This is the final entry in a four part series on Terra Mystica. In today’s entry I’ll talk about playing Terra Mystica on the various platforms (Android, Tabletopia, and the board).
There are definitely advantages and disadvantages to each platform. These are our personal pros and cons.
Board:
Pros
- You get to physically manage the game which really helps in learning it
- It’s easy to keep track of what your opponents have done
- Everything is easy to see and access
- Socialization
Cons
- Set up and take down time
- Space needed to play
- Everyone needs to be physically present to play
App (Android):
Pros
- Very little physical space needed to play
- The app manages a lot of the game play for you
- Each turn you are clearly shown your options
- You can pause game play for as long as you like
- Play with people who are not physically present
- Many tutorials
Cons
- The app manages a lot of the game play for you
- The game will show you play options that require sacrificing power (it was a con for me personally, Professor didn’t mind it)
- It’s easy to miss what your opponents have done (though you can see the actions in the log)
- It can be easy to forget what the bonus is for the current round
- It can be difficult to know where points are coming from
- Everything is not easily visible (lots of clicking required to access various menus)
- You don’t have to interact with your opponents (even when they’re real people)
Tabletopia:
Pros
- Minimal physical space needed to play
- Can play with people across the country
- You can pause the game and come back to it later
- You are in charge of game management
- Easier to keep track of what your opponents have done (compared to app)
Cons
- Clicking and dragging takes more time than moving actual game pieces
- If you’re new to Tabletopia AND the game being played, the learning curve is a lot sharper
- You also don’t have to interact with your opponents if you don’t want to
Overall, I would prefer to play the board game, and I would definitely use the board game or Tabletopia to teach the game. Because the app manages so much of the game for you, you don’t have to learn all the different aspects of the game. It is nice that the app lets you know what your options are each turn, but again, that’s part of learning the game. Professor knows this game better than the rest of us because he’s explained it to others multiple times. I also know the game really well because I’ve played it so much. There were a lot of things I couldn’t remember the first few times we played, but I’ve finally picked up on those and feel like I could manage to teach someone the game without Professor. The app is good for people familiar with the game. Professor and I plan to use the app to try out other races.
The big advantage Tabletopia has over the board game is being able to play with our gaming group when we can’t physically be together. I imagine we’ll be using Tabletopia a lot more in the future for this reason.
Still, Professor and I are much more likely to play the board game, especially since we have the Fire & Ice expansion (thanks again Shutter and President Gamer!).