Considering how the game gains depth in 4+ player games we really need to build a community here at TA or possibly join with another one to get some good 4p games going. I'm still getting to grips with all the strategies involved and managing loans with the desire for buildings and ships. The game requires a lot of thinking, but experience will reduce the hectic back and forth that happens when I'm looking at resources, buildings and all the food that I still need.
I just made it through the rules, FAQ, and tutorial last night, and my head is swimming. The game seems like a lot of fun and one I will enjoy once I get the hang of it, but there is so much to keep track of and so many decisions to make. There is no way I would have a prayer of being competitive online unless I was playing another complete newcomer like myself. Would it help to keep track of everything if I made a reference card that has all of the conversions, food requirements, energy requirements, etc.? Does anyone know of any good online resources available to help learn the game besides BGG?
Other than BGG I haven't seen a concise resource. However the best learning tool is the app itself, because it gives you the ability to undo round while playing against the AI. Use this to make sense of which decisions went against you and why. Basic things to keep in mind are that you want to buy or build buildings with Hammer and Craftsman bonuses, as well as which ships are going to available next round. Although Loans sound very bad, they are not as punitive as you might think. Not being able to feed your workers has to be balanced against which building or ship you're working towards. If you're able to build a Wooden or Iron ship next round while your opponent has simply avoided getting loans you'll be in a much better position to avoid scrambling for food than your opponent. It can be discouraging early on as you'll lose a lot and feel like you don't know how to turn the game in your favor, but you'll soon learn to look forward and plan accordingly more than simply trying to meet current demands. This is a heavy strategy game and it demands a lot of thinking, but it can be hugely rewarding once you put in the time.
How to play Le Havre If you're having problems playing due to the complexity, I would recommend listening to Ryan Sturm's podcast (The How to Play Podcast) where he goes into great detail of how to teach and play Le Havre. http://howtoplaypodcast.com/episodes/episodes-11-20/episode-17-le-havre/
I am having a tough time getting the hang of this game. I think the problem is I am afraid to take off the training wheels and stop using hints. Anyone have any overall strategy they use or think about to begin the game?
I, too had a lot of difficulty at the beginning but after you play a dozen games or so, try hitting the hint button say, every other go or every third time. Take a hint and then make yr own move, alternating between them and you'll be surprised how much you've already learned. And mostly, go with yr intuition. The game hints seem very intent on putting you into debt early on, just like in life!
I just had my highest scoring game yet: 266 points in a 3p game. At one point I had 11 loans out. Doing the math, if you repay a loan without paying interest, you lose 1F. Combine that with the fact that interest on all loans is only one franc, it means that I lost out on about 26 or so points (11f for the loans, plus another 15 or so for interest during the rounds). What did that get me? I never worried about food. Instead of taking fish, or francs, I would focus on important things like building materials and stuff I could ship later at a profit. Even a single cow is worth 3F if shipped. Once I shipped my first four boats full of coke, I paid off my loans and just coasted for the last three rounds. Another fun thing with loans is that if you can keep your coffer empty just prior to paying interest, you will trigger another loan that will top you up with another three francs for paying usage fees for your next turn. So yeah, don't be afraid of loans.
Just had a fantastic 2p game win against the level 4 AI, 223-110. The clearest paths to victory are: 1. Plan for food conversions. The Abbatoir is particularly attractive because it gives you hides which become leather for free and are worth 4F during shipping. So you get food as well as a great shipping product for a turn near the end of the game. (For final turn shipping you might want to ship Coke or Steel if you can). The Abbatoir also brings up the point of getting your first 2 cattle a quickly as you can. Every few turns you can "harvest" your breeding cattle and whatever you were able to get from offers and the Marketplace for hides and food. 2. Plan for ships, as these are critical for food as well as shipping. Building a few ships quickly can completely tide over your feeding requirements leaving you free to earn some Francs to pay off loans. Speaking of loans, you will be fine with even 8-12 loans. I paid off 8 loans in my game and still had extra Francs to buy buildings which I needed to make the Bank work for me. 3. Plan out your bricks, and try to sit on the Brickworks for as many turns as you can when your opponent needs it. It can be hugely frustrating to not be able to convert your clay to bricks. 4. Near the end of the game sell the buildings that you don't need to buy buildings that work for your Bank and/or Town Hall. A few good wins will build your confidence and let you get a clearer vision of how rounds and the entire game is planned.
We are working on iPad3 graphics, but it will be a few more weeks. Thanks for your patience and your support!
One major thing missing right now is that other players' moves are not played out during online matches, forcing me to look at the last moves list. It would be great if you can implement that.
And if this could be replayed with a simple button press, that would be the best . So if I have a game open next to me and I miss a person playing their turn, I can have it repeat the actions for me.
After dominating the level 4 AI for a number of 2p games I decided it's time to graduate to 4p games... which turned out to be a disaster. 4p games raise the intensity by a big factor and suddenly you're not seeing the number of resources you're used to seeing in the offers as other players snatch up important resources and buildings before you. Key strategies still persist but making decisions becomes a lot tougher.
Like FPE, I am still battling the Level 1 AI. I have played three full games so far. Lost all three. The first game I played, I relied exclusively on the hints and made all of the suggested moves, so I could try to better understand why certain moves were recommended. I got trounced that game. Following the hints exclusively had me focused almost completely on building and acquiring buildings, particularly early in the game, rather than spending some resources making sure I could feed the people. As a result, I had to take out multiple loans, many of which were still unpaid at the end of the game. The last two games, I have mixed in hints with my own independent thinking and I have fared much better, losing both games by fewer than 5 points. I am still somewhat overwhelmed by all of the potential decisions that could be made each turn. If any other newcomers to Le Havre want to start an online match, I am open to invites. No experienced veterans, please.
I've been playing for a week, so I pretty much consider myself an expert (lol). Building ships early is balanced by the fact that try have lower values. So that means if you go for a a 2F boat over a later 6F one, you would be losing some final valuation that I otherwise would have spent on food that round. Due to the fact that the points per move towards the end game are worth far more, I like to save up for things that I will need much later. While everyone is fighting for wood, grab iron (say, two marketplaces sandwiched around a 2-3 offer). I usually try to stock up for the iron boats, skip steel, and then Plan for a big steel conversion juat prior to buyjng luxury boats. If that doesn't pan out, you still have plenty of boats to ship the extra steel (which is usually a better move if you are looking at the 30pt luxury boat if the 38pt boat is already gone) Also: if the courthouse is in play, keep a few loans on hand if you have a down turn where all the key spots are occupied. It's a quick 9-10 pt play that doesn't slow your momentum in the last few rounds.
True, I generally try and build one wooden ship to tide over some feeding requirements while I wait for the iron ships. But I do make it a priority to have at least one steel ship because they are reasonably cheap (you'll only need two steel/3 energy and one steel for the Bank) and they allow you to ship some extra goods, which is usually coke for the final round and leather for a few preceding rounds (for me). You mentioned the Courthouse, which means you've been playing a lot of 4p games and those are making my head spin right now, playing with 3 level 3 AIs. I am usually able to get nearly none of the buildings I want, few of the resources and I'm generally scrambling to get my house in order. It seems like the Black Market and Marketplace are key in 4p games as offers are usually depleted, not being allowed to fill up unlike in 2p games.
I am a beginner one to nline game (even if it seems broken for me somehow) and I after winning all short games on ai1, I moved to the full game and got totally lost ( means as I got lost and I lost the game )
