Author Archive
A few thoughts on DnD and news about Extra-Life
Thursday, March 6th, 2014
Some of my best “Dungeons and Dragons” memories are from high school. A funny note about that, my friends and I used to code-name our sessions as “football practice.” Another side note, all of our other friends knew we were playing “Dungeons and Dragons.” For those who didn’t know, it made for quite a laugh. “Those guys are on the football team,” some would ask. I guess you had to be there in person.
We had some epic adventures. Although, there are times if we actually played the game right. What do I mean? Well, thinking back on some of the things we did, I’m not sure if the game allowed for them. We used a lot of logic and reasoning. In fact, we used a lot of the stuff we were learning at the time and applied them to our gaming. What kind of things? How about high school advanced physics.
I remember some of my friends coming up with some really crazy solutions for problems our DM would throw at us. The “Player’s Handbook” and “Dungeon Master’s Guide” were there for a reason. They were there to help players progress through their games and answers any questions that may come up. It was just nice to had additional sources, but I wonder if the game ever intended for use to actually use our text books. I’m certain we overrode some of the rules because some law prevented or allowed us to perform some wacky action. I can’t remember anything specifically off of the top of my head, but one thing I definitely remember was that we loved to use the Pythagorean Theorem. This was extremely useful when we had to figure out if we could use a ranged spell or weapon. In fact, I think we used it more defensively than offensively. There were plenty of times our DM tried to shoot us from the ground upwards at our faces. Many of those attempts failed because of our applied mathematics. It still frustrates him today.
In the end, it doesn’t matter too much if we broke a rule or two. The experience and stories are what really matter the most. For a future post, I plan on telling the story of one of my favorite moments from that campaign. It involved me dressing up as a woman and killing a high government official. He worked for a neighboring city we were trying to negotiate peace with. There was also this one time where I played a Psionic and brain locked this character my DM had spent some time making up. Long story short, all his hard work was for nothing as we made a joke of his big, bad boss.
Extra Life is a go!
In other news this week, I have officially signed up for the Extra-Life fundraiser I wrote about a couple of weeks ago.
I am really excited to take part in this, and I am hoping all of you will be as well. I am also excited to say that Battleground Games & Hobbies in Abington will be hosting the 24-hour event in October. I would really like to thank Derek for allowing this to happen. It’s still many months away, so, obviously, we have to work out the fine details, but I will let you all know when the time comes. So get ready for 24-hours of board games, card games, miniature gaming, and more!
Like I said before, the event is not just about the 24 hours of gaming, but the work leading up to the event. In case you missed it, the Extra-Life fundraiser helps benefit the Children’s Miracle Network hospitals. All proceeds that I help raise will go towards the Boston Children’s Hospital.
Now that I have started the groundwork, I need your help. I understand that we all have expensive hobbies. I mean, come on, I play “Magic: The Gathering.” I have firsthand experience with this stuff.
Unfortunately, there are kids who are sick in hospitals that don’t have the benefit of experiencing our “first world problems.”
So this week and the next, and maybe the next one after that, instead of buying a booster pack, a bottle of paint, or some new models, think of making this the week you donate to Extra-Life. You only need to do it once, then you can go back and splurge on more gaming supplies. Every dollar counts.
If you would like to donate today then click on the banner below. It will lead you to my Extra-Life page. Just click on the “Support Me” button and it will take you to a page where you can set up your donation. All major credit cards are accepted as well as PayPal. Also, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. All donors will receive an IRS compliant tax receipt.
Something you’ll notice, if you visit the page, is that I’ve set a high goal. Why did I set such a high goal you ask? It’s because I believe in all of you. I believe that you all have what it takes to help me out and I’m hoping you prove to me that the goal I set is actually too low.
This next part is important. I know I’ve been talking a lot of game (no pun intended), but there is no pressure to make a monetary donation. In fact, the next best thing you can do is tell a friend or family member about what’s happening here. If they have a computer, then please point them in this direction. Maybe you could ask them to make a donation or, at the very least, tell their friends as well.
I want this thing to spread like a wild fire. Once we start getting the donations rolling, we can have some fun and I’ll come up with some perks for hitting goals and such.
If you or a family member want to donate, but do not want to go through the process online, I am able to take donations offline as well. I’ll have more information regarding that once I have it all set up.
That’s it for now. I promise not to make every post about the fundraiser. See you all next week.
About the author
Simeon is an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!
Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!
Tags: Dungeons and Dragons, extra life, Magic the Gathering, Simeon Cortezano
Posted in Blog, Board Games, Card Games, Dungeons & Dragons, Events, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Role-Playing Games | No Comments »
An end to ‘Maze’s End’
Thursday, February 27th, 2014
This past weekend, Battleground Games & Hobbies held a Grand Prix Trial for Montreal. The format for the event was Standard and we had 38 participants for the event. I have to say that it was a pretty good turnout considering there were a few other events that day throughout the state.
Enough of the logistics, I’m sure you’re itching to know what I played at the event. Well, if you couldn’t tell by the title, I played the “Maze’s End” deck. Considering the current meta, I thought it would be a solid choice. I had also played the deck the night before at the store’s FNM event and finished with a record of 3 wins, 1 loss, and 1 tie. Needless to say, I felt good going into Saturday’s tournament.
Here is the deck list I registered at the trial:
Maindeck:
4 Fog
3 Quicken
Sideboard:
2 Gainsay
1 Negate
I went into the tournament thinking that I’d see more control match-ups than anything else. Game one against most control decks is almost an auto win for “Maze’s End.” With 16 cards dedicated to preventing combat damage, aggro decks should have been no problem for me as well. However, I did not end up with the most desired results. I finished the day early with a record of 1 win and 3 losses.
So what went wrong? I definitely did not get the match-ups I wanted. All of my losses came against decks I knew “Maze’s End” would have the most trouble against.
Match 1 – Boros Aggro
My first match was against the worst deck I could have faced that day: Boros Aggro. It’s one of my worst matches because it just lays so much pressure. It only needs to do enough initial damage, and, once your life total is low enough, can burn you the rest of the way.
Game one was as close as I could have hoped for. My opponent led off with a “Soldier of the Pantheon,” and from that point on, I knew I was in trouble. He followed it up with a “Precinct Captain” and poured on the beats. I got to nine gates before running out of “Fog” effects and getting smashed by a lot of tiny people.
Game two did not go any better for me. Here is how my sideboarding went:
In:
+3 Saruli Gatekeepers
+3 Turn//Burn
Out:
-3 Quicken
-1 Urban Evolution
-2 Divination
If it wasn’t a fog or removal spell, I didn’t want it in the deck. I brought in the “Saruli Gatekeepers” to help extend my life in the event he got to another fast start. I also brought in the “Turn//Burn” to help, possibly, deal with the smaller creatures as well. Of course, considering my luck, I didn’t see much of anything to help me. I did manage to get out two “Saruli Gatekeepers,” but that was not enough. My opponent stuck a “Brimaz, King of Oreskos” and then proceeded to demonstrate why that card is a powerhouse in Standard. I should mention that I failed to find a board wipe and he eventually cast “Boros Charm” on me for the win.
0-1
Match 2 – Grixis Control
My second match of the day was against an interesting Grixis Control deck. At least that’s what I think it was.
In game one, my opponent seemed to get land flooded, or, at the very least, that’s what it looked like. I had no problem playing guildgate after guildgate. He, unfortunately, kept playing scry land after scry land. It’s too bad my deck wins with just lands and his does not.
For the second game, I brought in all of my “Crackling Perimeters.” They would not be of any help this game though as he proceeded to destroy my hand. Any deck with black is just bad news for me, I learned throughout the day. After a first turn “Thoughtseize” it was all downhill from there. He cast not one, but two “Rakdos’s Return” on me. It was not fun and my hands were so empty afterwards. I did not win that game.
In game three, I did not make any changes and kept running with the three “Crackling Perimeters” in the deck. This was a solid game for me as I dropped a turn three perimeter. I don’t think he saw this coming. As I continued to drop more and more gates, each one was proving to be more painful. I was activating the perimeter for three damage at the end of his turn, then for four damage, and then for lethal.
1-1
Match 3 – Mono Black Control
I knew going into my third match of the day, that I was not going to have an easy time again. I was playing Carlos Fontes, and, in fact, had played him the night before with the same deck. Both he and I knew what to expect in this match, and that made it more favorable for him.
Game one, Carlos barely flinched when he played a turn two “Pack Rat.” That card is hard to deal with in general since it just makes copies of itself. So I knew I had to find a “Detention Sphere” or a “Supreme Verdict” fast and before he could find a way to get it out of my hand. Unfortunately this was not the case. I can only prevent the combat damage for so long before being overwhelmed by rats.
