by coyotelaughs
Summoner Wars: a LCG, Living Card Game, derivative with the same premise as M:TG, I.E 2 or more wizards battling for supremacy, but with game play more reminiscence of a miniatures game then of Magic or any of the other CCG’s.
First off I will not go into the rules of the game here. They have been restated numerous times with considerably more skill, clarity and precision then I would be able to in other posts on this site so what I will do is answer the questions I normally ask someone when I’m about to play or buy a game for the first time.
Conclusion: (for those too lazy to read the whole thing) : A very good game that feels like a small portable miniature game. While this reviewer personally doesn’t care for it, it has a lot of merits that are worth considering by others.
How many players can play? 2 or 4, but you can play only 2 with the purchase of either of the initial starter offerings. If you purchase both starter packs you can play 4 players, 2 player teams on each side with both mats.
What is the quality of the components (bang for the buck)? Great, with a caveat, for the price (about $20.00 online) the cards are good quality and the damage chits are well done. But as I said the caveat is the paper map is horrible. I realize the reason this was done was in order to keep the cost down to a reasonable price for a card game and this is why I say the bang for the buck is great. However you do need to know about the map. A ‘deluxe’ map is planned.
How easy is it to learn? Easy. The rule set is really simple to learn and it should take no more the 5-10 min to teach.
How long does it take? 30 min is the general consensus, and feels just about right, it might run a little long if your down to summoner vs. Summoner, but this is not all that common.
What itch does this scratch? Miniatures, this at heart a mini game with cards, it has a same feel as the battleground series as well as the pocket battles series. If you do not enjoy Miniature gaming then you will probably not enjoy this.
What is the replay value? Decent, with the starter decks and the limited number of cards I can see how this could be an issue with continuous play. This will be offset by the release of different faction in the coming months.
Does this game reward skill or is it a pure luck fest? This game is primarily skill with the luck of the draw and some dice rolling having some but not overwhelming influence into how you play the game.
In Conclusion: Summoner Wars is a very cool card take on miniature gaming. I myself do not enjoy miniature gaming and was hoping that this would somehow circumvent my dislike for it due to its rather unique use of cards as a management tool and the use of cards instead of minis. But unfortunately for me it did not do this. Despite all its inventiveness it still feels, too me at least, like a miniatures game and thus I didn’t enjoy it. But if you like miniature gaming but don’t like any of the following: Painting, price point, table space, overly complex rules, or length of play. Then this is the game for you. Also if you’re not sure if you do or don’t like minis this would be a very good cheap starting point to see if you do.
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