James Sitz
United States
Illinois
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I’m gonna be upfront with you guys. I like this game a lot.
I first came into contact with Summoner Wars after a Heroscape tournament at GenCon 2009 in August. I was hanging out talking with some friends, and Colby was walking around seeing if anyone wanted to try out his new game. I gave it a shot, and I liked it. I was taught how to play in under 5 minutes, and my Orcs came so close to winning. I had to try it again. Colby had some maps to help tear down or something, so he left for a bit had me teach my friend Joe. I taught him pretty quickly, without ever having read the rulebook. We didn’t mess anything up either. My Orcs smashed puny Elien’s face in. I was hooked. But the game wasn’t coming out for months.
I’m also going to point out that Colby and I have had a working relationship (communicated largely through internet forums) on some upcoming Heroscape stuff for WotC. I consider myself an acquaintance of Colby’s, and have had absolutely nothing to do with the production or testing of this game.* The main reason I’m writing this, and you aren’t, is because I knew about it first.
I got my order of both the starter sets from Plaid Hat Games back on Nov. 20th. I’ve since played the game somewhere between 25-30 times. I’ve lost count. That’s even with me lending it to a friend for 6 agonizing days. When I’m not playing it, I’ve been trolling the forums here on the geek.
I’ve taught the game to 15 people. One of them hated it. All the rest have ranged from “meh” to “Dude, we so have to play that again!” I'm going to do my best to describe why people feel the way they do.
There are a number of other pretty informative reviews out there, and the rules and cards are pretty much public knowledge if you check out the Plaid Hat Games website, so I'm going to go with a different approach, describing 10 Kinds of people.
Kinds of people who might like Summoner Wars
1. Dad and/or Uncle
How many times have you had to sit through a game of LIFE: Spongebob Squarepants Edition? Summoner Wars takes no more than 5 minutes to explain to most 8-12 year old boys, and gives them an excuse to play a fun game and read something instead of going into their bedroom to play with their Wii all afternoon. It's easy to pick up, yet offers enough interesting tactical and hand management decisions to keep those of us over 20 entertained.
2. Ex-miniatures guy
If you love games that require positioning warriors on a battlefield and hitting each other, but have ever looked into your closet or basement and said, "What the hell am I doing with all of this metal and plastic stuff?" this might be the game for you. The box is seriously small, but packed with all the essential elements. People knock the paper mat and its foldability and lack of proper flocking, but it helps make the package compact. Toss it in your backpack, purse, fannypack, or stupidly big pockets from those 1995 pants you just dug out of some forgotten dresser.
3. Short on time
I’ve had some games go as quickly as 15 minutes, and the longest two player game has lasted about an hour. Coupled with the very quick setup time, this is a pretty easy game to squeeze in when you please, maybe even on lunch breaks.
This is also one reason that I think I’ve found it to be a hit with the 7-12 year old set, as this fits within their attention span pretty well. My seven year old nephew usually asks to play at least twice.
Kinds of people who might dislike Summoner Wars
4. Loner
If you've ever found yourself complaining that Race for the Galaxy has too much player interaction, this might not be the game for you. Stuff dies because your opponent attacks it. Killing even helps run his magical economic engine. That said, the Build Magic phase actually gives you a remarkable amount of control as to how quickly you burn through your deck, and ditching commons with low hit points helps prevent your opponent from gaining "easy" magic.
5. Nemesis of Random
If you think that Power Grid has too much luck in it, again, step away from Summoner Wars. There are dice and cards in this game, and there’s often a pivotal moment where a single die roll controls your fate. If the dice gods spurning you will launch you into an epic diatribe of woe... lighten up?
More seriously though, players who prefer to minimize the affect of dice on their outcomes should think about playing the Phoenix Elves- they’re the efficient, finesse faction. Even the reckless Tundra Orcs have Smashers who are pretty easy to plan around. I’ve also found that the best way to have your Summoner (or any other Unit) not die, is for it not to be in a bad position in the first place. The Build Magic phase (where you essentially discard cards for money) also helps you fix bad hands.
