So now, we're going to start discussing Untold:Battle! The Battle version functions in the way a stand alone card game does, and favors Yu-Gi-Oh! or Pokemon in play style, but unlike these games (both of which I've played in the past), Untold Battle offers far more complex strategies. And once again, unlike Magic the Gathering and Legend of the Five Rings, the strategies do not become so complex as to completely lose both players under an avalanche of cards. Well, let me post the rules first. You can find just about everything you need to know about Untold: Battle here - http://untoldthegame.com/primer/playing-battle. If this primer doesn't answer your question, then check out this link - http://untoldthegame.com/forums/untold-info/submit-your-untold-questions. Check out this section of the forums to get your Untold questions answered.
Now, so far, there are only three Untold Battle decks: NAU Defenders, Undead Infection, and Flux Horrors (my favorite). All three of them are full of minions that can be a lot of fun to play with, especially when adding their counterpart Powers deck to them as well. But you don't need a Battle deck to do battle. Any Minion will work and this week I'm going to talk about two of my favorite decks, Environments: Ruins and Environment: Mountains. These decks are great for GMs because they offer a sampling of Minions and Powers to make any game more interesting. But they also are great for Untold Battle. The Minions found in these decks are incredibly powerful, and throw in the Power cards, and you can have deadly Battle decks. These two decks were recently reviewed in a Battle Backdrop I did called Colorado Clash!(http://untoldthegame.com/battle/colorado-clash) However, I'm going to go into a little more detail about some of the Minions and Powers in these decks and how they can make any Battle better. But for a more in depth look at both decks and the Battle scenario, check out that link and read the Backdrop.
The first Minion we're going to look at is from the Mountains deck: Mag'grin. Mag'grin is a powerful Minion that is capable of dealing massive amounts of MAG every round. Actually, that is the real beauty of the Mag'grin, once it starts dealing MAG to a creature, it doesn't STOP until the Mag'grin is DEAD which is REALLY REALLY REALLY hard to do. At a cost of 37UP, the Mag'grin is very affordable, and durable with a Body 4/2/4 and a 12 VIT. It deals a whopping 16 MAG which can be Boosted by Soul. Not to mention, it's got a defensive IP of Phase Into Earth that provides an extra Body ATK and DEF. Backing him up, the Apoc Mountain Goat is another lesson in raw power. Even more affordable at 23UP, but a Body of 4/2/4 and 8 VIT, the Goat is a real brawler. Dealing 10 MAG which is Boosted 2 MAG for every 1 Body Boost, it also has two IPs that can Boost the MAG even further. Deadly Combatant 2 adds +3 Body Boost and Charge (which will count as a move) will grant another +4, making the MAG jump from 10 to 32, which is enough to take out most Minions. Now, as far as Powers go, Body of Air is a wonderful card. At 8UP, and not upgradable, it is sort of costly, but is worth the ability. It is an Augmenting Power that makes the target immune to physical damage. Put this card on a Minion like Draft Rider, then you have a real hurricane on your hands.
Now, let's take a look at the Ruins deck. This deck is a lot of fun. Its a good combination of strength and status effects. As far as strength goes, you've got several options. The Crag Crawlers, Ravager, and Junker are all very powerful and affordable. The Darkstalkers have a very interesting role in this deck. They aren't incredibly powerful like the Crag Crawler or the Ravager. And they don't have any status effects like the Rotscourge or Howling Horror. But it does do a nifty little trick. Capable of dealing 8 MAG after Boost, its IP forces the target to only take half of the MAG from VIT. The other half must come from the total UP. Slightly modified with a Soul Aspect, the Darkstalker can become a real nightmare. And speaking of nightmares, the Howling Horrors found in this deck are some of my favorite Minions. At 22 UP, its a cheaper card and has several fun IPs. First off, it adds +4 to Initiative, which can turn the tide of battle. It also has a cone effect, which can inflict a series of Banes, starting with Despair and ending with Insane. Put a couple of these Minions in strategic locations on your front line and watch as most of your opponents Minions go crazy. And the constantly making Overcome rolls can put some real stress on your opponent, but we'll get into that later. Finally, Ruins has a very fun Power card: Invisible Hunter. At 3UP, its very affordable, and doesn't have an upgraded version. This card prevents the target from being by any attacks that require a "To Hit" roll, which is a lot of them. What it does is force your opponent to make an Awareness check vs. your Stealth check. If you win, the attack fails. If you fail that contest, your opponent still has to suffer a 50% miss penalty as well, which can be decided in game (I usually roll odds or evens).
