Board Game Arena - User contributions [en]

Tips parks

2025-08-18T18:27:12Z

Magical-lion309: /* General */

For the rules of parks, see [[Gamehelpparks|GameHelpParks]]

== General ==

* Remember that when only one player has 1 or more {{parksHiker}} left they must go to the end on their next moves, they cannot visit any additional spots.
* Use this to force a slow player to end the season.
* Photos {{parksPhoto}} are a great way to turn extra resources into points. Remember they aren't counted in the score tracker until the end. *Someone may seem way behind, but have a ton of photos and easily can win at the end.
* Gear {{parksGearDeck}} that lets you take more {{parksPhoto}} results in even more points.
* Use the campfire {{parksCampfire}} to your advantage to visit key/needed spots. You can only refresh your {{parksCampfire}} using gear or with the start of a new season. Therefore the {{parksCampfire}} is more valuable and rare than the first version game (in which it reset when one of your campers finished the trail).
* Drawing from the top of the {{ParksDeck}} deck gives you something to aim for if you don't have the right payment when your first {{parksHiker}} is forced home. It may be better than reserving from the revealed cards if everyone is short of paying for those/if they don't help with bonuses. Or you may want to reserve a park that benefits your passion bonus. But remember that reserved parks give you nothing if you don't pay to visit them later.
* Buying gear and obtaining canteens is sacrificing for the future. They tend not to be fruitful in the last season, but by using them for 2 or 3 seasons they often will give large returns. But you have to focus on continual usage. Sometimes it may be strategic to block a leading player from visiting a site if it connects to gear, fills multiple canteens, or connects with their season/focus.
* Watch the season-specific bonuses. They can be the difference between a win and a loss in a close game.

Tips parks

2025-08-18T18:24:59Z

Magical-lion309: /* General */

For the rules of parks, see [[Gamehelpparks|GameHelpParks]]

== General ==

* Remember that when only one player has 1 or more {{parksHiker}} left they must go to the end on their next moves, they cannot visit any additional spots.
* Use this to force a slow player to end the season.
* Photos {{parksPhoto}} are a great way to turn extra resources into points. Remember they aren't counted in the score tracker until the end. Someone may seem way behind, but have a ton of photos plus bonuses and win at the end.
* Gear {{parksGearDeck}} that lets you take more {{parksPhoto}} results in even more points.
* Use the campfire {{parksCampfire}} to your advantage to visit key spots. You can only refresh your {{parksCampfire}} using gear or with the start of a new season. Therefore the {{parksCampfire}} is more valuable and rare than the first version game (in which it reset when one of your campers finished the trail).
* Drawing from the top of the {{ParksDeck}} deck gives you something to aim for if you don't have the right payment when your first {{parksHiker}} is forced home. It may be better than reserving from the revealed cards if everyone is short of paying for those/if they don't help with bonuses. Or you may want to reserve a park that benefits your passion bonus. But remember that reserved parks give you nothing if you don't pay to visit them later.
* Buying gear and obtaining canteens is sacrificing for the future. They tend not to be fruitful in the last season, but by using them for 2 or 3 seasons they often will give large returns. But you have to focus on continual usage. Sometimes it may be strategic to block a leading player from visiting a site if it connects to gear, fills multiple canteens, or connects with their season/focus.
* Watch the season-specific bonuses, and each player's situation towards them. They can be the difference between a win and a loss in a close game.

Multipleaccounts

2025-05-31T02:14:48Z

Magical-lion309:

== The Main Rule ==

'''No user is allowed to play from more than one account - missing source.'''

== Playing from the same IP ==

If one of the players has a premium account, you are able to play at the same table using the same IP (internet address).

When this happens, there will be a "this player plays from the same IP address as another player" warning under the affected players. This warning lets other players know that there are players at their table that are able to discuss the game outside of BGA.

If you wish to play from the same internet address as another person:

* The best option is to not play at the same table, or play at a table where you know everyone.
* If you play with strangers, make them comfortable with the fact you are 2 (or more) different people: do not discuss the game outside the chatroom, and DO NOT collaborate (or engage in kingmaking) with your partner.

When some of your opponents are playing from the same IP:

* You may politely refuse to play with them.
* You should be vigilant and check that they are not collaborating during the game.
* You do not have to report until you are certain that two or more players are engaging in a concrete kingmaking action. If you report players, saying that "they are playing from the same IP" without any kingmaking proof, we will close your report.

== Boosting your ELO by playing against yourself ==

This is the most stupid and useless thing to do on BGA. I mean, why waste your time doing something so useless instead of playing games with other people?

Why? Not only is it very easy to detect, but also severe punishments will be handed down as result:
* Any secondary accounts will be removed.
* Your primary account will have its ELO for ALL games reset to zero.

