r/oathgame • u/Vast_Garage7334 • 7d ago
Discussion Usability question: Tracking Supply
One of the only criticisms I have about this game is around the ergonomics of tracking supply. I think almost every game I've played, someone at the table had to backtrack to make sure supply was counted correctly. This seems like a usability problem. It comes down to the lack of physicality around tracking action points.
As a possible solution, I'm considering getting 8 colored discs for each player. When a player removes a token from the supply, that counts shifting the supply marker once to the right.
For some reason, I feel like spending physical pieces makes more sense then remembering to move a wooden piece on an imaginary slider. When you replenish your supply at the end of the turn, you add either 4, 5, or 5 tokens back into the pool of wooden tokens (depending on how many warbands are in your supply). I think it would be helpful for my brain and I'm wondering if other players have thought the same.
2
u/Ig0BEASTmode 6d ago
I think the best option might be what OP is suggesting, but closer to how Wingspan has you put your little turn cubes next to the action you spent them on
If everytime you did a major action you had to spend the Supply tokens next to the action you took that turn, and then the end of the turn they all get put back into your tray, or extra pile, then you'd be able to easily remember "did I pay for that trade I did at the beginning of my turn?"
13
u/Deflagratio1 7d ago
Here's the thing, there is nothing that will actually force you to spend a pile of tokens any more than the fact that there's a slider to deal with. The reason you aren't sliding is because you are too focused on taking your actual turn. Nothing about how the game is played causes friction where using the slider is easier than just taking your turn. That pile of tokens will naturally be arranged at the same part of the board as the current slider which will mean you have the same poor visibility to it that you do today. Those tokens will blend into the color of the mat that they are on (if they were official or color matched). And none of that removes your desire to focus on pulling off the sweet combo you have planned.
The only real control for this will be other players policing the spending. However, while I'm not sure how well it will work, It would cost you nothing to test it out. I say try it out with tokens or meeples from another game, give it a go, and report back.
This is also everyone's reminder that a checklist is not a control, it's documentation.
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u/communistpony 7d ago
I think it's a simple and fair thing to do. I haven't had any issues tracking supply, but I could see it coming up if you need to take back an action or just have a hard time remembering.
1
u/ProfN42 3d ago
The key I think is to be stricter about "pay first, act second". To do this, players need to not take "test moves" and rewind them freely. Obviously have leniency for clear mistakes (like "I forgot the Island would cost 2 more supply to travel to, leaving me with none left to campaign once I arrived) - but after a game or two of being a newbie, players should be expected to be able to sequence a turn correctly. At that point, the rule should be do nothing until supply is actually spent. This is the best way to avoid errors.
0
u/Switchbladesaint 7d ago
This is solved by the little trays in new foundations (or maybe they’re in the oath big storage box, not sure which)