For game two, I brought in “Turn//Burn” to deal with rats and numerous copies of “Mutavault.” “Saruli Gatekeepers” were also coming in to give me extra life and serve as a wall against the rats.
Carlos was much prepared for me this time as he cast “Duress” on turn one, “Pack Rat” turn two, and then continued to eat my hand the following turns while I tried to deal with the never ending supply of rats on his side.
1-2
Match 4 – Golgari Midrange
Don’t let the name I gave this deck fool you. I couldn’t think of anything else to call it. You know how control, during the first game, can’t really deal with “Maze’s End” at all? Well I found a deck that “Maze’s End” can’t deal with for any game.
The funny thing about fog effects is that they only prevent damage during combat. Something they don’t prevent is the loss of life. Let me introduce to you “Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord.” Considering I got my face smashed by this deck, it looked like a really fun deck to try at an FNM. One of Jarad’s abilities is to sacrifice a creature and, in return, each opponent loses life equal to the sacrificed creature’s power. One of the creatures my opponent played (for sacrificial offering to Jarad) was “Nemesis of Mortals.” In limited, this creature is really scary, but it hasn’t made much of an impact in Standard. However when it gets thrown at your face for a loss of five life, it makes an impact. It makes an even larger impact on my face when it becomes monstrous and then thrown. To add insult to injury, my opponent also played “Deathrite Shaman.” So every time I fogged, he would just eat the spell and cause me to lose two life.
1-3
Time to drop and learn from your mistakes
This is not how I envisioned my tournament to go, but that’s “Magic” for you. I thought it was a good call, and I was wrong. So what did I learn? To be honest, the FNM prior to this event was the first time I had played the deck. That would make this tournament the second time. Up to now I had only seen the deck perform at Grand Prix Vancouver and read the creator’s primer and tournament report. Still, I went into the tournament thinking that I could play the deck better than him (this is when you would hear the “incorrect” buzzer sound effect).
I definitely need more experience with this deck. One of the hardest parts of playing “Magic” in general is learning how to mulligan. I had read in the primer that the original owner was completely comfortable taking mulligans as low as five cards. I’m fairly certain I was content with almost every hand I had as long as I had land and fog effects.
As far as changes go to the deck, I don’t think I would make any just yet. Some people have suggested playing “Courser of Kruphix.” I completely understand why this guy would be wanted in the deck. It’s a 2/4 for three mana, which means it can block most of the early threats in Standard. It allows you to play lands from the top of your deck allowing you to dig a little deeper. The fact that it allows you to gain life from the lands you play is an added bonus. The question, though, is where do I fit him in the deck? I guess if I had to cut somewhere, I would start with “Quicken” and the one “Urban Evolution.” That would allow me to get four copies into the deck.
Finally, I thought about scrapping the deck all together. It’s a neat idea, but I wonder sometimes if it can really run with the best. Hence the title of this post. However, I may have been slightly swayed to keep working on it (at least for FNMs) for the time being after seeing the latest article from Jacob Van Lunen titled “Catching up with Standard.”In the article he highlight several winning decks from the online metagame. Can you guess what one of them was? “Maze’s End.”
About the author
Simeon is an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!
Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!
Tags: Friday Night Magic, Grand Prix Trial, Magic Grand Prix, Magic the Gathering, Maze's End, Simeon Cortezano
Posted in Card Games, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Popular Posts | 1 Comment »
From couch to cash: Trying to redefine the gamer stereotype
Thursday, February 20th, 2014
Before I begin, let me assure you that this week’s post is not about PAX East. However, it is influenced by it. In fact, I had recently come across an article in the Boston Herald regarding the upcoming convention. The title of the article was, “‘Nerd is the word: PAX ’14 is sold out.'” It covered what the convention meant to Boston in an economic sense and how it was such a great opportunity for development companies in the area.
I had no issues with the article. Actually, I thought it was good and informative. I did, however, have a problem with one of the comments from a reader. A user, who went by the name “AlfredNobel,” made the comment, “Must be a great event if it motivated all these people to get up off the couch.” Part of me was really bothered by this comment.
I’m going to give this person a slight benefit of doubt and assume that they also did not know (aside from many things) that the convention does not just cover video games. It’s a celebration of gaming, in general, and many aspects of it as well as other nerd related topics. One of which is tabletop gaming. This refers back to his “couch” comment; as in “couch potato,” which is an old reference for people who were lazy and, stereotypically, played a lot of video games back in the day.
