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2020-05-15T04:17:59Z

Arielfriedrichgauss: /* Games */

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2020-05-15T04:15:26Z

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2020-05-15T04:03:04Z

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2020-05-15T03:41:48Z

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2020-05-15T03:03:51Z

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2020-05-15T02:58:23Z

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2020-05-15T02:44:48Z

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2020-05-15T02:03:18Z

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2020-05-15T01:53:04Z

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2020-05-15T01:30:25Z

Arielfriedrichgauss: /* Games */

Tips loveletter

2020-05-15T01:26:30Z

Arielfriedrichgauss: /* STRATEGY */

'''Note: Please play a game of Love Letter before reading this ''Tips and Tricks'' guide. It will help you understand this article better.'''

== STRATEGY ==

This is no single strategy for Love Letter which is the beauty of the game

Each card has its own strengths and weaknesses dependant on the stage of the game and more importantly, your opponents hand

As the game progresses, keep an eye on the cards which have already been played - this can be seen in the number indicator below each players hand.
By working out which cards remain you can plan you strategy and narrow down what cards your opponents are likely holding to counter their plays

'''Guard (x5)'''

In the early game, using a Guard can provide a lucky guess to remove an opponent. To successfully increase odds players will often guess lower card (2-5 cards each appears twice) at the start of the game for a higher probability of success. Guards can be used to defend a weak position, ie. by trying to remove Prince's if you have the Princess or Barons if you have a lower card. However, using the same strategy many times will often reveal your weakness so mix it up!

Strengths:
- Play late game when fewer cards remain for a high probability of a successful guess
- Use after a Priest has been played and the player hasn't discarded the revealed card
- Cannot be guessed by other guards
- Reveal an opponents Princess to remove them from the round

Weakness:
- Guards are an easy target for Barons. Avoid holding guards too long if there are still 2 Barons to be revealed
- Minimal chance of winning at the end of the game if you are holding a Guard

Strategy:
- Mix you guesses and base them on all the information revealed in the round
- Pay attention to what cards have been played and refer to the key for the number of each card available
- Cards which have 2 copies which have yet to be revealed in the mid game can be easy targets for a Guard

When should you use it?
Use it if you have a guard, baron, handmaid, prince, king, countess or princess.
Avoid using it if you have a priest.

'''Priest (x2)'''

Using a Priest reveals more information to narrow down remaining cards. Once a card is known it puts pressure on players to use the revealed card on their next turn to prevent a guard being used

Strengths:
- Forces opponents to play 'know' cards

Weakness:
- If the opponent reveals a Baron they will often play it against you on there next turn as a make or break move which can put you out of the round if you hold a high card

Strategy:
- Use Priests to force players to change their hand
- Play a Priest in the mid game to locate the Princess or force play of a higher card

When should you use it?
Use it if you have a guard, baron, king, countess or princess.
Avoid using it if you have a handmaid or prince.

'''Baron (x2)'''

The Baron is very strong in the early game when combined with a mid to strong card to defeat an opponent.
When using a Baron however you will potentially reveal information about yourself to your opponents if you win the duel

Strengths:
- Play in the early game alongside a 4+ card to defeat opponents who are more likely to be holding guards or lower cards
- A quick way to win the round when you only have one opponent remaining and hold a high

Weakness:
- Using a baron will reveal the range of your card ie. > Prince (5). This will narrow down guesses or make opponents play Prince's on you to defeat a suspected Princess
- If your card is not higher than you opponents you are out of the round (however this can also weaken there position if there are other players to play before them based on the above point)

Strategy:
- Try to ensure you discard a card which was higher than your opponents by your next turn so other players think your winning card has been used to prevent them from knowing the range of your card (this could be the card you pick up on your next turn or the forced discard from a prince)
- If a Priest is played against you and you hold a Baron you may need to take out the opponent who has seen your card on your next turn

When should you use it?
Use it if you have a baron, prince, king, countess or princess.
Avoid using it if you have a guard, priest or handmaid.

'''Handmaid (x2)'''

The Handmaids strength comes in ensuring you survive the round. You can't win if you are out after all!

