Simon Lundström
Sweden
Örbyhus
Now who are these five?
Come, come, all children who love fairy tales.
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I really like racing board games, by some reason. However, by the same "some reason or another" I'm a bit hard to please with corner taking mechanics. I liked Formula Dé at first, but after a while I was annoyed by the fact that the mechanisms told you that the faster you went through an S-bend, the better it was to swirl around (taking as many steps as possible inside the corner bounds).
That's why I prefer Bolide – where you play on a square grid and have a mechanism for how much you can change your trajectory each turn. However, it creates strange situations where you have to traw lines between points to see if they go "outside" of the track, or if a specific point is on or out of the track and so on. The Formula Dé tracks are much easier to decipher, but they require a pasted-on step limit within the corner bounds, that, as stated above, can backfire.
I really like the corner design in Snow Tails, having the squares you move on bend a little, but not as much as the the corner itself does – in a very visually easily understandable way, it leads the players a bit, while forcing them to still turn in the corner direction. All the while keeping the visually easy board design of having clear "lanes" on the track (That, for example, Bolide hasn't). The drawback, is of course that the corners are one-way as designed – you can't use a left turn for a right.
So I was really disappointed to find that Snow Tails still has a pasted-on mechanism for corners: a speed limit when you enter the corner – and having played a handful of times, it's by far the most dangerous of all things on the track. It's not as hideous as it could be, but it feels unnecessary as the corners are so well designed.
The more I played, the more they annoyed me. They felt out of place and much too dangerous, like an unmotivated minefield before each corner. Is there any way one could play this game and keep it a good game while ignoring those speed limits? By changing some turn mechanism?
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Ben
United States
Washington
Dist of Columbia
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Zimeon wrote: The more I played, the more they annoyed me. They felt out of place and much too dangerous, like an unmotivated minefield before each corner. Is there any way one could play this game and keep it a good game while ignoring those speed limits? By changing some turn mechanism?
If you're interested in realism, I would translate speed in excess of the posted limit into outward drift. Something like the following:
Quote: If you are on a track tile containing a speed line and your speed exceeds the posted limit, calculate your total drift (note: not speed) by adding 2 to the pull strength of the outside dog for each point of speed in excess of the posted limit. Sleds in excess of the posted corner speed never get a balanced sled bonus.
For example:
You are on a sharp corner (speed limit: 3).
Your inside dog strength is 5.
Your outside dog strength is 2.
Your brake is 2.
Speed = 5 (5+2-2).
Drift = 1 to the outside. (Inside dog=5; Outside dog = 6 [2+2+2]).
This is all just off the top of my head. Tweak as you think necessary.
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I agree that the geometry of the corners in Snow Tails is beautifully designed and works really well - it only improves with play as you start to get a better feel for drift and taking the 'racing line' through each bend.
I'm not sure I can agree about the speed limits though. I mean I agree that they are infuriating, making it really difficult at times to pull away when you've got a lead, and calling for some careful planning (don't put too little on the brakes too early or you'll regret it!). But I'm not sure that this should be seen in a negative light - it's a hand management game, and this forces you to manage much more carefully.
It's hard to think of a clean alternative to a strictly enforced speed limit on entry. Turns spent in the corner is the only obvious alternative, but that's the Formula De rule, isn't it? (If not, forgive me, I don't know the game)
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chally wrote: This is all just off the top of my head. Tweak as you think necessary.
Interesting idea. Could make for some hairy S-bend action!
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Simon Lundström
Sweden
Örbyhus
Now who are these five?
Come, come, all children who love fairy tales.
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chally wrote: This is all just off the top of my head. Tweak as you think necessary.
Sounds like precisely what I wanted! Thanks a lot.
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Daniël Muilwijk
Netherlands
Zeist
Utrecht
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chally wrote: If you are on a track tile containing a speed line and your speed exceeds the posted limit, calculate your total drift (note: not speed) by adding 2 to the pull strength of the outside dog for each point of speed in excess of the posted limit. Sleds in excess of the posted corner speed never get a balanced sled bonus.
Neat 
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Joseph Ellis
United States
Columbus
Ohio
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I like chally's idea.
I don't have too much of a problem with the rules as written. Two variants I'd like to try:
1. Just take one dent no matter how fast you are going.
2. Don't count the surge bonus for having your dogs in sync for the speed.
I think the speed limits are necessary. On the U-turn, if you come into the turn on the inside lane, you only need to move one lane over, and otherwise you can blaze through the turn at a huge speed. That doesn't quite make sense to me.
However, I think one of the best mechanics of the game is deciding when it's worth it to take a dent. The problem is, it's never worth it to take 2-4 dents at once. If I only ever took one dent in a curve, that would up the tension.
With my other suggestion, it's just too rare (unless you build the track with it in mind) to use the speed bonuses. That's what makes those speed limits a REAL pain in the neck in my opinion.
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