Hmm, I haven't talked about SolForge in a while. There have been some things to talk about, though.
For one thing, we saw a whole bunch of new cards. So that's cool.
And then as it turns out somebody's already set up this whole new fansite. So that's also cool.
...Okay, maybe not as much to talk about as I thought. But I am looking forward to the beta.
Showing posts with label SolForge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SolForge. Show all posts
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
It's All About SolForge
I just can't wait for the SolForge beta to start!
And by that I mean I literally did not wait and have already started playing asynchronous games on the forum.
So I can tell you, this game is fun. I've completed two games and I have two more running. I'm enjoying it very much. The mechanics are simple enough. Every turn you play two cards and attack, and every four turns you gain access to leveled-up versions of the cards you've played. Boom. But every turn, those two cards you play also represent meaningful and difficult strategic decisions.
Do I play the Mimicwisp that's strong against the current board? Would I rather invest in a Chrogian Sporeling that's weak now, in hopes of leveling it up into a giant avatar later? Should I play a structure for a persistent bonus that could be useful in the long-term, but puts me behind in creature count this round? Do I use my pump spell to make my creature trample over yours, or do I use my kill spell to clear the way completely? If I've seen him trying to level up a guys who'll be 9/10 later, is it a waste of effort to try and level up my guy who'll only be an 8/4? If I have a card that's strong at rank 1, should I play it early and try to press the advantage, or should I save it for later since it doesn't need to level up to have an impact on the lategame?
These aren't hypotheticals, by the way. I just pulled them out of my most recent match. And I'm still not sure what the answers are.
Also, I drew an Absol Forge.
And by that I mean I literally did not wait and have already started playing asynchronous games on the forum.
So I can tell you, this game is fun. I've completed two games and I have two more running. I'm enjoying it very much. The mechanics are simple enough. Every turn you play two cards and attack, and every four turns you gain access to leveled-up versions of the cards you've played. Boom. But every turn, those two cards you play also represent meaningful and difficult strategic decisions.
 |
| Chrogias is overwhelmingly powerful in his final form, but before I can get there, I have to spend my turns playing teeny tiny sporelings. Is it worth sacrificing early momentum for lategame power? |
Do I play the Mimicwisp that's strong against the current board? Would I rather invest in a Chrogian Sporeling that's weak now, in hopes of leveling it up into a giant avatar later? Should I play a structure for a persistent bonus that could be useful in the long-term, but puts me behind in creature count this round? Do I use my pump spell to make my creature trample over yours, or do I use my kill spell to clear the way completely? If I've seen him trying to level up a guys who'll be 9/10 later, is it a waste of effort to try and level up my guy who'll only be an 8/4? If I have a card that's strong at rank 1, should I play it early and try to press the advantage, or should I save it for later since it doesn't need to level up to have an impact on the lategame?
 |
| If my opponent's been leveling lots of scary creatures to rank 2, I'll want my kill spells to be leveled up to kill them. But what if their only target now is a dinky 2/2 or 0/6 that I don't need to kill? Do I drop a random creature to eat it and advance my board at the same time, or do I plan ahead to make sure I have the proper answer for a larger threat later? |
Also, I drew an Absol Forge.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Let's talk about SolForge.
So I'm scrolling through my Twitter feed earlier this month and I see a few people talking about this new game on Kickstarter called SolForge, made by Richard Garfield (creator of Magic: The Gathering), Brian Kibler (one of the top Magic players in the world), and the guys who made Ascension (another game that's pretty good). And it's a digital trading card game? Hmm...
Well, I don't know about you, but I like this idea.
The core mechanic is both very simple and very deep. Each time you play a card, it levels up. Periodically, your discard pile gets shuffled back into your deck, and the next time you draw that card, it'll be a higher level and have a different effect.
So at Level 1, you might have a bolt of lightning. At Level 2, it might be a more powerful chain lightning effect. And at Level 3, it could be a full-fledged thunderstorm. Or maybe you have a dragon egg that hatches into a baby dragon and then into a giant full-grown firebreathing terror. Or, on the flip side, you might have a giant zombie that starts out strong, but rots and decays over time to become less powerful in the lategame. Like I said, simple, but deep.
This mechanic would be difficult to execute in a traditional paper card game. I mean, imagine the logistics. How do you track what level the cards are when you shuffle them back into your deck? You'd need, like, multiple cards in one sleeve, or something? I don't even know. But for a digital game, it's all taken care of by the little man who lives inside the iPad and pushes buttons to make the lights change color.
There was a playable demo of the game at GenCon, so we got a look at how the actual games play out. By the look of this video (in which Richard Garfield takes on John Fiorillo of Gary Games), it'll be a blast to play. I'm excited.
You should be excited too. There's still time to back the project on Kickstarter. If you do, you'll get special Kickstarter bonuses, like special exclusive promo cards and access to the beta and, like, just extra cards and store credit once the game is live, and whatnot.
Well, I don't know about you, but I like this idea.
The core mechanic is both very simple and very deep. Each time you play a card, it levels up. Periodically, your discard pile gets shuffled back into your deck, and the next time you draw that card, it'll be a higher level and have a different effect.
So at Level 1, you might have a bolt of lightning. At Level 2, it might be a more powerful chain lightning effect. And at Level 3, it could be a full-fledged thunderstorm. Or maybe you have a dragon egg that hatches into a baby dragon and then into a giant full-grown firebreathing terror. Or, on the flip side, you might have a giant zombie that starts out strong, but rots and decays over time to become less powerful in the lategame. Like I said, simple, but deep.
This mechanic would be difficult to execute in a traditional paper card game. I mean, imagine the logistics. How do you track what level the cards are when you shuffle them back into your deck? You'd need, like, multiple cards in one sleeve, or something? I don't even know. But for a digital game, it's all taken care of by the little man who lives inside the iPad and pushes buttons to make the lights change color.
There was a playable demo of the game at GenCon, so we got a look at how the actual games play out. By the look of this video (in which Richard Garfield takes on John Fiorillo of Gary Games), it'll be a blast to play. I'm excited.
You should be excited too. There's still time to back the project on Kickstarter. If you do, you'll get special Kickstarter bonuses, like special exclusive promo cards and access to the beta and, like, just extra cards and store credit once the game is live, and whatnot.
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