(Did I really have to explain that term?)
This comment bothered me because in 2013, gamers raised well over $10 million dollars for charity. This includes, but not was limited to the “Child’s Play Charity” which raised $7.6 million dollars for children’s hospitals across the United States and the “Extra-Life” fundraiser which raised $4 million dollars for various Children’s Miracle Network hospitals across the United States as well.
That was just two organizations. Over on Twitch.Tv, I came across numerous streams for other charities. In a span of 24 hours, one raised over $30,000 dollars split among three different human rights organizations. Just recently, “Awesome Games Done Quick 2014” raised over $1 million dollars for the Prevent Cancer foundation.
These people deserve a round of applause.
I really wanted to reply to the comment left by “AlfredNobel.” However, something stopped me. If I were to reply, I would have said everything I’ve said here and probably more. That’s partly why I stopped from replying. I also stopped because I wanted to do something more than just speak my feelings. I wanted to take action.
I want to be more involved in charity events through gaming. Now, this could be done by any means; by helping promote the event, donating money, or even participating and raising money myself.
The “Extra-Life” Challenge
Last year, Battleground Games & Hobbies held a charity event for the “Child’s Play Charity.” It was a lot of fun. The store gave out a lot that day for those participating, and, at the end of the day, I felt really great. However, I think it could have been better. This is by no means the fault of the store. I, personally, would have loved to have just seen more people there.
Now there are plenty of reasons why the turnout wasn’t as great as I wanted it to be. First of all, it coincided with a “Magic: The Gathering” tournament. Not everyone plays the game, and that doesn’t help. If I remember correctly, there was also another large tournament that day. So the store also had some competition to deal with.
Up to now, I’ve done a lot of talking, so here is how I would envision an event done this year. Ideally, if I could, I would do more than one, but I understand that there is a lot of logistics that go into these kind of things.
First of all, I would try have it in the summer. We live in New England, and weather is a big concern. The summer is a perfect time to have an event like this. Not only are the days longer, but there is no snow to complain over. The next thing would be that the event would have to cover all kinds of games. I’m talking about having another TableTop Day. This is a day where we can pick up a board game and just play. Don’t worry you miniatures player, there will be a place for you too.
Even better, what if we were to hold a 24-hour marathon of gaming. Now, I know, it seems a little crazy, but hear me out. I mentioned the charity “Extra-Life” earlier in the post. Now, let me explain what they do. Actually, I’ll have the site explain things, since they do a better job of it than I do:
“Extra Life began in 2008 as a way of honoring a young lady named Victoria Enmon. Tori’s battle against acute lymphoblastic leukemia inspired the Sarcastic Gamer Community in a way that is difficult to describe. Members sent in video games and bought gifts to keep Tori’s spirits up despite numerous hospital stays and three bouts with the deadly disease.
Tragically, we lost Tori to cancer in January 2008. Later that year, I asked my partners at Sarcastic Gamer if they would be interested in Extra Life, a 24-hour video game marathon to raise money for the hospital that treated and fought beside Tori. In 2008 and 2009 Extra Life raised a combined $302,000, 100 percent of which went directly to help kids like Tori at my local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital (Texas Children’s Hospital).”
Overtime, the charity has evolved from video games to gaming in general. This includes tabletop games!
The “Extra-Life 2014” charity event is scheduled to happen on October 25 of this year. That is plenty of time to get the ball rolling; plenty of time to Tweet, to Facebook post, to e-mail your boss, tell your mom, dad, grandmother, grandfather, sister, brother, cousin, aunt, and uncle.
So what do you say? If I were to get things started, would you be interested in participating? Would you be able to game for 24-hours straight?
Okay, don’t worry if you can’t. The site, its founders, and other know how hard it is to game for 24-hours. Some people, last year, played for 12-hours one day and another 12-hours the next.
In the end, it all comes down to one thing, and “Extra-Life” and I seem to have the same mindset about it: The performance on the day of the event is not what is important, but the hard work leading up to it.
Let’s make “AlfredNobel” and others like him really think about what they’re going to say the next time they comment on another gamer related article. We’re not just a bunch of bums who sit on the couch all day. We’re more than that.
About the author
Simeon is an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!
Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!
