David
United States
Middleton
Wisconsin
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I tried RDI for the first time a couple nights ago at my game group. There were 8 of us playing, which scared me a bit at first, but it turns out there's little downtime, even with many players. This is about the nicest thing I have to say about this game.
Quick summary of the game; skip to the next paragraph if you're already in the know. You're a band of adventurers in an inn. You have a deck of cards, from which you draw randomly every turn, cards which primarily consist of actions (stuff that will benefit you or hurt other players), and reactions (that you play in response to other cards). Every turn, you have to 'drink' from your drink pile, which increases your intoxication level - which starts at zero. At the same time, you may get involved in actions that will reduce your fortitude - which starts at twenty. If your level of intoxication crosses that of your fortitude, you're out. Also, you're out if you run out of money, which you use for a bunch of miscellaneous actions like gambling (though curiously, not to buy drinks, at least not without a special card). Aaaaaand, that's it. Last standing adventurer wins.
The main problem with RDI is that there's little actual decision making. It seems like you're playing actions, dolling out drinks, and whatnot, but you make those decisions the way you buy properties in Monopoly; because you can. Drinks tend to be given to the players who have the fewest, or who are the least intoxicated. Attacks go to the strongest (at the time) player, and so on. Despite the constant interactions - pretty much every action during a turn involves interaction with the other players - it seems the game is on autopilot. Of course if you have an attack card you should play it. Or dole out more drinks if you can. Or cheat at gambling - if you have that card. There's very little tactics to be found, and strategy is totally absent. It's not that the randomness prevents it, it's just that there really is none; absolutely no overall winning plan that can be formed in advance. It's just not part of the game. Finally, RDI has player elimination, which I didn't realize before we started, otherwise I wouldn't even have played. I'm not a fan of player elimination.
Ok, so it's not as dreadful as I make it sound. The game is fluid and plays fast, even with a lot of players, as I mentioned in the first paragraph. The cards are kinda funny, though in a very 'basic heroic fantasy humor' kind of way. It's all very physical, and much of the gags (and resulting fortitude loss), can be summed up as "Oops, sorry you (were standing there) (touched that thing) (drank that) (etc)." Still, I LOL'd a few times.
In short, a fun party game if you're in the mood for it, but don't expect to use your brains too much. I suppose that it's totally appropriate for a drinking-themed game.
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Mike Beiter
United States
Tonawanda
New York
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It sounds like this game is just not for you. But I have to wholeheartedly disagree with your comments of lack of strategy. The game is much more than auto pilot. There is a great element of strategy in what card to play and finding the right moment for it. And since all characters are different, the strategy changes from character to character. Since it has a light hearted humor element to it, the strategy can sometimes be overlooked, but it is ever present. The game is great because it appeals to both strategic minds, and those just wanting to have fun.
Just a few examples:
If you have cheat cards, you have to know when to use them because you never know how many gambling and cheat cards your opponents have. So the strategy of passing in gambling vs. playing a card at every opportunity is ever present. And do you risk playing a cheat card when your opponent may play their counter cheat cards that can often turn a major tide in the money control game.
Your basic actions each turn can be offensive, money manipulating, drink manipulating, or gambling based. So you get to choose which strategy you want to go with each turn. True some characters decks are naturally geared more towards one strategy over another, but since you never know which cards will come up when, you may find the “weaker” characters throwing all the punches, and the more combat oriented characters initiating rounds of gambling. Since you can discard unwanted cards at the beginning of each turn, you can help streamline your hand to fit your strategy.
The game does have a decent element of strategy to it. We have seen matches go well over a half hour with people knowing when to hold their cards for just the right moment. When your opponent is low on life and money, do you risk attacking them? Or do you initiate gambling to try and steal their coins?
With the 2 expansions, the variety of characters and different play mechanics has only expanded on the depth of this game. In my gaming groups, people do not like it in a typical party atmosphere. We find it more in place in regular gaming nights. When people are partying and drinking too heavily, the structure of this game is lost.
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Sam Waller
United States
California
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Thank you for the feedback.
I would say that Red Dragon Inn is a very tactical game, where individual characters have their own overall strategies for success. Depending on your individual character there are certain game states you want to see come up, and you'll play your actions out to try and get to that game state. But your turn by turn actions are indeed determined by what you have access to at the time.
I have watched playgroups play the game with all of the characters in various combinations and I usually see the same curve. Players take a while when they are new to the game, and people seem to drop off randomly. As a player gets used to specific characters, the game speeds up, because everyone knows what they are capable of and how to exploit the other characters. The experienced player is well aware of the various characters, and the game slows down again as they learn to manipulate their deck and when to hold their cards. Because the decks are relatively slim (40 cards) and that you have the ability to draw through it so quickly, as you gain more understanding of your individual character, you'll know what you need when you need it.
For example, Fiona needs to hold onto "Don't Ante" cards and use them to avoid gambling for as many rounds as she can, while focusing down the gambler with the tallest stack of coins. She'll survive her opponent's fortitude attacks and can handle her own drinks, but if she drops to 3 or less gold, she becomes a prime target for Gerki. Gerki tries to strip money while taking opportunity attacks on individual characters to take them out. He never wants to let a player with a tall stack of coins drop out early and split his money with the party.
