Board Game Arena - User contributions [en]

Tips hearts

2026-08-01T09:07:57Z

Geoffmacknish: Overall strategy added

Overall Strategy - Get into the lead and stay there.
Get the leader! Unless you ARE the leader. Then you have options. The leader can hit anyone. However, hitting last place brings the leader closer to winning. If you are the leader, hitting those closer to you gives you a greater buffer.
The aim is to win. If you are not in the lead, your best hope to get into the lead is to target the leader. This means that a game of Hearts, when played well by all players, is a team game with everyone against the leader. To hit anyone else just helps the leader win. This is a kingmaking action and is illegal on BGA (although the moderators don't really care about this, it is still very unsporting and quite unethical when done intentionally). Try to protect anyone who is getting too many points against them by holding off dumping more points on them and saving those points for players closer to the lead.

Grey areas.
A good rule of thumb is that anyone within one or two queens (13 or 26) is fair game to dump points on. Also, if the alternative is giving a non-leader points or taking more points yourself, sometimes it is better to take the hit yourself if the alternative brings the leader a lot closer to winning. Sometimes it is a judgement call. Early in the game, if you are not leading, try to distribute points evenly to other players. That way, the leader will find it harder to get into an unbeatable position.

Getting rid of the Ace and King of Spades
Get the lead into the hand of the player to your left. When they lead Spades, you are last to play to the trick and can get rid of the nasty cards without taking the queen. An extension of this is not to be the one to lead spades when the leader is to your right. This just lets them off the hook. Lead THROUGH them so there is always some uncertainty as to whether a player playing after them will dump the queen on them.

What to lead?
Whatever suit a player leads normally means they want it led again. If the leader wants a suit led, DON'T LEAD THAT SUIT!!! (Can I be any more emphatic about this?! :) ) Also, if you need to protect a player (because they have taken too many points and you are not in the lead), lead suits they want (ie suits they have already led).

Bluffing
The exception to this logic is ... bluffing!! Sometimes players will play a card to trick you into accidentally helping them. For example, "accidentally" taking points when they really want them for shooting the moon!

Shooting the Moon (getting all 26 points):

Only try to shoot the moon if you have the cards to do it. It helps to have high cards, but there's more to it than that. For one, it's good to have a lot of one suit because after a couple rounds of that suit being led, everyone else will run out and you'll be able to lead with that suit without anyone being able to take the lead from you, even if it's a low card. This is also nice because if you fail, you won't have to worry about taking too many more cards because no one will lead with that suit.

If you have any low hearts, and you want to shoot the moon, trade them. Once the trading session is over, if anybody has a higher heart than one of yours, don't try to shoot the moon. The only exception is if you have enough hearts that are higher than anybody else's that everyone is likely to run out before you play your lower hearts.

Stopping Others From Shooting the Moon:

Watch out for people going to shoot the moon. Most times this situation can be avoided by making sure that one of the three cards you pass to the left at the start of a hand is a lower heart card than one you keep in your hand. This way you can always stop a moon by taking a heart trick and just getting 4 points.
If you have at least four or five of a certain suit, wait to play your highest one until you've taken points or at least two other players have taken points. If you can play any of that suit without taking points, play the second highest one. That way, you can stop the moon with your highest card without putting yourself in a bad situation.

The First Trick:

Not many options here. If you have the Two of Clubs, you're leading it.
Since no points can fall on the first trick, play your highest club. If you are void in clubs, then use the opportunity to trash an otherwise dangerous high card (like an Ace or King of Spades), or try to void yourself in a second suit. More voids mean more opportunities later.

Bleeding Spades:

Generally speaking, after the first trick falls, any player who is not in danger of taking the queen of spades will want to lead spades as much as possible. The main theory behind this is simple: If spades keep being led, the players with the A, K and Q will eventually have to play them. If you're not holding any of those cards, you want to force them into play as soon as possible, so someone else gets stuck with those 13 points.
If you fail to bleed spades, the player holding the queen may be able to create a void in another suit (such as clubs or diamonds) and then dump the queen on an off-suit trick.
Unless you are holding a near-perfect hand with no high cards likely to win any tricks, your battle plan should probably involve leading spades as much as possible until the queen has fallen on someone else.

Exceptions To Bleeding Spades:

There are exceptions to this. If there is another player with 13 points or less and you don't want the game to end, you don't want to force him to play it if he has it, so first, try to figure out who has it. If the player who is winning has it, then by all means, bleed it, but if the player that's losing has it, try to let him get a void first so he can play it when he's ready. He'll probably try to play it on the player who is winning. Even if you can't figure out who has it, it's probably better not to bleed spades because there's a two out of three chance that it's not the player with the lead, and if that's the case, you want to allow them to give the queen to the player with the lead.
There are some ways to figure out who has the queen of spades. First, you can definitely eliminate anyone who plays a non-spade on a round led by a spade. You can also probably eliminate anyone who leads with a spade because they probably wouldn't if they had the queen. Finally, if someone is leading with a high club or diamond and that suit has already been played at least once or twice, that probably means that they either have the queen or they're trying to shoot the moon because otherwise, that would be a risky move.

Defending Spades:

Conversely, if you are stuck with an undefended Q, K or A of spades, you are in danger of taking the queen if spades keep being led.
Your goal should be to create a void as soon as possible, by leading suits of which you only have one or two cards. By dumping your only two diamonds, for example, you can hope that someone else leads diamonds and allows you to drop your bad spade.
If you are holding the Queen of Spades, another option is to lead your longer suit (clubs or diamonds) and hope someone else is void. Since you hold the Queen of Spades, the worst that will happen is that a few heart points will fall on you. Once this happens, hearts will have been broken, and people may lead hearts instead of spades. If you have few hearts and can dump the queen on a hearts trick, this is ideal.

