The fires of continent-spanning war engulf western Immoren, forging great leaders in a crucible of conflict. Bold commanders orchestrate grand strategies and daring battlefield tactics, their actions bringing glorious victory or the despair of final defeat.Do you have the courage and cunning to lead your forces to ultimate triumph? Take command and muster the military might of an entire nation to conquer the Iron Kingdoms!
WARMACHINE High Command is a deck-building card game for 2-4 players set in the steam-powered fantasy world of the Iron Kingdoms. This stand-alone game can be played with just the contents of this box or combined with other WARMACHINE High Command products for a customizable experience. Leverage your resources, rally your armies, and dominate your foes to set your banner above all of western Immoren!
This box contains game rules and 386 cards, including:
Let me start by saying this isn’t a rules review, it is more of an experience review. We played Princes of the Dragon Throne twice now and have a few things to share. But before we can do that you should watch this video. No, really the rest of this won’t make any sense if you don’t watch it. It is an excellent tutorial of the game.
As I said we played twice, well three times actually, but the first game doesn’t count because we botched the rules a little bit. We overlooked parliament. By the end of our second game we were starting to get the hang of it. But let’s review a little bit. The goal of the game is to become the next Dragon Lord. You do this by managing resources to gain control of the board, which in turn is how you earn prestige. Simply put you try and have the most prestige.
It’s not that simple. There are several ways for one to earn prestige. The easiest is to recruit prospects (Dragons and Citizens), some of them have a dragon’s claw on them that earn you prestige from the moment you buy them. Most of your prestige rewards don’t come until the end of the game. They are as follows.
Have the most dragons in your deck.
Have the most citizens in your deck.
Control more kingdoms by controlling the most guilds in that kingdom.
Have the most of a guild type.
Control the most Clan Houses.
As you can see there are many layers to the strategy involved.
On to our experience. At first I thought Princes of the Dragon Throne was going to be a long drawn out game that required a lot of effort to get through the lulls in resource building. While there are a few lulls in your resource management we quickly discovered there is a random factor to that as well. So the game could start quickly if inexpensive prospects are placed on the board. Just in case I lost you, here is a quick recap. You use your starter deck to gather your resources and recruit prospects. Recruiting a prospect allows you to discard a card from your hand or your discard pile. The recruits have varying resource costs with some as high as thirteen. If you have 6 prospects on the board with a cost of 10 or more it might be a couple of turns before anyone does any recruiting.
Oh and recruiting is strategy all in its own. It is always a good idea to replace a starter card with a citizen or a dragon that offers you more resources. Why? You might ask. Because by replacing your starter card with the recruited card you thin your deck making it easier to draw the better card.
Oops, I’m rambling. The second game we played we fell into a gather resource rut. It was almost like we were waiting for the crops to grow so we could harvest them. But in the last game we played there was no such dilemma. It just clicked. We had players gathering resources while others took the opportunity to recruit on the first turn.
It wasn’t until about half way through our third game that we realized we were playing wrong. We were following the rules and all that. What we weren’t doing was looking at the big picture. The one that is about the strategy of the game. We were kind of racing to get the most prestige. Which is the goal of the game. We were struggling to get recruits for that instant prestige we spoke of earlier. But we weren’t looking to control clans, guilds, kingdoms and we certainly weren’t looking at having the most citizens or dragons in our deck. All of us overlooked those. I mean we were acquiring them , but not focusing on them.
Once that critical piece of the puzzle was popped into place the entire game changed. It was no longer a mundane game of “I need these resources to buy that dragon”. It was instead a game of critical thinking, where you would try and plot your next turn instead of waiting to gather resources. Yes it became a wrestling match with all the players struggling to gain the most control all the end of game conditions. At this point you began to see light bulbs go off and on in the other players eyes.
And it really is a wrestling match. There are so many ways to thwart your opponents. For example, you can easily gain control of a guild in one turn by recruiting a dragon and a citizen; providng they share the same color. If you need to stop a player from controling a kingdom or the most guilds it is one of the easiest methods to use. Of course, if you have a soldier’s favor you can accomplish the same thing by adding or removing up to two Kings Guards from the board. As you can see it doesn’t take long for Princes of the Dragon Throne to become a cut throat game.
