Tempt Destiny takes a unique approach to the interactive game genre. Instead of using a DVD or video, Tempt Destiny uses football games. Professional, college, or Canadian, any football game will do. All you need is a football game, and a deck of Tempt Destiny cards, and you've got yourself a game.
Rules
Tempt Destiny really easy rules which is good because the game is far too light to have a deeper ruleset.
There are two decks of cards: a red deck and a blue deck. To start the game, deal each player 3 blue cards and 4 red cards. Any time a card in your hand matches what happens on the TV, place it down in front of you. However, a player may only play one card per play or commercial. For example, if the QB fumbles and the defense recovers and scores a touchdown, the play could only play either a Fumble or a Defensive Touchdown card, not both.
The game ends when one player runs out of cards or when the quarter is over. The player with the most points as shown on the cards they played is the winner.
During commercials players may discard one card of each color and draw a replacement.
The blue cards are simple plays, such as:
The red cards feature all the other things that can happen during a game and commercial breaks, such as:
As stated, the rules are really quite short. The game isn't about rules, its about enjoying football.
Components
Tempt Destiny is a card game. There's nothing else to the game besides teh cards. Fortunately, Maverick Inc. got it right and produced cards that are almost identical in thickness, coating, and flexibility to good playing cards. I have no doubt that these cards will last a long time. The box is big enough for both decks and rules come on 2 cards which fit right inside the box as well.
Gameplay
Random and unpredictable. Thats the best way to describe this game. Players have almost no control over any aspect of the game. We certainly can't control the football game no matter how hard we try. However, the creator has put in a few ways to minimize luck. First is the rule that only one card can be played per play or commercial. That prevents one player from having a lucky hand and playing 4 cards on one freak play. Secondly, there is the option to discard and draw new cards. That gives players a small measure of control regarding their options. Luck is at least 95% of this game, but those small tweaks make you feel like you have some control.
There's no turns like in most games. When a play happens that matches a card in your hand, you play it. Its that simple. There's no thinking about the optimal solution. You just watch the game, root for your favorite team, and hope the cards and plays go your way.
What makes the game fun to play is the experience. It adds a layer to something that many of us already enjoy immensely. Tempt Destiny gives you one more dimension of enjoyment for a football game. Even games that are blowouts or are really boring can be made exciting by this game. Its quite interesting to me that I find myself cheering for certain events as opposed to just cheering for my team. Even though we have no control over the events, real fans feel like the louder they yell at their TVs, the more likely the players are to hear them.
This game would also be right at home in bars where there's constantly a football game on during the season. There could easily be 10 people playing at one time which makes this a great game for social settings.
Tempt Destiny also has a very flexible game length system. You can basically play as long as you want. We usually play through a whole quarter, but there's nothing stopping you from doing it for a half or the entire game. Play it however you want, the system is really quite flexible.
Compare it to...
Fantasy football. Like fantasy football, Tempt Destiny adds one more layer to a football game. Both games add interest where there might not normally be any. Is your local team off, so you're forced to watch some game you don't care about? If you have Tempt Destiny or a fantasy team, there's probably something there worth watching. In short, both of these games provide a way to make football even more exciting than it already is.
Overall
Tempt Destiny has given gaming football fans something to cheer about: a way to combine two of our favorite things. Tempt Destiny is the ultimate interactive way to enjoy football and is a must for any football fan. This is a great game that really adds enjoyment to football. Many people will probably not view this as a game. It is a game, but its really more about adding to the football experience than the game itself.
I rate this game a 9, but its situational ranking. Basically, I look at it as I always want to watch football and I pretty much always want to play this game when watching football. Thats a pretty unusual way to rank it, but I think thats the best way to quantify my enjoyment of this game.
Tempt Destiny also serves as a great way to teach someone about football. Since many of the plays are broken down, you can teach someone on a play-by-play basis. There are certain basic elements to football which are easier to understand in small chunks, and Tempt Destiny helps new fans do that. This game really helped my fiancee to understand what I like about football and now she wants to play this constantly. If it gets her to watch football, I'm all for it.
Posted Thu Jan 10,2008 02:36 pm
