The Blogtastic Blogfest That Is Getmeoutofthis.net!

I’ve been playing a lot of Through the Ages. Not in like, physical form. Have you seen the prices for that thing? Also, there are so many pointless counter bits to keep track of, that I assume that actually playing the game would be an accounting nightmare. I still don’t understand all the systems that are running behind the scenes, and I’ve played several games now. Still, once you get the hang of it, it’s a rather fun game with a lot of strategy involved, and I rather enjoy it.

I’ve been playing it on this not very legit-looking website. The interface on the site is kind of awful, but it basically lets you play by e-mail rounds of this game with your friends, and once you figure out how to actually control the game, it works fairly well, when the site hasn’t crashed.

(Seriously, with all the questionable things in the way of me learning this game, I’m amazed I stuck with it and like it as much as I do.)

There are two great things about this game. The first is the wide variety of strategies. You can work on your tech, and out think your opponents. You can work on your military, and conquer your opponents. You can simply build up your culture, and out art your opponents. The best part is, though, that you can’t completely min/max. If you neglect your military, you will be stomped on. If you neglect your tech, you won’t be able to keep up with advances in the arts and military. If you neglect your arts, your people will be bored and displeased, and often revolt, riot, and things of that nature.

The second is the way that you draw cards. Every turn, based on things like what government you’re running, you have a certain number of moves. In front of all players is a bunch of cards dealt out. Each one is in either a one-point slot, a two-point slot, or a three-point slot. Taking a card costs as many moves as the point value. However, after each player’s turn, all cards move upward towards being cheaper, and you deal replacements on the bottom. This makes for amazing strategy. Do you take the card you want now, while it costs you multiple actions, or do you wait to get it for cheaper and hope your opponent doesn’t snag it? You can really plan ahead, and fuck up other players plans, with this setup, and I really like it.

Yeah, I’ve been having a really good time, and I certainly thank Stiv for forcing me into playing. It’s been great fun! In reality, though, I bet it’s less fun, because holy shit. There is so much bookkeeping in this game. But as an online play-by-electronic-mails thing, it’s pretty solid. I do recommend giving it a spin, if you can. Just be prepared for a huge learning curve.