Re: [Card Game]: Supers Week - Powerstorm: Training Wheels Version, reviewed by Shann
Overall a good review. I agree with it. The Comprehensive Rules game has more substance and more options, but the Training Wheels game is a game of about average substance.
As an FYI, I think the card art quality (and quality of reproduction) is higher on the draft packs (which were produced about 4-5 months after the starter decks.
I did note two errors:
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Personally my definition of “customizable but not collectible” extends only to this games with no randomization of cards, such as Reiner Knizia’s Blue Moon, but your mileage may vary.
The collation for the draft packs is NOT random. Every box of draft packs is identical. It's entirely non-random collation. Even down to the position of the pack within the box. I can open a box, grab a pack, and generally tell you the exact contents of the pack sight unseen so long as the box contents haven't been shuffled around since the box was opened.
So, theoretically when you buy by the box, it is like Blue Moon -- non random collation.
Packs are used specifically so that players can open a box and buy individual packs for draft play (as the draft rules coming out later this month assume three 14 card packs per player).
Typically if players are trying to get a set of cards you buy by the box. If you can't, then you get a friend or friends and split a box. If you like the game, you split another box. Since the collation is non-random this guarantees multiple complete sets (one per player).
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However it should also be noted that the “training wheels” game is somewhat awkward. You’re instructed to just ignore card text that references things that are from the advanced game, but there’s no good delineation, so you’re constantly reading text that makes no sense.
Actually, it's a pretty clear delineation (or it is to us at any rate). You ignore all game text boxes for cards with a damage icon and on all character cards. Theoretically you read Combat Cards, but since they are fully explained if you ignore the game text box you still know how they are used.
The delineation is typically whether there is a damage icon, not whether or not the material was explained in the Training Wheels rules. As proof of this concept, one or two of the cards in the starter decks that you are ignoring text on are actually intelligible from the Training Wheels game rulebook, but their text is similarly ignored to be systematic about the exclusion.
By the way, in our tests people generally pick up the Training Wheels game pretty quickly and then psychologically feel the need to learn more about the game so that they can understand all the game text. The effect of that form of system nudges people toward the Comprehensive Rules game out of desire to "learn the secret text".
Re: [Card Game]: Supers Week - Powerstorm: Training Wheels Version, reviewed by Shann
I would be interested in how this compares to the original Image CCG, Wildstorm. While Wildstorm was much maligned, I found it to be an excellent game, and is the only CCG I had any significant interest in.
Re: [Card Game]: Supers Week - Powerstorm: Training Wheels Version, reviewed by Shann
Problem for me is the buy-in cost is exactly the same as any other ccg: one box of boosters is all i buy (arguably other games might 'need' more, but I can never afford that anyway so it's irrelevant to me).
Re: [Card Game]: Supers Week - Powerstorm: Training Wheels Version, reviewed by Shann
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Originally Posted by ghost whistler
Problem for me is the buy-in cost is exactly the same as any other ccg: one box of boosters is all i buy (arguably other games might 'need' more, but I can never afford that anyway so it's irrelevant to me).
If you split a box of draft packs with a friend, and one person takes all heroes and the other person takes all villains then you can generally build pretty solid decks out of a half a box of draft packs and 2 starter decks.
The buy in is typically lower both to get a complete set (a full box plus two starters) and to build a competitive and viable deck (two starters plus half a box).
Re: [Card Game]: Supers Week - Powerstorm: Training Wheels Version, reviewed by Shann
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Originally Posted by Darklord
The collation for the draft packs is NOT random. Every box of draft packs is identical. It's entirely non-random collation. Even down to the position of the pack within the box. I can open a box, grab a pack, and generally tell you the exact contents of the pack sight unseen so long as the box contents haven't been shuffled around since the box was opened.
I understand that's technically a non-random collation, but to a consumer purchasing a single booster pack it still looks random. Unless I misunderstand and the pack says, for example, "Draft Pack #3 of 24" anyone not choosing to buy by-the-box is going to have no idea what's in an individual booster, and in fact might be more frustrated than with a traditional collation because he could get a pack that's entirely a duplicate.
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Actually, it's a pretty clear delineation (or it is to us at any rate). You ignore all game text boxes for cards with a damage icon and on all character cards. Theoretically you read Combat Cards, but since they are fully explained if you ignore the game text box you still know how they are used.
That might be a more clearly cut delineation than we thought it was, but for whatever reason it didn't feel like there was a simple delineation.
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By the way, in our tests people generally pick up the Training Wheels game pretty quickly
I'd agree with this, by the by. Once we got through the rules and started playing the game, it'd clicked together within the first 15 minutes of play.
Re: [Card Game]: Supers Week - Powerstorm: Training Wheels Version, reviewed by Shann
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Originally Posted by JTS
I would be interested in how this compares to the original Image CCG, Wildstorm. While Wildstorm was much maligned, I found it to be an excellent game, and is the only CCG I had any significant interest in.
JTS
Powerstorm is a cousin of both Overpower and Wildstorms. By that I mean that there are analogous but distinct rules when compared to each other. Powerstorm has rules which create a similar flavor or which serve a similar function even though they are typically pretty different rules.
Powerstorm is very different than Wildstorm's "summon" one guy at a time method of play. It starts with 3-6 characters already in play and occasionally thereafter temporarily brings in Guest Stars.
