Card Game Review - Arcana

This probably doesn't happen to many other people, but earlier this evening I started writing a review of Arcana and realized something horrible - it wasn't the least bit entertaining. I mean, if I wanted to write boring rules summaries, I could just leave it to Tom Vasel. I had the whole thing written, and went back to check it, and said to myself, 'Self,' I said, 'this review is less interesting than the safety instructions of a box of Kleenex.' So I threw it out and started over.

Arcana is a deckbuilding game from Alderac, only it doesn't really feel like a deckbuilding game, it feels like a kick-ass card game that shows us how many things you can do with the idea of creating your deck while you play. And the first thing I want to get out of the way is the elephant in the room, because he just took a dumper in the corner of my office and he's about to sit on my comic books.

Yes, Dominion was the first real deckbuilding game. Yes, every game after that will have to be compared to Dominion, until enough games are made that people quit comparing them. Yes, I'm started sentences by answering questions nobody asked me. No, I don't give a rat's ass. And no, this game is not Dominion, and while it does borrow from Dominion on a very fundamental level, it is very different and should not be labeled a 'clone' of any kind.

In Arcana, each player assumes the role of a guild in the fantastic city of Cadwallon (that's 'fantastic' like fairies and unicorn farts, not 'fantastic' like awesome, though the city might be a very nice place to visit, but I wouldn't know because I've never been there, probably because it's not real). Each guild has a handful of agents at its disposal, and they'll send those agents throughout the city to exert influence, recruit more help, and lay claim to areas of the city.

As players swipe relics, control locations and persuade important people to join their guilds, those cards are added to their decks. Since different people are good at different things, you'll want to get a variety of people with a variety of skills to make it easier to get more people and places down the road.

Since the Dominion comparisons are inevitable, allow me to explain why this is not Dominion (and it's not like you have the choice of not allowing me to explain - even if you stop reading now, I will have already explained, you just won't actually see it).

The first and most important difference between Arcana and other deckbuilding games is the tense and persistent interaction with the other players. Since there are only five cards available at any time, you'll find yourself constantly trying to outdo your opponents to snatch up the cards you want. You'll scheme and bluff and possibly resort to bribery in order to get the cards, because if you don't, your opponent will get them and you'll get nothing. You don't get to just pay for cards. Everything is a competition here.

The second major difference is that you don't know what cards will be available from turn to turn. There are only ever five cards available, and they're randomized, so it's not like you can look at the available options and decide how you're planning to win the game. You have to play smart and keep your eyes open, and keep in mind what assets you're going to need down the line. Preparation is key here - if you grab up all the military men who appear, you're going to come up short when the only cards available require you to have some clergy in your pocket (quick note - you need either very large pockets or very small priests if you want to have clergy in your pocket).

A third element really sets Arcana apart from the crowd. The art in this game is amazing. Looking at the graphics on the cards make me want to visit Cadwallon, though I can't, because as I may have mentioned, it's not real. But between the theme (which is surprisingly consistent for a card game) and the amazing art, it sure feels like it could be real. I don't really play many RPGs any more, but if I did, Cadwallon would make a great setting for some half-troll druid/archer to run around and kill things. Hopefully someone can see that, and makes this wacky town into a roleplaying game.

Unfortunately, I recently heard that Alderac is sending all the Dust Games stuff to Fantasy Flight, and Arcana is one of those games. That's unfortunate because it means the likelihood of Arcana expansions is suddenly a lot lower - FFG doesn't have a good track record of supporting their smaller games. It's also unfortunate because Fantasy Flight kind of hates me, which is going to make it a lot harder to get Dust Tactics.

But even if Arcana never gets an expansion, it's still a totally kick-ass game in its own right. Do yourself a favor and just play the full rules - there's a beginner version of the rules, but they're not anywhere near as much fun as when you add in the militia and the objectives, and the ability to stash some of your cards instead of having them take up space in your deck is really nice.

Arcana doesn't invent any brand new game mechanics, but it does take some existing ideas and throw a really good spin on them. It's fun and pretty and downright affordable, with plenty of reasons to play it plenty of times. Basically, it's fantastic, in nearly every sense of the word.

