tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49698514907432038242024-02-07T20:55:59.340-08:00L33t GamesKurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-28946598466093783102021-12-08T20:31:00.002-08:002021-12-08T20:31:17.797-08:00The Final Battle<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Ganondorf sneers at the young princess. "You can't rely on anyone. Putting your faith in 'friends' is just exposing your back to a knife."</span></span></p><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Zelda looks back at her friends. </span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Link, battered and bloodied, but still struggling to rise and fight. </span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Impa, one arm badly broken, readying a throwing dagger in the other. </span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Darunia and the other Goron, pinned under a fallen stone column, methodically breaking it with their fists to free themselves. </span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Ruto, her magic spent, weakly gripping a trident and resolutely marching towards their foe.</span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The princess turns back to Ganondorf. Half closing her eyes for just a moment, she focuses, drawing on the energy of the Triforce, pulling power from herself, from her love for her friends, from her hope for a better future.</span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: georgia;">"It's dangerous to go alone," she says. "Take THIS!"</span></div></div>Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-82895531095334592432021-04-20T20:33:00.008-07:002021-04-20T20:33:49.142-07:00Advice for Game Masters: Play With The Players<p>Tabletop roleplaying games such as Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, Vampire: The Masquerade, and many more are seeing a huge surge in popularity, and rightfully so. Imagination and roleplaying are important parts of learning, self-discovery, and social exploration. More importantly, TTRPGs fun! </p><p>Collaborative storytelling is part of human nature, and roleplaying games provide structure for that kind of narrative play. Hit shows such as Critical Role have helped bring roleplaying into mainstream popular culture, enticing many new players to explore the wonders to be had in these kind of games.</p><p>Most TTRPGs require a Game Master, or GM, to guide the story. The GM is not the boss, but is a team leader who acts as the rules arbitor and who controls all characters not controlled by the players. They set the scenes and present the problems to which the players respond. It's a lot of work, but can be very rewarding.</p><p>In this series, I would like to provide some useful advice for Game Masters that want to provide a fun, safe, and engaging experience for their players. This advice will primarily be aimed at GMs who are already familiar with the system in which they will be playing and are hoping to up their game. This will also be skewed towards D&D fantasy-style games, mostly because that's what I've been able to get my players to play, but can of course be adapted for other settings.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>BRING THE PLAYERS TOGETHER</b></p><p>When looking to start a new campaign, one of the first tasks to solve is providing a reason for all the player characters (PCs) to come together for their adventure. This can be difficult, as the players may not have created their characters yet. Even if they have, the characters may or may not already canonically know each other. Some of them may want to play curmudgeonly, "lone wolf", or introverted characters. It can be difficult to find a narrative reason for all the characters to band together.</p><p>I suggest building the beginning of the campaign around a specific non-player character (NPC) who knows all the PCs, or around a specific location which all the PCs have a reason to visit. Give the players plenty of latitude on how they know this NPC or why they are at this location. </p><p>Some quick examples:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A wealthy merchant wants to hire some people they trust as escorts through treacherous territory</li><li>A member of the nobility is appointed as regent, and needs some capable people to help them establish good relationships with potential allies</li><li>The characters all have different reasons to visit the university, not knowing that it is about to be attacked by a group hoping to raid the magical tomes</li><li>The characters all attend the wedding of a noted adventurer, but the wedding is attacked by the adventurer's old nemesis, and the PCs must work together to escape alive</li><li>The characters all happen to be attending funerals at a large cemetery when the dead begin to rise</li><li>The characters are all sailing on a colony ship to start new lives when pirates attack</li></ul><div>Give the players prompts relevant to the opening of the story. "Why does this merchant trust you?" "Why are you at the university?" "Why did you receive an invitation to this wedding?" Be sure to leave the players plenty of room to build their own unique backstories, while giving them a hook to incorporate the character into the narrative.</div><div><br /></div><div>Keep in mind that these are initial story hooks to pull your players into an adventure together. The campaign can revolve around a different set of circumstances, but you should have an initial inciting incident that unites the PCs.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>DON'T INVALIDATE YOUR PLAYER'S BACKSTORIES</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Your players often put time and effort into their backstories and want to see that effort pay off in the game. Whatever your initial story hook may be, don't invalidate that effort. </div><div><br /></div><div>I once had a GM who, in the first session, had all of our characters "killed" by a giant Cthuluian creature and wake up on a completely different world. Suddenly, the fact that my character had run away from home to be with her lesbian lover didn't matter. It was frustrating to discover that my character's backstory simply didn't matter, as we got railroaded into an entirely new location.</div><div><br /></div><div>The big rule of TTRPGs is "Yes, and...." Don't negate what the players say about their characters. Take what the players give you and expand upon it.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>PLAY WITH THE PLAYERS</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>The players are going to come up with weird and unexpected ideas. Don't ignore those! Use them!</div><div><br /></div><div>Are your players convinced that the guy who hired them is a vampire? Maybe he is... but why are the players suspicious? Take their reasons and play with them. The NPC never seems to eat or sleep, and has very stiff mannerisms? He is, in fact, a golem, a simulacrum of the real person.</div><div><br /></div><div>A player is convinced that her character found a powerful magical artifact? Maybe she did! You could build a huge story arc around discovering the true power of this artifact and protecting it from those who would exploit it for nefarious purposes. Could it distract from the main plot you've been developing? Perhaps, but if it seems like it will be fun for you and your players, give them a "Yes, and" and follow the new thread.</div><div><br /></div><div>A player thinks their father is the Big Bad Evil Guy? What makes them think that? Could they be right? If they're not, could their father at least be involved in some way? That's some juicy drama that you could incorporate into the game!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>HAVE A PLAN, BUT DON'T FOLLOW THE PLAN</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>You're going to put in a lot of prep work to try to give your players a fun and satisfying game session. And that work is very appreciated! Just keep in mind that things are going to come up during gameplay that will send things off course. Be prepared to roll with the twists that your players send your way. Their ideas will often create wonderful new story arcs!</div><div><br /></div><div>Go in prepared, have a plan, and then improvise when the need inevitably arises. Your players have as much say about where the story goes as you do. Follow what interests them, rather than force them toward what interests you.</div><p></p>Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-18907589358806115882021-02-14T00:03:00.006-08:002021-02-14T00:03:57.148-08:00Slaying the Spire for Fun and Profit, Part 5: The Watcher<p><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabL682TW_cJ0bLD8UKy4Lz7JxH1bXzdyXnvstHemHarJPcM44r3yBAtxeZHYOH7KdMpXEZ55W2KJOuQz1FjVEA1TQ8zlaVhRd0I-JExNyqIBHjIv68JwvldQlTUclo5i2IstuG_5gEL4/s290/Watcher.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabL682TW_cJ0bLD8UKy4Lz7JxH1bXzdyXnvstHemHarJPcM44r3yBAtxeZHYOH7KdMpXEZ55W2KJOuQz1FjVEA1TQ8zlaVhRd0I-JExNyqIBHjIv68JwvldQlTUclo5i2IstuG_5gEL4/s0/Watcher.png" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>THE WATCHER</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>I'll be honest, I have not found a lot of good strategies with the Watcher. Her cards are very conditional. Apply 2 Vulnerable IF the last card you played a Skill. Apply 1 Weak IF the last card you played was an Attack. If the previous card played was a Skill, draw 2 cards. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4oCe2-LVBZSOK5pupDlTlQm4L6KVUqEYp5qdJ_uO320dVndRgTKB7eCLJWNqaE2GlyqibJ82ereo19olfm7eCqNocDngw0kux95IbAB07gj0FPrLDfdnvrYHrJbQE4K-qtzyrDQxwxVk/s400/Miracle.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="310" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4oCe2-LVBZSOK5pupDlTlQm4L6KVUqEYp5qdJ_uO320dVndRgTKB7eCLJWNqaE2GlyqibJ82ereo19olfm7eCqNocDngw0kux95IbAB07gj0FPrLDfdnvrYHrJbQE4K-qtzyrDQxwxVk/w155-h200/Miracle.png" width="155" /></a></div><br />It's just a real house of cards that feels very fragile. You need to draw and play the correct cards in the correct order, otherwise they are underpowered. That wouldn't be a problem, accept that the effects don't always feel powerful even after jumping through all the necessary hoops.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Watcher has, unequivocally, the weakest starting relic in the game. Pure Water adds a single Miracle card to your hand at the start of combat. Miracles, like a lot of Watcher cards, have Retain, meaning they stay in your hand instead of being discarded at the end of the turn. That one Miracle card gives you a boost of 1 energy, once, before being Exhausted and leaving your deck for the rest of the fight. So basically the Watcher gets 1 extra energy per fight, maybe, if she needs it.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Watcher introduces Stances, which grant her different abilities during combat:</div><div><br /></div><div><ul><li>Calm stance: No effect while in Calm. When you leave Calm, gain 2 energy.</li><li>Wrath stance: Deal AND receive double damage.</li><li>Divinity stance: When you enter this stance, gain 3 energy. Deal triple damage. Leave this stance at the start of your next turn.</li></ul></div><div>Quite a few cards allow you to enter Calm or Wrath. Divinity takes more work. You have to gain 10 Mantra, which is generated by various cards, in order to enter Divinity. When you do, you lose 10 Mantra. It's a lot of work, and hopefully a big payoff; if you don't have very many Attack cards in hand when you enter Divinity, you'll have just spend a lot of turns and cards for very little advantage.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have found this to be the case with a lot of Watcher cards--a lot of effort, not necessarily a big payoff. She feels very inconsistent. And in a game like Slay the Spire, when you're limited on when you can heal, consistency is important.</div><div><br /></div><div>I did do well with this strategy, though:</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Scry.dek</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1gGkI4Tx8hnvfMdCd7mA0Tdiid8LVWQSrzBWyCjGqHbVUe1ScAozjPo4dLjpLVL76rzM7y0wbFfern-HD6RxQ5WNh6t34_hc1do13PGNhZiHzFQvQDLHaHBS0s6JzT8Hn6u7Qs1Q6uIA/s200/CutThroughFate.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1gGkI4Tx8hnvfMdCd7mA0Tdiid8LVWQSrzBWyCjGqHbVUe1ScAozjPo4dLjpLVL76rzM7y0wbFfern-HD6RxQ5WNh6t34_hc1do13PGNhZiHzFQvQDLHaHBS0s6JzT8Hn6u7Qs1Q6uIA/s0/CutThroughFate.png" /></a></div><br />The Watcher introduces a mechanic called Scry. Scry lets you look at the top few cards of your deck, then dump any number of them into your discard pile. It can let you dig past the chaff, like Strike and Defend, to get to your good cards. </div><div><br /></div><div>Cut Through Fate, Just Lucky, and Third Eye are easy to acquire cards which provide acceptable value for their energy cost while letting your Scry as a bonus. Foresight can be more difficult to obtain, but is a nice inexpensive 1-energy Power card that lets you Scry 3 each turn.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_AaIq5v7uSZTehvDkU2fwLU84WiKv5ONcTY3fCwqj56OJQweH9rku-RyR3fGs-ShiAqNm2_Z5XE5pi_OXTmwdbr3Vr7Y0Xx7DCUcs1OApAbXplQfctqaQAgbkQfzLJ9F2_nEINhEdL8/s200/Weave.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_AaIq5v7uSZTehvDkU2fwLU84WiKv5ONcTY3fCwqj56OJQweH9rku-RyR3fGs-ShiAqNm2_Z5XE5pi_OXTmwdbr3Vr7Y0Xx7DCUcs1OApAbXplQfctqaQAgbkQfzLJ9F2_nEINhEdL8/s0/Weave.png" /></a></div>There are two important payoff cards for the Scry deck: Weave and Nirvana.</div><div><br /></div><div>Weave is your damage payout. It's a 0-cost attack that plinks enemies for 4 damage (6 upgraded). It also returns to your hand for more damage each time you Scry. With enough Scry cards, you can Scry two to four times a turn. If you're returning 1 to 3 copies of Weave each time, that adds up to a lot of damage.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_xtbK_U2EcLjVsKgSPI2UZf54oa5LfvFil8ByMIxSpDRI7gyGLtGXLqO2mnncaTPLINGGOttaesnjAW8MYxjDJ2vr0wgNdxJF0TCZfQxEmd39xPCUQiiBkaQuStoz3GjtNG3pErzHgk/s200/Nirvana.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_xtbK_U2EcLjVsKgSPI2UZf54oa5LfvFil8ByMIxSpDRI7gyGLtGXLqO2mnncaTPLINGGOttaesnjAW8MYxjDJ2vr0wgNdxJF0TCZfQxEmd39xPCUQiiBkaQuStoz3GjtNG3pErzHgk/s0/Nirvana.png" /></a></div><br />Nirvana is your defensive payout. For just 1 energy, you get a Power card that grants 4 Block every time you Scry. Again, with the amount of Scrying you hope to do, you can get 4-12 Block a turn without breaking a sweat, more if you can get multiple copies of Nirvana.<br /><br /></div><div>Of the two, Weave I think is the more important payout card to acquire. You can scrounge up Block in other ways, such as with Third Eye, but your damage output is going to be very poor if you don't manage to scoop up a copy or two of Weave with the archetype.</div><div><br /></div><div>The nice thing about this strategy is that, when the elements come together, you have a great mix of offense and defense. You can consistently dish out decent damage while putting up a good defense. It feels very balanced.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Mantra.dek</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVzTyB23tABl5rGvyxGzQfMzcy4mNtbrAMIOaU-uiNtn2CtDFsxYraHAI2A24eHTSfJzxgRgqlh3v2HNHwwzetymsXV6FJbIdqWQXcTBBc-6lza1Kizfd5Kh8SNwLD-SGsAnZoMB3bPMQ/s200/Prostrate.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVzTyB23tABl5rGvyxGzQfMzcy4mNtbrAMIOaU-uiNtn2CtDFsxYraHAI2A24eHTSfJzxgRgqlh3v2HNHwwzetymsXV6FJbIdqWQXcTBBc-6lza1Kizfd5Kh8SNwLD-SGsAnZoMB3bPMQ/s0/Prostrate.png" /></a></div><br />I will freely admit that the above strategy is the only one that I have successfully used to beat the game. I have made quite a few Watcher runs in Slay the Spire, and nearly all of them have eventually stumbled. However, Mantra decks seem feasible, if you can get a good mix of three types of cards: Mantra-generators, card draw, and big attacks. </div><div><br /></div><div>Prostrate and Devotion are good ways to consistently generate Mantra. Pray feels like a dangerous way to generate Mantra, as it does not provide any attack or defense for its cost of 1 energy; this means that there will be turns when you cannot afford to use it. However, Pray does provide some card-draw, which is important.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rcYRXxIZPWeFFftJqlsaHsaw9Jv_vPbLlzIi3e8R-GVwxaUmVnBbv7gzWuhSW7DVZAjn_DH-qxpl1SJeJA5Tcnn6j9eQsyTj0Np0JAZyanvyNDHtrxrWsvgD8XhzbjA3ciIN6Pm_X-Y/s200/Brilliance.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rcYRXxIZPWeFFftJqlsaHsaw9Jv_vPbLlzIi3e8R-GVwxaUmVnBbv7gzWuhSW7DVZAjn_DH-qxpl1SJeJA5Tcnn6j9eQsyTj0Np0JAZyanvyNDHtrxrWsvgD8XhzbjA3ciIN6Pm_X-Y/s0/Brilliance.png" /></a></div><br />Once you generate 10 Mantra and enter Divinity, you want to be able to use the energy and the boost to your attacks. Brilliance is a good damage payoff, easily dealing 70+ damage on the turn you enter Divinity for just 1 energy. However, you need to have your damage payoffs in-hand on the turn that you enter Divinity. This makes any card draw, especially cheap card draw, very important to this deck type.</div><div><br /></div><div>Wheel Kick is both damage and card draw, which makes it ideal for this kind of deck. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ragnarok is a fantastic damage payout.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLlFjwbDZ3GO6295_WR3PlHSS7xfQWiPhosynY2a8J8-IMmIddvgJeIMO9HjbzqPabEjCF6kchG9ngzeVUYNUbcVNjuNLgzPDTvF8O_1zagEjSW-0F6stu9DEoeOaeba7zMNhreHKLmUo/s400/Insight.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="310" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLlFjwbDZ3GO6295_WR3PlHSS7xfQWiPhosynY2a8J8-IMmIddvgJeIMO9HjbzqPabEjCF6kchG9ngzeVUYNUbcVNjuNLgzPDTvF8O_1zagEjSW-0F6stu9DEoeOaeba7zMNhreHKLmUo/w155-h200/Insight.png" width="155" /></a></div><br />Cards that generate Insight, like Evaluate, Pray, and Study, let you stockpile 0-cost card drawing with Retain until the turn you need them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Colorless cards like Secret Weapon let you fetch your best damage cards out of your deck on the turn you go off.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have found that this decktype can take a lot of punishment while it sets up. There are enemies that just won't give you the three to five turns you need to come online. Thus, reaching the end is very difficult. However, if you are able to assemble a Mantra deck that goes all the way, please let me know in the comments!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Other Ideas</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcsWGp8nKRLGUlGhyphenhyphenbm8pnDbIaFtYFLykyODSRVaR8pit_PmlmfSKGrzy17dyZNYeDcLWK7W-vhdV-KIXba-DIPzpTl354vd_uKytPkh-5o2ZNijNy2xn9CZwO2VlxAIRSkelp8ffNdM/s200/Rushdown.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcsWGp8nKRLGUlGhyphenhyphenbm8pnDbIaFtYFLykyODSRVaR8pit_PmlmfSKGrzy17dyZNYeDcLWK7W-vhdV-KIXba-DIPzpTl354vd_uKytPkh-5o2ZNijNy2xn9CZwO2VlxAIRSkelp8ffNdM/s0/Rushdown.png" /></a></div><br />The Wrath deck is an obvious idea and has plenty of good setup cards, like Rushdown, Simmering Fury, and Indignation. </div><div><br /></div><div>There are plenty of good inexpensive ways to enter Wrath, and if you're transitioning from Calm into Wrath, you'll have extra energy for throwing powerful attacks at the enemies. Be careful, though. Wrath giveth, and Wrath taketh away. If you don't finish off the enemies right away, you'll likely take a LOT of extra damage. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCRrHkWWyPaSAZrz3yaSsgMWJ6h8NVG_nnhzJkPZN8_L_oNplB_76iBGjbdAp1DS1wxXSfxyVNeHhfp_Nn4ISumXx3rkn_beM6692o8MXCvrx_IzbV5YuqoU-dsCslRRYZaIf-fSV4QiA/s200/Alpha.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCRrHkWWyPaSAZrz3yaSsgMWJ6h8NVG_nnhzJkPZN8_L_oNplB_76iBGjbdAp1DS1wxXSfxyVNeHhfp_Nn4ISumXx3rkn_beM6692o8MXCvrx_IzbV5YuqoU-dsCslRRYZaIf-fSV4QiA/s0/Alpha.png" /></a></div>Omega decks feel very powerful once you complete your setup. I have found setup to be unbearably slow sometimes, which means that, as with most<br />Watcher decks, you'll be taking a lot of hard knocks while you build towards your payout. With Omega decks, you want to pick up one or more copies of Alpha.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcntuy-RrLAtRNnaMbsfWATSo3E7fH5YDyvF4wIlQ0U_p6e_OaPx1Yvq-9ljCUNIRpMjg_kIJ3Ni8hGTHONW42d8PtOe6hlOeJN8EZa0WGPFF5xLKMq66FfeUtTR2TrmQ_tKXztMINzEc/s400/Omega.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="310" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcntuy-RrLAtRNnaMbsfWATSo3E7fH5YDyvF4wIlQ0U_p6e_OaPx1Yvq-9ljCUNIRpMjg_kIJ3Ni8hGTHONW42d8PtOe6hlOeJN8EZa0WGPFF5xLKMq66FfeUtTR2TrmQ_tKXztMINzEc/w155-h200/Omega.png" width="155" /></a></div><br />Alpha puts Beta into your draw pile. Once you draw Beta, you play it for 2 energy to shuffle an Omega into your deck. Omega is a MASSIVE payout--a 3-energy Power that deals a whopping 50 damage each ALL enemies EVERY turn. I keep trying this deck type, and it's never quite come together for me; I just can't find the right mix of card-draw and defense. I'll keep trying, though!</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwiLZHlGHQ8wxyuxd4xzweNVAt1zTIFij6oSvhhz9G6sWGsrMi4wuOlRK5P3sy_Sh7j3PMnSJQHCAYtHQswG1xUhG28NBFVzTq0QpYsHnGThCdxuILJHnHO5qBs6gcNTXoLovZ-23L5fc/s200/DevaForm.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwiLZHlGHQ8wxyuxd4xzweNVAt1zTIFij6oSvhhz9G6sWGsrMi4wuOlRK5P3sy_Sh7j3PMnSJQHCAYtHQswG1xUhG28NBFVzTq0QpYsHnGThCdxuILJHnHO5qBs6gcNTXoLovZ-23L5fc/s0/DevaForm.png" /></a></div><br />I'm also interested in making Big Energy decks work. The Watcher has a lot of energy generation with cards like Deva Form and Deus Ex Machina. Combine these with payouts like Conjure Blade, Vault, and Omniscience, and you could have a very powerful deck. Again, though, my attempts thus far require too much setup time to withstand all the attacks that enemies can throw in the first few turns.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Final Thoughts</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>These are by no means the only deck types available for each character. However, I hope this helps give you ideas of new decks to try. Slay the Spire is a very fun roguelike cardbuilding game. I highly recommend you try it out if you haven't already. </div><div><br /></div><div>Let me know in the comments what deck types you've enjoyed!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-85271233431773745072021-02-14T00:03:00.000-08:002021-02-14T00:03:00.856-08:00Slaying the Spire for Fun and Profit, Part 4: The Defect<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLN7R4nocEuPvvWTKlP-I63NkvAtLlRCHF-9npUzdPIiJjCjJiq_lDTgwpfA3k-MxZolYn6hKGTEo9nz5CrfGbI2P0cNjlmg2vuld62I8XnrAVFpmp1XIg5dlNy7vf4KX2ylFaB8kbJ0/s224/Defect.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="216" data-original-width="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLN7R4nocEuPvvWTKlP-I63NkvAtLlRCHF-9npUzdPIiJjCjJiq_lDTgwpfA3k-MxZolYn6hKGTEo9nz5CrfGbI2P0cNjlmg2vuld62I8XnrAVFpmp1XIg5dlNy7vf4KX2ylFaB8kbJ0/s0/Defect.png" /></a></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>THE DEFECT</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div>The Defect has some of the strongest Power cards in the game, and has incredibly good passive damage. It has an intriguing starting relic, Cracked Core, which is your introduction to one of the Defect's primary mechanics, Orbs. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Gi4iQyhmsrMv3h595ZIedF4kRuJhmSvKHzw4PPBzh9e-soM0yAtgNiRUY5vokQLphGGj-3Qbpusv_ws-0xcdyab5uYl_4HiwRWln8lRfcVQqK8uSZWypIJA6tdE6SDEQku0dP1wawes/s200/Defragment.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Gi4iQyhmsrMv3h595ZIedF4kRuJhmSvKHzw4PPBzh9e-soM0yAtgNiRUY5vokQLphGGj-3Qbpusv_ws-0xcdyab5uYl_4HiwRWln8lRfcVQqK8uSZWypIJA6tdE6SDEQku0dP1wawes/s0/Defragment.png" /></a></div><br />Orbs float about the Defect's head and have passive abilities. They also have an ability when "Evoked" or consumed for a one-time effect. The Defect can increase the power of Orbs by gaining Focus, the same way that Strength increases the power of Attacks.</div><div><br /></div><div>Cracked Core lets you start each fight with one Lightning Orb, which deals 3 damage to a random enemy each turn. Without help from Power cards and relics, the Defect can have up to 3 Orbs in play each turn. Because Orbs are such a unique part of the Defect's kit, we'll go over the different effects briefly.</div><div><br /></div><div><ul><li>Lightning Orbs: Deal 3 damage to a random enemy each turn. Deal 8 damage to a random enemy when Evoked.</li><li>Frost Orbs: Gain 2 Block. Gain 5 Block when Evoked.</li><li>Dark Orbs: Store 6 damage. Deal damage to the lowest-health enemy equal to the damage stored when Evoked.</li><li>Plasma Orbs: Gain 1 energy at the start of the turn. Gain 2 energy when Evoked.</li></ul><div>The Defect has cards that can Evoke its Orbs, but it can also Evoke Orbs simply by generating more Orbs than it has capacity for.</div><div><br /></div><div>Below are three of my favorite Defect strategies.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Power.dek<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCv7H6hp7blb7bBXr-Ip1n0vT_UjUYMt3VTg4nRSpFL4KiRMYqB6sO5QCfCFfc1UtSu1iN8N_0aJKGP5i0AhezZV3kPYtvzo-qg-BLt1vsXhOT1p4_Yi4NU1yCaBPp4fGK4-U2uHBuwv0/s200/Storm.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCv7H6hp7blb7bBXr-Ip1n0vT_UjUYMt3VTg4nRSpFL4KiRMYqB6sO5QCfCFfc1UtSu1iN8N_0aJKGP5i0AhezZV3kPYtvzo-qg-BLt1vsXhOT1p4_Yi4NU1yCaBPp4fGK4-U2uHBuwv0/s0/Storm.png" /></a></div></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>As mentioned, the Defect has some of the strongest Power cards in the game. Its Power cards tend to feed each other very well. You can build an extremely good deck with almost nothing but Power cards.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Power.dek strategy has two major payoff cards: Storm and Heatsinks. Storm allows you to generate Lightning Orbs each time you play a Power card. Heatsinks draws you cards each time you play a Power card, which hopefully draws you into more Power cards, which generate more Lightning Orbs and draw you more cards... Wash, rinse, repeat.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8h1W32KfC1nzSwMgjCYR35EDfIPJTtgDYcZxgLgHSYlNFrYzJkVTuq7SQu0ln9ExxykrjX26O4vERulNmMk11L5QNsICVpwI9-iWlcw8xzIyvekCzQBmQXFyV_aUW9El7rQhA2Rd5RrI/s200/ForceField.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8h1W32KfC1nzSwMgjCYR35EDfIPJTtgDYcZxgLgHSYlNFrYzJkVTuq7SQu0ln9ExxykrjX26O4vERulNmMk11L5QNsICVpwI9-iWlcw8xzIyvekCzQBmQXFyV_aUW9El7rQhA2Rd5RrI/s0/ForceField.png" /></a></div><br />Another important payoff card in this strategy is Force Field, which gains you 12 Block, and which costs less and less energy as you play more Power cards. Once you've played 4 or more Power cards, Force Field is hefty 12 Block for 0 energy. Combine this with Hologram, which gains you Block and returns a card from your discard pile to your hand, and you can rapidly and repeatedly generate a lot of block while your Lightning does its job.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Tgyimzb0KYIilxzZuEo0XniSQ4ZthtInaOGkCt3rf8y8tP3RDYyn3dWFCDF7xmQEQh3EoMW5srgMrcXUN12ChSAX89nnMWfQSPqjX9a2dPOSwUO5yI_UHVcWQbK3z25gA9p78LyeuNg/s200/StaticDischarge.