That's So Clever! | Game Over | Thanks for playing!

[Farren]

I'm going to be pretty liberal about posting scoresheets to try and keep errors on my part to an absolute minimum. Please let me know if I'm posting too many.

Snakes

Spoiler: Orange

Slot:	3
Bonus:	(NONE)	(NONE)	R TOKEN	x2	YELLOW X	S TOKEN	x2	FOX	x2	PURPLE 6	x3

Spoiler: Purple

Slot:	1	6
Bonus:	(NONE)	(NONE)	R TOKEN	BLUE X	S TOKEN	YELLOW X	FOX	R TOKEN	GREEN X	ORANGE 6	S TOKEN

NotAJumbleOfNumbers

Spoiler: Yellow

10 pts	14 pts	16 pts	20 pts	Row Bonus
3	6	5	X	BLUE X
2	1	X	5	ORANGE 4
1	X	2	4	GREEN X
X	3	4	X	FOX
Diag	onal	bonus	==>	S TOKEN

Sirius9121

Spoiler: Yellow

10 pts	14 pts	16 pts	20 pts	Row Bonus
3	6	5	X	BLUE X
2	1	X	5	ORANGE 4
1	X	2	4	GREEN X
X	3	4	X	FOX
Diag	onal	bonus	==>	S TOKEN

EDIT> Pagetop edit. Current status: End of Snakes's turn, Round 1. Waiting for Nancy Drew 39 to score a die from the LOST column.

Dice at end of turn

KEPT	LOST
PURPLE 1	YELLOW 6
ORANGE 3	BLUE 4
WHITE 6	GREEN 5

[NotAJumbleOfNumbers]

Could we possibly run the sequel / threequel after this game?

[Farren]

Could we possibly run the sequel / threequel after this game?

If you're talking about Twice as Clever and ... Clever Cubed?, I haven't played either of them, so wouldn't trust my ability to run them correctly.

If someone who is familiar with them wants to run either, I certainly wouldn't object.

Alternately, if there's enough demand for another game of this, I'd be willing to run a Game 2.

[Nancy Drew 39]

Please advise. I’ve read everything and am hopelessly confused on what to do.

[Farren]

Right now, you have four options.

1) Take the Yellow 6 and mark off the Yellow 6 in the second column.
2) Take the Yellow 6 and mark off the Yellow 6 in the fourth column. (This is what NotAJumbleOfNumbers and Sirius9121 both opted to do; this doesn't stop you from doing that yourself if you want.)
3) Take the Blue 4 and mark off the Blue 10. (Blue always gets added with White, and White is a 6.)
4) Take the Green 5 and mark off the first Green number. (Green has to be done in order, but consequently is less picky; the die just has to be >= the next number, and 5 >= 1.

Any of those would be legal choices. I can't advise you on which of those you *should* do, but I can try to go over the consequences of each more if you want.

[Nancy Drew 39]

Right now, you have four options.

1) Take the Yellow 6 and mark off the Yellow 6 in the second column.
2) Take the Yellow 6 and mark off the Yellow 6 in the fourth column. (This is what NotAJumbleOfNumbers and Sirius9121 both opted to do; this doesn't stop you from doing that yourself if you want.)
3) Take the Blue 4 and mark off the Blue 10. (Blue always gets added with White, and White is a 6.)
4) Take the Green 5 and mark off the first Green number. (Green has to be done in order, but consequently is less picky; the die just has to be >= the next number, and 5 >= 1.

Any of those would be legal choices. I can't advise you on which of those you *should* do, but

I can try to go over the consequences of each more if you want

.

Yes, please do. Thanks.

[NotAJumbleOfNumbers]

If you want to practice, there's this 1-player game that you can play online: https://www.schmidtspiele.de/static/onl ... en-clever/
Note that as there are no other players, the "everyone else's turn" part is replaced by rolling all 6 dice and keeping the lowest 3 as usable, and there are 6 rounds instead of 4.

[Farren]

Nancy Drew 39

Spoiler: Yellow

10 pts	14 pts	16 pts	20 pts	Row Bonus
3	6	5	X	BLUE X
2	1	X	5	ORANGE 4
1	X	2	4	GREEN X
X	3	4	6	FOX
Diag	onal	bonus	==>	S TOKEN

Spoiler: Blue

R TOKEN	GREEN X	PURPLE 6	S TOKEN	Row Bonus
X	2	3	4	ORANGE 5
5	6	7	8	YELLOW X
9	10	11	12	FOX

#s Xd out	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
Points	1	2	4	7	11	16	22	29	37	46	56

Spoiler: Green

Die value >=	1	2	3	4	5	1	2	3	4	5	6
Bonus	(NONE)	(NONE)	(NONE)	S TOKEN	(NONE)	BLUE X	FOX	(NONE)	PURPLE 6	R TOKEN	(NONE)
Points	1	3	6	10	15	21	28	36	45	55	66

Let's start with Yellow. There are two 6s in the grid - top of the second column, bottom of the 4th column. Scoring the Yellow 6 means marking off one (and only one) of those two 6s. In Yellow, you get points for marking off everything in a column; you get bonuses for marking off everything in a row.

