Wheeling and Dealing

Over the last couple of weeks, my game group has revived one of our old favorites in Bohnanza. For those unfamiliar, it is a trading and hand management game where the goal is to earn the most money. Beans of different rarities are sought after, planted and harvested for money, and the largest factor in acquiring beans is by making trades with the other players to get them. Also, "bohn" in German means bean, so the title is a bonus foreign pun. I LOVE FOREIGN PUNS!

Playing this again made think about trading as a general concept in games, and what makes one successful in these types of games. Without a doubt, one principle stands out more than any other regarding how to benefit the most. This is a law that I adhere to when playing trading games, and while it seems obvious, I think that most don't think about its effectiveness upfront. Here it is: Ready? Ok - Whoever is involved in the most trades, will win the game. Now, that's not to say that you should be making bad trades, because quantity over quality only gets you so far. Definitely whoever makes the most 1:1 trades (in a 3+ player game) will be in the best situation, because they have bettered their own situation more than the other players.

Example, using Bohnanza: In a 3 player game, you make a 1:1 trade with Player A, and each player makes a gold out of it. Then, you make another 1:1 trade with Player B, and each player makes a gold out of it. Result: Player A has 1 gold, Player B has 1 gold, you have 2 gold. Multiply this over the course of the game, and you should have the advantage.

So what's the best way to do this? I'M GLAD YOU ASKED HAHAHA. *Ahem - I think it's important to make a quality offer as quickly as possible, to stake your claim in the intangible trade market. This means you need to figure out in a hurry every turn what scenarios exist for a beneficial trade to all parties involved. Ideally, while other players are figuring out what works best for them, you will have already made a trade, and nullified theirs.

There are ways to beat this, such as other players drawing good enough cards that doesn't necessitate them trading, or by not having the right cards to trade to the other players.

However, for most all games I have played which use trading as a game mechanic (Settlers of Catan, Bohnanza, Pit, Wheedle, and Chinatown, I'm thinking of specifically), if you can quickly make a beneficial offer to a player or players, then the other players in the game miss out, making it easier for you to win in the long run.

Cheerio.

-Andrew