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Tgyimzb0KYIilxzZuEo0XniSQ4ZthtInaOGkCt3rf8y8tP3RDYyn3dWFCDF7xmQEQh3EoMW5srgMrcXUN12ChSAX89nnMWfQSPqjX9a2dPOSwUO5yI_UHVcWQbK3z25gA9p78LyeuNg/s0/StaticDischarge.png" /></a></div>Alongside your payoff cards, you can pick up a lot of great Power cards that offer combat utility. Loop is only 1 energy and will cause your Orbs to trigger multiple times. Self Repair gains some of your life back at the end of combat. Buffer blocks incoming damage. Machine Learning lets you draw additional cards--hopefully more Power cards! </div><div><br /></div><div>Static Discharge causes you to generate Orbs whenever you take damage--this is particularly powerful against enemies who attack for small amounts of damage multiple times, as they can end up taking way more damage than they've dealt.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8JojB4-poGAHb4lFFZY5kBKXketGUV2NuXUFXQalSaL5GW81upVWXxEbnUd0MhQ4TxuVaS2a7TNb33vGV7pCI9r0mKT895ayVmKCJLWHiFnuRdlGxFcL5_OEHpm_T6fIMhLSY7cYygFM/s200/WhiteNoise.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8JojB4-poGAHb4lFFZY5kBKXketGUV2NuXUFXQalSaL5GW81upVWXxEbnUd0MhQ4TxuVaS2a7TNb33vGV7pCI9r0mKT895ayVmKCJLWHiFnuRdlGxFcL5_OEHpm_T6fIMhLSY7cYygFM/s0/WhiteNoise.png" /></a></div><br />There are some great Skill cards for this archetype, too. White Noise generates a random Power card for you. It will almost always be a good card, and it will cost 0 energy to play that turn. Amplify doubles your next Power card. So if you Amplify your Storm, you'll play Storm, then play a copy of Storm and immediately gain a Lightning Orb, and from then on, all Power cards will generate 2 Orbs!</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnJqwB4hj0dZAmWSaG2p8Is4m3BDT_WUT0X1DWffaf9tl5fUB8ySi5RIMI-LxP8_jmlj9cv_nKxyx9IvdW0_GoCsxC0KEaFCGYrC5SthPO9LgPb_Lqo0kLF0J9aan5e68FrBQhoyOu1E/s200/Electrodynamics.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnJqwB4hj0dZAmWSaG2p8Is4m3BDT_WUT0X1DWffaf9tl5fUB8ySi5RIMI-LxP8_jmlj9cv_nKxyx9IvdW0_GoCsxC0KEaFCGYrC5SthPO9LgPb_Lqo0kLF0J9aan5e68FrBQhoyOu1E/s0/Electrodynamics.png" /></a></div><br />Because your primary damage output is from Lightning Orbs, Electrodynamics is a huge pickup for this deck. Instead of holding your breath and hoping that the Lightning will strike the target that you need to die, Lightning Orbs will start hitting EVERY enemy. This massively increases your damage output when facing multiple enemies.</div><div><br /></div><div>One card I would discourage you from using is Hello World. It adds random Common cards to your hand each turn. This usually just fills your hand and deck with junk that does not fit your strategy. It IS a cheap Power, so if you're desperate for 1-energy Power cards, it's not completely useless, but I would recommend avoiding it and just picking up cards that contribute to your strategy.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAL1E2_E3xtTmD-iDKZino9RAgCc1tTqRKFkM2tpchc_PjbmYeBBU8MTQepBSE9OougFewsukEiLsQqH8fWY7ekIKylAdAp49EZJPITOU7PHUuptpwD-ly9Ff3oxU1e_W7rpueWJzXL4w/s200/CreativeAI.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAL1E2_E3xtTmD-iDKZino9RAgCc1tTqRKFkM2tpchc_PjbmYeBBU8MTQepBSE9OougFewsukEiLsQqH8fWY7ekIKylAdAp49EZJPITOU7PHUuptpwD-ly9Ff3oxU1e_W7rpueWJzXL4w/s0/CreativeAI.png" /></a></div><br />If you are interested in having random cards added to your hand, though, Creative AI specifically adds Power cards to your hand every turn, AND those Power cards are not limited to Common cards, which means you can strike gold and hit some really good cards. This is a much better card for Power.dek. You can guarantee that you'll trigger your Storms and Heatsinks each turn, and occasionally you'll hit really strong Power cards like Echo Form, Electrodynamics, or Biased Cognition.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hologram is a good pickup for this deck, especially if you can upgrade it. Hologram lets you repeatedly replay Force Fields and other defensive cards, or scoop up a Power card from your discard pile that you didn't have the energy to play the previous turn.</div><div><br /></div><div>Panache and Sadistic Nature can be decent cards for this strategy, if for no other reason than they're 0-energy Power cards that can trigger your payoff cards like Storm and Heatsinks.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcqkAD-xQgRtvM7ihegLaILN5OyEELbM9pEiJKi8A3T_zdSxI-mCDIIB7IYugW-zyq1lHvB8UaYmxJr50seLfNHYp2P0FL2EN5LIhnDdOqej9eIy0As8hjGbHjLFeL1KgYJTfT1yCP44/s200/Blizzard.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcqkAD-xQgRtvM7ihegLaILN5OyEELbM9pEiJKi8A3T_zdSxI-mCDIIB7IYugW-zyq1lHvB8UaYmxJr50seLfNHYp2P0FL2EN5LIhnDdOqej9eIy0As8hjGbHjLFeL1KgYJTfT1yCP44/s0/Blizzard.png" /></a></div><br />Blizzard!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>The Blizzard! deck is just so fun and satisfying when you can assemble the pieces for it. The big payoff card is the eponymous Blizzard, which deals 2 (or 3 when upgraded) damage to each enemy for every Frost Orb you have generated during the fight. Combine that with a whole bunch of cards that generate Frost Orbs, and you can build up a high amount of Block each turn, while dishing out increasingly high damage with Blizzard.</div><div><br /></div><div>This strategy is surprisingly difficult to assemble. It is VERY easy to pick up cards like Cold Snap, Coolheaded, or Glacier to generate Frost Orbs while providing useful effects. Strangely, I've found that it's difficult to consistently acquire a copy or two of<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhKJcZoG2OpevjIh4VIdiScfbQGrnWAGYeImd2fl3Q2zCeyZPZBHTPZvlLBLm5ZGeHEa0-tJrmP8EixfhIpCrUCoMTCvtrEl3Dv05IBee6BCOtLKwPOHIZDYRCmhszLls-MMRTHBU1fKI/s200/Glacier.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhKJcZoG2OpevjIh4VIdiScfbQGrnWAGYeImd2fl3Q2zCeyZPZBHTPZvlLBLm5ZGeHEa0-tJrmP8EixfhIpCrUCoMTCvtrEl3Dv05IBee6BCOtLKwPOHIZDYRCmhszLls-MMRTHBU1fKI/s0/Glacier.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNb1njv2SS2Xml3uuyRmPu08_08rIvuNQHU85UlBqEv0pl4a-YK7YZsqLFQxFiUCcMkJWU9GQSpup0QwB12xLDCk1thrZgqRqPCcbObf-vsbmMgpnHdrQ1_nII7B0e5MnpnkISV-Na8Ws/s200/ColdSnap.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNb1njv2SS2Xml3uuyRmPu08_08rIvuNQHU85UlBqEv0pl4a-YK7YZsqLFQxFiUCcMkJWU9GQSpup0QwB12xLDCk1thrZgqRqPCcbObf-vsbmMgpnHdrQ1_nII7B0e5MnpnkISV-Na8Ws/s0/ColdSnap.png" /></a></div>Blizzard to tie the deck together. Blizzard is an Uncommon card, which means it's less frequent, but should come up more often than I feel it does. I bring this up because it can be difficult to force this archetype. If the cards just aren't coming, you'll have to be willing to pivot into a different strategy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Having said that, this deck really doesn't need a lot to do well. Pick up a copy or two of Blizzard, snag some cards that generate Frost Orbs, scoop up some ways to boost your Focus, and you've got a strong defensive deck that will quickly ramp up to dealing 30-40 damage a turn to each enemy. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNdPMHeYpOc1-_0kmKnot9sWf0YyrfFJGDBK0KB2mcCkYcvs2a-KI9G51UhzhFQQj3eVa1e2R4XfYw9CeeWrOqR_HIWeFcrR-USK9kurg0X5X51Uuxl9sL78HKbd9WVzvSuAyOCqG-s9E/s200/Forethought.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNdPMHeYpOc1-_0kmKnot9sWf0YyrfFJGDBK0KB2mcCkYcvs2a-KI9G51UhzhFQQj3eVa1e2R4XfYw9CeeWrOqR_HIWeFcrR-USK9kurg0X5X51Uuxl9sL78HKbd9WVzvSuAyOCqG-s9E/s0/Forethought.png" /></a></div><br />Forethought is a good colorless card for this deck. You need time to generate Frost Orbs before playing Blizzard for value. Forethought puts a Blizzard on the bottom of your draw pile, so you can play your Frost cards before finally drawing Blizzard and playing it for 0 energy.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>All For One</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqUwC_ZxKBX_xx93kG5gxb-PDd9XqbvyxRg6Co8VLNtIrm2Fp675OqRGl48LmonUVxEYmeV7qZD777pD58JWVWidmtau_Jm8ylsPYPcauy4_HyaotNcwQicccpZW8IluMRWwwdedwZKZY/s200/Claw.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqUwC_ZxKBX_xx93kG5gxb-PDd9XqbvyxRg6Co8VLNtIrm2Fp675OqRGl48LmonUVxEYmeV7qZD777pD58JWVWidmtau_Jm8ylsPYPcauy4_HyaotNcwQicccpZW8IluMRWwwdedwZKZY/s0/Claw.png" /></a></div><br />This is perhaps my favorite archetype. It's just so much fun when it comes together! </div><div><br /></div><div>The idea behind this deck is to play a lot of 0-cost cards, like FTL, Beam Cell, Go for the Eyes, upgraded Zap, and the almighty Claw. These cards deal small amounts of damage on their own, but have useful effects, such as debuffs, card draw, generating Lightning Orbs, or ramping into more damage as the fight continues. Dig for more 0-cost cards with Scrape if you must.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNWbtNLQJiLTpuuBsobZgPTHrCz1LB621-1TchZ4WLZPsrcr2dvHK76Wr-lC40PiNnYrXnvcHbkiPDzfXZvDiSHxpUI93tDNiJZ767UzyN7TwYhA2COXtf8mAdMKkNJcCIUzfzciNWEI/s200/AllforOne.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNWbtNLQJiLTpuuBsobZgPTHrCz1LB621-1TchZ4WLZPsrcr2dvHK76Wr-lC40PiNnYrXnvcHbkiPDzfXZvDiSHxpUI93tDNiJZ767UzyN7TwYhA2COXtf8mAdMKkNJcCIUzfzciNWEI/s0/AllforOne.png" /></a></div><br />Once your discard pile is full of great 0-cost card, hit an enemy with All for One. This will bring all those nice little cards back to your hand for another round of fun. Apply more Vulnerable and Weak, deal more damage, draw more cards, charge up Claw, and have a ball.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hologram, as always, is great for this deck. Recur copies of Claw to charge them up, or bring back All for One for more fun and happiness!</div><div><br /></div><div>This archetype absolutely needs All for One to get through the later acts, but works pretty well early on just on the strength of its attacks. You'll probably want some card draw, like Machine Learning or Coolheaded, and keep in mind that your damage output can be incredible, but you won't always have good defense on the turns when the enemies hit your hard.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_o1ways3-UMU1DQWZgwJjq92_z0hwZc8nr7h-btdAPn8SaXTz4TPbHAYLcgilkT3tgtOZPYk3BKvyI3otZWQdnFKE8zpo871KcDQcJ-l46aeaathE1lTxUgf1mQwL6U6hvXoKl4ALoY/s200/FlashofSteel.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_o1ways3-UMU1DQWZgwJjq92_z0hwZc8nr7h-btdAPn8SaXTz4TPbHAYLcgilkT3tgtOZPYk3BKvyI3otZWQdnFKE8zpo871KcDQcJ-l46aeaathE1lTxUgf1mQwL6U6hvXoKl4ALoY/s0/FlashofSteel.png" /></a></div><br />There are plenty of good colorless cards for this strategy, like Flash of Steel, Finesse, Bandage Up, and Good Instincts. And of course, Panache, mentioned in the Shiv section of the Silent, is incredible, as it is very easy for this deck to trigger it once or twice in a turn. Sadistic Nature is also good. You have a lot of ways to add Vulnerable and Weak with Beam Cell and Go for the Eyes, so Sadistic Nature will trigger regularly.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Other Ideas</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKttbgVuW2OobfDLG0r97rTdk2E2qld0sZSm28Rw7RZYG6TylcAzWRgapOwNfzqnmJt6th2iCn_J6Gas_fdw4OKzx6Y8Qpsm-wK9RA78verj-GwSEhxp1G6Tcyfskk52rsF6LLrcHdUh4/s200/Rainbow.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKttbgVuW2OobfDLG0r97rTdk2E2qld0sZSm28Rw7RZYG6TylcAzWRgapOwNfzqnmJt6th2iCn_J6Gas_fdw4OKzx6Y8Qpsm-wK9RA78verj-GwSEhxp1G6Tcyfskk52rsF6LLrcHdUh4/s0/Rainbow.png" /></a></div><br />The Defect can get a lot of mileage out of its Orbs. I have absolutely done well with Big Orb decks, which just continually generate Orbs with Chaos, Rainbow, etc., constantly cycling through the different effects to get a mix of offense and defense.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dark.dek can be really fun, focusing on generating Dark Orbs and Evoking them for big damage. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcrd3nBwOo-IIqAiQ-_tsENKIvwJLptdKOyX8eaeCu8id57rfUkjmlPnjdnZsYc7J7bkDwjeZRtSHTFmi6zhkvVXESqWB52LfWNjDFWU4-2hGcLgyfDva7NpFIZoMuMpSxdmoAcVqdtI/s200/ThunderStrike.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcrd3nBwOo-IIqAiQ-_tsENKIvwJLptdKOyX8eaeCu8id57rfUkjmlPnjdnZsYc7J7bkDwjeZRtSHTFmi6zhkvVXESqWB52LfWNjDFWU4-2hGcLgyfDva7NpFIZoMuMpSxdmoAcVqdtI/s0/ThunderStrike.png" /></a></div><br />Thunder Strike can be a massive payoff card when you're generating a lot of Lightning Orbs. Late in the fight, you can easily cap enemies for 70+ damage. </div><div><br /></div><div>Don't discount Fission in a lot of Orb-related decks. It CAN look bad, because it clears out all your Orbs, but it also draws you a lot of cards and gives you a burst of energy, so you can immediately play more cards, generate more Orbs, and get your important key cards into play.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-17704686654136731582021-02-14T00:01:00.001-08:002021-02-14T00:01:15.387-08:00Slaying the Spire for Fun and Profit, Part 3: The Silent<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOOXnP1bOE2ExjCCELjPa0_zglHhjOwhpAQxSjEVqdIklaEZK74CrCST-CMa3Tgm7o0xoOQhLMarUSw1AYRnp5ZxqPllGtfrZP0eNRObsq3s6XISXMBAWiWJUo_QgDrtxtWJLKxlT3GE/s216/Silent.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="198" data-original-width="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOOXnP1bOE2ExjCCELjPa0_zglHhjOwhpAQxSjEVqdIklaEZK74CrCST-CMa3Tgm7o0xoOQhLMarUSw1AYRnp5ZxqPllGtfrZP0eNRObsq3s6XISXMBAWiWJUo_QgDrtxtWJLKxlT3GE/s0/Silent.png" /></a></div><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>THE SILENT</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Silent can be a tricky character to play. She has some of the strongest defensive cards in the game, but can struggle to deal damage. Built well, however, she can wear down any enemy while taking little to no damage.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Her starting relic, Ring of the Snake, lets you draw 2 additional cards at the start of combat. This is weak early in the game, as the extra cards you draw are all weak starter cards. Later in the game, however, this can help you get set up quickly by drawing you into your key cards. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I have found success with two very different strategies with the Silent.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Poison.dek<br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Silent has access to the Poison mechanic. An enemy who is Poisoned takes damage equal to their Poison level at the start of their turn, then their Poison level drops by 1. So an enemy with Poison 5 will take 5 damage before they attack, then their Poison level will decrease to 4.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXClIGyOiKMNStfdCEksJKqnEk_KqyVwwqacvrOkNA75KkTVSQXY4xwJLSw6nO-Xar3a6g5KgpY38T285l16w3V0MceEzaSzoeyp5Vw0sSZYbJ1WkXjR3w9Fr8DoGV9fcOjVFKVJbuIAw/s200/DeadlyPoison.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXClIGyOiKMNStfdCEksJKqnEk_KqyVwwqacvrOkNA75KkTVSQXY4xwJLSw6nO-Xar3a6g5KgpY38T285l16w3V0MceEzaSzoeyp5Vw0sSZYbJ1WkXjR3w9Fr8DoGV9fcOjVFKVJbuIAw/s0/DeadlyPoison.png" /></a></div>What this means is that applying even small amounts of Poison can yield a significant amount of damage over time. Hit an enemy with one Deadly Poison and do literally nothing but block damage for the next few turns? The enemy will take 5, then 4, then 3, then 2, then 1 damage, for a total of 15 damage for just 1 energy. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">That's not bad, especially if you can ramp up the Poison counter instead of letting it tick down, or have cards and relics which interact with Poison.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSa0Vi9MJnhbvvm8EchsdceYGERT8D3r64AYn3OAUI_G96wqPywMxd-laOBcKCKNSuxZ4k8rn9O1sn1kCQ2fOMWjAdJr6gy6ZbZ7WkomWJPqUDts68I-4kZbIdtVMmb-eAVlewwhRyQ0k/s200/Blur.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSa0Vi9MJnhbvvm8EchsdceYGERT8D3r64AYn3OAUI_G96wqPywMxd-laOBcKCKNSuxZ4k8rn9O1sn1kCQ2fOMWjAdJr6gy6ZbZ7WkomWJPqUDts68I-4kZbIdtVMmb-eAVlewwhRyQ0k/s0/Blur.png" /></a></div>The Poison deck wants a high amount of efficient defensive Skills, like Dodge and Roll, Leg Sweep, and my personal favorite Blur. Blur not only gives you 5 or 8 block, depending on whether or not it's upgraded, but prevents your Block from being removed at the start of your next turn. Normally, your Block only lasts through the enemy's next turn. With Blur, you can load up on Block and store it for the turn afterwards. Thus, you can get value out of the turns when you draw nothing but defensive cards, even if the enemy is not attacking you that turn.</div></div><br /><div>In addition to defense, your deck also needs to (obviously) apply Poison. While Deadly Poison should be easy to pick up and is quite efficient, Noxious Fumes is your bread and butter. It applies 2 or 3 Poison each turn to every enemy, which starts small, but means that you're applying Poison faster than their Poison levels are ticking down. Initially, they'll only be taking a couple points of damage each, but as combat progresses, a single Noxious Fumes can deal hundreds of points of damage.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8k0efWAN90C11SC3NbFhBfdZMw_KwzRBzl6Wd0-_re21UXIWszQXNfYDWuRN0r6SjPZSlkXGJWY8P2tgX3aGJVWbFGH_ErQqFMQmX34Zf1gT0KX0a-l3JdDs_9spHBpgJw5orQhJ7-gY/s200/NoxiousFumes.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8k0efWAN90C11SC3NbFhBfdZMw_KwzRBzl6Wd0-_re21UXIWszQXNfYDWuRN0r6SjPZSlkXGJWY8P2tgX3aGJVWbFGH_ErQqFMQmX34Zf1gT0KX0a-l3JdDs_9spHBpgJw5orQhJ7-gY/s0/NoxiousFumes.png" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This archetype also benefits greatly from cards that apply Weak, for two major reasons. First, Weak decreases the amount of damage the enemy can dish out, which buys you time to assemble your defenses and begin applying Poison. Perhaps more importantly, though, cards that apply Weak help punch through an enemy's Artifact. </div><div><br /></div><div>Artifact is a buff that some tougher enemies have which prevents a debuff from being applied. Against these enemies, attempting to apply Weak with Neutralize, Sucker Punch, or Malaise will help clear out the Artifact and make way for your Poison. Subsequently, cards like Crippling Cloud can be absolutely clutch for this deck type.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwk36qmmyG8ZKVWu_DHk5ostUAn_GexdCCmiDj8te2OhHZwrnQQbonRgeDhOOBU7plD-f44Eqpi_bJWXCmzQ21Y9eC1jmJMbZvFWj4DO85MdqCBPhLkyecxJj3Tr4vz9OUIJxkxFZ5do/s200/SadisticNature.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwk36qmmyG8ZKVWu_DHk5ostUAn_GexdCCmiDj8te2OhHZwrnQQbonRgeDhOOBU7plD-f44Eqpi_bJWXCmzQ21Y9eC1jmJMbZvFWj4DO85MdqCBPhLkyecxJj3Tr4vz9OUIJxkxFZ5do/s0/SadisticNature.png" /></a></div><br />Sadistic Nature is a strong colorless card for this deck type. It is a 0-mana Power, which makes it a very low investment, yet will trigger frequently as you apply Poison and Weak debuffs.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Shiv.dek</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>If Poison is too slow for you, perhaps you'll want to try the Shiv deck. This archetype generates a high number of Shivs each turn and throws them at the enemies. Shivs are 0-energy attacks that deal 4 damage before vanishing in a puff of smoke. It's not a lot by itself, but if you can generate 8 or more of them each turn, you can dish out good damage.</div><div><br /></div><div>In addition to the Shiv damage, this deck type abuses cards that scale based on the number of cards you play in a turn.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYnWH0Guly6y8MEtDiW7ru7v_r0Ub9S_rll9r3SVvG6n1s_k-w1QwtTG9T6x671LYlqFA2X4muYlxkZMk1J84ti8Jn73JZLiOXrF7EEHE_rmKqPv89zQyFv8xVBPYMoHodD14HveEJMY/s1680/Screenshot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1680" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYnWH0Guly6y8MEtDiW7ru7v_r0Ub9S_rll9r3SVvG6n1s_k-w1QwtTG9T6x671LYlqFA2X4muYlxkZMk1J84ti8Jn73JZLiOXrF7EEHE_rmKqPv89zQyFv8xVBPYMoHodD14HveEJMY/w640-h400/Screenshot.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Key cards for generating Shivs will be Blade Dance, Cloak and Dagger, and Infinite Blades. You'll likely want a mixture of each of these, as they each fill an important role. Cloak and Dagger serves as both offense and defense, giving you Block while creating one or two Shivs to throw at the enemies. Infinite Blades ensures that you'll always have at least one Shiv ready to go each turn. Blade Dance provides you with a big burst of Shivs for your One Big Turn.</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCM2JQNIOfyTnouYH7wrJ9ZMkId080YjdDXjVfJANYco2BQb0BcDGHbToUmGUGbsLIQ7MbTSDkKKwfUEbAqnW0MwRq-R4-hy3EdtNm9-gmHMe64ErpSTaWWki0ayLDnY6g9Bl2IH8d0mw/s200/Accuracy.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCM2JQNIOfyTnouYH7wrJ9ZMkId080YjdDXjVfJANYco2BQb0BcDGHbToUmGUGbsLIQ7MbTSDkKKwfUEbAqnW0MwRq-R4-hy3EdtNm9-gmHMe64ErpSTaWWki0ayLDnY6g9Bl2IH8d0mw/s0/Accuracy.png" /></a></div></blockquote><div><br />Accuracy, of course, will greatly ramp up your damage output. With one Accuracy in play, a single Blade Dance can deal 24 damage for just 1 energy. Not bad at all!</div><div><br /></div><div>(Note the image to the left is from an older version of Accuracy. The updated version increases Shiv damage by 4, or 6 when upgraded. Let me tell you, dealing 10 damage per Shiv feels EXTREMELY good!)</div><div><br /></div><div>In addition to generating Shivs, you'll want to pick up cards and relics that reward you for playing a lot of cards in a single turn. Choke is a great example. Hit an enemy with Choke, then throw all your Shivs at a different target; the first enemy will lose 3 HP each time you play a card, and with Shivs, you can play a LOT of cards in one turn.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Fpg_3mDfw3df0pX674D_M5rpk0UP2nzlp_4utyPftpgV8dKGzZ5jfhyphenhyphenRW9MthGI_2zA6o8CgwajlFgmJOlPWbg-Vb4fHVRRNUhdhHWAYk-RV1_6emo_-8sQSnAl1hn6PFlyI9RDMWzY/s200/Finisher.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Fpg_3mDfw3df0pX674D_M5rpk0UP2nzlp_4utyPftpgV8dKGzZ5jfhyphenhyphenRW9MthGI_2zA6o8CgwajlFgmJOlPWbg-Vb4fHVRRNUhdhHWAYk-RV1_6emo_-8sQSnAl1hn6PFlyI9RDMWzY/s0/Finisher.png" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Finisher is also huge in this deck type. Finisher deals 6 damage to an enemy for each Attack that you played that turn. Since you could easily be chucking 5-10 Shivs in a turn, Finisher can rapidly, uh, finish off the monsters.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihL7QAzpqtxgz7zvqIc4e7GebaD_Kgq2tdBB-N-GamoxGecAixM4ieXO0F4CZJ4eof5pYLv3M9nBq8glsKSjOjVVR2zZKQ9IhKLYraio_3w-o1oo5e_tXoaiBOVk93uf3nQjbbIF7Y7JI/s200/AfterImage.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihL7QAzpqtxgz7zvqIc4e7GebaD_Kgq2tdBB-N-GamoxGecAixM4ieXO0F4CZJ4eof5pYLv3M9nBq8glsKSjOjVVR2zZKQ9IhKLYraio_3w-o1oo5e_tXoaiBOVk93uf3nQjbbIF7Y7JI/s0/AfterImage.png" /></a></div>My two favorite cards for this archetype are A Thousand Cuts and After Image. They're both rare cards, so you aren't likely to get them right away, but they greatly enhance your deck's power later in the game. A Thousand Cuts is a Power that states, "Whenever you play a card, deal 1 damage to ALL enemies." Upgraded, this damage is increased to 2 per card. With A Thousand Cuts in play, just think of all the incidental damage you can deal with a turn of playing Burst, Blade Dance, Blade Dance, and 9 Shivs.</div><div><br /></div><div>After Image can be an important piece of your defenses. Whenever you play a card, gain 1 Block. Not a lot by itself, but when you're playing 6-12 cards a turn, it adds up to a lot of incidental Block.</div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisC9hoJyg-PnY7wv343KMqf380HueYUYCewNLPVjMQ81-pUjeMk7h2Ifr4haCXJtI2R2tS27XtSHWLmlsMKzeTifBS9T7Q3xoDPdVU3st7KBkC399PyFtiHtQRRuKDEM3znreLM-8ui6k/s200/AThousandCuts.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisC9hoJyg-PnY7wv343KMqf380HueYUYCewNLPVjMQ81-pUjeMk7h2Ifr4haCXJtI2R2tS27XtSHWLmlsMKzeTifBS9T7Q3xoDPdVU3st7KBkC399PyFtiHtQRRuKDEM3znreLM-8ui6k/s0/AThousandCuts.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVUPXTI6ies6OSPkKUd0JneqYJWE_L3O0qHafyyY0J78aS07ryXHdEFSg-wnu7Awku05rED6QwpM9Xf-ssbsxUiIYzeSHE7YgIjOfdkXzVQfmh3kHIhjnSvJgVV_qyEyGlRoKIR4HbXw/s200/Panache.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVUPXTI6ies6OSPkKUd0JneqYJWE_L3O0qHafyyY0J78aS07ryXHdEFSg-wnu7Awku05rED6QwpM9Xf-ssbsxUiIYzeSHE7YgIjOfdkXzVQfmh3kHIhjnSvJgVV_qyEyGlRoKIR4HbXw/s0/Panache.png" /></a></div><br />Keep in mind that this archetype, while strong, can be very reliant on Power cards or on drawing the right combination of Skill and Attack cards each turn. This can mean that you may need some time to set up before dishing out the damage. Be prepared to take some damage at the beginning of each combat as you get set up. You'll likely have to heal up at Rest Stops rather than upgrading your cards, unless you're able to acquire some good colorless healing cards or healing relics.<div><br /></div><div>Speaking of colorless cards, Panache is incredible for this deck. Frankly, Panache is my favorite colorless card, and possibly my favorite card in Slay the Spire. It is VERY easy to trigger, often multiple times per turn, with this deck.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Other Ideas</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuTcAVvfnPBuwhw-OaPB1ZXJsPoSBlbFpwWfOkdv1xw9CqdtHZ0EfPM8fJWX_ZIslHfW1i9GXtukCAxt8n_LmN80XqM6xFmvi7cS8f_trrSgQQxXqZJAqr7czSaYAMlPjaXmpdEujf5Lo/s200/Flechettes.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuTcAVvfnPBuwhw-OaPB1ZXJsPoSBlbFpwWfOkdv1xw9CqdtHZ0EfPM8fJWX_ZIslHfW1i9GXtukCAxt8n_LmN80XqM6xFmvi7cS8f_trrSgQQxXqZJAqr7czSaYAMlPjaXmpdEujf5Lo/s0/Flechettes.png" /></a></div><br />The Silent has a few other strategies you can try. There's a discard-matters theme within the Silent's kit that seems interesting, but I've never been able to make work; it's possible that the payoff cards like Sneaky Strike and Eviscerate just aren't strong enough? If you get a good discard deck going, please let me know in the comments!</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiujtTzB6vX4UDYPdsaHO6hjm_PmEb-LSmzFkwAjrnngU_ocC1J3QiQ29ligWYAVRbvskJBSNzlqctoOJ8K8IaGaz7tIA_EeGl0sN2B6PP9CCnM8qqFIPFaMSOLGPgdjfyNU2FZpX7XoC4/s200/Eviscerate.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiujtTzB6vX4UDYPdsaHO6hjm_PmEb-LSmzFkwAjrnngU_ocC1J3QiQ29ligWYAVRbvskJBSNzlqctoOJ8K8IaGaz7tIA_EeGl0sN2B6PP9CCnM8qqFIPFaMSOLGPgdjfyNU2FZpX7XoC4/s0/Eviscerate.png" /></a></div><br />The Silent is also capable of drawing a lot of cards under the right circumstances, which makes Flechettes a really intriguing card that can potentially deal a lot of damage. I've had it do good things for me, but only as a part of a deck focused on other things. I'd love to see it used as a payoff card for a One Big Turn deck that draws lots of cards to load up on Skills.<br /><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div>Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-51999171889502051772021-02-13T23:59:00.005-08:002021-02-14T00:01:50.759-08:00Slaying the Spire for Fun and Profit, Part 2: The Ironclad<p> </p><p><br /></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBsIokoYdZWwv4A40Cy4PIev2Xzb8Ad84dJ_pM1B-vbk9YRirJfpTtneMBheZfjynP5Y_vCZXi8kHnThosTodRfxzbiwqZIEWiDWU_LM7b2RGYsvatNVgZIPohJO9NZcZMynryEjT1n5w/s270/Ironclad.