Tabletop gamers have had a number of ways to roll for initiative during a campaign, from straight rolling dice to using a dice tower, but there's now one new way to shake up your weekend Dungeons and Dragons campaign, and it doesn't include dice. Prepare to embark on an epic drinking adventure.
Orlando's MegaCon had a plethora of booths selling unique and geeky products throughout the weekend, but none was more intriguing than a pastel blue table lined with a collection of eye-catching drink-ware in varying sizes, towered by a monstrous jug called "The Growlin' D100" that was as intimidating as it was exciting.
From far away, it looked like yet another table selling etched glasses from every fandom until you were greeted by John "Hex" Carter, the brainchild behind Loaded Dice—a fun new way of playing tabletop games. With a giant grin and a rehearsed sales pitch, his voice was very telling of his excitement by his own product. This isn't your average goblet.
"Loaded Dice is a way to augment games, as a way to inject drinking into games," Hex stated. "For example, D&D, that's why it's styled around D&D, but we also joke that you can make any game a drinking game. Could you imagine Monopoly with a D6 drinking glass?"
Created by Hex and Mat Nicholson of Screech Dragon Studios, the concept is simultaneously genius and straightforward: each glass represents a different die from a D4 shot glass to a D20 pint glass and features markings on the back for each ounce, simulating a roll. Fill the glass up with your beverage of choice and start drinking. The more you gulp down in one shot, the higher your roll.
The glasses come in seven sizes, each representing a dice denomination at a reasonable price:
Four-sided shot glass: $7
Six-sided double shot glass: $9
Eight-sized beer sampler: $10
Ten-sided tumbler: $12
Twelve-sized old fashioned: $12
Twenty-sided pint glass: $15
D100 mega jug: $30
At face value, these glasses do what any average 20-something does: create another drinking game. However, an alcoholic beverage is not required to enjoy this set, nor do they fully replace the usage of dice in a campaign. The intention is to compliment the game in a fun new way, and players are encouraged to find ways to incorporate that into the story.
"For those that already combine drinking and gaming, think of Loaded Dice as a tool to enhance that experience," Screech Dragon Studios said on their Kickstarter, suggesting that the possibilities of its usage are endless.
What Loaded Dice does immensely well is change the mechanics of rolling dice to be more skill-based instead of chance. Rolling a 20 doesn't require much effort, which is where this concept forces you to earn your roll. Take a sip and you can increase your attack by up to six damage with a D6 double-shot glass, but choose your potion wisely, for even the strongest adventurer may succumb to a twisted fate.
The company successfully funded their project through Kickstarter in 2016 with 266 backers pledging $20,191, doubling its $10,000 goal. Its popularity has since grown, completely selling out of the D12 glass halfway through MegaCon. "I didn't expect this much popularity!" Hex said with a humble smile.
The popularity of Stranger Things bringing back all the greatest staples of the 80's with their inclusion of Dungeons and Dragons, tabletop games have been making their way out of dark basements and into the light of Pop-culture. What was once a gathering of often bullied geeks and nerds, RPGs have more often been featured in television and film, changing the way society views them.
"I think there's this major table top renaissance that's going on and that's definitely putting more light on RPG gaming such as Dungeons and Dragons itself, and it's really exciting," Hex said. "It's becoming cooler and there's less of a stigma tethered to it as it used to be."
Hex is also hard at work preparing for his summer launch of another new game, ROBiTS, in partnership with Quick Simple Fun Games. The quick drafting card game lets you build a robot in bits and pieces, hence "Ro-bits," by drafting arms, legs, body, head, and so on.
Posted by
The Dace Man
- Wednesday, February 17, 2016
It's time to settle the score of some of the greatest battles never to happen in history! What would happen if a bear fought Popeye? How 'bout if Stephen Colbert went toe-to-toe with a mutated slice of pizza? Well the crew at The Dace Man Show are here to discuss the vast potential of such match-ups.
This episode The Dace Man faces off against Raup to debate whether A Teen Mom or A 60yr Old Stripper would win a battle!
Welcome to The Duel!
The Duel is brought to you by Skybound's SuperFight! You can purchase the starter deck and all expansions here: https://www.superfightgame.com/
As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Remember, keyboard warriors: leave your feedback! Until the next time, for the few, the proud, and, of course, the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case your SuperFight! starter deck!—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!
Listen live to The Dace Man Show every Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on Mega Powers Radio.
Posted by
The Dace Man
- Monday, February 15, 2016
It's time to settle the score of some of the greatest battles never to happen in history! What would happen if a bear fought Popeye? How 'bout if Stephen Colbert went toe-to-toe with a mutated slice of pizza? Well the crew at The Dace Man Show are here to discuss the vast potential of such match-ups.
This episode The Dace Man faces off against Raup to debate whether A Lady Boy or A Meth Addict would win a battle!
Welcome to The Duel!
The Duel is brought to you by Skybound's SuperFight! You can purchase the starter deck and all expansions here: https://www.superfightgame.com/
As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Remember, keyboard warriors: leave your feedback! Until the next time, for the few, the proud, and, of course, the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case your SuperFight! starter deck!—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!
Listen live to The Dace Man Show every Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on Mega Powers Radio.