Games with more than 6 players do get a bit wild though, and I can understand your opinion coming from a large game for the first time.
If you are interested in a bit more strategy, and someone in your group has it, try a 4 player game of Red Dragon Inn with the Gambling I'm In! supplement. GII will turn the gambling mini game into an actual game of chance, some of which favor the non gamblers just as much as the gamblers do.
- Sam Waller, VP SlugFest Games
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David
United States
Middleton
Wisconsin
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MajaiofDreams wrote: If you have cheat cards, you have to know when to use them because you never know how many gambling and cheat cards your opponents have.
Isn't that a bit self contradictory? I mean, if the best time to play your cards requires knowing what cards the other players have, then you'll never achieve that timing, since there is no way to acquire that knowledge.
Quote: And do you risk playing a cheat card when your opponent may play their counter cheat cards that can often turn a major tide in the money control game.
Right. And again, there is no way to control that - it's pure luck. Either they have the card, or they don't. There is no way for you to know. That is not tactics in my books - that's luck. WHICH IS FINE! That's just the way the game plays - it's obviously not suited to my tastes is all 
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David
United States
Middleton
Wisconsin
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Sam Waller wrote: Thank you for the feedback.
Well, thanks for yours! Very very nice to see the publisher himself chime in
Quote: I have watched playgroups play the game with all of the characters in various combinations and I usually see the same curve. Players take a while when they are new to the game, and people seem to drop off randomly. As a player gets used to specific characters, the game speeds up, because everyone knows what they are capable of and how to exploit the other characters. The experienced player is well aware of the various characters, and the game slows down again as they learn to manipulate their deck and when to hold their cards. Because the decks are relatively slim (40 cards) and that you have the ability to draw through it so quickly, as you gain more understanding of your individual character, you'll know what you need when you need it.
That's fair - and maybe I would sharpen my skills as you describe if I kept playing, but I don't think I'm up for that. Too many games, too little time.
Quote: If you are interested in a bit more strategy, and someone in your group has it, try a 4 player game of Red Dragon Inn with the Gambling I'm In! supplement. GII will turn the gambling mini game into an actual game of chance, some of which favor the non gamblers just as much as the gamblers do.
Hmmm, but doesn't that lessen the strategic element even more?
Again, thanks for the feedback. I don't want to make it seem like I hated the game; I did not. In fact I may consider it for my non-gaming friends! I've already introduced them to Ticket to Ride, and even Dominion, so I'm sure this one would be no problem - and something tells me I'd have more fun with actual friends playing this game, than gaming group "friends"...
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Sam Waller
United States
California
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No sweat at all! It was my pleasure and thank you for playing our game.
One last thing though, if you have a chance and someone in your group has RDI3, you may want to give Serena a try. She's a solid example of where we are looking to take a couple of our upcoming characters.
Happy gaming!
- Sam Waller, VP SlugFest Games
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King of the Dead
United States
Portland
Oregon
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Sam Waller wrote: She's a solid example of where we are looking to take a couple of our upcoming characters.
What the...??
So, there's going to be even more expansions?
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Gustav Åkerfelt
Finland
Turku
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If there are, I am getting a copy.
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ScoobyG wrote:
In short, a fun party game if you're in the mood for it, but don't expect to use your brains too much. I suppose that it's totally appropriate for a drinking-themed game.
True, it doesn't seem strategy based, and even as a party game I almost wonder if trying to make it a little more hands-on would have made it more fun. Like trying to make the gambling rounds actually have something to do with gambling, having the cheat cards actually allow them to cheat, and so on.
MajaiofDreams wrote: There is a great element of strategy in what card to play and finding the right moment for it.
The problem is that there is not a great variety of cards. If you try to make someone lose fortitude, its probably in vain because chances are they have a card to negate that, simply because there's not a lot of other options for that player to have in his hand.
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Mike Beiter
United States
Tonawanda
New York
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RedArmyIan wrote: [q="ScoobyG"]
In short, a fun party game if you're in the mood for it, but don't expect to use your brains too much. I suppose that it's totally appropriate for a drinking-themed game.
True, it doesn't seem strategy based, and even as a party game I almost wonder if trying to make it a little more hands-on would have made it more fun. Like trying to make the gambling rounds actually have something to do with gambling, having the cheat cards actually allow them to cheat, and so on.
The "Gambling? Im in" Expansion allows just that. You replace the gambling round with an actual gambling game. And cheat cards let you litterally cheat. Adds a new level of play.
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Don D.
United States
Miami
Florida
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ScoobyG wrote:
Ok, so it's not as dreadful as I make it sound.
You're being too nice. It's just as dreadful as you made it sound, if not worse. I really think this can only be fun while actually drunk. Its the worst "game" I've ever played, and that is not an exaggeration- this is the only post you'll ever see me say that in and if another game ever ends up worse than this ill come back and edit this post.
The only fun I had in the game was laughing hysterically while playing my "this game is stupid" card and saying aloud, "yes, yes it really is."
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King of the Dead
United States
Portland
Oregon
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