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBsIokoYdZWwv4A40Cy4PIev2Xzb8Ad84dJ_pM1B-vbk9YRirJfpTtneMBheZfjynP5Y_vCZXi8kHnThosTodRfxzbiwqZIEWiDWU_LM7b2RGYsvatNVgZIPohJO9NZcZMynryEjT1n5w/s0/Ironclad.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>THE IRONCLAD</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div>The Ironclad has, in my opinion, the strongest starting relic in the game. Burning Blood heals the Ironclad for 6 HP after each fight. This means that the Ironclad can make riskier plays and take damage, confident that they will recover some of the lost HP.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Ironclad has, on average, the best Attack cards in the game. His defenses tend to be weaker, but he makes up for this both by healing, and by simply killing the enemies quickly, before they can injure him too much. I have found two strategies for the Ironclad that have been successful:</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDskww87IRulfEYYD7wdqtDsrY2dR1g47AOim0OieQ6jCIP0N9TaysZ6xHhUxL7Mv2JtIHI0R97MlQvemw65oaIqfFiQVd6pD1cgozYVI2XxpuJ9SuhPcDTcPNrTBarCAGPz3gJgV6suM/s874/Flex.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="678" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDskww87IRulfEYYD7wdqtDsrY2dR1g47AOim0OieQ6jCIP0N9TaysZ6xHhUxL7Mv2JtIHI0R97MlQvemw65oaIqfFiQVd6pD1cgozYVI2XxpuJ9SuhPcDTcPNrTBarCAGPz3gJgV6suM/w155-h200/Flex.png" width="155" /></a></div><br /></div><div><b>Strength Ramp</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>This deck type relies on gaining high Strength as quickly as possible. Strength enhances the damage of your attacks. A Strike, for example, normally deals a mere 6 damage for 1 energy. If the player has 3 Strength, though, that Strike will hit for a much more acceptable 9 damage.</div><br /><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkW1H0kV3BImUV9Ff6z3NVFqgOGV_rAkJdQAk7cuZHcCWic-g5lbZHy-YKF1U5r2SjCNT7MHYedbMUjmAqr9khj0ikewQB10_p46hXMGQks6G_0VGahrPtLmYCk0wZNRpJMzzjRMc83IA/s874/Inflame.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="678" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkW1H0kV3BImUV9Ff6z3NVFqgOGV_rAkJdQAk7cuZHcCWic-g5lbZHy-YKF1U5r2SjCNT7MHYedbMUjmAqr9khj0ikewQB10_p46hXMGQks6G_0VGahrPtLmYCk0wZNRpJMzzjRMc83IA/w155-h200/Inflame.png" width="155" /></a></div></blockquote><p></p><div>The Ironclad has several options for gaining Strength. Some of my favorites are Flex and Ignite, but you will encounter others as you work through the game. </div><div><div><br /></div><div>For this strategy, try to pick up cards and relics that increase your strength. Additionally, look for cards that reward you for having high strength. The obvious card here is Heavy Blade, as high Strength significantly raps its damage. However, cards that hit multiple times, like Sword Boomerang and Twin Strike, also become much stronger when your Strength increases.</div></div><p></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-TaKiJgT7DEj_WY6KXfL0L4z02LdTzVyaK37QiB3DOnF72WnOz1-3qFaHteQLM5Tli4Fbc0nRa_uRBQWywif5BEu4Shrp3Lx7OcGPDcO7J5mRSL5vVFxXnexgfRroRK5R7b02bRfH-n0/s874/HeavyBlade.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="678" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-TaKiJgT7DEj_WY6KXfL0L4z02LdTzVyaK37QiB3DOnF72WnOz1-3qFaHteQLM5Tli4Fbc0nRa_uRBQWywif5BEu4Shrp3Lx7OcGPDcO7J5mRSL5vVFxXnexgfRroRK5R7b02bRfH-n0/w155-h200/HeavyBlade.png" width="155" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Because your defenses will be pretty weak, cards like Metallicize and relics like Orichalcum will be important for maintaining your HP. You may also want to pick up one or two copies of Reaper, which can hit for high damage (and therefore heal a lot of HP) once your Strength is ramped up.</div><div><br /></div><div>This archetype can also heavily benefit from cards like Feed, which can permanently raise your current and max HP if you use it to kill an enemy. Wait until the opportune moment, then strike with a big Feed to gain a bigger health pool!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCuRz4DsOqN5LU81iW3YSUFqVinq-azZsYq1hxakEAruR0zfCGB4aNI6LoEUQmyRKidMiZ0ISWunllRFOu0x5h9Oj26NJEYoI-YREC-UTLVYsjwCqgXLvnosnbn1rkjfETzfo_Zh0MMOs/s874/Reaper.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="678" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCuRz4DsOqN5LU81iW3YSUFqVinq-azZsYq1hxakEAruR0zfCGB4aNI6LoEUQmyRKidMiZ0ISWunllRFOu0x5h9Oj26NJEYoI-YREC-UTLVYsjwCqgXLvnosnbn1rkjfETzfo_Zh0MMOs/w155-h200/Reaper.png" width="155" /></a></div><br /><div>One important interaction to take advantage of: Flex + Limit Break.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpz1NS-so4_CnVfY_fkhywWesEKjEGUvsB-qG1Tqr9xaXqQSfVTqk6wDuZI3aurMstw1KmIXQzFn0UW36dllkmM5UibET2bvECqqwbGFo0WLber1YCY9m1Q2NpT4sRXxHNd7J7q1KBB0/s874/LimitBreak.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="678" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpz1NS-so4_CnVfY_fkhywWesEKjEGUvsB-qG1Tqr9xaXqQSfVTqk6wDuZI3aurMstw1KmIXQzFn0UW36dllkmM5UibET2bvECqqwbGFo0WLber1YCY9m1Q2NpT4sRXxHNd7J7q1KBB0/w155-h200/LimitBreak.png" width="155" /></a></div><br />Flex allows you to gain 2 Strength, but you lose 2 Strength at the end of the turn. It's a nice boost in Strength for 0 energy, which can make for some strong turns by itself, but it's only a temporary boost.</div><div><br /></div><div>Limit Break doubles your Strength. If you play Flex and then Limit Break, you will gain 4 Strength, but still only lose 2 Strength at the end of the turn. This essentially makes the Flex boost permanent! </div><div><br /></div><div>Upgrade your Flex to give you a temporary 4 Strength, and upgrade your Limit Break so that it doesn't Exhaust, or leave your deck until the end of the fight. That way you can repeatedly combo these cards throughout the fight. It can be very easy to get 20 or more Strength very rapidly!</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDGqhwzhwvQYCZqL6JqHsi2vyHBvLZ_JBosR8v0mB8gHJZ0ecPeSZStT1m3M8OM6kR5sxb63K_A6Aena5TLZYSnxBZWPjS-H1xCkSK0ynZJKy33vzHBMSMp25oIlCJDG1yIokR8y7TvQ/s200/Mayhem.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDGqhwzhwvQYCZqL6JqHsi2vyHBvLZ_JBosR8v0mB8gHJZ0ecPeSZStT1m3M8OM6kR5sxb63K_A6Aena5TLZYSnxBZWPjS-H1xCkSK0ynZJKy33vzHBMSMp25oIlCJDG1yIokR8y7TvQ/s0/Mayhem.png" /></a></div><br />Because this deck tends to play a lot of 2- or 3-energy Attack cards, Mayhem can be a very strong colorless card to pick up if you have the opportunity. J.A.X. is also great, as it is a 0-energy card that boosts your Strength.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Fire Breathing/Evolve<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozL6o-ys0cNGuh1QtOk_caQpFHrvop3yOVxFkTBNT04GO5ZzqnkJkNd7Ne_xCmrsuDt5a2Jhor7SdABimuAByMRNTFrLmaupVAa6auXXhs0tXl9CXRBxAat-NLVlGZ0C52lAhyBgBKa4/s874/FireBreathing.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="678" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozL6o-ys0cNGuh1QtOk_caQpFHrvop3yOVxFkTBNT04GO5ZzqnkJkNd7Ne_xCmrsuDt5a2Jhor7SdABimuAByMRNTFrLmaupVAa6auXXhs0tXl9CXRBxAat-NLVlGZ0C52lAhyBgBKa4/w155-h200/FireBreathing.png" width="155" /></a></div><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>The Fire Breathing deck can be tricky to assemble, but if you get the cards you need, it can dish out an absurd amount of damage to all enemies each turn.</div><div><br /></div><div>The key to this deck is the card Fire Breathing, which deals 6 damage to each enemy every time you draw a Status or Curse card. The damage is increased to 10 if you upgrade the card, which you absolutely should, as it will be the primary source of damage in your deck.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, some enemies will very obligingly add Status cards to your deck as you fight them, such as Wound, Dazed, Slime, or Burn. You don't want to rely on this, though, so it's up to you to add Status cards to your deck yourself. You can also scoop up some Curse cards as you go along; they're not as bothersome for you as they are for other decks!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQCK2T0Rhfe4CKSvYYtKxQjStEIIAX8jWKgp8gmLhlPD_Db-zgZrQ6nxSBVRakdq9wOXnCad3sQ0fQRDuc4g1mjNwh1lF7igAEbywDRZqGu6oZ4DXC-W6BGvcmXJYk8jSxWAQVWYZFOo0/s200/Immolate.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQCK2T0Rhfe4CKSvYYtKxQjStEIIAX8jWKgp8gmLhlPD_Db-zgZrQ6nxSBVRakdq9wOXnCad3sQ0fQRDuc4g1mjNwh1lF7igAEbywDRZqGu6oZ4DXC-W6BGvcmXJYk8jSxWAQVWYZFOo0/s0/Immolate.png" /></a></div>Cards like Immolate, Wild Strike, Power Through, and Reckless Charge allow you to add Status cards into your deck. They are also aggressively costed, dealing very high damage or providing very high block for the cost.<br /><div><br /></div><div>This means that you can often clear out smaller creatures or prevent a lot of damage while you get set up. Your deck does need time to draw and play Fire Breathing, and your "setup" cards which make Fire Breathing strong will also help you survive the early turns.</div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdLVDzgx8s5l_hRf3W3lAdfbIlj8bm88FKvCJMHslYpYHE4wAvgLIi17y7Am1B5mTYKtUVCcN3emcEjuB9oPwj-h8xfzmkKsJwtkYQrXAAsXfTXjBHKYvlB9MaHV3Vb6fQGg0yKi-DKE/s874/PowerThrough.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="678" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdLVDzgx8s5l_hRf3W3lAdfbIlj8bm88FKvCJMHslYpYHE4wAvgLIi17y7Am1B5mTYKtUVCcN3emcEjuB9oPwj-h8xfzmkKsJwtkYQrXAAsXfTXjBHKYvlB9MaHV3Vb6fQGg0yKi-DKE/w155-h200/PowerThrough.png" width="155" /></a></div>Once you have Fire Breathing in play (or hopefully two or three copies of it!), all you need to do to dish out damage is draw lots of cards. As you draw, Fire Breathing will dish out the damage to all enemies, and you can keep adding more Status cards to your deck for value until Fire Breathing takes care of things.<div><br /></div><div>The best way to draw cards in this deck type?</div><div><br /></div><div>Evolve!</div><div><br /></div><div>Evolve draws you an extra cards every time you draw a Status card. Under normal circumstances, all this means is that you don't get punished by enemies who are shuffling Slime and Dazed and so forth into your deck.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS0hZEksaks7zSXA0nzO5UBB8b2I5CXS7eRijOTWus4bxvPaSv1-lsbLYGTkrIogh3b6VcVHtuChSO1RJ0ceb5N-G_RLl_IeZ16vCty33wquAmWuAHWuiHup06wWGZYzlNNKQCrW0YQwA/s200/Evolve.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS0hZEksaks7zSXA0nzO5UBB8b2I5CXS7eRijOTWus4bxvPaSv1-lsbLYGTkrIogh3b6VcVHtuChSO1RJ0ceb5N-G_RLl_IeZ16vCty33wquAmWuAHWuiHup06wWGZYzlNNKQCrW0YQwA/s0/Evolve.png" /></a></div>In this Fire Breathing deck, though, drawing extra cards means dealing extra damage! An upgraded Evolve means drawing TWO cards each time you draw a Status card. Once you've set up with a couple copies of Fire Breathing and an Evolve, you can draw half of your deck or more each turn and easily dish out 30+ damage to all enemies, before having ever played any cards that turn!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSdztQLB-f1TnX97JC6RNjZfJ6Y0hOSgeZP1VAZ2bgZQ4Ll5Ikr0v-8_idZ6ghqdNseNjkonkIXGD-tPA2SIbQNbY7HVg9BlMCmVZqT-ELTsKqmgMajOcGoNiji11YlZPBvihlncr-LrY/s200/Wound.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSdztQLB-f1TnX97JC6RNjZfJ6Y0hOSgeZP1VAZ2bgZQ4Ll5Ikr0v-8_idZ6ghqdNseNjkonkIXGD-tPA2SIbQNbY7HVg9BlMCmVZqT-ELTsKqmgMajOcGoNiji11YlZPBvihlncr-LrY/s0/Wound.png" /></a></div><br />Take note, Evolve does NOT trigger off Curse cards. Fire Breathing will still deal damage from Curse cards, so you can absolutely keep those Curses in your deck; just be aware that Evolve will only draw cards when you draw Wound, Dazed, Burn, Slime, Void, etc.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This strategy can be difficult to set up, as it requires some very specific cards, but is incredibly strong if you are able to acquire the pieces.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Other Ideas</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpnUyCAk8So5gKsVAYWiYaNt-ZQesi-xJbUuZjZ35EK0XakO7uuANiVq2CThtwB4c6idDQ0107eqjcSlArwi8hJNAcZZG_lZcG-0N13uIOPVv8eOsQqUWVD4nXFYQpiluihfpSvc89RjY/s200/Juggernaut.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpnUyCAk8So5gKsVAYWiYaNt-ZQesi-xJbUuZjZ35EK0XakO7uuANiVq2CThtwB4c6idDQ0107eqjcSlArwi8hJNAcZZG_lZcG-0N13uIOPVv8eOsQqUWVD4nXFYQpiluihfpSvc89RjY/s0/Juggernaut.png" /></a></div><br />I keep trying to make a Body Slam/Juggernaut deck, but it has yet to come together. It's possible the cards are a trap. While the Ironclad is capable of generating a massive amount of Block with cards like Barricade and Impervious, it's possible that overall the defensive Ironclad cards are just too weak to make a Block deck work.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheu6smZ8K_vYkQ15H7oaFK_YKk4LdBhGQkizPC8t2YU-F7_GPKXTr6yJ5KOnSOQ5JsfXMi7ClUTgOYLTso6VC-eVvnKLyeuSwODFDFmW4g0x3dmM5MAQeq70PXsRFwAFXcvz0yiGmgsZU/s200/Bludgeon.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheu6smZ8K_vYkQ15H7oaFK_YKk4LdBhGQkizPC8t2YU-F7_GPKXTr6yJ5KOnSOQ5JsfXMi7ClUTgOYLTso6VC-eVvnKLyeuSwODFDFmW4g0x3dmM5MAQeq70PXsRFwAFXcvz0yiGmgsZU/s0/Bludgeon.png" /></a></div><br />The Ironclad also has a lot of cards built around Exhaust, which removes cards from your deck until the end of combat. Many of them are strong on their own, such as the aforementioned Reaper, or Exhume, which lets you get back one of your Exhausted cards. I'd really love to build a deck that exhausts a lot of cards, perhaps with Corruption, Fiend Fire, Second Wind, and/or Burning Pact, and just leave myself with a slim couple of cards that are real heavy hitters, like Carnage or Bludgeon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8bs1dFmpoDIcBYYbwHqeDO-JNnrZ3bN_AQStRD1U0hmOnOx7leb5rHbpIoVUTba4PKlTo7EYXNR8tDAib7R8Xnpv_QKO6DqJEUbQLCYGd_v2Xexug85DsB1UPXVwkuvsWV7OVG17sdY/s200/Corruption.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8bs1dFmpoDIcBYYbwHqeDO-JNnrZ3bN_AQStRD1U0hmOnOx7leb5rHbpIoVUTba4PKlTo7EYXNR8tDAib7R8Xnpv_QKO6DqJEUbQLCYGd_v2Xexug85DsB1UPXVwkuvsWV7OVG17sdY/s0/Corruption.png" /></a></div>There are a fair number of cards that reward you for Exhausting your cards, like Dark Embrace and Feel No Pain, but primarily I'd like to see a deck that just clears out almost all the cards in the deck and just continually play and redraw the same really strong cards. If anyone can do it, it would be the Ironclad.<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div>Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-17060920369074548342021-02-13T23:57:00.006-08:002021-02-14T08:59:40.370-08:00Slaying the Spire for Fun and Profit, Part 1: The Basics<p>Slay the Spire is a rogue-like deckbuilding card game wherein the player assembles a deck of cards to fight their way through three Acts to defeat the Heart of the Spire and escape the nightmare.</p><p>I have been playing it a lot lately and wanted to share my thoughts and advice on the different strategies available for players who have unlocked all the cards and relics. Please note, not all cards or strategies will be available when first starting the game; play more to unlock new cards and open up new strategies!</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mvR70IK3qB5qHSyhMTJaMr1T_g7pEY9CvfIQBpJ-8M1vw0B7zoBPXxMrHRc5kAHKoSDJZRSB8YJkhVjWNkOPtWs2mnuABIVwytDlj4q6Az1y1ZwaaDkPTlS_hAOdJmxAJwy6kJmMzyo/s250/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="202" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mvR70IK3qB5qHSyhMTJaMr1T_g7pEY9CvfIQBpJ-8M1vw0B7zoBPXxMrHRc5kAHKoSDJZRSB8YJkhVjWNkOPtWs2mnuABIVwytDlj4q6Az1y1ZwaaDkPTlS_hAOdJmxAJwy6kJmMzyo/s0/download.jpg" /></a></b></div><b><br />THE BASICS</b><p></p><p>The game initially launched with three characters:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The Ironclad: A fighter-themed sword-swinger</li><li>The Silent: A masked witch</li><li>The Defect: A robot trying its best</li></ul><div>Later, another character was added:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The Watcher, a stance-switching monk</li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrNXmYbw4M7qyDb9NoS6gffCYiOrreHwtZJlj5QzXgGKTrKiuDVbLJc4a799khe2Pl4wkHKt7Zr-vtDj4nsJghRifFsp42dcF5y2lojkyOVUOjBSlpY0K1e-afQJ7mXH-ISJ_W-PVG6Y/s400/Defend_R.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="310" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrNXmYbw4M7qyDb9NoS6gffCYiOrreHwtZJlj5QzXgGKTrKiuDVbLJc4a799khe2Pl4wkHKt7Zr-vtDj4nsJghRifFsp42dcF5y2lojkyOVUOjBSlpY0K1e-afQJ7mXH-ISJ_W-PVG6Y/w155-h200/Defend_R.png" width="155" /></a></div><br />Each character gets their own unique starting relic and a very basic deck. The basic deck is usually 4 Strike cards, 4 Defend cards, and one copy each of two cards that are unique to that character. The unique cards and relics will try to push players into certain strategies or demonstrate some of the character's strengths. Each character also starts with a different amount of health or HP.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>The player selects their character and works their way through a series of procedurally-generated rooms along branching paths until they reach the Boss at the end of the Act. Rooms may contain normal monsters, Elite monsters, Rest Sites where the player can heal or improve their deck, Markets where they can add new cards to their deck or obtain more relics, or treasure chests where they gain useful loot.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YnIy6jGzmV1F_SO5eumxC8aVoXl8RzDrvoI3mklZ10Fv0GyfUvRiaz1j4KyICy8FnZPtWnPEVqTfF0Ok1-gyTR9qVFZpTJyzldqmAgch6HPKKM8sCDrLWfsOeNznuYmjSeOzhdwk9ME/s400/Strike_G.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="310" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YnIy6jGzmV1F_SO5eumxC8aVoXl8RzDrvoI3mklZ10Fv0GyfUvRiaz1j4KyICy8FnZPtWnPEVqTfF0Ok1-gyTR9qVFZpTJyzldqmAgch6HPKKM8sCDrLWfsOeNznuYmjSeOzhdwk9ME/w155-h200/Strike_G.png" width="155" /></a></div><br />The player must carefully manage their HP, as they can usually only heal at Rest Sites or after completing an Act. Elite monsters give better loot when defeated, but are more likely to leave the player bloodied and bruised. Do you risk taking on the Elite, or take the safer path and hope your deck is good enough to fight the Boss?</div><div><br /></div><div>The following strategies are by no means the only strategies available to these characters. They are summaries, however, of strategies that I have used successfully to beat the game. Slay the Spire rewards replay, so feel free to find your own path. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-55520836716309185532014-12-02T20:37:00.000-08:002014-12-02T20:37:31.049-08:00What Is League of Legends (LoL) ?I have been spending... some non-specific amount of time and energy playing <a href="http://na.leagueoflegends.com/">League of Legends</a> by Riot Games. It is a deep, strategic, tactical, and enjoyable game. I plan on posting a series of articles about different aspects of the game. Unfortunately, not everyone knows what the heck League of Legends even is, so this is the article I'm going to point them towards to get the basics.<br />
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<a href="http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/229/files/2014/05/league-of-legends-logo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/229/files/2014/05/league-of-legends-logo1.jpg" height="200" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>MOBA, No Duh</b><br />
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LoL is classified as a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiplayer_online_battle_arena">MOBA</a>, a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena. There are quite a few such games these days--DoTA 2, Smite, Heroes of the Storm, etc. You can look 'em up if you're interested, but they're CLEARLY inferior to League of Legends, otherwise I'd be writing the article about them. MOBAs also have the moniker "action real-time strategy games," which is awesome not just because "ARTS games" are now thing (hah!), but because it's a pretty apt description. <br />
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MOBA games are team-based real-time action games--there's no waiting for your opponent's turn to finish. The clock is always ticking, and if you're not accomplishing anything useful, the enemy team is likely gaining an advantage. Each player controls a single character with a limited set of abilities. Together, teammates must coordinate to destroy the enemy base before the enemy team destroys their base.<br />
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Map_of_MOBA.svg/2000px-Map_of_MOBA.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Map_of_MOBA.svg/2000px-Map_of_MOBA.svg.png" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
There are plenty of game modes within most MOBAs, but the basic game mode is 5v5 on a map like the one above. The two blue corners represent the bases that need to be destroyed. The yellow bars represent paths or "lanes." <br />
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Each base regularly spawns minions that march down the three lanes. These minions (also known as "creep") do not respond to commands from any of the players; they just march down their lanes and automatically attack any enemies they see. If they encounter an enemy structure, they will attack it until it is destroyed.<br />
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The blue dots on the map represent towers or turrets that defend the lanes. Any enemies (including minions) that come in range will be attacked by these towers. The towers also give vision of the map, which makes it very difficult to sneak into the enemy base without being noticed.<br />
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The green area is the jungle. This has a lot of twisting paths through which players can travel from lane to lane. There are also neutral monsters in the jungle that players can attack to gain extra gold and experience.<br />
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Since there are typically 5 players on a team and only 3 lanes, players will usually take up specific positions in the early game. In League of Legends, one player will take the top lane, one in the mid lane, two in the bottom lane (one of which is usually a support character), and one in the jungle who roams between the lanes and helps alleviate pressure. <br />
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<b>Build It Up, Tear It Down</b><br />
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League of Legends steadily ramps up towards a very intense end game. Players' characters or "champions" start with a small amount of gold and no experience points. As they kill minions and enemies and destroy objectives, they acquire more gold (which they can use to purchase items at their base) and more experience (which allows them to level up their abilities or gain new abilities). <br />
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In the early game, players will jockey for gold by "farming" minions. This means dealing the killing blow to a minion and gaining the gold for the kill. Simply being nearby when a minion dies will gain a player experience, but gold is only won by the person who deals the final blow. This is also called "creeping" and is an important skill to learn. <br />
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In the early game, farming is key. Many players will practically ignore enemy champions during the first few minutes of the game in favor of farming. (Of course, this can leave a player open to early ganks if they're not careful. If you're taking damage in order to kill creep, the opponent could jump in and finish you off. You can't farm when you're dead!)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140618120136/leagueoflegends/images/5/5b/Baron_Nashor_VU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140618120136/leagueoflegends/images/5/5b/Baron_Nashor_VU.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baron Nashor, an important objective in the jungle, halfway between the mid and top lanes.</td></tr>
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As players gain more gold, buy more items, and level up their abilities, they will become more powerful. Additionally, they will push the waves of minions up to the towers and take the towers down, breaking apart the enemy defenses. During the mid game, players will start to roam into other lanes and apply targeted pressure. They will take key objectives, such as: the dragon, which gives a global stat boost to every player on the team; Baron Nashor, who is a tough mofo, but gives a powerful temporary boost to every living player on the team; enemy towers; and inhibitors. Inhibitors are defenseless structures in the enemy base that sit behind the third tier of towers. When your team destroys an enemy inhibitor, your base begins spawning super minions, which are tougher and deal more damage. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20141126213425/leagueoflegends/images/9/99/Inhibitor.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20141126213425/leagueoflegends/images/9/99/Inhibitor.png" height="320" width="303" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is an inhibitor, yo.</td></tr>
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As a team takes objectives and gains power and momentum, they can push into the late game, where the teams group up and fight to destroy the final defenses and destroy the enemy nexus. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://image3.redbull.com/rbcom/010/2013-10-08/1331614872375_3/0010/1/1500/1000/3/league-of-legends-nexus.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://image3.redbull.com/rbcom/010/2013-10-08/1331614872375_3/0010/1/1500/1000/3/league-of-legends-nexus.png" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue side's nexus, guarded by two towers to ward off attacks by the filthy purple team.</td></tr>
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First to destroy the nexus wins, every time. Doesn't matter how many kills you get; if you don't level up, buy items, take objectives, and destroy the nexus, you lose.</div>
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<b>FREEEEEEEEDOOOOOOOOM</b></div>
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League of Legends is completely free to play. Seriously. You don't have to spend any money to enjoy every aspect of the game. You can acquire every champion and play every game mode without spending a dime. Playing a match earns you IP, which can be used to purchase champions as well as "runes" which give you slight stat boosts during a game. </div>
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There are more than 120 champions in League of Legends, each with their own unique abilities and advantages. There are close-range tanks that soak up damage and do annoying things to draw enemy fire. There are ranged marksmen that dish out a lot of damage, but have to avoid TAKING damage because they are mighty squishy. There are spellcasters and healers and assassins and a Koopa turtle with a spin move that looks like Sonic the Hedgehog. Also robots and ponies and pirates and cowboys and a scarecrow. And tiny little people called yordles with adorable chubbly cheeks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120317032830/leagueoflegends/images/2/25/Lulu_OriginalSkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120317032830/leagueoflegends/images/2/25/Lulu_OriginalSkin.jpg" height="232" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SOOOO CUUUUUTE</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Really, no matter your tastes, you're going to find champions that connect with you.<br />
