Game: Nature of the Beast: City vs. Suburb

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EndersGame — 2008-11-18T22:47:39+00:00

Artwork for "Deserted Playground" Location card (1600x1200 suitable for desktop wallpaper)

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EndersGame — 2008-11-18T22:37:01+00:00

Nature of the Beast logo (1600x1200 for desktop wallpaper)

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EndersGame — 2008-11-18T21:15:15+00:00

Legend card: artwork for Arco & Rex (1600x1200 suitable for desktop wallpaper)

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EndersGame — 2008-11-18T21:14:39+00:00

Legend card: artwork for Grendel (1600x1200 suitable for desktop wallpaper)

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EndersGame — 2008-11-18T21:11:48+00:00

Legend card: artwork for Kongo (1600x1200 suitable for desktop wallpaper)

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EndersGame — 2008-11-18T21:03:14+00:00

Legend card: artwork for Nickel (1600x1200 suitable for desktop wallpaper)

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EndersGame — 2008-11-18T21:01:37+00:00

Legend card: artwork for Whiskers (1600x1200 suitable for desktop wallpaper)

Thread: Re: Question: Chipper Chipmunk & titled animal as primary defender

JohnnyRyce — 2008-03-26T00:49:11+00:00

Xanthos wrote:
I understand that two Chipper Chimpmunks that are occupying the same space defend by adding both of their combat values. I would assume that this is if they were the primary defender.
Yes. That power does nothing more than allow them to sit on the same field space and defend together. They wouldn't combine combat scores as allies (allies don't usually rely on their combat values anyway).

Interestingly, if both were untilted they could both ally for a legitimate animal, though it would require two different battle actions.

Xanthos wrote:
Do the two Chipper Chipmunks attack together or seperately? Do they recruit together or seperately? Do they until as one action for each or one action for both of them?
On attack, their ability gives them no advantage. In fact, they couldn't even ally for each other since they don't have a vector pointing to themselves. So if you wanted them both to attack, you would have to start two separate combats. They are just sharing a space.

In regards to your untilting question, they wouldn't untilt together either. They can co-habitate and help defend. That is all.

(The only other animal that can co-habitate is the Abandoned Kitten. It can move onto any larger animal and it essentially becomes an item on that animal. So it would move, tilt and untilt with the carrier animal until the carrier was trashed or you decided to move the kitten off of it.)

Xanthos wrote:
Second, if the primary defender in a battle is tilted I understand that they can't use their special abilities.
Well, this one depends on the animal. An animal can use its ability when tilted as long as the ability doesn't require it to tilt. This should be clear based on the ability text.

Two examples: The Police Canine, for instance, gets a +1 Combat bonus in any battle where it is facing an opponent in Dark Nature. This can be used whether the canine is tilted or not. The Spunky Hamster, on the other hand, can 'roll' away to escape an attack, but only if it is untilted and has somewhere to go.

Xanthos wrote:
Do they have a combat value of zero?
An animal's combat value does not drop to zero because it is tilted. It retains its full combat value as a defender whether tilted or not.

If any of this needs further clarification, let me know. Thanks for playing!

Thread: Question: Chipper Chipmunk & titled animal as primary defender

Xanthos — 2008-03-25T03:43:48+00:00

I've been looking for these answers but haven't found them yet. I'm sorry if this is repeated from a previous post.

I understand that two Chipper Chimpmunks that are occupying the same space defend by adding both of their combat values. I would assume that this is if they were the primary defender.

Do the two Chipper Chipmunks attack together or seperately? Do they recruit together or seperately? Do they until as one action for each or one action for both of them?

Second, if the primary defender in a battle is tilted I understand that they can't use their special abilities. Do they have a combat value of zero?

Thanks for your help.

Thread: Re: Questions: Sewer Rats

JohnnyRyce — 2008-03-11T00:05:50+00:00

indomitable_weakling wrote:
what a fun game.
Thank you for the kind words. You are now our favorite person in Indonesia.

Thread: Re: Questions: Sewer Rats

indomitable_weakling — 2008-03-10T10:16:40+00:00

Wow thanks for speedy reply. have played the game yesterday, what a fun game.

Thx

Thread: Re: Questions: Sewer Rats

JohnnyRyce — 2008-03-10T08:40:32+00:00

indomitable_weakling wrote:
Hi, I have just tried playing NOB, I have a question regarding sewer rats:

As I understand it, his ability means that you increased the maximum number of trick cards in your hand by 1 ? Have I interpreted the text correctly ? If so, what is the maximum number of trick cards in your hand ? (Before sewer rat comes into the field ?)
Hey, thanks for trying out the game. The sewer rat does indeed increase the maximum number of trick cards you can hold in in your hand.

This only comes into play at the end of your turn. During your turn, you can build your hand size up to as many cards as you can get your paws on. But at the end of your turn, you must discard down to your maximum. That is five cards, plus one for each sewer rat that you have in play.

Feel free to look at the extended example of play and quick reference sheets that you can download from bgg.com or follow up with any other questions. Good luck leading an animal army in the shadows of humanity.

Mark
Eye-Level Entertainment, LLP
"Focus on the Fun"

Thread: Questions: Sewer Rats

indomitable_weakling — 2008-03-10T02:00:58+00:00

Hi, I have just tried playing NOB, I have a question regarding sewer rats:

As I understand it, his ability means that you increased the maximum number of trick cards in your hand by 1 ? Have I interpreted the text correctly ? If so, what is the maximum number of trick cards in your hand ? (Before sewer rat comes into the field ?)

Thanks

Thread: Re: Questions about: Suburb Cards

amos_frans — 2008-03-01T05:52:35+00:00

Thanks Mark.

Thread: Re: Questions about: Suburb Cards

JohnnyRyce — 2008-02-20T10:26:59+00:00

Amos, thanks again for the good questions. Here's our thoughts, but again, play the cards with whatever interpretations that you want.

amos_frans wrote:
Bodyguard: "This is your first and only action." Does this mean it is your only BATTLE ACTION, or it is your only action out of the three actions you get per turn?
The arrow indicates that this happens during another players turn, so you aren't dealing with your own actions. It should say: "as your first and only BATTLE action", but we ran out of room.

amos_frans wrote:
Under Cover of Darkness: Does this card prevent Fury gains from events or abilities used during the battle?
Yes. If you use the Loaded Revolver Under Cover of Darkness, then no Fury is gained, not one, not two. Same with Main Street, the Fuzzy Bunny, etc. A very powerful card.

amos_frans wrote:
Counter Offer: If playing Counter Offer forces an opponent to "give up" a recruitment attempt, will the animals he's already tilted/trashed in the attempt remain trashed/tilted?
Yes. Once you tilt the animals, they've committed to the recruit. That is a very good use of that card.

amos_frans wrote:
Mr. Whiskers: He attacks with his cunning. According to the rules, Legend Boost and Allying specifically adds points to your Combat. Can Mr. Whiskers use allies and Legend Boost to improve his attack, or would they be wasted improving his Combat when only his Cunning matters?
Yes, he can gain ANY combat bonuses as long as they aren't from permanent bonuses linked directly to his combat value before the battle.

For example, if he were to use the Loaded Revolver, he would get combat bonuses, since that is increasing his effectiveness as an attacker (which for him, uniquely, is based off of his cunning).

However, if Mr. Whiskers had, say, been equipped with the Secret Mutagen, then that would NOT help since it was a prior boost to his combat value and he isn't using that to attack. It would help when he was defending, though.