The 2nd column needs 6,1,3 to finish (in any order); finishing it is worth 14 points. So you'd be 1/3rd of the way to 14 points - but if you don't finish it by the end of the game, it's worth nothing. It's also part of the top row; finishing that row awards a bonus Blue die (which scores any one Blue number once).
The 4th column needs 5,4,6 to finish (in any order); finishing it is worth 20 points. You'd be 1/3rd of the way to 20 points, but you'd need slightly higher numbers to finish the column, and higher numbers can be harder to come by. It's also part of the bottom row; finishing that row awards a FOX (which is bonus points based on your lowest scoring category). Finally, it's part of the diagonal bonus; finishing that awards an S TOKEN (lets you score a die for free at the end of ANY turn).

Scoring either of these won't get you anything now, but it's one step closer to scoring a goodly amount of points later; the 4th column offers more points but is tougher to complete. If you do either of these, you'll still have one Yellow 6 left on the board, so it won't stop you from scoring another should you get it.

The Blue 4 allows you to mark off the Blue 10 (4+6). That gets you 1 point - which isn't much, but Blue takes time to ramp up; the more Blue you score, the more each successive Blue is worth (except for the first time). Blue offers bonuses for completing both rows and columns; getting the 2/6/10 awards a Green die; getting the 9-12 awards a FOX.

If you do this, your next Blue will also be worth one point, and you won't be able to score a Blue 10 a second time; you'll need something different.

The Green 5 allows you to mark off the leftmost Green 1 in Green. That's worth 1 point - like Blue, Green starts out not paying off much, but each time you score Green, the rewards go up. Green's bonuses are based on how many times you score Green; first bonus is an S TOKEN, awarded for scoring Green four times.

If you do this, you'll need a 2 or higher to score Green the next time - for two points.

No matter what you pick, you'll be marking off something on your score sheet - and getting closer to the higher-scoring plays.

[Nancy Drew 39]

So, it’s most optimal to pick Blue then?

How much time do I have to decide this?

[Snakes]

You have 1 day and 16 hours, so plenty of time.

[Farren]

(expired on 2020-10-19 09:00:00), to be exact, before prods come into play.

Which play is optimal is a matter of opinion. In pure objective terms, both Blue and Green are worth one point now, while Yellow is worth zero right now. But all three are building blocks on the way to more points later, and that's where things get dicey.

Yellow demands specific dice, but offers greater short-term rewards. Sixes are tough to get, and getting one now means not needing it later. And it only takes three dice to get a decent amount of points.
Blue's not picky now, but will get pickier over time. But as the pickiness increases, the rewards increase as well. But the specific combo you have now is a harder combo to get, and taking it now means not needing to find it later (just like Yellow).
Green's like Blue, but the pickiness factor ramps up faster - and then reset half-way through. Rewards increase, and those don't reset. Green, however, will take literally anything for your first score - no difference at all between starting with a 1 and starting with a 5.

[Nancy Drew 39]

So, you think I should pick yellow then?

Okay, let’s do that.

[Farren]

(original post deleted - made an assumption I should not have made)

If you're scoring Yellow, are you doing the 2nd or 4th column?

[Nancy Drew 39]

(expired on 2020-10-19 09:00:00), to be exact, before prods come into play.

Which play is optimal is a matter of opinion. In pure objective terms, both Blue and Green are worth one point now, while Yellow is worth zero right now. But all three are building blocks on the way to more points later, and that's where things get dicey.

Yellow demands specific dice, but offers greater short-term rewards.

Sixes are tough to get, and getting one now means not needing it later. And it only takes three dice to get a decent amount of points.

Blue's not picky now, but will get pickier over time. But as the pickiness increases, the rewards increase as well. But the specific combo you have now is a harder combo to get, and taking it now means not needing to find it later (just like Yellow).
Green's like Blue, but the pickiness factor ramps up faster - and then reset half-way through. Rewards increase, and those don't reset. Green, however, will take literally anything for your first score - no difference at all between starting with a 1 and starting with a 5.

Does the bolded help answer your question?

[Farren]

Column 2 is fewer potential points but is easier to complete.
Column 4 is more potential points but is harder to complete.

Which one do you want? Both could be described as a "decent amount of points."