Hearts:

These are the bad cards. Once you avoid the Queen of Spades, you want to try not to get many of these. Sounds easy, right? Well, it depends what cards you have in your hand. If you have low hearts, you don't have to worry, since you can duck under any hearts lead. If you're holding high hearts, you want to try to dump them on someone else as soon as possible, and not lead hearts.

Voids:

If you can create an early void, by getting rid of all your cards of a single suit, you should almost always do so. Doing this means that the next time that suit is led, you can get rid of your worst card, which is a very powerful position.
Likewise, it's important to keep track of other players at the table who have voids, so you don't lead a suit you might get stuck with.

Counting:

While not strictly necessary to play Hearts, you will do a lot better if you can keep track of how many of each suit has been played. This is less difficult than it might sound; until someone reveals a void by dumping an off-suit card, the number of cards played of any suit will be divisible by 4.
This is important information to keep track of to avoid playing into other players' voids. For example, if three full rounds of clubs have been played, and you have a club in your hand, it is the last one. Leading it will let everyone else dump cards on you.

Late Game Strategy:

You can't always control who you deal points to without risking taking points yourself, but when you can, you should. If you're winning, you want to target the player who's losing so that the game will end sooner. Otherwise, you want to target the player that's winning.
If you have the queen of spades, you want to give it to the player you're targeting, but only if you can do so without too much of a risk of taking it yourself. If you have a lot of spades, you can afford to hang on to the queen until you can give it to your target, but if you don't, just get rid of it while you can unless doing so will cause the game to end. The same is true to a lesser extent with hearts.

Generally, the later in the game you get, the less concerned you should be about letting your opponents shoot the moon. If you only have a few points left, you probably can't stop anyone without taking enough points to lose the game, so leave that to other players who can do so without losing the game. You also shouldn't stop other players from shooting if you are in the lead, you're at least 27 points ahead of the player who is shooting it, and there's at least one other player who has 26 points or less, because in this case, it will cause you to win. If the player who's winning is trying to shoot the moon, it might be a good idea to let him get as far as possible before stopping him because it might be your only hope.

Tips niagara

2025-08-01T21:41:54Z

Geoffmacknish: /* Advanced Niagara strategy */

For the rules of niagara, see [[Gamehelpniagara|GameHelpNiagara]]

== Basic strategy ==

=== Don’t fall over the falls! ===

* It is hard to recover from this as you lose a boat and you can only get it back by paying a gem.
* If you do lose a boat be careful about when you pay to get it back.
* Remember that you can only bring one boat back in at a time.
* You don’t want to give the last vital gem to an opponent.

=== Play your small numbers early ===

* This will keep some large numbers in reserve so you can either:
** Get a gem out or
** at least avoid plummeting over the falls.

=== Plan when to play your cloud ===

* Don’t be forced to play it when you really need to move upstream to avoid going over the falls.
** It is embarrassing and will cost you a boat!
* When you are in front, '''reduce''' the river speed.
** This ''speeds up'' the game
* When you are behind, '''increase''' the river speed.
** This ''slows'' the game
* This will give you and other players more opportunities to steal gems from the leaders.

=== Steal gems whenever possible ===

* Unless that sets up your opponent to get the gem they need to win.
* The fewer gems your opponents has, the more work they need to do to win.

=== Avoid being stolen from whenever possible ===

* If your opponents have used all numbers required to land on a particular space this turn, then treat that space as a safe place for this turn only.

=== Remember '''all''' your opponents’ numbers played ===

* This is your key to developing a winning strategy.
* Without this information, you are just guessing and hoping.
* Be informed, don’t play randomly.

=== Defend against sudden victories by your opponents ===

* You need to keep in mind all possible victory conditions and make sure no opponent is getting close to one of them.
* Reduce the number of purple or white gems available if an opponent is going for one of these.
* They only need four of the same gem, so don’t wait until they have their third or fourth gem loaded on a boat.
* Remove the possibility of someone else getting four gems by getting that gem too.
* All opponents should work together to stop the leaders winning.
* If an opponent is carrying a gem they don’t need for their victory, don’t steal it from them as it only makes their job easier.
** ''Unless you need it yourself!''

== Advanced Niagara strategy ==

=== What are the best opening moves? ===

* Are there some which are better or worse than others?
* What are the worst opening moves to be avoided?
* Playing too high a paddle number will likely lose you a boat on the first turn of the game!

=== The quickest path to victory ===

* The cheaper gems must be attacked hard.
* You will either win with them or, at the very least, stop an opponent from doing so.
* This is the quickest path to victory.

=== What are your opponents' best moves? ===

* What are they likely to play?
* Can you position your boats to take advantage of this?
* For example, if they are likely to land on a particular space, is it worth aiming to land on that space to steal from them?

=== Cloud management ===

* You will mostly play your cloud when both your boats are out of the water and safe.
* Mostly, you will make life more difficult for your opponents by making the river go faster.
* However, sometimes it is more strategic to slow it down.
* For example, with a boat starting out of the river, an opponent can easily get out their last white gem by playing a 1 and then a 6 if you help them by maximising the weather impact to +2.
* Instead, why not make them work for their victory?

