The shock of the new
Apr. 9th, 2012 01:54 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ffuturesHaven't posted the last couple of days because I'm at Eastercon, the annual UK SF convention - I've been enjoying myself but haven't really had anything special to say.
But this evening I happened to drop by the game room and ended up playing Mayfair Games "Family Business," which was in a new edition I haven't seen before. It's easy to spot, if you know the game, because the box is smaller.
It used to be that all Family Business cards had a title and explanation of what they do; the new edition replaces the explanation with a pretty picture. And suddenly anyone who isn't very familiar with the rules is at a big disadvantage, since you may not immediately realise that one of your cards can counter a card that's just been played against you. And there's only one copy of the rules, they're printed small and a newcomer may not immediately understand which section applies to which card.
Tonight was the first time in years I've won, and I'm about 90% sure that a lot of the credit goes to other players bring a little more confused about the rules than I was.
The bottom line - it's a fun game, but if you want to buy it I'd strongly recommend shopping around for the older version.
But this evening I happened to drop by the game room and ended up playing Mayfair Games "Family Business," which was in a new edition I haven't seen before. It's easy to spot, if you know the game, because the box is smaller.
It used to be that all Family Business cards had a title and explanation of what they do; the new edition replaces the explanation with a pretty picture. And suddenly anyone who isn't very familiar with the rules is at a big disadvantage, since you may not immediately realise that one of your cards can counter a card that's just been played against you. And there's only one copy of the rules, they're printed small and a newcomer may not immediately understand which section applies to which card.
Tonight was the first time in years I've won, and I'm about 90% sure that a lot of the credit goes to other players bring a little more confused about the rules than I was.
The bottom line - it's a fun game, but if you want to buy it I'd strongly recommend shopping around for the older version.