Another example would be Battle Hardened. That increases his combat value before the attack, so it won't come into play since he is using his cunning.

amos_frans wrote:
Raccoon Scout: Say my Scout is untapped and gets attacked. Can I use his ability to untap another Troop as a battle action?
Good one. Technically, I would rule NO. Things that a player can do as a battle action are pretty clearly listed as battle actions. I would say if you did it BEFORE they declared the attack, then yes. But once a battle starts, technically the only actions you can take are battle actions, allying, or boosting legends.

Once a battle starts other players couldn't do it either. The rules are very specific that they can only ally if asked, but can do nothing else.

amos_frans wrote:
Fuzzy Bunny: In a previous post (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/116132), Matt said that "Framed" could be combined with "Fuzzy Bunny" to deal 2 Fury to an opponent. How does this work? "Framed!" has a down-arrow deployment icon, so it can only be played on your own turn. "Fuzzy Bunny" has an up-arrow icon - I assumed this meant that its ability only applies during your opponent's turn. How can these effects work together if they aren't active on the same turn?
Matt was right. Because when an animal is Framed, humanity thinks that it did attack, so it suffers the same fury penalties that it would if it did. So though the Fuzzy Bunny's power is meant to punish those animals that are seen as being aggressive to such a cute little thing (which in every other case only happens during another player's turn). A Framed animal would be seen as such, hence the Fury bonus.

Keep those questions coming. It's getting me well trained for word-smithing the cards for the new Battle Box.

Thread: Questions about: Suburb Cards

amos_frans — 2008-02-17T21:36:33+00:00

Bodyguard: "This is your first and only action." Does this mean it is your only BATTLE ACTION, or it is your only action out of the three actions you get per turn?

Under Cover of Darkness: Does this card prevent Fury gains from events or abilities used during the battle?

Counter Offer: If playing Counter Offer forces an opponent to "give up" a recruitment attempt, will the animals he's already tilted/trashed in the attempt remain trashed/tilted?

Mr. Whiskers: He attacks with his cunning. According to the rules, Legend Boost and Allying specifically adds points to your Combat. Can Mr. Whiskers use allies and Legend Boost to improve his attack, or would they be wasted improving his Combat when only his Cunning matters?

Raccoon Scout: Say my Scout is untapped and gets attacked. Can I use his ability to untap another Troop as a battle action?

Fuzzy Bunny: In a previous post (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/116132), Matt said that "Framed" could be combined with "Fuzzy Bunny" to deal 2 Fury to an opponent. How does this work? "Framed!" has a down-arrow deployment icon, so it can only be played on your own turn. "Fuzzy Bunny" has an up-arrow icon - I assumed this meant that its ability only applies during your opponent's turn. How can these effects work together if they aren't active on the same turn?

Thread: Re: "Polar vs. Prairie" Listing now on BGG w/ POLAR LEGENDS

JohnnyRyce — 2008-02-10T19:59:43+00:00

Vote early and vote often!

Thread: "Polar vs. Prairie" Listing now on BGG w/ POLAR LEGENDS VOTE

EyeLevel — 2008-02-10T12:10:04+00:00

We hope to have our new "NotB" Battle Box ready for this summer (2008). There is a listing for it here on the 'Geek (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/34207).

As with the Prairie Deck, we're enlisting the public to decide who two of the Legends will be in the Polar Deck! Voting is open through Feb 22nd. Vote as often as you like! Visit the "Prairie vs. Polar" listing for a link to the online ballot.

Thank you for your support and don't forget to "Focus on the Fun".

Thread: Re: Questions about: City cards

amos_frans — 2008-02-01T00:36:47+00:00

Thanks to you both.

Thread: Re: Questions about: City cards

JohnnyRyce — 2008-01-26T19:08:18+00:00

Once again, I must thank Amos for his insightful questions and Richard for his 'spot on' responses.

So, my two cents on the more fuzzy ones...

amos_frans wrote:

Lab Rat: The text reads "Unaffected by opponent's items, including those which can affect a battle." What I'm confused about is whether an item is considered to be affecting the Lab Rat.

ANY item an opponent has that directly affects the Lab Rat is useless. The idea is that the Lab Rat is clever enough to counter-act the advantages bestowed by technology. He can disperse the Smoke Canister, negate the Secret Mutagen, debunk the Voodoo Doll, jam the Loaded Revolver, neutralize the Poison, dull the Iron Talons, etc. etc.

The Lab Rat cannot affect indirect items, like the Caffeine Pills, the Grooming Certificate, the Hidden Camera, the GPS System, or the Human Costume, for example, because they don't involve an opposing animal.

amos_frans wrote:
Stray Dog: If I have 3 City locations in play, the Dog's effective Rank is 0 for recruiting purposes. Can I recruit the dog without discarding or tilting any other cards?
Yes! Remember, though, any recruitment action still costs you one action, even if you don't have to tilt anyone. Woof!

Thanks again for the questions.

EDIT: Cleaned up and expanded the examples I gave for the Lab Rat.

Thread: Re: Questions about: City cards

Matchstickman — 2008-01-25T08:36:59+00:00

City Mouse: This animal has the icon of a "Small" animal, but the text above the icon says "Tiny."
Yes, all the mice should be the same, tiny.

Arrow/Deployment Icon: On events, it is obvious that the icon refers to playing the card. On locations, items, and humans, I'm not always sure if the icon refers to when you play the card, or when you use the ability.
It is a free action (no action cost) to play items, call humans or claim locations but it does cost to make use of them. Any numbers in the arrows on the cards apply to when you make use of their effects.

Abandoned Kitten: The Kitten's ability costs one action to move "onto" or "off of" another animal. Does this ability include the move, or do you have to use an action to use the ability, and use another action to move?
The use of any ability is instead of the action you would normally take,in this case it cost 1 action to move the Kitten onto another animal instead of an action to move to that field space. Additionally other animals could not make this move as they can't occupy the same space as a second animal.

The same question applies to Nickel.
As above, the ability replaces the normal action.

Lab Rat: The text reads "Unaffected by opponent's items, including those which can affect a battle." What I'm confused about is whether an item is considered to be affecting the Lab Rat.
Ah, a stumper. I think the rule of thumb here would be "no item cards may be played on lab rat unless you allow it, items already on other animals may not be used in a battle in which Lab Rab is the target.” but that's in no way an official interpretation. Best to wait for orders from on high.
EDIT: Bah! What a ridiculous answer I have given here, best wait for Matt or Mark.

City Squirrel:If my opponent already has the item in play, can he transfer it to another animal?
Yes, he can. Equipping an item is not the same as passing an item.

Stray Dog:Can I recruit the dog without discarding or tilting any other cards?
Oooo, a second question I can't answer specifically. I would guess that as you have met or beaten the animal's rank you can recruit them without the need to do anything else, but I would (again) await official interpretation on this one.

Thread: Questions about: City cards

amos_frans — 2008-01-25T05:01:46+00:00

City Mouse: This animal has the icon of a "Small" animal, but the text above the icon says "Tiny." What is the correct size of the City Mouse? (My guess is that it is a Tiny animal since other mouse and rat type animals are also Tiny)

Arrow/Deployment Icon: On events, it is obvious that the icon refers to playing the card. On locations, items, and humans, I'm not always sure if the icon refers to when you play the card, or when you use the ability. For example, "Grooming Certificate" has a deployment icon with a "1" inside, indicating that it costs one action. Is this cost paid when the card is played, or when the ability is used? The same question applies to locations like "Storm Drain" and humans like "Politician."

Abandoned Kitten: The Kitten's ability costs one action to move "onto" or "off of" another animal. Does this ability include the move, or do you have to use an action to use the ability, and use another action to move? (I'm assuming the move is included without using an extra action) The same question applies to Nickel.

