silent game

[jr-tx]

How about an option to have NO CHAT in a game?

I think it would be fantastic. It would mean that no one could explicitly make an alliance, but all would have to communicate by their moves on the board. Perhaps not for everyone, but I would love to play it. Also facilitates play across language barriers.

I bet this would be an easy option to add since it's just disabling a feature.

[Jokern]

I would hate it 20% of this game is for chatting

[Ratburntro44]

This hasn't ever been suggested before by me... /sarcasm

Anyways, I think this should be an option, as seen clearly from that link. Jokern, the majority of people would leave chat on, and nobody's forcing you to play no chat games.

[jr-tx]

Thanks for the pointer to the earlier thread.

Lopdo and others -- if you're thinking that a game with no chat is a game without alliances, I think you underestimate the subtlety of the game and the players!

With no chat, especially in a game with non-random builds, players can (and will) communicate who they are fighting and who they are treating as "allies" by their moves and their builds. Unspoken "alliances" arise... and get broken, just as in a game with chat. It's just a more subtle form of play, in my opinion.

And it is one that people from all over the world can participate in fully, even if they do not speak English or the dominant language of a particular game.

[Ratburntro44]

Unspoken alliances are the best kind. And I mean truly unspoken- not pre-game, not being in the same room, completely unspoken.

[Darkas]

+1 for this.