Posted by
The Dace Man
- Sunday, February 14, 2016
It's time to settle the score of some of the greatest battles never to happen in history! What would happen if a bear fought Popeye? How 'bout if Stephen Colbert went toe-to-toe with a mutated slice of pizza? Well the crew at The Dace Man Show are here to discuss the vast potential of such match-ups.
This episode Nicholas Andrew faces off against Frank Ward to debate whether A Predator or Jesus Christ would win a battle!
Welcome to The Duel!
The Duel is brought to you by Skybound's SuperFight! You can purchase the starter deck and all expansions here: https://www.superfightgame.com/
As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Remember, keyboard warriors: leave your feedback! Until the next time, for the few, the proud, and, of course, the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case your SuperFight! starter deck!—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!
Listen live to The Dace Man Show every Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on Mega Powers Radio.
Posted by
The Dace Man
- Thursday, January 28, 2016
It's time to settle the score of some of the greatest battles never to happen in history! What would happen if a bear fought Popeye? How 'bout if Stephen Colbert went toe-to-toe with a mutated slice of pizza? Well the crew at The Dace Man Show are here to discuss the vast potential of such match-ups.
This episode Frank Ward faces off against Nicholas Andrew to debate whether 72 Virgins or Buddha would win a battle!
Welcome to The Duel!
The Duel is brought to you by Skybound's SuperFight! You can purchase the starter deck and all expansions here: https://www.superfightgame.com/
As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Remember, keyboard warriors: leave your feedback! Until the next time, for the few, the proud, and, of course, the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case your SuperFight! starter deck!—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!
Listen live to The Dace Man Show every Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on Mega Powers Radio.
Posted by
The Dace Man
- Tuesday, January 26, 2016
It's time to settle the score of some of the greatest battles never to happen in history! What would happen if a bear fought Popeye? How 'bout if Stephen Colbert went toe-to-toe with a mutated slice of pizza? Well the crew at The Dace Man Show are here to discuss the vast potential of such match-ups.
This episode The Dace Man faces off against Nicholas Andrew to debate whether a unicorn or a samurai would win a battle!
Welcome to The Duel!
The Duel is brought to you by Skybound's SuperFight! You can purchase the starter deck and all expansions here: https://www.superfightgame.com/
As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Remember, keyboard warriors: leave your feedback! Until the next time, for the few, the proud, and, of course, the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case your SuperFight! starter deck!—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!
Listen live to The Dace Man Show every Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on Mega Powers Radio.
Posted by
The Dace Man
- Thursday, January 21, 2016
It's time to settle the score of some of the greatest battles never to happen in history! What would happen if a bear fought Popeye? How 'bout if Stephen Colbert went toe-to-toe with a mutated slice of pizza? Well the crew at The Dace Man Show are here to discuss the vast potential of such match-ups.
This episode The Dace Man faces off against Nicholas Andrew to debate whether Tribbles or Hydra would win a battle!
Welcome to The Duel!
The Duel is brought to you by Skybound's SuperFight! You can purchase the starter deck and all expansions here: https://www.superfightgame.com/
As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Remember, keyboard warriors: leave your feedback! Until the next time, for the few, the proud, and, of course, the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case your SuperFight! starter deck!—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!
Listen live to The Dace Man Show every Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on Mega Powers Radio.
Posted by
The Dace Man
- Tuesday, January 19, 2016
It's time to settle the score of some of the greatest battles never to happen in history! What would happen if a bear fought Popeye? How 'bout if Stephen Colbert went toe-to-toe with a mutated slice of pizza? Well the crew at The Dace Man Show are here to discuss the vast potential of such match-ups.
This episode The Dace Man faces off against Frank Ward to debate whether The Terminator or a Demon possessed car would win a battle!
Welcome to The Duel!
The Duel is brought to you by Skybound's SuperFight! You can purchase the starter deck and all expansions here: https://www.superfightgame.com/
As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Remember, keyboard warriors: leave your feedback! Until the next time, for the few, the proud, and, of course, the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case your SuperFight! starter deck!—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!
Listen live to The Dace Man Show every Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on Mega Powers Radio.
Posted by
The Dace Man
- Thursday, January 14, 2016
It's time to settle the score of some of the greatest battles never to happen in history! What would happen if a bear fought Popeye? How 'bout if Stephen Colbert went toe-to-toe with a mutated slice of pizza? Well the crew at The Dace Man Show are here to discuss the vast potential of such match-ups.
This episode The Dace Man faces off against Frank Ward to debate whether Miley Cyrus or The Kardashians would win a battle!
Welcome to The Duel!
The Duel is brought to you by Skybound's SuperFight! You can purchase the starter deck and all expansions here: https://www.superfightgame.com/
As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Remember, keyboard warriors: leave your feedback! Until the next time, for the few, the proud, and, of course, the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case your SuperFight! starter deck!—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!
Listen live to The Dace Man Show every Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on Mega Powers Radio.
Posted by
The Dace Man
- Tuesday, January 12, 2016
It's time to settle the score of some of the greatest battles never to happen in history! What would happen if a bear fought Popeye? How 'bout if Stephen Colbert went toe-to-toe with a mutated slice of pizza? Well the crew at The Dace Man Show are here to discuss the vast potential of such match-ups.
This episode, Frank Ward faces off against Dan Raup to debate whether a boy band or Ash would win a battle!
Welcome to The Duel!