Tags: charity, child's play, extra life, fundraiser, PAX East 2014
Posted in Blog, Board Games, Featured Author, Featured Post | 1 Comment »
A countdown to PAX East 2014 – 56 days, 19 hours, 14 minutes, and 03 seconds
Thursday, February 13th, 2014
,
,
It’s the final countdown…
Can you believe that PAX East 2014 is less than 60-days away?
I’m really looking forward to it this year. Once again I’ll be doing media coverage. Even though it’s only a freelance gig, I have to consider myself extremely lucky to be given such an opportunity. Last year, I was able to cover and gain insight on some of the biggest games to come out. Some of these games included: “Saints Row IV,” “The Elder Scrolls Online,” and “Diablo III” for the console. It’s funny. As I think back on things, I remember when they announced “Hearthstone.” Needless to say, I was initially unimpressed with the game. As it turns out, I was very wrong.
While it was really great that I got the chance to cover some of these high profile games, one thing I missed out on was the tabletop gaming side of PAX East. This year, I’m looking to find the right balance between video games and tabletop games.
I’ve been doing this media thing for, roughly, a year now. PAX East 2013 was my first time covering a convention. I literally threw myself into the fire as far as a learning curve goes. In the fall, I covered the Boston Festival of Indie Games. When I initially signed up to cover the festival I didn’t think much of it. In fact, I was rather hesitant, thinking it wasn’t going to be anything close to what PAX East was, and that I shouldn’t waste my time with it. I was wrong about that too. I seem to be wrong about a lot of things.
The Boston Festival of Indie Games (also known as the “BFIG”) taught me a lot, I think. In 2013, that was the second year for the festival. They had to run a Kickstarter campaign earlier in the year to cover some of the festival’s expenses because they had outgrown their original base of operations. They had gone from the classrooms of M.I.T. to taking over the athletic center and student center of campus. Based on what I saw, I’m sure they’re looking to move to somewhere bigger next year.
The festival was a huge success. There was a ton of people, and it caught me off guard. I think it caught me off guard because I seemed to take the festival for granted. I didn’t realize how much people were so into independent games and developers. The best part of the festival was that it covered video games and tabletop games. It was essentially a mini PAX East.
At PAX East, last year, remember, I said I was able to cover some of the higher profiled games that year. Well, it should also be mentioned that by working with these big named studios I also had to work with some serious PR people. Now, for someone like me, who was new to the industry, those people are scary. I had only been doing the journalism thing since December of 2012.
(I know I’m jumping around a bit, but I’ll get to my point soon.)
Back to the BFIG. Basically, when it was all said and done, I walked away from the festival with a greater sense of confidence in what I do as a journalist. I realized that these folks want to talk to me as much as I want to talk to them. Media outlets are a great opportunity for them to get the word out about their product to a larger audience, and, even though I am not as well established as some out there, that any help counts.
All this brings us to PAX East 2014. I’m hoping to bring this new found confidence and better my PAX East experience. I didn’t have a full schedule of meetings with many companies. It was partly because I didn’t want to have a full schedule and partly because I didn’t get contacted by many companies I wanted to talk to. This year it will be different. I’m looking to make a fuller schedule and open up to companies even if they’re not working on a triple “A” title. In fact, a couple of the best places to be at PAX is the Indie Megabooth and the Indie Showcase which highlights some of the best independent games to be showcased at PAX East for that year.
I also want to cover more tabletop games this year. I spent a lot of my downtime in the tabletop gaming area instead.
This area had it all. There was a section to paint miniatures and learn how to pain miniatures. You could rent one of the many board games donated by attendees and play with your friends. There was a huge area to play “Magic: The Gathering” and there were tables slotted for official “Dungeons & Dragons” campaigns held by Wizards of the Coast employees. There were also tons of vendors.
I, of course, could be found by the Battleground Games & Hobbies booth. They will be there again this year; hopefully, bigger and better than last year. I joke with them every year saying that they should aim to be a bigger booth each year with the eventual goal of looking like one of the video game exhibits like Wizards of the Coast or “Wildstar” had last year. Maybe they should just get a mech suit that people can jump in and take photos of.
Who’s coming to the party?
According to the forums, there are only a few confirmed exhibitors as of right now. As the event draws near, we’ll have a better idea as to who will be there. With all this in mind, what are you looking forward to at PAX East 2014? Is there anything you hope will be there? Let me know.
One thing I’m looking forward to are the Stephen Riley master-class game demos. “Zombiecide” anyone?