So there you have it, some really fun Minions and Powers that can make any Battle deck better. To give you an idea of charted course over the next few weeks, we're going to discuss the three Battle decks in depth (NAU, Undead Infection, and finish up with Flux Horrors). Finally we'll cap things off by looking at the GM Minions deck and what it can do in Battle and talk a little meta-game.
Thanks for reading and have fun!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Building Your Character - Discussion on Balance and Flavor 3
Well, this is going to be our last installation (for the moment) on Character Design. And for this week's blog, I'm going to talk about raw strength and power. AND I am also going to be making a character out of the "Hostile Hands: Races of New Earth" deck. AND because I like you guys so much, I'm going to be building not just one, but two (yep, two!) characters today. I know, I know...it's like Christmas morning for you right now...but calm down...you might not like what you see...
Untold has some great races. The Klik with their endless tools, the L'na and their mighty magic, and the Apoc with the Churl's barbarian strength and the Highbred's military training. But, I have always been a fan of the unusual and uncommon. I like my monsterous races a lot. Whether playing a bad guy turned good, or just a bad guy (which I like to do), monster races are for me. You get to do stuff others can't or won't. So what are our two races for today? Well, first, we'll be dealing with a Flux twisted Perverse. And secondly, we'll be creating a Loph and for added flavor, it'll be Flux twisted as well. Ok, so I'm cheating a little bit by using the same set of powers for both creatures. BUT the flavor of these characters differ greatly.
I am a huge H.P. Lovecraft fan. I've always liked Lovecraft. His stories of the bizarre elder gods are incredible works of fiction (I hope..) that have greatly influenced the scifi/fantasy community at large. With Lovecraft in mind, we're going to be building our two characters. If you want to have a little more fun with this, then after reading this blog, let me know what TWO stories you think inspired these characters and why.
Both of these characters are going to be epic level, 100 UP, and can be used either as a powerful boss creature or a character as well. Keep it mind that these character designs are going to be fairly simple and straight forward in nature. Some might look at these characters and think the designs are too simple. But that is the beauty of Untold: even a simple character can still be incredibly powerful.
So, the Perverse is first on deck. The Flux horror is the embodiment of tainted and twisted evil. So, here's the Character Deck:
Character Deck: 76UP
Perverse Race Card - 4UP
Soul 6 - 17UP
Flux Strike 3 - 8UP
Greater Regeneration 2 - 12UP
Insane Aura 2 - 14UP
Plague Bearer - 5UP
Soulless Touch - 8UP
Warp Touch - 8UP
So here is our Perverse QRC: VIT 6, Body 1/0/1, Soul 6/6/6. Now, this may not look like much, but this character can do some real damage. My favorite card out of this character deck is "Insane Aura". It's an AoE draining card, and once it has a target down to -30 Mind Boost, that target PERMANENTLY gains the "Insane" Bane. Soulless Touch, Warp Touch, and Plague Bearer can all stack on one another, making any thing within touch range regretting ever looking on your insane visage. Flux Strike provides a straight up damaging ability, and Greater Regeneration allows you to recover any UP you might lose during combat.
So, this leaves us 24 UP for the Swap Buffer. The Swap Buffer is going to have 4 cards total, but more can be added as the character gains more UP. This is the Swap Buffer:
Eye of the Beyond
Feed On Sanity
Insane Eye
Reality Bubble
Eye of the Beyond functions in a manner similar to Insane Aura, but instead of the drain effect, Eye of the Beyond inflicts the "Despair" Bane. Insane Eye inflicts the "Demented" Bane, and combo'd with Eye of the Beyond can send a target running for the hills. Feed on Sanity is another way for the Perverse to heal and gain back UP. Reality Bubble is a really fun card. An AoE card, that can make a target "Prone".
So, here is our first horrible creation. A creature to terrible to look upon or even imagine. Now, remember, Untold can be whatever you want it to be. I might play this character as something that looks "normal" on the outside, but on the inside is really a Flux beast. Once it has gained the party's trust, it can turn on them, making them all insane and slaves to the Flux.
