Just changed my mind about deck-building games after a bad game night

I was at a friend's place in Portland last Friday and watched someone accidentally shuffle their entire discard pile back into their deck during a key turn, ruining the whole game for everyone. Has anyone else had a specific moment that flipped your opinion on a whole genre?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_joseph1mo ago

Wait, was this a Dominion game by any chance? I've seen that exact thing happen where someone just forgets they are not supposed to touch their discard pile. In my experience, that's more of a setup mistake than a genre problem. It reminds me of this one time I tried to teach Resistance to a group of people who were just not into lying at all. It completely fell apart because nobody wanted to be the bad guy. The whole night was a waste of time, but it wasn't the game's fault. Deck builders are a different beast for sure.

jason5621mo ago

Man, that Resistance story hits close to home. I've been in almost the exact same spot where the group just isn't wired for bluffing games. It's a bummer when a game night tanks not because the game is bad, but because the people aren't into that style of play. Makes you wish people would just say "I hate lying games" upfront so you can pull out something else. Instead you waste an hour watching everyone awkwardly pass cards around. Deck builders are definitely their own thing though, you really have to lock people in on the rules from the start.