Should the discard piles and discarded cards be face down?

It seems to me that there might be a reason to not reveal the number of cards in each discard pile along with their values.

The rules say you discard them face up next to the correct pile of skill cards. I agree with you though that it does seem to make more sense to toss all cards into one face down discard pile and to just just pull out what you need to rebuild decks during the game. Still, following the rules does make for a faster game. So what's the problem with them being face-up? Everyone knows what the other players are discarding unplayed. The numbers aren't that important here, but it is useful to know that the Chief just voided himself of blue cards or Starbuck just tossed away all of her red cards. That sort of thing. When you look at the pros and cons though, the rules as written do seem to be the best solution.

A middle-ground would be to discard face down, but into individual piles based on color. This way, people know what color card you ditched, just not what the number and ability on it were.

timonkey said:

I don't know about that. The most important thing you'd want to know is the color. I'm really not that interested in number or ability as far as rooting out Cylons is concerned.

idk, I don't think it's that big of a problem to just play it the way it is now. Yeah I can get caught if I am obviously discarding all Executive Order high number cards or something for turn after turn, but otherwise you don't gain enough info from just seeing a few cards I discard. Like, even if I'm not a Cylon, I might still discard a good card, maybe because I have two or three copies of it in my hand, or I might discard a high number card because that card is more useless to me than certain cards I want in the next few turns.

So yeah, idk. Can it get you caught if you are a Cylon? Yes, but so can stacking a skill check, moving civilian ships around, or launching a scout and not moving a bad crisis card if you are too obvious about it. We certainly wouldn't think of altering these other game situations/rules just because Cylons might get caught, so why change this either?

Also, Cylon players can make just as much use of this info as the other players. Use others' discarded cards to help point blame on someone else, etc.

Mattr0polis said:

Why would you do that though? EVERYONE wants the high number cards, whether for succeeding or causing failures. And how does tossing Executive Orders away help the Cylon cause? The only thing that your allegiance should affect is the color you choose to discard which is why I'm saying it's really the only information you WANT to know.

Trump said:

In my example that you quoted, you wouldn't do that. That was my point. With the discarding rules the way they are there is no way to tell a Cylon from a Human unless they are being overly obvious about it.

I used Executive Order as an example, it could have been any card. But why would you hold onto say 5x copies of one card and limit yourself to less of other good cards in your hand? You shouldn't, so even discarding certain colors doesn't really mean much, unless I keep discarding all of my blue cards or something all the time. Again, obvious. And also, yes, high numbers need to be taken into account when you are discarding things, but that is certainly by far not the only criteria one should use. Choosing and keeping readily the good cards you need is just as important.

Are you saying that you will discard your last copy of a good card just because it has the lowest number? That would be a bad call my friend.

I guess my overall point is this: the rules are perfect the way they are.

Mattr0polis said:

I think we're running in circles, but trying to say the same thing. No matter who you are, you want to keep the high end numbers. No matter who you are, you want to keep the good action cards, whether to use them or to hoard them a little longer. The key is the color of the cards. If you just drew cards and I can determine that you voided a suit, that alone indicates nothing. It's the skill checks that follow where it matters. For example, only two colors are good on the next check, you don't draw one and you're void in the other. If you throw in a card, you're busted. What I'm getting at is that your discarding doesn't reveal anything because humans and Cylons will discard the same. And the only information that the other players will be using against you later on is the color you tossed.

Yeah, Id have to agree that the rules are best as they are. Any changes only make things worse in some other way.

Only posed the question because I did not see in the rules where it said to discard face up.

Trump said:

"I think we're running in circles, but trying to say the same thing.

Yeah, Id have to agree that the rules are best as they are. Any changes only make things worse in some other way."

Agreed.

Man, these forums are the suck sometimes with not making the quotes right and then you try to edit it and it won't let you put the right coding in yourself, and you can't delete you post and do it again, arghh.

I think the situation where it would matter isn't so much about in general people being able to see what you discard (which is probably good to be able to see to let accusations fly), but situations after you've lied about what cards are in your hand. "No, I don't have an evasive maneuvers card." "Hey, how come you're discarding evasive maneuvers, I thought you said you didn't have any!"

timonkey said:

That's true, but I'd have said too much table talk was used in the first place. Then again, if the other guy just had a fight with raiders and let himself get shot out of the sky...

Saying "I don't have any evasive manuevers" is violating the rules of secrecy, in the same way that saying you do is violating it.

James

Blankshield said:

The way I understood it you were only limited in stating the specific numbers of your cards.

You can say you can help a little or a lot.

People can ask or offer to help in certain scenerios but its up to the players choice. Once you give a person an executive order they move or take actions based on their decisions not what you intended for them to do.

Blankshield said:

I think it's okay, but either way, if you get shot out of the sky (i think a fairly good move for a Cylon) then when discard one later people are going to be all, what the frakk?

Hmm, checking the rules, you're correct. You aren't preventing from revealing what types of cards you have, just the number. Although in our play, we are much more hard-nosed about this, and nobody is allowed to say anything specific about their cards at all.

I think it's a better way to play, personally.

James

We play face down in piles, with the discard piles horizontal so as not to be confused with the draw piles.