In Gambling and other things, a first win increases repeated play....
I have both Final Girl and Arkham Horror: The Card Game, and in both, the random elements are meant to thwart you on average. Thematically, this makes sense in anything that is mechanically creating a sense of hopelessness and fear. It works for me, especially if I go in with the mindset that winning is a goal. However, I remember studying in college how slot machines are "rigged" to give you an initial win because it greatly increases the chances of someone playing again and impacts the psychological cost of losing.
When I first played Final Girl, I made the mistake of thinking Hans could move every turn. He destroyed me for about three games and I nearly lost interest. Then I found this thread and discovered I had made a mistake that is actually very common. When I played again (correctly), I got down to the final heart and lost—and I even forgot to roll an extra die! But I kept playing until I won. I figured out that managing horror is the most important thing and that rolling just two dice has a pretty negative expectation, meaning you will fail most roles.
My question is: for first-time players, should there be an "Easy Mode" that helps them get down to the wire?
The point would be to remove a lot of the rules that people skip and make the game more winnable with Hans. I would suggest:
- Starter Terror Cards: A curated deck that isn't too harsh.
- Simplified Dark Powers: No Dark Powers at all, or one that is actually neutral.
- Learning Sheet: A guide for first-time players that scripts the first turn or two (e.g., Hans not moving, a panic roll occurring, etc.).
I think these few things would go a long way in helping the game’s accessibility. Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion does this well. It’s even more necessary here because this is a solo game, meaning most people are learning on their own without a group to catch mistakes.
I found the manual to be very clear, but there are a number of edge cases that would benefit from being reinforced. When you get down to that last heart, you are usually pretty stressed, and it is so easy to forget the final health mechanics. If there was a special "first-time" piece you put down that says exactly what to do, it would be a big help.
Let’s give more people a closer game the first time through using training cards and hand-holding. Since they are likely figuring things out alone, extra support for those non-intuitive rules would be a huge win for the community. If you have thoughts or something like this exists I would love to hear them.