Talk:Volcano (variants)

Cap Movement variations

I've found the regular rules to Volcano to be a bit fiddly in some situations. For example, since you're allowed to move as many different caps as you want as many times as you want until you cause an eruption, it's almost always possible to erupt any volcano that you want through a huge string of cap movements, often going far into double-digit numbers of moves. Some might say this is part of the strategy of the game, but I find it a bit dull. I've come up with a few ways of remedying this issue. The first is quite simple, really - you only allow one cap to be moved on any given turn, though it may be moved as many times as the player wants until it causes an eruption. The second remedy is built on the first, but involves the use of two compass dice (made by Koplow, available from many e-retailers) - a side of the board is marked as "North," and a player rolls both dice on their turn and may only move a cap in either of the two directions indicated, though they may still move the cap as many times as they want until it causes an eruption. I find that these slight variants to the original rules of the game make for a much more interesting game, since you don't have the sort of analysis paralysis problem that arises when players make fifteen to twenty movements of the caps on each turn or the chaotic board changes that result from such strings of movements. --NateStraight 19:05, 25 Aug 2005 (GMT)

Are you talking about this compass die? If a player rolls "NW" and "SE", which moves are possible? — Rootbeer (Tom) ^{(U | T | C)} 20:44, 25 Aug 2005 (GMT)

Yeah, that's the die I'm talking about. I assume you're thinking about the possibility of a no-move starting roll using the typical down-the-diagonal beginning setup for the game, yes? There is indeed a possibility of that happening if you roll the two opposing diagonal directions on your very first turn. This hasn't happened enough to me for it to really be bothersome. If you roll the diagonals under any other circumstances, you simply move either of the directions indicated. Does that answer the question? --NateStraight 00:35, 26 Aug 2005 (GMT)

Not quite, but it's getting clearer! I guess I'm not sure whether the directions may be combined, or what. For example, if one die reads "S", but the other is "NE", may the player move SE? E? Or are the choices limited to what's on one die, what's on the other, or no move? — Rootbeer (Tom) ^{(U | T | C)} 03:28, 26 Aug 2005 (GMT)

Aha! Now I understand where the confusion is. N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, and NW are eight separate and mutually exclusive directions. Therefore, if you roll NW and SE, you may move a cap to the northwest (it will be a diagonal move) or to the southeast (it will also be a diagonal move), but not in any other direction (neither north nor west by itself, nor south nor east by itself, nor any other combination). Only the exact directions indicated on the two dice are available to a player on their turn; they may use either or both of them to move any one cap that they like. --NateStraight 04:53, 26 Aug 2005 (GMT)

Interestingly, I've always played Volcano with a 'one move per turn' restriction on caps. It keeps the turns flowing around the table faster (except for the usual amounts of analysis paralysis), and makes for a longer game. - Cerulean 12:57, 26 Aug 2005 (GMT) (Watch out, this makes Volcano a much more aggressive game! That's why I've gone back to the standard cap movement rules.)

MegaVolcano variations

Instead of using 5 nests of 7 colors and 1 nest of a Wild Color, I have taken to using 4 nests of 9 colors. Caps remain the same. - Cerulean 12:56, 1 Jun 2006 (GMT)

7x7 UberVolcano

Can be done, I think. Easiest is with a bunch of Treehouse sets, using 7 nests of 7 colors, filling a 49-square board, and using seven smalls of an 8th color for caps. Or you could use 5 nests of 9 colors, and add 4 nests of a 10th color, using the smalls of an 11th color for the five caps. The 4 nests would be treated normally, not like Wild Color pieces; they would just be slightly harder to capture. I have no suggestions on initial cap placement. - Cerulean 12:56, 1 Jun 2006 (GMT)

Handicapping

Are there any good ways to handicap Volcano, subtle or otherwise?