=== General strategy ===

* You don't have to pick up a gem every time it is possible to do so.
* Consider moving your boats to a better position for next turn.
* You may be able to steal from an opponent, or at least threaten to do so, thereby putting pressure on their choices.
* You could position yourself to get gems of the colours that fit better with your current strategy - either completing your own set of gems or obstructing an opponent from getting the gem they need.
* It pays to have an overall view of the game, not just your own little part of it.
* What are your opponents trying to do? Which gems are they trying to get? Can they steal from you? Can they steal from an opponent? What is their shortest path to victory?
* Always be aware of which player is in the strongest position, closest to winning the game. If it is you, then finish it as quickly as you can! Or someone may find a way to stop you.

=== Defending your gems ===

* How do you defend against an opponent who is moving after you and could steal from you?
* For a start, you could aim to avoid landing on such a dangerous space.
* You can work out temporarily "safe" spaces by seeing which numbers each opponent has already played and moving to those spaces they cannot reach so they cannot steal from your boat this turn.

=== Working together ===

* When someone is very close to winning, their opponents must work together to stop them.
* Sometimes, this, too, is a bluff, as often you have to choose which opponent will win. But normally, if an opponent has an easy move to win, you should stop them whenever possible. If they can win in one turn and you can stop them, it is your responsibility to do so.
* You could steal their gem, or pick up the gem they need, or speed up the river so they are not in reach of the finish.
* Speeding up the river can be done by playing a cloud but also by playing a bigger movement number of your own.
* While self-sacrifice is an extreme measure, sometimes you have to sacrifice your own boat to stop an opposing player from winning.

=== Remember the game end conditions ===

* Remember, the game end is triggered by the game end conditions.
* To win, you must be one of the players to meet these game end conditions.
* It is no use having the most expensive gems unless you also trigger the end of the game yourself!
* You must have 4 of the same gem, or 5 different gems, or any 7 gems. Without one of these, you cannot win (although it would make an interesting variant - try it out face-to-face!)

=== For additional enjoyment/challenges/fun ===

* Try having alternate "fun" goals: see how many boats you can cause to go over the falls in a game! It is hilarious when it is not yours sailing through the air, but still very funny when it is yours! Of course, if this is everyone's goal, the game may never end! (Note: This should only be done in a friendly game. It should never be done in a competition game since in competition it is reasonable to assume that all players are trying to win, not just messing around.)
* Also try out the Niagara expansions ("Spirits of Niagara" and "Diamond Joe" - see Niagara expansions on boardgamegeek.com) when you are playing face-to-face. While these haven't been implemented on BGA yet and add a lot more randomness, they do add extra fun and complexity to the game, especially if you know the base game well.
* For a challenge, try winning with 4 blues or even 4 pink gems!
* What is the theoretical maximum score in a game of Niagara on BGA? Can you achieve this score? (I believe it would be 3 blue gems and 5 pink gems, for a total of 37 points!) If you are trying such a feat, you would need to slow your opponents down or they will win easily with purple or white gems. To slow them down, you could systematically move all the cheap gems to the "pink" or "blue" spaces nearest the waterfall.

=== Final words ===

* Remember, Niagara is a game of bluff and double-bluff and flat-out running for the finish line.
* Once you work out the best moves that work in each situation, you will realise that there are only a few to choose from and that your opponents know what these moves are too!
* Which move will you make?
* Which move will they make?
* Can you out-guess your opponents' moves?
* Can you bluff them out of guessing your next move? :)

== Happy boating! :) ==

Tips niagara

2025-08-01T21:20:11Z

Geoffmacknish: /* Basic strategy */ /* Advanced strategy */

For the rules of niagara, see [[Gamehelpniagara|GameHelpNiagara]]

== Basic strategy ==

=== Don’t fall over the falls! ===

* It is hard to recover from this as you lose a boat and you can only get it back by paying a gem.
* If you do lose a boat be careful about when you pay to get it back.
* Remember that you can only bring one boat back in at a time.
* You don’t want to give the last vital gem to an opponent.

=== Play your small numbers early ===

* This will keep some large numbers in reserve so you can either:
** Get a gem out or
** at least avoid plummeting over the falls.

=== Plan when to play your cloud ===

* Don’t be forced to play it when you really need to move upstream to avoid going over the falls.
** It is embarrassing and will cost you a boat!
* When you are in front, '''reduce''' the river speed.
** This ''speeds up'' the game
* When you are behind, '''increase''' the river speed.
** This ''slows'' the game
* This will give you and other players more opportunities to steal gems from the leaders.

=== Steal gems whenever possible ===

* Unless that sets up your opponent to get the gem they need to win.
* The fewer gems your opponents has, the more work they need to do to win.

=== Avoid being stolen from whenever possible ===

* If your opponents have used all numbers required to land on a particular space this turn, then treat that space as a safe place for this turn only.

=== Remember '''all''' your opponents’ numbers played ===

* This is your key to developing a winning strategy.
* Without this information, you are just guessing and hoping.
* Be informed, don’t play randomly.

=== Defend against sudden victories by your opponents ===

* You need to keep in mind all possible victory conditions and make sure no opponent is getting close to one of them.
* Reduce the number of purple or white gems available if an opponent is going for one of these.
* They only need four of the same gem, so don’t wait until they have their third or fourth gem loaded on a boat.
* Remove the possibility of someone else getting four gems by getting that gem too.
* All opponents should work together to stop the leaders winning.
* If an opponent is carrying a gem they don’t need for their victory, don’t steal it from them as it only makes their job easier.
** ''Unless you need it yourself!''

== Advanced Niagara strategy ==

=== What are the best opening moves? ===

* are there some which are better or worse than others?
* what are the worst opening moves to be avoided?
* playing too high a paddle number will likely lose you a boat on the first turn of the game!