Strengths:
- Ensure you last longer in the game when there are less cards available
- Force opponents to target each other to possibly defeat and increase your chances of winning the round
- Protecting a high card in the end game to prevent guards being played or prince's if you are holding the princess

Weakness:
- Less powerful in the end game than the high cards available
- If your are defeated whilst you hold a handmaid its power has been wasted

Strategy:
- Use early game to narrow down the cards and protect yourself
- Use in late game to hold the Princess (or another high card)

When should you use it?
Use it if you have a priest, baron, handmaid, prince, king, countess or princess.
Avoid using it if you have a guard.

'''Prince (x2)'''

The Prince is the highest of the cards appearing twice in the deck and a big threat to anyone holding the Princess

Strengths:
- Play on an opponent who you suspect has a Princess to defeat them
- Remove a card from your opponents hand (early game to mix up their hand or late game to remove a higher card they may be holding)

Weakness:
- Often guessed when guards are played are there are still 2 Prince's to be played
- In a 1 on 1 situation, if your opponent has played a Handmaid you may be forced to play the Prince against yourself to discard your own card (Princess included!)

Strategy:
- Play against players you suspect hold a strong card (especially the Princess to remove them from the round)
- Play on yourself to get a new card and discard both your cards
- Remove a high card an opponent is holding in the late game to increase your chances of winning the round

When should you use it?
Use it if you have a king or princess.
Avoid using it if you have a guard, priest, baron, handmaid or countess.

'''King (x1)'''

The King is a hard card to play as it means giving away your position to an opponent but can be the difference at the end of the round to grasp a last second win

Strengths:
- Remove the Princess from your hand in the early rounds to prevent you being a target and give it to another player
- Switch cards at the end of the game to gets a higher card from an opponent
- Strong when used with a Baron with less chance of being guessed then a Prince or the Princess

Weakness:
- When you play the King played your opponent will know what your new card is making you an easy target for a guard

Strategy:
- Always pay attention to what your own card is in between plays. If a King is used on you you'll want to remember what card you gave them!
- Holding a King till the end of the round can allow you switch cards with your opponent to grab the Countess of Princess however, if you hold a King and then draw the Princess you'll be forced to give it to your opponent!

When should you use it?
Use it if you have a princess.
Avoid using it if you have a guard, priest, baron, handmaid, prince or countess.

'''Countess (x1)'''

A high powered card which holds less risk than the Princess early game but a high risk if you draw a Prince or King which forces you to play the Countess revealing your likely other card

Strengths:
- High card for the end game. Only beaten by the Princess
- Strong when used with a Baron with less chance of being guessed then a Prince or the Princess

Weakness:
- If you draw a Prince or a King you will be forced to play this card revealing that you likely hold a Prince or a King

Strategy:
- Play the Countess when you don't hold a Prince or a King to reduce the chance of a guard being successfully used on you
- Hold near the end game if a Princess has been played or in the hope the Princess will found before the end of the round

When should you use it?
Use it if you have a prince, king or princess.
Avoid using it if you have a guard, priest, baron or handmaid.

'''Princess (x1)'''

The strongest card at the end of the round but you'll be the main target if your opponents suspect you hold it. High risk, high reward!

Strengths:
- Highest card in the game. If you can get to the end of the round with the Princess you've won
- Guaranteed win when used with a Baron

Weakness:
- If you draw the Princess in the early game it can be very hard to keep it hidden and evade guesses
- If an opponent play a Priest when you hold a Princess you won't be able to play it and can easily be guessed on their next turn if they play a Guard
- You will always have to play your second card so drawing a Prince will force you to play the Princess and be out of the round

Strategy:
- Use a Handmaid to protect the Princess especially in the late game
- Swap the Princess using a King in the early game to allow you to then target your opponent
- When playing a Guard, don't be afraid to accuse another player of being the Princess to try take suspicions away from you

When should you use it?
Never use the princess. Always use a different card.

'''Probability'''

To give an idea of the probability your opponent holding a given card you can refer to the table below by:

- Looking at the horizontal row based on the number of remaining cards in the round + the number of active players left in the round (including yourself - your opponents each hold an unknown card and there was a card removed)
- For cards with multiple copies look at the probability column based on the number of these cards which not been played or are not held in your own hand

For example:
- In a 4 player game with 5 cards remaining in the deck and all players still active
- You hold a Baron and a Guard and no Prince's or other Barons have been played.
- There are 9 other possible cards: 5 in the deck + 4 active players (3 unknown cards held by opponents and the 1 discarded)
- There is a 11.1% chance a given opponents holds a Baron (since you hold one so only one other remains)
- There is a 22.2% chance an opponents holds a Prince (there are 2 possible Prince's remaining)