Why this is so easy to detect:
* When you start having a very good ELO, all other good players will look at you and your game history. In the game history, it is really easy to see how you managed to have a good ELO (through legitimate play or boosting).
* In BGA, every game can be replayed. If a game is suspect, players can check the replay to determine if the game was real, or a fake game designed for boosting.
* In addition, we use automatic methods and collect technical information that allows us to check if "one person = one account".

It happens that some players will attempt to ELO boost, but in the end, all boosters are detected and reset to 0. This is why this is a waste of time for everyone, and why it is useless to do so.

If you have a lot of time to spend, please try to get better at this game and do not try to cheat, because it is just a waste for everybody.

You can play in the same location, just DON'T BOOST YOURSELF!!!

What we are trying to say is; DON'T ELO boost. It won't work!

Tips wingspan

2025-04-30T19:27:52Z

Magical-lion309:

== Introduction ==

At its core Wingspan is an engine-building resource-management game. Your most limited resource is actions, as you are limited to only 26 (8+7+6+5) of these each game. So, generally speaking, you want to get the most out of every action. Play that brown-power bird before you take an action in its row so that you get more from the action. Play that pink-power bird as soon as possible so that it may be triggered more times. There are, of course, exceptions to this, e.g., if you need to move up in the rankings for an end-of-round goal.

== Early Game ==

When the game starts, take the time to analyze each of the end-of-round goals, as they will heavily shape what to go for. Lots of egg goals? Investing more in the grasslands may be a good idea. Lots of bird goals? Investing more in the forest may be better. These are both oversimplifications, as, generally speaking, you will build birds in every habitat and take every action over the course of most games. There are many other important considerations:

 
• Three or four nest-specific goals means the wild-nest birds are stronger.
 
• Consider which nest goals exist and learn more on keeping and playing birds with that nest type.
 
• Location-based goals (eggs or birds in specific habitats) means the flighty birds (birds that move from one habitat to another) are stronger.
 
• With all of the above in mind, specific pink-power birds become stronger too, as opponents are forced to take these actions or forgo end-of-round goals.
 
• In 4-players games, weight the later goals more heavily since they are worth more points; there's nothing wrong with skipping the first goal or two if it means positioning yourself to win the last ones. In 2 or 3 players game, goals are equal, as the 2nd and the 3rd prizes grow at the same speed as the 1st.

 
You should think of the bonus cards as private end-of-game goals. Consider whether one of your bonus cards aligns with later end-of-round goals as that increases its value.

 
Cross reference the end-of-round goals and the above information with your hand and the birds in the tray. Ideally you want to plan out your first few turns. Some general principles:

 
• Brown- and pink-power birds are ideal in the early game, when there is more time to trigger their powers. More specifically, you want powers that generate additional cards, food, and eggs. With that in mind...
 
•• Cards: This is the most important resource. Having a good card engine lets you find the birds you actually want to play often while scoring tuck points.
 
•• Food: You don't know what food you need until you find good cards and you have cards to discard for food. Over the course of a game, you should be drawing (and discarding) a lot more cards than food. If you have a choice, caching food is almost always worse than taking it until the last turn or two, depending on which birds and how much food you have.
 
•• Eggs: Eggs are inherently less valuable than the other resources until the end of the game when eggs score points, whereas cards and food do not. I say "inherently" because you get one more egg than the other resources. So, early in the game, you almost always want to spend an egg to draw (if you can), whereas later, you need to think about it a bit more.
 
• The best starting birds give you food or cards. If you get both, your early game should run very smoothly. You should obviously consider the cost of each bird when making this decision. That three-cost food producer might be good early, but consider how that will impact your ability to play other birds.
 
• If you're going first, you are guaranteed your pick of the shown birds, which may be better to start with than any in your hand. There's nothing wrong with drawing a powerful bird on your first turn.
 
• Generally, you should be keeping one to three birds from your starting hand. Keeping five should never be done and keeping four only makes sense if your hand is insane and/or you have a one-cost forest bird and plan to discard it in order to collect two food on your second turn.
 
• Be wary of any actions that benefit opponents equally to you. These are probably bad.

== Mid-Game ==

By the mid-game, you should have a small resource engine, hopefully consisting of birds that play toward at least one goal. Here are some principles focused more on the mid-game:

 
• Routinely check your opponents boards and consider which remaining goals you have a realistic chance at winning. Compare how hard you have to invest into each goal, how likely you are to win it, and what else you could be doing that might yield a greater long-term return, such as winning a later goal.
 
•• You should check your opponent's resource counts and engine power, as this factors in to how likely they are to win goals. If you're not that far behind them you may see that their resources cannot (or are very unlikely to) outpace you.
 
• Also check for pink birds. In some cases you should actually skip an action (e.g., predator) to prevent an opponent from gaining a more valuable resource. (Early food is generally worth more than one point.) But this is just one consideration. Sometimes you can't avoid doing things that help an opponent, but maybe you can wait to do it on the same turn as another player.
 