Overall, I’d place the level of luck/variance/whateveryouwannacallit somewhere in the realm of Settlers of Catan, Magic: the Gathering, Race for the Galaxy, and Dominion. If that’s acceptable to you, keep reading.
6. Meticulous Planner
If you feel the need to create an overarching strategy and stick to it for the entirety of the game, Summoner Wars might bug you a bit. Even if you take out the randomness of the cards and dice and some of the player interaction, you’re still left with limited information. Even if you count how many times your opponent has used certain events or summons, you still might not know which ones are sitting unused in his magic pile, which are in his hand, and which have yet to be drawn. The number of cards on the table is constantly in flux. Some players might find this dynamic element of play fun. Some won’t.
7. Component Collector
There are some people who use the following formula when evaulating games:
E=M/(C^2)
Where E= Enjoyment, M = Mass of components, and C = Cost of components. If you get your kicks based solely on how many bits come in the box, and how heavy it is to pick up, Summoner Wars current $25.00 price tag may disappoint you.
Upon further inspection, you may realize that using cards for all of the following purposes is a rather clever and efficient design decision: combatants, walls/summoning points, handy reference card, Magic [currency substitute], and Events (like actions or spells in other games). After that you’ve just got the 5 dice, double-sided wound markers (1 and 3), slim rulebook, and paper mat which all fit neatly back in the little box.
And the art is pretty good too.
8. “Heavy” Gamer
Hey, we’re still on the subject of weight! No, I’m not talking about that one guy after his 5th gyros sandwich and 6th mountain dew of the week. I’m talking about the folks who don’t think a game is really mature enough for an adult mind unless it takes 2-5 hours to play. Some people like to play one big, epic game, and for them, a heads-up game of Summoner Wars probably won’t fill their evening in a satisfying manner. But heck, a 4 player team game (or two) probably would!
Keep in mind that you're talking to the guy who has probably written a couple hundred pages on Heroscape. I believe that a game can be every bit as deep and engaging as you make it, and that a simple-to-teach game allows you to get to the "real game" faster. Chess says 6+ on the box.
9. Die-hard CCG player
If you thrive on finding the most broken combo possible, and exploiting systems of games, especially those that might have a rarity scheme complete with blind purchasing, you probably won’t fill that desire here. I think Plaid Hat Games has attempted to give you the best common ratios possible for the given factions right in that starter box, given what’s out so far. It’s less about money and deck-building, and more about in-game valuation, bluffing, and good old fashioned cojones.
On a similar note, some CCG players will find that it is a little unsettling to have essentially no way to react to your opponent’s actions during their turn. I’ve got a friend whose favorite game is probably M:TG, and although he likes Summoner Wars well enough, he did cite this “lack of a counterspell” as his minor gripe. Typical card game mentality will not always apply here.
10. Sore Loser
If you treat every game as a life or death situation which correlates directly to your worth as a human being, this game might be troubling for you. Stuff happens. Even up to the very end of the game, you'll feel that you are in it, win or lose. Sometimes, a conflux of events will knock you out early, or stop you when you were SO SURE you'd win on the next turn. If you're the type to complain about it and offer ways to design a game better after your first play (and loss), this probably isn't your bag. If you view a close loss as a challenge to be met, and want to go again, that's another matter entirely.
A FINAL NOTE TO YOU MATH GEEKS:
I’ve seen some people say that this game is a bit derivative. That’s because it lies tangent to curves as hot as Salma Hayek’s in Desperado. Even still, most of the cool mechanics that it borrows from other games are combined in a new way which, to my knowledge, hasn’t quite been done before.
*see post 28. This has changed as of spring 2010, but was true at the time of my enthusiastic review.
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Chris Schenck
United States
Dayton
Ohio
GO BUCKS!
Stop touching me!
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Fun format for a review.
Jexik wrote: If you feel the need to create an overarching strategy and stick to it for the entirety of the game, Summoner Wars might bug you a bit.