If you have an idea of the range of the card you opponent holds this can provide you a better idea than the basic probability of a player having a given card based on the number of cards remaining

[[File:LoveLetter.PNG]]

'''General Tips'''
- The game is won after you win 4 (4 players) or 5 rounds (3 players). If one player is closer to winning, try remove them from the round to prevent them winning or gaining a bigger lead. It does not necessarily matter if you don't win the round, just as long as someone doesn't win the game at the end of it!
- Pay attention to which cards have been played and what guesses have been made by your opponents to try work out what cards they may or do not have
- A random guess at the start of the round happens! Sometimes you'll be the lucky guesser, other times you'll be on the receiving end. If this happens forget it and more on to the next round
- Remember that a card is removed at the start of the round so there may not always be a Princess for example
- If someone doesn't have a large lead don't target them every turn. You'll only end up being on the receiving end of their cards so mix it up
- Adapt based on what has already being played! If the Princess has been revealed, the Countess is now the highest card for the end game. If both Princes have been played the Princess has no chance of being discarded by an opponent's card play. If both Barons have been played your guard is a lot safer. Play the game, see what happens, learn and have fun!

LPB - 10/5/2020

== Notes ==
¹ There is only 1 King, Countess, and Princess per game. Therefore, there cannot be multiples of these cards.

Gamehelphive

2020-05-15T01:15:10Z

Arielfriedrichgauss: /* Piece movement rules */

Hive is an abstract board game for two players. Players compete to gain control of a hive, trying to surround their opponent's queen bee to win the game.

== Start of the game ==

Each player takes all pieces of their color (white or black) into their reserve. The following pieces are available:

* 1 queen bee
* 2 beetles
* 2 spiders
* 3 ants
* 3 grasshoppers

Additionally, expansion pieces are available if the game is played with them:

* 1 ladybug
* 1 mosquito
* 1 pill bug

Initially, the play area is empty.

== Player's turn ==

During a player's turn, a player may do one of two actions:

* Place a piece from their reserve to the play area
* Move one of their pieces in the play area

At the start of the game, a player may only place pieces until they place their queen bee. In addition, the queen bee must be placed by a player's fourth turn; if after three turns a player hasn't placed their queen bee, they must place it on the fourth turn.

If a player is able to make a legal move, they must do so. If a player is unable to make any legal move, they must pass.

=== Placing a piece ===

To place a piece, a player takes one piece from their reserve and place it onto the playing area. The piece must touch at least one of their own pieces by a complete side, and it may not touch any of the opponent's pieces. Exception: The first piece placed, of course, will not touch anything, and the second piece placed will necessarily touch the first piece (of opposing color).

=== Moving a piece ===

To move a piece, a player chooses one of their pieces in the play area and moves it according to its movement rules below. The following golden rules must be followed at all times:

* Adjacent pieces must always share a complete side, never part of a side or touching only at a point. Imagine a hexagonal grid; each piece occupies one such space on the grid.
* The One Hive rule: The hive may not be disconnected at any time. When a player moves a piece, the rest of the pieces must form a contiguous group, and the moved piece must also end up adjacent to the group.
* The Freedom of Movement rule: A piece must be physically able to be moved to its destination, one space at a time. In most cases, this means a piece must "slide" to its destination. Some configuration of pieces might leave a gap that is too narrow for a piece to pass through. A piece that climbs can also be subject to this rule, if there are two tall stacks that leave a narrow gap.

