Spyke
twilight_imperium·Twilight Imperiumbyman_wtfhappenedtoyou

noob in search of tips for playing with pros

So I am trying to get into table top gaming as a hobby and I came across a local group near me that meets up every weekend to exclusively play TI. Maybe this is the wrong game to start getting into this hobby with, but it was the first group I found when searching so I joined their discord and they seem like chill people, welcoming of new players.

BUT. I have read that this game can take a very long time for a session, especially with newer players where you have to explain everything to them.

So in the interests of not slowing the group down and alleviating some of my social anxiety in the process, I thought I would ask here for some tips for new players like me.

I've watched one rtfm video on YouTube kind of explaining the rules, but I feel like that doesn't help me a lot because I learn better by actually doing the thing (and asking questions). I plan to watch a few more videos, but I want to meet up for a game soon and am honestly pretty nervous about it lol.

So yeah, any little tips I could take from here as well would be very appreciated.

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SamuraiBeandog
lemmy.world

There aren't really any shortcuts, you just gotta bite the bullet and dive in. The core gameplay loop is actually pretty straight forward and easy to pick up, there's just a lot of specific information to take in to learn the special abilities of each faction and technology upgrades, etc. And then actually getting good at the game is a lifelong journey, the expression in the gameplay is incredibly deep.

Having said all that, it is really a monster of a game to play, with 6 experienced players my group usually takes 8-12 hours for a game. If you're relatively new to table top gaming TI is going to be pretty challenging both to learn and to play, it takes a huge amount of mental effort and stamina.

If you're still going to go for it, my general advice:

  • Understanding the group's "meta" playstyle is important. Some groups play quite aggressively and attacking each other is normal and expected, whereas other groups tend towards less aggressive games and will often collectively punish an aggressive player by refusing to do deals with them in the rest of the game. Peaceful metas (often called "boatfloating") will usually negotiate before engaging in conflict, e.g. I'll offer someone compensation to allow me to take control of one of their planets in order to score a victory point, give them time to move their units out of the system before I come in, and promise to vacate the system for them to take back once I've scored my point.

  • Even in an aggressive meta, aggression without a specific purpose is generally not a good strategy. Getting tied up in a war with your neighbour will drain both of your resources and if it isn't specifically helping you get victory points then it is pointless.

  • The game is as much about negotiation as it is about strategy and tactics. Negotiate and haggle over everything that you have any stake in, make allies and deals, spout propaganda against opponents ("they are already in the lead, make that deal with me instead of them!"), etc. How much people engage in this will vary depending on the group, but its the heart of TI, imo.

If you end up playing report back and let us know how you go.

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