Now, the next character we're going to build is the Loph. Loph's are an ancient race of sea-dwelling creatures, lurking in the murky depths, wishing only to cover the globe in dark water. Now, in my mind, Lophs are related to the Flux. They live in the dark depths, preying on those above with a hatred and menace unmatched by others. And let's face it, the bottom of the ocean is practically an alien environment, so who knows whats down there? Anyways, so here's a Loph character deck:
Character Deck - 97 UP
Loph Race Card - 2UP
Body 11 - 37UP
Soul 4 - 11 UP
Awareness 2 - 2UP
Bite 3 - 6 UP
Piercing Claws 2 - 8UP
Echolocation - 3UP
Quick Swimmer - 4UP
Strong 2 - 4UP
Flux Strike 3 - 8UP
Greater Regeneration 2 - 12UP
So the QRC is looking like this: VIT 4, Body 11/12/13, Soul 5/4/4. So, the Loph shares some characteristics with the Perverse. However, this character shows some real flavor. Loph's are an aquatic race, so this character has Quick Swimmer. Lophs also live in the deep dark ocean, so this character also has Echolocation. Since the Loph has claws and a mouth full of teeth, this character also has Bite and Piercing Claws for physical damage. And the Loph likes physical damage.
That leaves up on 3 UP for the Swap Buffer, but thats ok. The Swap Buffer on has two cards: Charge and Grapple. These cards can be used in combination, and to devastating effect given the Loph's physical strength. And in the open environment the Loph would be found in, these cards are slightly remniscent of a Great White shark ambushing a seal in the water. A quick, brutal attack that will leave the opponent stunned and bleeding out. Raw power.
So there you have it, two powerful characters. Both are a lesson in raw strength and power. So, do you know what Lovecraft stories inspired these creatures? One is a dead (hehe) give away.
These characters are fun but simple builds that can do a lot of damage. Both characters can be found in the "Hostile Hands: Races of New Earth" deck, and all of the powers came from either this deck or "Powers: Flux Horrors". So, for $13.00, you can build two really nasty characters. And remember you can find these decks at your local Untold retailer, or here (http://untoldthegame.com/store) at the Untold store.
Next week, we'll be tackling Untold Battle. Also, if you there is anything Untold related you'd like to see discussed in this blog, let me know!
Thanks for reading and have fun!
Untold has some great races. The Klik with their endless tools, the L'na and their mighty magic, and the Apoc with the Churl's barbarian strength and the Highbred's military training. But, I have always been a fan of the unusual and uncommon. I like my monsterous races a lot. Whether playing a bad guy turned good, or just a bad guy (which I like to do), monster races are for me. You get to do stuff others can't or won't. So what are our two races for today? Well, first, we'll be dealing with a Flux twisted Perverse. And secondly, we'll be creating a Loph and for added flavor, it'll be Flux twisted as well. Ok, so I'm cheating a little bit by using the same set of powers for both creatures. BUT the flavor of these characters differ greatly.
I am a huge H.P. Lovecraft fan. I've always liked Lovecraft. His stories of the bizarre elder gods are incredible works of fiction (I hope..) that have greatly influenced the scifi/fantasy community at large. With Lovecraft in mind, we're going to be building our two characters. If you want to have a little more fun with this, then after reading this blog, let me know what TWO stories you think inspired these characters and why.
Both of these characters are going to be epic level, 100 UP, and can be used either as a powerful boss creature or a character as well. Keep it mind that these character designs are going to be fairly simple and straight forward in nature. Some might look at these characters and think the designs are too simple. But that is the beauty of Untold: even a simple character can still be incredibly powerful.
So, the Perverse is first on deck. The Flux horror is the embodiment of tainted and twisted evil. So, here's the Character Deck:
Character Deck: 76UP
Perverse Race Card - 4UP
Soul 6 - 17UP
Flux Strike 3 - 8UP
Greater Regeneration 2 - 12UP
Insane Aura 2 - 14UP
Plague Bearer - 5UP
Soulless Touch - 8UP
Warp Touch - 8UP
So here is our Perverse QRC: VIT 6, Body 1/0/1, Soul 6/6/6. Now, this may not look like much, but this character can do some real damage. My favorite card out of this character deck is "Insane Aura". It's an AoE draining card, and once it has a target down to -30 Mind Boost, that target PERMANENTLY gains the "Insane" Bane. Soulless Touch, Warp Touch, and Plague Bearer can all stack on one another, making any thing within touch range regretting ever looking on your insane visage. Flux Strike provides a straight up damaging ability, and Greater Regeneration allows you to recover any UP you might lose during combat.
