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Andrew BrooksUnited States
Indianapolis
Indiana
Proud writer for iSlayTheDragon
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Here are some cubes of different colors. Not every color, but quite a few of them. These cubes are from Starving Artists.
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Galactic Terraforming Alien Uplift Consortium
A place to talk about how great Race/Roll For The Galaxy are. Maybe I'll discuss other games too.
Archive for Andrew Brooks
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Andrew BrooksUnited States
Indianapolis
Indiana
Proud writer for iSlayTheDragon
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This time it's gonna be mostly pictures of Mystery of the Temples. But that's not all! If you scroll all the way to the end, there's one with dice AND one with cubes.
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And here's one more from Carcassonne. It's the story of an old meeple that's lived a long, happy life.:strip_icc()/pic4782436.jpg)
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Andrew BrooksUnited States
Indianapolis
Indiana
Proud writer for iSlayTheDragon
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Here are some more pictures of dice and also some pictures of not dice. One of these pictures has wood in the background, see if you can spot it! The first picture was difficult to do, I tried to stack more dice but that's as high as they would go. The last picture is similar to the first one but I used tiles instead of dice and it was easier to do.
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Thank you for looking at all of the pictures. If you leave a comment, I will read it. If you request that I take a picture of something, such as dice, I might do that.
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Andrew BrooksUnited States
Indianapolis
Indiana
Proud writer for iSlayTheDragon
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I haven't taken any pictures of dice in a while. Here are some pictures of dice that I took last week.
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I hope you enjoyed those pictures of dice. Here's another picture.:strip_icc()/pic4747725.jpg)
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Andrew BrooksUnited States
Indianapolis
Indiana
Proud writer for iSlayTheDragon
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If you're anything like me you are a human. Hopefully that's a pretty safe assumption to start with. This means you have limited capacity for processing information. Yes, I understand that computers also have this same limitation but on a much different scale. Where exactly was I going with this? Oh right, optimization. We all do it, some more intentionally and some with more enjoyment than others. This is very evident in the types of games that we play and the way that we play them.
Lately I've gotten back into playing the fantastic Feast for Odin solo scenarios run by GAFBlizzard. Everyone participating plays with the same special rules and draws occupation cards in the same order. The most recent scenarios have removed many of the game's random elements and the current one is nearly deterministic with many restrictions in place. This leads to an interesting thought, can we realistically "solve" this scenario?*****
When I think about optimization there are two completely different meanings that come to mind. First, there is the pursuit of the best possible outcome. This, to me, is boring because of its finality.
The kind of optimization that I enjoy is improvement, either in method or outcome. This isn't striving for a solution, in fact I would say that the very known existence of a solution can be at odds with this. Rather, it's the kind of thinking that always strives to do better, even if you don't know whether it's possible to do so.*****
Consider a puzzle with one solution. You can program a computer to solve that puzzle by running through every single possible iteration. Eventually it's going to pound out a solution given enough time. Now stick a human in front of that same puzzle. Assuming they actually want to spend their time solving the puzzle it's highly unlikely they'll approach it the same way. Humans care about time in a way that computers don't and guessing until you get it right could be viewed as a waste of time. Rather, we'd prefer employing some sort of method, a guided approach by which to reach the solution. The "fun" of problem solving comes in two parts. The first is determining those methods, the means by which a system is analyzed. The other half is employing those methods to see your hard work either pay off or come up short and need to be reassessed.
Now take that same puzzle and make it very complicated. Computers can continue to brute force their way to a solution though it may take an unrealistic amount of time based on how complicated the puzzle gets. Fortunately, they can start employing some of the same methods that humans would use in order to speed things up. Stick a human in front of this puzzle and the amount of fun that they'll have is highly dependent on their patience. Essentially, how satisfied they'll be with reaching a solution given how long it will take. Realistically though they'll also have to overcome the limitation of how much information they can hold in their head (or are willing to write down). As puzzles get more complicated, the methods by which they are solved often depend on analyzing larger and larger sets of data. A common example of that would be proving something by disproving all other possibilities. As the complexity increases, disproving every alternative starts to look a lot like brute force solution. However, with growing complexity doing so also becomes more and more necessary to actually make progress. At some level of complexity this stops being fun, or even realistic, for us humans.
