Sorry, but it is not as if VotK had any money cards – you trade actual friggin things you want to put into your tomb. “I trade this sarcophage and this mask and this table for some book, but before I play this little figurine to reorder the market, because thats what this stuff obiously is all doing”. Nope, sorry to say, but the theme and the card abilities really don’t base on each other.

I really love the game, it is one of the best small deck builders around, but the card names and images are just stuff to allow to recognize cards faster than reading the text over and over again. But there is a big disconnect between the mechanics and the theme.

It actually is a problem for my wife in that game – she learns games much better (and enjoys playing theme) if the mechanics in the context of the game make sense. Which made VotK far more complex for her than for me, who can ignore wonky themes and just play the mechanics.

Sorry, but it is not as if VotK had any money cards – you trade actual friggin things you want to put into your tomb. “I trade this sarcophage and this mask and this table for some book, but before I play this little figurine to reorder the market, because thats what this stuff obiously is all doing”. Nope, sorry to say, but the theme and the card abilities really don’t base on each other.

I really love the game, it is one of the best small deck builders around, but the card names and images are just stuff to allow to recognize cards faster than reading the text over and over again. But there is a big disconnect between the mechanics and the theme.

It actually is a problem for my wife in that game – she learns games much better (and enjoys playing theme) if the mechanics in the context of the game make sense. Which made VotK far more complex for her than for me, who can ignore wonky themes and just play the mechanics.

One I like: Valley of the Kings. The theme makes no sense at all to start with: “you are a pharao filling his grave with goods for afterlife” – whut? Add to that the thing that nine of the card abilities have any connection at all to the items depicted on the cards (and the abilities don’t have any connection to the theme, too) and you end up with an abstract deck builder where the theme is something that happened by accident. It is a great fun abstract deck builder, but really, don’t get it for the theme 😉

VotK makes Dominion into ameritrash by comparison 😉

One I like: Valley of the Kings. The theme makes no sense at all to start with: “you are a pharao filling his grave with goods for afterlife” – whut? Add to that the thing that nine of the card abilities have any connection at all to the items depicted on the cards (and the abilities don’t have any connection to the theme, too) and you end up with an abstract deck builder where the theme is something that happened by accident. It is a great fun abstract deck builder, but really, don’t get it for the theme 😉

VotK makes Dominion into ameritrash by comparison 😉

Not really an AI but a dummy procedure that puts pressure on you. I am normally nit a big fan of these kinds of solo variants, enjoying a full-blown automatted player mire, or at least some kind of cheating automa, but this was one of the better experiences for a “dumb procedural timer” as an opponent. Not too much to manage and kept the tension up.

Not really an AI but a dummy procedure that puts pressure on you. I am normally nit a big fan of these kinds of solo variants, enjoying a full-blown automatted player mire, or at least some kind of cheating automa, but this was one of the better experiences for a “dumb procedural timer” as an opponent. Not too much to manage and kept the tension up.