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There are always 10 champions available without having to purchase them. Those free champions rotate each week, so you can always try new champions. Riot Games does a good job of giving players a good variety within the free champs--there's always at least one good champion for each of the five major roles, with a diversity of play styles and themes. If you jump into the game, just try a few of the free champs and see what you like!<br />
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Once you've found characters that you like, you can purchase them in the store using the IP you've gathered from playing the game! <br />
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IP lets you buy everything in the game, with one exception. Skins.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.empireonline.com/images/uploaded/indiana-jones-snakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.empireonline.com/images/uploaded/indiana-jones-snakes.jpg" height="168" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skins. Why did it have to be skins?</td></tr>
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I know what you're thinking. "Psh, why would I want to pay real money so that my fake digital character can wear different clothes?"<br />
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YOU CAN PUT THAT THOUGHT AWAY RIGHT NOW.<br />
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Why would you want your champion to look like this:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.leagueoflegendsskins.com/images/champions/splash/Blitzcrank_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.leagueoflegendsskins.com/images/champions/splash/Blitzcrank_0.jpg" height="233" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is your Blitzcrank</td></tr>
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When you could look like this:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120823152158/leagueoflegends/images/thumb/2/20/Blitzcrank_PiltoverCustomsSkin_Ch.jpg/800px-Blitzcrank_PiltoverCustomsSkin_Ch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120823152158/leagueoflegends/images/thumb/2/20/Blitzcrank_PiltoverCustomsSkin_Ch.jpg/800px-Blitzcrank_PiltoverCustomsSkin_Ch.jpg" height="232" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is your Blitzcrank on AWESOME</td></tr>
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Would you really prefer this:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120617125942/leagueoflegends/images/thumb/3/3b/Teemo_OriginalSkin.jpg/613x460x2-Teemo_OriginalSkin.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120617125942/leagueoflegends/images/thumb/3/3b/Teemo_OriginalSkin.jpg/613x460x2-Teemo_OriginalSkin.png" height="291" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Say hello to Teemo</td></tr>
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Over this:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.leagueoflegendsskins.com/images/champions/splash/Teemo_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.leagueoflegendsskins.com/images/champions/splash/Teemo_4.jpg" height="233" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Say hello to Teemo... IN SPACE</td></tr>
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As much as I love this champion:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100202204016/leagueoflegends/images/thumb/3/3b/Anivia_OriginalSkin.jpg/613x460x2-Anivia_OriginalSkin.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100202204016/leagueoflegends/images/thumb/3/3b/Anivia_OriginalSkin.jpg/613x460x2-Anivia_OriginalSkin.png" height="291" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, Anivia. How I love you</td></tr>
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I have to admit she looks much better like this:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/img/champion/splash/Anivia_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/img/champion/splash/Anivia_4.jpg" height="232" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WAAAAAAANT</td></tr>
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I guess I can kinda see why some people would have trouble choosing between this:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120912044402/leagueoflegends/images/thumb/9/91/Miss_Fortune_OriginalSkin.jpg/500px-Miss_Fortune_OriginalSkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120912044402/leagueoflegends/images/thumb/9/91/Miss_Fortune_OriginalSkin.jpg/500px-Miss_Fortune_OriginalSkin.jpg" height="232" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miss Fortune</td></tr>
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And this:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mobafire.com/images/champion/skins/landscape/miss-fortune-mafia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.mobafire.com/images/champion/skins/landscape/miss-fortune-mafia.jpg" height="232" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miss Fortune IN THE MAFIA WHY DO PEOPLE NEED CONVINCING ON THIS</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Here's the thing about champion skins: They don't JUST change how the character looks, although frankly that alone is pretty awesome. They also add new or different phrases the champion will say--entirely new voice work for your character! AND the animations are different, which doesn't just look cool, but can actually have a minor effect on the game. If your opponent is used to your attack looking a particular way, then changing the animation can actually throw off their ability to dodge. Which means that skins aren't just awesome, they can actually help you win!<br />
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But you can only acquire them by purchasing RP, which costs real dollars. And let me tell you, plenty of people are shelling out, because Riot Games makes approximately ALL THE MONEY each quarter. The League of Legends <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Legends_World_Championship">World Championship</a> took place recently and had a prize pool of $2 million. <br />
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Still, you can thoroughly enjoy the game without ever spending any money at all. And I really do think you'll enjoy it.<br />
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<a href="https://signup.leagueoflegends.com/en/signup/redownload">Download the game here.</a></div>
Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-84992945152952679062014-08-02T08:57:00.000-07:002014-08-02T08:57:35.839-07:00J-AWE Dropping Design<a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/20992/andreas-propst">Andreas Propst</a>, famed designer of such indie board game hits as <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/135220/elemental-clash-master-set">Elemental Clash</a>, <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/62990/space-clash">Space Clash</a>, and <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/113615/biomechanic-dino-battles-deckbuilding-game">Biomechanical Dino Battles</a>, is at it again.<br />
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Andi has a strong track record of taking solid game ideas and evolving them into polished products that are easy to learn, but with plenty of depth and strategy, and most of all, fun. Now he has launched a Kickstarter campaign for his latest creation: AWE - Antediluvian Wars: Extermination! <br />
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<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1883684090/awe-antediluvian-wars-extermination-tactical-card">Check out the Kickstarter campaign here!</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="AWE on KS fb" src="http://andisgamesrealm.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/awe-on-ks-fb.jpg?w=690" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AWWWWWWE YEEEEEAAAAAHH!!</td></tr>
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AWE is exactly the kind of game I always wanted to design--an expandable, compact, two-player competitive card game in which each card can be used in multiple ways. The versatility of the cards gives players a lot of interesting tactical decisions throughout the game. <br />
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As you can see in the example card below, each card can be used in three main ways. Played right-side up, it is a creature that will stay on the board and fight for your cause until it is killed or you win the game. Played upside-down, it is a one-shot event that will have an effect and then be discarded. Played sideways, the card acts as a resource, allowing you to play more cards to bring your opponent to his or her knees.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Hyperborean Heavy Cavalry Sample" src="http://andisgamesrealm.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/hyperborean-heavy-cavalry-sample.png?w=414&h=565" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And check out that stellar art!</td></tr>
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There's even a handy diagram to explain the concept:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="How to play a card" src="http://andisgamesrealm.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/how-to-play-a-card.jpg?w=690&h=501" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simple mechanic, tons of depth. Each card immediately presents the player with three different decisions, and the choice the player makes will lead to further decisions. When do I attack? What do I target? How do I allocate my resources?</td></tr>
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In AWE, each player takes on the role of a God of one of four unique factions: Mu, Lemuria, Atlantis, and Hyperborea. Each God has two unique abilities that will give players an edge throughout the game. Each faction has a different flavor and unique emphases. <br />
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Will you play as the Lemurians, dark-skinned masters of long-lost technologies such as flying warships and Thunderrods? <br />
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Perhaps you are more drawn to Hyperboreans, stout northerners who ride woolly rhinos and mammoths into battle to destroy their enemies with gunpowder and steam-powered weaponry? <br />
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Maybe you feel a connection with the sea-faring Atlanteans and their well-organized and well-trained infantry and cavalry--not to mention their ability to summon mighty sea serpents to do battle alongside them. <br />
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Or do the shamanistic Muans appeal to you with their powerful and versatile magic and their deep connection with nature?<br />
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Whatever you choose, you won't be wrong!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="AWE Warrior Concepts" src="http://andisgamesrealm.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/awe-warrior-concepts.jpg?w=690&h=314" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unless of course you choose the Atlanteans. Those guys are chumps!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Want to make sure this is your kind of game? <a href="http://www.awetcg.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/AWE-Game-Rules-V0.2.pdf">You can read the full game rules here.</a></div>
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<div>
Still not convinced? <a href="http://andisgamesrealm.wordpress.com/2014/08/02/awe-antediluvian-wars-extermination-on-kickstarter-the-story-of-awe/">Check out Andi's latest blog post, detailing the history of the game's creation!</a></div>
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The Kickstarter has already broken $1100 and is on its way to making the game a reality. If this game sounds AWEsome to you, please consider backing it! I already have, and I'm excited to get the game into my hands and the hands of my friends and family. </div>
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If you're strapped for funds, please feel free to help spread the word by sharing the project on Facebook, Twitter, or on your blog.</div>
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Thanks for reading!</div>
Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-59258486088194582512014-02-06T23:02:00.002-08:002014-02-07T09:24:17.947-08:00Dead Space Mobile: Lessons in Porting/Designing for Mobile DevicesI am currently on my second playthrough of <a href="http://videogamegeek.com/videogame/116202/dead-space-mobile">Dead Space Mobile</a> on my <a href="http://www.motorola.com/us/Motorola-Photon-Q/m-PHOTON-Q-4G-LTE.html">Motorola Photon Q</a>. (My wife and I treated ourselves to fancy new smartphones for Christmas. I have to say, smartphones are amazing.) The first two Dead Space games on PS3 were two of the best survival horror games I have ever played. Dead Space 3 was awful, and I will eventually write a post on why it was so bad, but for now, suffice to say that it's not even worth playing.<br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4969851490743203824" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Dead Space Mobile does an exceptionally good job of translating the mechanics and feeling of the Dead Space franchise to a mobile platform. <br />
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<b>Story</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Dead Space Mobile takes a break from Isaac Clark's story to give us a peek at another corner of the Dead Space universe. You play as Vandal, a recent convert to Unitology tasked with sabotaging mining operation on Titan Station. Within the first few minutes of the game, though, your efforts prove to be part of a Unitology plot to release Necromorphs on the station. Unitologists, as has been established in other Dead Space works, are a crazy cult that believes that humanity must ascend to a higher form by dying and being reshaped into horrible clawed space zombies. These Necromorphs don't die easy; rather than taking off their heads, as in most zombie lore, you must surgically severe their limbs. Otherwise, they'll just keep coming at you.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="215" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSLIcV0r2lbMIlKPt_BPLBGkSNFnlJFbmG89hhUBg_FZA6tZdou" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Space zombies just want hugs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Left for dead on the station, it is up to you to repair the damage and prevent a catastrophe from destroying the station and all survivors of the Necromorph attacks. You proceed through a series of levels, often with a short tram ride in between, dismembering monsters, acquiring new weapons, and repairing vital systems on your way to a massive and intense boss fight in the final chapter. Oh, and Vandal is gradually going insane the whole time, so there's that.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="221" 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" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This isn't the final boss, but it is a big jerk that soaks up tons of your precious ammo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The plot doesn't offer many twists or surprises, but the setting and characters are interesting, and the tension builds well to a satisfying climax. I also enjoyed the nod to Metroid at the end of the game. There are some great jump-scares, too. The designers definitely know how to build suspense and terror, which is just what you want from a Dead Space game.<br />
<br />
<b>Controls</b><br />
<br />
Smartphone games are a challenge to design. The screen is small, and the user input is limited to the touchscreen interface and the phone's tilt controls. I was subsequently nervous about how Visceral Games was going to map Playstation controls onto a phone. It turns out that it works surprisingly well.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1488143_md.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left thumb to move, right thumb to look around, just like a Playstation controller.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As in the console Dead Space games, Dead Space Mobile gives the player an over-the-shoulder view of our armored protagonist. Vandal is on the left side of the screen. Placing your left thumb on Vandal allows you to move forward, backward, or side-to-side. Placing your right thumb on the right side of the screen allows you to change the camera angle, turn to the right or left, and aim your weapons. Movement and aiming are very smooth on my phone, as long as I keep the screen clean. I did have to occasionally wipe the screen to allow for uninhibited aiming, particularly during really tense fights, when my hands would get a little sweaty.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="212" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRSasQ_z-KVudp1sPDaHmhEHr-cD7e4dv_oZVfDJxN80fo93A-z" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to kill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Tapping the right side of the screen once will ready your weapon. Tapping again will fire the weapon. As in the other Dead Space games, all weapons in Dead Space Mobile have two firing modes. The basic Plasma Cutter, for example, can fire either horizontally or vertically, allowing for precise severing of Necromorph limbs. The Line Gun either fires a broad and powerful horizontal shot, or dispatches a timed mine. To switch between firing modes, just tilt the phone to one side briefly. To reload, tap the ammo readout about the weapon. <br />
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If any enemy is standing close to Vandal, you can slash it with a new weapon, the Plasma Saw, which requires no ammo. An arrow pointing upwards will appear on the left side of the screen whenever Vandal can use this attack. Simple swipe your left thumb upwards along the arrow to perform the attack<br />
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Similarly, when standing over enemies or breakable boxes, an arrow pointing downwards will appear on the left side of the screen to indicate that Vandal can stomp on them. <br />
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As in the console games, you gain the ability to temporarily freeze enemies or objects with Stasis. To do so, aim your weapon at the target and press the Stasis button on Vandal's back.<br />
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Vandal can also move heavy objects from a distance using Kinesis. If an item can be manipulated with Kinesis, an icon will appear above it. Simply tap the icon, and Vandal will grab it with Kinesis. Tap the screen again to throw the item.<br />
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There are doors, lockers, and boxes that Vandal can open. An icon appears on such objects; just tap the icon to open it. The same icon will also indicate when you can interact with the store (where you can buy and sell useful items) or with a bench (where you can use Power Nodes to upgrade your weapons, armor, and Stasis module).<br />
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Useful items such as ammo and Power Nodes can be found throughout the game. Simply approach them. When you are standing close to them, an image of the item will float above the item itself. Tap the image to collect the item.<br />
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There are a few zero-gravity areas in the game. These are treated the same way as they are handled in the first Dead Space game; you are magnetically rooted to the floor, but can jump across the room to new locations. To do so in Dead Space Mobile, aim at the location to which you would like to jump and shake the phone up and down. Once usually does it.<br />
<b><br />Gameplay</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The game manages to translate the movement, the frantic surgical shooting, and the desperate search for ammo found in the console games. It even has the spectacular "Stasis-punch" combo, wherein you use Stasis to freeze an enemy, then run up to it and use your Plasma saw to shred it without using up your ammunition. The game's action is tense as you scramble to get some distance between yourself and the Necromorphs so you can shoot off their limbs. It is not uncommon to have to run around a room looking for ammo and hoping to heal while several enemies try to trap you in a corner and eat your face. Despite a linear plot and some rather uninspired level design, the game manages to be exciting, engaging, and fun.<br />
<b><br /></b>
However, there are some interesting differences between the mobile and the console games. In the console Dead Space games, the player must manage an inventory of items, occasionally dropping useful items to make room for necessary ones. In the mobile game, there is no inventory; Vandal can carry a virtually unlimited amount of ammo. This design choice was made to save on screen real estate. An inventory button did not need to be mapped to the touch screen.<br />
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One of the reasons that the inventory was unnecessary was that Dead Space Mobile does away with health packs. Instead of needing to collect items to heal damage, Vandal heals gradually over time. This, again, was a deliberate design choice that was made to accommodate the restrictions of the mobile platform. Changing the heal mechanic for the mobile game allowed the designers to remove the need for the player to have a button or series of button presses in order to heal. I applaud this innovation, although this did allow me to occasionally "game the system" by completely ignoring slobbering monsters and just running around healing until I was ready to fight them.<br />
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" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">None of this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Dead Space Mobile acknowledges that it is likely to be played in shorter chunks than the console games by discarding the save point system. Instead, it uses a series of checkpoints to save the game. Whenever you accomplish something--move to a new location, complete a battle, gain a new weapon, even use a bench or the store--a save icon will briefly appear in the lower right corner of the screen. Once it disappears, your game is safe, and you can close out the game without fear of losing your progress. The checkpoints are spaced close enough to each other that gamers on the go can feel free to play for just a few minutes and still progress through the game.<br />
<br />
The game includes several instances of zero-gravity, and a few areas without atmosphere, wherein you must rely on your O2 tank and maybe a refill station to get through. However, those sections were few and far between, and did nothing to really play with the zero-G or oxygen mechanics. They were just very basic "now you have to make a few space jumps to get to the next door" or "now you have to pay attention to your oxygen level on the way to the next door" type of levels.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="179" src="data:image/jpeg;base64,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" 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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WHEE!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I think that, in general, the level design of the game was rather lackluster. There were few puzzles, none of which were tremendously brain-burning, and the levels were usually quite linear. Stasis and Kinesis, two mechanics that are crucial for solving puzzles in the console games, are hardly ever used to progress through the levels, beyond freezing some malfunctioning doors or clearing away some large boxes to get through a corridor. That's not to say the levels are uninteresting, merely unimaginative.<br />
<br />
Astute readers may have noticed that many of the preceding paragraphs sound a little disparaging. My apologies for this. I don't want people to think that the game is BAD. It's good. Solid. It just doesn't innovate upon the Dead Space formula. It cuts out some of the console mechanics and doesn't add anything groundbreaking. That being said, it's a fine Dead Space game which I thoroughly enjoyed.<br />
<br />
<b>Lessons</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
So what can we learn from this console-to-mobile port?<br />
<br />
1. Distill<br />
<br />
Console games have several advantages over mobile games. They have controllers with, just, a TON of buttons and thumbsticks. They're played on nice big screen televisions, which are occasionally HD, I hear. (Sigh.) They have some absolutely KICK ASS games. But for all their good points, they're also tied to the living room. (Bedroom. Basement. Wherever you keep your game systems; I'm not here to judge.) <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="236" 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" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gotta work with the space you have. I get it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
If you want games on the go, you have to make some sacrifices. That means trimming the fat. Boil down the essence of your IP. What is it that players most enjoy about your games? Translate THOSE experiences and THOSE mechanics to the phone. Leave out or simplify everything else. This was something that Dead Space Mobile did well.<br />
<br />
2. Utilize Your Mechanics<br />
<br />
If it's in the game, make sure you put it to good use. Say you have a sweet cover system for your shooter. Make sure you place a good amount of cover in each area for the player to use! Even better, give the player interesting ways to interact with cover throughout the game; break up the rhythm that the player will inevitably develop of ducking, popping up, shooting, and going back into cover. Maybe some pieces of cover disintegrate quickly under fire, or certain types of enemies can shoot through certain types of cover, or certain enemies will rush at your cover, leap over it, and hack at you with machetes. You know, mix things up. Play with your game mechanics.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="376" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS2bmAiUTHeBgVZZ5MBAjMPKGvzzcMhKShLidvAhESTqVXzsveF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nintendo games, for example, tend to play the HELL out of very basic yet fun mechanics, such as running and jumping in Mario games.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Dead Space Mobile doesn't do this QUITE as well. Stasis is great for combat, so I don't fault them for not using it in very many puzzles. On the other hand, the designers could have found more interesting things to do with Kinesis. There are a couple of puzzles were you have to use Kinesis to carry powered batteries to open doors, and they managed to make some of those puzzles interesting--forcing you to juggle carrying something with fighting monsters, for example, or having to toss it through a set of malfunctioning doors that are slamming open and closed. Still, the mechanic seems underused compared to the work the designers got out of it in the console games.<br />