So, this leaves us 24 UP for the Swap Buffer. The Swap Buffer is going to have 4 cards total, but more can be added as the character gains more UP. This is the Swap Buffer:
Eye of the Beyond
Feed On Sanity
Insane Eye
Reality Bubble
Eye of the Beyond functions in a manner similar to Insane Aura, but instead of the drain effect, Eye of the Beyond inflicts the "Despair" Bane. Insane Eye inflicts the "Demented" Bane, and combo'd with Eye of the Beyond can send a target running for the hills. Feed on Sanity is another way for the Perverse to heal and gain back UP. Reality Bubble is a really fun card. An AoE card, that can make a target "Prone".
So, here is our first horrible creation. A creature to terrible to look upon or even imagine. Now, remember, Untold can be whatever you want it to be. I might play this character as something that looks "normal" on the outside, but on the inside is really a Flux beast. Once it has gained the party's trust, it can turn on them, making them all insane and slaves to the Flux.
Now, the next character we're going to build is the Loph. Loph's are an ancient race of sea-dwelling creatures, lurking in the murky depths, wishing only to cover the globe in dark water. Now, in my mind, Lophs are related to the Flux. They live in the dark depths, preying on those above with a hatred and menace unmatched by others. And let's face it, the bottom of the ocean is practically an alien environment, so who knows whats down there? Anyways, so here's a Loph character deck:
Character Deck - 97 UP
Loph Race Card - 2UP
Body 11 - 37UP
Soul 4 - 11 UP
Awareness 2 - 2UP
Bite 3 - 6 UP
Piercing Claws 2 - 8UP
Echolocation - 3UP
Quick Swimmer - 4UP
Strong 2 - 4UP
Flux Strike 3 - 8UP
Greater Regeneration 2 - 12UP
So the QRC is looking like this: VIT 4, Body 11/12/13, Soul 5/4/4. So, the Loph shares some characteristics with the Perverse. However, this character shows some real flavor. Loph's are an aquatic race, so this character has Quick Swimmer. Lophs also live in the deep dark ocean, so this character also has Echolocation. Since the Loph has claws and a mouth full of teeth, this character also has Bite and Piercing Claws for physical damage. And the Loph likes physical damage.
That leaves up on 3 UP for the Swap Buffer, but thats ok. The Swap Buffer on has two cards: Charge and Grapple. These cards can be used in combination, and to devastating effect given the Loph's physical strength. And in the open environment the Loph would be found in, these cards are slightly remniscent of a Great White shark ambushing a seal in the water. A quick, brutal attack that will leave the opponent stunned and bleeding out. Raw power.
So there you have it, two powerful characters. Both are a lesson in raw strength and power. So, do you know what Lovecraft stories inspired these creatures? One is a dead (hehe) give away.
These characters are fun but simple builds that can do a lot of damage. Both characters can be found in the "Hostile Hands: Races of New Earth" deck, and all of the powers came from either this deck or "Powers: Flux Horrors". So, for $13.00, you can build two really nasty characters. And remember you can find these decks at your local Untold retailer, or here (http://untoldthegame.com/store) at the Untold store.
Next week, we'll be tackling Untold Battle. Also, if you there is anything Untold related you'd like to see discussed in this blog, let me know!
Thanks for reading and have fun!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Building Your Character - Discussion on Balance and Flavor 2
Alright, so this week we're going to continue talking about how to build characters, including how to balance your deck and adding your own flavor to it. But before I go any further, it was pointed out to me that I am employing a lot of Untold jargon in this blog. This blog is intended for people who have experience with Untold. However, if you aren't very familiar with it, or don't know anything about Untold, check out this link: http://untoldthegame.com/primer. The Primer explains how all of the cards work, how the game is played, etc. So, let's get started with this weeks character.
This week, we're going to be discussing the Klik. Now, my wife Jennifer loves her Tripods, with their powerful tools and weapons and stout defenses. I however prefer Rollers. Rollers aren't as physical strong and powerful as Tripods, but they are just as deadly. The Klik Roller I'll be building today is based on 50 UP. Why 50? Well, it's a good solid middle ground. Not so low that you have to make some hard decisions about what cards you'll include and not high enough to include whatever card you want. So 50 is the magic number.
