Author Topic: BAZAARS: 2 Player Rule change: Bid Modification w/DICE !!! (Read 16171 times)

DOCTORawfulMD · « **on:** January 31, 2014, 09:19:38 AM »

Bazaars Bridges and Castles expansion: ... Bidding in a 2 Player ONLY game seems pointless and somewhat trite, in that:

If Player A makes Player B bid lets say 20 pts for a tile, Player B would at the very least charge Player A 20 pts for their tile to cover the losses... Am I missing something?

What is an effective, fun, or altered strategy to make Bazaars more interesting or worth using... I'm still new to The Bazaars, but it seems kind of boring in a 2 person game.

Linkback: https://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=600.0

Carcking · « **Reply #1 on:** January 31, 2014, 01:03:13 PM »

Not sure - I think it would still be relevant. Of the two tiles there may be one you are willing to pay for and one you may not want your opponent to have. I still see value in it.

What would you propose?

DOCTORawfulMD · « **Reply #2 on:** January 31, 2014, 10:39:56 PM »

I'm not sure, honestly... I've only played three games (granted they were very long multi-hour games) with this expansion (The Bazaars). It seems like it would be extremely fun with several people but with only 2 people it seems almost trite? Like a tit for tat mentality: "ok if you're gonna bid that, then I'll bid this and we'll break even"

Maybe I'm missing something or misunderstanding exactly how bidding a random amount of points against your opponent when it's only 2 players really changes too much as far as strategy or point lead... I mean , do you look at roughly what their score is and just play "The Price Is Right"? Bid 1 dollar more??? (Meaning): if they have let's say 300 pts and it's near the end of a game, needing only a few specific tiles to complete things and one of those tiles comes up in the Bazaar draw, do you bid them Just over what they can afford to spend? Are you trying to make them bid All their points away? Almost like a submission move? It seems to me that they, in turn, would have no option but to Not buy the tile they needed and just accept a loss on that item completion

Again, I'm not crystal clear on how exactly it's supposed to play out between two people, or any number for that matter...

(Is it just me, or are the included Instructions are always so short with these expansions packs???Usually they are pretty strategic and in-depth in new thought process)

Does anyone out there have a better explanation or example of your own tactics or thought process when bidding via Bazaars? Either for tiles you want or don't want... Any tips would be Great! I'd honesty just like to play a match with someone who really Knows all the " rule" rules, I'll admit most of my knowledge of each type of expansion is only based on personal interpretation or how I was taught by a friend... I know I'm missing something fun here with these Bazaar tiles ...

Khonnor · « **Reply #3 on:** February 01, 2014, 01:17:02 PM »

I made a variant for 2-player (or more). I got an extra die from the Flier expansion (thanks to carcatronn!).

Now, when you get a Bazaar tile and place, you must roll the die to "buy" another tile. If you roll 1, it will cost you 1 point. 2 = 2 points and 3 = 3 points. If you roll blank it's free! Great deals at those bazaar!

DOCTORawfulMD · « **Reply #4 on:** February 01, 2014, 01:25:28 PM »

I like that! That's a good use of other Carc game pieces- very cool!

DOCTORawfulMD · « **Reply #5 on:** February 02, 2014, 05:04:05 AM »

DOCTORawfulMD · « **Reply #6 on:** February 02, 2014, 02:32:48 PM »

Quote from: Khonnor on February 01, 2014, 01:17:02 PM

I made a variant for 2-player (or more). I got an extra die from the Flier expansion (thanks to carcatronn!).

Now, when you get a Bazaar tile and place, you must roll the die to "buy" another tile. If you roll 1, it will cost you 1 point. 2 = 2 points and 3 = 3 points. If you roll blank it's free! Great deals at those bazaar!

I was thinking about your solution to my 2 player problem and thought:

"What if... With dice as you've suggested, the player who draws a Bazaar tile rolls 1 die. The number that comes up becomes how many Bazaar Round 'extra' tiles they pull for that auction session? Each player would still bid, but ONLY on 2 tiles. They'd each pick the tile that most aids their game, bid and sell or buy, then ALL remaining tiles would be given to the player who began the Bazaar round? With a standard 6 sided die, the most Free tiles they'd receive could be 4...

Since there are so few Bazaar tiles to begin with I don't think it would drastically affect gameplay or game time too much in a 2 player match...

I know this changes the intended rules quite a bit more than your mod, but I kinda want to try this and see how it Does affect a game!

