A few days back we had a chance to game Hack! and it was great. We really liked how the comic strip was brought to life in a fun and interactive game. Each and every PC had their own special nuances, but this could be even further brought about by limiting some cards to only one PC's card stack or another's. All in all is was a fun game, but a little drawn-out, but that's how most playtest go ... heck most new games go that way too.
The following Salt Lake DiskWarriors (SLDW for short = our gaming Club) participated in this playtest; David Campbell, Dan Dunlap & me, J. Cooper Cazedessus. These are our opinions and views in no particular order.
--->General Game issues...
-It should be mandatory that whoever plays a card has to read
the quote on the bottom of that card out loud... We had a total
hoot with this one and it really added to the overall KODT feel.
-Through out the game, high roles (4-5-6) should = good results... At least for consistencies and simplicities sake.
-Rooms should have the X (marking the doorway) centered on the card... That way the dungeon lines up nice and neat.
-If and when your PC dies, they should forfeit the rest of their turn... They're dead.
-Each PC should have at least 2 Exit cards in their card stack...Possibly even three. Otherwise the game can seem endless.
-B.A.'s win points should be adjusted depending on how many PC there are... Say 5 total death counts per PC. So if there are only 3 PCs than B.A. wins if any/all deaths add up to 15.
--->Game Play...
-How do you know if a particular Rule effects an individual or
the entire group (everybody who is playing)? Where do you place
the Rules on the playing board... In front of the person who played
the card or out for everybody to easily see?
-Are you forced to React... Or can you pass 'cause you don't want to play any of the cards in your hand at that time?
--->Monsters and NPC vs. PC...
- It was a little confusing when the "Defender Wins in a
tie" rule... Who is the defender? If its always the PC vs.
Monster/NPC then OK... (Can a one PC attack another PC and if
so who is the Defender, the one who was in the room first?)
- A basic rule should be that a room can never have more than one monster, otherwise Random Monster Encounter (Event) can be used to slam one PC in particular.
-The Entrance should always be free of Monsters... Read Wondering Monster below.
-I you kill a Wondering Monster do you get to play an Item from your hand?
--->Specific Cards in Particular...
-Wondering Monster: Sometimes the PC can get stuck in a Room (read:
Entrance) and they will die every time because of their low stats.
We could call this B.A.s FOLLY? (and Where is BRIAN'S FOLLY...
TftV, p38.)
-"Familiar Acquisition Table" should be Brian's card, not Bob's.
-"Geographically Confused" perhaps the PC who plays this card should stay in the room they played the card from, whereas everybody else goes back to the entrance. This might speed things up, but could make this a total Trump Card.
-Which Rules cards are Home-brew Rules?
-"It says right here in the ..." Should only remove all of B.A.s rules on the table.
Thanks for the great game opportunity ... if there is anything we need to clarify, please contact me AYOC.
Cooper + SALT20022aol.com
https://members.tripod.com/diskwars
Hello from Salt Lake City, Utah:
Thanks for the new beta-version cards for HACK! We snuck in a few games during our last DnD3e secession this weekend. First off we would like to thank you for implementing some of our previous alpha-version playtesting ideas and recommendations. Specifically 2 Exits per deck and only 10 kills for a BA win (see below). Now, on to our (I think we might have flawed views?) opinions:
ALPHA vs. BETA:
1.) What happened to "wondering monsters" (or NPCs for
that matter)? As long as no Encounters are played in the Entrance
and no stacking of Encounters are allowed. (Otherwise characters
could get caught in an endless loop of death, making BA's job
very easy!) We enjoyed the aspect that these create stationary
encounters (read: victorious monsters/NPCs/traps that "guard"
a room) and help to create "road blocks" for a character
to overcome if they want to continue past that particular room.
We think this gives the game a true "dungeon" feel.
2.) It should be mandatory that whoever plays a card has to "read the quote" in character on the bottom of that card out loud ... Again, we had a total hoot with this one and it really added to the overall KODT feel.
3.) BA's win points should be adjusted depending on how many PC there are ... Say 3-5 total death counts per PC. So if there are only 3 PCs than BA wins if his deaths add up to 9-15. Otherwise in 2-3 player games, BA is hard pressed to win, whereas in 4-5 player games, his chance of victory increases substantially.
4.) Obviously the cards will be color cordanited/collated (see SW:CCG for characters, vehicles, effects and interrupts as an example.) And color cordanited/collated as per character.
GENERAL RULINGS:
1.) If there is a "tie," everybody involved re-rolls?
(Except for BA vs. ... and his 10.5 stat.)
SPECIFIC CARDS:
1.) -None so far, but we didn't play every card in every deck.
The following Salt Lake DiskWarriors (SLDW for short = our gaming Club) participated in this playtest; James Hunt, David Campbell, Dan Dunlap & I. Thanks again ... do you have an expected HACK! release date?
JCooperC + SALT2002@aol.com
https://members.tripod.com/diskwars
CONduit #11: 2001 Gaming Assistant & Ad Sales