Lab Rat: The text reads "Unaffected by opponent's items, including those which can affect a battle." What I'm confused about is whether an item is considered to be affecting the Lab Rat. Many items such as "Secret Mutagen" can increase an animal's combat score. This wouldn't directly "affect" the Rat, it's affecting the animal with the item. Would the improved combat score be used against the Rat? Take a look at another item card, such as Smoke Canister: "Trash this card as a battle action to gain +3 Combat. If you win, your opponent is not trashed and no Fury is gained." Parts of this card would directly affect the Rat, and parts of it would indirectly affect the Rat. Could this ability be used at all in a battle with the Rat? Which, if any, parts of the ability would take effect? If this ability can't be used at all, are there any item abilities that can be used as a battle action while in battle with the Rat that are not considered to "affect" the Rat? Phew, I've thoroughly confused myself in trying to ask this question.

City Squirrel: "Items carried by City Squirrel cannot be equipped by other players. This does not affect items already in play." If my opponent already has the item in play, can he transfer it to another animal?

Stray Dog: If I have 3 City locations in play, the Dog's effective Rank is 0 for recruiting purposes. Can I recruit the dog without discarding or tilting any other cards?

Thread: Re: Assorted Questions

JohnnyRyce — 2008-01-10T23:27:45+00:00

Trump wrote:
I'm new to Nature of the Beast, and I have the inevitable batch of 'starting out' questions. Without further ado...

Thanks for the questions! This is Mark, one of the co-creators. First and foremost, this is now YOUR game, so we encourage you to tweak and interpret this game however you want.

But, if you are asking for my opinions of how I'D play these...

Trump wrote:
1)Does the equipping action tilt the animal?

No. It is a free action and you do not have to tilt. An animal with items can tilt to pass any or all of its items to another untilted animal in its vectors. That is also a free action.

Trump wrote:
2)GRAY WOLF : Can I, for example, use two actions to give the Gray Wolf +4 in combat for an upcoming attack that turn?

Interesting thought. I see nothing stopping you from doing that, the way the card is written. It doesn't say you can only do this once, so go tear them up, I say.

Trump wrote:
3)STAND ASIDE : Is the Clout loss permanent?

Yes.

Trump wrote:
4)TRENCH WARFARE : Do the animals with Burrow need to be untilted to give the bonus?

No. In fact, it would be unusual to have any untilted animals in a battle unless an untilted animal was attacked.

Trump wrote:
5)MOB TIES : Does this mean -1 Fury and +1 Favor?

Yes. Lose one Fury, gain one favor (but you have to have Fury to lose, that's why is was written that way).

Trump wrote:
6)OLD FARMER : Does the requirement of 2+ Farm Locations mean 2 or more, or greater than 2?

All of the requirements are "or more". So the farmer could come out if you had at least 2 farm locations out.

Trump wrote:
7)LOADED REVOLVER : Can only an animal that is the attacker or defender use a Loaded Revolver?

Either can use it, but that animal will gain Fury. So this is one of the few ways for a defending animal to gain Fury (or an attacking animal to gain extra!)

Trump wrote:
8)HUNGRY GOAT : Does this mean only one of your battle actions for that entire fight? Or can it actually eat through the opponent's hand?

As written the Goat can use ONE battle action. So it can't keep eating. Though that would be nice.

Trump wrote:
9)CITY SQUIRREL : So, for example, if the City Squirrel has a Loaded Revolver, no other player can equip a Loaded Revolver?

Exactly. Now if they already have one out, they can keep it (to kill the squirrel I would imagine).

Trump wrote:
10)ANIMAL CONTROL : Can the defender call allies and perform other battle actions besides playing tricks?

Yes. Though besides adding allies, there isn't much to do, unless there are some inherent powers on the animal cards. A Legend burning Tricks for combat bonuses DOES NOT count as 'playing a Trick', so a Legend can do that.

Trump wrote:
11)TV JOURNALIST : Can she affect opponent's Favor changes too?

Yes. She's devious like that.

Trump wrote:
12)DECOY : Does this need to be played as a battle action or can you play if after the combat resolves?

As written, it is played AFTER you lose a battle.

Trump wrote:
13)BAIT AND SWITCH : When I switch targets, do all of the battle actions performed so far 'fizzle' out? It seems like I'd keep my allies but he'd lose the ones he already had. It also seems like my tricks played would still have an effect, but maybe some of his wouldn't?

As written, the attacker must switch his attack to the FIRST animal allied against his attack. So the defender won't have any animals already allied (so he doesn't have any to lose). Your animals will stay allied since your attacking animal is the same.

As for other Tricks, they would only 'fizzle' out, if somehow they were brought in for the original animal and it can't (or doesn't) rejoin the battle as an ally. For example, if a defender played Trench Warfare, but then you switched off the defender with Burrow, that bonus would be lost unless it could get back into the battle as an ally.

I don't see too many other situations where that could happen, but feel free to send them over.

Hey, thanks for those good questions. We tried very hard to wordsmith the cards to be not so open to interpretation, but we find when someone comes up with a creative way to use a card we ask ourselves, "well, does the card say they CAN'T do that?" If there idea doesn't conflict with the text, we say have at it.

Thanks again for trying Nature of the Beast!

Thread: Assorted Questions

Trump — 2008-01-10T14:23:32+00:00

I'm new to Nature of the Beast, and I have the inevitable batch of 'starting out' questions. Without further ado...

1)Does the equipping action tilt the animal?

2)GRAY WOLF : Can I, for example, use two actions to give the Gray Wolf +4 in combat for an upcoming attack that turn?

3)STAND ASIDE : Is the Clout loss permanent?

4)TRENCH WARFARE : Do the animals with Burrow need to be untilted to give the bonus?

5)MOB TIES : Does this mean -1 Fury and +1 Favor?

6)OLD FARMER : Does the requirement of 2+ Farm Locations mean 2 or more, or greater than 2?

7)LOADED REVOLVER : Can only an animal that is the attacker or defender use a Loaded Revolver?

8)HUNGRY GOAT : Does this mean only one of your battle actions for that entire fight? Or can it actually eat through the opponent's hand?

9)CITY SQUIRREL : So, for example, if the City Squirrel has a Loaded Revolver, no other player can equip a Loaded Revolver?

10)ANIMAL CONTROL : Can the defender call allies and perform other battle actions besides playing tricks?

11)TV JOURNALIST : Can she affect opponent's Favor changes too?

12)DECOY : Does this need to be played as a battle action or can you play if after the combat resolves?

13)BAIT AND SWITCH : When I switch targets, do all of the battle actions performed so far 'fizzle' out? It seems like I'd keep my allies but he'd lose the ones he already had. It also seems like my tricks played would still have an effect, but maybe some of his wouldn't?

Thread: Re: 40% off through end of 2007.

clandaith — 2007-12-09T15:16:32+00:00

Bought this one as soon as I saw the sale. I already own the Farm vs. Forest set and needed to get this one to complete it.

Very fun game. Check it out.

Thread: 40% off through end of 2007.

sdonohue — 2007-12-08T17:50:29+00:00

Key 20 is offering 40% off through the end of the year if you use the coupon code "Holiday" when you check out. The decks are normally about $18 each, so this is a savings of over $7.00.

If you haven't tried Nature of the Beast, you definitely should. It's a non-collectible card game that allows constructing customized decks. It can fill your CCG itch while letting you hold onto your scratch.

The site is http://www.key20.com/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=22

Thread: 'Nature of the Beast' - 2007 World Championships!