Paul · « **Reply #7 on:** February 04, 2014, 09:39:03 PM »

The variant we use:

After the player placed his Bazaar tile, that player draws another tile and place it anywhere on the board and scores one possible combination of his or her choosing for a road, city or a cloister connected to the second tile drawn.
If it was my turn to place a tile drawn this way, I could finish an opponent's city and we both get equal amount of points. Or, if the city is still unfinished, I alone would get scoring for an incomplete city.
So the player that drew the Bazaar tile does not place a meeple that round, only draws another tile for instant scoring.

DOCTORawfulMD · « **Reply #8 on:** February 08, 2014, 01:18:00 PM »

^ I like that idea too, Yellow! Thank you for your input!!!

I came up with a slightly different solution that Worked and played out quite nicely for us:

MY SOLUTION:

I decided to use a 4 sided pyramid die. When a player draws a Bazaar tile, they first place that Bazaar tile as normal, THEN roles the 4 sided die INSTEAD of drawing two additional tiles, as the original rules state (2 tiles for a two player game). Under this new modification, the lowest number rolled could be 1, highest being 4. The number that comes up becomes how many Bonus Bazaar tiles are drawn (instead of the standard 2)! The other player still has first choice when choosing from those bonus drawn tiles (possible 1-4). This tile is Now FREE to them (NO BIDDING REQUIRED). The remaining bonus Bazaar round tiles (if any) are then given to the first player, whom initially started the Bazaar sequence. The tiles are then placed as normal. With These alterations to the gameplay, the most Free tiles ( again NO bidding is required any longer when using this new rule modification ) that player will receive would be 3! If the die happened to role a 1, the second player WOULD NOT receive a bonus tile to place, and the Bazaar round is over. Regular gameplay then continues, as normal.

A more detailed example of how it plays out:

Player A draws a tile with a Bazaar. They place it on the board, then rolls the 4 sided die. "3" comes up. Player A pulls 3 tiles from the bag and Player B selects one. Player B places that tile into play, then Player A places both of the remaining 2 tiles on the board. This ends the modified Bazaar sequence and gameplay returns to normal with Player B drawing a tile.

We tried this modification last night and it worked Quite well, without the arbitrary 2 player bidding conundrum we seemed to have in the first place!

Thoughts? Give it a try next time you play a two player game using Bazaars!!!

I also decided to try another die involving modification that Also works and adds variety, involvolving The Gold Mines (tiles only) and a 20 sided die (for any number of players). If people are interested in hearing that, I can elaborate on it, as well

Scott · « **Reply #9 on:** February 10, 2014, 11:28:39 AM »

A lot of you guys weren't around in the old days, but I remember when suggesting the use of dice in Carcassonne resulted in an all-out fist fight. I like all of the ideas in here.

DOCTORawfulMD · « **Reply #10 on:** February 10, 2014, 11:30:59 AM »

Some of my friends refuse to use " illegal mods" in Carcassonne, but when it comes down to it, it's a home home game... Not a legit tournament.

Thanks Scott!

Paul · « **Reply #11 on:** February 11, 2014, 06:57:01 AM »

Quote from: DOCTORawfulMD on February 10, 2014, 11:30:59 AM

Some of my friends refuse to use " illegal mods" in Carcassonne, but when it comes down to it, it's a home home game... Not a legit tournament.

I think I've said it before, but here goes anyway: In the Swedish version of Dungeon Quest, in the rules, it says that the game is not bound to the rules followed with the game. They encourage us to add or change the rules and try varieties that could enhance the game play.
Quite nice really. And I'm a bit envy my sister got a chance to meet the creator for this game (Drakborgen).

Seeing the picture with the various dices brings up the (decades!) old memories of roleplaying games. Maybe I still have them dices somewhere.

ac1982 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 28, 2022, 02:58:01 PM »

I wanted to share our way to deal with this. While having 2 person-games, when someone gets a bazaar tile they draw two more tiles and then we have some sort of a "Blind Offers" auction... by whatsapp

This means we write each other a message with our offers for the two tiles (e.g. "8 - 5", meaning I'm willing to pay 8 points for the first tile and 5 for the second one) and then we send the messages at the same time. The player who pays more for each tile gets it. If we both offer the same, the tile is put back in the bag.
More rules have been established to cover all the possibilities, but this is the core mechanism. What do you think?