I have been playing KARDS for the past couple days. It’s a FTP WW2-themed card game developed by two former senior members of CCP, the studio that runs EVE Online. It’s available for free on Steam.
The game follows the Hearthstone model of FTP gameplay with a couple interesting innovations. For example, cards can move forward to the “front line”, from which they can attack the opposing HQ. It costs resources not only to play cards but also to move and attack with them, so often you have to choose between attacking and playing a card. There are fighters and bombers as well as ground and naval forces. It’s still a bit simple for my tastes, but then I’m still working with starter decks, and I gather interactions get more complicated as one levels up. I did sample the first battle of the Alamein campaign, and that had some satisfying complications.
I love the theme and artwork. We’ll see whether the gameplay sustains my interest. Anyone else playing?
I’m rescuing this from one of those catch-all threads where you guys post things to die forever. Mainly because I’m interested in hearing more, but also because if there are any folks playing it, as @Spock asked, they’re more likely to see his question here.
I’m still enjoying this game. The production values are high; not only nice artwork but good sound effects, too. I wish we could make the art full-screen, as in Mythgard. And I don’t find the decisions as difficult as in Mythgard, but that may change as I gain cards and play against humans.
So far I haven’t had to play against a human; I’m gaining cards just playing against the AI (which isn’t brilliant). For whatever reason, I’m more inclined to try this against a human than I am with Mythgard. I’m also going to try the draft mode when I get a free draft ticket in two days; it’s one of the login rewards. And I hope to buy the Alamein campaign with the premium currency I’m gaining from login rewards and daily missions.
A bit like Up Front, yes. Less grog-y, but there’s a surprising amount of historical flavor here – I’ve actually Googled a couple cards because I hadn’t heard of the unit or event pictured.
Got this and ran through unlocking each base nation. Pretty fun little game, though I can see it could get pricey if you go fully down the rabbit hole.
I swear I have downloaded this like 3 times, let it sit on my drive for a few days, then eventually uninstall it without pressing play. Might be fun for a while, but I sort of settle on the fact that I need another F2P deck builder/card-battler like I need another hole in my head or more student loans.
That may not be a fair assessment, but a gut feeling I suppose.
People doing things like autodrawing extra cards, getting 20/20 units on turn 1, starting with 12 credits, etc.
Also autolifeloss+ playing deck that procs on life going down.
My initial impressions were that this is a mildly fun diversion for a short while, but I also saw some of what @Alstein is talking about, or at least the potential for it. Even in the baby stages, opening up the decks, it was clear that some combos of cards/decks end up being insta-screws.
I played for hours today and had lots of fun with it. If you’re even mildly curious, there’s nothing to lose – it’s free to download, and you can play for many hours against the AI for free, winning free cards. I still haven’t played a live human yet, I haven’t spent anything, and I’ve earned a couple dozen free cards.
As with any of these card games, the luck of the draw can be decisive in any given game, but over the long haul deckbuilding and piloting skills become more important. I’ve lost to the AI only to win the next game with the same deck because I drew better cards early on.
I have been monitoring the “venting” channel in the Discord. There have been occasional issues with cheating (usually bug exploits), but that’s not what seems to preoccupy the venting channel. The current complaints sound just like what I see on the Hearthstone boards: such-and-such card is overpowered, so-and-so mechanic is dumb, the game is unbalanced, whales have an advantage, etc.
If you like CCGs, and you like WW2, I think this game is worth a try. If you are sick of Hearthstone and its progeny, maybe not!
I played for an hour or and I agree a fun diversion. I played a lot of hearthstone, one of the few Blizzard games, other than WOW that I play a lot. But I don’t think it will be as balanced as either Hearthstone or MtG.
I agree. I’m still having fun with it, though. I’ve started playing PvP matches, and I’m 5-2, using the US starter deck upgraded with the four or five cards you get as you move up to level 10. Almost every match has been close and exciting. I’m sure I’ll tire of it, but for free entertainment, it’s been great.
I enjoyed it for what it was and unlocked most of the countries but that’s about it. That shouldn’t be seen as a knock against the game, that’s what i end up doing with all these kinds of games. It felt a bit laggy on my computer which is weird. I like the fact that it’s WW2 themed.
Yes, the theme is the best thing about the game. The theme helps one learn the game quicker: unit capabilities match what you might expect, so I tend to remember them easily. E.g., a Zero has Ambush; deploying the Sherman (a force multiplier) lets you draw two cards if you have an American at the front line; arty does arty things; infantry are slow; tanks are fast; bombers do massive damage but are vulnerable; fighters intercept, escort, or strafe.
Also the theme gives each major power (and ally) a distinctive flavor. The Soviets have a lot of low-quality land and air units. The Germans favor heavy armor and robust aircraft and arty, but not so much naval stuff. The Brits have strong naval/air capability, interesting infantry, but less impressive armor. The Japanese have lots of aircraft and naval stuff, tough infantry, weak armor. The Americans can crank up their economy and spew out lots of everything, including awesome bombers.