EyeLevel — 2007-11-19T00:33:22+00:00

NOB – World Championships 2007
Held - November 4th at GASP Con in Pittsburgh, PA

Players
Defending World Champion – John K – Standard City Deck
Former World Champion – Jordan R – ‘Urban Sprawl’ Custom Deck
Dakotah M. – Standard Forest Deck
“The Darkness” – 'Forest Force' Customized Deck

‘Nature of the Beast’ is a card-based strategy game where players attempt to recruit an army of animals and be the first to fill their field (a 3x3 grid). Each player gets three actions during their turn. Moving an animal, untilting a tilted animal, and drawing an extra Trick card each take an action. In the interest of brevity, these actions will generally be omitted from the narrative unless notable.
For more information about ‘Nature of the Beast’, visit www.eyelevelentertainment.com!

Round 1 – The journey of a thousand miles…
Dakotah begins by recruiting a Baby Bear moves the Bear up to the middle row.
John recruits a Sewer Rat and the rat scurries to the front row of his field.
Jordan recruits an Abandoned Kitten and the Kitten moves forward.
The Darkness gets two Lukas cards in his pen. He recruits one and spends an action to Defer the other. (Two of the same Legend cannot be in play at the same time. Deferring an animal shuffles it back into the draw deck. This costs an action, but then the animal can be found again later.)

End of round summary: Dakotah (1), John (1), Jordan (1), The Darkness (1)

Round 2 – Steady growth
Dakotah recruits an Elusive Bullfrog and commands him to hop to the front row.
John burns through his potential recruits and tilts his Rat in the field to bring out KONGO, the legendary monkey!
Jordan recruits a Police K9 and the Abandoned Kitten hops on his back creating a powerful combo. (The Abandon Kitten’s special ability is to ride on the back of another animal, adding a recruiting bonus to the ‘carrier’ animal while protecting the kitten.)
The Darkness requests Lukas to move to his front row and then brings a Charming Pig onto the team.

End of round summary: Dakotah (2), John (2), Jordan (2), The Darkness (2)

Round 3 – The ranks swell
Dakotah recruits a Grizzled Wolverine and bolsters his Tricks supply.
John hires a Pigeon Bombardier and shuffles his animals in the field a bit.
Jordan brings a Pampered Poodle on board, moving him to the front and then spending some of the Favor bonus that came with the Poodle to equip the police K9 with ‘Caffeine Pills’!
The Darkness recruits heavily this turn, bringing out a second pig and a Hungry Goat. Lukas remains tilted and gains a token during meditation. (Lukas’ special ability is to meditate before battle. Each turn he is left tilted, he can add a +1 combat token which can be used in a future battle.)

End of round summary: Dakotah (3), John (3), Jordan (3), The Darkness (4)

Round 4 – First Strike
A Prudent Deer joins Dakotah’s side, and he pauses for a moment to allow some of his troops to rest. (Animals do not automatically until in NOB. You must spend an action to untilt an animal.)
John, eyeing the lead that The Darkness has taken, attempts a double-recruit as well. He brings a Lab Rat onto the field, and then expends all of his resources to bring out the Legend ‘Grendel’. But before the sewer gator can enter the field, Jordan plays ‘Counter Offer’ and tilts his own K9 to give Grendel reason to pause. (This Trick card increases the cost of recruiting an animal as long as your opponent tilts one of their own animals.) John is unable to sway Grendel any more this turn and loses the recruitment effort.
Jordan, having already stirred the pot, gets out the blender. He spends a Caffeine pill to untilt the K9 without action cost. He then turns the K9 on Dakotah’s Bullfrog. Normally, a Bullfrog could tilt to hop away from an attack, but Dakotah left the frog tilted and unable to evade! It is a quick snack for the K9 and Jordan ends his turn by bringing out a Reliable Robin.
The Darkness untilts his two pigs and focuses their recruiting power to bring out the ultimate hog: Legend Baron Kozel! Lukas continues to meditate (2 tokens).

End of round summary: Dakotah (3), John (4), Jordan (4), The Darkness (5)

Round 5 – Hogs and dogs
Dakotah recruits a Playful Possum and after some animal movement, sends his Wolverine versus Kozel! Kozel uses his special ability to tilt and cancel the effect of the Wolverine’s tilt, stopping the attack from occurring.
John recruits a Junkyard Dog and spends the remainder of his turn tidying up his field.
Jordan equips the Pampered Poodle with a Grooming Certificate and then launches and attack with his K9 against John’s sewer rat. The Rat is trashed and the K9 pops another Caffeine pill to end the turn untilted.
The Darkness remains quiet this turn, allowing his animals to rest and re-position. Lukas gains another token…

End of round summary: Dakotah (4), John (4), Jordan (4), The Darkness (5)

Round 6 – Enter the Grizzly
Dakotah finds an awesome potential Leader recruit this turn – a Duelist Grizzly: expensive but a nearly unrivaled fighter. (Leader cards ‘boost’ regular animal cards into a more powerful version. The Duelist card increases the Combat of the animal as well as allowing it to spend Tricks for a combat bonus just as any Legend can.) Dakotah spends his entire turn preparing to and successfully bringing the Grizzly on board.
John is forced to spend his turn resting up his animals and moving to allow expansion next turn.
Jordan rests, regroups, and brings a second K9 onto his field. The new K9 knows the area well and points out a Storm Drain tunnel. (This is a Location Card that the smaller animals can use to move quickly to other positions in the field)
The Darkness spends the turn rearranging his animals and Lukas continues to meditate…

End of round summary: Dakotah (5), John (4), Jordan (5), The Darkness (5)

Round 7 – Not stronger… easier.
Dakotah spends the turn advancing his troops forward in their field.
John pulls a double-recruit: brining both a Chimney Swift and an Alley Cat onto the field in one turn, but he ends with an exhausted field of tilted animals!
Jordan attacks John’s Lab Rat with the Police K9, trashing the tiny fellow AND plays ‘Shifts the Blame’ against The Darkness, causing him to gain the Fury instead of Jordan. This pushes the Darkness’ Fury to five and into the realm of Dark Nature! The K9 pops his last Caffeine pill to until at the end of the turn.
The Darkness moves and rests, bringing a Sneaky Horse into play for his last action. Lukas’ trance continues…

End of round summary: Dakotah (5), John (5), Jordan (5), The Darkness (6)

Round 8 – Tastes like chicken
Dakotah’s Grizzly Duelist moves to the front row onto a ‘Scenic Vantage’ (Location). He recruits another Prudent Deer who befriends a Condor Scout (Human Ally).
John’s Junkyard Dog takes a swipe at the Darkness’ Kozel, who doesn’t even have to lift his head from his food trough to easily tilt and negate the combat. John ends the turn seeking sage advice from a new recruit – Nickel, the Legendary Rat!
Jordan employs the Poodle’s Grooming Certificate to lower his Fury, then adds a Junkyard dog to his ranks.
During the Darkness’ turn, Lukas looks up from the shadows of the barn where he’s been meditating, building combat bonuses until this very moment. Lukas squares off against Dakotah’s Grizzly Duelist, armed with more than enough firepower to take the bear down. Regrettably, Dakotah plays the Trick ‘End it now!’ for his first battle action – ending the combat early before Lukas can gain the upper hand!! The Bear trashes Lukas and the Bear’s special power prohibits any Lukas card from coming into play for the remainder of the game! As the Farm animals hold a wake for Lukas, they discover a hidden passage ‘Under the Chicken Coop’ (Location).