All in all we had some pitfalls in learning to play, but once we caught on to the game we were more than happy to be playing. Princes of the Dragon Throne is a game that offers the players more than enough options to keep everyone guessing, and wanting more. My boys really can’t wait to play again and neither can I.
Gaming NewsComments Off on Ascension: Rise of Vigil
Mar252013
Ascension: Rise of Vigil
$ 39.99 SRP
Ascension: Rise of Vigil is the newest chapter in the popular Ascension deck-building series. Rise of Vigil is both a standalone game playable on its own with 1-4 players and an expansion that can be combined with any of the earlier sets to support up to six players.
As with other Ascension titles, Rise of Vigil is a deck-building game in which players acquire cards from a central pool to add to their decks for use later; at the same time, they also combat creatures and other things that show up in that shared space. Both cards acquired and creatures defeated earn a player points.
Introduced in Ascension: Rise of Vigil are all new Treasure cards which will unlock powerful Energize abilities for the all new Heroes and Constructs.
From acclaimed game illustrator John Kovalic comes ROFL!, the party game of extraordinary guessing where you have to figure out a well-known phrase or expression before time runs out! With each round, players have to condense the selected phrase into as few characters as possible while still having the guesser figure out the message! If the guesser can figure it out from your clue, you win the round! If you have the most points at the end of all the rounds, you are the winner!
We all can use another simple fun party game, this looks like a funny one Cryptozoic Entertainment has came up with
This is long over due, but I wanted to make sure that I gave this game a proper play test. Mage Wars is a mutation of the board and card game genres that borrows a miniature game feel. That is, it combines elements from card and board games to create a unique play experience. In this article we will focus on mechanics, “deck construction”, combat and more.
But before going crazy on the game let’s talk about their history. The crew at Arcane Wonders started developing Mage Wars five years ago. In that time they have run several play tests and visited several convention; experiences that they used to further develop the game.
The basic idea behind Mage Wars is that you control a mage in the battle arena. Each mage casts spells to defeat the other in tactical combat of magic. When one mage has lost all their life the game ends. The basic game comes with everything for two mages four mage options.
At first Mage Wars is a little bit overwhelming to learn. But the support offered by Arcane Wonders makes the curve an easy burden. They have how to videos and a packaging disclaimer. They are doing a great job keeping in touch with the players, which is a great asset to the game.
Where do you start talking about a new game type. I think it would be easiest to start with the board. It is pretty basic. It establishes the arena where you will perform combat. The board also features the mana counters, quick reference chart and a life chart. Further the board is gridded into 12 zones for easy movement and combat. At the start of a game each mage is in an opposing corner diagonally. Since there is no diagonal movement in the game this pretty much safeguards the players from a cheap victory.
One of the most unique and fundamental aspects of Mage Wars is the “deck construction”, which isn’t deck construction at all. In Mage Wars there is no drawing. When you sit down to play Mage Wars you start by choosing a mage. The basic game comes with four mages. Once you have selected one you will build your spell book out of the cards you own. I should note that your choice in a mage will affect what spells you can choose. Each mage has schools of magic it can use. While playing you get to select your spells from the spellbook. You start the game with zero spells. During the planning phase each player selects 2 spells. As a big CCG player I find this to be the coolest element. There is no top deck, or bad luck. You are responsible for your choice, which means it is tactics and not luck of the draw. There is still some luck involved in combat, but for precombat mistakes only you are to blame.
Each round is broken into two stages, ready and action. In the ready stage you prepare by adding mana, picking spells, and applying upkeep effects. During the action stage mages take turns casting spells, summoning, placing enchantments, and attacking. The exchange of turns is based on initiative that is rolled at the start of the game. Action markers are used to designate what in play cards can and can’t be used.
Combat is where the awesome stuff happens. It is a pretty simple system. Mage Wars uses special d6’s for combat.
Blanks are misses.
Numbers are hits.
Exploding numbers are critical hits.
Some spells have special effects that only trigger if you roll the correct result.
Rather than listen to me stumble through combat with words you should watch these videos. They walk you through a few turns of the game.
Mage Wars is a unique gaming experience. It sets up an arena where mages collide. You can easily have a lot to command once the game gets rolling. The mechanic that puts Mage Wars over the top is the spellbook. By removing luck of the draw from the game it opens up so many doors to strategy. While it may look like other board games it is not. This is a game that you absolutely must try in order to judge it.
