Deck Building Games

Now that is a great exchange.

In some order:

Nightfall
Puzzle Strike
Core Worlds
Quarriors
Blood Bowl (if we are counting it).

Haven't tried Fantastiqa yet.

Last would be Thunderstone.

I came to the conclusion lately that I'm still into deckbuilding as a mechanic, but not so much into just plain deck-building games. I really dig the use of it in Mage Knight and Blood Bowl, and I think stuff like that is where it's finding it's future. To one extent or another, all of the other iterations have started to run together for me.

Bull Nakano wrote: A lot of folks seem to rank Nightfall high, so I downloaded the app and it seems like a pretty fun game. To the folks who've played the app, does the physical game play as good or better?

The physical game far exceeds the iOS version. Here's why:

There are far more cards in the real thing
Online MP takes too long, with constant back and forth
The complexity of the game makes the iOS UI a bit much

I've tried the IOS-versions of both Nightfall and Thunderstone and was impressed by neither. Maybe having the physical cards would make me appreciate the theme more, but I'm not sure. Ascension is a good game in IOS, but ultimately shallow.

In real life I've tried Dominion which is a very good bad game. It's soulless and uninteresting, but I can't deny it's a good game. I would probably play it if the right people asked, but I'll live happily ever after even if that never happens.

Rune Age is an entirely different beast. The Runewars scenario is great and feels like a card version of a DoaM game, but the coop/solo scenario is very good as well. I like that the game actually has a theme that fits with the deck building, namely that just because you have x of y units in your army, doesn't mean they're ready for battle when and where you need them. I haven't tried the expansion, but I'm looking forward to it.

JonJacob wrote: 4/ DC the DBG - for playing drunk with non gamers.

I'm glad at least one other person likes this game. It's dumb but lots of fun.

mads b. wrote: I've tried the IOS-versions of both Nightfall and Thunderstone and was impressed by neither. Maybe having the physical cards would make me appreciate the theme more, but I'm not sure. Ascension is a good game in IOS, but ultimately shallow.
.

The Thunderstone IoS implementation is one of the worst board game ports I have seen. If you can believe it, its better than it used to be. Originally it was released requiring a Facebook login and network access. After howls of outrage, they changed it so you don't need Facebook. But IIRC you still need an internet connection. And it is still painfully slow.

mads b. wrote: I've tried the IOS-versions of both Nightfall and Thunderstone and was impressed by neither. Maybe having the physical cards would make me appreciate the theme more, but I'm not sure. Ascension is a good game in IOS, but ultimately shallow.

In real life I've tried Dominion which is a very good bad game. It's soulless and uninteresting, but I can't deny it's a good game. I would probably play it if the right people asked, but I'll live happily ever after even if that never happens.

Rune Age is an entirely different beast. The Runewars scenario is great and feels like a card version of a DoaM game, but the coop/solo scenario is very good as well. I like that the game actually has a theme that fits with the deck building, namely that just because you have x of y units in your army, doesn't mean they're ready for battle when and where you need them. I haven't tried the expansion, but I'm looking forward to it.

I haven't played the physical version of Nightfall, but the iOS version is a little hard to get into because there. are. so. many. points. where. the. gameplay. breaks. up. Well, at least playing multiplayer, I never play against the AI.

I'm kinda glad my Rune Age didn't go in the math trade, now I just need to crack it open and get some plays in.

hotseatgames wrote: The physical game far exceeds the iOS version. Here's why:

There are far more cards in the real thing
Online MP takes too long, with constant back and forth
The complexity of the game makes the iOS UI a bit much

Too right. Nightfall is abysmal on iOS. It's a horrible experience.

And that's a huge iOS fan saying that.

I second that statement (Duke's). Nightfall is an abomination.

I have determined that I have an opposing position to Nate in this case: Virtually all deck building games are so droll and boring that were they a person, I would not cross the street to piss in their mouths if their guts were burning with a white hot flame.

Unlike the man in the UK, I would not kick a burning deckbuilder in the nuts so hard that I'd tear a tendon in my foot. I'd simply chortle while it burned, chanting "X X X X" the whole time.

I didn't really like Dominion, I ~hated~ Ascension (which is weird because I was OK with the iOS implementation), and Thunderstone wasn't really all that shit hot. Quarriors at least gives me something to do...roll dice...which is one of its few saving graces.

I don't know why people are so fascinated by them.



(Not me)