One of the ways to make very complex puzzles more enjoyable is to offer ways to evaluate the final state regardless of whether or not a solution was reached. Think of it as quantifying the level of success or, in other words, providing a score. You could argue that a puzzle stops being a puzzle and starts being a game once it has a system with quantifiable success. However, along those same lines the solution could be viewed as the highest possible score with multiple solutions being possible and the exact value being very hard to determine.*****
Does the current Feast for Odin solo scenario have a solution? Yes, there's a highest score and at least one way to do it. Am I motivated to achieve and prove that I can get the highest possible score? No way. What I want to do is figure out how to score higher than my previous attempt, or at least score just as well by a different means. This pursuit is limited by my time, ability, and the possibility that I may stumble on the highest possible score without knowing it. Realistically, I'll become restless at some point when the means of improvement stops being fun. It's very unlikely that I will end up solving it because of the type of optimizing that I enjoy.
As much as I enjoy problem solving I'm a dabbler first and an optimizer second. I like pushing the boundaries of what's possible by employing creativity rather than pure cold logic. The moment I have to sit down and math things out in painstaking detail is when I'm done, I'd rather explore than compute.*****
What type of optimizer are you? Do you seek improvement or solutions? Are computers ruining all the fun? Is Go solvable?
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Andrew BrooksUnited States
Indianapolis
Indiana
Proud writer for iSlayTheDragon
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It seems like I've been in this aisle for at least half an hour pondering which set of silverware to buy. I'm holding a package in my hand, envisioning myself eating a meal with this particular fork. I hesitate, returning it to the shelf, then step back and scan through my options once again. I've repeated this process over and over hoping that eventually I'd have an epiphany and know which set was right. Truth be told, I'm fully aware that this isn't a problem to be solved. I simply have to pick one and live with the results.
Just then someone strolls by and grabs a box off the shelf right in front of me. It was so effortless, I can't help but feel jealous. I want to shout out to him, "How did you do that? How did you know so quickly which one to pick?"
Why does this decision matter so much to me? It's likely that I would be perfectly happy with any of these. It's trivial and yet I can't bring myself to live with such reckless impulsivity. My brain simply isn't wired that way. There's a finality in every choice and I'm more comfortable with a carefully considered conclusion.*****
It's my turn and based on the banter around the table it might seem like I've been contemplating my move for half an hour. I pick up a piece and envision the series of events that will play out if I go to that spot.
I'm aware that this is just a game. The decision that I'm making is even more trivial than the silverware I ended up buying. And yet this choice is different because of the context. Games have neatly designed systems in place, they have points and victory conditions. They can be analyzed and optimized in a way that life can't because the rules are clearly defined.
There's a comfort in being able to quantify and evaluate decisions within this context. There's a certainty that can be achieved in knowing that I'm making a good decision that life's opacity never allows. Taken to it's extreme there is great joy to identifying the best decision, however illusive that may be.
This contrast in experiences is part of what appeals so much to me about board games. I can grasp the impact of my decisions and be confident in my ability to make them. It may seem silly, but for someone that lives with indecision this is an opportunity to be treasured.*****
Back in my university days I was notoriously well known for being a slow eater. I would go to dinner with one group and leave with another because I couldn't be bothered to rush through my meal. At first this seemed to make others uncomfortable, as if there was some social contract that required them to sit with me until I was done. My friends eventually got used to leaving when I was only half way through my meal, there was no harm in doing so.
But there were some folks that didn't mind the wait, they would stick with me for the whole meal simply because they enjoyed spending time together. As far as I can tell this wasn't a huge sacrifice for those that sat with me during this time. I didn't pressure anyone to do so but I appreciated those who made an effort to live at my pace.*****
I don't share this to convince anyone that you should sit through a game that goes longer than you'd like. If you know someone that can't be bothered to play a little faster then it could be just as well to avoid them. My point is simply that playing with them, and perhaps finding a way to enjoy it, may mean more than you think.
For all those who have sat with me while I experienced the joys of a game well played, thank you. I hope that I can also make the effort to help others get something meaningful of of this hobby.
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Andrew BrooksUnited States
Indianapolis
Indiana
Proud writer for iSlayTheDragon
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So you just found out that no one likes playing games with you because you have Analysis Paralysis? Don't worry, I'm here to help you through the stages of learning to live with this debilitating condition.
1. Acceptance
First of all, you need to come to terms with the fact that you make games less fun to play. It likely has to do with this downtime thing, the unpenetrable void that sucks the life out of everyone you subject to it.
2. Denial
But wait, people enjoy playing games with me. All that joking around about how long my turns are taking seem to fill the downtime just fine.
3. More Denial
It's kinda my thing. I've even got a microbadge to prove it.
4. Confront the Evidence
That other group just finished their third game while you're not even done with your first. Their smiles seem a little bit wider, their laughter a little louder, and their h-indexes significantly higher.
5. Enthusiasm
Maybe you can achieve the dream too! Surely there's an ideal way to play games that will make everyone happy!
6. Consider Your Options
Time to think through your options and pick the best one for an optimal game playing experience.