=== The quickest path to victory ===

* The cheaper gems must be attacked hard
* You will either win with them or, at the very least, stop an opponent from doing so
* This is the quickest path to victory.

=== What are your opponents' best moves? ===

* What are they likely to play?
* Can you position your boats to take advantage of this?
* For example, if they are likely to land on a particular space, is it worth aiming to land on that space to steal from them?

=== Cloud management ===

* You will mostly play your cloud when both your boats are out of the water and safe.
* Mostly, you will make life more difficult for you opponents by making the river go faster.
* However, sometimes it is more strategic to slow it down.
* For example, with a boat starting out of the river, an opponent can easily get out their last white gem by playing a 1 and then a 6 if you maximise the weather impact to +2.
* Instead, why not make them work for their victory?

=== General strategy ===

* You don't have to pick up a gem every time it is possible to do so.
* Consider moving your boats to a better position for next turn.
* You may be able to steal from opponent, or at least threaten to do so, thereby putting pressure on their choices.
* You could position yourself to get gems of the colours that fit better with your current strategy - either completing your own set of gems or obstructing an opponent from getting the gem they need.
* It pays to have an overall view of the game, not just your own little part of it.
* What are your opponents trying to do? which gems are they trying to get? can they steal from you?
* Always be aware of which player is in the strongest position, closest to winning the game. If it is you, then finish it as quickly as you can or someone may find a way to stop you.

=== Defending your gems ===

* How do you defend against an opponent who is moving after you and could steal from you?
* For a start, you could aim to avoid landing on such a dangerous space.
* You can work out temporarily "safe" spaces by seeing which numbers each opponent has already played and moving to those spaces so they cannot steal from your boat this turn.

=== Working together ===

* When someone is very close to winning, their opponents must work together to stop them.
* Sometimes, this, too, is a bluff, as often you have to choose which opponent will win. but normally, you should if an opponent has an easy move to win, you should stop them whenever possible. if they can win in one turn and you can stop them, it is your responsibility to do so.
* You could steal their gem, or take the gem they need, or speed up the river so they are not in reach of the finish.
* Speeding up the river can be done by playing a cloud but also by playing a bigger number.
* While self-sacrifice is an extreme measure, sometimes you have to sacrifice your own boat to stop an opposing player from winning.

=== Remember the game end conditions ===

* Remember, the game end is triggered by the game end conditions.
* To win, you must be one of the players to meet these game end conditions.
* It is no use having the most expensive gems unless you also trigger the end of the game yourself!
* You must have 4 of the same gem, 5 different gems, or any 7 gems. Without this, you cannot win (although it would make an interesting variant - try it out face-to-face!)

=== For additional enjoyment/challenges/fun ===

* Try having alternate "fun" goals: see how many boats you can cause to go over the falls in a game! It is hilarious when it is not yours sailing through the air, but still very funny when it is yours! Of course, if this is everyone's goal, the game may never end!
* Also try out the Niagara expansions ("Spirits of Niagara" and "Diamond Joe" - see boardgamegeek) when you are playing face-to-face. While these haven't been implemented on BGA yet and add a lot more randomness, they do add extra fun and complexity to the game, especially if you know the base game well.
* For a challenge, try winning with 4 blues or 4 pink gems!
* What is the theoretical maximum score in a game of Niagara on BGA? Can you achieve this score? (I believe it would be 3 blue gems and 5 pink gems, for a total of 37 points!) If you are trying such a feat, you would need to slow your opponents down or they will win easily with purple or white gems. to slow them down, you could systematically move all the cheap gems to the "pink" space beside the waterfall.

=== Final words ===

* Remember, Niagara is a game of bluff and double-bluff and flat-out running for the finish line.
* Once you work out the best moves that work in each situation, you will realise that there are only a few to choose from and that your opponents know what these moves are too.
* Which move will you make? Which move will they make? Can you out-guess your opponents' moves? Can you bluff them out of guessing your next move? :)

== Happy boating! :) ==

Tips thurnandtaxis

2024-02-25T08:22:45Z

Geoffmacknish: Initial strategy ideas by former Arena champion.

'''Thurn and Taxis basic strategy'''

'''Introduction'''

* Don't waste actions!
* This is a game of efficiency as well as being a spatially-oriented game. Yes, you have to understand what moves you can do, but you also have to do it more efficiently than your opponents with a limited, pool of resources. Your opponents want these same resources.
* While you are playing cards on one route, you should be collecting the 3 cards you will keep in your hand to start your next route.
* Sometimes those 3 cards you keep in your hand for you next route should be geographically split to improve your chances of picking up cards for your next route. For example, if you keep 3 cards for cities on one side of the map and the available cards to choose from are all on the other side of the map you may find building a long route difficult.

'''Overall structure of Thurn and Taxis'''

* There are 3 cards for every city on the map (22 cities) for a total of 66 cards (3x22=66 cards). The discard pile is facedown on BGA and you cannot see how many cards are in your opponents' hands on BGA either.
* The discard pile is shuffled to become the new draw deck when the deck runs out and a new card is required.
* 3 actions per turn.
* 1 pickup (mandatory),
* 1 play (mandatory),
* 1 bonus (you choose 1 of 4 bonus actions each turn).
* Plan your bonus action before you take any part of your turn.
* Stop and think after each part of your turn. If the scenario changes after you pick up your first card, you need to reassess your best move for the rest of your turn. Often this means re-aligning your whole strategy, so don't rush blindly into the move you first thought of. Many times there will be a better move available.
* There are 2 ways to trigger the end of the game. Either by completing your 7 carriage or by running out of all your houses. Note that you only have 20 houses, but there are 22 cities on the map.

