by abdiel
trenttsd wrote:
2. The dice rolling mechanism doesn't have tons of replay value.
The replay value in this game comes almost entirely from the cards. The dice rolling mechanism alone makes for a Yahtzee-lite experience which doesn't hold up over time. The life of this game purely relies on that deck of cards, and when that deck of cards can so easily frustrate you, it reduces the lifespan of the game.
The replay value in this game comes almost entirely from the cards. The dice rolling mechanism alone makes for a Yahtzee-lite experience which doesn't hold up over time. The life of this game purely relies on that deck of cards, and when that deck of cards can so easily frustrate you, it reduces the lifespan of the game.
Card availability makes each game different in the same way the random hex set up of Settlers of Catan makes every game different. But this is only a small, and mostly unnecessary factor, when it comes to replayability.
What makes King of Tokyo replayable is the way players are constantly reacting to each others actions. The values of the various possible actions are always shifting based on each players' choices and their dice rolls. This quality makes the game extremely replayable even if you were to jettison the special cards.
If you want to play King of Tokyo like Race for the Galaxy, i.e. create a tableau of special power cards that provide cool combos, I could see how the cards might limit replay value. But that overlooks the core of the game.
For example, to decide on your turn whether or not to become King of Tokyo is based on how many points and health you have vs. how many points and health the current King has vs. how all the other players are going to react to you being King of Tokyo. It's not a super complex analysis, but neither is it completely transparent. And that's before you even get to the various monkey wrenches that the cards and dice add to the game.