I’ll be there all weekend long, and I was also able to snag a stay in Boston during the convention. So if anyone wants to meet up the night before. I’m available. People in the forums are planning the second annual board game night the Thursday night before the event. I plan on being there for a bit. Maybe we can play a game or two.
That’s it for now. If you’ve got a comment or question, then leave something below in the comment section. If you like what you’re reading then don’t forget to like me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.
About the author
Simeon is an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!
Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!
Tags: Dungeons & Dragons, Magic the Gathering, PAX East 2014, TableTop, zombiecide
Posted in Blog, Board Games, Card Games, Dungeons & Dragons, Events, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Miniature Games, Role-Playing Games, Store Related | 3 Comments »
WizKids and Wizards of the Coast team up to make new miniatures
Friday, February 7th, 2014
In case you missed it, there was a rather big announcement today, February 7, in the world of tabletop gaming. WidKids ( “HeroClix,” “Quarriors”) and Wizards of the Coast (“D&D,” “Magic: The Gathering”) have come to terms on a licensing agreement to produce a new line of pre-painted miniatures. These miniatures are scheduled to coincide with the release of the highly anticipated next edition of the “Dungeons & Dragons” role playing game slated for this summer of 2014.
According to the press-release, “The new line of Dungeons & Dragons miniatures will feature creatures and characters that players have come to know and love, allowing them to wage their battles and experience their adventures with a greater level of immersion and tactical interplay.”
If you remember in 2003, Wizards of the Coast originally produced these caltrops and unfortunately stopped production in 2011. Even weirder was that they let a group known as the “DDM Guild” take over the development of the skirmish game in 2008. No matter, though, the game was really fun to play, and the “DDM Guild” did a good job of maintaining the game. It’s a shame that it stopped getting the love it deserved in its later years.
Battleground Games & Hobbies was very involved in the “Dungeons & Dragons” miniatures scene back in the day. If I remember correctly, they held booster drafts, sealed events, and constructed tournaments, and one of the game’s premier players played and ran the organized play at the store. Now you may be wondering, how do you hold booster drafts with miniatures? Well, it’s pretty easy. Each participant purchased one booster and within that booster you had to make a skirmish group using a limited number of points. Each miniature had a certain point value. The more powerful the figure, the more points it was to run in your skirmish. Constructed tournaments raised the point value of armies allowing for more powerful characters.
We played on these laminated maps which provided for a lot of critical and tactical thinking.
My first time playing in one of the booster drafts was a little intimidating. I had played Dungeons & Dragons with my friends, but from what I observed of other groups that played, we had some unorthodox playing styles, and it translated onto the skirmish scene once I started playing. Nevertheless, the important thing was that the group I played with, and the individual members were really welcoming and very friendly.
This is refreshing news. The “Dungeons & Dragons” miniatures player base was pretty big from what I remember. Since the game died out in 2011, I haven’t seen some of those players. With this announcement, maybe some of their faces will show back up at the new store.
There is something important I should mention though. It wasn’t clearly stated whether or not the new miniatures would be compatible with the old ones. Actually, I don’t even know if it will be a game. As far as the press-release goes, these miniatures are more of a supplement; something to help you visualize the scene as you and your friends role play. Hopefully, I’m getting worried over nothing. We are talking about WizKids, here. All they do is make miniature games.
Finally, if you’re ever in the Abington store, take a look at the display case. In the section facing the back of the store, you’ll notice a large supply of the original miniatures. It will be great if they end up being compatible with the new game. At least the store will be ready.
About the author
Simeon is an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
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Tags: Dungeons & Dragons, Miniatures, Wizards of the Coast, WizKids
Posted in Blog, Dungeons & Dragons, Featured Author, Featured Post, Miniature Games, Role-Playing Games | 1 Comment »
‘Weiss Schwarz’ offers a promising alternative to ‘Magic: The Gathering’
Thursday, February 6th, 2014
I’ve been playing “Magic: The Gathering” for a long time. Since I’ve been playing for so long, I have the tendency to compare many other card games I try to “M:TG” and cause myself to dislike them. However, there have been a couple of games that managed to spark and keep my interest. There was the “World of Warcraft” TCG by Cryptozoic and “RAW Deal” by Comic Images. After this past weekend, I can gladly add another game to that list: “Weiss Schwarz.”