<br />
Much more egregious in my mind, though, was the game's use of zero-G. Their uses are so bland and unimaginative it actually made me sad when I reached the final boss. "Is that really all the zero-G jumping I get to do?" I though. I love the zero-G areas in Dead Space. They're so much fun! I didn't get nearly enough of them in Dead Space Mobile.<br />
<br />
As for O2, there is exactly one fight in an area without atmosphere. And I'll admit, it was intense, balancing the need to move to a better position and shoot Necromorphs with the need to reach an O2 station to stave off asphyxiation. But that was a single battle in what I would guess was a seven-hour game. It was under-utilized, and that is highly unfortunate. It's a good mechanic that can add a time element to any battle or puzzle that would normally be straightforward. That's a great way to add tension. It should have been used more.<br />
<br />
3. Design for Mobile Gaming<br />
<br />
I don't JUST mean that you have to design controls that work on a phone, although that certainly important. You also have to design your game with mobile gaming habits in mind. Most mobile gaming is done in short chunks of time. Make sure your players can make progress and have fun every couple of minutes. Keep your cutscenes short and sweet. Make it very easy to save the game and quit. Dead Space does this quite well. It also had some surprisingly good controls for a phone game, which I applaud.<br />
<br />
<b>Conclusion</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
If you're a fan of the Dead Space franchise, you'll almost certainly appreciate this game. If you like survival horror games, you'll probably like this game. If you want a good sci fi shooter on your phone, give this a shot.<br />
<br />
Dead Space Mobile is available for <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dead-space/id396018321?mt=8">iOS for $6.99</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ea.deadspace_row&hl=en">Android for the same price.</a><br />
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" 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Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-56542544297513330872013-12-07T12:08:00.001-08:002013-12-07T12:08:23.780-08:00Running the Net for Fun and Profit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Now, I'm not going to claim that <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/124742/android-netrunner">Android: Netrunner</a> is the best tabletop game ever made. (It might be.) I'm not even going to explain why I think you, dear reader, should play it. (You should.) I just wanted to express my thoughts on the game, and what I think it does and does not do successfully.<br />
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But first, some background information.<br />
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<b>What is Android: Netrunner?</b><br />
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Android: Netrunner is a Living Card Game from <a href="http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/index.asp">Fantasy Flight Games</a>. Like FFG's other Living Card Games, A:N has a core set of cards that new players can purchase to dive into the game, as well as regularly-released packs of new cards that can be added to a player's cardboard arsenal. (Side note: "cardboard arsenal" is my new favorite phrase.) These data packs are non-randomized. If you buy the "Second Thoughts" data pack, you will get exactly the same cards as everyone else who bought that data pack.<br />
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This means there are no rare cards to chase, no money sink as you hit the secondary market for that killer $50 card. If there's a card you want, you just buy the data pack that has it. This leads to a much more wallet-friendly expandable card game than, say, Yu-Gi-Oh! or Magic: The Gathering. Is it still a money sink? Sure. You'll probably spend $200+ to get all the available cards. A:N is not designed to be a casual game, although you can just buy the core set for $25 and have a perfectly enjoyable game. It's a hobby game, designed to keep your interest after dozens, hundreds, even thousands of plays.<br />
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The game is based on Richard Garfield's original Netrunner card game. Doctor Garfield is the genius behind Magic: The Gathering and the collectible card game genre in general. After creating M:TG, Richard sat down and made another card game that became a cult hit. Drawing on the evolving cyberpunk genre, he created an asymmetric two-player game, wherein one player takes the role of the Corp, fighting to advance its agendas while keeping hackers out of its servers, while the other player was the Runner, a digital cowboy looking to expose the Corp's plans. The Corp would lay traps and build defenses to dissuade the Runner from attacking, while the Runner would assemble a rig to slip past the defenses and steal agenda cards. <br />
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<img src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1246968_md.jpg" /><br />
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Netrunner imploded quickly, however, as so many other CCGs at the time. While the gameplay was solid, many people felt that the cards were imbalanced towards particular playstyles that were non-interactive. Players would sit back and assemble combinations of cards that would win the game outright.<br />
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<a href="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1572072_md.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1572072_md.jpg" /></a>Fantasy Flight Games has now resurrected the game, placing it in their Android universe. While they kept the major mechanics and dynamics of the game, they've added in extra layers of theme. Instead of just Runner and Corp, there are three Runner factions (Shapers, Criminals, and Anarchs) and four Corp factions (Haas-Bioroid, Weyland Industries, Jinteki, and NBN), each with its own flavor, strengths, weaknesses, and ideologies. They've also tweaked many things to maintain a balanced and dynamic game. No more sitting back and assembling the perfect set of cards--if you're not actively trying to disrupt your opponent's plans, then you're almost certain to lose.<br />
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<b>How does one play?</b><br />
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I won't go into major detail about the game's mechanics. FFG has created <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAslVfZ9p-Y&noredirect=1">an exceptionally good tutorial video</a> that you may watch at your leisure. A quick rundown of the basics, though, may be useful:<br />
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--Each player selects an Identity card associated with a particular faction, and builds a deck for that ID. Cards from other factions may be used, but each ID has a limited amount of Influence (usually 15) it can use on out-of-faction cards. Once that limit is reached, it's in-faction or neutral cards, only. Each ID also lists a minimum deck size (usually 45). Players can build larger decks, of course. There is a maximum of 3 copies of any one card. Additionally, the Corp player must include a minimum amount of agenda points. Agenda points are found on agenda cards, most of which are worth 1, 2, or 3 points. The first player to 7 points wins.<br />
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<img src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1700485_md.jpg" /><br />
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--The Corp player goes first and has 3 actions or "clicks" to use each turn. The Corp starts with 5 credits. Clicks can be used to install cards, gain 1 credit, draw 1 card, play an Operation (a single-use card that leaves play after resolving), or advancing a card. Advancing a card costs 1 credit and allows the Corp to place an advancement counter on that card. Agenda cards have an advancement cost and cannot be scored until they have been advanced enough times. Some defense cards (called ICE) and ambush cards (fake agendas that hurt the Runner) can also be advanced. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1518629_md.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A game from the Corp's perspective. Note all the face-down cards, including two cards with advancement counters on them. What could they be?</td></tr>
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Nearly all of the Corp's cards are played face-down, so the Runner does not know what they are until he or she accesses them. The Corp can even discard cards into his or her discard pile face-down. The Corp <i>must </i>draw a card at the beginning of each turn, and if he or she ever runs out of cards, he or she loses.<br />
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--The Runner goes second and has 4 actions or "clicks" to use each turn. The Runner also starts with 5 credits. Clicks can be used to install cards, gain 1 credit, draw 1 card, play an Event (a single-use card that leaves play after resolving), or make a run. When the Runner makes a run, he or she chooses a "server" to attack. He or she can run on the Corp's hand (HQ), deck (R&D), discard pile (Archives), or on any remote servers into which the Corp has installed cards. <br />
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When the Runner successfully attacks HQ, he or she randomly looks at 1 card. When the Runner successfully attacks R&D, he or she looks at the top card of the deck. When the Runner successfully attacks Archives or a remote server, he or she looks at all cards in that server. If the Runner looks at an agenda card, he or she automatically steals it and gets that much closer to victory. <br />
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The Runner does <i>not</i> get to draw a card at the beginning of each turn. If the Runner is ever required to discard a card from hand and cannot, he or she loses.<br />
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<br />
<b>So what's the big deal?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
There are several things that I really enjoy about Android: Netrunner.<br />
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1) Asymmetric Gameplay<br />
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The Corp and the Runner play extremely differently. They don't even get to use any of the same cards! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corp, being the good guys, get the blue card back. The evil Runners, always trying to hack into places they don't belong and steal stuff that isn't theirs, get the red card back.</td></tr>
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The Corp tries to build up defenses in front of his or her servers, laying down ICE cards that injure the Runner or stop them from running. The Corp is trying to tax the Runner and make it too expensive to get in. He or she must also bluff about what cards are where. "Is that an agenda I just put into this remote server, or is it a trap? Can you afford to get past my ICE to find out?" Because all of the Corp's cards are played face-down, he or she can keep the Runner guessing. It's all about draining the Runner's resources in order to open windows of opportunity for advancing and scoring agendas.<br />
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The Runner tries to attack the Corp and steal agendas. His or her goal is to force the Corp to spread its defenses thin, or to keep the Corp too poor to defend itself and advance agendas. He or she is always looking for weak points, and searching for information about what cards are where. "Oh, I saw a piece of ICE when I ran R&D last turn, and now you've installed a face-down piece of ICE. I'll bet it's the one I saw last turn, and I have just the card for it." "Ah, you spent a turn gathering credits. You must be gearing up to score an agenda. I'd better run your HQ and try to grab it out of your hand before you can score it."<br />
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The asymmetry of the game is a barrier for new players, because they essentially have to learn two different games. But in terms of replayability? Come on, you're basically buying two different games! And they're both enjoyable! <br />
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2) Game Balance<br />
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Despite the differences between the two sides, the game is quite well balanced. <br />
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For example, the Corp must pay to install and "rez" (turn face-up) defensive ICE cards, but must only pay those costs once. The Runner must install ice breakers that neutralize the bad effects of ICE, but must pay to break each piece of ICE he or she encounters every time he or she makes a run. So the Corp might rez a piece of ICE for 4 credits, while the Runner can pass through that piece of ICE for only 2 credits. However, if the Runner must get through that ICE two, three, five, ten times? Those costs add up.<br />
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<img src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1414008.png" /><br />
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On the other hand, the Corp must pay money and spend clicks (actions) to advance agendas. The Runner immediately steals any agenda cards he or she accesses for free. Most agendas require 3 or more advancements before they can be scored, and the Corp only has 3 clicks to spend per turn. Since agendas must be installed in remote servers before they can be advanced, that means that nearly every agenda must sit in a remote server, potentially vulnerable, before the Corp can advance and score it. This gives the Runner a chance to break in and steal it, or perform an action that will drain the Corp of the credits necessary to advance the agenda. <br />
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This leads to a dynamic back-and-forth battle. The Runner makes runs to try to steal agendas and force the Corp to install and rez ICE, draining the Corp of the clicks and credits necessary to score agendas and win. The Corp sets up defenses that drain the Runner economically. Even if the Runner can get in once, can he or she get in a second time? And was the first run worth the money? It's an economic duel, a game of deception and cost-mitigation. <br />
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3) Expandable Card Game<br />
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I. LOVE. Building decks. It's my favorite thing about Magic: The Gathering; I just loved assembling a deck, trying to balance early game essentials with late game goodies. That's why I loved M:tG's draft format so much--every time I played, I would get to build a new deck from scratch! (Of course, that's also why I stopped playing Magic. Drafting gets expensive pretty quickly, purchasing brand new cards every time you play.)<br />
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Android: Netrunner allows me to scratch that deck-building itch. I can sit down, boot up <a href="http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/netrunner/android-netrunner-deck-builder">the cardgamedb.com deckbuilder</a>, and decide, "Do I want to build a Corp or a Runner deck right now? And on what should it focus?" I can throw in everything but the kitchen sink and gradually cut and sculpt until I have a tight deck with the proper amount of out-of-faction Influence, or I can carefully construct a base of key cards and build it up with support cards until I have something fun and functional. <br />
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4) Every Card In the Deck Is Useful<br />
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A lot of card games borrow the idea from Magic of having resource cards of some kind that generate money/mana/power/whatever that allow you to use your other, more interesting cards. This means that you have to shuffle a good amount of boring cards into your deck and hope to draw them at a steady rate in order to play your best spells/creatures/structures/whatever. Now, there are good reasons for doing this. There's usually a limit to the number of resource cards you can place each turn, so the game slowly ramps up, allowing players with weaker starting hands to have a fighting chance against players that start out with their best, most-powerful-yet-uber-expensive cards in hand. <br />
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In Magic (and many other games), you also need to match the type of resource you're using with the type of card you're playing. Blue cards need blue resources, silver cards require silver resources, etc. This is a way to force players into specialization. If you pack too many different types of cards and resources into your deck, you risk drawing mismatched cards and being unable to play.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="400" 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" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hi! I essentially do nothing, but you need at least 20 of me in your 60 card deck. Aren't I pretty, though?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In Android: Netrunner, this is not the case. Each card requires two resources: clicks (actions) and credits (money). Each player only has a limited number of clicks per turn, but he or she can use those clicks to generate more credits, thus ensuring that he or she can always play the cards he or she wants--it's just a matter of time, of acquiring the necessary credits. Thus, the game ramps up more naturally. The Corp always goes first and tries to set up preliminary defenses while acquiring more money, while the Runner tries to force the Corp to spend money rezzing ICE while acquiring more money, while the Corp tries to drain the Runner's money by making them run through ICE, while the Runner attacks on multiple fronts and forces the Corp to spread ICE thinly.... It's a wonderful back-and-forth contest, and it doesn't require either play to put boring cards in their decks.<br />
<br />
A:N doesn't use its resource system to encourage deck specialization, either. Instead, it has an Influence system. Each card costs a particular amount of Influence if used outside its own designated faction. Weaker or more specialized cards may cost less Influence, while stronger or more versatile cards eat up more Influence. Players must carefully choose how to spend their Influence as they build their decks, but once they start playing, it doesn't matter if they draw in-faction or out-of-faction cards--they just need to worry about their money situation.<br />
<br />
5) Multiple Routes to Victory<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1668884_md.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why so serious?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Sure, most decks focus on getting to 7 points and winning. But that's not the only way to win! The Corp can flatline the Runner by dealing damage to him or her. Whenever the Runner takes damage, he or she must discard a card from his or her hand. If he or she must discard a card and cannot, he or she loses. Thus, the Corp can load up on damage-deal cards and try to strike when the Runner is low on cards for the win.<br />
<br />
As for the Runner, he or she wins if the Corp cannot draw a card at the beginning of his or her turn. There are not (currently) very many cards that allow the Runner to mill cards from the Corp's deck into his or her discard pile, but they do exist, and let me tell you, it's a very fun (if very risky) strategy. Plus, if the Runner can just prolong the game enough, the Corp will naturally draw out. Remember, the Runner doesn't have to draw cards every turn, and the Corp does. If the Corp doesn't act, or if the Runner disrupts the Corp's actions enough, eventually the Corp will just run out of cards.<br />
<br />
6) The Community is Awesome<br />
<br />
I'm sure this is the case with just about any hobby game, but I love the A:N online community. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people are working together to promote the game and discuss strategies and tips. There are dozens of Excel spreadsheets available online that break down the best ICE or ice breakers and their overall efficiency. There are more than half a dozen podcasts about the game and its tournament scene. There are people who spend unfathomable amounts of time analyzing, discussing, writing about, and playing this game.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1457762_md.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Are you really going to say no to that face?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The game earns that devotion. It's very, very good, and I love being a part of the community around it.<br />
<br />
Again, I'm not trying to convert you to the game. I just wanted to explain why it has occupied much of my time and mental energy over the last 8 months or so.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.google.com/#q=android+netrunner&tbm=shop">*cough.</a>Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-14269573355007342032013-10-25T07:23:00.000-07:002013-10-25T07:23:28.211-07:00Game Concept: Dream Hunter<i>The world has changed since the Awakening. </i><br />
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<i>Each night, billions of people take specially-designed sedatives to put themselves to sleep. They can rest peacefully, knowing that they are safe. But there are some who, either by choice or by circumstance, do not take any sedatives. Such people become Conduits--channels through which nightmarish creatures can leak through from the dream world into our own.</i><br />
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<i>Having accidentally orphaned yourself during the Awakening, you have vowed to capture or destroy all the dream creatures that slip through.</i><br />
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<i>The world has changed since the Awakening. It has given you a purpose.</i><br />
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Dream Hunter is a solitaire game of investigation and battle as you hunt down the creatures released from others' dreams. Follow the clues, then capture or destroy the dream before it turns the world into a nightmare.<br />
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Likely card-based, with a small to medium-sized board.Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-18711279913230753462013-09-18T09:15:00.000-07:002013-09-18T09:15:53.850-07:00Game Concept: The FallThis has been a frustratingly busy semester for me. I'm taking several intensive courses that require a great deal of reading and thoughtful discussion of the texts. My wife's writing/editing job ebbs and flows throughout the year and is currently at an ebb, so I've had to put in more hours at my work to make up the difference. Plus, my wife is taking an insane number of advanced Greek and Latin classes, which keep her busy busy busy, leaving me to shoulder much of the daily house chores--dishes, cooking, laundry, trash, etc. I don't mind in the slightest, but all this means that I rarely have a confluence of both time and the energy for creative projects.<br />
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The TESS rules and module are unlikely to be ready before the 2013 Solitaire PnP Design Contest deadline. I'm okay with that. It's a big game that will need a lot of testing to make sure that the core mechanics work, and then even more testing to find a good balance. If it needs time to percolate, all the better for the game.<br />
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This has given me a lot of time to ponder about other concepts I have been keeping in my back pocket. One of them is The Fall. This began as a concept for a video game JRPG several years ago--the main character goes on a quest, and collects new friends and allies and new equipment and abilities along the way. I recently sketched out some ideas in my head that MIGHT allow this game to see daylight as a tabletop game.<br />
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THEME<br />
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The main character is climbing across a huge chasm when his line snaps and he plummets deep into the earth. Instead of splattering onto rock or nosediving into lava, however, he slips through a magic mortal that transports him into a giant underground world. He gets entangled in the political intrigue of two warring nations when it is discovered that he is entirely immune to all forms of magic. To get back home, he must join with one of these enchanted nations, lead a team into enemy territory, and gather the components needed for the queen to build him a machine to take him to the surface.<br />
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CHARACTERS<br />
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--A climbing and spelunking enthusiast from our modern world who, for whatever reason, is completely immune to magic.<br />
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--An enchantress/queen struggling to protect her nation from invasion.<br />
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--A cunning sorceress/queen with a thirst for destruction.<br />
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--A young girl with an incredible talent for sorcery.<br />
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--A warrior/scholar devoted to protecting the young girl.<br />
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--An exiled skreeling (sort of a goblin-like creature) looking for new friends and a new home.<br />
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--A mechanical man with a burning desire to be useful.<br />
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--An armored cave bear on a quest to avenge her slain cubs.<br />
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MECHANICS<br />