The Duel is brought to you by Skybound's SuperFight! You can purchase the starter deck and all expansions here: https://www.superfightgame.com/
As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Remember, keyboard warriors: leave your feedback! Until the next time, for the few, the proud, and, of course, the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case your SuperFight! starter deck!—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!
Listen live to The Dace Man Show every Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on Mega Powers Radio.
Posted by
The Dace Man
- Thursday, January 7, 2016
It's time to settle the score of some of the greatest battles never to happen in history! What would happen if a bear fought Popeye? How 'bout if Stephen Colbert went toe-to-toe with a mutated slice of pizza? Well the crew at The Dace Man Show are here to discuss the vast potential of such match-ups.
This episode Frank Ward faces off against Dan Raup to debate whether a velociraptor or Mothra would win a battle!
Welcome to The Duel!
The Duel is brought to you by Skybound's SuperFight! You can purchase the starter deck and all expansions here: https://www.superfightgame.com/
As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Remember, keyboard warriors: leave your feedback! Until the next time, for the few, the proud, and, of course, the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case your SuperFight! starter deck!—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!
Listen live to The Dace Man Show every Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on Mega Powers Radio.
It's time to settle the score of some of the greatest battles never to happen in history! What would happen if a bear fought Popeye? How 'bout if Stephen Colbert went toe-to-toe with a mutated slice of pizza? Well the crew at The Dace Man Show are here to discuss the vast potential of such match-ups.
This episode, Frank Ward faces off against Dan Raup to debate whether a wizard or Dr. Horrible would win a battle!
Welcome to The Duel!
The Duel is brought to you by Skybound's SuperFight! You can purchase the starter deck and all expansions here: https://www.superfightgame.com/
As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Remember, keyboard warriors: leave your feedback! Until the next time, for the few, the proud, and, of course, the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case your SuperFight! starter deck!—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!
Listen live to The Dace Man Show every Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on Mega Powers Radio.
The words, "Never have I ever" have been spoken as a ritual during every prepubescent sleepover and drunken gathering of our young adult lives. A staple of debauchery in its prime, it often revolved around sexual encounters and shameful admissions but almost always barely scratched the surface of what we're all willing to admit. You can't have humility to play this game.
Never Have I Ever: The Game of Poor Life Decisions
Never Have I Ever: The Game of Poor Life Decisions follows the structure of the classic party game, with an added twist. Someone draws a red card that gives you a rule to the round and then starts the sentence, "Never have I ever..." before detailing an embarrassing scenario. If you are not guilty of the Play card, you discard it; however if you are guilty, you get to keep it and the shame you are now forced to relive. Whoever is the first to have 10 cards in their pile wins—and is arguably not the person you want to bring home to your parents.
The bright orange box includes 550 cards (485 embarrassing Play cards and 65 Rule cards) and suggests exactly what it is: a game of poor life decisions. Each card forces you to own up to the awkward one-night stands, public bouts of indecent exposure and urination, and drunken messes you once became in your younger years (or are currently).
The first time I tested this game, it was with a friend and a random guy at our table we thought would be fun to have join us. It was a great way to learn a lot about someone before you even get their name, and although I can't actually remember what his name was, I could tell you heaps about his sex life. This game is less "Never have I ever" and more "Things I have done that you are now picturing."
As we went through each round, the rules of the game were given some clarity, though we did bump up the amount of points needed to win because, let's be honest, we're adults that went through college and the majority of the cards we drew are just normal experiences that passed by with not much more than a small laugh, or at least we were mature enough to think so. The concept of it is great—each card is pretty detailed and probably not what would've come to mind had we played it the original way—and the Rule cards spice it up instead of going around in a circle with a scenario you hope you're not the only one guilty of.
Never Have I Ever rule cards
Never Have I Ever is meant for 4 to 12 players and passes itself off as a "judgment-free" game, though what is the point of the game without passing judgment on your best friends? Even one of the Rule cards suggests each player vote on whether or not you're guilty of the card you're holding on your forehead. I don't know, are you guilty of "Put my kids to bed early so I could get high," or "Used the same condom twice?" There's no judgment-free way to answer half of these without silently saying, "Yes, you are a horrible person."
Most cards, of course, involved your typical sexual, alcoholic, or drug-related experience, while a handful included the most innocent scenarios that make you scratch your head and wonder why they were even included in the deck. "Binged on Netflix without leaving the house" is now the norm and I'd probably judge you if you haven't. "Added bacon to my kale salad" is easily the most mundane card, unless you are (gasp!) a vegan, while "Wanted to have sex with someone here" is guaranteed to be met with a unified "YES!" (and if it's not, there's also a card that reads, "Lied while playing Never Have I Ever" because we all know the answer to this one).
Never Have I Ever play cards
Admittedly, my second go at this game ditched the Rule cards and turned into a round of holding up each card to my friend in Los Angeles via FaceTime. Every round garnered either an intrigued chuckle or a half-amused "Of course you did," because at that point we both agreed that we each lived sordid lives. I could definitely say that this game is much more suited for a larger group of people after a couple of beers.
My only quarrel with this game are the select few cards that are borderline slut-shame, misogyny, and rape culture. "Roofied someone" or "Tried to get someone drunk so I could have sex with them" is more than likely to make the crowd uncomfortable, and no story to explain would've been needed. It's not funny and shouldn't be included in a game that makes light of our horrible decisions. As the instructions state on the bottom, "If this game offends you, go buy our other award-winning game, Dabble. Sure, if you don't like this game, give us more money for another game.