• It is good to play bonus card birds in the mid-game. This will give you time to play toward the goal. But if you play the card too early, the fact that it doesn't have an action can hurt you.
 
• If you have a good card-draw engine, prioritize and collect additional play birds. Planning around big bird chains in the last round can often turn the tide of a game.

== End Game ==

As the 3rd round comes to an end and the final round approaches you should be able to plan out the rest of your turns. Make a final decision on which goals you can reasonably commit to and play accordingly. It's okay to not always get the highest tier goal. Maybe playing out your non-goal birds in hand yields more points. Keep in mind that every round you spend gathering food to play your birds is a lost opportunity for other ways to gain points so maybe you should be stocking your remaining birds with eggs instead. You should be able to calculate which plan will give you the most points. Good luck!

'''Strategy Tips for Solo Play -'''

Gamehelpforestshuffle

2025-04-29T18:12:15Z

Magical-lion309:

===Overview===

In Forest Shuffle you create a habitat for flora and fauna to thrive. Plant trees and synergize your cards to earn the most points before winter.

===Turn Actions===

Choose between one of two options:

# Draw two cards from the clearing and/or deck and add them to your hand.
#* Your hand limit is 10 cards. You can't take the draw action if you already have 10 cards. If you have 9 cards, you may only draw 1 card.
# Play one card from your hand: pay its cost by discarding cards from your hand, then place the chosen card in the forest and carry out its effect.
#* If your discard cause there to be 10 or more cards in the clearing, all cards in the clearing are removed at the end of the turn.

===Cards===

There are 3 types of cards: Trees, Forest Dwellers, and Winter.

TREE CARDS depict a single Tree. To plant a tree in the forest, simply pay its cost. The cost amount shown in the brown rectangle at the top left of the card. To pay it, place a number of cards from your hand into the clearing equal to the cost.

* Trees cards provide a slot on each side (top, bottom, left, right) for you to add forest dwellers. Only 1 forest dweller per slot, unless the card says otherwise.

* Each time you play a tree, a card from the deck is added to the Clearing.

* Note that ANY card in your hand may be placed face-down in the forest as a TREE SAPLING. These work exactly like a tree but do not belong to a tree species.

FOREST DWELLER CARDS are split. They depict two creatures on them, but only ONE of them may be played. These are the animals, plants and mushrooms that you can add to the forest.

* To play a forest dweller, select an empty slot on a tree for the desired half of the card, then discard cards from your hand into the clearing equal to the cost.
* Once a forest dweller is slotted onto a tree, the other half of the card is now hidden. Only the effects of the visible forest dweller may trigger.

'' 
''Note that some tree and forest dweller cards give you a special bonus effect when you pay for them if ALL of the cards you discard bear the matching leaf symbol. On split cards, only one half of the card must bear the symbol.''

When you have drawn the top 2/3rds of the deck the first WINTER CARD will be revealed. The other two WINTER CARDS were previously shuffled into the remainder of the deck and serve as a random end timer. When the 3rd winter card is drawn, the game ends immediately! You may not finish your turn.

===Game End===

Total the points of all visible cards in your forests, plus one point per card you hid in your cave (if any). None of their effects trigger.

The player with the most points wins!

Gamehelpcaptainflip

2025-03-29T17:08:20Z

Magical-lion309: /* Special Tile */

===Overview===

Collect the most coins to win the game.

===Turn===

Draw a character tile from the bag.

You can either keep the side you see, or flip it and have the other side (but no backflips).

Place the tile on that side at the lowest point on a column of your choice.

Apply the immediate effect (Yellow).

If they are on the highest space of their column, also take the column bonus.

If you hold the Treasure Map at the end of your turn, take 1 coin.

===End Game===

When one player completes 4 columns, finish off the round, then end the game.

Apply end game effects of characters (grey).

If using board C, there are also end game bonuses on the board.

The player with the most coins wins!

Remember, 3 Gunner tiles or more at the end automatically loses!

If tied, the player who currently holds the treasure map wins!

Scoring FAQ:
Swabbies score by number of columns they are in. Multiple swabbies in a single column will not increase your score.

===Special Tile===

Dolphin (promo) Tile. If played, this tile allows everyone to flip one tile previously played and use the effect.

Gamehelpcaptainflip

2025-03-29T17:06:59Z

Magical-lion309:

===Overview===

Collect the most coins to win the game.

===Turn===

Draw a character tile from the bag.

You can either keep the side you see, or flip it and have the other side (but no backflips).

Place the tile on that side at the lowest point on a column of your choice.

Apply the immediate effect (Yellow).

If they are on the highest space of their column, also take the column bonus.

If you hold the Treasure Map at the end of your turn, take 1 coin.

===End Game===

When one player completes 4 columns, finish off the round, then end the game.