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This is where much of my thoughts have been these last few days. I recall playing Final Fantasy X years ago and admiring a great many things about the game's design. One neat thing that the game did was give each hero a unique special move with a powerful effect, with each move requiring the player to perform a different mini-game. With one character, you had to rotate the thumbstick as many times as possible within a short time limit. With another, you had to pause a slider within a small area as it moved back and forth. With yet another, you had to play a game of slots and try to get three of a kind for maximum effect.<br />
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This got me to thinking--what if each character in The Fall had a unique battle mechanic? Once the player has a full party, he or she can select the three characters (or the three mini-games) he or she enjoys the most and bring them into the combat situations. One character might use a Yahtzee-style dice mechanic. One might require the player to flip a coin a number of times. One may use the strike/maneuver poker card mechanic from my own <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/130510/wings-of-lightning">Wings of Lightning</a>. Still another may use a dexterity mechanic; designer <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/60377/jessey-wright">Jessey Wright</a> would like that. The idea would be to use components that a typical gamer can be expected to have around the house to create quick yet interesting mini-challenges for each character's combat abilities.<br />
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To simulate the idea of random encounters, I would provide the player with a map showing the number of spaces between the different key locations. Each time the player moves the party to a new space, he or she must roll on a chart to see if he or she has an encounter, and if so, with what.<br />
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The heroes and all enemies they face would be given various stats, include Speed ratings. The player would activate each combatant's abilities in order from highest Speed to lowest. Particularly fast characters may get two or even three Speeds, indicating that they are able to attack multiple times in a round. For example, a character may have a rating of 8 and 3. This means that the character would attack before anyone else with a Speed rating lower than 8, and then again after everyone with a Speed rating higher than 3.<br />
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Enemies could be programmed with different behaviors to provide the player with interesting tactical choices. Some of them might target the character with the lowest health. Others would attack the character that most recently performed an attack. Still others would be have a list of the characters and would attack starting from the top of the list, according to which characters were in combat. And others would randomize their attacks with only a small amount of predictability. This would keep the player on his or her toes and provide him or her with interesting decisions about when to attack, when to heal, when to defend, et cetera.<br />
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I have no idea when I'll be able to work on this game, but I wanted to get my thoughts on paper. I have to graduate eventually, and when I do, you can bet that I'll be putting my unchained brain power into all sorts of creative endeavors like this!Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-37805615153873396662013-08-25T15:00:00.000-07:002013-08-25T15:00:48.891-07:00TESS: In Enemy TerritoryI've begun working on the first TESS story module, tentatively titled "In Enemy Territory." I thought I'd share my process for creating these type of branching-path gamebooks. It's probably not the most efficient way to do it, but it's worked for me on multiple projects.<br />
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I work with two different documents--usually a Microsoft Word and a Microsoft Office document, although Google Docs works fine if I want to be able to work from any computer.<br />
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I use a spreadsheet to track each section in the gamebook.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrwT4pcZaLbOUgc0RRH8r1JJS1_VupnuRgyPbcYajcKsoM95ZSd3rVw3hJskL8tjOZdyKdlfnJwQ3VXeBDXSgxuBuzjVanmoLZl3Kx72hfl5bpOjT2MwyuZwed2e1fFpQ82EJ1vUnlho/s1600/TESS+Excel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrwT4pcZaLbOUgc0RRH8r1JJS1_VupnuRgyPbcYajcKsoM95ZSd3rVw3hJskL8tjOZdyKdlfnJwQ3VXeBDXSgxuBuzjVanmoLZl3Kx72hfl5bpOjT2MwyuZwed2e1fFpQ82EJ1vUnlho/s320/TESS+Excel.JPG" width="230" /></a></div>
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The first column just has each section in order. In some of my (as-yet unreleased) projects, I may break the story into different chapters, each with multiple numbered sections, such as Chapter 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, et cetera. In "In Enemy Territory," I think I'll just use numbered sections without chapters--probably between 100 and 150 sections.<br />
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Whenever I write and finish a section, I'll highlight it in green. Then I mark in column two which section or section the player can go to from there. For example, section 1 leads to sections 4, 5, or 8.<br />
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If a section has a branch that leads to it and has not yet been written, I highlight it in yellow. You can see that section 2 leads to section 6, 11, and 15, none of which have been written yet.<br />
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The third column tracks which section or sections lead to a particular branch. Section 1 is the only way to get to section 5, for example. This helps me if I ever need to backtrack--I can quickly follow the trail backwards, all the way to the beginning of the game if necessary.<br />
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You can see the first little bit of the story <a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_TSzVP-wMZDQXc4dzhGV2tieVk/edit">here.</a> Bear in mind that this is an early draft. I have not, for example, figured out exactly how I want to present the encounters. Still, it might be interesting to see the process.Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-24166112192808607062013-08-19T15:28:00.004-07:002013-08-19T16:54:14.087-07:00Privyet, Russia!I just discovered that this blog gets a lot of views from Russia. So, shout out to all my Russian readers! Я уверен, что вы все очень крутиe людей!<br />
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I lived in Russia for a couple years, so please don't hesitate to post any questions or comments по-русский.Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-61984137116941553712013-08-18T19:53:00.003-07:002013-08-18T21:17:49.382-07:00Brainstorming, Continued: The First TESS StoryThe basic mechanics of the game are starting to come together in my head. We're rapidly approaching the point where I need to start putting together a prototype. To do that, I need to put together a story for the player to play through.<br />
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I'd like the first TESS (The Expandable Solitaire System) story to put the player through a series of challenges that require different foci. I don't want everything to be combat-based, so that a combat-heavy deck can just waltz through it. That means there should be some hacking, some social encounters, perhaps some environmental challenges.<br />
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I'd also love to be able to incorporate <a href="http://www.cod.edu/people/faculty/pruter/film/threeact.htm">three act structure</a> into the narrative. This is a finely tuned narrative skeleton. When applied correctly, it gives the audience a compelling narrative with a satisfactory climax and denouement. The structure was used, completely on accident, to great success for several decades before film critics and theorists were finally able to nail down what the good films were doing that worked so well.<br />
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<img height="125" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Three_Act_Structure.svg/400px-Three_Act_Structure.svg.png" width="400" /><br />
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The first act of the story introduces the main characters and the world they inhabit. It also sets up the status quo. Now, the status quo may be lousy, such as in Star Wars--everybody is under the thumb of the Empire. Then there is an inciting incident, an event that compels the hero (or heroes) to action. Often, the hero has no idea that this action will change the course of his or her life. In Star Wars, Luke just goes off into the desert to find his uncle's rogue droid. Act one ends with a major plot point that propels the story into a new direction--Luke agrees to go with Ben Kenobi, Neo takes the red pill, the Avengers assemble to help Nick Fury, Dorothy sets off to see the Wizard, etc.<br />
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In the second act--which takes up the bulk of the story--there is a great deal of action as the story accelerates. The hero learns new skills and gains new allies. However, things keep getting worse and worse for the hero. At the midpoint, it seems that all hope is lost! The heroes are about to be smashed by a garbage compactor; the team has been scattered and/or killed; there's a traitor in the midst; things just could not get any worse! Then things begin to turn around. The heroes reunite. The major plot point from the first act is (usually) resolved--the princess is rescued, Loki's plan is discovered, Neo accepts his role in the Matrix and rescues Morpheus, and so forth. But a new plot point comes along that propels into the final climactic act--the Death Star is about to wipe out the Rebellion, Loki opens the portal, Neo decides to fight Agent Smith, Dorothy must confront the Wicked Witch.<br />
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The third and final act includes the final battle, where the hero must use the skills he or she has learned and rely on the new friends he or she has gained in order to triumph. Han saves Luke's bacon, then Luke uses the Force to blow up the Death Star. Neo becomes faster and stronger than an Agent. The Avengers work together to blow up the Chitauri forces and shut the portal. Dorothy is rescued by her friends and melts the witch. <br />
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So how can we incorporate these lessons into our TESS narrative? First, let's ask some questions about the characters and setting.<br />
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Who is the hero? Well, for the first TESS story, it should be the player. (There's room to play here, of course. It is entirely possible for the player to play Han to the story's Luke, but let's not meddle with the formula until after we've perfected the formula.) The player can be a robot, a cyborg, a human, or an uplift. That does make things a little difficult; each Persona has different goals, perspectives, and desires.<br />
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What does the main character want? Let's borrow from <i>Serenity </i>for a moment and say, "Freedom." No matter what Persona the player is using, the character's goal is to be free. He or she has a starship and a steady enough income to keep it running. He or she may have a dark past that is constantly trying to catch up with him or her--we'll see how things develop.<br />
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What problem does the main character have? Now we get to the inciting incident. Uh oh, there's a problem with the ship! Better land and get your ship repaired. But this is our inciting incident, after all; it can't be as easy as, "Okay, your ship will be fixed in an hour. That will be $100." So there's a problem with acquiring it. Maybe the city has recently been attacked? The port was raided, and the mechanic cannot repair your ship right away. But perhaps if you acquired the part you need? He tells you of the enemy's base, and says that if you bring back the part you need and some spare parts for him, he'll repair your ship free of charge.<br />
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You agree. That's the first plot point.<br />
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Time to sneak into an enemy base.<br />
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There will be some opportunities, at this point, to overcome some combat, hacking, and environmental challenges. The base is surrounded by an electric fence and you need to get passed it. You encounter some guards and need to take them down. The door is locked and you need to bypass it. The storage location for spare ship parts is hidden and you need to hack a computer terminal to find out where they are. Et cetera.<br />
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Now, we need a good midpoint. A classic one would be to have the hero captured. You're stripped of your equipment and thrown into a cell until the interrogator can arrive. You mount a daring escape, retrieve your equipment, steal the parts, and return to the port for your ship repairs. However, as the mechanic is working on your ship, your conscience nags at you. The things that were happening at the enemy base were despicable, inhuman. Can you really just leave these people to their fate?<br />
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Of course you can't! You decide to help out. That's the second plot point that drives us into the third act. You gear up and head out to bring down the enemies, using your knowledge of the layout of their base to pick them apart. Eventually, you reach Weak Point X and use it to wipe out the enemy base, but not before a final climactic battle with the Big Bad Guy and the Evil Mastermind.<br />
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Now, obviously, there are some important points to flesh out. Who are the enemies? What are they trying to accomplish? What does the hero see that spurns him or her to action? But this is a nice, simple plot outline that I can work with. It allows for several different types of encounters--Social, Combat, Hacking, and Environmental. It has a beginning, middle, and end, with a nice character arc thrown in for good measure. I can flesh out the details as I write the story, but this is a solid guide for what, in general, needs to happen.<br />
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Thanks for reading! I'm always up for a good discussion about films and the three-act structure, so feel free to post questions or comments.Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-23485551309425694842013-08-17T09:38:00.000-07:002013-08-17T09:54:42.857-07:00Brainstorming, Continued: Multiple Axes of DecisionThe brainstorming phase of game creation is an exciting time. You get to throw dozens, perhaps hundreds of ideas against the wall and see which ones stick. (The cleanup afterwards isn't fun, but that's why they invented industrial-strength vacuums.)<br />
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A loose design goal I had for this game was to make it playable with just the rulebook, a story book, and the cards. The main reason for this goal was to cut down on the barrier between player and game. With print-and-play games, any addition of components just makes it that much harder for players to jump in and try the game. "Sorry, not only do you need to print and cut 200 cards, but you have to acquire 30 Eurocubes in assorted colors, and at least 10 dice of two different colors." That's a hassle. It's daunting to a lot of would-be PnPers. So I try to lower the barrier to entry to my PnP games as much as possible.</div>
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But, for the good of the game, I going to add at least one new dimension. Resources.</div>
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In previous brainstorming sessions, it was determined that the player would have a hand of cards, a deck of cards, and a discard pile as resources from which they could attempt to overcome various challenges. The problem with this is that it's binary. You either have the card(s) that you need or you do not. That's not an interesting game. ESPECIALLY when I'd like to give the player the chance to dig for the card(s) he or she needs.</div>
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What would make the game more interesting was to force the player to balance short- and long-term benefits. Sure, you can defeat that squad of mercenaries now, but will that leave you helpless in the robot boss fight later? Can you absorb the damage from the turret in order to save up for the final hacking challenge? This tension creates much more interesting game decisions. So how do I add this tension to the game?</div>
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The answer is to give the cards a cost in Resources. Yes, you can fire that Grenade Launcher now, but will that leave you enough cash to use your weapons later in the game? Sure, you can trade some intell to get a tool you need, but then what will you use to break into the data fortress? Those are the kinds of decisions I want the players to be making!</div>
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Currently, I think the game only needs two types of Resources: Cash and Data. Using physical Items will typically have a cost in Cash, while performing certain actions such as hacking or convincing might require Data. Some cards might require both, and the occasional card may cost neither. The important thing is that the player will now have multiple axes of decision. It will not just be a case of having the right cards, but using those cards effectively to maintain a pool of Resources.</div>
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The downside to this is that the player will need a way to track his or her Resources, whether it be pen and paper, a smart phone app, an Excel sheet, poker chips, or whatever they have on hand. It increases the game's footprint (more space require on the table in order to play) and ratchets up the barrier to entry, if only slightly. Still, I think this will be an important step in making the kind of dynamic and interesting solitaire game system that this needs to be.</div>
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I am also considering a third layer, in addition to cards and Resources: Actions. During an encounter, the player would be able to perform X number of Actions, and then the encounter would "act." This may mean doing something detrimental to the player, such as forcing him or her to discard cards or lose Resources, or it could just advance some sort of timer--a countdown to something really bad happening. This has the added benefit of balancing out the ability to discard a card and draw a card. If the player can only take, say, three actions before the encounter acts, it's potentially a lot more costly to need five actions just to find the cards necessary to guarantee success. More importantly, this would give encounters a more dynamic feel, with a "back-and-forth" dynamic happening between the player and the game's AI. </div>
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This would mean that encounters would be more difficult to create and balance. That's more work on the part of the designer, and I'm not certain yet if the game needs this sort of dynamic. But it does make for more interesting outcomes to the encounters beyond simply pass/fail. And it would give the player another axis of decision, and another knob for the designer to tweak while trying to balance the game and increase the tension and fun. I'll keep it on the back burner for now, but I like the idea.</div>
Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-8856084718754593632013-08-11T10:29:00.000-07:002013-08-17T09:40:53.407-07:00Brainstorming, Continued: Building a SkeletonWith this contest, I'd really like to show my design methods as much as possible. Not only do I think that it might--MIGHT, mind you--be interesting and instructive to others, but it will be a good resource for myself. I can analyze what I do and why I do it, which will hopefully lead to improvements in my own methodology.<br />
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As demonstrated in the previous post, my preferred method is to brainstorm a variety of ideas, then use deductive logic to eliminate the weaker ideas. We now have a very basic shape or outline of the game. It's time now to build a skeleton. We'll put some meat on the bones later, but for now we just want a good sturdy structure on which to build.<br />
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The game requires the construction of three major components: the rules, the stories, and the customizable decks. The game cannot function without all three components, so we must always keep these three aspects in mind as we put our skeleton together.<br />
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Before the player begins a game, he or she must construct a deck. (I'm assuming they have gone through the process of building or purchasing the components and are familiar with the rules.) Of what does deckbuilding consist?<br />
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Well, first they must select a Persona. I find the idea of four separate and distinct Personas to be very balanced and pleasing. This means that there should be at least four different thematic strategies for approaching the game. Let's explore those briefly.<br />
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<ul>
<li><b>Human </b>- Humans are (relatively) physically weak, with shaky limbs and poor eyesight. This means that they struggle in combat unless they have the correct tools for the job. However, they are very good at ACQUIRING the correct tools for the job. Human cards should focus on digging through the deck, manipulating cards in hand, sifting through the discard pile, and maybe even pulling cards back from exile. Humans are innovators, using creativity and planning to overcome the obstacles they encounter. They are also very adept at social challenges, particularly since they almost always deal with fellow humans, or with creatures that have human-like emotions and motivations.</li>
<li><b>Robot</b> - Robots are quick, calculating, and equipped with many different tools to get them through their tasks. They particularly excel at hacking and electronic warfare. They are also very good with guns, favoring long-range attacks over melee combat (where their fragile joints are a liability). They suffer socially, however, being handicapped by their historical status as slaves and servants, by their difficulty in understanding human emotions and motivations, and by their general appearance and demeanor. Robot cards should focus on different tools and settings to uplink with or disassemble anything that gives them trouble.</li>
<li><b>Cyborg</b> - Cyborgs are tough, powerful, with vast stores of knowledge they can access. They are often equipped for hacking, but it is more dangerous for them then for robots--electronic countermeasures can sometimes fry a cyborg's brain. Their enhanced speed and strength make them excellent at hand-to-hand combat. They can struggle socially in some circles--not all sentient beings approve of man/machine hybrids. Cyborg cards should focus on brute strength, bashing straight through trouble with little regard to consequences; also cards that can mitigate potential consequences, to represent the cyborg's toughness.</li>
<li><b>Uplift</b> - Uplifts are intelligent, yet retain their animal senses and instincts. It would be thematically useful to decide on a particular species for this Persona, such as dogs, cats, chimps, or pigs, but I don't want to commit to anything just yet. Uplifts are smaller than humans (or robots or cyborgs), making it easier for them to utilize the environment to their advantage. Uplift cards should focus on stealth play--hiding in small spaces, avoiding detection, using maintenance tunnels and air ducts to reach objectives, etc. Uplifts struggle with hacking, as the interfaces are always designed for human use. They can struggle in combat against prepared opponents, but stealthy attacks often allow them to subdue threats without a fight.</li>
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That seems good. Four different strategies--deck manipulation, finesse, brute force, and stealth. Hopefully they will combine well to create a wide variety of deck types.</div>
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Now, once the decks are crafted and the game has begun, most of the decision-making will take place during encounters. So we really need to get those RIGHT. What do encounters look like? What sort of information is presented to the player? What tools will they have at their disposal to overcome the encounters? </div>
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The current plan is to have semi-linear stories that introduce random encounters. Let's brainstorm some RE ideas to make sure that we can include encounters that play to each Persona's strengths and weaknesses.</div>
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<ul>
<li>Locked Door</li>
<li>Machine Gun Turret</li>
<li>Malfunctioning Bridge Extension</li>
<li>Robot Sentry</li>
<li>Sniper on the Ridge</li>
<li>Guard Post</li>
<li>Angry Mob</li>
<li>Crafty Salesman</li>
<li>Indifferent Pilot</li>
<li>Bounty Hunters</li>
<li>Data Storage Unit</li>
</ul>
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Well, the good news is, I can come up with plenty of ideas for problems that the player must overcome. The BETTER news is that the problems tend to break down into one or more categories:</div>
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<li><b>Combat</b> - The player must fight someone or something. They may not need to kill or destroy their opponent, however; sometimes they can merely subdue it. Since I'm very much a life-affirming person, I like the idea of providing cards that accommodate a no-kill strategy. Stun guns and tranq darts all the way!</li>
<li><b>Hacking </b>- Sometimes the player must interact with computer terminals. Maybe they have to hack some bots, turrets, or security cameras. Maybe they have to dig up some information from a data storage unit. Maybe they have to scramble the coordinates before some missiles are launched. There are a lot of interesting ways this could be incorporated into the story.</li>
<li><b>Social</b> - Occasionally the player will have to deal with people, not all of whom will want to deal with them. Maybe they need a component or weapon that they can only get from a black market dealer. Maybe they need to calm an angry mob before someone gets hurt. Maybe they must bribe a pilot to take them somewhere discretely. Whatever it is, some Personas will have an easier time than others.</li>
<li><b>Environmental </b>- The door is locked! The bulkhead is leaking! The bridge won't extend! The forest is freaking ON FIRE! There are a lot of ways to force the player to overcome obstacles presented by the environment, some of which will require some fast-thinking, some of which will require brute force. </li>
