Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 (Tek) 9/28/84 based on 9/17/84; site tekigm2.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!houxm!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!tekigm2!wrd From: wrd@tekigm2.UUCP (Bill Dippert) Newsgroups: net.games.board Subject: Re: Re: Improved truly fair Rail Baron rules Message-ID: <307@tekigm2.UUCP> Date: Tue, 10-Dec-85 11:05:09 EST Article-I.D.: tekigm2.307 Posted: Tue Dec 10 11:05:09 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 12-Dec-85 05:42:03 EST References: <1552@cornell.UUCP> Organization: Tektronix, Beaverton OR Lines: 56 > From: doug (Douglas Campbell) > > From: wrd@tekigm2.UUCP (Bill Dippert) > > > From: doug (Douglas Campbell) > > > > > > Just for fun, I printed out the probabilities of going to each city under > > > the original and the Seattle rules. Here are some highlights: > > > > > Out of curiosity: how did you calculate the odds to get the cities? Did > > you take into consideration the odds to get to the region first, then the > > odds that once in that region you could roll that city? Or what? > > There are 72 combinations possible for each region/city roll. (72 = 6x6x2 > for the 2 six-sided and the even/odd roll). The number of combinations that > result in the following values with 2 dice are listed below: *****WRONG! YOU ARE CALCULATING PERMUTATIONS AND NOT COMBINATIONS. FOR DETERMINING THE ODDS OF REACHING A REGION YOU NEED THE COMBINATIONS OF THE DICE NOT THE PERMUTATIONS.***** > "Permutations" "Combinations" Result Ways Result Ways ------ ---- ------ ---- 2 1 2 1 3 2 3 1 4 3 4 2 5 4 5 2 6 5 6 3 7 6 7 3 8 5 8 3 9 4 9 2 10 3 10 2 11 2 11 1 12 1 12 1 --- --- 36 21 Regardless, no matter which way you calculate it, the NE bias goes away with the Seattle Rules and you have a better chance at reaching more cities. Using Seattle Rules, we have never had the problem of "trying to reach a bad city" on the first roll. (Quoting or misquoting an earlier posting.) I agree with the posters that changing the $ value of the railroads does not make much sense, the prices are relative to the real rr value apparently. But as stated, regardless of rules used, in the long run the rr cost does not matter. Which you buy considering the destination chart does. However, I think that the basic game (either rules) is probably the best railroad game on the market. The only other game that is comparable is the old "Dispatcher" game (also by A-H) but it had a rather bads bias also -- one player always had the advantage over the other. It was only a two person game and I do not remember which player had the advantage. I realize that this is the wrong group to discuss this, but does anyone have any opinions on the various railroad computer games now on the market? (It would be nice to have net.railroad.games!!) --Bill--