'''Initial objectives'''

* To start with you have no cards. You have to build your hand of cards from scratch. The cards you pick up initially should be cards that give you the most chance of being able to add to them on following turns. So don't waste your first turn.
* How fast can you get to your next carriage?
* You could, for example on turn 1,draw 2 cards, play 1, then on turn 2, draw 1, play 2, and place 3 houses.
* However, this leaves you in the same precarious position as the start of the game with no cards at all. This is too risky.
* A better opening is to on turn 1, draw 2, play 1; on turn 2, draw 2, play 1; on turn 3, draw 2 play 1, and place houses on 3 cities, earning carriage 3. This should leave you with a nest egg of 3 cards which, if you have chosen them contiguously, can be used to get your second route (carriage 4) in 2 more turns. On turn 4, draw 1, play 2; on turn 5, draw 1, play 1, place 3 houses with the cartwright, earning carriage 4. There are similar patterns for the remaining carriages. Carriage 5 could be play 2, play 1 with cartwright. Carriage 6 could be played as 1, 2, 1 (or 2, 1, 1) cards plus the cartwright. Carriage 7 could be played 2, 2, 1 plus cartwright. If you are not playing these efficient turns, know that your opponents are and will beat you.

'''Planning for efficiency'''

You have 3 actions each turn. One of these is a bonus action.

* Normally you will pick up 2 cards (postmaster) and play one, like on the first turn, or pick up 1 card and play 2 cards (postal carrier). If you choose one of the other bonuses (administrator or cartwright), while useful at times, you waste an action which could have been used to pickup or play an extra card.

Other inefficiencies, or ways you throw away actions:

* when you have to discard any cards. After you place houses on a route, you have to discard down to 3 cards in your hand.
* when you have to discard a route. If you play a card that does not go on the end of your route, you must discard the other cards in the route. '''You cannot add a card to the middle of a route.''' It must go on one end or the other.
* when you build a route through a city where you already have a house. You can't put a second house in a city.
* when you have to build less houses than the number of cards you play. Some card combinations are less efficient. Remember, you can only place houses on cities of the same one colour or one house on each different colour.
* when you pick up a card you don't need. Perhaps you pick up a random card off the deck, perhaps you are trying to get in the way of your opponents, or perhaps you just weren't paying attention and choose a card you don't actually need. Picking up random cards is less likely to earn you a card you need later in the game when you are trying to finish off your final routes.

Become aware of the most useful route combinations. Some work well and some don't.

Think about which cards you will keep to start your next route. Forward planning is important. Factor in the likelihood of getting the cards you need to complete that route. This will help you decide how to break up the cards you have into "this route" and "next route" cards. For example, if 2 Lodz cards have already gone and you still have a long way before the end of the deck, planning to build there in the near future will likely cost you a lot of administrator actions as you search for this card. Remember, every time you use the administrator, you lose an opportunity to pick up or play an additional card.

'''Keep track of vital cards'''

* What cards are most important? This changes as the game progresses. However, if you look at the map you will see that some cities have a lot of connections going into them and some have very few. For example, you can only get to Lodz via Pilsen. Also, some colours are only present on one city (Lodz, Sigmaringen, and Innsbruck). If all of the cards for one colour that you need are exhausted, it may be quite some time before you see them again (when the deck gets reshuffled). So it is often useful to pick up a vital card for later on, even if you don't need it now. Conversely, and playing aggressively, if the last vital card for an opponent appears, it may slow them down to get rid of it before they can make use of it, either by using your bonus administrator action to flush the 6 visible cards or by picking up the card yourself.

'''End game concerns'''

* Know how the game is scored - are you in front now or do you need to milk the game for points?

'''Two main styles of play - quiet builder vs in-their-face aggressive - which are you?'''

* Some players will attack by aggressively targeting one or more vital cards to deny you access to them. Whether you intend to be that player or not you need to have a strategy when playing against someone who does that to you. While this is a cruel strategy, it is also legal and a very effective way to cripple your opponents' games. Many times, however, the card you are waiting for is simply just not coming to you, so you need to have alternative strategies in mind. Most of the time the cards you need do not fall neatly into your possession at the time you need them -- you have to work for them or adjust your strategy. This is not just because someone is playing aggressively against you and it happens all the time.

'''Traps to avoid on BGA'''

