I find that flux is very limiting. Its rather rare that you have enough flux to play out all the cards in your hand in a game unless your deck runs out. Simply put, you're not producing enough flux compared to the flux cost of the cards in your deck. This makes abilities that draw cards rather weak and abilities that produce additional flux extremely powerful.

What if instead of the current flux system, flux gains per turn are based on the amount of space controlled on the map. This way, constructing more buildings beyond the first 3 would still be useful, plus it adds a new aspect to the game other than just trying to hold flux wells: Holding territory.

I realize this is a major change, which would drastically affect the game. Still, I feel that some sort of change in the flux system is needed.

I agree that flux is a bit off right now. My main issue is that it becomes very hard to come back once someone has a flux advantage. The land area is a decent idea, but the cards in play now just don't work well to it. I'd recommend something where each player gets flux when a well is controlled (instead of just the controller). Or maybe flux increases automatically by one every 4 rounds.

I enjoy the current system of the game. You shouldn't be able to play all your cards in your hand but have enough where you can play a couple depending on the strength of your cards.

You certainly shouldn't be able to play out everything if you have high flux cost cards, but if you're choosing low flux costs it should be possible.

Some issues to consider:

What's the use of card draw effects that cost flux if I don't have enough flux to play out my hand?
-Yes, card draw effects provide more card selection, but it really isn't all that advantageous to have more cards to choose from if it means having to spend flux to do it.

Returning a creature to its owner's hand is extremely powerful.
-Your opponent will have to wait 3 turns in some cases to build up flux to replay that creature, spend 7 flux to play it, plus have that creature come into play dimmed... And you played a spell costing 2 flux to return it? Seems unbalanced.

Extreme Advantage to "Fast" decks
-Decks which can grab up flux wells quickly have a huge advantage over slower decks, as not only do they start accumulating points towards victory sooner, but they also earn more flux than the other player, further fuelling them to pump out creatures more rapidly. In short, if your opponent has 3 flux wells and you have one, it's nearly impossible to come back for the win.

These are just a few of the issues I'm seeing with the current flux system.

Completely agreed on this point. The higher powered cards take careful spending, a lot of saving flux, and trying to make things happen with basically one creature out, or an aggressive flux grab at the start of the game. Ascent can be played with only the amount of flux you by default get to start the round, assuming you have no flux wells.




I wonder though if this basically creates a tech-tier system, where cheaper cards become obsolete midway through the game. I think one of the great things right now is 30 rounds in, a Hellcat can still turn the tide of battle.

I of course haven't thought this through, but what if every building within control range of a flux well increases the flux that the controller gets from it? So if you have 2 Groves by it, you get 2 flux instead of 1 each turn.
My thinking is this: it balances the previous advantage of rapid expansion which Guest points out with a new incentive to build up at each well. Slower, more turtle-like decks benefit from an increased flux.

Thoughts?

_________________
-Minds

What's the use of card draw effects that cost flux if I don't have enough flux to play out my hand?
--Spending flux to draw cards allows you to trade tempo for card advantage, which is likely to help you win in a longer game -- but lose in a short game if your opponent is generating early threats that you aren't dealing with.

Returning a creature to its owner's hand is extremely powerful.
--This means that you are gaining tempo, but losing a card for it. It's the opposite of drawing cards for flux. It will help you in a short game if you spend the extra flux you have available on some small threats. This will hurt you in a longer game, because you will run out of cards sooner.

Extreme Advantage to "Fast" decks
--As long as buildings and creatures are well-balanced, a player that invests heavily in grabbing up territory can be punished by early creatures knocking down those buildings.

the use of drawing cards is to gain more options,

weenie decks gain an initall advantage however once you drop somthing that hits for two or more with some HP on it you can take back the tide.

I do agree ascend is underpriced, it should cost 3 which is about the average cost of creatures.

Currently, coming out swinging fast is vitally important to winning.

Flux is the limiting factor on how you deploy, and I actually like that. It means that the game is less controlled by whether you draw the right, and thus is less random.

Dont like your expensive creatures getting bounced? Play cheap creatures. Or, put enough pressure on that they have to use their spells on smaller cheaper creatures.

I've yet played just one day so I might change my mind in this subject but...

The current level of gaining flux works as controller (probably one of the most important things for the designers) of the game's pace. This pace in a strategy game defines the enjoyment and the way cards can be designed.
I would describe TFW's pace level as rather low but thanks to that - enjoyable.

If spells/others giving flux to a player are an issue (and I believe they can be basing on Legion's card to gain 4-1 = 3 flux from a corpse) they should be playtested and - if needed - changed a bit. [] Another option is to give every faction different ways of gaining additional flux and most likely keep it with the low pace of the game.
If the problem lies in the fact that if there are 4 flux wells and in mid-game each player controls 2 but in late-game one gains an advantage and controls 3 while the other controls just 1 and this creates big chasm between their flux production, thus the possibility to play and react there is a need of something to balance this issue. Faster building of bases? More flux wells? Spells/others that are giving a losing player possibility to come back? Cards like "if your opp controls more flux wells than you do you gain additional 2 flux for next two rounds from each well you control", for instance? (not really suggesting this particular thing for the game)

The point is that TFW is quite enjoyable because except maybe few cards that I saw so far gameplay is exciting but not in manner of "bigger stick, bigger bam!" or in other words dominance of powercreep.

Also very promising fact is that all three free decks seem to be balanced and they really work well. If three decks can be balanced by those designers they are capable to balance the whole game in the same way.

And I wish them luck

I think part of the answer to this problem is a wider variety/prevalence of weenie/mid range creatures for all domains. Right now it seems like Sylvan players naturally have a speed advantage in games b/c they generally have access to more weenies to put in their deck.