This is key. Not to minimize the rest of your review, but this point sums up the "feel" of playing Summoner Wars. It is a game of reacting to change. There are definitely moments of luck in the game, but my experience has been that the players who are prepared to adapt to the changes on the battlefield tend to win. Luck favors the prepared.
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Markus M.
Finland
Helsinki
Uusimaa
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This game is looking more and more like a game I'll have to get.
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SuperflyCircus Pete
United States
Independence
Kentucky
www.superflycircus.blogspot.com - Best Reviews Ever!
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Jexik wrote: I’ve seen some people say that this game is a bit derivative. That’s because it lies tangent to curves as hot as Salma Hayek’s in Desperado. Even still, most of the cool mechanics that it borrows from other games are combined in a new way which, to my knowledge, hasn’t quite been done before.
Muy Caliente!!! Oye!!!!
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Matthew Mesina
United States
Bethel Park
Pennsylvania
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What I don't get is that I know the OP likes "merticulous planning" [read: "...hundreds of pages on HeroScape..."] and is recently begun to enjoy "heavy" euros, and still likes this. So, I guess there are exceptions to every rule, even your own.
I've yet to be sold on Summoner Wars, simply because it looks to be a portable Heroscape...what are these "other games" it allegedly borrows from?
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Colby Dauch
United States
Unspecified
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It shares a couple things in common with Heroscape. It is easy to learn, there are variable player powers, and it is dudes killing dudes, the comparison pretty much stops there in my opinion.
I think that if you like Heroscape there is a good chance you'll like this. But it isn't the same game.
EDIT: I'm interested to hear what other games it is composed of too. I didn't design it with combining games in mind, but nothing is completely new under the sun.
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Jerry Hawthorne
United States
dallas
Texas
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I would say that it does a good job of scratching the same itch that Heroscape does, but so do so many other games. I see no need to compare. I am not in any way a card gamer and yet I am intensely attracted to the Summoner Wars gaming experience. For me, it would be hard to put into words. I play and then I want to play again. There is no barrier there that says "maybe later" or "let's try something else". I have now lost more games than I've won, but I never felt cheated by the experience like I sometimes do in other games.
Oh BTW I am all of 1,2, and 3. An uncle/dad, a mini gamer, and short on gaming time.
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James Sitz
United States
Illinois
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soberman wrote: I've yet to be sold on Summoner Wars, simply because it looks to be a portable Heroscape...what are these "other games" it allegedly borrows from?
Ken B. over at Fortress Ameritrash was the one who reviewed and called it a bit derivative. He also liked it.
Michael Barnes also called it "this year's Manouevre." He also implied that he likes both Summoner Wars and Manouevre.
I think people are highly prone to compare games to other games they already like. "This game doesn't do this the way [insert favorite game here] does it, so it's clearly flawed." "This game is a lot like my favorite game, so it's sweet!"
Personally, I love card games. I grew up on Pinochle, Poker, and Magic. More recently, I like Dominion and Race. The build magic phase and using cards to directly play other cards reminds me a lot of Race. Some of the Events remind me of Magic: the Gathering. The Phoenix Elves kind of remind me of red decks, but maybe the color scheme is to blame? 
The simple rules and thematic powers remind me of Heroscape. But a lot does. Heroscape reminds me of Shining Force, Dark Wizard, Final Fantasy Tactics, and a number of othe video games that I played in my youth. And Legos.
soberman wrote: What I don't get is that I know the OP likes "merticulous planning" [read: "...hundreds of pages on HeroScape..."] and is recently begun to enjoy "heavy" euros, and still likes this. So, I guess there are exceptions to every rule, even your own.
I'm much more meticulous about my word choice than I am about my plans.
Ask my ex-girlfriend about our first anniversary, or any of my teachers from college about my planning... if they remember me. I've taken the GRE, but haven't really applied to any grad schools because I don't know what I would actually want to study.
I'm quite perplexed by the whole light/heavy dichotomy. If Chess were released today, would it be dismissed as a light abstract which gives an unfair advantage to the first player?
