Sentinels Of The Multiverse

[Ian C]

Thanks for the heads up! This is a certain buy for me. Been a DC/Marvel comics reader since I was 5 and I'm also a tabletop pen, paper & dice Super RPG'er.


Card game downloads are here and are worth a look:

http://sentinelsofthemultiverse.com/downloads

[Nefaro]

Nefaro, just want to thank you for recommending Sentinels and Ascension as well. Didn´t know anything about those games, and now enjoying them immensely.  8)

O0

:)

[Grim.Reaper]

I have really been fighting the urge to buy this but these positive comments make it hard....just not sure if I will really like, even after watching the videos....really have never played these types of card games before so not sure if my small mind can handle:)

[Nefaro]

I have really been fighting the urge to buy this but these positive comments make it hard....just not sure if I will really like, even after watching the videos....really have never played these types of card games before so not sure if my small mind can handle:)

I have no idea how easy this one is to learn for a newcomer.  I have played card games like this here & there for two decades now so I'm not sure I recall how difficult it originally was for me.  I don't think it was terribly difficult to learn CCGs back then, but mastering is a whole 'nutha story.  I do recall having a lot of fun when I first started, and still enjoying them after all these years, so that can't be a bad sign. 

Since you're familiar with tabletop gaming rulebooks, it shouldn't be much of a stretch.  The base rules are pretty simple.  Each individual card pretty much adds it's own rule/effect or changes an existing one when it comes into play.  So each game starts off very simple and becomes more complex as it progresses, with the steady addition of cards that specialize each player or character's strength & strategy.

While they're two different types of card games, Ascension is the easier of the two because it's one of the simpler "deck-builders".  With that one you play your whole hand for various types of points and spend those points adding more powerful cards to your deck and earning the equivalent of victory points, followed by drawing a whole new hand at the end of every turn.  That makes for fewer tough decisions overall. 

You don't deck-build in Sentinels; each character has it's own pre-made deck which remains the same throughout the game.  With that one, each of your characters will have to choose & play one card per turn and then draw one at the end.  Although some cards can allow you to draw or play more per turn - a good example of how some of the different cards can change the game when they are played.  So with games like Sentinels, it's more about utilizing your characters' cards in synergistic ways to continually make the best out of the current game state for an eventual win.  In other words.. which card to play every turn that will best manipulate the game rules & effects to your advantage.  It's an easy concept to pick up, but you will often be grokking card text that reads like a paragraph of rules so if you're one who absolutely refuses to read game manuals then it may not be something for you.  However, if you don't mind a little card reading, the large amount of emergent strategies and situations will keep your thinker engaged with tough decisions.  ^-^

I think Sentinels is probably my favorite strategy card game, at least for solo or co-op play.  That's probably due to the huge variety, unique decks, and all the varied interactions those offer.  Ascension is just a casual getaway for me; quick & enjoyable but more like putting my thinkmeats on cruise control as opposed to the gerbil wheel.

[Nefaro]

The Rook City expansion for Sentinels just came out.   O0

http://store.steampowered.com/app/351390/

Rook City includes eight new decks to expand your gameplay options:

    Heroes: Expatriette and Mr. Fixer
    Villains: The Chairman, The Matriarch, Plague Rat, and Spite
    Environments: Pike Industrial Complex and Rook City

I suppose that means the Ancient Relics expansion is next, which is one of my favorites.   

This one has some good stuff, too.

[FarAway Sooner]

I'm really not sure whether to buy this for my PC or my tablet.  Maybe that means I'll hold off?

[Nefaro]

I'm really not sure whether to buy this for my PC or my tablet.  Maybe that means I'll hold off?

I thought about doing it for both but I don't really use my tablet to game.  Smaller screen size means I usually read on it when I'm out & about.  That would be the same concern for Sentinels - the text size on the small screen and having to zoom into the cards just to see it.

Nevertheless, it would be one of my first choices when being forced to wait somewhere in public for a long stretch of time (if I don't feel like reading?).  At home I just play it on my notebook, wherever I may be, and it's probably easier to see everything in play at once on it's larger screen.

I'm also not sure if they have the expansions out for the tablet yet..?

[FarAway Sooner]

You've decided me.  I have the free version of Ascension for the tablet, and play it some, but don't like not being able to see my opponents hand.

[BanzaiCat]

This has a big 'Freedom Force' vibe to it.

I've been getting more into Dice Masters lately, which by extension means cards, too. I've been addicted to buying expansion packs for both to get the cards/dice I need. This game seems like a lot of fun.

Are these all stock characters, or do you have the ability to create your own heroes?

[Tpek]

I'm really not sure whether to buy this for my PC or my tablet.  Maybe that means I'll hold off?

I just did for both.

[PanzersEast]

Both.... but the PC/Mac version was done right.  They have done an excellent job transitioning to electronic format and not always seen.  Electronic has the advantage over printed as the record keeping is a lot easier  O0


PE

[Nefaro]

Are these all stock characters, or do you have the ability to create your own heroes?

The characters are all pre-fabbed, along with each Location and Villain.  Each one has a completely different deck of cards with their own unique abilities on them. 

They've probably needed insane amounts of testing to crush any interaction bugs between the crazy amount of different card interactions.

[Tpek]

Are these all stock characters, or do you have the ability to create your own heroes?

The characters are all pre-fabbed, along with each Location and Villain.  Each one has a completely different deck of cards with their own unique abilities on them. 

They've probably needed insane amounts of testing to crush any interaction bugs between the crazy amount of different card interactions.

One of the reasons why it takes so long to develop each of the countless expansions and mini-expansions for the game.

[BanzaiCat]

So, those of you that own this think it has plenty of replayability?

[Tpek]

^IMHO, not as much as the card game itself.
Inevitably, board games are a lot more fun because you play them with your friends around the table.