6 ms·

I would add to #5 (Poker and Blackjack) that there are many collectable and "living" card games with similar mechanics. NetRunner remains one of my favourites f

I would add to #5 (Poker and Blackjack) that there are many collectable and "living" card games with similar mechanics. NetRunner remains one of my favourites for that reason - asymmetric play, bluffing, and risk management :)

SomeHacker44 9y ago
I would extraordinarily strongly recommend against any "collectible" or "tradable" card game. Only play card games/deck building games which give you all the cards with one time purchase and no randomization. So, Android:Netrunner is a solid example of a good game. Magic the Gathering is an example of one you should run as far and as fast from as possible. Those games ("collectible" card games) are literally the physical equivalent of "Free to Play" games psychologically, without the "Free" part ever. (Edit: "Android Netrunner" is what I was referring to.)
- sputknick 9y ago
  I've been looking at getting into MTG, is it not possible to just buy a deck, and be done with it? If I do that, will I just get crushed on a regular basis?
  - SomeHacker44 9y ago
    It's possible to buy a "starter deck," but against anyone who has invested money (and time), there's no hope. Magic is not really a game so much as a psychological weapon deployed on people to extract money from them legally (if not really ethically), IMO. There's no good need for it either. There's no reason that the game couldn't be made a proper game: Just sell a box with 4 copies of every card ever made (as the limit per deck of a single card is 4) or in expansions. Then it would be ethical.
    - kyoton 9y ago
      The starter decks are pretty solid actually. I come from a very aggressive magic community (in terms of play style, the people were super friendly), but every so often I was able to out do them. These are players who have dedicated years and plenty of cash to creating their decks and honing their minds for the game. Occasionally, careful planning can be beaten by a good hand. ;)
  - kd5bjo 9y ago
    If you don't already have a collection of cards, draft tournaments are a reasonable way to try it out. Only the cards handed out during the tournament are used, so everyone i son an even playing field regardless of prior investment.
  - nextlevelwizard 9y ago
    I haven't been playing for years, but I'm assuming they haven't completely messed with the introduction stuff. There are usually themed 40 card decks with every set. They usually have two colors that are combined to achieve something. They come with little booklet that teaches how the deck is meant to work and maybe some lore behind the idea. My first deck was mono red Goblin deck, which had a lot of small goblin guys and the idea was just to dish out goblins faster than your enemy can handle them, a death by thousand cuts. As for themed decks power, they usually are not very powerful. Since they want to sell you more cards, but they are as good place as any to begin. Just don't expect to win tournaments with them.
  - lbotos 9y ago
    As an avid player, you can, but you'll probably want to play commander as it's more "casual" and relatively stable. Magic is really a 'system' of games. My favorite way to play is draft. It's 12-15 dollars a draft, but 8 people, mini-tournament, power level is balanced by the limited card pool.
- metaloha 9y ago
  Agreed - I enjoy Magic, but it's expensive to even become competitive at the local level. Living card games (FFG makes several) can still have expansions packs, but everyone has access to the same card pool and all the cards are equally available (no randomization). Android:Netrunner is a great example (though the original Netrunner from the 90's is like Magic), but they also make a Game of Thrones game, Call of Cthulu, and Star Wars living card games :) You could buy a complete set of cards for any of these games for less than a top-tier Magic deck :)

SomeHacker44 9y ago

I would extraordinarily strongly recommend against any "collectible" or "tradable" card game. Only play card games/deck building games which give you all the cards with one time purchase and no randomization. So, Android:Netrunner is a solid example of a good game. Magic the Gathering is an example of one you should run as far and as fast from as possible. Those games ("collectible" card games) are literally the physical equivalent of "Free to Play" games psychologically, without the "Free" part ever. (Edit: "Android Netrunner" is what I was referring to.)

sputknick 9y ago
I've been looking at getting into MTG, is it not possible to just buy a deck, and be done with it? If I do that, will I just get crushed on a regular basis?
- SomeHacker44 9y ago
  It's possible to buy a "starter deck," but against anyone who has invested money (and time), there's no hope. Magic is not really a game so much as a psychological weapon deployed on people to extract money from them legally (if not really ethically), IMO. There's no good need for it either. There's no reason that the game couldn't be made a proper game: Just sell a box with 4 copies of every card ever made (as the limit per deck of a single card is 4) or in expansions. Then it would be ethical.
  - kyoton 9y ago
    The starter decks are pretty solid actually. I come from a very aggressive magic community (in terms of play style, the people were super friendly), but every so often I was able to out do them. These are players who have dedicated years and plenty of cash to creating their decks and honing their minds for the game. Occasionally, careful planning can be beaten by a good hand. ;)
- kd5bjo 9y ago
  If you don't already have a collection of cards, draft tournaments are a reasonable way to try it out. Only the cards handed out during the tournament are used, so everyone i son an even playing field regardless of prior investment.
- nextlevelwizard 9y ago
  I haven't been playing for years, but I'm assuming they haven't completely messed with the introduction stuff. There are usually themed 40 card decks with every set. They usually have two colors that are combined to achieve something. They come with little booklet that teaches how the deck is meant to work and maybe some lore behind the idea. My first deck was mono red Goblin deck, which had a lot of small goblin guys and the idea was just to dish out goblins faster than your enemy can handle them, a death by thousand cuts. As for themed decks power, they usually are not very powerful. Since they want to sell you more cards, but they are as good place as any to begin. Just don't expect to win tournaments with them.
- lbotos 9y ago
  As an avid player, you can, but you'll probably want to play commander as it's more "casual" and relatively stable. Magic is really a 'system' of games. My favorite way to play is draft. It's 12-15 dollars a draft, but 8 people, mini-tournament, power level is balanced by the limited card pool.
metaloha 9y ago
Agreed - I enjoy Magic, but it's expensive to even become competitive at the local level. Living card games (FFG makes several) can still have expansions packs, but everyone has access to the same card pool and all the cards are equally available (no randomization). Android:Netrunner is a great example (though the original Netrunner from the 90's is like Magic), but they also make a Game of Thrones game, Call of Cthulu, and Star Wars living card games :) You could buy a complete set of cards for any of these games for less than a top-tier Magic deck :)