Open gaming is going on this morning at the expo and the first game of the con to me that was new was legendary encounters. Myself and room mate gaz joined a demo of this co-op deckbuilder set in the Alien universe, and took on the role of researcher and medic.
Honestly I didn’t think much of it. Gaz got killed off really quickly and though there is apparently some advance rules that would then let him play as the Alien, we didn’t see those and there was nothing for him to do once he got knocked out. I survived longer, and almost till the end but the game seems very arbitrary, with little way for the heroes to anticipate and plan. Maybe that is the feel they were going for, and it sort of fits with the feel of the films, but it didn’t make for a very fun game experience.
I’ve played a couple of these deckbuilders that use the river in the centre buying mechanic, and they have universally fallen flat for me. I think it’s the inability to really build up a proper combo and deck that does something before the game ends. I do quite enjoy star realms, but it’s so quick I don’t mind the mechanic as much.
