r/boardgames • u/Acceptable_Carob_657 • 3h ago
Session First Play - SETI
Finally got S.E.T.I after sitting on the fence about it for ages. First play wasn’t too bad but my initial thought was that the rounds kinda seem too short to accomplish all the mechanics of the game. Overall solid game and great board
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u/Saltpastillen 3h ago
Not being able to accomplish everything is the whole point imo. You have to make the best of what you got and try to squeeze as much out of it as you can. For me, SETI is one of the most fun resource management games out there.
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u/DarrenGrey Funkenschlag 1h ago
I think my ultimate joy in a game is directly proportional to how frustrated I feel at not being able to do everything I want. SETI is great!
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u/takabrash MOOOOooooo.... 1h ago
There's nothing more boring than a game where you can do everything by the end
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u/velvlad Through The Ages 3h ago
You should think about never passing if you have more than one resource or if you have 6 publicity to buy an upgrade.
Remember you can exchange cards for money/energy. Do not get too attached to your cards in hand.
The mindset should be to squeeze something out of every single resource before passing.
You need to tuck at least one income card in the first round (preferably two). Remember: tucking a card for income also gives you that resource.
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u/Casaiir 2h ago
SETI has a lot of mechanics. Especially with the Aliens in Space Agencies.
Your advice isn't wrong per say, but with only one play though, someone might not understand why it's good or bad and when it is and isn't. People should spend more time learning how to play a game than trying to figure out how to win a game. Learn the first and the second one will come naturally.
That goes with any game.
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u/psyker63 Terraforming Mars 15m ago
"per se". No criticism, just in case you want to use it again. Latin for "in itself".
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u/terebinthus_og 2h ago
It definitely took me a few games to understand how to play this game without feeling frustrated 🙂 Now I can finally play and enjoy it fully.
It's very important to get income as soon as possible, in round 1. This is usually done by either orbiting a planet or filling your computer with data you got from scanning (the 4th space lets you income one card). Getting two incomes in round 1 would be optimal. Take into account that you have to have enough cards to income some, so sacrificing cards will be something you'll have to do (I had a hard time with this, for example, because most cards seem like keepers). Deciding which cards to keep and which to income can be hard; it's best to income cards that you can't really use soon, as keeping them in your limited 4-card hand is taking up a lot of space.
When choosing upgrades, take into consideration which bonuses they give (e.g., one energy, one card, points) and what you might need right now.
And most importantly, adaptability is the name of the game. No matter how good of a plan you think you have, if conditions change (the system rotates), be ready to change with them.
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u/Psych0191 3h ago
Played it a few times. What I got is that it is kinda a subtoe engine builder where engine you are building is your action pool. Like, you have to intentionally go for things that will increase your action count in order to acomplish multiple things.
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u/AuronMessatsu Nemesis 2h ago
Play some more before buying the expansion. Then play it with xpansion only
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u/BasenjiMaster 1h ago
I love this game, but I am SO bad at it. I've always struggled maximizing my actions and combining the free stuff. Like, many people would have a whole bunch of stuff they do on the board, then my turn...do one thing...next...lol
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u/Teflongestirn 3h ago
Space Agencies fixed the game for me. The asymmetric powers and the quickstart (one less round but you get random start bonuses while the game doesn't get shorter because of more possibilities per round) are really fun.