I'd argue that the mathematics and forethought required to create a ground-breaking, top-tier army in Heroscape or deck in M:TG far exceeds the "brain-burning" one does while doing simple addition in Power Grid or Agricola, but I'm sure I'm in the minority on that one. It's just math folks. I have only played PG about 7 or 8 times, so I'm sure there are some things I'm overlooking, but I don't see myself writing as much about it as I have on Heroscape.
But I still don't think of myself as a meticulous planner. What I'm really trying to highlight isn't a lack of thought or planning, but flexibility. You can have thought and planning and flexibility, contrary to what some may believe. You just have to have lots of contingency plans.
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United States
Jeffersonville
Pennsylvania
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screamingtruth wrote: I'm interested to hear what other games it is composed of too. I didn't design it with combining games in mind, but nothing is completely new under the sun.
The summoning system sounds a lot like Decipher's Star Wars CCG. I think Ken made that comparison also in his F:AT review. That's not a bad thing at all - I think that the Force system from that game is easily one of the best mechanics in any game I've ever played, bar none. The decisions just around managing your hand vs force pile are some of the best experiences I've ever had in gaming. If this game does something sort of along those lines, I'm definitely interested.
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Colby Dauch
United States
Unspecified
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I've never played the Star Wars CCG, but it sounds like the two mechanics are at least in some ways similar. Especially if Ken thinks so, he seems to know what he's talking about.
It is always interesting to hear about games that your game is like, especially when you've never played some of the games it is getting compared to. I've heard a couple of comparisons to Maneuver as well, and that is another one I've never played.
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Chris Schenck
United States
Dayton
Ohio
GO BUCKS!
Stop touching me!
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soberman wrote: I've yet to be sold on Summoner Wars, simply because it looks to be a portable Heroscape...what are these "other games" it allegedly borrows from?
Given the popularity of HeroScape, I'd say that's quite a compliment!
Seriously though, it does play quite differently than HeroScape. I hate to even try to draw a comparison between the two because it's a lot like trying to compare Dominion and Magic the Gathering -- they're both card games involving deck construction, but wow do they play differently!
Anyway, I'll try to give some general ideas why the feel of Summoner Wars differs a lot from HS, but realize the limitations of this kind of comparison of two very different games:
* Attrition vs Expansion: In HS, you usually have a fixed army that is at maximum potential at the beginning of the game, and your forces erode away over the course of the game. With SW, you have an initial deployment of a handful of units, and you expand it from there. This alone changes the entire feel of the game.
* Deployment Strategy: SW has the whole mechanism of unit-summoning that doesn't even have a parallel in HS. Regulating the flow of your troops properly can make or break an army. It's more than just "do I spam out the little guys or build up for the big guys?" Every unit you deploy is both a help to you, and a potential help to your enemy. Common units that you discarded in one game might be of critical importance the next game, depending on how the game unfolds.
* Resource Management: The Magic pile is another element that has no HS counterpart. This is a big topic, really. Magic management is the topic of several threads here and on SummonerWars.com, and will continue to develop even more depth as the game grows. Considerations include short-term vs long-term buildup, tactics for sharing magic in team games, managing your "burn rate" fueling of your own magic pile at the expense of depleting your draw deck faster than your opponent, etc... The wonderful thing about this topic is that there's no ONE answer. It's a layer of strategy that evolves during the game, based on the current battlefield landscape, the tactics of your opponent, and the strengths/weaknesses of your own army.
* Spawn Point Control vs Glyph Control: In many SW games, the spawn-point walls become focal points of conflict, much like powerful glyphs can in HS. The difference is, controlling a glyph in HS generally gives your troops a boost, whereas controlling the zone around an opponent's wall throttles his reinforcement potential. This "short-term boost" versus "long-term hindrance" plays out very differently. Also, I'd like to note that nothing is stopping players from introducing glyphs to their SW games to give the benefit of both options. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see these as an official expansion in the future.
Wow, I've written a ton here ... sorry for babbling. I guess the Reader's Digest Condensed Version would be, "Yes, they play very differently, and the best way to understand that is to play a few games and see for yourself."
