The Return of Barnes' Super Sale- WOTABOGGIN!

Not trying to be snarky at all, and I wish I wanted to buy anything there, but I think it'd be interesting (maybe even relevant enough for a gameshark article) to see why Ascension, which you love so much on the iPad, didn't end up being worth keeping for you as a physical copy; the strengths and weaknesses of board games on the iPad and all that, maybe, or maybe it's just about the weakness of physical copies of deckbuilding games (SHUFFLING!).

That actually is a good idea for an article, and it's one I may run with in the next couple of weeks.

The long and short of it is that I rebought Ascension plus the expansions after getting into the IOS game so heavily. But last week I saw it on the shelf and realized that I had not played it since I bought it...and if I were going to play it, it would be the IOS game. Not only because I can play literally 30 games at once, but also because the people I play with don't often want to do deckbuilders. And it's a highly mechanical game, so it's not like there's a metagame or personality interactions lost by playing it digitally.

Nightfall is heading down this same path. I've already played it more than I played the physical game.

Deckbuilding is actually _perfect_ for IOS.

Oh, another sale item- Phil Eklund's Origins plus expansion- $30.

Michael Barnes wrote: Deckbuilding is actually _perfect_ for IOS.

That is exactly what I felt after the last time I played cardboard Ascension (in addition to just not liking the game): shuffling constantly is *such* an annoying mechanic, but that annoyance is completely eliminated on a computer, that it seems like they were made for it (also, no deckbuilding game that I'm aware has a lot of negotiation or anything similar that requires face-to-face contact).

dragonstout wrote:

Michael Barnes wrote: Deckbuilding is actually _perfect_ for IOS.

That is exactly what I felt after the last time I played cardboard Ascension (in addition to just not liking the game): shuffling constantly is *such* an annoying mechanic, but that annoyance is completely eliminated on a computer, that it seems like they were made for it (also, no deckbuilding game that I'm aware has a lot of negotiation or anything similar that requires face-to-face contact).

Nightfall does. I can't imagine that one being as fun against AI.

Yeah, Nightfall does have more of a meta-layer. So far, I haven't really missed it to be honest.

The other thing is that playing these games on IOS automates some of the not-fun parts. Like in Nightfall, it's something of a barrier to entry the way the chaining works, and parsing what cards can link to which can be off-putting to some folks- at least when they're starting out. But on IOS, the cards you can play are highlighted, so you can get a one-glance read on what's playable.

With all the administration backended, the games are faster and the good stuff is easier to get to.

Not that I would ever turn down F2F games of either Ascension or Nightfall- they're still great games, regardless of format.

Not to derail further, although that's exactly what I'm doing.

While I agree that the administration is vastly improved by playing on iOS (ie: having it automated) I find the theme and setting are greatly diminished. It's amazing how much the physical items and real people effect how you see the world your playing in. It's also amazing how little I care if I lose or who I lose to. The propensity for wanting revenge is reduced as is the desire to pair up with someone. All thse meta aspects are reduced and the whole experience feels much more mathematical. There's plus's and minus's to playing games this way.

It's also more like Crack, you burn out on the game quicker and that's not a good thing to me. With the real game the physical items slow you down and force you to see it differently.

Whenever you post Fire & Axe, I have dibs.