{"items": [{"author": "Jan-Willem", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/100580955183019057735", "anchor": "gp-1482587004764", "service": "gp", "text": "Sometimes you just want to see the world burn.  Or maybe just understand why southern Italy and Sicily are economically depressed.", "timestamp": 1482587004}, {"author": "Jan-Willem", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/100580955183019057735", "anchor": "gp-1482589340305", "service": "gp", "text": "[But really, we've always found hewing to the exact rules for region selection leads to grumbling, and generally try to come to a vague consensus on what kind of game we want to play.  This works for most of the boards.  Ever tried Australia?]", "timestamp": 1482589340}, {"author": "Mark", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833934765922", "anchor": "fb-833934765922", "service": "fb", "text": "What's wrong with playing the southern half of Italy? I still want to play the donut someday (That's France without the central region).", "timestamp": "1482589422"}, {"author": "Jeff&nbsp;Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833934765922&reply_comment_id=833935399652", "anchor": "fb-833934765922_833935399652", "service": "fb", "text": "&rarr;&nbsp;It's just what we've played for the last three games, so I'm kind of sick of it.", "timestamp": "1482589669"}, {"author": "Alice", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833935948552", "anchor": "fb-833935948552", "service": "fb", "text": "I hadn't realized that there were often so few legal combinations.", "timestamp": "1482589732"}, {"author": "Jeff&nbsp;Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833935948552&reply_comment_id=833937345752", "anchor": "fb-833935948552_833937345752", "service": "fb", "text": "&rarr;&nbsp;The Italy map is unusual in being that linear", "timestamp": "1482590647"}, {"author": "Alice", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833935948552&reply_comment_id=833938298842", "anchor": "fb-833935948552_833938298842", "service": "fb", "text": "&rarr;&nbsp;Jeff&nbsp;Kaufman I might be wrong, but I think Germany only has 6 as well?", "timestamp": "1482591298"}, {"author": "Jeff&nbsp;Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833935948552&reply_comment_id=833947530342", "anchor": "fb-833935948552_833947530342", "service": "fb", "text": "&rarr;&nbsp;@Alice: I think all the maps only have 6 areas, but Italy is linear in a way that Germany and the other maps aren't.", "timestamp": "1482592990"}, {"author": "Alice", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833935948552&reply_comment_id=833948882632", "anchor": "fb-833935948552_833948882632", "service": "fb", "text": "&rarr;&nbsp;Jeff&nbsp;Kaufman What I meant was that in Germany, if you are asked to choose 3 contiguous regions, I think there are actually only 6 ways to do this. My intuition is that this number would be larger, but it's a poor intuition. I mean, the maximum number would be 20, for which choosing combinations would be a bit cumbersome.", "timestamp": "1482593907"}, {"author": "Jeff&nbsp;Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833935948552&reply_comment_id=833949172052", "anchor": "fb-833935948552_833949172052", "service": "fb", "text": "&rarr;&nbsp;Looking at the Germany map I count 8 continuous 3-region areas.", "timestamp": "1482594100"}, {"author": "Alice", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833935948552&reply_comment_id=833949356682", "anchor": "fb-833935948552_833949356682", "service": "fb", "text": "&rarr;&nbsp;Jeff&nbsp;Kaufman I concur.", "timestamp": "1482594178"}, {"author": "Jeff&nbsp;Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833935948552&reply_comment_id=833951392602", "anchor": "fb-833935948552_833951392602", "service": "fb", "text": "&rarr;&nbsp;I think 20 isn't possible for a planar map?", "timestamp": "1482594901"}, {"author": "Alice", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833935948552&reply_comment_id=833951677032", "anchor": "fb-833935948552_833951677032", "service": "fb", "text": "&rarr;&nbsp;Jeff&nbsp;Kaufman That's a great question! It is true that K_6 is impossible, and so is K_3,3. I'll get back to you. Thanks for the excellent question!", "timestamp": "1482595125"}, {"author": "Jacob", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833935948552&reply_comment_id=833953253872", "anchor": "fb-833935948552_833953253872", "service": "fb", "text": "&rarr;&nbsp;If five regions are arranged in a circle and all meet at a central point, and a sixth surrounds them, there are precisely 20 ways to pick 3 from among them.", "timestamp": "1482595690"}, {"author": "Alice", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833935948552&reply_comment_id=833953558262", "anchor": "fb-833935948552_833953558262", "service": "fb", "text": "&rarr;&nbsp;Jacob I certainly don't allow meeting at a point! :P", "timestamp": "1482595822"}, {"author": "Jacob", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833935948552&reply_comment_id=833954216942", "anchor": "fb-833935948552_833954216942", "service": "fb", "text": "&rarr;&nbsp;For