HL and HB have played Notre Dame 1 on 1 a few times in the past. One really great thing about this game is that the final scores are always really close. One of the reasons for this is that besides taking the card a person wants or getting the message another player wants, there's not much interaction/interference among the players. Even in the "Notre Dame" district, players can only increase their influence (swaying the ratio into their favor), but can not decrease another player's. We view this as a pro because it allows the game to be competitive and friendly at the same time. If you like a more cut-throat game, you can try this variant. Only allow 1 player to use each helper with selection of the helper being based on turn order or a hidden bidding mechanic or if you like luck, a dice roll mechanic. I would recommend using turn order for the first 8 rounds, and then bidding for the final round (9). Keep in mind this variant can only be used in 2 and 3 player games.
Onto the main event. Both HB and HL wanted cubes and money early. Although neither player really got the draw they wanted at first, some clever tactics (the cart) allowed HB to get some early cubes. HL wasn't much farther behind even though she opted to fight rats right at the start. Plus, fighting rats early allows you more flexibility for a comeback in money, cubes, and VPs later. HB got into ND first, putting pressure on HL to do the same, which she did. Both players utilized the minstrel well. HB used it to get more influence in the cloister house (cubes), then the park (VP bonus). HL used it go from the cloister house, to the bank (money), then hospital (rat fighter). HB's biggest mistake was trying to fight off the rats a couple times and failing. HL had 2 big mistakes, getting a little too much money too late, and over-fighting the rats. HL's big move was getting 9 points for having atleast 3 influence in 3 different districts.(and +1 for the park for a total of 10 points in one move!). But in the end, HB's early play in the park and consistent point engine prevailed. Final Score 60 - 53.
There's a very fine line in balancing how hard you want to fight off the rats throughout the game. Even reaching 9 rats once during a game is a huge blow. I maintained a pretty low rat threshold this game (4-5), but a hole in my strategy was not being able to move my influence cubes from the hospital to a more crucial spot (ie. VPs) towards the end of the game.
ReplyDeleteHB also KILLED me on utilizing the Park to the fullest. Once one of my go-to-strategies, I haven't used it in a while, and will remember to do so next time around.