End of round summary: Dakotah (6), John (6), Jordan (6), The Darkness (5)

Round 9 – Slippery rat
Dakotah attempts to recruit the Legendary Stag Tecumseh, but the Darkness, still smarting from last turn, plays ‘Counter Offer’ and the recruiting action fails. Dakotah regroups and adds a more modest animal, a Squirrel to his ranks before the end of his turn.
John maneuvers his animals toward the front and brings a Chimney Swift onto the field.
Jordan’s K9 heads out to battle once again, this time versus Dakotah’s Wolverine. Jordan brings two additional dogs in as allies and defeats the Wolverine in a heated battle.
The Darkness sends Kozel against Nickel in John’s field. John plays ‘Gives the Slip!’ and the diminutive Nickel scurries away from the hog ending the combat. Not to be denied, the Darkness attacks again, this time sending a Horse vs. John’s squirrel. A quick peak at John’s hand (Horse’s special ability), and then the Horse finishes the squirrel off.

End of round summary: Dakotah (6), John (6), Jordan (6), The Darkness (5)

Round 10 – The Grizzly Strikes!
Dakotah finally unleashes the power of the Grizzly Duelist versus John’s Kongo. The monkey never had a chance.
John brings a new Peregrine Falcon into the field and patches a hole made by Dakotah.
Jordan equips the Robin with a Vodoo Doll – a deadly combination indeed. He then recruits a Duelist Lab Rat and sends the fellow out immediately to bring down one of John’s Chimney Swifts.
The Darkness equips Kozel with Caffeine pills. However, Kozel charges Dakotah’s grizzly bear in a battle that went from bad to worse. Kozel ended as a side of highly-caffeinated bacon. At this time, the Darkness’ Fury has reached ‘9’… placing him dangerously near the edge of annihilation. (Players generally gain 1 point of Fury each time they attack. If a player’s Fury reaches 10, they are automatically out of the game as Humanity sees them to be too threatening.)

End of round summary: Dakotah (6), John (6), Jordan (7), The Darkness (5)

Round 11 – Darkness falls
Dakotah sends the Grizzly out again vs. another legend. This time the target is John’s Nickel. The rat is trashed and Dakotah ‘Shifts the Blame’ (Trick) to the Darkness! The Darkness’ Fury has reached 10 and his army is assailed by humans with SUV’s and tranquilizer guns! Oh, the humanity! Unfazed by the calamity one field over, Dakotah ends by recruiting a Recluse Mole to his side.
John recruits a new Chimney Swift and maneuvers his animals toward the front of his field.
Jordan attempts to win the game by unloading the Abandoned Kitten from the K9 into an empty space and then recruiting two animals with ‘Riding Coattails’ card. The move almost worked, but Jordan came up a little shy in resources. He had to remain content with bringing Rex onto the field.

End of round summary: Dakotah (7), John (6), Jordan (8), The Darkness (Eliminated)

Round 12 – An Unexpected Ally and a Tight Squeeze
Dakotah sends his Grizzly Duelist against Jordan’s now-vulnerable Kitten. The kitten is trashed easily. Dakotah, learning a lesson from the Darkness, spends an action playing ‘Penance’ and reducing his Fury.
John’s Peregrine Falcon sees an easy target in Jordan’s robin and sweeps in for the kill. Jordan plays ‘Unexpected Ally’ and Rex joins in the defense. Unprepared for the double-team, the falcon is felled. John recovers by bringing his own K9 onto his field.
Jordan recruits Rex’s brother Arco and then sends Rex to the front row through the Storm Drains playing ‘Tight Squeeze’.

End of round summary: Dakotah (7), John (6), Jordan (8), The Darkness (Eliminated)

Round 13 - One step forward, two steps back.
Dakotah spends some time on field maintenance. Then the Prudent Deer attacks Jordan’s Robin. Out of tricks, the Robin is trashed this time around.
John brings a Parrot onto his team and then preps his troops for the next round.
Jordan, not interested in facing competition in the canine department, sends Arco out to eliminate John’s K9 and succeeds.

End of round summary: Dakotah (7), John (6), Jordan (7), The Darkness (Eliminated)

Round 14 – Stand aside!
Dakotah continues to rest his troops and brings in a Gray Wolf to bolster his numbers.
John double recruits a Pigeon and a City Mouse… but is now out of Troops cards! It is possible for John to win with a land victory, but only if he can bring out his last animal, a Poodle without losing any animal in his field.
Jordan’s K9 attacks Dakotah’s mole for an easy kill. However, Dakotah plays ‘Stand Aside!’ and the Gray Wolf steps into the combat instead! Dakotah ends with the winning totals but as the battle wraps up, the K9 pulls an ‘Ace under the collar’ and scoops victory away from Dakotah! To add insult to injury, Jordan ‘Shifts the Blame’ to John.

End of round summary: Dakotah (7), John (8), Jordan (7), The Darkness (Eliminated)

Round 15 - Hello beaver. Goodbye beaver.
Dakotah recruits a Beaver who immediately chews down a tree that John’s pigeon had been nesting in, trashing the bird. This dashes John’s hope of filling his field.
John maneuvers animals around his field to bolster their ability to defend each other in combat, then rests his troops.
Jordan’s K9 makes his regular combat appointment, this time trashing Dakotah’s Beaver.

End of round summary: Dakotah (7), John (7), Jordan (7), The Darkness (Eliminated)

Round 16 – And then there were two…Dakotah recruits his last animal – a Martyr Duck. He launches his Grizzly against Jordan’s Rex and eliminates him, crossing into Dark Nature. Dakotah looks at the number of recruits Jordan has left and realizes even though few animals could stand against the power of his Grizzly Duelist, he would exceed 10 Fury in taking Jordan out. Dakotah’s animals bow politely and leave the field, ceding the game.
John recruits his last animal, a Pampered Poodle and looks across the city at Jordan with an unflinching gaze.
Jordan untilts and moves animals in his field.

End of round summary: John (8), Jordan (7), Dakotah (Forfeit), The Darkness (Eliminated)

End Game
Now the former champion and current champion squared off in a battle of wills. John’s atrophied army stood no chance of winning, but they would not admit defeat. Wave after wave of animals crashed against Jordan’s troops. In a scene reminiscent of the battle of Darth Vader vs. Obi Wan Kenobi in ‘Star Wars’, Jordan’s troops did not fight back. Though with each animal John trashed, John’s Fury drifted higher until the Humans set their Ti-Vo’s to digitally record ‘Pushing Daisies’ and hopped back in their SUV’s to clear out the remnants of John’s army.

Jordan, two-time world champion, carefully marshaled his troops, managed his Fury, and was able to weather the storm to out-maneuver and out-last his worthy opponents! The title returns to Jordan… this time. What will next year bring?

Thread: Re: NOB World Championship '06

EyeLevel — 2007-11-18T12:18:05+00:00

Thanks for the compliment! I was just starting to work on the '07 session report when I noticed this comment. Gives me a little extra 'umph' to carry on!

Working from memory, I'd say this game ran close to two hours, if not a touch longer. A standard game, even with multiple players, can finish off within an hour easily depending on the skills of the players and the attention each is paying to thier opponents.

More players can make the game last longer, or it can make them shorter. The more players there are, the more chance you get to fly 'under the radar' and launch a suprise push for the win. When it is 2-player, your moves are under more scrutiny so it is a bit harder to win by suprise. Of course, in a two-player game you get to go more frequently, so maybe it balances out.

Thread: Nature of the Beast Variant - "King of the Hill"

EyeLevel — 2007-10-01T01:31:53+00:00

Who can forget those carefree days of youth, filled with shoving your friends down steep embankments in a fleeting pursuit of supremacy? Now you can re-live those moments in "Nature of the Beast" with this brand new variant!

