The Spoils

Well, after all of the readers and support I have gotten from the forums, I have decided the time has come to write my review. I hope you approve.

As a veteran CCG player, I found The Spoils very easy to pick up. By my second game I was playing with at least some skill. One thing everyone should remember, just because a game is easy to pick up, does not mean it lacks strategy. In fact, there are so many things in The Spoils that are done differently that I was on the edge of my seat.

One of my favorite things about The Spoils was the humor. With cards like “Hidden Sandwich” and “Jaque’s Trap”, I had to literally lol. In fact, I had to lol so hard that I had to hold on to the table so I would not rofl (if you are wondering why I am using the abbreviations, check out the “31f” cards). Internet colloquialisms aside, it amused me, but not so much as to distract me from the game itself.

Another element of The Spoils was the “Faction” controlled by the player. Though I have seen similar things in other games, the faction stood out. One interesting thing that the faction brings to the table is the fact that there is not health, instead the faction has “Influence” that is depleted when the faction takes damage. It changes the game play most of us are used to.

When it comes to combat, “Speed” is a major factor. The quicker the “Character”, the sooner they deal their damage. I had a character in play that only had one “Life”, but because it had 3 “Strength” and only one more speed than any of my opponent’s characters, he was safe. Though this does add a level of strategy, I still love the fact that you can attack as many times as you have creatures that are not “Depleted” (tapped for those who have played another major CCG).

”Items” and “Locations” definitely add a nice level to game play. With the abilities produced ranging from keeping a character from being destroyed to manipulating your opponents deck (minds out of the gutter please), the tactics you can use are endless (or will be when this games gets the recognition it deserves).

Finally came the “Tactics” cards. Tactics are like the “Spells” in other CCGs, but they lack the limitation of being played at a certain time. If you can respond you can play a tactic. I still like the title of “Ritual of the Screaming Cheese”. I love cheesy things.

So, let’s make a list of things I liked:

1) The humor
2) The artwork (it is beautiful)
3) The game play
4) The community

Alright now it is time to get to the list of things I did not like:

1) I wish this was a video blog so I could insert the sound of crickets chirping…

If you are interested in a newer game that has a lot of potential, The Spoils is definitely worth a look. Check out their site: http://www.thespoils.com/ . As usual, if you are having a hard time finding product, check out eBay. But this is a game you can find at your favorite online game store.

Oh, before I forget, The Spoils is a tournament oriented game, so be sure to take the time to get in on them. You will meet a lot of great people, and the payoff isn’t that shabby either. :)