Although this game doesn't quite match up to the widely popular Cards Against Humanity, it easily markets to the same crowd and makes for a great stocking stuffer for the holidays. It's the perfect party game for those who aren't easily embarrassed.
Never Have I Ever: The Game of Poor Life Decisions is available on Amazon and at local retailers including Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Spencer Gifts, and Target, for $25. Alternatively, there's also an app available on iTunes and Google Play, though it's not as much fun.
Have you played Never Have I Ever? Interested in picking up a deck for Christmas?
Posted by
Sarrah October Young
- Thursday, July 17, 2014
Anyone who has ever picked up a pencil and set of dice and rolled a character for a tabletop role-playing game knows how hard it is to create a player character that will survive the upcoming quest. It's even rarer for those characters to transcend the genre and pop up in other forms across a variety of platforms. Jim Zubkavich, the writer behind titles as Samurai Jack, Figment, the upcoming Wayward series, and too many Pathfinder issues to count, has been given the opportunity to put his own spin on a couple of characters near and dear to our hearts.
Minsc and Boo. Holy crap.
Zubkavich has been tapped to write an upcoming comic book miniseries for Wizards of the Coast that's set to tie in with the Forgotten Realms Neverwinter comic. It's set in Baldur's Gate and features the beloved Minsc and Boo.
I know. Just breathe with me.
I had an opportunity to ask Zubkavich a couple of questions about the upcoming project. While he couldn't give me any spoilers (really though, would you want them? I don't.), he was able to speak about the process and his excitement about being able to work on such an amazing project.
October Young: You're an avid D&D player, having played for many years. Tell me what went through your mind when you found out that you would be writing the Baldur's Gate miniseries, complete with Minsc and Boo.
Jim Zubkavich: The idea of using Minsc and Boo came up during a larger conference call about the comic, and I think Mike Mearls or Greg Bilsland might have suggested it first, but it really energized the whole conversation. Based on everything I've seen so far, D&D Fifth Edition is balancing the past and the present to be a streamlined modern game that doesn't lose its crucial and beloved legacy. Bringing back fan favorite characters like Minsc and Boo works well with that mission. That said, it was exciting and intimidating to realize I was being entrusted with Baldur's Gate, a vision of D&D that millions of people have played over the years.
Cover Art for Baldur's Gate
OY: There have been many examples of the kind of impact Minsc and Boo have had on the role-playing community, whether it be tabletop, in story form, or in other video games. Have you personally come across any homages to the duo, and what are they? Or just comment on their popularity, because I like them and want to know.
JZ: Before I start any new project, I always dig in and do research, even when I know the subject matter. I want to familiarize myself and get to the core of what makes the whole thing tick, so I can be sure I'm building on the proper foundation that's been set up. Researching Misc and Boo was a bit of a shock. These secondary characters from a 16-year-old video game are still near and dear to the hearts of so many people. Fan art, fan fiction, fan sites, lists of quotes, and articles about the impact they made on players. It kind of blew me away, actually. It really shows the quality that Bioware put into that game series.
OY: One could assume that anyone reading your work would have some familiarity with the genre; you wrote many issues of Pathfinder, also based on an RPG. Is there any concern for first-time readers? How will they find the storyline if they have no experience with the Forgotten Realms?
JZ: That's a totally valid concern, and something I wanted to make sure was clear right from the get-go when we got this started. Having Minsc and Boo in this story is a real treat for fans of Baldur's Gate, but I wanted to make sure our overall comic story was new reader-friendly. Minsc's courageous confusion works well without much backstory explanation, and the new threats he and his friends face are laid out clearly for readers. It's a sword and sorcery story that both longtime fans and new players alike can pick up and enjoy without any prior knowledge of Baldur's Gate, the Forgotten Realms, or even D&D.
OY: Will the Baldur's Gate miniseries rely on established characters and situations from the video game, or have you decided on a new direction that will match up with the next Neverwinter installment to be released in August?
Sketch of Baldur's Gate.
JZ: Our story takes place after the "Murder in Baldur's Gate" community adventure released last year, and in the midst of the "Tyranny of Dragons" events that coincide with the launch of D&D Fifth Edition. But, again, you don't need prior knowledge to dig in to this comic story. Over 100 years have passed since the events of the Baldur's Gate video game, so Minsc is going to be even more confused than usual, but there will be some fun nods to his past adventures. All of it is "in play" in some form or another.
OY: Realizing that she is part of the Neverwinter storyline, any chance we will see TIAMAT anywhere in the series? Please say yes, even if it's only a flick of her tail.
JZ: She keeps showing up in all that game promo art, doesn't she? I can't really say more than that at this early stage, sorry.
OY: Can you give us a hint as to who else might show up during the series?
JZ: There will be a couple long-lived familiar faces from the Baldur's Gate game series, and some of their progeny as well. Character creation is such a crucial part of D&D, and I didn't want to miss out on introducing some new characters that I hope readers will grow attached to as the story progresses. Getting a chance to be a part of Dungeons & Dragon's 40th anniversary and the rollout of a new edition is an absolute honor. I hope readers jump on board the story that artist Max Dunbar and I are putting together.
With the possibility of a Tiamat sighting and the inclusion of two of the most beloved characters ever to come out of a tabletop RPG, I cannot wait for this to be released.