KING OF THE HILL

GOAL:
Keep an animal in the "King Space" longer than your opponents!

SPECIAL RULES:
This game is played on a standard 3x3 field. The center space in the front row is considered the "King Space" (KS).

You may not enter the KS in your field if another player has already filled the KS in their own field. You must trash or otherwise move the opponent's animal out of their KS before you can fill your own.

If you BEGIN your turn with an animal in your KS, you gain one point.

OPTIONAL SPECIAL RULE:
Animals in your back row cannot attempt to trash opponents in their KS. (They're too far down the hill.)

VICTORY OPTIONS:
POINTS: First player to earn (X) points wins the game.
TIMED: Play for (X) rounds. Player with highest score at end wins.

Enjoy!

Thread: Re: Questions about Prairie Faction

EndersGame — 2007-09-11T01:13:47+00:00

EyeLevel wrote:
Kalidor wrote:
3) Is the new release in the same "Battle Box" mold? Will there be an opposing faction that you are keeping secret? Or are the prairie the first lone deck you are releasing?
Our instinct is to do another two-faction battle box. Unless there is a huge outcry for single faction expansions... (pause and listen)
I hope you continue with the two-faction battle box. A single-faction box basically narrows the target purchasers to existing players only; whereas a two-faction battle box will have appeal for both old and new players. Offering two new decks and playable right out of the box, it seems more appropriate to your non-CCG type model rather than limiting the market to current fans.

As for ideas: How about an African savannah themed deck? (lion, giraffe, leopard, elephant, rhino, zebra) Or an Australian themed deck? (kangaroo, koala, echidna, dingo, platypus, shark, crocodile, emu, possum, snake, wombat, kookaburra) Or a Rainforest themed deck? I suspect that coming up with new ideas for an accompanying Trick deck with a unified theme might prove more challenging than ideas for a Troop deck?

Thread: Re: [Review] Nature of the Beast

Jabobo — 2007-06-26T23:36:25+00:00

Great review; I think I want this game...

Thread: Re: observations (after one play)

EyeLevel — 2007-06-06T19:20:46+00:00

Muzzaro wrote:
One thing i would like to know though, is there a way to actually hire the Bodyguard in the Suburbs deck? 6+ Favour, in our game we saw plenty of ways for him to get favour, but for me i had nothing, and stuck on 3 Favour for the whole game.

Since the Suburbs aren't a heavy fighter deck to begin with, you could start with higher Favor and Fury and count on bringing out some songbirds to lower your Fury. Attack with your Family Dogs when you need to strike out, since they don't typically gain Fury during attacks.

She doesn't see play very often, but a pretty effective card... for a human.

Thread: Re: observations (after one play)

Muzzaro — 2007-05-25T23:14:12+00:00

I know i keep singing your praises here, but yes i have to agree, the Fury mechanic does work very well. I come from a more confrontational side of CCG games (Magic, Rage, Harry Potter, Pokemons, Netrunner), and combat is 'the norm', to the point where it's actually a phase in the game. Here it's just an option, and you could (although it might not be practical) just forgo combat all-together.

One thing i would like to know though, is there a way to actually hire the Bodyguard in the Suburbs deck? 6+ Favour, in our game we saw plenty of ways for him to get favour, but for me i had nothing, and stuck on 3 Favour for the whole game.

Thread: Re: observations (after one play)

EyeLevel — 2007-05-25T23:04:20+00:00

Muzzaro wrote:

And how are the farm decks evil? That isn't a call out to Animal Farm is it? Four legs good, two legs baaaad! :P

I wouldn't call the Farm deck as a whole "evil", maybe Machiavellian. They do what needs to be done and leave the opinion polls in the feeding trough. Of course, their tactics don't make a lot of friends and there are a couple bad apples... *cough*Baron Kozel*cough*.

One of the features I'm proudest of with NOB is the whole Fury mechanic and the consequences it places upon combat. Combat is a tool for victory but it can't be alone in the toolbox!

Thread: Re: observations (after one play)

Muzzaro — 2007-05-25T22:05:19+00:00

JohnnyRyce wrote:
City is probably the easiest pre-built deck to get started with because it is pretty well balanced. (The forest is more combat, the farm is more evil and the suburb is more sneaky.) That is an awesome combo of cards, though technically the Kitten couldn't climb onto the Lab Rat. The Kitten can only get on medium-sized animals or larger (I can't see a rat hauling around a kitten on its back). Still, it would've worked with a bigger animal. Nicely done. Of course, with a low combat that rat would have a VERY big target painted on its back...

Ahh ok that's one good thing then. The rat however was expertly guarded by a crocodile and a police canine, and nothing i had out could do much damage. Two bunnies, a ferret, and eventually a cat, but either way it would have been suicide to attack the rat, although thinking about it, i could have moved the bunnies around to flank the ferret, to add +2 to the attack. Hmm. Yeah it was a nice combo, if it had been the police canine as his leader, i'd have been pretty screwed over.

Is there any way to get a certain creature as a leader, or is it mostly just the luck of whatever's next after the leader card?

JohnnyRyce wrote:
Being aggressive has its advantages, especially with a 'rush' game. The great trade-off of this game is "do I build my own army?" vs. "do I damage my opponent's army?". Tough choices. No one said it'd be easy...

I do like the fact that combat can be locked down, and that effectively you have to weigh up each combat you start. Starting at 3 Fury/Favour, that's only 7 combat actions before you lose without the right cards in hand.

JohnnyRyce wrote:
Exactly. You can totally do what you suggested. You could also attack with an animal, untilt it and attack again with the same animal. Plenty of options.

Yeah, i do love the whole "you don't untilt at the start of your turn". I suffered it badly in one turn where i had to tilt three animals to bring in the fourth... and then realising i'd left myself open for attack, had to use the last two actions to untilt two of the creatures.

JohnnyRyce wrote:
Thanks again for the post. I'll chat with Matt regarding those tokens.

Thank you for the reply, my friend is coming back over on Sunday, so i'm spending tomorrow going through the suburb decks to see if i can pick up some ideas.

And how are the farm decks evil? That isn't a call out to Animal Farm is it? Four legs good, two legs baaaad! :P

Thread: Re: observations (after one play)

JohnnyRyce — 2007-05-25T21:22:08+00:00

Muzzaro wrote:
It's nice that the site for the game has some FAQs, some of them actually helped out too.

Well, we are always looking for new questions for Nickel to answer. He's had it too easy lately, so send those questions to him!

Muzzaro wrote:
I do worry a little about how easy it was for him to get the clout for his side (He was City), i think at one time he had his 'leader' that gave 10 clout... Lab Rat (2), Leader (2), Abandoned Kitten (4), Megaphone (2), which meant he could bring out his Legends pretty fast.

City is probably the easiest pre-built deck to get started with because it is pretty well balanced. (The forest is more combat, the farm is more evil and the suburb is more sneaky.) That is an awesome combo of cards, though technically the Kitten couldn't climb onto the Lab Rat. The Kitten can only get on medium-sized animals or larger (I can't see a rat hauling around a kitten on its back). Still, it would've worked with a bigger animal. Nicely done. Of course, with a low combat that rat would have a VERY big target painted on its back...

Muzzaro wrote:
I think i should try playing a little more aggressively too, i stayed at 3 Fury for the whole game, attacking once using the card that stops Fury gain from a combat.

Being aggressive has its advantages, especially with a 'rush' game. The great trade-off of this game is "do I build my own army?" vs. "do I damage my opponent's army?". Tough choices. No one said it'd be easy...

Muzzaro wrote:
One thing i do want to ask, is untilting an animal is an action, so can you in theory use an animal twice? Use the leader to recruit, then untilt the leader, then use the leader to recruit?