Summary

Pros:
Great setting with beautiful art
A great twist on the deckbuilding game
Constant interaction

Cons:
Some of the symbols can be confusing

If you're looking to score a copy of a really great deckbuilding game in a really fun setting, run over to Dogstar Games and pick up a copy. They've got a great deal on it with very reasonable shipping:

http://www.dogstargames.com/product/AEG5201

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Special Update - Drake's Flames Tuck Boxes

If there's one thing about this hobby that might be a downside, it's the fact that there's never enough money to buy everything I want. For instance, I'm trying to collect enough old Citadel miniatures to play all the expanded monster tables in Warhammer Quest, and I love finding old RPGs at Half Price Books. I would love to have the prepainted miniatures for Okko, and I've been seriously considering buying a handful of cowboy minis and converting HeroScape into a Wild West setting.

And to make matters worse, I want other stuff, too. I really want to buy Midnight Club: LA for my Xbox 360, and there are a bunch of really cool downloadable games on there, to boot - but they cost Microsoft points, which cost money. And I want a nice Fossil watch, one that will look cool enough to wear when I'm showing off my tattoos, but stylish enough to go with a dress shirt. And let's not forget that I have a wife and two kids, and I love buying stuff for them, too. Put all that stuff together, and I need just a little more money than I have now.

It's not like I don't have an income. I have a day job that makes pretty good scratch, plus VixenTor Games and freelance design work. But I also have a phone bill, and a mortgage, and a car payment, and utilities, and by the time I pay all the bills, I usually have just enough to buy a rubber ball out of a grocery store vending machine.

So, to quote my good friend Baldric (obscure Black Adder reference), I have a cunning plan.

I have these tuck boxes that I've designed. I made them for myself, because so many games come with cards, and it's a rare publisher who gives you a good way to organize them. Hell, look at Fantasy Flight - most of the time, the box has one worthless insert that's little more than a folded piece of cardboard, and there are like 300 cards in a box the size of a Buick, and if you just toss them in the box after you play, you'll be sorting them for half an hour every time you want to play.

These tuck boxes were originally just a design I created so I could store my stuff. I made a couple of them that were just white, and then I decided they weren't nearly cool enough. I guess I just can't stand looking at a white surface that hasn't been decorated, so I slapped art all over the outside. Then I decided to pimp my own site to anyone playing with me, and came up with a design with the dice-breathing dragon.

At this point, I probably have a dozen or so of these boxes in various sizes and depths, stuck into games all over my office. They're handy, and I can put one together in about five minutes, so it's worth printing out a few and keeping them handy. I think they're pretty wicked, personally, but that might just be me.

So here's the cunning plan, and as you can probably see, it's not really a very good plan at all. Basically, I'm going to give away these tuck boxes to anyone who wants to download them. The main intent of giving away these designs is to thank all of you for reading. Without you, this site would have died out a long time ago. It's not just your love that keeps me going, either (though I do really appreciate the love, especially from the dickweasels who pretend they're only reading to find something to mock). When you read the stuff I write, it gets more hits, and more hits means companies are more willing to part with their games, which means when you read Drake's Flames, I have less trouble getting free games. That, and every time you click a link, an angel gets his wings.

But I really would like to buy some old-school savage orc archers, and I could seriously use a new pair of steel-toe work boots. So if you download the boxes, and you make a bunch, and you decide they're pretty awesome, you can feel free to PayPal me a couple bucks. If they're only worth a dollar to you, send a dollar. If they're worth ten, I won't turn it down. If you think they're worth a hundred, then you're completely insane, and need to keep your money for your therapist. And if you don't think they're worth anything, or if you just can't really afford it, don't worry about it. Just enjoy them.

And since the main reason I'm putting these up at all is to thank you all for showing up, if I get enough people sending me spare change, I'll make more. I actually have some designs started, including a dragon-scale box I made for my Warhammer Quest cards. I'll even take requests, whether you feel like shipping me cash or not.

