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The XCGuide
XCBatman wrote
at 8:10 PM, Thursday February 7, 2008 EST
1. Make a name that's not overly confusing. If you have a short, easily recognizable name it's better than having a name like "asjdfhjasdf001928kasdjf." And don't have some offensive avatar, it's only going to piss people off.

2. Use the chat box. People are social, so why not make kdice social. There's nothing worse than a game when no one talks about anything. Chat about anything, sports, alcohol, music, or even your favorite kind of chewing gum.

3. Don't play drunk. You'll lose points, and might even lose friends.

4. Always sit your favorite color. I always tried to sit green, it just made me feel more confident when I played because I always had something that I could rely on. Yeah… just go with it.

5. Always 2v3. I can't count the number of times that I have seen players not 2v3 for a giant connect. If you lose, it's a one dice loss, but if you win, it's AT LEAST a two dice gain.

6. Try to consolidate all your pieces in a single place on the board. If you’re really spread out at the beginning, play conservative. Nothing is worse than getting a bad stacking after suiciding out your random 4 stack lying around on the other side of the board. You have no one to blame but your own bad play. Try to get your two largest stacks and bring them closer to each other.

7. Always, always, always be thinking at least one turn ahead. It's silly to connect if you know the next color is just going to 5v3 cutting you. Wait a turn to connect, then after they 5v3's connect around him. This might take some time getting used to, but never rely on luck. If you don't think you can afford to lose the stack, don't attack. Generally I would only attack unless I had a 2 dice advantage, but that is just my playing style. Don't get stuck with a poor stack. If you’re 7v3ing and there's a 7 stack adjacent to that 3 stack, don’t do it. Nothing's worse than stacking a 6 and them jumping on it and 7v6ing. You didn't really need that 3 anyway.

8. Use 1 stacks as a barrier. 1 stacks cannot attack! It'll give you an extra turn to stack up, get a few more dice, or to expand on the sides.

9. Know when to 4v5. Knowing when to make a disadvantage attack is very important. If you're stuck against a wall, and you think you're going to die soon anyway, take that chance. It's better to 4v5 than to 4v6 or something.

10. Learn to recognize when someone is leaving you alone. There's nothing that pisses other players off is when they've tried to keep an unspoken truce and you don't recognize it and attack their unprotected flank. Trust me, they'll remember you and never give you another opportunity.

11. Check the forums. Often you can find information that is generally helpful in the game. Try to learn people's alternate accounts, it can be beneficial if you learn who you're playing before the game starts.

12. Try to type in proper English. A lot of people who play kdice speak other languages. There's nothing harder than trying to translate "sup m8? U good?" It wouldn't hurt for you to learn a little bit of other languages as well. If you recognize a player who is from another country, try to greet them in their native language. It's a nice gesture.

13. Stay out of the middle. Getting stuck in the middle will give you 4th. Almost every time. So stay out of the middle.

14. Grun-cut. Cut someone early so they won’t get any larger. Deal with threats before they become legitimate threats. And when it's an 8v8 luckfest, always cut given the opportunity. There's nothing worse than seeing a player who has a better position lose to a player who just followed the simple endgame strategy.

15. If you want someone to move their stack, ask. You never know, they might just move it. But before you ask, look to see if they're going to move it anyway. If you ask a favor, people are going to see you and the other color as truced, so make sure that you know what you're doing.

16. Lastly, the top 25 aren't really that special. When I first started I was amazed at their scores, but it's nothing really that special. There's drama up there. Unwanted drama. But if you want to be top 25, you can get there easily enough. Most of those players aren't even the best players at the game. However, yes there is a ceiling to the learning curve. There's a point when the game is so internalized that you don't think, you just move. You shouldn't ever have to think about a move. It should just be natural.


