 100 hours, and like to remark on how they’ve played 5 games in the time it takes you to play your one.  You gave some of the definite advantages (and downsides) of longer games, the only thing you didn’t mention that I often think of as a reason I prefer long games is that they leave me thinking about them for hours (or sometimes a day or two) after the game is over… reflecting on how it went, what i did and could have done differently, what the winner did well, etc.  Whereas I generally play and forget quickly shorter games, not to say I don’t enjoy them, especially when that’s all there’s time for, but the shorter ones don’t leave me with anything to mull over, unlike a game of Die Macher or Age of Steam that I can ponder for a while. Posted by Tom Rosen on Jul 1, 2007 at 05:19 PM | #

Tom, We are gaming peas in a pod.  Two player Caylus is perfection (and clocks in at about 40 minutes...as quick as 20 on BSW).  You are also right about the lasting effects of long games.  I can replay them in my mind for days. Valerie Posted by Valerie Putman on Jul 1, 2007 at 09:49 PM | #

I agree with you both :) Posted by Surya Van Lierde on Jul 2, 2007 at 06:43 AM | #

I think “well-working fourth place machine” is being a bit generous.  At the end of the game, I was still having to focus most of my (scant five) actions every turn into being self sustaining, rather than producing culture points.  Still, I learned the game, accomplished a few small goals I set for myself, and had fun, so it was certainly four hours well spent. See you in a couple of weeks.  You STILL owe me a game of AoS. Posted by Jay Bloodworth on Jul 2, 2007 at 08:48 AM | #

I, too, enjoy long games the most.  However, I also derive a significant amount of enjoyment from learning new ones.  As I am very time limited in general I find playing several meaty new “shorter” games (ie. 1-2 hours like Pillars, Reef Encounter, etc...) rather than just one meaty “longer” game (like Die Macher/Wallenstein/etc...). Given more time for gaming, I think I would see the longer games hit the table more often.  They do tend to induce more post-game thought and analysis. Thus, the more games I’m able to play in a given timeframe, the more I would value longer ones.  Unfortunately, I tend to fall on the shorter end of the game-time stick. Posted by Matt J. Carlson on Jul 2, 2007 at 11:23 AM | #

Hey Valerie, Great column.  As we’ve recently discussed, I find myself drawn towards longer games now, as well.  Four or five years ago I might have balked at a two hour playing time, now that is just a decent starting point.  I think you really hit the nail on the head, though, with the observation that it can be difficult to get a new player over the hurdle of the first one or two (or more) games.  Not everyone has the patience and persistence of Jay Bloodworth! Fortunately, I find that with most long games I appreciate the experience of playing more than the experience of winning.  I guess that is true of shorter games, too, or else I’m in the wrong hobby.  But as you noted, that feeling of getting your engine rolling is very satisfying, even if you don’t ultimately end up being competative for the win.  I honestly don’t recall if I’ve ever won Through the Ages, although I know I’ve played it nine times (per my ‘geek records).  But I’ve loved every game so far.  The process is just so satisfying. You definitely mopped the floor with us in Die Macher!  We were all competing for second place, but we didn’t know it until halfway through the game.  I guess that illustrates another point about long games.  If you are able to find a group of like minded souls you can discover the game together, where no one has an appreciable advantage.  I enjoyed my first game of Die Macher more than my second, although the company in the second was better :), because we were all new to the game.  In our recent game, I could see long before the final election how it was going to shake out and didn’t feel like I could do anything about it.  I even fell for your traps!  I guess because Die Macher has so much interaction I didn’t get that feel of “building my own engine” that comes from Through the Ages or Antiquity.  Nervertheless, I’ll be looking forward to playing the game again and unlocking more of its secrets. Thanks for a very interesting column!  See you soon! Posted by Kevin Gonzalez on Jul 2, 2007 at 09:51 PM | #

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