Hier noch ein paar Eindrücke vom Playtester zu den unterschiedlichen Spieler anzahlen. Ich erhoffe mir persönlich ziemlich viel von dem Spiel. Klingt auf jeden Fall schonmal interessant.
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Last night I played Anno with Martin at 2 players, meaning I've now played multiple versions of Anno at all player counts (except 1). In the last two weeks alone I've played Anno in 2, 3 and 4 player modes as Martin did the final tweaking before the game hits the printers.
I enjoy the game at all player counts, but the experience changes slightly at each count.
2 player:
I previously said that there would be an automa in the 2 player game. This is false (it is for solo only). The game is played exactly the same as at high player counts.
2 player is the recommended way to teach the game to new players. It is the least interactive of the different player counts. If you want you can play entirely solitaire in 2 player. You'll lose, but it is possible. Variability in 2 player is driven by your cards (as it is in all player counts). If you only need one sausage but need five schnapps, you'll build a schnapps distillery and hope your opponent gets the sausages so you can trade.
2 player is a relaxed way of playing the game and shipping is least important in this game mode (though you cannot ignore it). It would make a great couples game for people who want a cerebral, non-aggressive game to play with their partner.
My 2 player game with Martin took 1h 30 minutes. Martin timed other games at under 1h 30min. New players can add half an hour while they get their heads around the game.
3 player:
In my opinion this is the best player count. There are two copies of every building so you are going to get screwed out of buildings, but you'll mostly be able to follow your strategy. At this player count the game becomes a lot more interactive than at 2 player. But it's not punishing or super tight.
4 player:
4 player is the most interactive way to play Anno. It is a lot tighter than the other two player counts and is not recommended for new players. You will get screwed out of things you want, but the good thing is you can work around these problems with some success.
For example, in my most recent 4 player game I only managed to get a single yellow worker over and above my starting workers because the other three players focused on them and the supply depleted. I also didn't manage to get any of the red resource buildings which give me basic goods like brick and coal using red workers. But what I did get was a level two shipyards and a couple of decent merchant ships. I was then able to trade for most of the basic resources I needed and I finished second overall.
Ships are super important at this player count and you will often see the first engineer a player acquires getting turned into a level two shipyards.
The feeling of 4 player is much tighter and it's harder to play, especially if you have players who are new. It's more interactive at this play count but at the same time it doesn't take much longer than at lower player counts. Expect nothing more than 2h 30 minutes for experienced players.
So if you want a relaxed but cerebral couples game, or a highly interactive 4 player experience, or something in between, Anno has a lot to offer.
