I’ve talked before about how hard it can be to get a friend something game related. Sure, I usually know it’s a safe bet to get Bruce any boosters of the latest Magic set whenever a gift giving occasion rolls around but then it comes to finding the right present that is just off the wall enough, it can certainly be a challenge. Especially since not everyone is going to like elf ear jewelry. Read the rest of this entry »
One of the biggest issues with the first printing of Ascension: Chronicles of the Godslayer wasn’t immediately noticeable. But then the expansion came out and they changed the card stock. For people who haven’t sleeved their entire set, this meant cards tended to clump together by expansion which made shuffling a challenge. But now Gary Games has come out and released the second edition of Chronicles of the Godslayer on the new card stock!
In addition to the new card stock, a handful of cards have gotten some minor rewording to help clarify what they actually do or how they work (I’m looking at you Runic Lycanthrope) plus a revised rulebook to bring it inline with Storm of Souls. And the cards are marked as being 2nd Edition, so us purists can brag about how we got Ascension back in the day.
In addition, Gary Games is now selling the Year 1 Promo Pack that contains all nine promo cards released in 2011 for only $8.99! I’ve already grabbed one for myself and we’ll be reviewing the cards as soon as they arrive. I can’t wait to throw a Vortex around.
After getting my tax return this year, I bit the bullet and got myself an iPad 2. But I got the iPad for a single reason: to play games. It really came down to finally upgrading my original Nintendo DS Fat or getting myself an iPad, and I went with the system that would let me play all the Ascension I wanted (and read comics).
If you’re unfamiliar with the game Ascension, it is a card game created by the former professional Magic player, Justin Gary. A card game that is essentially a cross between Magic and Dominion, you draft your deck while playing the game. For a complete rundown of the game, check out our reviews on both Chronicle of the Godslayer and Return of the Fallen as this review will also cover both of those games. Read the rest of this entry »
I’ve been traveling hence the delay on getting this posted, but Monday’s Arcana showed off the next two IDW promo cards for issues #3 and #4 respectively of Magic: the Gathering. Check them out:
Those are pretty swanky promotional cards (though it looks like this planeswalker only knows one spell… blue hand!). To get these promotional cards, you’ll need to pick up a copy of the comic at your local comic book shop.
Having psyched myself up for the new Heroes of the Elemental Chaos sourcebook, I decided to swing by and see if my Friendly Local Gaming Store had it. To my immense delight they did, and they’re in the process of re-modeling to start running D&D Encountersand Friday Night Magic. Those are topics for another day. For now, I’m excited to crack this book open and see what oozes out. How’s that for a weird image?
In this sourcebook, I’m hoping to see a few things. I want the ability to include some elemental flavor and crunch in any character I make, regardless of class or race (obviously some will be easier than others), and I want to get some inspirations on running adventures dealing with the Elemental Chaos that don’t play on tired themes: namely “let’s go to the Abyss and kill stuff!” and “in this fortress of the Lord of [element type here], there are hideous creatures composed of [element type here].” Based on Heroes of Shadow and Heroes of the Feywild, I think I have a good chance of getting my wishes. Here goes!
A common refrain you will find around any gaming table or club is “you won because you got lucky.” Or, “I don’t like playing this game, it’s based too much on luck.”
Everyone would like to assume that when we sit down to play a game the outcome is predominantly based on our skills. We win because of superior tactics and decision making, and others lose because they are stupid. This is almost never the case, except for the stupid part. Stupid people lose ALL the time, and sometimes stupid people win, but usually because someone else at the table was even dumber, but I digress.
When we win we want to emphasize how much our own skill contributed to victory. Yet when we lose, many are more than happy to blame it purely on being unlucky, hence the aforementioned utterances.
Aside from being annoying, and belittling the person who was victorious, there’s a problem with constantly invoking luck as an excuse. Aside from a few exceptions, like chess and checkers, all games involve a healthy amount of luck. You might as well use the excuse, “you won because you sat down to play the game.” Read the rest of this entry »
Monte Cook hase revealed that Dungeons &Dragons (D&D) Next would feature Vancian magic, at least in some form. Before we get to our thoughts, here’s a little history on the subject.
The rules for spellcasting in D&D, prior to 4th Edition, said that after a wizard casts a spell, it is erased from his mind and he must wait until the next day to cast it again. This concept comes from the Dying Earth series by Jack Vance, fantasy author and anagrammed namesake for Vecna the Arch-Lich of the Tomb of Horrors. In these books, as in D&D, a wizard’s brain can only hold so many of the arcane formulas that control magic. Each day, you memorize a limited number of these spells and then forget each one as soon as you’ve cast it.
It’s hard to review a game like Dominion. The open endedness of it all means you can’t easily try out every single combination of cards, but the same is true for Magic the Gathering. But that doesn’t change the fact that Dominion Hinterlands came out and it is awesome. Read the rest of this entry »
This is a solid take on Goblins, but many standard players aren’t so crazy about some of the choices. Still, this deck contains two Inkmoth Nexus cards so that’s worth something.
There seems to be a long history of people proposing with card games. Richard Garfield, the creator of Magic: the Gathering, proposed to his wife by creating a custom card called Proposal. And given the close ties that Ascension has with Magic, it only seems fitting that a proposal has happened – just in time for Valentine’s Day!
The Official Ascension Blog has the full story of how Alan Gerding asked for some unique help proposing to Crystol Shelton. So with some fancy work, a custom card was crafted for Alan’s portal deck – Ring of Gerd! You can’t see it in the video above very well, so here is the actual card: Read the rest of this entry »
After getting 
A common refrain you will find around any gaming table or club is “you won because you got lucky.” Or, “I don’t like playing this game, it’s based too much on luck.”
