A game night in Denver that almost ended a 15 year friendship

So last month, my regular group tried a new legacy game, the one where you rip up cards and put stickers on the board. We were three sessions in, and my buddy Mark made a move that completely tanked my faction's long term plan. I'm talking about a play that felt like a personal attack, wiping out six turns of my setup. The room went dead quiet for a solid minute. He just said, 'It's in the rules, it's the optimal play.' The rest of the night was just us mechanically finishing, with zero fun. It stood out because it wasn't about winning anymore, it was about proving a point, and it sucked the soul right out of the hobby for that whole evening. We had to have a real talk the next day about whether we were playing a game together or just solving a puzzle at each other's expense. Has anyone else had a game mechanic or a player's style just create genuine bad blood?

3 comments

3 Comments

rileynelson1mo ago

Been there, man. You gotta talk it out before the next session. Set a house rule about "nuclear" moves in legacy games, or just agree that optimal plays can take a backseat to keeping the game fun for everyone.

paigep201mo ago

Hey @rileynelson, what if someone just ignores the rule later on though?

willow_morgan1mo ago

Totally agree, had almost the exact same thing happen with my group over a Catan trade gone wrong.

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