I built this character this morning, in literally 10 minutes. This Roller is a modified version of my original Roller character, A55-A55-1N (Assassin). This machine is built for eliminating threats, and eliminating them quickly and quietly. To do this, I built this character around the Enigma Engine, which is a very fun card. Before going any further, let's take a look at the Character Deck:
Total UP- 30
Klik Roller - 3UP
Mind 2 - 5UP
Soul 2- 5UP
Enigma Engine- 2 UP
Klik Armor Plating- 2UP
Microgear Medic Disk- 2UP
Racer- 2UP
Soulless Touch- 8UP
Wheel Enhancement- 1UP
Some people might think 30UP is a lot, and it is for a 50UP character. But, every card has a purpose. The "Enigma Engine" is a great card. Not only does it allow you to use some great Hotswap cards, it also allows the player to re-roll a d20 roll and take the roll that benefits you the most. The "Klik Armor Plating" adds a little more VIT, in case of physical attacks. The "Microgear Medic disk" allows the player to make repairs. "Racer" adds some great movement, and if upgraded an extra Body DEF. "Soulless Touch" is always fun, making your opponents regret getting with touch range. And finally, "Wheel Enhancement" allows your character to have excellent balance and mobility, as well as allows you to use the "Wheel Hooks" hotswap card. When I built this character, I wanted it to be able to handle a little of everything. And once it gains some more UP, it will be really powerful.
The Swap Buffer is where the real fun begins. With 20UP, it has the following cards:
Displacement Field
Null Pulse
Spatial Distortion
Temporal Disjunction
vv312d Energy Ray
Wheel Hooks
So, the Swap Buffer isn't very big, but you can do some great stuff. Offensively, the Null Pulse and the Energy Ray can do very easily destroy a weaker minion. But thats not all the Enigma Engine can do. This little toy allows your character to bend and even break the fabric of time and reality. Displacement Field allows your character to bend reality around themselves and hide in plain sight. Spatial Distortion disrupts your opponents spatial perception, and the upgraded version actually allows you to distort space itself. Temporal Disjunction begins with slowing down an opponent, but as you get higher in level, allows you to control the flow of time itself.
So there you have a techno wizard, capable of bending reality and time to its will. However, there are countless other ways to build your Roller, even with an Enigma Engine. Now, if you haven't gathered, I like my more magical characters, but next week I'll be focusing on raw strength and power. If you liked this article and want to build a killer Klik for yourself, check out the Untold store (http://untoldthegame.com/store) where you can find everything Klik and more. Next week, we'll finish up with our discussion on Character Building. From there, we'll be talking a little about Untold Battle.
Until next time, thanks for reading and have fun!
This week, we're going to be discussing the Klik. Now, my wife Jennifer loves her Tripods, with their powerful tools and weapons and stout defenses. I however prefer Rollers. Rollers aren't as physical strong and powerful as Tripods, but they are just as deadly. The Klik Roller I'll be building today is based on 50 UP. Why 50? Well, it's a good solid middle ground. Not so low that you have to make some hard decisions about what cards you'll include and not high enough to include whatever card you want. So 50 is the magic number.
I built this character this morning, in literally 10 minutes. This Roller is a modified version of my original Roller character, A55-A55-1N (Assassin). This machine is built for eliminating threats, and eliminating them quickly and quietly. To do this, I built this character around the Enigma Engine, which is a very fun card. Before going any further, let's take a look at the Character Deck:
Total UP- 30
Klik Roller - 3UP
Mind 2 - 5UP
Soul 2- 5UP
Enigma Engine- 2 UP
Klik Armor Plating- 2UP
Microgear Medic Disk- 2UP
Racer- 2UP
Soulless Touch- 8UP
Wheel Enhancement- 1UP
Some people might think 30UP is a lot, and it is for a 50UP character. But, every card has a purpose. The "Enigma Engine" is a great card. Not only does it allow you to use some great Hotswap cards, it also allows the player to re-roll a d20 roll and take the roll that benefits you the most. The "Klik Armor Plating" adds a little more VIT, in case of physical attacks. The "Microgear Medic disk" allows the player to make repairs. "Racer" adds some great movement, and if upgraded an extra Body DEF. "Soulless Touch" is always fun, making your opponents regret getting with touch range. And finally, "Wheel Enhancement" allows your character to have excellent balance and mobility, as well as allows you to use the "Wheel Hooks" hotswap card. When I built this character, I wanted it to be able to handle a little of everything. And once it gains some more UP, it will be really powerful.