What do you think? Will you pick this book up once it's out?
Hey Kickstarter big donors, it's been a while since I've sat down and wrote one of these bad boys. Generally I write about comic Kickstarters when I have the time, but this article pretty much just walked into my life as if it were meant to be. Know what I mean?
Anyway, recently, I was piecing together and promoting the page for my new Mixed Drinks drinking game, and I ran into a fellow game creator, the first man behind Theorycraft Gaming and the Factions game. One look at Factions and I knew it was going to be my next piece. Check out this quick video.
You saw it; a sci-fi strategy board game where the theme is war and the spoils are an overly mined planet. The mechanics of the game are semi-clear, but the creators, Ben Wolf and Matt Corenzwit,have been kind enough to give me their media release link complete with the full rules book. When you have time, look over the site and tell me what you think.
I asked Ben Wolf how the idea came up. His response:
"In short, I was traveling back east visiting some friends and family, and I was playing a new board game which I found to be utterly confusing. The mechanics were awful, and I couldn't understand how this was a popular game (out of respect for the publisher, I won't mention the title). My love of gaming and my creative drive led me to thinking about how much I would love to create my own game. When I came home, I got talking to a friend of mine, who explained in detail how Kickstarter worked. I quickly realized that this was a feasible venture!"
It may spark your interest to know this Kickstarter campaign jumps on the 11th. The rewards will be great.
The guys realize their expectations for this game are pretty grand. They are currently offering the base set for the factions game, and there are a ton of other ideas and features they like and intend to add. Let's hope, with a successful campaign, they can move forward and expand on the Factions Universe!
Wizards of the Coast has posted a full spoiler of Conspiracy, a new multiplayer set designed specifically for drafting purposes. Conspiracy is set in Paliano, the High City, an intrigue-wracked metropolis on the newly revealed plane of Fiora. (For those who follow the current Magic: The Gathering comic books, this is the home plane of planeswalker and series protagonist Dack Fayden.)
The set contains one new card type. Cards of this type—conspiracies—don’t go into your deck. Instead, you put all of them right into play at the start of the game. They aren’t usually all that strong, but any kind of free resource is valuable, so they should be worth drafting.
Some conspiracies have the hidden agenda subtype. You play a hidden agenda face down and write down the name of a card. At any time, you can turn the hidden agenda face up, at which point it takes effect.
Dethrone is a new keyword. A creature with dethrone gets a +1/+1 counter whenever it attacks the player with the highest life total or a player tied for the highest life total. This is clearly aimed at making multiplayer more fun by encouraging players to focus their efforts at whoever’s ahead instead of knocking a trailing player out of the game.
Will of the council is an ability phrase that calls for all players to vote on an effect. This is aimed at generating interesting political situations in multiplayer, but because the controller always breaks ties, it should often be strong in two-player games as well.
The last new ability word, parley, has each player reveal the top card in his or her library and draw it, and generates an effect based on what cards were revealed. Parley’s multiplayer utility is less obvious, but letting everyone see cards as they’re drawn should give sharp-eyed players an advantage.
Magic: The Gathering head designer Mark Rosewater announced this fall's expert-level expansion, Khans of Tarkir, in a video filmed at the end of the Journey Into Nyx Pro Tour. According to the video, the new block is a "war-torn world ruled by warlords," and the illustrations suggest that it takes its inspiration from Mongol horse-nomads. It’s also the home of planeswalker Sarkhan Vol, whose card previously appeared in the Shards of Alara and Rise of the Eldrazi sets.
Sarkhan left his home plane in search of dragons, for while the creatures fascinated him, all of Tarkir's dragons are long dead. But as Wizards of the Coast tries to include dragon cards in every set, we can expect a dramatic draconic deluge later in the block.
The ladies swoon over Sarkhan's smoldering eyes.
Rosewater also gave the following cryptic clues about the set: "There's something that people have been asking us to do for quite a while that we're finally bringing back after a long absence in Magic. And there's something that people have been asking us to do that we've never done, that for the first time we're doing in Khans of Tarkir."
The names of the remaining sets in the block haven't been announced yet. However, Wizards of the Coast has recently trademarked the names Warlords of Khanar and Dragons of Tarkir—the latter providing more evidence that we'll get blitzed by dragons later in the block.
Rosewater is the lead designer on the set, while Erik Lauer is the lead developer. This is the same creative team that headed the recent Innistrad and Theros sets. The scheduled release date for Khans of Tarkir is September 26.
Any guesses as to what Rosewater is hinting at? Are there any old mechanics that you're really dying to see return in this block—horsemanship, say, or snow lands? Please post your thoughts in the comment section below!
On April 18, Wizards of the Coast released a full spoiler of the new Magic: the Gathering expansion, Journey Into Nyx.
There have been grumblings in the player base about how Theros block has failed to fulfill its promise of being an "enchantment matters" block. Journey into Nyx fulfills that promise. The set is rife with actual enchantments—not just enchantment creatures or Auras—and many of its cards specifically care about all enchantments.
Now let's look at the set's mechanics and cards!
RETURNING MECHANICS
Almost every mechanic from earlier in Theros block appears in Journey Into Nyx. The only one missing is Tribute, from Born of the Gods. As that was my least favorite mechanic in the block—letting your opponent choose the effect is a downer—I'm not disappointed to see it go.
