Cardplay and Strategy
The cards themselves are numbered 9-40 in the white suit and 1-8 in each of the four trump suits. The trump suits will always beat white cards on squares that correspond to the trump's color because matching the color adds 40 to their value. For example, when vying for control in a green tech space, you might do OK with a white card worth 40, but what you really want is a green tech card, because even the smallest one will be worth at least 41.
Rocketville was designed to include plenty of luck. I'd grown tired of the endless parade of games requiring intense calculation and memorization and was after something to break that mold. That's not to say that I didn't want a game that rewards strategy, calculation, and even memorization, just that I didn't want a mistake in one of those areas to inevitably lose the game for you. Following are some things to think about while playing. These tips won't win you every game but should improve your average.
Think Ahead: You can often predict with reasonable accuracy where the rocket is likely to go over the next few turns. Saving your powerful cards, or gathering some, in anticipation of impending, important squares is often the correct play. For an obvious example, suppose you have a high blue card and a very important blue square will be visited in a couple turns. Don't spend it now! If you don't have a card that will help you in that contest, start playing Campaign Planning now and drawing cards! For very important squares, you may even earmark cards many, many turns in advance -- after all, you know you will visit every square eventually!
Concentrate Your Power, But Not Too Much: controlling a few squares in a single sector is usually better than a single square in several sectors. Save your power cards to play in sectors where you have an interest rather than spreading them across a lot of places. That said, always be aware of how many squares in a sector will constitute a majority. You don't need to control a majority of spaces in the sector -- you just need to control more spaces than any other player. Taking four squares in a sector is a waste if no one else controls more than two.
Identify and Assess Your Competition: Not every square is of equal value to everyone, and even the players who need a particular square may not need it equally or they may not be in a mood to fight for it. Suppose, for example, that the rocket is on a blue square that will determine whether you or Charlie get control of a sector, and the other players are out of the running. What if Charlie, over the previous three turns, has played several blue cards, or is simply down to very few cards? Perhaps you can win the square with a lower card than you would expect. Similarly, perhaps the square that is likely to be the next target is also blue and is more valuable to some of the players -- there is a good chance they will not squander their top cards on the current square.
Play Another Game: Sometimes, despite your superior strategy, you will find that the cards aren't running your way. Put up your best fight and take the long shot chances you need to take -- and if that fails, play again. Rocketville plays quickly and has plenty of variety, so it's very replayable.