The Swap Buffer is where the real fun begins. With 20UP, it has the following cards:
Displacement Field
Null Pulse
Spatial Distortion
Temporal Disjunction
vv312d Energy Ray
Wheel Hooks
So, the Swap Buffer isn't very big, but you can do some great stuff. Offensively, the Null Pulse and the Energy Ray can do very easily destroy a weaker minion. But thats not all the Enigma Engine can do. This little toy allows your character to bend and even break the fabric of time and reality. Displacement Field allows your character to bend reality around themselves and hide in plain sight. Spatial Distortion disrupts your opponents spatial perception, and the upgraded version actually allows you to distort space itself. Temporal Disjunction begins with slowing down an opponent, but as you get higher in level, allows you to control the flow of time itself.
So there you have a techno wizard, capable of bending reality and time to its will. However, there are countless other ways to build your Roller, even with an Enigma Engine. Now, if you haven't gathered, I like my more magical characters, but next week I'll be focusing on raw strength and power. If you liked this article and want to build a killer Klik for yourself, check out the Untold store (http://untoldthegame.com/store) where you can find everything Klik and more. Next week, we'll finish up with our discussion on Character Building. From there, we'll be talking a little about Untold Battle.
Until next time, thanks for reading and have fun!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Building Your Character - Discussion on Balance and Flavor 1
Ok, so I promised I would discuss Character Building for this blog, and I'm making good on my promise. I've even decided that because of how flexible and versatile Untold is, I'm going to dedicate three posts to character building. This post is going to discuss how to build L'na Twilights (my favorite!). The next post will focus on building a Klik. And the final post will be something special. We'll be building a character based out of the "Hostile Hands: Races of New Earth" deck. All three articles will be focused on how varied and different individual characters can be, and how they can vary greatly, even when built by the same player.
So like I said, we're going to focus on building a L'na Twilight today, and more specifically my L'na Twilight Shadow. Shadow is a beast, literally, who is just as willing to confuse and confound his opponent as he is to rip them to shreds. Unlike other spellcasters in other settings, Shadow isn't going down without a fight and an army of fallen foes to escort him to the other side. So let's look at the actual cards and start talking a little shop.
Now, like I said before, I'm an experienced CCGer, and I take a decidedly CCG attitude when building a deck in Untold (because, well, it is a card game after all!). So I build everything, from characters to battle decks with a goal in mind: What do I want to accomplish with this deck? With Shadow, I want a character that will confound and confuse, daze and disorient his opponents. And then while they are too busy trying to figure out if they are sane or not, I want Shadow to move in for the decisive kill. This deck is built on 70 UP (and is the same deck I'm employing for Ashy's PBP on the forums).
The Character Deck is small, but costly. It consumes a solid 40 UP of the 70 total. Here's how it looks:
Race Card - L'na Twilight 5UP
Body 3 9UP
Mind 2 5UP
Soul 2 5UP
Bite 2 4UP
Investiture of Maoru 4UP
Invisible Hunter 3UP
Sigil of Protection 2UP
Venomous 3UP
So the QRC looks like this - VIT: 5, Body 3/3/3, Mind 3/4/3, Soul 2/3/3. That stats are solid and balanced. First, the Character deck also has a much needed "kill" card for my character with Bite 2. Then it has some solid status effects, with Venomous and Invisible Hunter. Finally, to round it out, I've of Sigil of Protection, to provide not only a spiritual defense but an extra 2 VIT. So here we are, a solid, strong, balanced build capable of taking and giving hits.
The Swap Buffer is where the L'na Twilight really shines. Shadow's Swap Buffer is 30UP, which is pretty decent, although other Twilight players might want to put more UP in the Swap Buffer. For me, 30 UP fits just right. So, here's what we're looking at for the Swap Buffer:
Banshee Scream
Confusion
Cursed Defense
Destroy Undead
Fearful Mien
Mental Susurrus
Mind Control
Mind Lash
Mind Probe
Mind Reading
Phantasm
Sleep
Soul Blast
Soul Rend
Soul Sap
Soul Storm
Supernatural Sight
Suffice it to say I'm not to discuss each and every card in detail, but every card is in there for a reason. Shadow takes a pretty direct approach when it comes to dealing with threats, but to deal with them adequately, he needs information. That's why we've got Mind Probe and Mind Reading. The other spells are meant to generally confuse and daze his opponents, like Fearful Mien, Confusion, etc. He's also got some other status effects, like Cursed Defense, Sleep, Banshee Scream. Finally, he's got some straight out destroyer cards. Shadow hates (REALLY HATES) Undead. If you follow "Shadows of the Mind", then you know why. Therefore, Destroy Undead is present. Mind Lash is a solid finisher, as is Soul Blast and Soul Rend.