The Bestow mechanic stretches its design space a bit with a cycle that comes with drawbacks, giving you the option of enchanting an opposing creature to give it that drawback. The affected creature will still gain power and toughness, though, so see these Bestow cards are most likely to be used this way as a panic button in Limited.
NEW MECHANICS
Constellation: Creatures with Constellation—representing the starry appearance of spirits from the divine realm of Nyx—are at the core of the set's "enchantment matters" theme. This ability word provides a benefit whenever an enchantment enters the battlefield under your control. It's a cinch that some of these cards will see casual play in Bestow and Enchantress decks.
Strive: A stripped-down Multikicker/Overload variant, Strive allows you to extend a single-target spell to one or more additional targets for an increased mana cost. This is likely to be a Limited-only mechanic, but I expect it'll come in handy in Limited as a Heroic enabler.
NOTEWORTHY CARDS
Flavorwise, the set continues to hit the high notes of Greek mythology. Launch the Fleet gives us the invasion of Troy (though I'm not sure which legendary creature launched these thousand ships). King Macar, the Gold-Cursed is a blatant Midas expy, and a powerful card and EDH commander to boot. Bearer of the Heavens is Atlas, only this Atlas can drop the heavens and crush everyone under their weight. Renowned Weaver is Arachne. And Athreos, God of Passage is Charon.
Personally, though, I'm more interested in mechanics! Here are a few neat cards from my perspective as a casual player:
Aegis of the Gods: This cut-rate Spirit of the Hearth looks too fragile to slow down a burn deck, but its ability to disrupt your opponent's tactics should prove valuable in a lot of matchups.
Banishing Light: Hello, Oblivion Ring, I almost didn't recognize you there! As with Banisher Priest, this revises the wording of a modern staple, making it easier to understand and harder to abuse. The art's not bad, either.
Eidolon of Rhetoric:Rule of Law on legs. Toughness of 4 makes it hard to burn, so it should put the squeeze on red decks more effectively than the flashier Aegis of the Gods. And it's an uncommon, too, so it should crop up regularly in Limited.
Lagonna-Band Trailblazer: This should give white Heroic decks some much-needed resilience in the early game.
Oppressive Rays: Reminiscent of the Alpha spell Paralyze, this has a lower cost than any modern-day Pacifism variant that I can think of.
Quarry Colossus: Too expensive for Constructed play, but likely a Limited bomb. Should also go over well in EDH, where the ability to tuck an opponent's general into his or her library is prized.
Tethmos High Priest: Recursion is always worth a second look. This should be a must-have in white Heroic decks, which lean heavily on creatures with converted mana costs of 2 or less.
Battlefield Thaumaturge: This fellow's Heroic ability is less important than his power to reduce casting costs. Blue instants and sorceries are where you find card draw, and his potential to churn out massive card advantage raises my interest! Dakra Mystic: The ability to sift through both your library and your opponent's is really interesting! It's not clear how useful it will be in actual play, insofar as you'll often see two strong or two weak cards and be stumped as to what's the best play. On the other hand, there are ways to take advantage of the situation, whether by manipulating the top of your library with Scry effects or by reanimating milled creatures.
Daring Thief: Once again, it's blue that gets some of the coolest Inspired abilities—especially for a color that has all sorts of ways to tap or untap creatures. In theory, you can amass significant board advantage with its ability. In practice, it'll eat a Lightning Bolt or a Doom Blade long before then… but hey, a player can dream!
Hour of Need: Turning creatures into 4/4 flying sphinxes at instant speed has potential, at least in Limited and at the kitchen table.
Pull from the Deep: While I'm iffy about the specificity of this spell, recurring an instant and a sorcery for four mana is potentially a great play for a blue control deck. Sage of Hours: At first glance, he's impressive—who doesn't love extra turns? On second glance, not so much; five +1/+1 counters aren't easy to accumulate. But on third glance (is that a thing?), if you can figure out a way to pile lots of +1/+1 counters on the Sage, you've locked down the game. Sunbond seems to be the preferred tool for this in early discussion.
Dictate of Erebos: A slightly more expensive Grave Pact with flash. I suspect the flash will prove more valuable than people think. Grave Pact is hard enough to cope with when you see it coming; imagine how much havoc you can wreak when it comes as a surprise.
Doomwake Giant: One of the stronger Constellation cards, this offers the potential for one-sided board wipes.
Extinguish All Hope: This, on the other hand, is a one-sided board wipe all by itself. It's much stronger in casual play than in Limited, insofar as you're not going to see enchantment creatures at many casual tables. I doubt that Bestow decks have much chance in the eternal formats, however, so it's likely to be a bulk rare.
Felhide Petrifier: Another minotaur lord! Truly, it is a great day for players of minotaur decks, wherever they are.
Gnarled Scarhide: Maybe the strongest of the new Bestow creatures. 2/1 for 2 is a solid aggro play, while using it to keep an opposing creature from blocking could prove valuable in the late game.
Grim Guardian: This guy's Constellation power is like watered-down Extort, but unlike Extort it costs you no mana to activate. This looks like a strong contender for a Constellation deck.
Worst Fears: A sorcery version of Mindslaver. Its presence in black hearkens back to Word of Command, all the way back in Alpha.