Exactly. You can totally do what you suggested. You could also attack with an animal, untilt it and attack again with the same animal. Plenty of options.

Thanks again for the post. I'll chat with Matt regarding those tokens.

Thread: Re: observations (after one play)

Muzzaro — 2007-05-25T10:30:36+00:00

It's nice that the site for the game has some FAQs, some of them actually helped out too. We did a few things wrong in the first game (Junkyard dog has to move onto the field before his ability can be used, same, i imagine, with Abandoned Kitten), but all in all it was really good fun. I do worry a little about how easy it was for him to get the clout for his side (He was City), i think at one time he had his 'leader' that gave 10 clout... Lab Rat (2), Leader (2), Abandoned Kitten (4), Megaphone (2), which meant he could bring out his Legends pretty fast. I'm not sure if there's something similar in the Suburb set, most of my time was spent discarding pen animals trying to bring in more troops. It was amusing though that at one point he was easily considering combat as a viable option, up until the fuzzy bunnies came into play. As we played hands-up for the first game, there was also a card in my hand that i could force someone gaining 1 Fury to gain another one, plus another 1 to trash a bunny, 3 Fury gain in a single turn (2 Fury if he attacked my ferret instead)! I had effectively locked the combat down, and instead it became a scramble to run around the proverbial board getting the nine animals down.

I think i should try playing a little more aggressively too, i stayed at 3 Fury for the whole game, attacking once using the card that stops Fury gain from a combat.

One thing i do want to ask, is untilting an animal is an action, so can you in theory use an animal twice? Use the leader to recruit, then untilt the leader, then use the leader to recruit?

Thread: Re: Tokens

Muzzaro — 2007-05-25T10:18:59+00:00

Heya

I do have a friend in Philly, who might receive them, to pass them onto me, failing that if you can find out how much for the tokens and shipping to the UK, and let me know? They are pretty tokens!

With Payment, i do use Paypal alot (I used it with Key20) so that's an option, or... i dunno. I really only use paypal for out-of-the-country payments. I do have a CC too, but i'll be honest, i'm more of the 'Put magic card into wall, money comes out of wall' type of person

The cards seem no worse off from the "sleeves and heavy weights ontop" correction method, right now they are packed reasonably snuggly into a metal deck box. If we see that they stick out too much in the decks, then it's nice to see there's an option to get them replaced!

Thanks though for all the support, it's wonderful to see such an active involvement with the players, i come from a video-game background and you often see the "deal with it" attitude with their game devs.

Thread: Re: Tokens

JohnnyRyce — 2007-05-25T08:44:58+00:00

EyeLevel wrote:

We might need to go higher than that for international shipping. At $5, we'd end up taking a loss on the shipment.

Whoops! I didn't notice the international flag! Yeah, that $5 was for sales in the mainland US... I wasn't even thinking of the demand for tokens spreading across the sea. Though they are pretty cool, so it makes sense. . If you decide not to get the tokens, the offer still stands to send you cards to replace any damaged ones on our dime.

Worry not, Matt will figure all of this out...

Thread: Re: observations (after one play)

EyeLevel — 2007-05-25T04:35:02+00:00

JohnnyRyce wrote:
When you run into any questions, ask away. We are more than happy to help out and clarify things (though Matt will usually beat me to the responses; he is very quick like that! )

I think Mark beats me out just as often! You'll also find a small legion of other "Nature of the Beast" fans who patrol these waters pretty frequently. Their responses are often just as thorough as what we'd say. I find that pretty cool.

As Mark noted in the other post, just let us know which card are un-usable and maybe we can coordinate shipping tokens with some replacement cards. Sorry about the inconvenience. Nobody likes getting a new game that isn't in mint condition.

Keep posting to keep us posted! We're here to help you 'Focus on the Fun'! (Shameless slogan placement.)

Thread: Re: Tokens

EyeLevel — 2007-05-25T04:27:38+00:00

JohnnyRyce wrote:
When you do, I'll check to see how much we are selling them for. I think it's five dollars for the set of ten and that includes S&H.

We might need to go higher than that for international shipping. At $5, we'd end up taking a loss on the shipment. I was going to send a set out to another BGG User in London, maybe I can bundle the two shipments together somehow...

Plus, receiving payment internationally might take a bit of thought. Our card game ships through Key20 who handles most of the logistics of international business. The tokens are (right now) just something fun our company did on the side for conventions. We're still learning the joys of business in a global community.

Short answer: Yes, we'd love to send some out internationally. Once we iron out some logistics, we'll make it happen!

Thread: Re: observations (after one play)

JohnnyRyce — 2007-05-25T02:26:29+00:00

No doubt, there is a little learning curve with Nature of the Beast. It is the chess to most card games' checkers as we like to think.

When you run into any questions, ask away. We are more than happy to help out and clarify things (though Matt will usually beat me to the responses; he is very quick like that! )

Thanks again for trying us out and posting some thoughts on BGG.

Thread: Re: Tokens

JohnnyRyce — 2007-05-25T02:20:23+00:00

Muzzaro wrote:
Any chance of getting hold of the red tokens seen in the pictures on this site? They look great, and would be better than using a couple of D10 each to record fury/favour!

Chris,

Thanks for the compliments on the tokens. Though we made them for conventions, we have been sending them out to people who expressed interest. Send me a geekmail with your mailing address. When you do, I'll check to see how much we are selling them for. I think it's five dollars for the set of ten and that includes S&H.

Also, I read your other 'first thoughts' posting. We are really sorry about the bend-up cards. Obviously we think that is unacceptable too. Send a list of any cards you feel need replaced and we'll send those out, either with the tokens if you decide to buy them, or free of charge if you decide to pass by on them.

By the way, you are the first person to tell us we needed MORE examples in our rulebook.

Hope you enjoy the game. Don't forget to rank it if you like it!

Thread: Tokens

Muzzaro — 2007-05-24T20:54:28+00:00

Any chance of getting hold of the red tokens seen in the pictures on this site? They look great, and would be better than using a couple of D10 each to record fury/favour!

Thread: observations (after one play)

Muzzaro — 2007-05-24T20:50:30+00:00

Key 20 delivered my game pretty fast, and with a friend around to stay for a couple of days, we broke it out to play.

The first thing i found was, that the plastic "wrapping" on the decks, caused warping. Some of the trick cards from the outer edge of the heat-wrapped pack were pretty badly warped, and i had to stand them under several heavy books for a bit while we played other games. It helped putting the cards into sleeves, but still, it was a bit disheartening.

The other thing i noticed was, some of the cards where 'blurry', usable, readable, but you can tell straight off that there's something wrong with it. However, this is me being petty on this point.

The rulebook, also is pretty confusing in places, and have to be re-read to get the gist of what is being explained. More examples would be nice, with some things picked out such as any animal in your field can attack any animal in their field.

However those aside, the good points...

The artwork is good. This isn't Rage or Magic, but the artwork suits the game to a 'T', and i love the animal images. The cards seem 'busy' with alot of information on the 'troops', but after starting the game it falls into place. I know from my friend's reaction when he saw the cards, that newcomers could reject this without giving it a chance, but i'm not sure how they could really present the information needed on the cards without the cards looking cluttered with information.

The whole "imaginary grid" is fine, but it's a little more difficult to visualise. Maybe after a few games this will fall into place, but it seems easier to mix up where your "front row" is, something that a mat or something similar could easily clear up.

The different ways of playing the games, just by altering the grid, means many more ways of enjoying the game when the original 3x3 grid gets 'old'.