7. Theorize
What's the most important thing? Playing as many games as possible, of course. There's got to be some way that you can facilitate that experience while also enjoying the game.
8. Analyze
I don't necessarily care about winning but I do care about playing well. I also enjoy interacting with people when it's not my turn but maybe paying attention to the game so I can play quickly is more important.
9. Optimize
Surely there's a perfect solution.
10. Empathize
But the way that I enjoy games seems to make other people miserable. So I've heard.
11. Compromise
I suppose I could speed up my turns a bit, make sub-optimal moves and die a little inside for the sake of others. Or maybe I should just stick to fillers?
12. Fantasize
What if I could find a group of people that don't seem to mind how long anyone takes? People who just enjoy spending time together?
13. Organize
Maybe if I put all my components in nice little rows that will make me feel better. Yeah, it totally did.
14. Consider Your Options Again
It doesn't seem like you thought of everything, maybe you should go back to step 6 and reconsider. Once you've repeated this process several time it might be safe to move on. But only if you're pretty confident you've exhausted all the possibilities.
15. Apathy
Oh forget it, there's nothing that will make everyone happy. Why even play games anymore?
16. Depression
Woe is me!
17. Loss of Identity
Board games were all I had, now I've got nothing left. Who I am? What am I doing with my life?
18. Try Solo Gaming
Oh yeah, I could try out some solo board games. Then I can take as long as I want and it won't bother anyone!
19. Become a Hermit
When was the last time you left the house? Never mind that, I've all these games boxes to keep me company.
20. Profit
This step is a little tricky but I'm sure you'll figure it out.
21. Buy Some Games
Now that you have all this money you should probably buy more games.
22. Remember the Good Times
Remember when you used to play games with people? Those sure were some good times.
23. Reconciliation
I heard that game group that you used to go to still meets every week. Maybe you should go some time and play a game or two?
24. Healing
Turns out people didn't mind playing games with you after all, even if you are a little slow. Sure, some people avoid you like a plague but that seems to work out fine for both of you.
25. Acceptance
You've found a group of people that enjoy playing games together. Everyone's got their quirks but don't let that stop you from spending some quality time together while you happen to be playing a game. And it probably wouldn't hurt to play a little faster while you're at it.
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Andrew BrooksUnited States
Indianapolis
Indiana
Proud writer for iSlayTheDragon
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I now have a website for these Uplifting Tales, go check it out at uptales.com!Uplifting Tales #5: Roll Player
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*******
Deep in the dungeon, an unlikely duo on the move
A Savant and Urchin form this party of two
The warrior, a Protector, with something to prove
And the thief, Eccentric, has a prize to pursue
This shimmering pile sought for their story to begin
They'll split it, as agreed, an honorable redistribution
But one stares, Obsessed, at gold with a veiled grin
The other, Courageous, seeks to build constitution
In the shadows, a Dragon lurks, his intentions to be seen
Perhaps a Cleric Protector, here to thwart the Greedy?
A mysterious Sorcerer with a plot sinister and mean
Or a charming Bard to join them, now a party of three
*******
More Uplifting Tales
*A Geeklist Compilation*
#1: Sagrada
#2: Arboretum
#3: Takenoko
#4: Hit Z Road uptales.com @UpliftAndrew iSlayTheDragon
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Andrew BrooksUnited States
Indianapolis
Indiana
Proud writer for iSlayTheDragon
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*******
I built this black barricade
From the scraps I had left
It's grim and foreboding
With symbols of death
This last desperate effort
To survive one more night
Surrounded by monsters
With a target underfoot
My journey may end here
But I'll hold onto hope
That someone will save me
From this nightmare roadtrip
*******
More Uplifting Tales
*A Geeklist Compilation*
#1: Sagrada
#2: Arboretum
#3: Takenoko @UpliftAndrew iSlayTheDragon
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Andrew BrooksUnited States
Indianapolis
Indiana
Proud writer for iSlayTheDragon
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Uplifting Tales #3: Takenoko
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*******
Who could blame him for being hungry
In a garden made of food?
Who could resist a quick snack
From these bamboo walls?
A yellow shoot for breakfast
Green stalks at mid-day
And a delightful pink delicacy
To match the evening sky
This animal is the symbol of peace
But that guy doesn't seem to agree
Who could blame him for being angry
When his handiwork is recklessly nibbled?
Who wouldn't pity his desire
For a tranquil day of labor?
As muffled crunches blow in the wind
The gardener considers a delicate balance
Colorful rows sway gently between
The miracle of growth and futile consumption
*******
More Uplifting Tales
*A Geeklist Compilation*
#1: Sagrada
#2: Arboretum @UpliftAndrew iSlayTheDragon
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