[Nancy Drew 39]

Column 2 is fewer potential points but is easier to complete.
Column 4 is more potential points but is harder to complete.

Which one do you want? Both could be described as a "decent amount of points."

Can you please post the YELLOW graph again and explain this to me?

[Farren]

Sure.

10 pts	14 pts	16 pts	20 pts	Row Bonus
3	6	5	X	BLUE X
2	1	X	5	ORANGE 4
1	X	2	4	GREEN X
X	3	4	6	FOX
Diag	onal	bonus	==>	S TOKEN

With Yellow, the goal is to mark off (X out) columns, rows, and/or diagonals. The columns get you points; rows and the diagonal award bonuses. Four squares start off pre-X'd; those are freebies. The already-completed diagonal doesn't score anything.

When you score a Yellow die, you get to mark off a number in the grid that equals the value of the die. The Yellow die is a 6, so we're looking at the two 6s in the grid. One in the 2nd column (14 pts) and one in the 4th column (20 pts). So if you're scoring Yellow, you'll get to mark off one of those two 6s, replacing it with an X.

Neither of those two gets you anything right now, since whichever one you take, there'll still be two numbers left in the column. Column 2 has 6 / X / 1 / 3. If you X out that 6 now, it'll be X / X / 1 / 3 - you'll need a 1 and a 3 later on future turns to finish the column. Column 4 has X / 5 / 4 / 6. If you X out that 6 now, it'll be X / 5 / 4 / X - you'll need a 5 and a 4 later on future turns to finish the column.

As a general rule of thumb, it's easier to get lower-valued dice than higher-valued dice. That isn't always the case, though - and this Yellow 6 itself proves that.

So it's a question of: do you take the easier road for the lesser potential profit (Column 2), or the harder road for the potential greater profit (Column 4)?

[Nancy Drew 39]

Choose column 4

[NotAJumbleOfNumbers]

(Yellow, Blue, Green, Orange, Purple, White)

Original Roll String: 6d6

6 6-Sided Dice: (6, 1, 6, 5, 1, 4) = 23

[NotAJumbleOfNumbers]

Use purple 2

(Yellow, Blue, Green, Orange, White)

Original Roll String: 5d6

5 6-Sided Dice: (6, 2, 2, 5, 4) = 19

[NotAJumbleOfNumbers]

Use green 3, lose orange 1

Yellow, Blue, White

Original Roll String: 3d6

3 6-Sided Dice: (4, 3, 1) = 8

[NotAJumbleOfNumbers]

Use white 4 in yellow zone (4th column), end turn

[Snakes]

So there's an orange 1, a yellow 1 and a blue 2 available?

If that's the case, use the yellow 1 in the first column.

[Farren]

Nancy Drew 39 scores the Yellow 6 (4th column).

Nancy Drew 39

Spoiler: Yellow

10 pts	14 pts	16 pts	20 pts	Row Bonus
3	6	5	X	BLUE X
2	1	X	5	ORANGE 4
1	X	2	4	GREEN X
X	3	4	X	FOX
Diag	onal	bonus	==>	S TOKEN

This ends Round 1-1.
Round 1-2 begins.

[Farren]

NotAJumbleOfNumbers: Roll 1 - 5,5,5,3,2,3 -> Yellow 5, Blue 5, Green 5, Orange 3, Purple 2, White 3.
He KEEPS: Purple 2; he LOSES: nothing.

Roll 2 - 6,5,3,1,3 -> Yellow 6, Blue 5, Green 3, Orange 1, White 3.
He KEEPS: Green 3; he LOSES: Orange 1.

Roll 3 - 1,2,4 -> Yellow 1, Blue 2, White 4.
He KEEPS: White 4, scoring as Yellow (4th column); he LOSES: Yellow 1, Blue 2.

NotAJumbleOfNumbers

Spoiler: Purple

Slot:	2
Bonus:	(NONE)	(NONE)	R TOKEN	BLUE X	S TOKEN	YELLOW X	FOX	R TOKEN	GREEN X	ORANGE 6	S TOKEN

Spoiler: Green

Die value >=	X	2	3	4	5	1	2	3	4	5	6
Bonus	(NONE)	(NONE)	(NONE)	S TOKEN	(NONE)	BLUE X	FOX	(NONE)	PURPLE 6	R TOKEN	(NONE)
Points	1	3	6	10	15	21	28	36	45	55	66

Spoiler: Yellow

10 pts	14 pts	16 pts	20 pts	Row Bonus
3	6	5	X	BLUE X
2	1	X	5	ORANGE 4
1	X	2	X	GREEN X
X	3	4	X	FOX
Diag	onal	bonus	==>	S TOKEN