If you've played Overpower you'll think the block/attack/dodge mechanic is similar. And the fact that cards are effectively damage counters. Overpower had betting and random events. We have betting using a different, custom betting mechanic. In Overpower you bet with almost no bluffing. Our betting system allows MUCH more bluffing and feels more like Texas Hold 'Em. We have system of events called News Stories which work much differently in practice than Overpower events (ours aren't even in your deck).
When compared to Wildstorms it does have analagous rules however for range, trait interaction to create flavor, equipment, fight locations, character movement on the board, etc.
I'd say the back-and-forth blow-by-blow mechanic and the "team starts in play" mechanics of Overpower are represented and a lot of the overall flavor elements of Wildstorms is represented.
I was a fan of both games although I didn't like Wildstorm's summoning mechanic and I thought Overpower had enough rules holes that you could drive a truck through.
In the Training Wheels mode tactical choices are simpler and Powerstorm is more of a pure betting game with some long term strategic depth. With the Comprehensive Rules the game has very tough tactical choices to be made and I think it better mimics a superhero fight.
The collation for the draft packs is NOT random. Every box of draft packs is identical. It's entirely non-random collation. Even down to the position of the pack within the box. I can open a box, grab a pack, and generally tell you the exact contents of the pack sight unseen so long as the box contents haven't been shuffled around since the box was opened.
Neat approach, but unless the boosters are marked with their contents then buying individual boosters will give you cards that are effectively random. Anyone sufficiently dedicated to find out the placement of the booster packs within the box probably owns a complete box already.
Not that the ad copy makes much difference to me. Bottom line is that, for the 'complete' game, you're expected to pay in excess of fifty quid. To me, lining this game up against Bohnanza plus Inca Gold plus Guillotine plus Geschenkt plus Coloretto plus a couple of decks of playing cards is no contest at all.
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Re: [Card Game]: Supers Week - Powerstorm: Training Wheels Version, reviewed by Shann
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Originally Posted by ShannonA
Unless I misunderstand and the pack says, for example, "Draft Pack #3 of 24" anyone not choosing to buy by-the-box is going to have no idea what's in an individual booster, and in fact might be more frustrated than with a traditional collation because he could get a pack that's entirely a duplicate.
Except that nominally the game is intended to be bought by the box. Communally if not individually. What I mean by that is let's say you and 3 friends each buy 2 starter decks and then split a box. And then later you buy and split 3 more boxes, then you've developed 4 sets of all the cards.
If you took all Heroes during your first 1/4 box, then after two purchases you have a complete set of Heroes if you take Heroes again during the second purchase. You can similarly amass a set of Villains with a reasonable selection of other cards by buying (incrementally or all at once) a half a box of cards and two starters.
This is so wildly different than other CCGs I've played that it's not funny.
But it really takes a retailer to move away from selling by the pack (except for organized draft play, starting in May) and move toward selling boxes, which is what we actually instruct them to do at trade shows.
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I'd agree with this, by the by. Once we got through the rules and started playing the game, it'd clicked together within the first 15 minutes of play.
Even with the Comprehensive Rules we tend to find that people moving up from the Training Wheels rules look up a lot of stuff for about 1 or 2 games and then internalize everything they use frequently.
Reports from about 90%+ people who play Powerstorm regularly are:
a) the rulebook is long but not that hard for an advanced CCG player to internalize through play;
b) the Comprehensive Rules game is difficult to play well, not because of rules complexity but because the game has a huge number of tactical and strategic decisions that typically get made per game, and is information intensive.
"B" above is less true for the Training Wheels game which has somewhat more limited Tactical choices. The difference between rules complexity and complexity through options is really obvious for new players. I find new players take a long time to play out a hand and when I ask them if they are having rules problems, after about a game or two the answer is pretty universally "no", but their play speed is actually reduced because of the amount of options they have to decide from.
Regarding "A", almost no reviewer to date has noted that our comprehensive rulebook actually has a SHORTER word count than the comprehensive rulebook of the leading superhero CCG, the Vs. System. Shannon is excepted from this, because Shannon hasn't actually reviewed the comp rules game.
Re: [Card Game]: Supers Week - Powerstorm: Training Wheels Version, reviewed by Shann
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Originally Posted by BlackSheep
Neat approach, but unless the boosters are marked with their contents then buying individual boosters will give you cards that are effectively random.
Again, if you note what I said to Shannon, if you buy into the game with friends, communally buying a box at a time, then this really isn't true. We expected the boxes to be split communally and built the collation to support that.
Regarding expense, the game can be played for fun on the cheap. Bigger decks are MUCH harder to play and smaller decks are much more stable. Our starter decks are intentionally smaller than minimum tournament limit size and this effectively handicaps players playing with tournament decks. So, for like $9.95 US you can get a starter deck of the game and play for fun against your friends who have large card pools. If they obey the deck minimums for tournaments and you play with a starter deck then you'll be VERY competitive with them (our tests show that you'll probably have an edge). So Powerstorm is a great fun play game to dabble in.
To be tournament competitive you can probably get by with a half a box of draft packs and 2 starter decks, which brings the effective price point for tournament play down substantially. Again, this assumes that you split a box with a friend, which is a very different way to buy a CCG typically. If half a box of packs plus two starters is too much of an investment then the game probably has too high a price point for you to compete in tournaments and have more than one deck. Although, having played dozens of CCGs, to me this seems to be a real bargain for this category of game.
Thanks again to Shannon for a thorough and fair review.
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