First To Find Card Game

[+MissJenn]

I was shopping at Shop Groundspeak and noticed this today: First To Find Card Game

Has anyone bought it? Actually played a game?

 

Any feedback?

 

I'd be interested to know how much fun this is in relation to the ages of the players, quality of the actual cards, and things like that.

[+MissJenn]

wow - no replies!

[+Woodlit]

Reminds me of other " kids" cards games. Such as pokemon and yugi cards.

Maybe thats why?

[+GEO.JOE]

It is ironic that this topic is up tonight. We were just talking about the first to find card game and the Geoclues board game. I was wondering if anyone had played the card game or the board game and if you would recommend them?

Joe

[+Woodlit]

The board game sounds like it would be interesting the first time. But after playing it once, it might be hard to get others to play again.

 

I would order it and try it, but I have nobody to play it with

[+michigansnorkelers]

I got the GEOCLUES boardgame for my birthday in October.

 

It's a lot of fun, and everyone who has played it really enjoyed it.

 

I made some suggestions to improve the game, and they are now included as downloadable variations on the website. These are the "muggled" and "two player" options.

 

We just played it with six players on Christmas and everyone had a ball. It only takes one game to get the hang of it.

 

Part of the fun is that each player has a set of coins the same color as their gamepiece. To win, not only do you have to find the final cache location, but you have to possess a coin from each player. Some of these coins will be found in caches. But you can also get them by landing on another player and looting their collection of coins. That is where the fun and strategy comes in. Just when you think you are ready to head for the game winning cache, someone lands on your space and grabs one of your coins!

 

You do not have to be a geocacher to play this game. There are "geomuggler" options but the game is easy enough that nobody wanted to use this option when offered. Frustrating enough, geomugglers have a nasty habit of somehow winning this game!

 

We have not yet played with the "extreme geoclues" rules or the "podcacher" rules, but they look like fun.

[+team-grannygear]

I have played it a couple of times since we bought it. I like it. The graphics on the cards are really neat and it plays well. If you like games like UNO, then I think you will like it too.

[+MissJenn]

I have played it a couple of times since we bought it. I like it. The graphics on the cards are really neat and it plays well. If you like games like UNO, then I think you will like it too.

Thanks!

[+Snoogans]

I know they played the geocaching board game on PodCacher.com and I thought they said something about reviewing the FTF game on a later show. I'm way behind in listening, so I don't know if they've done it yet.....

[+GEO.JOE]

I got the GEOCLUES boardgame for my birthday in October.

 

It's a lot of fun, and everyone who has played it really enjoyed it.

 

I made some suggestions to improve the game, and they are now included as downloadable variations on the website. These are the "muggled" and "two player" options.

 

We just played it with six players on Christmas and everyone had a ball. It only takes one game to get the hang of it.

 

Part of the fun is that each player has a set of coins the same color as their gamepiece. To win, not only do you have to find the final cache location, but you have to possess a coin from each player. Some of these coins will be found in caches. But you can also get them by landing on another player and looting their collection of coins. That is where the fun and strategy comes in. Just when you think you are ready to head for the game winning cache, someone lands on your space and grabs one of your coins!

 

You do not have to be a geocacher to play this game. There are "geomuggler" options but the game is easy enough that nobody wanted to use this option when offered. Frustrating enough, geomugglers have a nasty habit of somehow winning this game!

 

We have not yet played with the "extreme geoclues" rules or the "podcacher" rules, but they look like fun.

 

That is quite and endorsement Thanks for the response.

Joe

[+IGJoe]

Boardgamegeek.com (an authority website for people who like to play various games) gave it 5 out of 10 stars but remember that they are being very objective about the game and its mechanics, not the subject matter.

 

First to Find

 

The website also has information about Geoclues but no ranking or reviews.

 

Geoclues

Edited December 29, 2006 by IGJoe

[+Sandtracker]

The game and the graphics are cool but the rules are pathetic.

 

The rules were written so as to not be understandable.

 

how actual play proceeds is still confusing it doesn't answer questions of actual play;

 

does only one gear card fix overcome a certain obstacle card ?

 

do you collect cards in you hand ?

 

do you keep a score sheet or just count cards laid down ?

 

the rules included do not begin to explain the game correctly.

 

More questions:

 

. Card piles. How many card piles are there? There is the DRAW pile, the PLAY pile and the DISCARD pile? Specifically, is the DISCARD pile separate from the DRAW pile? Do discarded cards effect the game in any way? For example, when a card is discarded (in lieu of play) does the season change?

 

2. Jokers? The Rules do not reference the Joker. We played the joker was simply the highest GEAR card avaiable and could match any season. Is this correct?

 

3. When a player cannot overcome an obstacle and must discard, what is the game state for the next player? Free to play any card? Or must the next player deal with the obstacle?

 

4. Does a player get to play a second card ANYTIME he plays a GEAR card? A 2nd card may be played when a GEAR card is played to overcome an obstacle. If a GEAR card is played to change the season, may a 2nd card also be played?