* If your platform (such as a tablet or phone) does not show you on one screen all the information you need (the whole map, cards available to pick up, cards in your hand, cards played by each player, and stats) then seriously consider playing turn-based games only. If you play in realtime, you will spend too much time scrolling up and down to be confident of playing your best move. Players who can see the whole map and all the information without scrolling have a huge advantage. At least in turn-based mode you have time to make your best move on BGA.
* Know what colour you are! Even the best move you can make won't help you if you thought you were a different colour.
* Know which carriage number you are building towards and the most efficient pattern to achieve it.
* Are your opponents in front of you or behind you on game tempo? If you are behind, you may need to take more risks or slow down your opponents.
* Particularly early on, but all the way through really, be aware of what your opponent is trying to achieve. What cards do they need most? Perhaps some of those could be better in your hand than theirs!
* If you have a clear path to winning the game, don't hesitate. Don't try to do something pretty or maximise points or interrupt opponents. Just drive straight to the finish line! Do not pass Go! Do not collect $200! Just do it!
* Don't play cruel just because you can. That's nasty. Do it for a reason. Improve your position because you need a particular card and they threaten to take it first. Perhaps, you can make it less likely that your opponent will be able to find a card they can add to their route and have to discard a route. This is important if you are already behind, helpful if you are in front, and unnecessarily nasty if it doesn't really affect the game otherwise. Don't be unnecessarily cruel. Play nice.
* Don't feel you have to get the one-of-every-colour bonus. Especially if the other player hasn't got it either. Assess whether you really need it. If you have enough points, you win, regardless of whether you get that bonus or not.
* Don't push hard for the Baiern (grey/brown cities) bonus. If it comes to you anyway, sure, take it. But it is a distraction, diverting you from a lot of other bonuses which you won't get because you put too much effort into this bonus.
* Don't start in the corner of the map (for example, Freiberg+Basel). The odds of picking a third card are too unlikely and you could easily lose because you have to throw out this route. When you discard a route, you waste 2 actions per card in that route - 1 when you picked the card up and 1 when you played it into your route. Given that each turn has 3 actions, discarding a 2-card route costs 4 actions. That's more than a whole turn! Unless there are a lot of surrounding cards showing, it is better to pick a random card off the deck then matching it with another, hopefully central, card. For example, Ingolstadt has a lot of connections into it.
* Be aware of what cards have already gone and as many of your opponents' cards as possible. The more information you have, the better decisions you will make. If an opponent is likely to pick up a particular card, consider getting it yourself both so you don't miss out on it, they do, at least temporarily since there are 3 of each card.
* A 2-player game rarely goes much longer than once through the deck so make sure you get those crucial cards you need. Games with more players go 2 or more times through the deck, so you have many more opportunities to find a card you really need.
* If you find yourself often using the administrator to flush the deck, you may be too focussed on completing a route which is just not available. Better to make routes from the cards that are available rather than hoping for a lucky draw.
* A very effective time to use the administrator is when there are very few cards left in the deck and you need a card which is still in the deck. For example, with only 6 cards left in the deck, if only 2 Lodz cards have come out and no one has picked any cards off the deck, so you can be sure of this, using the administrator will deliver you that 3rd Lodz card. Remember to be aware of what cards have gone.
* Don't wait until you are desperate for your next card. Use the administrator a turn or two earlier so you don't get caught out having to discard a route.
* Use good etiquette. Always greet opponents cordially at the start and finish of each game.
* Beware of collecting cards for a really long route early in the game. Prefer to split them in half. You miss the route length points, but you can get them later.
* Keep up with the opponents' carriages. This is for both points and game control. The person closest to finishing their 7 carriage has control of the endgame and can force the opponents to complete a route before they have really finished what they were trying to do.
* Assume you need the one-of-every-colour bonus. Be wary when an opponent takes any of the crucial cards you still need to complete your set, especially if they pick up a card you know they already have. They may be trying to deny you access to this card. Be very wary when they take a 2nd or 3rd of the same card. This person is attacking your ability to score points. Better to preempt such an attack and grab the vital cards you need before they have an opportunity to deny you access to them. By the way, often you eventually need nearly all the cards! However, remember that if they are picking up your cards, they are using precious actions which may not contribute to improving their own position.
* A strategy to prevent cards you need from being taken is to pick your second card from the deck, just in case a vital card was about to drop. If your first draw was from the visible cards, you get a free look at the next card from the deck. However, if you draw your second card from the visible cards, the next card on the deck is first available to your opponents. You would be surprised how often your vital cards drop on the second draw of a turn. Picking your second card off the deck ensures you have first dibs on it and not your opponents. Obviously if your vital cards are already showing, you need to vacuum them up as soon as possible.
* Beware of filling up your hand though. If you overfill your hand with cards, the excess above 3 must be discarded when you finally place houses on your route. Remember, don't waste actions.
* Beware of playing all the cards from your hand. When you have no cards in your hand, on your next turn you must use the Postmaster to pick up 2 cards. This is a problem when you really want to flush the deck to search for a particular card or remove an opponent's vital card from the visible cards available.
* Beware of picking up every attractive card. Yes, you need them all. Yes, your opponent may take one of your vital cards. However, it is important that you keep your game moving forward. Overfilling you hand and wasting actions will slow your progress. It is more important to keep your game progressing than to slow your opponent, unless you are significantly behind. Any opponent following the advice above will still find a way to move their own game forward and you will have only wasted some of your own actions.
* When you are placing houses, if you have a choice between placing a house on one city or another, consider how many links there are to each city and place your house on the one which is harder to get to. Later on in the game you may find it easier to get to the other city. For example, place a house on Budweis rather than Linz, and Carlsruhe rather than Freiberg. This is only a general rule though. For example if early in the deck all three Freiberg cards have gone, including the one in your current route, perhaps you might place a house on Freiberg first so that you may draw Carlsruhe later on. These decisions depend on the current state of the game and are very subjective. You can still miss out on drawing even the most likely card. For example, say there are eight cards left in the deck and you need a specific one of them. Even playing an administrator followed by a random deck draw does not guarantee you picking up the card you needed as it could be the last card in the deck. Only a one in eight chance, but it happens a lot that searching heavily for a specific card can yield no result.
* Anyone wanting to play aggressively should consider picking up multiple Sigmaringen or Pilsen cards. These can be used in several different route combinations and it really obstructs your opponents' ability to acquire the one-of-every-colour bonus. To defend: Anyone playing against a player who plays aggressively like this should either deny access to some other vital card or totally ignore that bonus. It is very satisfying to beat someone who plays aggressively against you! And yes, it can be done. Focus on what is possible, not on what is not.

'''Summary of the main ideas in this article'''

* '''Remember, the main strategy is to be efficient. Do not waste actions!'''
* There are other strategies that work and unusual scenarios that can't be covered in general advice. So be flexible. However, these ideas should help you be aware of many facets of Thurn and Taxis that you may or may not have mastered yet. I know I haven't mastered them either!

