WHY DESPERATE GODS IS AMAZING.
Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 1:12 am
I think it would fair to say that there are essentially TWO great products bundled into this excellent (free) download.
The first part is the actual rule-set for the Board Game Desperate Gods. I would best describe it as a fun little amalgamation of Monopoly and Magic: The Gathering.
Players travel around a dungeon, drawing monster cards to battle and defeat, and thus winning coins. The coins are used to purchase equipment so that the players can better survive the more dangerous inner-levels of the dungeon. The final goal is to clear out the entire dungeon and then add up the ‘victory points’ each player has earned while slaying beasties. Occasionally a player will have the option of selecting a monster to battle out of a few choices. This adds an additional level of strategy as one must decide whether they want to battle a monster that offers lots of victory points but no cash, or vice versa.
Overall, I think the basics of this rule-set are on the right track. I can’t comment on the game beyond its solid basic premise since I have not put in the hours of gaming yet. Only plenty of community play testing will weed out the broken / wonky bits for further adjustment. Not that big of a deal in my opinion. Personally, I’m very impressed at the solid rules that the Wolfire team came up with in only 7 days of testing!
Fun game rules aside, the true beauty of this project is the excellent networked physics engine that David has produced for us. Essentially, the ability to play ANY type of card game or board game imaginable (through an online network) is right there before us. Players and modders just need to generate their own cards, pieces and play area. I TRULY hope that the Wolfire guys see the huge resource they have created for us oldschool gamers. With just a few modifications you could employ the DG engine for Chess, Checkers, Mancala etc… (This is particularly exciting for folks who want to play ancient games like Quirkat or Senet). Make some polyhedral die models and you could be running your own virtual D&D session with friends from every corner of the world. Gamers love to select and paint their own personalized miniatures. How fun would it be to import your personal model into the DG engine? The possibilities are truly endless!
David and OG friends: if you ever decide to open the engine up for community modification, I suggest you call it ‘Desperate Gamer’.
The first part is the actual rule-set for the Board Game Desperate Gods. I would best describe it as a fun little amalgamation of Monopoly and Magic: The Gathering.
Players travel around a dungeon, drawing monster cards to battle and defeat, and thus winning coins. The coins are used to purchase equipment so that the players can better survive the more dangerous inner-levels of the dungeon. The final goal is to clear out the entire dungeon and then add up the ‘victory points’ each player has earned while slaying beasties. Occasionally a player will have the option of selecting a monster to battle out of a few choices. This adds an additional level of strategy as one must decide whether they want to battle a monster that offers lots of victory points but no cash, or vice versa.
Overall, I think the basics of this rule-set are on the right track. I can’t comment on the game beyond its solid basic premise since I have not put in the hours of gaming yet. Only plenty of community play testing will weed out the broken / wonky bits for further adjustment. Not that big of a deal in my opinion. Personally, I’m very impressed at the solid rules that the Wolfire team came up with in only 7 days of testing!
Fun game rules aside, the true beauty of this project is the excellent networked physics engine that David has produced for us. Essentially, the ability to play ANY type of card game or board game imaginable (through an online network) is right there before us. Players and modders just need to generate their own cards, pieces and play area. I TRULY hope that the Wolfire guys see the huge resource they have created for us oldschool gamers. With just a few modifications you could employ the DG engine for Chess, Checkers, Mancala etc… (This is particularly exciting for folks who want to play ancient games like Quirkat or Senet). Make some polyhedral die models and you could be running your own virtual D&D session with friends from every corner of the world. Gamers love to select and paint their own personalized miniatures. How fun would it be to import your personal model into the DG engine? The possibilities are truly endless!
David and OG friends: if you ever decide to open the engine up for community modification, I suggest you call it ‘Desperate Gamer’.