IMPORTANT: I'm in no way saying that Summoner Wars is a "better" game than HeroScape. They're different games that will appeal to different folks, though I expect that there would be a lot of overlap in the type of folks who would enjoy both. HeroScape has things that I like better, like 3-D terrain and miniatures. Those things have a tangible value to many folks, and Summoner Wars doesn't even come close to scratching that tactile/visual appeal itch of miniatures that is important to many gamers. However, Summoner Wars has (in my opinion) several more layers of strategy and tactics, an absurd level of portability, and a cheaper price-point.
One thing is for sure: I'm glad I own both games!
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T C
United States
Albuquerque
New Mexico
Incoming Priority Message...
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Great review, Jexik. The simple resource management and limited actions per turn (meaning I have to select my actions with care) are what I liked about the game when initially introduced to it (besides the spectacle of gladiatorial combat taking place on the board).
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Lee Valentine
United States
Boston
Massachusetts
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Jexik wrote: Overall, I’d place the level of luck/variance/whateveryouwannacallit somewhere in the realm of Settlers of Catan, Magic: the Gathering, Race for the Galaxy, and Dominion. If that’s acceptable to you, keep reading.
Overall pretty interesting. I disagreed with this, however, at least with regards to Magic. First, even with the deck stacking rules you have quite limited control over what you put into your deck to control the number and kind of events, for example. Second, I found that the combination of card draws and dice rolls could produce wild swings of luck. In Magic I may get "Mana Flooded" or "Mana Screwed", but usually the deck runs either at a very specific, reliable level of performance largely by itself or else is flexible enough to roll with the punches and give me some tricks to pull my fat out of the fire. I felt largely to be a victim of card draws and dice rolls yesterday when playing Summoner Wars.
Part of this perception is due to the length of the game. I was getting crushed by luck yesterday in Summoner Wars but I survived an hour and fifteen minutes. That game was almost no fun. If I get a wildly bad draw in Magic I can be dead in 5 minutes and then starting a new hand.
So, I think there's a lot of luck in Summoner Wars, fewer mechanisms to control your opponent or pull your fat out of the fire, and the death spiral is much longer in Summoner Wars (but apparently no less decisive).
Surprisingly, on the whole, the decks in the starter sets are pretty balanced against each other, but the swing of luck can often swamp skill. For me, that makes it a decent casual filler game rather than a "destination" game that I'd go out of my way to play.
I have yet to play four-player, so perhaps having a partner will mitigate luck.
Lee
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James Sitz
United States
Illinois
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It's tough at this point to compare the luck from constructed magic decks to the starter decks here. As you pointed out, they seem pretty well balanced against each other, so any advantage from deck construction, which is a large factor of the skill in Magic, won't really be seen yet. And if the cards are kept to the same level of balance and tailored more towards varied playstyle rather than varying strength, maybe deck construction will never play the same role here as it does in M:tG.
But we're also dealing with 35 card decks, with one of those being the Summoner, 1 the Reference card, and 4-6 of them being the starting commons. The start is always the same, so getting a bad initial draw is a little different in SW on the first turn at least. You'll always have some guys that can move and attack.
Let's take the Tundra Orcs for example. They have 4 commons at the start and 1 Wall. That leaves them with 28 other cards in their deck. Thats about half the size of an M:tG deck (53) after drawing your starting hand.
3 of those are Ice Walls, and 2 are regular walls. 5/28 of the remaining cards are some kind of Wall. 2/28 are Reinforcements, which is pretty close to having 4 of a card in an M:TG deck. But you've got 3 Freezes, which is a high ratio. As you mentioned, the potential to make 10 of your commons the same (nearly a third of your entire deck) potentially gives you a lot of ability to mitigate the card source of luck. Unless you're playing a Blue deck for card drawing, or a Green deck with mana-givers or cards to fetch lands in Magic, you're often limited to drawing just one card per turn.