Best wishes for your continued improvement.

Geoff Macknish, Australia, 25th February, 2024.

(Former Thurn and Taxis Arena Champion)

good luck! xoxo

Tips niagara

2019-09-02T21:07:40Z

Geoffmacknish:

'''Niagara basic strategy tips'''

1. Don’t fall over the falls!
It is hard to recover from this as you lose a boat and can
only get it back by paying a gem.
If you do lose a boat be careful about when you pay to get it back.
Remember that you can only bring one boat back in at a time.
You don’t want to give the last vital gem to an opponent.

2. Play your small numbers early
This will keep some large numbers in reserve so you can either
get a gem out or at least avoid plummetting over the falls.

3. Plan when to play your cloud
Don’t be forced to play it when you really need to move
upstream to avoid going over the falls.
It is embarrassing and will cost you a boat.
Reduce river speed for a faster game
- a good strategy when you are in front.
Increase river speed for a slower game
- a good strategy when you are behind.
This will give you and other players more opportunities
to steal gems from the leaders.

4. Steal gems whenever possible
Unless that sets up your opponent to
get the gem they need to win.
The less gems your opponents have,
the more work they need to do to win.

5. Corollory to stealing when possible is to
avoid being stolen from whenever possible.
If your opponents have used all numbers required to land
on a particular space this turn,
then treat that space as a safe place for this turn only.

6. Remember ALL your opponents’ numbers played
This is your key to developing a winning strategy.
Without this information, you are just guessing and hoping.
Be informed. Don’t play randomly.

7. Defend against sudden victories by your opponents
You need to keep in mind all possible victory conditions
and make sure no opponent
is getting close to one of them.
Reduce the number of purple or white gems available
if an opponent is going for one of these.
They only need four of the same gem,
so don’t wait until they have their third or
fourth gem loaded on a boat.
Remove the possibility of someone else getting four gems
by getting that gem too.
All opponents should work together to stop the leaders winning.
If an opponent is carrying a gem they don’t need for their victory,
don’t steal it from them (unless you need it yourself!).
It only makes their job easier.

Tips niagara

2019-09-02T20:59:37Z

Geoffmacknish: Corrected formatting. Some characters were hidden past the end of the line.

'''Niagara basic strategy tips'''

1. Don’t fall over the falls!
It is hard to recover from this as you lose a boat and can only get it back by
paying a gem.
If you do lose a boat be careful about when you pay to get it back.
Remember that you can only bring one boat back in at a time.
You don’t want to give the last vital gem to an opponent.

2. Play your small numbers early
This will keep some large numbers in reserve so you can either get a gem out or at least
avoid plummetting over the falls.

3. Plan when to play your cloud
Don’t be forced to play it when you really need to move upstream to
avoid going over the falls.
It is embarrassing and will cost you a boat.
Reduce river speed for a faster game - a good strategy when you are in front.
Increase river speed for a slower game - a good strategy when you are behind.
This will give you and other players more opportunities to steal gems from the leaders.

4. Steal gems whenever possible
Unless that sets up your opponent to get the gem they need to win.
The less gems your opponents have, the more work they need to do to win.

5. Corollory to stealing when possible is to avoid being stolen from whenever possible.
If your opponents have used all numbers required to land on a particular space this turn,
then treat that space as a safe place for this turn only.

6. Remember ALL your opponents’ numbers played
This is your key to developing a winning strategy.
Without this information, you are just guessing and hoping.
Be informed. Don’t play randomly.

7. Defend against sudden victories by your opponents
You need to keep in mind all possible victory conditions and make sure no opponent
is getting close to one of them.
Reduce the number of purple or white gems available
if an opponent is going for one of these.
They only need four of the same gem, so don’t wait until they have their third or
fourth gem loaded on a boat.
Remove the possibility of someone else getting four gems by getting that gem too.
All opponents should work together to stop the leaders winning.
If an opponent is carrying a gem they don’t need for their victory,
don’t steal it from them (unless you need it yourself!).
It only makes their job easier.

Tips niagara

2019-08-15T12:13:41Z

Geoffmacknish: Formatting

'''Niagara basic strategy tips'''

1. Don’t fall over the falls!
It is hard to recover from this as you lose a boat and can only get it back by paying a gem.
If you do lose a boat be careful about when you pay to get it back.
Remember that you can only bring one boat back in at a time.
You don’t want to give the last vital gem to an opponent.

2. Play your small numbers early
This will keep some large numbers in reserve so you can either get a gem out or at least
avoid plummetting over the falls.

3. Plan when to play your cloud
Don’t be forced to play it when you really need to move upstream to avoid going over the falls.
It is embarrassing and will cost you a boat.
Reduce river speed for a faster game - a good strategy when you are in front.
Increase river speed for a slower game - a good strategy when you are behind.
This will give you and other players more opportunities to steal gems from the leaders.

4. Steal gems whenever possible
Unless that sets up your opponent to get the gem they need to win.
The less gems your opponents have, the more work they need to do to win.

5. Corollory to stealing when possible is to avoid being stolen from whenever possible.
If your opponents have used all numbers required to land on a particular space this turn,
then treat that space as a safe place for this turn only.

6. Remember ALL your opponents’ numbers played since the last refresh of the number tiles.
This is your key to developing a winning strategy.
Without this information, you are just guessing and hoping.
Be informed. Don’t play randomly.