Dictate of the Twin Gods: Like Dictate of Erebos, but for Furnace of Rath. Again, flash looks like it's disproportionately useful; cast it during your opponent's end phase, and you can burn your opponent with all your mana once your own turn starts.
Forgeborn Oreads: Another attractive Constellation card! It can't grind out board advantage as effectively as Doomwake Giant, but the ability to burn your opponent directly should speed things along.
Knowledge and Power: Burn and scry—two great tastes that go great together! I fear that the two mana cost to activate this enchantment is too much for it to be really effective, but I look forward to trying it and finding out for myself.
Mogis's Warhound: Red continues to get cheap and efficient Bestow creatures, making it the go-to color for a Bestow deck.
Prophetic Flamespeaker: An efficient body and a triggered ability that potentially offers continuous card advantage may make this one of the premier chase cards for the set.
Eidolon of Blossoms: This little guy has amazing potential in enchantress decks. Because the Eidolon cantrips, it's harder than usual for your opponent to sabotage you with removal. Hydra Broodmaster: One of the best Monstrosity creatures yet—and the only one in the set that measures up to its precursors in the Theros set. It has the potential to pile up a bunch of mid-sized token creatures on your side of the field. I figure it'll be an absolute bomb in Limited.
Market Festival: An Overgrowth that costs one extra mana to give you any color of mana you want! This should be an amazing ramp card in multicolor decks.
Pheres-Band Warchief: Look, it's a centaur lord! It's like the second coming of Lorwyn with all these one-shot lords for minor tribes.
Reviving Melody: A cheap, efficient recursion spell that seems designed to help out Bestow decks. I'd play it.
Solidarity of Heroes: Interesting in that it's the first non-permanent spell that doubles counters. And at instant speed, no less, so that it doubles (pun intended) as a combat trick. Unfortunately, +1/+1 counters aren't a dependable commodity—unless you build your deck around them.
Disciple of Deceit: This looks like a great toolbox card, allowing you to repeatedly transmute cards for no mana cost. It's even in the colors of Ravnica's Transmute keyword! I'm confident someone will find some entertainingly abusive ways to build around it.
Nyx Weaver: This is a good self-mill card with a solid defensive body, and a great recursion ability tacked on at the end. It's specialized, but should prove invaluable in the right deck.
Mana Confluence: It's the second coming of City of Brass! And it looks as though it should generally be a better card, too, insofar as your opponent can't tap it to damage you. I expect this will be one of the most expensive rares in real-world dollars, as players of every stripe snatch them up for mana fixing.
Well, that's my take on Journey into Nyx. What do you think of the new set? Any favorites catch your eye on the official Card Image Gallery? Post your comments below!
If you've ever played the party game Apples to Apples, you'll find Cards Against Humanity familiar. The rules are basically the same. Each player takes a turn as a judge; he or she draws and reads a black "question" card for which each other player selects a white "answer" card from his or her hand. The judge then assigns a point to whichever player gave the funniest or most apropos answer.
The two games are dramatically different in actual play, however. Whereas Apples to Apples has family-friendly content, Cards Against Humanity is chock full of crude, raunchy, and politically incorrect material—not surprising for a game designed by a team of high schoolers who gave it the subtitle "A party game for horrible people." Here are a few examples of cards in the "Answer" deck:
Dead babies
Dwarf tossing
German dungeon porn
Glenn Beck catching his scrotum on a curtain hook
Jew-fros
Jerking off into a pool of children's tears
Mr. Clean, right behind you
Not giving a shit about the Third World
Pac-Man uncontrollably guzzling cum
Praying the gay away
Racially-biased SAT questions
Smallpox blankets
White privilege
Play moves quickly. At last night's open game night, rounds only took a couple of minutes apiece, even with 11 players. Furthermore, the transgressive humor left most of the players in stitches, with constant efforts to one-up the others with grosser and more shocking responses. There are even strategic elements to play; some answer cards are more specific or amusing than others, making it a hard choice as to which one to pick for any specific question. Knowing whether a given player is more entertained by the absurd or the grotesque can help you select which answer cards he or she might favor.
However, the game's strengths may also cause trouble. The level of gross-out humor can make some players uncomfortable. More importantly, specific cards touch on hot-button issues such as classism, racism, sexism, rape, and abortion that some players may find profoundly offensive. One of my fellow players, whom I like and respect, was so affronted by my enthusiastic hooting and hollering about some of my more socially inappropriate card choices that he wouldn't even speak to me after the game.
So although Cards Against Humanity is very well put together, I can't recommend it as a party game. Casual games shouldn't anger or distress their players! Moreover, players who might feel comfortable saying they don't want to play a game because they think the rules are boring or badly designed might not want to be seen as the wet blanket who's not up for a little bawdy humor. Better to leave it on the shelf.
If you've already played Cards Against Humanity, what do you think—is it offensive or hilarious? Post your comments below.
Harness the savage power of fifteen of the most brutal Magic cards ever unleashed. These limited-edition, black-bordered superweapons are legal in many tournament formats. Sweep the battlefield clean with this powerful arsenal and blast the opposition into oblivion.
Many of these cards are very expensive on the secondary market. While each From the Vault set has had a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $39.95, the combination of extremely small print runs and high demand—generated by the reprinting of glossy foil versions of hard-to-find cards with new art—means that these sets sell out really quickly, even when retailers jack up the price. If you want a copy, your best bet is to arrange a preorder with a reliable retailer.
