Tuff Stuff's Gamer Summer/Fall 1996 - 64 - Gaming Guide
GAMING GUIDE
Reviews to Help You Navigate the CCG Jungle
Star Wars:
The Customizable Game
Decipher Inc.
Considering the success of Decipher Inc.'s
"Star Trek: The Next Generation Custom-
izable Card Game," it's not surprising
that the company produced the trading
card game based on this planet's other
huge sci-fi franchise, Star Wars. The
audience was there, and the market
seemed poised for another challenging
space game.
The question was: Could designers
Tom Braunlich and Rollie Tesh create a
game that was as much fun as "Star Trek:
The Next Generation" and still capture the
feel of the Star Wars films? Fortunately,
the answer was a resounding "yes."
Reviews to Help You Navigate the CCG Jungle
Star Wars:
The Customizable Game
Decipher Inc.
Considering the success of Decipher Inc.'s
"Star Trek: The Next Generation Custom-
izable Card Game," it's not surprising
that the company produced the trading
card game based on this planet's other
huge sci-fi franchise, Star Wars. The
audience was there, and the market
seemed poised for another challenging
space game.
The question was: Could designers
Tom Braunlich and Rollie Tesh create a
game that was as much fun as "Star Trek:
The Next Generation" and still capture the
feel of the Star Wars films? Fortunately,
the answer was a resounding "yes."
For card collectors, "Star Wars" has
similar strengths and weaknesses as its
predecessor. Popular characters like Luke
Skywalker and Darth Vader are rares, for
example, while the supporting cast of
droids, troops, and aliens are the most
common cards. Each "Star Wars" card
features a crisp photo from the film and
its multicolored layout is an improve-
ment on "Star Trek: The Next Gener-
ation's" drab, blue design. In short, "Star
Wars" cards are much more attractive.
For gamers, "Star Wars" is very dif-
ferent from "Star Trek: The Next Genera-
tion." One player uses a Dark deck
against his or her opponent's Light deck
(representing the two sides of the force).
Each 60-card deck represents the play-
er's 60 force points. The object of the
game is to make your opponent discard
down to zero force points. To do this, you
gain control of locations and fight bat-
tles. The game's tricky mechanics take a
while to master. Once you do, though,
it's extremely fun.
-Mike O'Connell
NETRUNNER
Wizards of the Coast
similar strengths and weaknesses as its
predecessor. Popular characters like Luke
Skywalker and Darth Vader are rares, for
example, while the supporting cast of
droids, troops, and aliens are the most
common cards. Each "Star Wars" card
features a crisp photo from the film and
its multicolored layout is an improve-
ment on "Star Trek: The Next Gener-
ation's" drab, blue design. In short, "Star
Wars" cards are much more attractive.
For gamers, "Star Wars" is very dif-
ferent from "Star Trek: The Next Genera-
tion." One player uses a Dark deck
against his or her opponent's Light deck
(representing the two sides of the force).
Each 60-card deck represents the play-
er's 60 force points. The object of the
game is to make your opponent discard
down to zero force points. To do this, you
gain control of locations and fight bat-
tles. The game's tricky mechanics take a
while to master. Once you do, though,
it's extremely fun.
-Mike O'Connell
NETRUNNER
Wizards of the Coast
"Netrunner," Wizards of the Coast's
newest release, has arrived with all the
bells and whistles you'd expect from the
mother of all CCGs. Wizards provided
retailer support kits and a slick ad cam-
paign to help launch this new Deckmas-
ter offering with a bang.
"Netrunner" is based on the popular
Cyberpunk 2020 role-playing game, pro-
viding yet another example of the
crossover occurring between these two
genres. "Netrunner" is set in a future
cyber-environment where powerful and
corrupt Corporations battle free-spirited
Runners for control of sensitive data
that could ultimately crush the Corpora-
tions while illegally filling the pockets of
the Runners.
Like the "Star Wars" CCG, "Netrun-
her" is a two-person game that requires
players to face off with different cards.
Here, one player uses Corporation cards,
while his opponent employs Runner
cards, much like "Star Wars" gamers
wage a battle of Light versus Dark. Each
"Netrunner" starter kit comes with a
large rulebook, a Runner deck, and a
Corporation deck. Both decks are ready
to play out of the box, which immensely
pleased me. The artwork and the cards
are up to the standards Wizards has
newest release, has arrived with all the
bells and whistles you'd expect from the
mother of all CCGs. Wizards provided
retailer support kits and a slick ad cam-
paign to help launch this new Deckmas-
ter offering with a bang.
"Netrunner" is based on the popular
Cyberpunk 2020 role-playing game, pro-
viding yet another example of the
crossover occurring between these two
genres. "Netrunner" is set in a future
cyber-environment where powerful and
corrupt Corporations battle free-spirited
Runners for control of sensitive data
that could ultimately crush the Corpora-
tions while illegally filling the pockets of
the Runners.
Like the "Star Wars" CCG, "Netrun-
her" is a two-person game that requires
players to face off with different cards.
Here, one player uses Corporation cards,
while his opponent employs Runner
cards, much like "Star Wars" gamers
wage a battle of Light versus Dark. Each
"Netrunner" starter kit comes with a
large rulebook, a Runner deck, and a
Corporation deck. Both decks are ready
to play out of the box, which immensely
pleased me. The artwork and the cards
are up to the standards Wizards has
shown in the past, reflecting the game's
virtual setting.
Designed by "Magic" maker Richard
Garfield, "Netrunner" is a well-thought-
out and balanced game that, aside from a
litany of unique terms, is relatively easy
to learn. And I hope, with Wizards going
heavy on the marketing, "Netrunner"
gamers will not have difficulty finding
others with whom to play - a problem
that plagues a lot of new CCGs.
-Jeffrey Archer
MIDOLE-EARTH:
THE WIZAROS
Iron Crown Enterprises
Not another fantasy trading card game....
virtual setting.
Designed by "Magic" maker Richard
Garfield, "Netrunner" is a well-thought-
out and balanced game that, aside from a
litany of unique terms, is relatively easy
to learn. And I hope, with Wizards going
heavy on the marketing, "Netrunner"
gamers will not have difficulty finding
others with whom to play - a problem
that plagues a lot of new CCGs.
-Jeffrey Archer
MIDOLE-EARTH:
THE WIZAROS
Iron Crown Enterprises
Not another fantasy trading card game....
Don't fret. "Middle-earth: The Wiz-
ards" is refreshingly different. For one
thing, it's based on the bible of fantasy
literature: J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the
Rings. Sure, players use magic items and
encounter monsters just like in other
fantasy games. But instead of waging
all-out war against opponents, a player's
wizard assembles companies of elves,
hobbits, humans, and dwarves, and then
sends them across Middle-earth to
acquire Marshaling Points. The monsters
that the companies encounter are inci-
dental to the journey. Once a player accu-
mulates enough Marshaling Points, he
or she can call a Free Council in which
all players decide which wizard's advice
to follow.
In other words, players vote on who
wins the game. Imagine: democracy in
gameplaying.
The designers at Iron Crown kept "Mid-