 

5. A card played must ALWAYS match the current season or the subsequent season, correct?

 

Ryan ( game designer ) replied with some answers ...

 

But to answer your questions;

 

1. There are 3 card piles, Draw, Play, and Discard. Discard pile is totally separate and do not affect the game, so seasons do not change when discarding a card.

 

2. Jokers are wild in that they can be played during any season.

 

3. The next player is free to play any card if the previous player cannot overcome an obstacle.

 

4. A 2nd card may only be played after a Gear card when you overcome an obstacle.

 

5. Yes, you must ALWAYS match the current season or the subsequent season.

 

Ryan Thiegs if you are out there do you have a link to a complete set of rules ?

 

I am still confused by the scoring.

[JASTA 11]

Would this be based on seven years of research?

[+Sandtracker]

I did find a link to rules of " The First to Find" card game but it did not work,

 

an archive copy was provided as follows:

 

Set-up:

Shuffle and deal each player 5 cards. The remaining cards are placed face down and used as a Draw pile. Players then pick a number between 2 and 6 to determine the difficulty of the cache. The number chosen will be how many points are needed in order to win the game. The higher the number that’s chosen, the more time is needed to play the game. You can play up to any number of points, 2-6 is a recommendation.

 

Decide who will go first (flip a coin, roll a die, youngest player, etc.) Player 1 will draw the top card and place it next to the Draw pile (which becomes the Play pile) to determine the starting season. The actual card type itself (Movement, Gear, or Obstacle) has no bearing on game play, it simply selects a starting season.

 

Game Play:

Always start your turn by taking cards from the Draw pile to bring the number of cards in your hand to 6 (do this even if you are Player #1 and haven’t taken a turn yet). When you play a card, it must either match the season or be the next season as the card showing in the Play pile. Example; if a Summer card is face up on the Play pile, you must play a Summer or a Fall card. Once you have played a card(s), the turn passes to the player on the left. If you cannot play a card, discard one into a separate Discard pile as your turn. The Discard pile does not have bearing on the game play, so it can be any card. Reshuffle the Play and Discard piles to form a new Draw pile when you run out of cards.

 

Card Rules:

By playing a Movement card, you increase your score by 1 point. By playing an Obstacle card, the next player must try to overcome that obstacle on their turn. If you play a Movement or Obstacle card, your turn is over. You can overcome an Obstacle on your turn by playing a Gear card. If you can play a Gear card, you may then play another card to end your turn. This card can be any type (Movement, Obstacle, or Gear). This is the only time you can play two cards on one turn.

 

If you cannot play a Gear card to overcome an Obstacle, you subtract 1 point from your score, discard a card, and your turn ends. The next player does not have to overcome that Obstacle on their turn, they can play any card they choose. When not being used to overcome Obstacles, Gear cards can also be used to change the season from the one showing on the Play pile into the next. You do not get to play a second card when doing this. Your turn is then over. Joker Gear cards can be played during any season and match the season as the one face up on the Play pile.

 

Winning:

Once a player has scored points equal to the originally selected number, they are “First to Find!” and have won the game.

 

Sample Game Play:

There are three players for this game, and they have chosen to play up to 4 points in order to win.

 

Player 1 takes the entire deck of cards and deals 5 cards to each player, including themselves. They place the deck face down (Draw pile) and turns over the top card to reveal a Spring card (the actual type doesn’t matter).

 

Player 1 then starts his turn by taking a card from the Draw pile. He should now have 6 cards in his hand. Since the top card in the Play pile is a Spring card, he must play either a Spring or Summer card. He plays a Spring Obstacle card (Rain) and his turn is over.

 

Player 2 starts her turn by taking a card from the Draw pile to get 6 cards in her hand. She uses a Spring gear card (Map) to clear the Rain obstacle, and can now play a second card. She plays a Summer Movement card (Kayak) to score 1 point and her turn is now over. She must remember to draw 2 cards at the start of her next turn to bring her hand back up to 6 cards.

 

Player 3 doesn’t have any Summer or Fall Movement or Obstacle cards, but he does have Fall Gear cards. So he plays a Fall Gear card (Socks) to move the game play into the Fall season. His turn is now over.

 

Player 1 draws a card, then plays a Winter Obstacle card.

 

Player 2 draws two cards (since she played 2 on her last turn), but does not have any Winter or Spring Gear cards. So she loses her 1 point, discards a card and her turn is over.

 

Player 3 draws a card. He doesn’t have to overcome the Obstacle showing, but he does need to play a Winter or Spring card. He plays a Winter Movement card to score 1 point and that ends his turn.

 

Game play continues

[+Sandtracker]

Would this be based on seven years of research?

Yes, and my thesis will be on "The Art of Procrastination"

[+niraD]

I've never played the game, but there are answers to some of your questions in these threads on the BoardGameGeek site:

Rules Questions

First To Find -- First Impression