Lets just clarify things.

Getting 3 leads in a turn is not normal. It is possible but not every turn. The average seems to be 2.

The discussion seems to have got out of hand with certain things. My basic points are

1. Placing a puzzle piece is way more powerful than placing a single piece of evidence
- Placing 1 piece of evidence on 1 suspect generally has a small effect on things, if any at all. Of course, sometimes it does. If you are lucky enough to draw the right ones and put them in the right places it will affect things.

- Placing a piece of the puzzle lets you
a) Get the bonus on the back of the card. The shifting is ok. The "gain a free favour" is simply amazing. Normally you have to travel somewhere and spend 2 time to get these, but here they are free. The baggage is also awesome, compared to what you have to normally do to get one of them.
b) Place a piece on the board and really influence what gets linked up at the end. Or cause dead ends to completely mess up another players links they want
c) Get the free bonus on the front on the tile. This includes moving a lead yourself, which is really good, snatching it away from someone else and placing it near yourself, getting a dropship pass (awesome), placing a hit, or even placing another free puzzle piece, etc.
d) Possibly score one or more conspiracy tokens.

All in all, placing a puzzle piece is far superior to placing a piece of evidence. You get nothing directly for placing a piece of evidence.

Lets look in more detail. Assume the first pile of puzzle pieces have gone.

I follow up a lead. I could draw 1 random piece of evidence and get something rubbish. Or, I could place a middle puzzle piece and get a free favour, as well as possibly extending the links I want or messing up someone else. I might also get a dropship, or some other goodies.

Absolutely no contest at all.

This is a lot of groups after they have played it once or twice have players who realise this and therefore the conspiracy gets completed early on. If a player decided not to try with the puzzle (for whatever reason), this would obviously slow down the completion of the puzzle, but it means the players who do complete the conspiracy are normally way ahead on points because they've been getting all the cool free bonuses for every piece they place.

But to get a piece with a favour on the back requires digging deeper? So uses up 2 leads.

If your players start on the puzzle - HAMMER THEIR PERSONAL LIVES RIGHT AWAY! This will stop them

Nhoj

Sheesh.
I dont mean taking a piece from pile 3 at the start of the game.
Yes, you are correct, if done at the start of the game, this would take 2 digging deepers and therefore 3 leads.

I'm saying that once the first pile is empty, you could place a piece of evidence, or a puzzle with a free favour (far better)
And once the 2nd pile is empty, you could place a piece of evidence, or a puzzle with a free baggage (far better)

And your other comment doesnt hold any weight with me. That would be nice in theory, but it just doesnt work like that, and you could say the same for someone who follows up leads and places evidence.

OK - I'll try again.

In my gaming group we have a saying "What do points make?-----Reprisals!"

The conspiracy is the only certain way of making points on a daily (every second day) basis. Any player seen to be ahead in the group with these V points gets picked on. It ain't pretty but that's the way we work.

You guys play too nice - in a 'let's all help each other complete the conspiracy' kind of way. Lord knows how you would cope if you came up against our level of visciousness

Think of the Russian who got a wish

'Whatever you get your neighbour gets double. "I wish for my eye to be put out"

In our group he'd be a woose

Regards

Nhoj

Nhoj said:

This is the same question I had. When evidence is placed, at least one other person is going to get a turn before the person who places it. I've only played in 4-person games, so maybe it was easier to find locations that were further away from other players.

I've seen turns where three pieces of evidence were picked up, but it was a rarity. Even gathing two pieces didn't happen very often.

Anytime I've placed evidence near me, it was generally taken by the time my turn comes around, though it's not uncommon for someone else to have put a different piece within reach on my go. When I'm placing evidence, I'll use it as lure, trying to bait another player to chase the lead to a location where I can use a dark card on them.

Admittedly, the conspiracy offers up some nice rewards, but I've done my share to act as a gadfly and shut paths down.

Maybe after a few more sessions I'll find the need to implement changes, but I'm just not ready to yet.

I've played 5 times with 3 players. With the rules as written I think 9 times out of 10, the lead that they placed was picked up by themselves. People are too spread out in a 3 player game. In 4 / 5, I can see people picking up other peoples leads more often.

Maybe the "not adjacent district" rule need only apply for 3 players?

Having not played a 3 player game, I can imagine a situation where a person could have enough to do in their current district, and not compete in a district with a second player.

In all fairness, all the games I've played, despite doing random draws, I've either played Louis or Rachael, who have the slowest vehicles in the game. So getting anywhere was a chore.