by Amnese
I play Descent in a game-group of four, so we have one Overlord and three Heroes. Both the Overlord player and myself are more experienced in Descent and in board-gaming in general than the other two heroes.After playing about 10 scenarios of Descent (some individual, some as a campaign) I've become somewhat torn between my pursuit of supportive cooperative play (encouraging other Heroes to act independently as they wish), and my pursuit of tactical cooperative play (advising other Heroes on tactical errors or tactical advantages they can avoid/pursue).
I like to see others engaged and immersed in a game and, whilst some in my group may think otherwise, I honestly don't like to dominate proceedings. I try to encourage input from other Heroes by asking things like:
* 'Okay, what do you think our plan for this mission should be?'; or
* 'What do you think we should do this turn?'
I also try to let players make their own decisions with their characters on their turns.
However, being more experienced in the game, and more knowledgeable on the rules, I often know 'what is best' for the team (or, often, 'what is within the rules and what is not') in any given situation (I know, that sounds so arrogant!!!), and I'll quite frequently speak-up. I try not to tell people what to do, instead, I try to advise them on options available to them. For example: 'Look, if you attack that Spider, it frees me from its web and lets me move away and help out this other Hero. What do you think?'.
For example, last night we were on the final turn of the first part of a scenario (ie: we were about to win and proceed to the second part), and a friend (co-Hero) was about to use a stamina potion to recover their stamina/fatigue. I said, "We're about to win, so you probably don't need to do that as you'll get it all back in a moment, and thus you'll save that potion for use in the second part". They didn't quite understand why this was the case (ie: weren't familiar with the rule regarding recovering fatigue during Encounter I, whilst flipped search cards remain flipped), and so their reply was "Okay, I'll just do whatever you say".
Similar events occurred throughout the night, I'd try to give some advice based on my understanding of the rules and the game-situation, and the reply was similar: "Okay, whatever you say".
I was giving out a lot of advice, and it eventually felt like I was being bossy and domineering. I tried to phrase my advice in a helpful, constructive way, but the other two Heroes kept forgetting rules (eg: I reminded others: "You can move diagonally to save on movement if you want" about six times throughout the night"). For example, many Scenarios are 'races against the clock', and this often requires the fastest hero to get to a certain position to delay the enemy, or open a door, or search something, etc. It is in the groups interest to get that Hero to that point ASAP. It is not helpful (for the group) if a Hero is taking a slow route and not moving diagonally. So, should I shut-up and accept that this move may cost us the Scenario, or should I speak up and mention the importance of getting to that location quickly?
Throughout the scenarios we've played I've become torn between wanting people to enjoy the experience and act independently, but also recognising that in a game like Descent the Heroes need to work together, think carefully, and plan well to do well and, ultimately, win the scenario. I was trying to balance my enjoyment of the game (based on being in a supported, collaborative group of Heroes who are putting up a decent fight against the Overlord) with the enjoyment of my co-Heroes (based on me shutting up and letting them act independently).
Ultimately, the game should be fun for all, but I'm having real trouble as the more-experienced Hero in 'gagging' myself when I see tactical-mistakes being made. Anyone else experiencing similar feelings? Maybe I should start chewing tobacco, that'll keep my mouth full and occupied throughout the night and will shut me up...