Marvel Deck Building Game Game consists of nearly 600 cards, Full color Game board & Color Rule Book Like the Avengers or X-Men, players build their own super-team of spectacular Marvel superheroes, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wolverine, Hulk, and Thor! Players create their own powerful combos on the fly, combining their heroes’ awesome abilities to take down nasty Marvel supervillains like Venom and Mystique. Over the course of the game, recruit increasingly powerful Hero cards to add to your deck, building a stronger and stronger deck of the ultimate Marvel Superhero combinations. Easy to learn, with fast-paced gameplay. Features incredible original artwork of Marvel heroes and villains. Innovative “Mastermind” mechanics allow the game itself to fight back against the players: If players aren’t careful, villainous Marvel masterminds like Magneto, Loki, and Dr. Doom threaten to accomplish dark schemes and defeat all the players at once!
Any chance to play a marvel game I’m in and Upper Deck has made it into a Deck Building game Bonus.
In Dragon Delta, you want to move your pawn over a system of bridge-like planks to the other side of the board. An easy task! Or at least it would be if everyone were working together, but alas you’re not. Instead you’re all working on your own right next to one another, each convinced that your way is best.
In game terms, players simultaneously select one card from a set of five actions that’s available to each player. The actions allow players to place plank foundations, place planks, move their pawns, cancel other players’ actions, or remove planks or foundation stones. As can be expected for a design with simultaneous action selection, the game is rather chaotic.
The 2012 edition of the game includes a double-sided game board not present in earlier editions.
Any game that gives you a chance to mess with the other players as openly as this one does I want it Asmodee Editions has so many games I want to play check them out and see for yourself.
Are you ready to take-on your discovery mission to the archipelago? Each player takes on the role of an explorer and their team, mandated by a European nation to discover, colonize and profit from the archipelagos. These missions are supposed to happen diplomatically, by answering the needs of the local population as much as the regular demands from the continent. You’ll have to respect the archipelago and its natives as otherwise, they’ll begin to revolt and that might end up with a war for independence. That’s not taking into account that among you a separatist and a pacifist might be hidden, who will both tip the scales toward revolt or peace, respectively! Archipelago combines exploration, resource management, optimization, cooperation, strategy, negotiation, corruption, commerce, suspicion, alliances and betrayals, even a hint of investigation!
Features:
• Modular game with vast possibilities.
• A semi-cooperative game by Christophe Boelinger (Dungeon Twister, Earth Reborn).
• The possibility of choosing the length of your game – from 30 minutes to 5 hours.
Come check out this ever changing game from Asmodee Editions and see if you can rule a new colony today.
Play as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Green Lantern, or Cyborg. The Justice League of America is ready for action! Each Super Hero has a unique special ability that will open up different strategies to the player. Follow that strategy or break away with a plan of your own. Card combos, strategy, and fun abound in this game where every card is a well-known, fan-favorite card with amazing art. Contents Summary: • 214 Game Cards • 7 Oversized Super Hero Cards • 1 Rulebook
Don’t know about you but any chance I get to play a super hero I take it and Cryptozoic Entertainment has gave us the chance do it again.
In Core Worlds: Galactic Orders – the first expansion to Core Worlds, the deck-building card game of intergalactic conquest – players begin to forge alliances with the six Galactic Orders, powerful organizations that have maintained their independence in the midst of a crumbling empire. These Orders consist of the Galactic Senate, the Science Guild, the Merchant Alliance, the Mining Coalition, the Order of Knighthood, and the Mystic Brotherhood. The Galactic Orders expansion focuses on these six independent organizations and their influence upon a galaxy at war. Each Galactic Order is represented on the table by a large Galactic Order card that specifies the special power associated with that Order, and each player starts with 20 Faction Tokens that match the Faction symbols on their Starting Decks. Whenever a player deploys a Unit or plays a Tactic with a Galactic Order icon on it, he gets to place his Faction Token onto the corresponding Galactic Order card. Players must choose between leaving their Faction Tokens on the Galactic Order cards to score points at the end of the game, or removing their Faction Tokens in order to use the unique special powers associated with each Order.
I know I’m new to this Deck Building scene but I think this one sounds tactile enough to be real fun check it out along with loads of other games at Stronghold Games and see what you think.
WM: High Command