So there you have it, Shadow the Lost Child of Ai. A soild build, meant for causing confusion on the battlefield and then closing in for the kill. Next week, we'll talk about how to build a fun Klik. As for the mystery character for the third article, I'm interested to know what you think I'm going to use as my Race card for it? Private message on the Untold forums or email me. Also, if you are feeling generous, I'd like to know how I'm doing so far. Is there something you would like me to discuss in this blog? Let me know.
Thanks for reading.
So like I said, we're going to focus on building a L'na Twilight today, and more specifically my L'na Twilight Shadow. Shadow is a beast, literally, who is just as willing to confuse and confound his opponent as he is to rip them to shreds. Unlike other spellcasters in other settings, Shadow isn't going down without a fight and an army of fallen foes to escort him to the other side. So let's look at the actual cards and start talking a little shop.
Now, like I said before, I'm an experienced CCGer, and I take a decidedly CCG attitude when building a deck in Untold (because, well, it is a card game after all!). So I build everything, from characters to battle decks with a goal in mind: What do I want to accomplish with this deck? With Shadow, I want a character that will confound and confuse, daze and disorient his opponents. And then while they are too busy trying to figure out if they are sane or not, I want Shadow to move in for the decisive kill. This deck is built on 70 UP (and is the same deck I'm employing for Ashy's PBP on the forums).
The Character Deck is small, but costly. It consumes a solid 40 UP of the 70 total. Here's how it looks:
Race Card - L'na Twilight 5UP
Body 3 9UP
Mind 2 5UP
Soul 2 5UP
Bite 2 4UP
Investiture of Maoru 4UP
Invisible Hunter 3UP
Sigil of Protection 2UP
Venomous 3UP
So the QRC looks like this - VIT: 5, Body 3/3/3, Mind 3/4/3, Soul 2/3/3. That stats are solid and balanced. First, the Character deck also has a much needed "kill" card for my character with Bite 2. Then it has some solid status effects, with Venomous and Invisible Hunter. Finally, to round it out, I've of Sigil of Protection, to provide not only a spiritual defense but an extra 2 VIT. So here we are, a solid, strong, balanced build capable of taking and giving hits.
The Swap Buffer is where the L'na Twilight really shines. Shadow's Swap Buffer is 30UP, which is pretty decent, although other Twilight players might want to put more UP in the Swap Buffer. For me, 30 UP fits just right. So, here's what we're looking at for the Swap Buffer:
Banshee Scream
Confusion
Cursed Defense
Destroy Undead
Fearful Mien
Mental Susurrus
Mind Control
Mind Lash
Mind Probe
Mind Reading
Phantasm
Sleep
Soul Blast
Soul Rend
Soul Sap
Soul Storm
Supernatural Sight
Suffice it to say I'm not to discuss each and every card in detail, but every card is in there for a reason. Shadow takes a pretty direct approach when it comes to dealing with threats, but to deal with them adequately, he needs information. That's why we've got Mind Probe and Mind Reading. The other spells are meant to generally confuse and daze his opponents, like Fearful Mien, Confusion, etc. He's also got some other status effects, like Cursed Defense, Sleep, Banshee Scream. Finally, he's got some straight out destroyer cards. Shadow hates (REALLY HATES) Undead. If you follow "Shadows of the Mind", then you know why. Therefore, Destroy Undead is present. Mind Lash is a solid finisher, as is Soul Blast and Soul Rend.
So there you have it, Shadow the Lost Child of Ai. A soild build, meant for causing confusion on the battlefield and then closing in for the kill. Next week, we'll talk about how to build a fun Klik. As for the mystery character for the third article, I'm interested to know what you think I'm going to use as my Race card for it? Private message on the Untold forums or email me. Also, if you are feeling generous, I'd like to know how I'm doing so far. Is there something you would like me to discuss in this blog? Let me know.
