Trend
Long gone are the days of Ritualized Wednesdays, so most of my CCG playing experience this year has consisted of gaming nights with Francois and Jon every six weeks. Instead of building decks, I’ve been completing sets, and I’ve been much pickier about which new games I try. The game really has to capture my imagination for me to invest the time in adding a new game to my stock.
Highlights
Call of Cthulhu
The mana and challenge systems are flexible and elegant, and had me hooked from the first demonstration. I like the idea of using unused cards as mana, because it forces me to make difficult choices during the early stages of the game, and the structured challenge sequence has enough room for surprises – I’m looking forward to expansions that alter the orders of icon struggles.
Disappointments
Warlord: Sneak Attack and Warlord: Counterstrike
I think the Warlord game is running out of steam, and I don’t think it’s just because I haven’t been playing as often as last year: I think that the game has run through the usual three year creativity cycle. The first two Campaign edition expansions tread into areas well-trodden by other CCGs. Tokens? Coming-into-play effects? The new sets don’t inspire me.
Surprises
Spycraft
First, I ordered a box of starters and a box of boosters, sight unseen. Then I learned that the story didn’t follow the Shadowforce Archer line of sourcebooks. Then I saw the low-grade comics art and overly complicated rules so I cancelled the order. Then I tried the Shadow Academy introductory set, and I was surprised by the accessible depth of the game. I still won’t dive in the deep end, but I’ll play that set again.
What’s Next?
I’ll spend more time fending off the squiggly tentacled beasts of Call of Cthulhu, and try to finish off my Doomtown collection. I haven’t seen anything in the production pipeline that piques my interest, but you never know…