Apply end game effects of characters (grey).

If using board C, there are also end game bonuses on the board.

The player with the most coins wins!

Remember, 3 Gunner tiles or more at the end automatically loses!

If tied, the player who currently holds the treasure map wins!

===Special Tile===

Dolphin (promo) Tile. If played, this tile allows everyone to flip one tile previously played and use the effect.

Scoring FAQ:
Swabbies score by number of columns they are in. Multiple swabbies in a single column will not increase your score.

Gamehelpcantstop

2025-03-28T17:33:10Z

Magical-lion309:

Can't Stop is a game of rolling dice and knowing when to stop pushing one's luck.

==Rules==

There are 11 routes to the top of the board, represented by columns 2 to 12. At the start of the game, all routes are open and players may overtake one another. Once a player has reached the top of the board, that route is closed and other players lose their progress. The winner is the first player that reaches the top of the board by three different routes.

Can't Stop is played with a board consisting of 11 columns, numbered from 2 to 12, four dice, and three black circles as temporary markers. Each player has a progress marker in their color for each column.

===Splitting Dice===

On a player's turn, they roll the dice then split them into two groups of two dice however they like, then advance a step on each column whose sum is equal to some group of the dice.

Examples:

* Roll: 3,3,4,4. The player can split them to 3,3 and 4,4, advancing a step on each of columns 6 and 8, or the player can split them to 3,4 and 3,4, advancing two steps on column 7.
* Roll: 2,3,4,5. The player can split them in three ways: 2,3 and 4,5 (columns 5 and 9), or split them to 2,4 and 3,5 (columns 6 and 8), or or split them to 2,5 and 3,4 (columns 7 and 7).
* Roll: 4,4,4,6. There is only one way to split it: 4,4 and 4,6, which means columns 8 and 10.
* Roll: 1,1,1,1. There is only one way to split it: 1,1 and 1,1, which means columns 2 and 2.

===Temporary Markers===

In a turn, a player may only advance in three columns. (This is pivotally important to understanding what moves are allowed or disallowed.) The temporary markers are to help the player in keeping track of their progress. However, one must make as many moves as possible.

Examples:

* The player hasn't moved at all and rolled 2,3,4,5. They decide to split as 2,3 and 4,5, advancing on columns 5 and 9. This is allowed; they advanced on columns 5 and 9. They may not choose to advance only on column 5 or only on column 9 because they must perform all moves possible.
* The player has moved on columns 4 and 5 and rolled 2,3,4,5. They decide to split as 2,3 and 4,5, advancing on columns 5 and 9. This is allowed; they advanced on columns 5 and 9.
* The player has moved on columns 2 and 3 and rolled 2,3,4,5. They decide to split as 2,3 and 4,5, and so should have advanced on columns 5 and 9. But this is not allowed; it makes them advance on four columns. They must pick either 5 or 9 to advance from.
* The player has moved on columns 2, 3, and 12 and rolled 2,3,4,5. No matter how they split the dice, they cannot advance.

===Stopping One's Turn===

A player keeps their turn until they choose to stop or they cannot advance (like the last of the examples above). In the former case, the progress markers for the columns advanced are moved up to the locations of the temporary markers. In the latter case, the temporary markers are removed; the progress markers are not moved.

Examples:
* The player decides to stop after advancing 3 steps on column 7, 2 steps on column 8, and 1 step on column 9, after previously have advanced 4 steps on column 6 and 3 steps on column 9. Now their position is 4 steps on column 6, 3 steps on column 7, 2 steps on column 8, and 4 steps on column 9.
* The player advanced 3 steps on column 7, 2 steps on column 8, and 1 step on column 9, after previously have advanced 4 steps on column 6 and 3 steps on column 9. They roll the dice and cannot advance. The temporary markers are removed, and the progress markers remain at 4 steps on column 6, and 3 steps on column 9.

===Completing A Column===

When the player decides to stop and they have reached the end of a column, that column is scored for that player and no other player may advance in that column. For example, if column 5 has been scored and the player splits a 2,3,4,5 to 2,3 and 4,5, they cannot advance on column 5 because it has been scored.

===Winning Condition===

When a player completes three columns, they win.

==Strategy==

The strategy of the game is based on knowing when to stop. As one keeps playing, they still have the risk of losing all progress on the turn; stopping will save the progress but gives the other players a turn each. Knowing which is more beneficial helps.

Columns with more extreme numbers are less probable (a 2 is only scored by a 1,1 and a 12 is only scored by a 6,6, while a 7 is scored by six pairs of dice), so they have fewer steps to work on. One's strategy can also revolve on choosing whether to aim for middle columns or extreme columns.

One more element of strategy consists of pursuing the same columns as your opponent(s), as scoring the column before they do can deprive them of their advantage. This may be a particularly good strategy if they are only ahead by a few spaces within the same column.