About “Weiss Schwarz”
“Weiss Schwarz” is a Japanese collectible card game that is published by Bushiroad. If you’ve been to the Abington store, you’ve probably notice a few of the regulars playing it. They’re the cards with the cartoon-looking girls with big eyes, big smiles, and bright personalities. Some people also call this animation style: Anime. A lot of the art is based off of popular Japanese anime shows such as “Sword Art Online,” “Fairy Tail,” and “Fate/Zero” to name a few.
The rules and mechanics of the game are not hard to understand. In fact, I was able to pick it up in about 15 minutes. However, if you’re completely new to the world of collectible card games, it may take a little longer to pick up. You can rest assured, though, that it’s nothing complicated like learning how to play “Magic: The Gathering.”
Your deck is the source of all life
So why does “Weiss Schwarz” make my short list of playable CCGs? A mechanic that “RAW Deal” and this game have in common is that your deck is your life total…essentially. There are slight differences though. In “RAW Deal,” as you took damage from your opponent, you would flip cards from your deck (also known as your “Arsenal”) and placed them into your graveyard. A winner would be declared when someone couldn’t “overturn cards from his or her Arsenal when required to, or when [someone] has no cards at the end of any turn.”
When players take damage in “Weiss Schwarz,” the top card of their deck gets placed into an area known as the “clock.” These cards represent the amount of “time you have left to play the game.” Every time your clock reaches seven cards, you “go up one level.” When a player hits level four, they lose the game.
In “Magic: The Gathering,” players have five things to worry about: their hand, their deck, their graveyard, the battlefield, and their life total. In “Weiss Schwarz,” you have eight: your hand, your deck, the “waiting room,” the “clock,” the “center stage/back stage” area, the “stock” area, “climax” area when they are played, and your “memory.”
Since your deck is your life total and its contents are split into eight different areas, the dynamics of the game are changed drastically as opposed to when you’re playing “Magic: The Gathering.”
When I play “M:TG,” my life total, along with my opponent’s, is recorded on a separate sheet of paper. It goes up and it goes down. Whoever forces their opponent to zero life wins. By making your deck become your life source, I feel, makes for a more interactive game experience.
A break for your wallet
Let’s face it. the constructed side of “Magic: The Gathering” is a really expensive game to play and get into. I guess the same can be said about almost any game a person plays for a hobby, but just to stay competitive…well, let’s just say that it feels like you spend more to sometimes win less, at least at the local stage of the game. This is also not the fault of local game stores. You can blame the secondary market for some of the single prices, but if you’re good enough to make the Pro Tour and win, then kudos to you.
When I was learning to play “Weiss Schwarz” over the weekend, I was using a trial deck with a few additions made to it, and I did well against a “constructed” deck. These trial decks are the equivalent to intro packs for “M:TG.” However, trial decks are competitive right out of the box.
MTGGoldfish.com is a “Magic: The Gathering” financial website. It keeps track of prices and trends of online and paper “M:TG” cards. According to that site, the cheapest standard format deck will cost you almost $150. You don’t even want to know how much some of the top tier decks will cost.
“Weiss Schwarz” is significantly cheaper. Battleground Games & Hobbies sells the trial decks for $24.99 and booster packs for $5.99. Each trial deck comes with a 50 card pre-constructed deck, rule sheet, manual, play book, and playmat. The boosters may be a little more expensive than “M:TG” boosters, but you don’t need to add a lot to your deck right away. So it makes having to buy boosters a little more manageable.
Some final thoughts
I know I’ve made a lot of comparisons to “Magic: The Gathering” and, in some cases, I’ve made it sound like I enjoy this game more. However, that’s not the case. I’ve sold my collection twice and quit about four times. How does that make sense? I don’t know, but it’s the truth. I’ll always be a “M:TG” player, but it’s nice to find another game you can play and actually enjoy every now and then.
As of right now, Battleground Games & Hobbies has tournaments on Saturday afternoon. The format is rather loose until they establish a more solid player base and players get their hands on more cards.
When I was learning to play, I know that there were at least two or three other people learning as well, and a bit of a crowd watching. I’d like this game to pick up. It would be great to see more games being played at the store.
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Tags: Anime, Bushiroad, Fairy Tail, Featured Author, Hatsune Miku, Magic the Gathering, Simeon Cortezano, Sword Art Online, Weiss Schwarz
Posted in Blog, Card Games, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Weis Schwartz | No Comments »
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