A little advertisement for the tuck boxes has been added to the ad box over to the left, and it links right to the PDF of the tuck box file. Regardless of whether you ever intend to send money, please feel free to download them and see if they're any good to you. If you don't feel like paying anything, by God, don't.

Thanks for reading, and I'll be back tomorrow night with a review of... well, something. I haven't decided yet.

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Preview - Three New Games from Petroglyph

I know I’ve said before that I’m a total whore for free games. That’s why I’m here at all – well, that, and the love of my adoring fans, who call me clueless and stupid and insensitive and racist (that last one I still don’t understand). But mostly the games.

So when Petroglyph Games offered me the chance to write a preview of their next three board games, and then get review copies when they’re available, it took me less than two minutes to decide it sounded like a good idea. After all, it’s free games.

The idea was, I would ask some questions, and they would answer them, and then I would copy the whole e-mail interview into a post and all my work would be done, then I would sit back and wait for my free stuff. The problem is, e-mail interviews are usually slightly more interesting than reading the warnings on a carton of toothpaste, and so my inherent laziness had to take a back seat to my desire to post something that didn’t make me embarrassed to go out in public. So now, here’s a paraphrased summary of Petrogylph’s next three games, complete with some inappropriate sexual comments and maybe a joke about the handicapped.

By way of reminder (for those of you who don’t have photographic memories), Petroglyph makes Panzer General: Allied Assault, which I enjoyed very much and my wife hated like a yeast infection. It’s a card-based tactical game based on a video game you can download to your Xbox 360. The World War II theme is cool, as is the modular field, but some of the combat can get a little tedious if you’re used to just rolling some dice and ending your turn.

This is important because one of those three new games is Panzer General: Russian Assault. In case you’ve recently endured some brain damage, or are currently on under the influence of powerful narcotics, I’ll explain the theme – it’s Allied Assault, but with Russians. But in the tradition of late-night infomercials, that’s not all!

Russian Assault adds miniatures. It adds other stuff, but that’s specifically what I asked about, because in a game where the cards are the units, miniatures seemed like a superfluous choice. But as the guys at Petroglyph explained, the miniatures let you see where you have tanks, or artillery units, or foot soldiers, but not whores, because while they were definitely part of the war experience, they’re just not that useful in a fight. I don’t know what those miniatures look like, or the scale, or pretty much anything else, but I do know they’ll make it a lot easier to tell, at a glance, whether you’re going to get completely mutilated if you attack those infantrymen banging the hookers in the little village in the middle of the map.

Because you may not all have played Panzer General: Allied Assault, you may not get what an improvement those minis will be. In every game I played, the whole thing was slowed way down as I checked over every card to see if the enemy had artillery in range. These figures will improve the game a bunch. I’m assuming there are other cool things in Russian Assault, but I’m kind of a plastic junkie, so I got all giddy about the minis and forgot to ask about anything else.

If you dig the cards-as-tanks concept, but can’t really get behind an historical wargame, Petroglyph has you covered. Guardians of Graxia takes the modular board and card-based tactics and converts it to a fantasy theme. They have all the usual suspects that have been running around in tights and pointy hats since Tolkien - elves, dwarves, orcs and undead – but then it adds the Boneshadow and the Celethreals. You can tell from the names of these races that they are completely different from anything you’ve ever seen. Yes, that was sarcasm.

I’ll confess that the theme of Guardians of Graxia sounds like a complete retread to me, but the adaptations from Panzer General are going to be sweet. The board is built from the modular squares, but now they’re offset, creating a pseudo-hexagonal thing that should offer lots of new tactical options. Plus all the various dudes have different abilities, and you can build your deck to include the devastating combos that will make you the coolest kid at your Friday night Magic: The Gathering club. You’ll have physical and magical attacks, and shield spells to block damage, and all kinds of goobery fantasy abilities that will make you want to rescue princesses while wearing a battle skirt.

This Graxia place is also the center of the third game from Petroglyph, called Heroes of Graxia. Unlike the tactical wargames, Heroes is actually a deckbuilding game. Think Dominion or Thunderstone, but with beatdowns. The main reason you’re buying the cards is to use them to do bodily harm to your opponents (not literally – I don’t recommend you try to use playing cards as weapons. That could end in injuries to yourself, or worse, bent cards). I’ve said before that deckbuilding games are going to be the Next Big Thing, and Heroes of Graxia seems ready to show how psychic I am. Next thing you know, I’ll have a call-in hotline and a late-night cable show, and I’ll tell you where your uncle left his life insurance policy.