7. Defend against sudden victories by your opponents
You need to keep in mind all possible victory conditions and make sure no opponent
is getting close to one of them.
Reduce the number of purple/white gems available if an opponent is going for one of these.
They only need four of the same gem, so don’t wait until they have their third or fourth gem
loaded on a boat.
Remove the possibility of someone else getting four gems by getting that gem too.
All opponents should work together to stop the leaders winning.
If an opponent is carrying a gem they don’t need for their victory,
don’t steal it from them (unless you need it yourself!). It only makes their job easier.

Tips niagara

2019-08-15T12:11:41Z

Geoffmacknish: Proofreading to fix minor typing errors

'''Niagara basic strategy tips'''

1. Don’t fall over the falls!
It is hard to recover from this as you lose a boat and can only get it back by paying a gem.
If you do lose a boat be careful about when you pay to get it back.
Remember that you can only bring one boat back in at a time.
You don’t want to give the last vital gem to an opponent.

2. Play your small numbers early
This will keep some large numbers in reserve so you can either get a gem out or at least
avoid plummetting over the falls.

3. Plan when to play your cloud
Don’t be forced to play it when you really need to move upstream to avoid going over the falls.
It is embarrassing and will cost you a boat.
Reduce river speed for a faster game - a good strategy when you are in front.
Increase river speed for a slower game - a good strategy when you are behind.
This will give you and other players more opportunities to steal gems from the leaders.

4. Steal gems whenever possible
Unless that sets up your opponent to get the gem they need to win.
The less gems your opponents have, the more work they need to do to win.

5. Corollory to stealing when possible is to avoid being stolen from whenever possible.
If your opponents have used all numbers required to land on a particular space this turn,
then treat that space as a safe place for this turn only.

6. Remember ALL your opponents’ numbers played since the last refresh of the number tiles.
This is your key to developing a winning strategy.
Without this information, you are just guessing and hoping.
Be informed. Don’t play randomly.

7. Defend against sudden victories by your opponents
You need to keep in mind all possible victory conditions and make sure no opponent
is getting close to one of them.
Reduce the number of purple/white gems available if an opponent is going for one of these.
They only need four of the same gem, so don’t wait until they have their third or fourth gem loaded.
Remove the possibility of someone else getting four gems by getting that gem too.
All opponents should work together to stop the leaders winning.
If an opponent is carrying a gem they don’t need for their victory,
don’t steal it from them (unless you need it yourself!). It only makes their job easier.

Tips niagara

2019-08-15T09:32:21Z

Geoffmacknish: Formatting corrections.

'''Niagara basic strategy tips'''

1. Don’t fall over the falls!
It is hard to recover from this as you lose a boat and can only get it back by paying a gem.
If you do lose a boat be careful about when you pay to get it back.
Remember that you can only bring one boat back in at a time.
You don’t want to give the last vital gem to an opponent.

2. Play your small numbers early
This will keep some large numbers in reserve so you can either get a gem out or at least
avoid plummetting over the falls.

3. Plan when to play your cloud
Being forced to play it when you really need to move upstream to avoid going over the falls.
It is embarrassing and will cost you a boat.
Reduce river speed for a faster game - a good strategy when you are in front.
Increase river speed for a slower game - a good strategy when you are behind.
This will give you and other players more opportunities to steal gems from the leaders.

4. Steal gems whenever possible
Unless that sets up your opponent to get the gem they need to win.
The less gems your opponents have, the more work they need to do to win.

5. Corollory to stealing when possible is to avoid being stolen from whenever possible.
If you opponents have used all number required to land on a particular space this turn,
then treatthat space as a safe place for this turn only.

6. Remember ALL your opponents numbers played since the last refresh of the number tiles.
This is your key to developing a strategy.
Without this information, you are just guessing and hoping.
Be informed. Don’t play randomly.

7. Defend against sudden victories by your opponents
You need to keep in mind all possible victory conditions and make sure no opponent
is getting close to one of them.
Reduce the number of purple/white gems available if an opponent is going for one of these.
If an opponent is carrying a gem they don’t need for their victory,
don’t steal it from them (unless you need it yourself!). It only makes their job easier.

Tips niagara

2019-08-15T07:41:10Z

Geoffmacknish: Niagara basic strategy tips

'''Niagara basic strategy tips'''

1. Don’t fall over the falls!
It is hard to recover from this as you lose a boat and can only get it back by paying a gem.
If you do lose a boat be careful about when you pay to get it back. Remember that you can only bring one boat back in at a time. You don’t want to give the last vital gem to an opponent.

2. Play your small numbers early
This will keep some large numbers in reserve so you can either get a gem out or at least avoid plummetting over the falls.

3. Plan when to play your cloud
Being forced to play it when you really need to move upstream to avoid going ocer the falls is embarrassing and will cost you a boat.
Reduce river speed for a faster game - a good strategy when you are in front.
Increase river speed for a slower game - a good strategy when you are behind. This will give you and other players more opportunities to steal gems from the leaders.

4. Steal gems whenever possible, unless that sets up your opponent to get the gem they need to win.
The less gems your opponents have, the more work they need to do to win.

5. Corollory to stealing when possible is to avoid being stolen from whenever possible.
If you opponents have used all number required to land on a particular space this turn, then treatthat space as a safe place for this turn only.

6. Remember ALL your opponents numbers played since the last refresh of the number tiles.
This is your key to developing a strategy. Without this information, you are just guessing and hoping. Be informed. Don’t play randomly.

7. Defend against sudden victories by your opponents
You need to keep in mind all possible victory conditions and make sure no opponent is getting close to one of them.
Reduce the number of purple/white gems available if an opponent is going for one of these.
If an opponent is carrying a gem they don’t need for their victory, don’t steal it from them (unless you need it yourself!). It only makes their job easier.