I still maintain that the Build Magic phase is a cool way to fix bad hands and prepare for the future, but at the cost of shortening your clock. There's no analog to this in Magic (maybe taking a Mulligan, but you can Build throughout the game). The fact that your game took 75 minutes implies to me that either you guys are both very analytical, or perhaps rather reticent to Build. You really can't get "Magic-screwed" in Summoner Wars, because you always have a chance to either build magic or get it from killing. I suppose it's possible to get "Wall-screwed," but pretty much only against the Guild Dwarves, and that's their shtick.
But then there's the dice. I think their noticeable affect depends largely on your faction. If you're playing the Tundra Orcs, yeah, you'll notice the dice more, except when you get your Smashers attacked. When you play the Goblins or Phoenix Elves, you'll probably notice the affect of your card draw more.
I think my Settlers luck comparison was very appropriate, as I think there are clear analogs to the dice (2d6 in Catan) and Development deck- sometimes you really need that 3rd Soldier when you're at 8 points, but you draw the University of Catan instead.
EDIT:
But as was part of the goal of this review- I recognize that this game is not for everyone. Those who are very risk averse or in category 9 (avid CCG players) might see some of the simplicity in this game as a design flaw, when it's likely a conscious effort to make it different from existing games.
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Colby Dauch
United States
Unspecified
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Yeah, there is no reason to feel helpless for an hour and a half. Just dump your hand on the build magic phase for a turn or two and use the influx of magic to mount your comeback effort.
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fightcitymayor
United States
Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania
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Jexik wrote:
Michael Barnes also called it "this year's Manouevre." He also implied that he likes both Summoner Wars and Manouevre.
wow, if Barnes likes it AND it compares favorably to a game many people rated their '08 Game Of The Year... well... that about seals the deal. off to the Plaid Hat website i go.
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Lee Valentine
United States
Boston
Massachusetts
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screamingtruth wrote: Yeah, there is no reason to feel helpless for an hour and a half. Just dump your hand on the build magic phase for a turn or two and use the influx of magic to mount your comeback effort.
I did exactly what you said, multiple times. I was Magic Drained for 4 Magic very early on (all on one turn). Broke my back because my opponent got out Gror and Hammer Quaked every small unit I put on the board.
My next hand or so I drew almost all Event cards (no Common Units) and a couple Champions. I tossed most of my Events too, since I couldn't keep a 0 cost Goblin alive if someone had paid me. Since I was throwing away tons of my cards, my opponent did the same. He had tons of Magic. He summoned Thorkur.
After an hour long death spiral, I managed to kill all my opponent's units but his Summoner and one champion -- Thorkur. Since he had so much Magic to back up Thorkur and I had just my Summoner left, I lost.
Both players knew a few minutes in that I was losing that game. It just took an extra hour to prove that fact.
I don't mind a game with quick death spirals, but with a long one you either have concede the game or sit and suffer.
To bring my experience in line with the initial review (which was very clever and thoughtful, by the way), I'm a "Nemesis of Random" in a game with a long death spiral (random is fine in games lasting < 15 minutes).
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James Sitz
United States
Illinois
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Double Magic Drain is rough, but at least you know he can't MD you again.
But I can see where you're coming from with this complaint. I think the length of the "Death Spiral" is relative. If you're used to some CCG's where you can play an entire 3-game match in under an hour, an hour long game of Summoner Wars where you feel like you're out of it the whole time might annoy you. But if you compare it to some dice and mini's games, it looks shorter. If you compare M:TG to Street Fighter 2, I'm sure those guys don't like the 10 minute death spiral.
Very few of my games have been quite as lopsided as the one you mention, or if they are, they're over in 15 minutes because someone made a huge mistake- usually putting their summoner within 2 spaces of a Wall in the center of the board.
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M C
United States
Orem
Utah
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The "Kill the Summoner" effect reminds me a bit of Warmachine.
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SuperflyCircus Pete
United States
Independence
Kentucky
www.superflycircus.blogspot.com - Best Reviews Ever!