-XC-

83 people think this is a good idea




Replies 1 - 10 of 33 Next › Last »
Cal Ripken wrote
at 9:46 PM, Thursday February 7, 2008 EST
#3 is so so wrong.

or maybe that was just me.
nuflis wrote
at 3:14 AM, Friday February 8, 2008 EST
Point 3 is just half wrong: when I play drunk I ALWAYS lose points, but usually I get new friends (pity I can't remember them later).
integral wrote
at 9:30 AM, Friday February 8, 2008 EST
i made plenty of friends while drunk kdicing.

also, had plenty of wins. :B
integral wrote
at 9:33 AM, Friday February 8, 2008 EST
solid strategies.

nice post.

but i've made plenty of friends whilst drunk but generally yeah, lost points.
integral wrote
at 9:33 AM, Friday February 8, 2008 EST
also don't double post contradicting yourself.

makes you look like a tool.
XCRobin wrote
at 7:44 PM, Friday February 8, 2008 EST
Drinking at 9 in the morning int?
Cleopatra wrote
at 2:22 AM, Saturday February 9, 2008 EST
I am really amazed:-)
I have just awarded Jeremy the (un)official Greatness on the Best Forum Posts Way, and here is another great post written by XCBatman... I can't allow the devaluation of my awards, but on the hand I can't allow such great pieces of advice stay unawarded...
kdicefreak wrote
at 1:06 PM, Thursday February 14, 2008 EST
#16 - so true. while they are not necessarily the best players, some are surely the best bullies.
eramus wrote
at 3:24 PM, Thursday February 14, 2008 EST
Great tips for new players. I especially agree with #8, #10, #13 and #14. As much as I dont want to agree with #3, I have to. Drunk kdice is always tons of fun, but the next day I always say "Why!?!"
XCBatman wrote
at 7:24 PM, Friday June 6, 2008 EDT
Addendum to the XCGuide:

1. When attempting a long connect, there is usually one part of the connect that is the "hardest" part to complete. Usually this is a 6v5, 5v4, or some other low-advantage attack. Perform this attack first, because there's no point stringing out your large stack only to see that last attack fail, and then you're in a far weaker position than you’d be in if you saw that there's no possibility of your connect happening.

2. Always make sure that your dice will reach for the connect. There's nothing more frustrating for all players on the board when a player goes for the connect, wins every attack and realizes that he's one die too short. Not only did you just anger people by cutting them, but you're frustrated because you weren't able to connect.

3. Learn when not to attack. If you see that there's no real advantage to attacking, don't.

4. Seeing an opportunity and making one giant move is often a very hard thing to be aware of. Often, this window of opportunity will only last for one turn. Often these moves are gamebreakers, and often there are large risks associated with such play. If you see that winning an 8v8 will open up a whole side of a board and will still allow for good dice placement, by all means 8v8.

5. [Note: This is my strategy that I borrowed from Petomni, and if he'd like to elaborate I'd be more than grateful] This is very specific tactic and relies 99% on luck, and is also rather hard to explain, but I'll do my best. In some games there is a heated battle for 3rd, usually two players who are next to each other who are trying to gain a slight advantage. This scenario is accompanied by not all lands being stacked to 8s, for whatever reasons. Some of the more cautious players will choose to end turn so that they are fully 8 stacked before they attack. I don't believe that this is necessary. 8v8 your opponent, trying for strong knockout hits. If your attack fails, your opponent might decide to take your small stack, and in this event just 8v8 again next turn. Just keep on attacking with 8 stacks. I have found that in a scenario such as this, being aggressive pays off. Instead of taking the opponent's smaller stacks, attack the large stacks. Losing an 8v8 to me seems a much better way to lose game than you 8v5ing, only to have your 8 restack to a 7, then get 8v7'd and knocked out. I hope I did a decent job explaining, seeing as it's a rather complex strategy.

6. Recognize game-breaking plays. In every game there is a turn that will change the whole outcome of the game. It is just as important to recognize this point in the game as it is to know which moves to make. These game-breakers often occur when someone didn't stack normally (The +1 die). Yes, this might seem to rely on luck, but it is skill to know when such moves are opportunistic.

7. For every rule there are 10 exceptions to the rule.

8. Adapt your strategies depending on which tables you're playing on.
KDice - Multiplayer Dice War
KDice is a multiplayer strategy online game played in monthly competitions. It's like Risk. The goal is to win every territory on the map.
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