The game itself plays well. It's fast, turns don't really take that long (other than searching through the rulebook for clarifications), and i guess it reminds me of Disgaea, a Strategy RPG for the Playstation 2. With that game it's all about manoeuvring your 'team' around, so that you can get chain/combo attacks in combat, and this follows suit, recruiting animals and moving them around the grid to get the best attack/defence bonuses (not to mention claiming the areas too.

I did find the City creatures to be tougher than the Suburb ones, but then i had to trash more than my fair share of creatures to bring my side out, where he managed to score some lower rank, higher clout creatures to help him.

After one game, although it took a while, and the rulebook hampered a little, we both decided it's worth playing again. For now i'm going to re-read the rules, make some notes, and hover around this forum.

All in all, i'm glad i've got the game.

Thread: Re: Questions about Prairie Faction

arnest_r — 2007-05-23T11:28:38+00:00

JohnnyRyce wrote:

We can't say anything official, but we've kicked around many of the factions you guys are talking about. Remember our unnatural love of aliteration. Prairie Vs..... hmmmmm....

Ponds ?
Park ?
Plains ?

...

Thread: Re: NOB World Championship '06

EndersGame — 2007-05-19T03:53:56+00:00

Thanks for this excellent session report. Approximately how long (playing time) did this four-player game take? And how would that compare with the average two player game?

Thread: Re: Vote! (For Bison, of course... )

EyeLevel — 2007-03-29T02:19:30+00:00

Now if the pack rat pulled off a victory *THAT* would be an upset!

Thread: Re: Vote! (For Bison, of course... )

Kalidor — 2007-03-28T16:04:23+00:00

I can't believe how close the top few are. 1st and 2nd appear to be locked up...but does anyone want to help me create an upset?!?!?!?!
Vote for Scorpion, people! C'mon! What's deadlier than the Scorpion's Bite?!?!?!?!
Let's knock that lame Vulture off it's high horse! It picks on the dead, for cryin' out loud!!!!!

Besides, they were a cheasy Metal Band!
For Klaus Meine and the Schenker's...vote Scorpion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thread: Re: Questions about Prairie Faction

JohnnyRyce — 2007-03-19T01:51:52+00:00

Kalidor wrote:
Any hint as towho is the Legend you guys chose already?
Any clue? Please

I've talked with the lawyers and they are forbidding us from revealing the identity of the third Legend. It's a good one though. Very flavorful of the habitat, in my opinion.

Thread: Re: Questions about Prairie Faction

Kalidor — 2007-03-18T23:57:29+00:00

Any hint as towho is the Legend you guys chose already? It's getting close and congested for the people's choice as to the 2nd and 3rd Legends...but what about your choice?
Any clue? Please

Thread: Re: Questions about Prairie Faction

JohnnyRyce — 2007-03-18T05:37:11+00:00

Kalidor wrote:
I, personally thought Arctic or some type of Aquatic (Lake, Ocean, seas, even Swamp that you mentioned in a way...) were cooler.
Thinking about it, Swamp could be pretty damn intimidating!

We can't say anything official, but we've kicked around many of the factions you guys are talking about. Remember our unnatural love of aliteration. Prairie Vs..... hmmmmm....

Again, we are extremely thankful for all the interest in future habitats for the game. I know this sounds hokey, but the best way to ensure this expansion happens this decade is to convince as many people to try/buy NOB so we can raise the capitial needed to publish an expansion.

Mark

Thread: Re: Questions about Prairie Faction

Kalidor — 2007-03-16T23:20:22+00:00

That's funny...Mountain was actually the first one that popped up into my mind when I was thinking about this. I, personally thought Arctic or some type of Aquatic (Lake, Ocean, seas, even Swamp that you mentioned in a way...) were cooler.
Thinking about it, Swamp could be pretty damn intimidating!

Thread: Re: Questions about Prairie Faction

sos1 — 2007-03-16T22:57:00+00:00

Maybe desert or mountain? Or - oooh - swamp?

Thread: Re: Questions about Prairie Faction

Kalidor — 2007-03-16T22:41:17+00:00

OK, any idea of what the other faction might be culled from if a battle box makes the cut (which I hope it does).
Maybe something Aquatic? Arctic?

And how about shedding some light on who the Legend you already chose for Prairie is...?

No luck, huh? Worth a try, I thought!

Thread: Re: Questions about Prairie Faction

EyeLevel — 2007-03-16T09:08:16+00:00

Kalidor wrote:
Hey Anticole brothers!
I am getting excited about the newest faction's arrival and had a few questions...most of which, I suppose you guys can't answer yet. But I figured I'd give it a shot!
Hit us with your best shot, fire away. Though don't get *too* excited yet, remember we're hoping for a Q4 release!

Kalidor wrote:
1) How many more animals are there besides the 12 pictured and names on the ballot page?
Prairie will build on the same template as the original factions, meaning there will be 15 un-named troops and 3 Legends.

Kalidor wrote:
2) What deck archetype are the prairie? The others have been tagged with general archetypes (Forest are the "...combative animals of the woods...", etc.)
We've got a few ideas, but we need to flesh out the animal powers more before we settle on the final 'theme'.

Kalidor wrote:
3) Is the new release in the same "Battle Box" mold? Will there be an opposing faction that you are keeping secret? Or are the prairie the first lone deck you are releasing?
Our instinct is to do another two-faction battle box. Unless there is a huge outcry for single faction expansions... (pause and listen)

Kalidor wrote:
4) Any new mechaniocs or special abilities being introduced? Any tweaks to the rules?
We're playtesting some new card ideas and we're always trying to give each animal a new and interesting special ability. We're planning on overhauling the rulebook, but no plans to change the rules themselves. Perhaps a tweak here or there.

Kalidor wrote:
5) Any future plans on releasing a set that contains a small amount of cards for each previously released factions (similar to Blue Moon's Allies&Inquisitors type of deck)?
I haven't played Blue Moon, but we are considering at some point revisiting all the factions and 'freshening them up' with a few new animals each, including a new Legend for each. Format, timing, etc, for this is still very nebulous.

Kalidor wrote:
That's all I can think of right now...I am sure there will be more!
Thanks for any light you can shed and thanks for a truly fun game!
J!
Thank you! This kind of stuff is the fun part of being a game publisher. 2006 tax returns... not so much so!

Thread: Questions about Prairie Faction

Kalidor — 2007-03-16T07:49:15+00:00

Hey Anticole brothers!
I am getting excited about the newest faction's arrival and had a few questions...most of which, I suppose you guys can't answer yet. But I figured I'd give it a shot!

1) How many more animals are there besides the 12 pictured and names on the ballot page?

2) What deck archetype are the prairie? The others have been tagged with general archetypes (Forest are the "...combative animals of the woods...", etc.)

3) Is the new release in the same "Battle Box" mold? Will there be an opposing faction that you are keeping secret? Or are the prairie the first lone deck you are releasing?

4) Any new mechaniocs or special abilities being introduced? Any tweaks to the rules?

5) Any future plans on releasing a set that contains a small amount of cards for each previously released factions (similar to Blue Moon's Allies&Inquisitors type of deck)?

That's all I can think of right now...I am sure there will be more!
Thanks for any light you can shed and thanks for a truly fun game!
J!

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JohnnyRyce — 2007-02-11T18:30:20+00:00

Tricked- out NOB counter card complete with limited edition tokens.

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JohnnyRyce — 2007-02-11T18:27:09+00:00

Rush variant lay-out, complete with limited edition NOB tokens.

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JohnnyRyce — 2007-02-11T18:25:49+00:00

Sweet limited edition NOB tokens being raffled off at www.nobthegame.com.