Hi everyone,

I'm very interested in this game. I'm a big fan of trading card games, as well as games like Civilization, and this seems like a good mix of the two.
I just played a practice game against the AI, and that just confirmed my interest. Seems really fun.

But I'd like to ask more experienced players what they think of this game. And I have some specific questions:
-How strategically deep is it?
-How long does the average game take between experienced players?
-How much diversity of deck types are there?
-How balanced does it seem to be at a higher level of play?
-What is the community like?
-What do you think is the game's long-term potential to stick around and make the investment in cards worth it?

Thanks so much for your input!

Jeremy

I think I remember you from the SOE TCG games.. can't remember if it was star chamber or stargate. Welcome none the less.

Anyway, to answer your questions:

-very deep strategically. board play is 75% of the game and cards are the other 25%. I've been playing heavily for about two months now and there are still things that I'm learning how to do better. Easily the most strategic of the card-centric online games I've played. even better than star chamber, imo.

-games take around 20-30 minutes for a good game. can be shorter, can be longer (but not much longer).

-deck types are fairly diverse, but could use a little improvement. no two players play the same deck, so that's nice. DL was king, then sylvan, then MF (creatures or denial), and then we got splashing implemented and things are wide open.

-there's a lot of tit-for-tat at high level. but people are always coming back with new ideas for decks that cause an evolution of play style. there are some minor balance issues, but overall things are pretty good.

-community is smallish, but growing. it's not officially released but it's common to see a dozen people on during the day. re-implementing the 1g per win would help a lot (hint hint)

-I do, but that's just me. I've gotten a lot out of the game and currently have about 60 rares, so a fair collection. I think the game's got good staying power and could make a name for itself if it gets rolling. The only suggestion I would make is if you're going to make a purchase, do it wisely. Play in the domain leagues or drafts (the ones where you keep your cards and have a chance at more gold as a prize) to get more value for your money. Deck building can be challenging just opening packs, so concentrating on one or two domains to start helps a lot.

Thanks for the reply...and yes you remember me correctly from Star Chamber!

Now I have two additional questions for folks:
-Anyone know when the beta is scheduled to end?
-Anyone know the tentative expansion release schedule? (ie how many sets a year?)
-(edit) Oh, and what's the card limit for army-building?

Thanks in advance!

Jeremy

- Beta should be ending soon, in a week or two. At which point we will do a lot of promotion so hopefully the player base will increase a lot after that.

- There is a new expansion in the works. It is our first expansion so I don't want to give an ETA yet. But the hope is to put out several a year.

- 40 cards in a constructed deck.

I'm very interested in this game. I'm a big fan of trading card games, as well as games like Civilization, and this seems like a good mix of the two.

this could be my words;)))

_________________
sry for bad english

TFW borderlands trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47Vh4ZxtkbE
TFW trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSTCNgoFBQ4