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After five long years, Valve, the company behind Half-Life and Portal announced that it is working on a new game. Although, it is not a sequel to any of the company’s beloved franchises, the new project is a digital trading card game titled Artifact, and it is based on Valve’s flagship game, DOTA 2.

It seems like Valve plans on taking the crown from Hearthstone, Blizzard’s popular online card game. Artifact’s official description states that it is “designed to give trading card game enthusiasts the deepest gameplay and highest fidelity experience ever in a fantasy card game.” There are more than 280 cards, which include 44 heroes from DOTA 2. Upon its release, players will be able to buy and sell cards via the Steam Community Marketplace.

After trying out demos, several writers exclaimed that Artifact is very different from Blizzard’s hugely successful card game. In reality, the game is very complex and similar to Magic: The Gathering, which makes sense considering the latter’s creator Richard Garfield helped with Artifact’s development.

In terms of gameplay, PC Gamer describes Artifact as managing three games of Hearthstone at once, where one can affect the other in many ways. It’s 1v1, and it involves three separate boards representing the three lanes (top, mid, bottom) from DOTA 2. Like in the popular MOBA, the lanes are populated with heroes and minions who intend to destroy the towers. Each lane contains a tower with 40 health. When a tower goes down, it is replaced by an Ancient with 80 health. A player wins by destroying two of the opponent’s towers or one Ancient.

PCGamesN provides detailed how Artifact works: creeps and heroes automatically attack once they are placed in the lanes. If no enemy units stand in the way, they will focus on the enemy tower. If the health of a minion reaches zero, it’s taken out of the game. Heroes on the other hand will respawn after a turn. The complexities of the game lie in the fact that you have to balance your strategy across three boards.

Valve’s move to develop a trading card game shows how popular and in demand card games have become. While many enthusiasts still play card games the old school way, numerous digital versions have emerged to reach a wider audience. The hit game Cards Against Humanity, for one, has an online version which allows people from across the world to play with one another. The same goes for other board games, as well as classic tabletop card games. Similar to Steam which hosts a library of console titles, the mobile platform Slingo features an array of tabletop-inspired games, like Epic Monopoly II and Blackjack. The existence of these digital versions allows people to enjoy iconic games virtually anywhere and anytime. It’s a welcome change, especially for those who can’t afford physical board games or card games.

The question of whether Artifact will revolutionize card games remains to be seen. With big names behind the game’s development, the expectations are high. Everyone will find out once the game is released sometime in late 2018.

While waiting for its launch, why not try other board games? For your guidance, check out Unfiltered Gamer’s ‘Top Board Games of 2017’.

The post What to Expect from Valve’s Upcoming Card Game “Artifact” appeared first on Unfiltered Gamer.

Tsukuyumi Game Stats:

Players: 3-6 players

Time: 90 – 120 min.

Ages: 14+

By: Felix Mertikat

Kickstarter Price: $69.00

Categories: Strategy, Area Control, Tactics

Tsukuyumi Game Play:

Each player will choose a unique type of faction ranging from dragons, cyber samurai, whales, the last human outpost and more. From there, players will gather action cards, which will be selected and passed from player to player each round in a draft-like system. Each player will have a starting base tile that they can place with varying rules as to where they can go (generally on the edge of the board). Afterwards, players will be given starting units, accessories and other faction-specific items to be used during game play.

Once set up is complete, players will begin by selecting one action card and going through all four unique steps presented on the card. Sometimes they will allow you to move units, fight, make battle actions, or place strategic markers that change the board. In the third phase of each card, Oni units will move and attack players. This neutral faction starts with their own portion of the board and attacks players based on the action card they chose. Some actions cards will only do a single action or are limited during certain phases.

After all action phases, the round is over and the next round begins. There are varying options for game length, generally the game lasts three rounds. After three rounds have been completed, players will add up their score and the highest scoring player will win.

Photo from King Racoon Games

Tsukuyumi Review:

The first thing I think most people will notice when taking a quick peek at Tsukuyumi is the amount of game that is in this box. There are a huge array of choices: different rules for different factions, characters, placement, and tons of unique card actions.

Unlike many other games, there is very little luck in Tsukuyumi. Instead, players must make strategic choices to win.

Placement is key. But sometimes giving up areas you control can be more beneficial than attempting to keep them. While the goal in Tsukuyumi is to gain territories and fight to maintain dominion over areas, choosing between action card adds even more complexity to the game.  Players can also form alliances, but they don’t have to keep them.

There are a lot of choices for factions you can play. There’s whales, the last humans, cyber samurai, the swarm (similar to Starcraft’s Zerg) and more. Each faction has their own choices and styles of play as well. For instance, the whales are trying to cleanse the land while the dragons are trying to burn the lands, and the humans are trying to secure their portion of the planet. An AI faction, the Oni, will move to certain areas and do different actions based on the player’s actions.

Photo from King Racoon Games

All of the different factions  have unique and beautiful artwork. You can tell it was a labor of love. All the factions are so different; you’re bound to identify and find one or more than you love.

We received a prototype version, and the final components should be polished. The standees (not miniatures, unfortunately), will look great with the high quality art.

You can even set up the board differently, as it is modular with the tiles. Each faction has their own tiles. Terrain markers also add variety to the landscape. This adds a lot of replayability since every game is different.

If you like games like Cthulhu Wars, Kross Master Arena, and Aegis, you’ll probably like Tsukuyumi. 

Be warned: it’s a very lengthy strategy game. You’ll need about 2 hours to play the game after setting it up.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAicsXJ3ZbM[/embedyt]

Interested in learning more about Tsukuyumi? Check out their website.

Unfiltered Gamer was sent a copy of Tsukuyumi to review, but our opinions remain our own.