The Petroglyph guys tell me that the various games offer a wide variety of depth and complexity. They’re coming out with a pretty cool variety of games, and there should be a little something for almost anyone, unless you totally hate themed games and really just want to make farms with wooden cubes or deliver mail.

According to Petroglyph, their games should be available at GenCon, so if you’re going to the big show, you might be able to play some demos and see what you think. If my review copies show up before then, I’ll try to tell you what I think before you drop your hard-earned money for them at the con, assuming you’re going to the con, which I am not.

Unfortunately, we've come to the end of the preview, and I never did manage to shoe-horn in a gimp joke. I'll try harder for Friday's article.

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Supplement Review - Summoner Wars Expansion Packs

I have to check a calendar, because I would swear my birthday wasn't for a couple months. It sure feels like it, though, because I just got the Summoner Wars expansion decks and I'll be damned if I didn't expect it to come with cake and ice cream, and maybe a lame office party where everyone brings whatever crappy food they either bought at the supermarket on the way to work or threw together the night before, except for that one lady who can actually cook but never makes enough for everyone, so that even when you're the birthday boy, you only get like two bites of the banana pudding before everyone descends on it like a Biblical plague of locusts.

Summoner Wars is a fantastic game all by itself. It might be better than HeroScape, and I love HeroScape (you know, before they changed the bases). It's definitely better than a lot of tactical games you could buy, with layers of interesting game play and incredibly well-tested card powers. If you like games, you should own Summoner Wars.

But then, just because the guys at Plaid Hat Games couldn't let well enough alone, they went and brought us a couple decks of bruisers who make the game even better. Each expansion deck is a new faction you can bring to the table, and just like with all the other factions, they have a very specific feel that makes them completely different and new.

The Vanguard are super-good hero-types, to the point that one of the champions is an archangel. These guys hit so hard they'll knock your pants off, and then you'll have the double humiliation of being beat to death while not wearing any pants.

Traditionally, Summoner Wars units that get hit a lot just sort of curl up and die. But with the Vanguard, you've got priests who can heal your guys, so that the huge bruiser on the front line who is dropping enemies like it was free becomes an even more effective meat shield. Even your summoner is a great healer. Your opponents will be so busy stabbing your champion that they'll never have time to react to those archers who come around the back and tag-team you with arrows until you look like you like that ugly guy from Hellraiser.

And if you're a fan of controlling the board, the guardian knights are going to rock your Pinhead face off. Don't want those goblins picking on the priest? Send a knight to stand next to him, and that pathetic goblin won't have a choice of targets - he has to swing on the guardian. That archangel I mentioned before can fly, so he moves faster than anyone else, and he flies right over anything in the way to stick his incredibly resilient ass wherever it would irritate your opponent the most.

I must confess, however, that as much as I liked the Vanguard, the Fallen Kingdoms are easily my new favorite team. I'm not usually a fan of being the bad guy, but these guys are just a total blast to play. The cards go from 'really cool' to 'fill-yer-pants awesome.'

The thing that makes the undead so fun to play is the ability to swarm the board without depleting your deck. I love playing the goblins, but if my swarm doesn't shut down my opponent early in the game, I end up running out of cards and then standing there like a deer caught in the headlights of a semi truck while banging the truck driver's daughter. But no more! Now I can flood the board and still manage to have cards left when my opponent runs dry.

The skeletal archers are the first example here. When they die, there's a very good chance they go to your discard pile instead of your opponent's magic stack, meaning he's going to need to dump his own cards to fuel his magic stack, making him run out faster than you.

Then add in the zombies. When they kill an enemy dude, that guy turns into a zombie - which enters play from your discard pile. You get free guys that don't run down your deck, and if you play this game, you understand how freaking brilliant that is.