Power Grid you'd probably want the central point to be a city independent of all the regions (maybe it's Paris), but using the usual rules of Power Grid connections it's constructable without that, too. If there's a direct connection between two regions then they're adjacent.", "timestamp": "1482595980"}, {"author": "Alice", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833935948552&reply_comment_id=833954371632", "anchor": "fb-833935948552_833954371632", "service": "fb", "text": "&rarr;&nbsp;Jacob I agree that this is reasonable map design, but it is not relevant to Jeff's question regarding planar graphs.", "timestamp": "1482596079"}, {"author": "Jeff&nbsp;Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833935948552&reply_comment_id=833954401572", "anchor": "fb-833935948552_833954401572", "service": "fb", "text": "&rarr;&nbsp;\"Using the usual rules of Power Grid connections it's constructable without that, too. If there's a direct connection between two regions then they're adjacent.\"<br><br>I don't see how?  Are you talking about having connectors cross?", "timestamp": "1482596102"}, {"author": "Alice", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833935948552&reply_comment_id=833954531312", "anchor": "fb-833935948552_833954531312", "service": "fb", "text": "&rarr;&nbsp;Jeff&nbsp;Kaufman Well, not all cities in a region are connected, right? so you can have the connector cross a different region, but without connectors crossing. Does this not actually work? EDIT: I don't think this helps.", "timestamp": "1482596206"}, {"author": "Jeff&nbsp;Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833935948552&reply_comment_id=833954616142", "anchor": "fb-833935948552_833954616142", "service": "fb", "text": "&rarr;&nbsp;I'm still not picturing it.  If connectors can't cross (and you don't have any regions entirely surrounded by other regions) then we can collapse each region into one city.", "timestamp": "1482596294"}, {"author": "Alice", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833935948552&reply_comment_id=833954686002", "anchor": "fb-833935948552_833954686002", "service": "fb", "text": "&rarr;&nbsp;Jeff&nbsp;Kaufman You are right, I was wrong.", "timestamp": "1482596340"}, {"author": "Jacob", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833935948552&reply_comment_id=833954765842", "anchor": "fb-833935948552_833954765842", "service": "fb", "text": "&rarr;&nbsp;I'm pretty sure I've seen connectors cross on published maps.", "timestamp": "1482596375"}, {"author": "Jeff&nbsp;Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833935948552&reply_comment_id=833954795782", "anchor": "fb-833935948552_833954795782", "service": "fb", "text": "&rarr;&nbsp;@Jacob: Whoa!<br><br>(I've actually only seen US/Germany and Italy/Francy)", "timestamp": "1482596405"}, {"author": "Jacob", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833935948552&reply_comment_id=833955045282", "anchor": "fb-833935948552_833955045282", "service": "fb", "text": "&rarr;&nbsp;I could be wrong, probably only 70% confidence. But I think it's allowed.", "timestamp": "1482596533"}, {"author": "Alice", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833935948552&reply_comment_id=833956078212", "anchor": "fb-833935948552_833956078212", "service": "fb", "text": "&rarr;&nbsp;Jeff&nbsp;Kaufman There's also the Australian map rule \"First, every city on the map has a virtual connector to any other city on the map of 20 Elektro. You can start in Perth and connect to Sydney any time you like for a cost of 20.\"", "timestamp": "1482596929"}, {"author": "Jeff&nbsp;Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833935948552&reply_comment_id=833956242882", "anchor": "fb-833935948552_833956242882", "service": "fb", "text": "&rarr;&nbsp;@Jacob: Any memory of which board?  Looking at several (Korea, China, Japan, Russia, Benelux, Central Europe) I don't see any.", "timestamp": "1482596972"}, {"author": "Jacob", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833935948552&reply_comment_id=833970544222", "anchor": "fb-833935948552_833970544222", "service": "fb", "text": "&rarr;&nbsp;I thought it was on the deluxe North America / Europe board, but I don't remember, and it seems unlikely that it would be just one, so it's probably wrong.", "timestamp": "1482602775"}, {"author": "Jacob", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=833947640122", "anchor": "fb-833947640122", "service": "fb", "text": "I've usually played that each player picks a region, restricted to legal choices. This would tend to avoid maps you'd used a lot recently unless the players liked those maps.", "timestamp": "1482593186"}, {"author": "Daniel", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/833918358802?comment_id=834400512562", "anchor": "fb-834400512562", "service": "fb", "text": "Another thing you can do is have a gap, and implement some interesting rule on how you cross it.", "timestamp": "1482803873"}]}