Post originally by Chris Farrell at 2004-03-31 14:16:02
Converted from Phorums BB System

While I see your point on the constant pressure to play stock with the random scoring cards, I think the game also has a nice rhythm to it when using the deck contruction - you see the scoring card, everyone sighs as they get a turn or two to play track without too much guilt, and then the tension starts ratcheting up again when everyone starts sensing the next scoring card is getting closer and closer ... The nice thing about stacked deck, though, is it avoids the risk of degenerate games. If all 4 scoring cards come out before half the stock decks is through, the game seems awkward and unsatisfying to me (the deck construction thing will give games of reasonably consistant length).

I'll concede that this is a matter of taste to some degree, though.

re: drafting UP or not, I'm still dubious of making UP undraftable, for newbies or otherwise. Being able to draft UP is, I think, a small enough difference, but a significant enough improvement, you're better off just playing the game as-written from the start. UP is a good enough game that it's going to take a try or two to get the hang of it anyway, you might as well learn with the slightly more interesting rules.

Anyway, however you play it, UP is a great game, and definitely my favorite Alan Moon game by a wide margin. A bonus that it's completely language-independant.