Now add in the summoner himself. His special ability is that he can summon in the middle of the attack phase and bring in guys from the discard pile. Now you get to bring in guys during the fighting phase, and again, they're not coming out of your deck.

But what can you do with all that swarm, you ask? The goblins have a great buddy-up attack thing, and they regularly attack with more guys than should be legal. Their swarm is scary. The undead can't do that.

But what they can do is sacrifice their undead minions. Several cards in the FK deck let you kill your own guys to either reduce the summoning cost for a champion or heal your bruisers. And guess where those sacrificial minions go when they die? I'll give you one guess.

Never mind, don't bother guessing. I can't hear you, and I don't really care what you say anyway. I'll just tell you. They go to the discard pile, which means they're sitting right there, waiting for you to summon them again!

I suppose if you play the Fallen Kingdoms wrong, they would be really easy to kill, especially with the Vanguard. But if you use them right, they're damned hard to beat. I like both decks a lot, but I'll take those creepy undead guys every time. It helps that some of the art looks like it was created while the artist was listening to old Iron Maiden albums and smoking laced Mexican Red.

If you like Summoner Wars as much as I do, you really should get the expansion decks. Maybe you can have a little Christmas-in-July of your own.

Summary

2 players, or 4 if you have four decks and want to play teams

Pros:
Each deck has a unique feel and play style
Same great art style that makes the original so much fun to play
They do what expansions should do - make the original game better

Cons:
Nope.

If you enjoy Summoner Wars, you should go here and get the expansions. If you don't enjoy Summoner Wars, then it's possible you have no soul. Maybe the expansions can help.
http://www.plaidhatgames.com/store.html

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Hiatus

I've been writing Drake's Flames for a couple years now, give or take a few months, ever since my gig at Knucklebones went away, which was a direct result of Knucklebones going away. For most of that time, I've updated three times a week, although every now and then, I only write two articles in a week. I took my wife on a New Orleans vacation, and updated twice from the hotel. I went to GenCon twice in that time, and still managed to squeeze out some stuff, despite being neck-deep in stank-ass gamer nerds and alcoholic binges.

But now I'm doing something I haven't done before on any level - I'm taking some time off. I need a week, because things are getting a little hectic over here and I've got too much going on. It doesn't help that I'm running really low on review copies, either.

I'll have my next article July 5. In the meantime, if you're just plain jonesing for some snarky reviews full of piss and vinegar, you can check out the Superfly Circus right here:

http://superflycircus.blogspot.com/

Those should be relatively offensive, so that you won't get the shakes and start raiding methadone clinics while I'm out.

See you in a week!

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Event Review - Not Exactly Smoking

I've been a smoker for nearly twenty years. If I could go back in time and do things differently, I would pass on that first smoke, because ever since, I've enjoyed a number of benefits of smoking. Those benefits include, but are not limited to, coughing until my face turns red, panting like a fat guy on a treadmill every time I climb a flight of stairs, smelling like dirty sweat socks, and hocking up tarballs that look like they just floated in from the BP oil spill. But that damned nicotine is more addictive than heroin (or so I hear), and every attempt to quit has resulted in me being pissed off for three weeks and then sneaking out at two in the morning to pick up a pack from an all-night gas station, except for the one time I tried Chantix and my wife shoved a pack into my hands and told me to smoke until it killed me.

The thing is, I really like smoking. I know it's all in my head, and I only like it because of the addiction, but so what? If I told you that you only enjoy receiving oral sex because you were addicted, would you stop wanting to get blowjobs? The long, deep breath in followed by that feel of the smoke punching the back of your throat, and then the mellow buzz you get off that first morning smoke - that stuff is nice. It feels good (unless you don't smoke - my first cancer stick included short puffs that made me hyperventilate, then I choked on the smoke and my eyes started running, and then I got sick all over the sidewalk. It's only nice because I've been at it so long. Like I said, I'm addicted).

