UFS

Alright, let me just start this one by saying one thing. I am very wary when it comes to licensed games. I think this comes from the sheer amount of anime based games that are crowding the dead games pool. I will not say that all licensed games are bad, in fact there are many that have gotten the right idea. You need to be able to guarantee longevity. If the original product has a cult following, that is one thing. Most don't last when the series they are based on goes south.

UFS is one of the games that has the right idea. Instead of being based on one fighting game (remember the Mortal Kombat KKG), it is instead based on the entire genre. Each set is licensed from a different game. This ensures new ideas will continue to appear. The system is not that bad either.

The cards in UFS are broken down into five categories. There is your "Character", "Foundations", "Actions", “Assets” and the moves that they perform, known as "Attacks". The mechanics are many, but the most important ones are also the most interesting.

Though the character stars off in play, everything else has to enter somehow. This is done using the "Card Pool" and "Control Checks". I find that this adds a nice amount of strategy, since each successive card you play a turn adds to the "Difficulty" of the other cards.

When a player decides that they will play a card, they place it in the card pool and perform a control check. To do this, the player flips over the top card of their deck and compares the number on the bottom right of that card (the "Control" value) with the top left number of the played card (the difficulty). If the control value is greater than or equal to the difficulty, then the card resolves. If the control value is lower, you may choose to use your foundations and even your character just like you would any resource card in most other CCGs. If you fail to control a card, you turn ends. Do not forget to add one to the difficulty score of a card for each card in your card pool.

If a player uses an attack card, the other player may choose to block. Many cards can be used to block, not just attack cards. There are high, middle and low blocks. They are paid for just like any other card, but the difficulty is the speed of the attacking card plus the modifier in the block circle. If the block is the same as the attack, no damage is dealt. If it is different, half damage. Low cannot block high and vice versa.

Actions are played just like anything else, but when they resolve, they are discarded.

Another thing about UFS that I like is that when you run out of cards, you just reshuffle your deck and remove the top ten cards from the game. When you can no longer do that, then you lose.

The last things are foundations and assets. Assets and foundations stay in play after they resolve. Assets stay around cannot be used in control checks. Foundations stay around and can be used to help in control checks.

That is a "simple" rundown of the game. Trust me, if you try to figure it out based solely on the rules you get with a deck, you are going to be boned. This might just help you.

I personally like UFS, and if you think that this game would be right for you check out their home page: http://www.sabertoothgames.com/ufs/ufs.asp And once again, check eBay.