How exciting that is that title? Ascension is a card game.
I’ve been meaning to pick up Dominion for years (two). It was described to me as a deck-building game, where the game itself was similar to the drafting portion of a, um, card draft.
Since I’ve started selling my Magic cards I’ve been able to get some store credit, and I was finally going to pick Dominion up. Then I read about Ascension. Since it was compared to Dominion directly, and it was a smaller investment in time, I decided to try it first.
It is awesome!
I’ve only played a few games so far, but each time the experience was completely different. Setting it up takes about the same amount of time as a game of Magic. Ending the game takes a little longer, since you have to separate some cards, but it isn’t a big deal. Games run about 30 minutes, once everyone know how to play. It can be played by 2 to 4 players.
I won’t go into how to play, but it is really easy to pick up. The people I have played with have picked up on strategy after a few turns. My gaming group is still in the honeymoon phase, because we haven’t even gotten through all the cards yet. Once we have, though, I doubt it will take away from the game, since each game is emergent, and a large part of the game is deciding how your particular combo of cards will win.
As for the art, it takes a little getting used to. All of it is done by the same person, which is neat because it quickly sets the tone for the world, which is somewhere between a mural and a comic book. The actual story is neat; while there are negative effects to the other players from defeating some monsters, the actual competition is to win the most honor, so everyone is same side.
Supposedly the digital version of the game for iOS is pretty good. If it gets ported to Android I will most likely pick it up. Fortunately, playing face to face with real cards has such a great appeal, I don’t think it will be replaced.
I got an official box, with official sleeves, to carry the cards, because I am not going to spend much money on their product, but I want to support them. Also, it feels weird putting the cards in the sleeves and boxes I used for other cards.
I also picked up the first expansion, let me tell you about it. Called “Ascension: Return of the Fallen”, it adds 120 cards that can be added to the core set so that 2 more players can play (so, 2 to 6 players). However, it is a standalone game for 2 players! Susan and I played it, and it played the exactly same way. I thought that was a classy move, since my experience with Magic (where most older cards are superseded), and even Settlers of Catan (which require the core game for every expansion), are very different.
I think this is going to be a staple of our gaming group, and it may well be the next Catan, when it comes to social games that have a broad audience. No doubt we will be talking about this at intericraft before long.