But whether or not I like it, I still always wished I could quit. I hate that elephant-on-your-chest feeling every morning. I hate not being able to laugh for more than five seconds before I start to cough like I had a wasting disease. I really despise not being able to wear anything twice because it all smells like the bottom of a dirty ashtray. And then, you know, there's the death, which I would rather avoid if possible. The only problem is, I've tried everything. I tried drugs (they caused psychotic fits), lozenges (killer dry mouth), gum (not a good idea to inhale that), and patches (couldn't keep 'em lit). I tried other stuff, too. Nothing worked. So I basically just turned those lemons into lemonade, and decided to be happy because I knew how I was going to die.

And then I discovered the personal vaporizer, also known as the electronic cigarette, also known as the greatest invention of the 21st century. This is a little tube that looks a lot like a long cigarette. It consists of a battery, an atomizer and a cartridge. The atomizer screws into the battery, and the cartridge is full of this liquid that has nicotine and flavoring in it, and when you push a button on the side, it vaporizes the liquid and turns it into water vapor. Then you suck on the thing and pull all that water vapor right into your lungs.

Now, there are several reasons why quitting has not worked in the past. Specifically, I like these specific things from a cigarette:

1) The nicotine. It stops the cravings. It keeps me mellow when I want to get all Hulk Smash.
2) The long inhale. It calms me down and feels good to suck in that much air, even if it is full of cancer.
3) The throat hit. After 20 years, you start to really enjoy that throat punch that says you're about to feel good.
4) The cloud of exhaled smoke. I don't know why I love this part - it seems unnecessary - but I do.

And when I use my e-cig, I get all that stuff. I get the nicotine. I get the long inhale. I get the throat hit, and I blow out plumes of what seriously looks like smoke. So it has everything I love about smoking, but with none of that nasty dying.

Possibly the coolest part is that you can buy the liquid in different flavors. Right now I'm switching back and forth between cappuccino and Atomic Fireball. The taste doesn't really linger, and the vapor has virtually no odor and dissipates almost immediately, so you don't stink like wasted dreams or have the inside of your mouth taste like you've been licking out the fireplace. Compared to cigarettes, it's also a lot cheaper - I can vape for three weeks for what it would cost me to smoke for two days.

As an added bonus, you no longer have to worry about second-hand anything. The vapor is gone within seconds, and doesn't stick to anything, so I can smoke in my house, in my car, and even at my desk at work. I went out to lunch today, and when we got to the part of the meal where I usually excuse myself to go outside, I just whipped out my e-cig and puffed away. If you're worried about getting someone pissed at you, you can inhale and hold it a little, and the vapor will dissipate inside your lungs, which is probably not particularly great, but then again, it's better than deliberately coating your lungs with tar and rat poison. Every year, hundreds of people are admitted to emergency rooms with smoke inhalation. Do you ever hear about ER visits for water vapor inhalation? No, you don't, because that doesn't make you die.

If you don't smoke, just thank your lucky stars and ignore this article. Or better yet, if you know someone who wishes they could give up the coffin nails, let them know about it. But if you smoke, then the odds are incredibly good that you wish you could quit, and if you ever wanted to give up the bad parts without losing the good parts, I cannot recommend these things enough. I am incredibly grateful to the friend who introduced me to them, and I plan on sucking on these things until I'm on my death bed. I haven't quit a damned thing. But it's been three weeks, and I know that there's no good reason for me to buy another pack of cigarettes. I would rather vape.

Summary

Pros:
Vaping kicks ass. Smoking sucks.

If you ever wanted to quit smoking, or you know someone who does, these guys have absolutely fantastic service:

http://www.dfwvapor.com/

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Expansion Review - Okko Expansions 2 & 3

Before I start reviewing the smokin' hot expansions for Okko, allow me to direct you to this review of the original game:

This review of the original game.

There, now you can go there and read about how fun it is to play Okko. So with that out of the way, now I can tell you how much better the game is when you add in the expansions.

Now, one caveat is necessary up front - I don't have the first expansion. I have the second and third, and I'll be pestering my contact at Asmodee for the first one, because now I'm addicted to the game and suddenly have collecteritis (you know what that is, it's when you have to have every part of a game, even if you hardly ever play it, and even if you won't ever use the part you got off eBay for 75 bucks). In fact, I also need to go see if there are promo pieces or anything for the game, because I'm going to need those, too (but probably not the minis, because the best cure for collecteritis is expensivexx, a drug created by making something so costly that the only way you'll ever own it is if you mug a wealthy nerd).

