Stocks Are Down
After playing Imperial last week, I started thinking more about stock games. These are games where players can buy shares (or whatever they are called) in some commodity (or whatever they are called). You try to make your shares worth more, and the opponent's shares worth less. You also try to acquire more shares that are likely to increase in value.
I consider all of the following to be stock games: Acquire, Imperial, Manila, Gheos, Arkadia, and Modern Art.
The problem I have is that, at any point in time, the "commodity speculation" part of the game is not a very interesting exercise. If you have more of one share than anyone else, you want to increase its value. If the only other player who has more than you is behind you in points, the same holds true, to some degree. If you are behind in all shares, then you need to buy more. All by itself, it's just a math problem.
Of course, the ways in which stocks are acquired, and the ways in which their values change is the interesting part. But, sadly, all games of this type have lost just a little bit of shine for me.
posted by ekted @ 6:49 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Arkadia differs from that lot in that you can actually see what shares a player *will* acquire. To me, that makes it fun.
if you are behind in the number of shares you can also try to make them lose more than you do buy making the market drop. But how the game gives you this opportunity when you have nothing to sell? That is a different problem.
I'm a Continuum player just cruising around the web -- I had to say something when I saw the word "Acquire." Such an excellent game. I didn't know many people other than old folk played it.
Great blog you hhave here
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