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Warehouse 13 Stats:

Players: 3-5 players

Time: 90-130 Minutes

Ages: 14+

By: Infinite Dreams Gaming

Currently on KS:  $50

Categories: Semi – Coop, Traitor, Action Based

Warehouse 13 Game Play:

Warehouse 13 The Board Game puts players back into the warehouse as one of five iconic people from the cast of the hit sci-fi show. In the game you must complete missions and obtain three artifacts in order to stop MacPherson (the villain from season one)from taking over the world!

When you start the game you will place everyone inside the warehouse. One member of the group is a traitor (this can be optional). Obstacles will appear as players take turns

Each player then chooses one of their opinion cards, like or dislike, that best reflects their own opinion on the topic, and places that card face down. Each player then chooses one of their guess cards that reflects how many among the group (including themselves) they believe will like the topic.

Once all players have made their choices, all cards are turned face up and the number of players who liked the topic are counted. All players who correctly guessed the number of likes receive 1 point.

Play continued clockwise amongst all players. The game ends immediately when one or more players earn 4 points. Those players win the game.

Polemic Review:

Polemic is a game that, I believe, encapsulates many of the greatest elements of tabletop gaming. It can be learned in minutes, it’s minimalist contents make it easy enough to throw in a backpack or purse, and it allows both familiar gaming groups, as well as casual encounters at get-togethers or parties, to get to know each other in a way that’s judgement free (mostly, we’ll get to that later) while still being a riot to play.

When it comes to considering Polemic as an addition to your collection of games, the question you shouldn’t be asking is “Do I want this game?” but rather, “How well do I know my friends, and how badly do I want to know the stuff I don’t?” If the answer to the latter is firmly in the camp of the inquisitive, you’ll find out plenty.

And, knowing the people you’re playing with is key, although you can still have a heap of fun if you’re facing down complete strangers. Being able to correctly deduce the proclivities of those around you can certainly give you an upper hand in acquiring the win, but throwing on your Deer Hunter and trying to Sherlock your way into everyone else’s head is just as entertaining. Did one of the other player’s let slip a quick smile at the announcement of the chosen topic? How shifty is their gaze? Throw down your guess and find out, just don’t give your own opinion away.

To coincide with the release of the game, the game’s creators (Garden Path Games) have also release a separate Adult Topic Pack that provides an entirely new (and infinitely bawdier) pool of possible topics to be thrown down.

Should your find yourself burning the midnight oil with a group of like-minded individuals, you may find these topics more to your liking. Ever found yourself wondering whether your seemingly innocent friends find themselves partaking in the more closeted and seedy practices of the adult world? What better way to find out that in the pursuit of clarity and, more importantly, victory at the dining room table. Be ready though, once the cards are face up, no one can say they didn’t entirely expect the Spanish Inquisition.

Polemic is a fast paced and simple party game that offers a million laughs and more to play groups willing to bare all. Get ready to find things out about your friends that you might never have known before, but keep in mind, they might just learn things about you too. 

Polemic is available for purchase on the Garden Path Games website.

Unfiltered Gamer was sent a copy of Polemic to review, but our opinions remain our own.

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Covil: The Dark Overlords Board Game Stats:

Players: 1-4 players

Time: 45 minutes

Ages: 13+

By: Vesuvius Media Ltd.

Retail price:  ~$35 on Kickstarter

Categories: Area control, fantasy, resource management

Covil: The Dark Overlords Game Play:

In Covil: The Dark Overlords, players compete to control the regions surrounding a town. As an overlord, you will use your henchmen, unique powers and powerful relics to take control of the land, growing rich and ever more powerful.

Each player starts with their overlord and champion hall, as well as 5 henchmen, 1 gold and 1 hp as resources.

Your campaign is divided into 4 days, each with three phases: morning, afternoon and night.

In the morning you can summon and ready your troops.

The afternoon is spent taking actions to move, attack or acquire new mercenaries or more resources. You are limited by your minions, so choose your actions wisely. And don’t overextend yourself, or you’ll face a rebellion!

At night, you gather your gold from your controlled territories (count it carefully like a good evil overlord) and rest.

The player with the highest amount of victory points after 4 days wins!

Covil: The Dark Overlords Review:

I was lucky to play this board game on Tabletopia with the creator himself! I can’t wait to get my own copy after production.

First things first: getting started. Game play is easy to learn and the game has a good flow to it. The “days” have the right pacing and overall the game clocks in at a great time length at about 45 minutes.

This time length is perfect for families!

And it is a very family-friendly game. With cute, cartoon-y art that appeals to both kids and adults, the characters draw you in. From the gruff Captain Ironbelly to lovely Red Riding Hood, you’ll see both new characters and recognizable ones (with a twist).

The art is beautiful and matches the theme perfectly. The juxtaposition of evil and cuteness is enticing.

Who doesn’t want to be an evil overlord, directing their minions, growing their territory and raking in the riches?

The rules and cards are very straightforward. The rules are easy to learn and teach, yet also leave some room for experienced players to grow their strategy.

There are many options as to how you want to win. You could hold your cards for more points, fight and take over more land, or counter what your opponents are doing. The unique game play pits players against each other in a fun way that isn’t prohibitively competitive.

I would compare Covil: The Dark Overlord to Small World and Radiant. If you liked either of those area control games, you’ll love Covil!

Overall, I am super excited for this game to come out in a couple of months. It’s already fully funded on Kickstarter, which is no surprise since Vesuvius Media has successfully funded and published four games. These guys know their stuff, and it shows in the brand and community they are building.

Interested in learning more about Covil: The Dark Overlord? You can fund it on Kickstarter right now!

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