Most Popular
1500 questions
23
votes
7 answers
What's a good table-topping material for tile-based games?
On my polished wood table any disturbance (and I have kids, so you can imagine the disturbances...) can shift tiles around, which I then feel compelled to try to adjust to be flush with those around them. I want to get a mat to fix this, and was…
Andrew Vandever
- 5,583
- 21
- 39
23
votes
4 answers
Why is card counting considered illegal in Blackjack?
As far as I can see, a card counter is still subject to the same mechanic as any other players, but they are able to perform better then most people within these confines. So why is card counting a justification for casinos to kick people out?…
EpsilonVector
- 341
- 1
- 2
- 6
23
votes
2 answers
If a permanent turns into a(nother) creature, has it entered the battlefield?
I was playing a game last night with a guy who was playing a new Simic Gatecrash deck, and he claimed that if he made a land into a creature, it counted as entering the battlefield, thus triggering evolve (or other "enters the battlefield"…
Milo Gertjejansen
- 617
- 2
- 6
- 13
22
votes
10 answers
Games with features like Battlestar Galactica's "Traitor" Mechanic?
My local gaming group has been playing the heck out of Battlestar Galactica for some time now. Are there any other board games that can be recommended that have a similar theme, or similar mechanics? Obviously, we're not talking about clones or…
GWLlosa
- 5,513
- 3
- 30
- 47
22
votes
8 answers
What cards can be used to cheat Eldrazi creatures onto the table?
I'm constructing an Eldrazi based deck and I'm thinking about possible ways of getting one onto the table. What I already considered:
Summoning Trap
Polymorph
Do you know any other cards like these?
Edit:
I'm talking about the "big three"…
Adam Arold
- 1,628
- 7
- 22
- 30
22
votes
2 answers
Does 'fight' involve combat?
The text for Ulvenwald Tracker says:
{1}{G}, {T} : Target creature you control fights another target creature. (Each deals damage equal to its power to the other.)
Does this have anything to do with combat? Or is it just direct damage between two…
Jim McKeeth
- 3,017
- 12
- 38
- 43
22
votes
3 answers
What is a Gateway Game?
Before joining the B&CG community, I had never heard the phrase "Gateway Game." The quintessential examples of Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, and Carcassonne gives me a rough idea but Googling did not yield a more precise definition. So:
What is…
Joe Golton
- 8,864
- 7
- 47
- 81
22
votes
7 answers
Where can I practice MTG draft online and actually play against my opponents for free?
I've been having fun practicing drafts on draft simulators like this one, but sometimes I'd like to actually be able to play with the deck I built. Since all of the other players on these simulators are Bots, I have to be content with always…
Gordon Gustafson
- 21,248
- 40
- 120
- 233
22
votes
3 answers
How can I mitigate some of the downtime between player's turns?
For games in which it is not possible to take simultaneous turns, as the number of players increases, so does the wait time between a player's turn and their turn again. It becomes a balancing issue with the game's design to keep the game the same…
user1873
- 39,929
- 8
- 81
- 189
22
votes
1 answer
Can a Thief Steal a Really Impressive Title?
I thought that this one was pretty simple, but the argument got heated after multiple instances of challenging the rule that a thief can only steal something tangible, like weapons/potions/etc. The notion that a thief could steal your title is akin…
yurisich
- 1,649
- 2
- 15
- 27
22
votes
3 answers
Which of these rules for a Scrabble first turn play are official?
I've played scrabble with different groups of people and their rules on first turns vary a lot. The rules I've seen used are:
Double score for first turn (Scrabble rules confirms this and is the first thing a scrabble player learns)
The word's…
Jonn
- 405
- 2
- 4
- 8
22
votes
3 answers
How much should the University cost?
I once read that the main regret in the design of Puerto Rico was over-pricing the University. Anyone have any guesses (or statistical analysis) as to the "correct" price?
Ryan
- 1,241
- 9
- 11
22
votes
1 answer
Can someone choose to not use their “get out of jail free”-card in Monopoly?
We were playing Monopoly.
One of the players drew a ”Get out of jail free”-card.
On the next turn he landed on the ”Go to jail”-square and went straight to jail.
On the turn after that he decided to NOT use his ”Get out of jail free”-card.
We…
Hossam Shafie
- 239
- 2
- 3
22
votes
4 answers
Is this a legal play in Scrabble?
My friend played the 'A' and the 'X' tiles underneath the word REARMICE and I was confused as I didn't believe it was legal to play words alongside other words.
He also stated that he received points for “Ax” twice, and “Ea” once, and since the 'X'…
xemulas
- 237
- 1
- 2
- 3
22
votes
1 answer
Off-turn Basri Ket and Blocking
This is a question my friend posed to me the other day, that I'm stumped by.
Let's say it's the opponent's turn and I have:
The emblem from Teferi, Temporal Archmage: "You may activate loyalty abilities of planeswalkers you control on any player's…
willuwontu
- 335
- 2
- 8