As to which cards will be in the set, that info has yet to be spoiled. All we have is the brief description above and a dramatic illustration of some sort of magical cyclone. Naturally, the Magic community is theorizing madly as to what cards you'll find in the set. Discussion tends to center around the idea that every card in the set will be a board-sweeper. Others theorize that specific word choices in the set description hint at card names, such as inferring that the phrase "blast the opposition into oblivion" refers to the powerful spells Opposition and Oblivion Stone.
As for my own theories, I figure that while From the Vault: Annihilation will focus on spells with a destructive theme, it'll cover the gamut of detrimental effects, such as targeted removal, global sweepers, and direct damage. I also wouldn't expect it to include any cards reprinted in the last year or two in compilation sets such as Modern Masters or Commander 2013. Here's my list of 15 cards that I'm guessing we'll find here:
All is Dust: The Rise of the Eldrazi set held a number of powerful colorless spells that haunt Magic games to this day. While not as brutal as the three legendary Eldrazi boss monsters, All is Dust is nothing to sneeze at, as it has the potential for a one-sided blowout that destroys all of your opponent's non-land permanents while leaving your key board elements intact.
Armageddon: Wrath of God's badass land-destroying cousin hasn't seen print since Sixth Edition due to a move away from land destruction as a generally un-fun play style. Nonetheless, it's an iconic powerhouse that still sees play, which makes it a perfect fit for a From the Vault set.
Black Sun's Zenith: This standard-defining sorcery from Scars of Mirrodin block can be absolutely brutal, sweeping away even indestructible creatures and then returning to your library to be cast again. It's not as pricey on the secondary market as it was in its heyday, but it's still scary when it hits the table.
Blasphemous Act: Not every card in Annihilation is going to be from really old sets or super expensive on the secondary market. Blasphemous Act is a quirky damage-based sweeper, which makes it more likely to show up than yet another Wrath of God variant.
Child of Alara: This ridiculous multicolored bomb has the potential for lots of recursion or indestructibility shenanigans. It's also a legendary creature, and thus a boon to Commander players looking to try a five-color deck.
Damnation: A powerful black sweeper that's only been printed once so far in 2007's Planar Chaos. Speculation about a Damnation reprint has been rife for years, and the community raged at its absence from the recent Modern Masters set. A set based around big destructive spells seems like its natural home.
Magus of the Disk: Normally I'd expect to find the classic destructive artifact Nevinyrral's Disk in here, but it was reprinted just a few months ago in Commander 2013. However, its cousin, the Magus, is fair game, especially as the set could use a few creatures to break the monotony of sorcery after destructive sorcery.
Merciless Eviction: This spell's flexibility gives it an important place in any collection of sweepers, while the ability to exile rather than destroy makes it all the more dangerous. And then there's its precision. Most notably, Merciless Eviction is the only modal sweeper that can be tuned to hit nothing but planeswalkers.
Mind Twist: An oldie-but-goodie discard spell, Mind Twist can be absolutely backbreaking early- to mid-game. While its dominance has been usurped by narrower spells such as Hymn to Tourach and Thoughtseize, and discard in general isn't quite as effective as it used to be due to graveyard recursion, Mind Twist is still a spell to be reckoned with.
Nemesis of Reason: Okay, I admit that this one is a stretch; but I anticipate that there'll be at least one mill card in the set, and this unholy monstrosity is both fun to play and has a drastic impact on the board. Placing your opponent on a five-turn clock that can't be stopped by chump blockers or Fog effect can put a damper on all sorts of game plans.
Pernicious Deed: A powerful, flexible sweeper that's most effective in the hands of a mana-heavy ramp deck. A similar effect appears in the more recent Gaze of Granite, but the Deed is far more flexible; you can cast it in the early game and leave it hanging around until you need it, and, unlike Gaze, you can activate it at any time, including in the middle of combat or on your opponent's turn. Appearing only in the Apocalypse set, it's ripe for a reprint.
Rolling Earthquake: An absolutely ridiculous Earthquake variant from the obscure Portal Three Kingdoms set, which was printed primarily in Chinese and has very few English copies. As the Horsemanship mechanic on the card doesn't appear in any other set, the spell basically reads, “Deal X damage to each creature and each player,” which is dynamite in a red burn deck. And with Wizards reprinting a few creatures with horsemanship in Commander 2013, the door is open for other spells that reference the ability!
Supreme Verdict: A key player in the Return to Ravnica block, Supreme Verdict has a name flashy enough to fit the Annihilation theme as well as the power to back it up. An uncounterable Wrath can be absolutely devastating, even if it does allow regeneration, and the eternal formats love it because it can be pitched to pay the alternate cost of Force of Will.
Terminus: Tucking creatures onto the bottom of the library is far more devastating than death in a game rife with reanimation spells. Terminus is slightly harder to cast than its predecessor Hallowed Burial, but it's more likely to appear here due to its more violent flavor.
Vindicate: Among the most valuable and effective spot removal spells in the game. The ability to destroy any one permanent is incredibly useful, especially for only three mana. As it's never been reprinted, it currently averages over $20 on the secondary market, which should draw players and speculators alike in droves.
What crazy-powerful spells do you think will be included in Annihilation? Is it worth sinking $40 or more into the set for fifteen cards, even if they are as devastating as advertised? Share your comments with the community below!