</ul>
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It's looking more and more like some of the encounters within the stories will or should be pre-scripted. They will be the same every time. I'm okay with that. It's a good way to provide narrative structure. There can still, of course, be plenty of random encounters, as well.</div>
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It's interesting that there are four Personas, and four encounter categories. This makes me wonder if perhaps the different Personas are adept at different categories. Let's see if we can rank each Persona and how good it is at dealing with the different types of encounters.</div>
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That seems to work, mostly. Some of those numbers are a little difficult to justify, though. For example, why is the Cyborg Persona the weakest at overcoming Environmental obstacles? Busting through locked doors or climbing up cliffs shouldn't be difficult for a cyborg. I do think that it's appropriate for Humans to not be great at hacking--after all, the average untrained human would have a hard time interfacing with and manipulating unfamiliar computer systems.</div>
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Still, this does give us a rough guide of what we can expect. Perhaps, for balancing purposes, the important thing should be that each Persona's total should be 10. So the Cyborg might actually be Combat 3, Hacking 3, Social 2, Environment 2. The Uplift might be Combat 1, Hacking 1, Social 4, Environment 4. Et cetera. But this does illustrate the relative strengths and weaknesses of the Personas. That will come in handy when we start brainstorming the actual cards.</div>
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This was a very useful session! I think the next step will be to outline a rough story, including some encounters, and then working on cards for each Persona. Then we can stress test the system and start hammering out the rules.</div>
Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-39935050233194633952013-08-10T09:22:00.000-07:002013-08-17T09:41:14.808-07:00Brainstorming for the 2013 Solitaire Print and Play ContestThis year's solitaire game design contest has begun, which means I have a few short weeks to prepare and submit a game. I was originally planning on submitting Horns of Thunder, the sequel to my well-received solitaire story game <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/130510/wings-of-lightning">Wings of Lightning</a>. However, I've had a lot of thoughts banging around in my head about how to integrate story and game mechanics, and wanted to put it all on paper. This post is a massive brainstorm, and will subsequently be long and somewhat incoherent. However, it may be useful for some people to see a designer's mind at work. Or this will just be really boring--I've no idea.<br />
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<ul>
<li>I'm really intrigued by the idea of using a customizable deck of cards to work through a gamebook. So there might be two to four pre-crafted decks for players who just want to dive in, or the player could build his or her own deck.</li>
<li>To keep the decks roughly thematically appropriate, I'd probably borrow the idea of Influence from <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/124742/android-netrunner">Android: Netrunner</a>. The players would have a particular Identity or Persona that have a particular set of cards associated with them that they can include at no cost. However, all cards would be marked with an Influence cost, and each Persona could only include out-of-character cards up to their Influence limit.</li>
<li>For example, the Human character could only include a limited number of cards from the Cyborg deck. </li>
<li>One of the reasons this idea appeals to me is that I can release expansions--new stories to overcome, new Personas, new cards for the different Personas, etc., all within the same rules system. Heck, I'd be more than willing to open the system up to all users, so that they can generate their own stories, Personas, and cards! </li>
<li>The catch is that I have to get the system right. Once it's released, it will be much more difficult to go back and fix any problems inherent in the rules set.</li>
<li>So let's think about the AI. What sort of challenges will the player have to overcome, and how will the game react to the player's decisions?</li>
<li>I like to approach these sort of problems from a thematic perspective. So I'll start with a case study. </li>
<li>Say the player is traversing some rocky terrain and stumbles across a goblin campsite. The goblins haven't noticed her, yet, but she's not confident that she can skirt around them. She has to go through them.</li>
<li>What are her options?</li>
<li>She could fight them, risking her life and probably taking some wounds</li>
<li>She could frighten them, causing them to scatter.</li>
<li>She could set up a distraction, and hope they abandon the camp to investigate long enough for her to sneak past.</li>
<li>She could reveal herself and talk to them, hoping to persuade them to let her pass.</li>
<li>Could I just keyword the encounters? So with the example above, the player must discard an appropriate number of Fight, or Frighten, or Distract, or Talk cards to progress?</li>
<li>That's stupid; that's basically just asking whether the player has the right key or not, which does not make for compelling gameplay. I want the player to have to make difficult decisions.</li>
<li>What if the encounters didn't spell out how to overcome them? It could be up to the player to decide how to use the cards at his or her disposal. So a card might say, "Distract +3." The player would use it, hoping that a distraction would work on the encounter. He or she would then look at the current paragraph number, add three, and consult that paragraph. So, if he or she was at Paragraph 24, he or she would proceed to Paragraph 27. If it said "Distraction Successful," the card worked.</li>
<li>That doesn't work, either. First of all, that would require a massive amount of work on my part just to create a small story. I'd have to account for half a dozen or more permutations for each encounter. That's a lot more writing for a small gain. Plus, he player would have little to no basis for his or her decision. What if the player decided to Frighten the goblins, but it failed? How would the player no it was going to fail? What hints could the system give that one option was better than another? What sort of consequences would there be for failure?</li>
<li>No, that's way too much work for me and not enough fun decision-making for the player. I'll have to find another solution.</li>
<li>On top of which, I'm not sure I want the story to consist of numbered sections. Would it be possible to have a slightly more linear story, with random encounters scattered throughout? How would that look?</li>
<li>So the player is going along, reading the story, and he or she hits a <b>Random Encounter</b>. He or she then rolls on a chart based on his or her location, and perhaps some other factors adjust the die roll. The chart then tells the player what sort of encounter he or she must face. He or she deals with it, suffers some consequences, gains some bonuses, and proceeds with the story. </li>
<li>That could theoretically work. In fact, I like the idea that the story would have a general overall shape, but with little crests and valleys and twists that are with each play through. I could even have some branching paths that would only be accessible based on particular random encounters happening at particular points in the story. That could be fun.</li>
<li>Okay, so I've got a basic story structure. But how do random encounters actually work? What information is given to the player when they hit a random encounter? And will I be able to have encounters that are not purely combat-based, so that players can work through the story in a number of different ways that don't involve the murderation of dozens of animals and sentient beings?</li>
<li>Let's say that the player rolls an encounter. That encounter might have several different stats indicating how one MIGHT overcome it, and the player can use his or her cards to match or beat one of those stats. </li>
<li>So the goblin encampment would have Fight 15, Frighten 20, Distract 9, and Talk 12. The player would have to muster up enough Fight, Frighten, Distract, or Talk cards to overcome one of those options. Otherwise, the encounter gives a certain consequence.</li>
<li>That's still a bit too much like needing the right set of keys to get through the door. I don't like the fact that the player knows EXACTLY what he or she needs to beat the encounter.</li>
<li>Is there some way to "hide" the exact numbers that the player will need to overcome? That way I could merely hint at what the player needs, but he or she would be uncertain about whether his or her Lighting Strike and Dual Wield Daggers (Fight 9 and Fight 6, respectively) would be enough to get through the goblins.</li>
<li>I know! I could randomize the stats. So instead of "Fight 15, Frighten 20," etc., the player would see "Fight 2d6 + 6, Frighten d12 + 4, Distract d6 + 1, Talk 2d6 - 2." The player would assemble his or her response to the encounter, THEN roll to see if he or she defeats it. That adds a nice push-your-luck element that I think could really work.</li>
<li>The best part is, sometimes the player will KNOW that the dice cannot possible roll high enough to defeat his or her response, but sometimes the player will be forced to gamble on a low number in order to conserve resources.</li>
<li>Plus, I could have the story branch out in different ways, depending on how the player overcame the random encounter.</li>
<li>Yes, I like this a lot! It's potentially very compelling, and can reward players for progressing through the game in multiple ways. Replayability is always good for a solitaire game, especially one with a customizable component like the player's deck.</li>
<li>Now to think about theme....</li>
<li>This system could obviously translate very well to a fantasy theme. The player could be a mage, a soldier, a noble, or a merchant, with different strengths and weaknesses against different kinds of encounters.</li>
<li>The problem with fantasy is not only that it's been done a lot, but it's been done WELL a lot. That's a lot of pressure to compete!</li>
<li>I'm not sure I'm interested in a modern thriller or spy story, but it could work. Something to keep in mind.</li>
<li>Sci fi would be fun, though. I love a good sci fi story. And this system could let the player play in the universe in fun ways. A human, a cyborg, an uplifted animal, and a robot would all interact with the encounters in different ways. The robot might be prone to hacking and electronic warfare, while the cyborg uses brute strength and enhanced speed to bring down his or her enemies. The human is relatively weak and fragile, but overcomes many different types of obstacles through creativity and ingenuity. The uplift has certain social obstacles and advantages, as an animal living in a world designed for humans, but is a master of stealth and surprise.</li>
<li>Yes, I like this a lot! I think I'll go with it.</li>
<li>Now, let's consider what a deck actually looks like.</li>
<li>I like the idea of smaller decks. The players shouldn't need a 60-card monstrosity to get through a story. Let's say a 30-card minimum deck. Probably a maximum of 3 copies of any given card. That makes printing easier--my card sheets are 3x3, so I can put three copies of three unique cards per sheet.</li>
<li>I also like the idea of giving the player actions to take outside of what is explicitly written on the cards. So while the Human player might have a card that he or she can discard to draw three additional cards, or to search his or her deck for a particular card, all Personas will have the option to, say, discard a card to draw a card.</li>
<li>I don't think I want the player to have to deal with his or her own stats, not even Health or Oxygen or anything like that. Everything he or she needs should be in the deck or in the encounter tables. It's just simpler that way. So what sort of punishment can the AI dish out?</li>
<li>Perhaps running out of cards in the deck means death? No, that would reward players for playing huge, bulky, cumbersome, extremely random decks. I think I'll allow the player to shuffle his or her discard pile into a new deck when the deck runs out.</li>
<li>Hand size, then, could be the player's Life. Take damage, discard a card. Run out of cards in hand, and you're dead.</li>
<li>The problem with that idea is that a player could get into a death spiral. He or she doesn't have enough cards to overcome a particular encounter, so he or she takes damage, so he or she has fewer cards to deal with the next encounter.... So that doesn't quite work, either.</li>
<li>What about removing cards from the game permanently? Take damage, exile the top card of your deck. That card is gone forever; I don't care if it's a really strong card, you don't get to use it this game. Hm... maybe. I don't like the fact that it won't always FEEL like damage. "Oh, I don't really care about that card, so that encounter wasn't very punishing at all."</li>
<li>Maybe a mixture of those ideas? Some encounters force you to discard cards from your hand if you fail, which limits your options. Some of them force you to exile cards from your deck, which CAN limit your options. And some of them could put a cap on your hand limit, so you don't necessarily have to discard cards, but now you can only ever hold 4 cards in your hand instead of 5. So when you draw cards, you'll occasionally be forced to discard cards.</li>
<li>I also think it's important to keep the player from just digging through the deck for the exact cards he or she needs for every encounter. So there should be a penalty for having to shuffle your discard pile to create a new deck. Perhaps, if you run out of cards in your deck, you shuffle your discard pile into a new deck, then exile the top two cards? So each time you have to reshuffle, you have fewer and fewer cards left in your deck. Yes, that should work. It's not too punishing initially, but if the player abuses that strategy, he or she will find him or herself without many options.</li>
<li>Okay, I'm really liking this idea. Time to go brainstorm some cards, and to sketch out an outline for the first story!</li>
</ul>
Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-41218986355903115072013-06-06T13:39:00.001-07:002015-01-06T15:17:37.845-08:00Designing Tabletop Games for Solitaire Play<span style="background-color: white;">I recently wrote a long post on the boardgamegeek forums that I would like to share and expound upon. You can see the original post in context <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/12506530#12506530">here.</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">Solitaire game design has unique problems that multiplayer game design does not have to deal with. The player is not competing against an intelligent and determined opponent, so you have to give the player a challenge in other ways. Looking at other solitaire games will give you an idea of how other designers have tackled this problem.</span></span><br />
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Multiplayer games have the benefit of incorporating social interaction into the game. The human element creates uncertainty, tension, and fun. Players can compete against each other to prove their mettle, as in <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/124742/android-netrunner">Android: Netrunner</a> or <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/13/the-settlers-of-catan">Settlers of Catan</a>. They can work together to overcome algorithmic obstacles, as in <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/30549/pandemic">Pandemic</a> or <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/38453/space-alert">Space Alert</a>. Some multiplayer games are ALL ABOUT the social interaction, such as <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/74/apples-to-apples">Apples to Apples</a> or <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/41114/the-resistance">The Resistance</a>. Solitaire games cannot stand on this leg, so other elements must be put into place to keep the game engaging, and to allow the player to feel as if he or she is mastering the system.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">Dice Dice Baby</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">Most solitaire games will have some sort of randomized gameplay element, whether that be dice, a shuffled deck of cards, random chit pulls, etc. This forces the player to stay on his or her toes and prepare for the worst possible outcome. It also forces the player to occasionally take risks. "If I don't roll a four or better right now, I am SCREWED." This helps add tension to what would otherwise be a solvable puzzle--and if the player wanted that, he or she could just play Sudoku.</span></span><br />
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This is one of the reasons that <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/94916/zed-deck">Zed Deck</a> is a successful solitaire game. In Zed Deck, the player shuffles a specialized deck of cards. Each turn, the player draws the next card in the deck, then deals with the event on the card, usually by drawing two or more cards and referencing particular pieces of data on those cards. Then all those cards are discarded, and the player starts the next turn. The player only experiences perhaps a third of the available events each game, and always in a different order. This keeps the game fresh and interesting even after dozens of plays.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">Limited Resources</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">Another good trick is to give the player plenty of actions which he or she CAN perform, but only enough time or action points to perform SOME of them. In </span><a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/71721/space-hulk-death-angel-the-card-game" style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; text-decoration: none;">Space Hulk: Death Angel - The Card Game</a><span style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">, for example, each squad can only perform a single action per turn. Sure, you may WANT to shoot and kill some filthy xenos, then shift the formation to get the best fighters in range of the worst threats, then activate the control panel for a positive effect, then add support tokens to the marine in the most danger... but that's too bad. You only get one action, so use it wisely.</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/42166/todd-sanders">Todd Sanders</a>' games tend to do this very well, especially his Lassadar games. Check 'em out! They're free to print and play, and are consistently eye-pleasing and fun.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">Flexible Game State</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">One of the keys to making the above idea work is shifting priorities. Giving the player 10 different actions that he or she can perform is all well and good, but if it is ALWAYS correct to kill zombies, that's what the player will do, and gameplay will become stale. Players will want to make the optimal move, so the optimal move cannot always be obvious, or your game will be boring.</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/428/dan-verssen" style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; text-decoration: none;">Dan Verssen</a><span style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">'s games tend to do this well, I think. In </span><a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/123955/thunderbolt-apache-leader" style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; text-decoration: none;">Thunderbolt Apache Leader</a><span style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">, for example, the player might have a juicy target to take out just over the ridge. The player then thinks, "Okay, I want to destroy that thing. Do I spend a couple of turns flying around the ridge and approaching the target from the north? Do I risk flying through the ridge at low altitude? Or do I go into high altitude and fly over the ridge, but expose myself to fire from that AAA over there?" Each of those options is better or worse depending on the game state. The player has to weigh variables such as how much fuel remains, how much damage the plane has already taken, and how much stress the pilot is already under. At different game states, the optimal approach will be different. Heck, sometimes the correct move will be to just ignore the target and move on!</span></span><br />
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See the <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/8007/victory-point-games">Victory Point Games</a> lineup for more inexpensive examples of this principle in action.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">AI See You!</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">Another problem to tackle is the game's artificial intelligence. Are you going to use an algorithm to have the game mimic human behavior, so that the player feels like he or she is playing against an intelligent opponent? There are ways to do this, but it often means a lot of work for the designer, a lot of work for the player, or both.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">For example, </span><a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/34499/race-for-the-galaxy-the-gathering-storm" style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; text-decoration: none;">Race for the Galaxy: The Gathering Storm</a><span style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;"> is an expansion to the base game that introduced a way to play the game solo. The player essentially rolls a die to see what the AI opponent does. However, the creation of this AI required thousands of computations to create a balanced and reasonably "intelligent" and difficult opponent for the player. That's a lot of work for the designer!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">Other games force the player to perform a large number of tasks--drawing cards, moving tokens and cubes, rolling dice, calculating damage, et cetera--in order to perform all of the enemy AI's tasks. That's a lot of work for the player. Some gamers are willing to do this, but it is tiresome, and will dissuade a lot of potential players from really diving in to your game.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">Other games don't try to emulate a player, though. In my own </span><a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/103749/enki-des-the-soul-gates" style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; text-decoration: none;">Enki-Des: The Soul Gates</a><span style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">, the player has to battle six different monsters in turn. Each monster has one or more unique abilities, but each monster is also stupid. Every monster performs the exact same action each turn--attack! This makes it very easy for the player to keep track of what is happening--all he or she must do is decrease his or her Life. This SOUNDS bad, but the game still gives the player plenty of options each turn, as he or she balances short-term goals (killing the monster) with mid- and long-term goals (boosting stats, healing, preparing to fight the next monster, winning the game). Sometimes, the player will deliberately choose to take damage, because killing the monster or blocking the attack is not as important to him or her as some of the other actions he or she can take. Which ties back to the idea of shifting priorities.</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/60377/jessey-wright">Jessey Wright's </a> stellar print-and-play dexterity game <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/128228/nimbles-the-spell-thief">Nimbles the Spell Thief</a> demonstrates a great use of AI. In the game, the player must flick Nimbles through a series of hallways and corridors in order to grab a precious Spell Tome and escape. Nimbles must avoid being seen by or colliding with the various guards as she makes her way through. The guards are controlled by simple rules--they move along preset pathways, and if they can "see" Nimbles (which in game terms means that you ended your turn too far outside the shadowy areas) then bad things happen. If too many bad things happen, Nimbles is captured. Even though the player is performing the actions of the guards, and the guards' actions are extremely limited, the player still feels as if the guards are active antagonists. </span><br />
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<b>System Mastery</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br />
A key aspect to a successful solitaire game is system mastery--that is, the player's ability to improve his or her performance through practice and learning. This encourages the player to play the game multiple times and gives the player a feeling of accomplishment.</span><br />
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Let's look at a bad example first. Say there's a game called Roll High. In Roll High, the player rolls a die. If the player rolls a high number (4+ on a d6, for example), he or she wins. If he or she rolls low, it's a game loss. Not a very compelling game, is it? No matter how many times the player plays the game, no matter how much the player studies, he or she will not be able to improve his or her performance. (Well, aside from practicing specific dice-rolling methods that are typically considered cheating.)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br />
One of the reasons my game <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/100367/derelicts-of-sin-heresy">Derelicts of Sin: Heresy</a> fails as a solitaire game is that there is little reason to play more than a couple of times. Once the player has experienced all of the different branching paths (and there are only a few of those), the gameplay is very straightforward--conserve oxygen as much as possible, and try to place the location tiles in such a way that the engine room and the bridge are close to each other. There is no system to master, no skill at which the player can improve.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/75223/utopia-engine">Utopia Engine</a>, on the other hand, is a fine solitaire game. The mechanics are interesting and unique, and it takes practice to figure out their intricacies. The game is also difficult enough that a player may not QUITE win on his or her first few attempts, but will have gotten so CLOSE to victory that he or she is compelled to try again. And once the player masters the system enough to win consistently, he or she can then try to improve on his or her own high score.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;" />
