I can’t figure out who managed to dig into my brain to piece together such seemingly disparate likes of mine, but somehow someone did it. Deck building card game, retro video games and Abraham Lincoln have been combined into some strange real world manifestation of the pleasure centers of my brain. I should probably be upset by the mental invasion, but I get to kill John Booth with a chicken cannon… so I’m not complaining.
We’ve reviewed quite a few deck building games here on PGM but just in case you’ve never read any of those reviews (FOR SHAME) here’s the basic gist. Each player starts with the same basic, small, weak deck of cards. They then use those cards to purchase additional cards from a pool of potentials available to all players and add them to their deck. As time goes on the decks get stronger and stronger. They then use that deck to defeat their opponents. That’s super high level since every game is a bit different, but you get the idea. Quarriors has the same basic buy/add gameplay but chucks out the cards and replaces them with dice. Lots and lots of glorious dice.
Of all the games I got to play at PAX East this year, one of my favorites was Miskatonic School for Girls. In this twist on the familiar deck-building game, you get to help build your opponent’s deck… by filling it with enemies. As you’ve probably already guessed, it’s set in the Cthulhu universe, meaning all of the characters – the young girls in the school and the frightening monsters who pose as faculty and staff members – are pulled from, or parodies of, the Lovecraft stories.
If you’re a board/card game fan, then the iPad/iPhone has become a treasure trove of great gaming goodness. We’ve seen some truly excellent ports from huge hits like Ticket to Ride to lesser known titles like Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer.
That second title is worth noting because it’s probably the best port of a card game I’ve played on the iPad, and was ported by a company called Playdek. Why is all that worth noting? Cause they’ve just announced they’re bringing the combat heavy deck building game Nightfall to iOS in a few weeks. It’s a game we reviewed and enjoyed here on PGM and can’t wait to get it loaded onto our various devices of choice.
You may have heard about or played some of the other deckbuilding games out there like Dominion or the aforementioned Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer (both awesome BTW). What sort of sets Nightfall apart is the amount of aggressive interaction between players. It’s flat out combat here. Vampire and Werewolf and Monster combat.
Playdek has been killing it lately, and I’ll expect that trend to continue when they release Nightfall in a few weeks. Expect us to be talking about the title on the podcast!
Edit: We added a couple of new screenshots that came our way. Check ‘em out below!
As someone fairly new to the world of board games, I’m afraid that I have to admit that I’ve never played Dominion. In fact, I’ve never played a deck building game at all. Puzzle Strike has served as my entry into this particular sub-genre of gaming, and for the most part, it’s been a welcoming experience. With simple rules, quick gameplay, plenty of variety, and the fun of playing with chips instead of cards, it almost seems like the perfect entry point for those looking to delve into the world of deck building – almost.
Loosely inspired by the video game Puzzle Fighter, players will receive gems on each turn that they can try to combine and “crash” into their opponent’s playing field. The object of the game is to destroy your opponent by filling their field with 10 or more gems, thus ending the game. In case you’re not familiar with Puzzle Fighter, think of the gems as your falling blocks in Tetris. Once you have 10 or more of them, the screen fills up and its game over.