Online Stratego

Stratego - it is like Chess, only different. Same type of board, same type of movement, and there is no luck involved at all. The best player almost always win.
But, unlike Chess, Stratego adds the element of uncertainty - you don't know where the opponents specific pieces are. Setting up the board is half the game, and you need to master it in order to win. This also makes knowledge of your enemy more important than in Chess.

All in all, Stratego is more challenging than Chess, and deserves more credit than it usually gets. I've always wondered how Chess seems the more respectable of the two.

This also carries in the online versions of the games; you can find very, very good online chess games everywhere, but it is hard to find a really good online Stratego game. There are a number of download games, but if possible, I prefer the browser-based ones, so I can play from any computer.

I play two sites, and both of them are really far from perfect.

http://www.browserchess.net/stratego/
This is my favorite site for a quick, casual single-player game. It loads very fast, and everything is geared towards quickly getting a game going. There is a nice array of rule variations and standard starting positions, and the interface leads you into the game.
On the flip side - the graphics are plain ugly. In any other browser than IE the layout is misaligned. The AI has two levels; dumb and really dumb. The response to the mouse is sluggish. I could go on. Seeing how nicely online Chess can be done, there is really no excuse for this. But still - the game is good enough, and once the game is on you focus on that and forget the interface.

http://www.metaforge.net/webstratego/
This is my favorite site for playing other users. You can also play a robot, but the real fun is playing other people. You can create your own game variation from a long list of options, and there are always many other players online, so you can get a game going within minutes. The in-game chat is a good way to get to know the other players, which is very important in Stratego.
The site has everything needed to support a real community, and I would recommend this site anytime, once you know your way around the rules, the pieces and the board.
My major grief with this site is that is is written in Java, and runs in an ugly applet that sometimes crash my browser, or fail to load completely. I guess the game is pretty old, and the developers have not found it necessary to rewrite it in a more modern fashion.

So, to sum up:
If you like Chess, you should really play Stratego as well.
If you are new to the game, use browserchess.net/stratego/ to get started and practice some set ups. But to test yourself against other players, go to metaforge.net/webstratego and create a free account. You can play 25 games for free before being asked to buy a subscription (very reasonably priced).

Getting started:	http://www.browserchess.net/stratego/
Best community:	http://www.metaforge.net/webstratego/

Monopoly vs. Galactic Magnate

Monopoly is a fun game. It was the first board game that really hooked me as a child, and I remember nagging my family endlessly to play me. I would usually win.
When I got older the game lost some of its appeal, as it became obvious the game is more about luck than skill. There are simple strategies that are optimal, and the rest depends on the dice.
But I still enjoying playing the game (now it is the kids nagging me...), and I still win more than I loose.

When looking for an online Monopoly game, there is not much to choose from. I guess others feel like me, that the game is really not that fun, once you figure out the strategy.

Hasbro has an official version out, one you can play from Pogo.com (and maybe other places as well). It is not good. There are really intrusive ads in the game, and you have to buy a subscription to loose them. But I would never buy a subscription for that game. Why? Because it is too close to the board game! Great care has been taken to implement all the familiar rules, graphics, movements etc., and all of it is fitted into a small window on the screen. The result is that the game play vanishes in "cute" animations, and too-much information on too-little screen space. I hated it.

Luckily, not all is lost. Go to http://www.galacticmag.com/, and download Galactic Magnate. Don't let the name and looks fool you, it is Monopoly, but done right, done the way Hasbro should have done it, had they known anything about online gaming.

First of all, the rules are the same, but different. Some subtle changes has transformed much of the luck-element into strategy. You don't automatically get to buy properties - you have to auction for them, and that means carefully considering their worth, vs. your strategy. You also don't get income from a property - you have to have a monopoly first. So you can end up buying lots of property, and generate no income! And the cash you get from crossing Start varies, and over time vanishes. There are more differences, and they are well thought out, and well executed.

Secondly, the interface is clear and to the point. The board is like the Monopoly board, only slightly different. And the whole screen is used, and all the information is where you want it to be. You will get quickly up to speed.

Finally, it is completely free, and there are no ads. What more can you ask for?

With Galactic Magnate, I have refound the joy of Monopoly, and are happily bashing away at my online adversaries. A game takes from 20 to 40 minutes, and there are many players online, so you can usually get a game going in 2-5 minutes.

Highly recommended:	http://www.galacticmag.com/
Waste of time:	http://board-games.pogo.com/games/monopoly

Requirements for a good online board game

Well - I like to play board games.
That feeling when a bunch of friends sit down; a cup of coffee, cold drinks, snacks,..; open the box, rip out the old Trivial Persuit, or Risk, or even Monopoly. Nothing like it for a few hours of fun.

I like to win, but mostly I like the game itself - the interactions, using your intellect for something else (I have a pretty high-strung day job), the way the hours just disappear.

I have played a lot of computer games, and it is a different kind of joy. Its fun, but ultimately I don't find it absorbing to the same level. I suppose the lack of human interaction makes the difference.

So - lately I have taken to seeking out online versions of the popular board games. A surprisingly large number of sites offers multiplayer adaptations of the classical games, where you can just sign in and in a matter of minutes get going.
I like games where skill and intellect decides the winner, but I don't like games with a lot of complicated rules and a steep learning curve. Chess is the ideal game in this respect - you can learn the moves in 2 hours, but spend the rest of your life getting good at it.

I have the following expectations of a good online multiplayer board game:

• Must model a well known game, and have simple rules that makes it easy to get started.
• Should permit me to join a game with other players online.
• Must be able to finish the game in one sitting, 4 hours tops.
• Should have a tutorial mode, so I can learn the basics before I enter a game with others.
• Should not have extensive registration procedures, and must not be filled with ads or other distractions. Some non-intrusive ads, or a modest registration fee, is ok. I know it can be expensive to run gaming servers.

In this blog I will review the games I like (no point in using time and space on the ones I don't), and their online representations.
Hopefully you will suggest other games for me to try, and if I like them I will review them as well.