<b style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">In Soviet Russia, Decisions Make YOU!</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;" />
<span style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">The most important thing to remember is that solitaire players want to make difficult choices. They are not looking for a hand-out or an easy win. They want to weigh the different options against each other and decide what is most important. It is an exercise of the mind, so be sure to give the player difficult decisions with a wide possibility of outcomes. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;" />
<span style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">DO NOT make a player's actions dependent on randomness. I know that I said that solitaire games should include randomness, but that's not what I mean. What I mean is: The player should always have a choice about how to proceed. Monopoly's dice-rolling movement mechanic is terrible, because it takes the action decision away from the player. "What do I get to do this turn? Oh, I rolled 4. That means the only thing I can do is move 4 spaces along this track." BORING. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;" />
<span style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">What you want to do is give the player things to do, but mask the precise OUTCOME of those decisions. The player can move, shoot, hide, heal, or loot, but he or she does not know IN THAT MOMENT that he or she is about to draw an Overrun card that will buff all the enemies, so he or she may not realize that moving or hiding are better options than shooting or healing. That uncertainty provides tension in the player's decision making, which makes the game interesting.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana, 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">I hope this was helpful for you! Now go forth and make awesome games. :D</span></span>Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-46651544787836603342013-04-07T08:33:00.004-07:002013-08-17T09:42:11.444-07:00Horns of Thunder In ProgressI've been getting some nudges from my... fans? I'm going to go with fans--over at <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/">Board Game Geek</a> who are eager to play the sequel to my <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/798184/2012-solitaire-print-and-play-contest">award-winning</a> solitaire gamebook, <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/130510/wings-of-lightning">Wings of Lightning</a>.<br />
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The sequel, Horns of Thunder, is in the works as a couple of weeks ago. The rules are basically finished save for some minor editing, and I am perhaps halfway through Chapter One. The game's outline currently puts it at 9 or 10 chapters, and should include some interesting narrative surprises for fans of the first game while remaining playable and fun for those new to the trilogy. I'm trying to write it so that those completely unfamiliar with Skoros, Molina, and the events of Wings of Lightning will still be able to jump into the world of Myesta without feeling lost.<br />
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Progress is currently rather slow. I'm juggling two intense college courses with 25+ hours at work every week, including trying to earn a pretty sweet promotion. Subsequently, it has been difficult to find time for creative writing. (You'll notice this is my first blog post in months.)<br />
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Still, the semester ends in about two weeks. After that, I will be working full-time, but will not have to bring my work home with me. So I should have plenty of free time to work on my creative endeavors.<br />
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With Horns of Thunder, I have added examples of the combat system and cleaned up the combat rules to make things easier for those new to the game. It is, after all, a unique combat system, very different from those found in other gamebooks and RPGs. Combat requires a standard deck of poker cards. The player uses the face cards to make his or her attacks, generate combos, and slay his or her enemies. The number cards are drawn one at a time to determine whether the surviving enemies hit the player and what abilities they activate, although the player can attempt to block attacks with maneuver cards built up during his or her turn. Those who played Wings of Lightning will find the combat very familiar.<br />
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The narrative structure of the game is getting some pretty major tweaks. Rather than being completely linear, each chapter will be broken into a series of Scenes and Battles. Some Scenes (and possibly some Battles) will give the player an option of how he or she would like to proceed through the story. As long as the player survives combat, he or she will always be able to progress to the next chapter, but certain choices will make the journey easier or more difficult.<br />
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I am quite excited for Horns of Thunder and hope fans of Wings of Lightning will enjoy it. The current (tentative) release date is 1 July.Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-25224060355121223022012-09-30T17:45:00.000-07:002012-09-30T17:45:30.241-07:00Boardgame RevolutionEvery time I hear the name of the local game store I discovered recently, I get a flashback to high school, when a friend of mine made up a little ditty about the popular videogame Dance Dance Revolution.<br />
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"Dance. Dance. Re-vo-LU-shun!"<br />
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"Board. Game. Re-vo-LU-shun!"<br />
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There are several reasons I've come to like Boardgame Revolution over some of the game stores closer to my apartment:<br />
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<b>1. Atmosphere</b><br />
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Boardgame Revolution is CLEAN. It's quite the novelty compared to the poorly-lit stores that smell vaguely of sweat, cigarettes, and loneliness which I have had to suffer for the last few years.<br />
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The bathroom is one of the better public restrooms I have been in, quite the step up from another store that... well, let's just say that I'm always worried that I would get both herpes AND pregnant from that "restroom."<br />
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I have yet to enter BR without being greeted by a store employee and asked if I need help finding anything.<br />
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The staff seems quite knowledgable about the selection of games, which I appreciate in a game store staff.<br />
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The gamers with whom I have associated there did not smell bad, nor were they... overly enthusiastic about winning. <br />
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In general, it's just very pleasant there, with a nice, relaxed atmosphere inviting everyone to have fun.<br />
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<b>2. Variety</b><br />
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Boardgame Revolution has been striving hard to get a tournament scene going for multiple enjoyable games: BattleCON, Call of Cthulhu, Game of Thrones, and even the recently-released Android: Netrunner. I can stop by every Saturday afternoon (which is a GREAT time for me) and play a bunch of the games that I love.<br />
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Yesterday, not only did I get in several games of BattleCON, one of my all-time favorite games, but I was introduced to Sentinels of the Multiverse. It was a delightful cooperative game where the players take on the roles of themed superheroes trying to stop a super villain controlled by the game's AI. I'll probably write up a review soon.<br />
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<b>3. Focus</b><br />
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Boardgame Revolution sells boardgames. That's it. It doesn't sell boardgames AND comics, or boardgames AND videogames, or boardgames AND miniatures AND painting/hobby supplies. It's just boardgames.<br />
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I really like that. It's just... so pure. Now, I understand why other game stores can't be as focus; there isn't actually a ton of money to be had as a brick-and-mortar game vendor these days. The boardgame INDUSTRY may be doing well, but a lot of that money is going to online distributors. So supplementing a store's income with other products makes plenty of sense.<br />
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Boardgame Revolution doesn't have to do that. They get away with this by <i>renting</i> boardgames. It's genius! You pay a portion of the game's price tag and can take home the rental copy. You can try out the game with your friends, see if you like it, see if <i>they</i> like it, and if everyone's down, you can buy the game at a discount. I mean, it's usually discounted anyway, because BR is awesome like that, but it will be further discounted by the rental price. Why aren't more stores doing this?<br />
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BASICALLY, I really like this store and hope to be able to play there on at least a semi-weekly basis. If you're in the area, I'd recommend checking it out. It's at 411 E 1400 S in Orem, UT. They're theoretically open from noon to 7pm M-F and 10am-7pm Saturday, but they hold regular card tournaments on Wednesdays starting at 7pm, so who knows how late they tend to actually stay open? I myself was there until about 7:20pm yesterday.<br />
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Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-81931706577381873762012-09-16T17:41:00.001-07:002012-09-16T17:41:28.132-07:00Wings of Lightning Update, and My Next ProjectIf you frequent the boardgamegeek.com design forums, this is probably old news, but my gamebook, <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/822376/wip-wings-of-lightning-pnp-solitaire-2012-contes">Wings of Lightning</a>, did quite well in the <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/798184/2012-solitaire-print-and-play-contest/page/1">2012 Solitaire Print and Play Contest</a>. Out of the 48 completed entries, Wings of Lightning placed 8th overall. Not too shabby.<br />
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In addition, it won first prize in the Best Paragraph Game and Best Large Game categories, and second place in the Best Sci Fi/Fantasy Game category. Pretty good for my first completed gamebook.<br />
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The prize isn't spectacular--just a pile of "GeekGold" that can be used on the boardgamegeek website to purchase certain perks, like new microbadges to place under my avatar. Still, it's a nice confidence-boost in my writing and design abilities. <br />
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Subsequently, I'm working on another gamebook, <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/851087/wip-traitors-path-a-solo-gamebook">Traitors' Path</a>. This one is heavily influenced by space opera like Star Trek and David Weber's Honor Harrington series. I think it will be a much better game than WoL in terms of balance and replayability. It's much lighter on combat, which I think actually makes it faster-paced than WoL; the combat systems in both games is fun and unique from other gamebooks, but it can get repetitive. <br />
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Traitors' Path is about Seventh Fleet patrolling the edge of human expansion for fear of the return of an alien threat. It turns out that the real threat to humanity, however, is itself, as the Interplanetary Socialist Initiative brutally and illegally takes power. The ISI takes control of the military and seizes most human-occupied systems within a matter of days.<br />
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As a young commander in Seventh Fleet, you vow your loyalty to Admiral Vonn and swear to help her and Seventh Fleet free humanity from the tyrannical Izzies. Check it out! The first three missions are playable right now. When the gamebook is complete, it will probably be the longest work I have ever completed.<br />
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And if you're interested in gamebooks, please check out this year's <a href="http://arborell.com/windhammer_prize.html">Windhammer contest</a>. There are some really intriguing entries, and I'm a little disappointed that I didn't find time to complete a submission of my own. Next year, I suppose. Anyway, the winner and two other "merit award" entries will get the chance to be published as an app by Tin Man Games, so be sure to vote!Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-79212160215492709082012-07-18T23:11:00.000-07:002012-09-17T08:22:47.986-07:00Wings of Lightning: A New Kind of Solo Gamebook<b>Old School</b><br />
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With the astounding rise of popularity in role-playing games in the late 70s and early 80s came a demand for role-playing adventures that could be played solitaire. After all, not every gamer could round up several friends and devote 4+ hours to a gaming session on a regular basis. But the craving for role-playing-style games was nigh insatiable. <br />
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Several major titles rose to meet this demand, notably the <a href="http://fightingfantasy.com/">Fighting Fantasy</a> series by Ian Livingstone and at least two different Steve Jacksons, and <a href="http://www.projectaon.org/en/Main/Books">Lone Wolf</a> by Joe Dever.<br />
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These gamebooks were designed to provide a single player with an RPG experience mimicking the popular mechanics of the time. There were stats to track, inventory lists, and most importantly, dice! The games played a bit like Choose Your Own Adventure books with dice-rolling. The player would make decisions, turn to paragraphs as instructed, and roll dice to see if they fail or succeed at various endeavors. The gamebooks essentially acted as GMs for the player.<br />
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I have attempted to write gamebooks on multiple occasions. They combine two of my favorite hobbies: game design and creative writing. None of these projects ever came to much, though. I would get really excited by the <i>story</i> of the game, but the mechanics always felt... flat. I didn't feel I was adding anything new to the genre. <br />
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I had to do some research. I played a wide variety of both professional and amateur gamebooks, trying to figure out what worked, what did not, what I enjoyed, and what I felt could be improved. <a href="http://www.ffproject.com/download.htm">The Fighting Fantasy Project</a> was a particularly useful site, as was Project Aon, the attempt to make all the Lone Wolf books available for free online.<br />
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<b>New Project</b><br />
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When I began to work on my newest design, <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/822376/wip-wings-of-lightning-pnp-solitaire-2012-idea-p/page/1">Wings of Lightning</a>, I tried to write a gamebook that drew upon the lessons that I had learned. <br />
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One of the key differences between Wings of Lightning and traditional gamebooks is the lack of dice. I had attempted to write WoL several times, always with various attempts at dice-based combat, and none of them worked. The problem was the Wings of Lightning was originally conceived of as an action-adventure video game, in the style of Legends of Zelda, God of War, and Shadow of the Colossus. Combat in such games revolves around patience, combos, and pushing one's luck to get in the last few hits. Dice just couldn't seem to emulate this.<br />
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<b>Combat Evolved</b><br />
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I cast about for a mechanic that would mimic the fast-paced, brutal combat of God of War and Dante's Inferno. Dice were not working. What else could I use?<br />
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Many of my ideas seem to come during that blissful half-awake period when I am lying in bed waiting for my alarm to go off. During one such time, it occurred to me to use playing cards rather than dice. Playing cards have "memory," which in game terms means that the chances of achieving a certain outcome change over time as cards are depleted from the deck. Dice lack memory; previous rolls have no effect on future rolls.<br />
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I initially thought about having the player guess the color or suit of the top card of the deck, then revealing that card. A correct guess would mean a hit; an incorrect guess would therefore be a miss. Too many misses, and the player would receive a damage penalty. More hits would lead to better combos, thus encouraging the player to push his or her luck.<br />
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I liked this idea, because it would allow astute players to improve their accuracy over time. The more cards they revealed, the more information they would have about what cards remained, giving them a higher chance of guessing accurately. <br />
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It occurred to me, though, that a deck of cards has too many cards. Drawing four or five cards does not significantly alter the chances of drawing one suit or another. I had to limit the number of cards so that drawing even one card would significantly alter the chances of revealing one color or another. "Face cards!" I thought.<br />
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I tested the idea, and it seemed to work. Using only the 16 face cards (Jack, Queen, King, Ace), I could guess with a decent amount of accuracy the color of the top card.<br />
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What, then, to do with the remaining cards? "Enemy AI!" I thought.<br />
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For enemy attacks, I decided to use the numbers of the cards, rather than the colors. For each enemy, the player would simply reveal the top card of the deck. If the number on the revealed card was equal to or less than that enemy's Aim stat, the player would take a hit. It was fast, simple, and easy to understand.<br />
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After releasing an initial draft for viewing on boardgamegeek.com, some early testers helped me iron out some kinks on the system. (Shout out to Tony, Jessey, and Michael!) <br />
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First, the player wasn't interacting with the enemies enough. The enemies would either hit the player, or not, and the player could do nothing about it. I decided, then to utilize the "miss" cards that the player was accumulating anyway. The "miss" cards became "maneuver" cards. They would work the same way, in that too many maneuver cards would lead to a damage penalty, but they could also be used to cancel enemy damage. If an enemy hit the player, the player could cancel the damage by matching the revealed card with a maneuver card of the same suit. This added a nice extra layer of strategy, as players could deliberately miss in order to gain the suits they wanted to use to dodge enemy attacks.<br />
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Second, the idea of using guessing either colors or suits was too much. Colors were much easier; suits were just too difficult to guess consistently. So I ditched suits and went with colors only. The player only had to guess the correct color to get a hit.<br />
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<b>Linear Story</b><br />
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Wings of Lightning was originally intended to be a video game. I had a very detailed plot laid out in my head, with several key characters playing important roles. The game was originally a sort of on-rails adventure, a la God of War or Dante's Inferno; there would be no wandering around looking for extra items or performing menial tasks for NPCs.<br />
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This meant that when I sat down to write WoL, I had to make a crucial decision. Instead of giving the player a lot of free reign over the story, with many branching paths and decision points, I decided to tell the story that I had already plotted. Wings of Lightning has a chapter structure traditionally found in novels, but not really seen in gamebooks. The player reads through and completes each chapter consecutively. He or she still makes choices, but ultimately the story will be the same each time.<br />
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There are pros and cons to this approach. On the one hand, the story will always be cohesive, and the characters consistent. I get to tell exactly the story I want to tell. On the other hand, once the player has completed the game once or twice, there is little incentive to replay. But WoL is intended as a free print-and-play game, and I don't think replay value is as important in a game that cost nothing.<br />
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<b>Looking Ahead</b><br />
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Wings of Lightning is being designed for the <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/798184/2012-solitaire-print-and-play-contest">2012 Solitaire Print and Play Contest</a>. Submissions must be complete by the end of July, which gives me about two weeks to wrap up the gamebook. I've been writing steadily, but some upheaval at work has been very draining, making it difficult to complete more than about a page a day.<br />
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Still, I am hopeful that I can complete a solid draft in time. I have outlined 10 chapters. The rules and chapters 1 and 2 are complete. Chapter 3 should be done by tomorrow evening. The biggest hurdle will be chapter 9 (assuming I stick to my outline), because it involves a very tricky plot twist. I think I can do it, with encouragement and dedication. Even if I don't manage to complete the game in time to submit to the contest, I definitely plan to finish the game before the end of the summer.<br />
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Then I'll get to work on the sequel: Horns of Thunder!Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969851490743203824.post-59143963176873950162012-06-16T17:10:00.003-07:002012-06-16T17:12:29.183-07:00A Thousand Years of BloodI have released another print-and-play game titled <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/125836/a-thousand-years-of-blood">A Thousand Years of Blood</a>. It was designed for the <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/810436/24-hour-contest-june-2012">June 24-Hour Game Design Contest</a>, which was very intense. It looks like the 24-hour design contest might become a monthly contest, with each month presenting different restrictions or challenges. This month, the trial month of the contest, was open-ended. Participants could design whatever they wanted!<br />
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To start the clock, the participant posts on the contest thread, announcing that they are beginning their game. They then have 24 hours to create a game entirely from scratch. No revisiting half-finished prototypes, no starting the graphic design or mechanical testing prior to the start, nothing. Of course, this is all on the honor code, but we experienced designers have a good idea of what can and cannot be done in 24 hours.<br />
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My submission was designed, tested, tweaked, and released in a whirlwind weekend. The game is about an alternate reality wherein a superhuman named Heinrich Kirchner took over Nazi Germany after Hitler's assassination. Heinrich has lead the Nazis to victory over the human race. You, as a fellow superhuman, must escape capture and bring down Heinrich's regime.<br />
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The game fits onto a single PocketMod, a sheet of paper that can be folded origami-style into a little booklet. The player starts the game by selecting two super powers, then proceeds through each of the three levels to reach and defeat Heinrich.<br />
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It was definitely a fun and intense challenge. I learned a lot about my design methods and sensibilities. I definitely work better starting with a theme and then matching mechanics to it. The original concept for the game was to make a board game version of a side-scrolling adventure, but I quickly realized that there was no way to create that sort of game in 24 hours. A side-scroller really needs artwork to distinguish the various obstacles and enemies, and there was no way I would be able to pull that off in a day.<br />
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It occurred to me, though, that I could have the players draw their own enemies and obstacles. It was a stupid idea, and there was no way I could actually get players to do it. But it did lead me to the idea of having players generate the maps, themselves. Once I latched onto that idea, I decided to try and squeeze the game onto a PocketMod. The small space would restrict the design possibilities--which is a good thing when you only have a day. Additionally, I know from experience how to craft PocketMods, and I was confident that I could craft one quickly and get to testing. <br />
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The fact that the game was solitaire was extremely useful. I could get in a lot of testing in a short amount of time, and tweak the game quickly and easily.<br />
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There haven't been very many participants in the June contest, yet, but we're only halfway through the month. I'm hopeful that we'll be able to drum up more interest. The prize isn't hugely compelling, but the challenge is very fun and quite instructive. <br />
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Anyway, feel free to check out the game! The rules can be downloaded <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/filepage/79499/a-thousand-years-of-blood-rules-contest-version">here</a>, and the PocketMod is available <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/filepage/79498/a-thousand-years-of-blood-pocketmod-contest-versio">here.</a>Kurthl33thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07827585809859389175noreply@blogger.com2