=== Piece movement rules ===

* '''Queen bee''': slides to an adjacent space. A player loses if their queen bee is surrounded (see below).
* '''Beetle''': slides or climbs to an adjacent space. The beetle may climb over other pieces; if an adjacent space is occupied by a piece (of either color), a player may move their beetle on top of the piece. The piece underneath is immobilized and cannot move until the beetle moves away. It's possible to have beetles climbing over other beetles, making a taller stack. If a beetle moves on the same level, it slides.
* '''Spider''': slides three spaces around the hive. The spider may not turn back within the same move. Occasionally the spider may be adjacent to more than one parts of the hive during the move; it may continue crawling on any side of the hive it touches as long as it's not traveling backward.
* '''Ant''': slides to anywhere. The ant may move anywhere as long as the golden rules are respected.
* '''Grasshopper''': jumps over a line of pieces. The grasshopper picks a direction, then jumps in that direction, landing on the first empty space. It must jump over at least one piece (of either color, which may also be a grasshopper).
* '''Ladybug''': climbs for two spaces then drops back down. Like the spider, the ladybug moves three spaces: the first and the second are on top of the hive, and the third must brings it back to ground level.
* '''Mosquito''': moves like any piece it's touching. The mosquito may choose any piece it's adjacent to, and copies its movement. It may climb onto the hive as a beetle; then, while on top of the hive, it is a beetle (even if it doesn't touch any beetle) until it moves to ground level. A mosquito that is only adjacent to another mosquito cannot move. A stack of pieces is treated as a beetle for the mosquito (it may not copy a piece underneath the beetle). If the pill bug is also in play, a mosquito adjacent to a pill bug may copy the special ability of the pill bug.
* '''Pill bug''': slides a single space, or moves an adjacent piece to another space adjacent to the pill bug. If the pill bug decides to move another piece, it chooses a piece adjacent to it, moves it up onto the pill bug, and moves it back down to another empty space. The pill bug may not move the piece that just moved in the previous turn, and the piece moved may not move in the next turn. The pill bug may not move any piece in a stack of pieces. The pill bug must also respect the golden rules (in particular, a piece may not be moved if it will break the hive, or if the gap is too narrow).

== End of the game ==

The game ends when a queen bee is surrounded on all six sides (by pieces of either color). The owner of the surrounded queen bee loses.

In case both queen bees are surrounded at the same time, the game is a draw. In addition, players may agree to a draw if the game ends in a stalemate, of repeating moves over and over.

== Variants ==

* Ladybug: The ladybug piece is used.
* Mosquito: The mosquito piece is used.
* Pill bug: The pill bug piece is used.
* Tournament opening rule: The queen may not be placed in the first turn.

Gamehelpsechsnimmt

2020-04-18T23:02:04Z

Arielfriedrichgauss: /* Playing the game */

== 6 nimmt! ==

The basic goal of the game is to avoid having to pick up cards, and try to force the other players to do so. Everyone starts with 66 points - you lose one for each "beef head" on a card you have to pick up. When one player has lost all of their points, the game will end at the end of the current round and the player with the most points left wins!

=== Playing the game ===

Everyone starts a round with 10 cards in their hand. Four cards are placed on the table to start four rows. Every player secretly chooses a card, and then all of the cards are revealed at the same time. When the cards are revealed, they are placed on the ends of rows, from lowest value played to highest, following two rules:

1. cards are always placed in ascending order.
2. cards are always placed next to the card on the board with the smallest difference between them.

As play progresses, the rows will fill up with cards - at five cards, a row is full. If someone's card would go onto a full row, that player has to pick up all of the cards in that row, and they lose as many points as there are "bull heads" on the cards (different cards are worth different amounts - more on that in a moment). The card that the person played becomes the starting point of a new row.

If someone plays a card that is lower than the numbers at the end of all of the rows, then that player must take a row of their choice, and start a new row in its place with their card.

'''Bull heads'''

Each card has a number of bull heads on it - this indicates how many points it is worth when it is picked up.

Cards which end in the number "5" (ex. 5, 15, 25) are worth 2 points.
Cards which end in the number "0" (10, 20, 30) are worth 3 points.
Cards which have double numbers (11, 22, 33) are worth 5 points.
The "55" card has both a "5" and double numbers, and is worth 7 points.
All other cards are worth 1 point.

'''End of a round'''

Once a round ends, if no one has lost all of their points, then a new round begins. If someone is out of points, then the game is over and whoever still has the most points is the winner.

=== Alternate Rules ===

'''Tactics:'''
This ruleset changes the number of cards in play based on how many people are playing - other than that the rules are the same. The number of cards is equal to the number of players plus 4, so every card that could be played will find its way onto the table at some point. This changes strategy some and makes paying attention to which cards are have yet to be played important.

'''Logic:'''
The same as Tactics, except that at the start of the round all of the cards are placed on the table face up, and players take turns choosing cards one at a time to build their hands before the round proper starts.

'''Professional:'''
Cards are played to the left OR the right, depending on which is closest in numerical value. The card that the person played becomes the starting point of a new row.