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hudarklord wrote:
I did exactly what you said, multiple times. I was Magic Drained for 4 Magic very early on (all on one turn). Broke my back because my opponent got out Gror and Hammer Quaked every small unit I put on the board.
Are you playing with the same person I'm playing with or something? This, almost exactly, happened to me too, by my 8-year old. On the second round she drained my magic and then she got Gror and kicked my ass.
There is definately a luck component to this game - she rolls 5s and 6s consistently on every game we ever play, and she almost always seems to get the cards she needs. I don't mind, I figure that in about another 12 years or so she'll be able to cover her college with her Vegas winnings.
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M C
United States
Orem
Utah
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superflypete wrote: hudarklord wrote:
I did exactly what you said, multiple times. I was Magic Drained for 4 Magic very early on (all on one turn). Broke my back because my opponent got out Gror and Hammer Quaked every small unit I put on the board.
Are you playing with the same person I'm playing with or something? This, almost exactly, happened to me too, by my 8-year old. On the second round she drained my magic and then she got Gror and kicked my ass. There is definately a luck component to this game - she rolls 5s and 6s consistently on every game we ever play, and she almost always seems to get the cards she needs. I don't mind, I figure that in about another 12 years or so she'll be able to cover her college with her Vegas winnings.
When I was young I was a lucky dice roller. Then I realized I was inadvertently juicing the dice when I rolled them. Have her use a dice tower or a cup and see if anything changes.
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Colby Dauch
United States
Unspecified
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craniac wrote: superflypete wrote: hudarklord wrote:
I did exactly what you said, multiple times. I was Magic Drained for 4 Magic very early on (all on one turn). Broke my back because my opponent got out Gror and Hammer Quaked every small unit I put on the board.
Are you playing with the same person I'm playing with or something? This, almost exactly, happened to me too, by my 8-year old. On the second round she drained my magic and then she got Gror and kicked my ass. There is definately a luck component to this game - she rolls 5s and 6s consistently on every game we ever play, and she almost always seems to get the cards she needs. I don't mind, I figure that in about another 12 years or so she'll be able to cover her college with her Vegas winnings. When I was young I was a luck dic roller. Then I realized I was inadvertently juicing the dice when I rolled them. Have her use a dice tower or a cup and see if anything changes.
Yeah Pete, make your kid stop cheating.  I recommend a vixentorgames.com dice tower. Matt is good people... well as long as you aren't a publisher with a game he doesn't like he's good people.
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Keith Schramek
United States
Gridley
Illinois
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Portable Heroscape??!!! I think I'm sold.
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M C
United States
Orem
Utah
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screamingtruth wrote: craniac wrote: superflypete wrote: hudarklord wrote:
I did exactly what you said, multiple times. I was Magic Drained for 4 Magic very early on (all on one turn). Broke my back because my opponent got out Gror and Hammer Quaked every small unit I put on the board.
Are you playing with the same person I'm playing with or something? This, almost exactly, happened to me too, by my 8-year old. On the second round she drained my magic and then she got Gror and kicked my ass. There is definately a luck component to this game - she rolls 5s and 6s consistently on every game we ever play, and she almost always seems to get the cards she needs. I don't mind, I figure that in about another 12 years or so she'll be able to cover her college with her Vegas winnings. When I was young I was a luck dic roller. Then I realized I was inadvertently juicing the dice when I rolled them. Have her use a dice tower or a cup and see if anything changes. Yeah Pete, make your kid stop cheating. :) I recommend a vixentorgames.com dice tower. Matt is good people... well as long as you aren't a publisher with a game he doesn't like he's good people.
I probably spoke out of turn. I don't think anyone's intentionally cheating. And if she is consistently lucky, you should take her to play a little game called "The Ponies." :)
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CLS Games -- Atlanta's Board Game Warehouse
United States
Kennesaw
Georgia
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Jexik wrote: Michael Barnes also called it "this year's Manouevre." He also implied that he likes both Summoner Wars and Manouevre.
BGG Legend Michael Barnes? Is that guy still writing game reviews?
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Posted Thu Dec 10, 2009 5:33 am