The base game for Okko is just the beginning of the addiction. You can buy it pretty damned cheap - I saw an eBay copy for $25 when I was trying to find a set of the miniatures - and you'll definitely get your money's worth. It is a very good game, even if you don't have the intensely awesome expansions. But if you really want to get hooked (and you know you do, because of how much you hate having money), you should pick up Era of the Kerasu.

Okko: Era of the Kerasu is expansion #2, and it mostly adds sorcerers. But it also adds a lot more, like a bad-ass executioner guy who can kill demons in one hit, and some cheap undead who suck, but come in packs. If you want a swarm army, this is how you get it. Plus there are six more boards, so you can create really big maps (which would make the game totally blow), or just have fights in a lot of different places. For those of you who like it dark, one of the boards has a battleground with a dead horse on it. The horse still has a spear in him. That's pretty gross, by the way, but it definitely lets you know that you're not playing some limp-wristed family game about raising potatoes. There's a body count, so you're playing a man's game.

The sorcerers are fantastic. They're not overpowered (especially because both sides can get them), but they have some incredibly handy abilities. For starters, they can reroll your inspiration dice. If you've played this game, you know exactly how excellent that is. For those of you who have, for whatever reason (I blame senility) not played Okko, those inspiration dice are often the difference between hitting your enemies with swimming pool toys and stabbing them so hard their kidneys fall out. So that makes sorcerers pretty cool, even if they couldn't summon elementals. But they can.

Yeah, that's right. They summon elementals. I had to say it twice, because it's that brilliant. You can even get in a sort of bidding war with your elementals, where the evil sorcerer summons a water dude who looks all green and gross, then the good guy sorcerer calls up a water dude, which steals it from the bad guy and makes it cute and a little tubby. You can control these kami (that's what the elementals are called, because the game takes place in Pajan, which is like Japan, except totally different). You can make them punch people, which is pretty cool, but you can also make them fly up close to your enemies and explode, which has an ugly tendency to kill the guys on the other side. And that's pretty damned awesome, if you ask me.

The stuff in Era of the Kerasu makes Okko, which is a wicked awesome game to start with, into a game with an addiction risk on par with heroin or potato chips (for the record, I am not addicted to heroin, though the verdict is still out on potato chips). And in case you weren't entirely hooked yet, the third expansion (called Pajan Gun'Tai, which probably means something like 'People from Japan if Japan was spelled incorrectly' but sounds more like a Number Eight with fried rice) will set you well on the path to needing an intervention and a twelve-step program.

Pajan Gun'Ati is a little mini expansion. It has ten dudes and four equipment cards. But the characters are simply fantastic, from the soldiers flying their battle standards that help everyone around them, to the ambassadors who grant extra inspiration dice (because they're civilians) and have special powers of sucking (OK, that's not that fantastic. But they're cheap, and they also have some powerful support abilities). They're all mercenaries, which means they'll work for either side, and if used properly, can really turn the battle around. But most importantly, they give you a lot more options for building your team of ass-kickers, and the more you have available, the more fun it is to play Okko.

If you don't already have Okko, you should get it. Play it first, and if you like it, get the expansions. If you do already have Okko and you like it, you should definitely get these expansions, because they make a game that is original, creative and fun into a game that is original, creative, fun and pure concentrated awesome. Okko is so addictive, I'm considering stealing money from my mom. Not that I need the money - everything about this game is affordable (not counting the miniatures, which may require you to turn to prostitution). I was just going to get some drugs to help me with the withdrawals, in case I can't find someone to play.

Summary

2 players

Pros:
Very cool art (though the board tiles are still too dark)
Makes a great game into cardboard cocaine
Adds new layers to the game without adding complexity
Quite affordable

Cons:
Still cardboard standups and flat board tiles
May be habit-forming

Dogstar Games is carrying the base game and the first expansion (yeah, the one I don't have), but I'm still sending you there because they'll get the rest eventually.

OKKO PAGE

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