Thanks for reading.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
The Characteristics of Character
My original intent for this entry was to go through each of the various Untold cards and explain how they work. However, I decided against doing this for two reasons. First, The website explains what the different cards are and how they work well enough. You can find all of this information here in the Untold Primer: http://untoldthegame.com/primer. Second, I do the same explanation at every Boost event and Con we go to, and it gets really old really fast. I mean, we were so popular at our first three cons, that we had to do extra demo's. And I did the same routine at the beginning of each demo. And with repeating the same thing over and over again, I began to have dreams about it. Anyways, you get the drift. I'll spare you the speech. So, this entry is going to be about how easy it is to customize your character to your own preferences in Untold.
In the past few years, the number of RPG's available has exploded. There are RPG's for just about every genre, setting, or world. However, few RPG's have the flexibility in character design that Untold has. Untold has a pretty general rule of thumb when it comes to character customization: Tell the story about why your character can do what they do. Why does your Klik use a L'na Fireball spell? How does your Highbred use a Klik Enigma Engine? Tell the story about why they can. It is as simple as that. There are no schools or fields your character must refer to in order to gain a new spell or ability.
Now this may sound like it allows the player to pretty much toss out the few rules Untold has and say "I can do whatever I want!" Well...it doesn't quite work like that. People are surprised that while they may have the ability to play any card they like, they need to keep in mind how much UP (Untold Points) they have at their disposal. Also, they will need to keep in mind what powers may be required for other abilities. For example, you may see the card "Mind Control" and decide you want that card. You've even got room in your Swap Buffer for it. However, you also need the "Investiture of Maoru" to use "Mind Control", so that will need to taken into consideration since you will need to spend UP on both. But don't let this discourage you! You can still use both cards, but if you're anything besides a L'na Twilight, you might need to give the GM a story as to why you can do this.
Not surprisingly, players are alarmed just as much as they are surprised at this feature of the game. Many players are somewhat off set when this aspect of Untold is presented to them. Many players aren't used to having so much say when it comes to the story telling aspect of this RPG. Despite what we tell people who first try out this game, we still get the question "Can I do this?" This is one of my favorite aspects of Untold. I've told countless people who demo this game that can they use their power the way they are wanting to IF they can tell me the story. At first, some people have difficulty with this. But after a few encounters and a little bit of play, they soon learn and are telling me stories I couldn't even have imagined.
So here we are. Untold shocks a lot of people when they first encounter it, but usually in a good way. Some people look at the flexibility of Untold and find it to chaotic and disorderly. But many see it for what it truly is, an outlet to give the player more room to develop their storytelling techniques and to develop their own unique character. Many people find this unbelievably refreshing.
Alright, so in my next entry, I'm going to tackle a little more of the nuts and bolts of character building.
In the past few years, the number of RPG's available has exploded. There are RPG's for just about every genre, setting, or world. However, few RPG's have the flexibility in character design that Untold has. Untold has a pretty general rule of thumb when it comes to character customization: Tell the story about why your character can do what they do. Why does your Klik use a L'na Fireball spell? How does your Highbred use a Klik Enigma Engine? Tell the story about why they can. It is as simple as that. There are no schools or fields your character must refer to in order to gain a new spell or ability.
Now this may sound like it allows the player to pretty much toss out the few rules Untold has and say "I can do whatever I want!" Well...it doesn't quite work like that. People are surprised that while they may have the ability to play any card they like, they need to keep in mind how much UP (Untold Points) they have at their disposal. Also, they will need to keep in mind what powers may be required for other abilities. For example, you may see the card "Mind Control" and decide you want that card. You've even got room in your Swap Buffer for it. However, you also need the "Investiture of Maoru" to use "Mind Control", so that will need to taken into consideration since you will need to spend UP on both. But don't let this discourage you! You can still use both cards, but if you're anything besides a L'na Twilight, you might need to give the GM a story as to why you can do this.
Not surprisingly, players are alarmed just as much as they are surprised at this feature of the game. Many players are somewhat off set when this aspect of Untold is presented to them. Many players aren't used to having so much say when it comes to the story telling aspect of this RPG. Despite what we tell people who first try out this game, we still get the question "Can I do this?" This is one of my favorite aspects of Untold. I've told countless people who demo this game that can they use their power the way they are wanting to IF they can tell me the story. At first, some people have difficulty with this. But after a few encounters and a little bit of play, they soon learn and are telling me stories I couldn't even have imagined.
So here we are. Untold shocks a lot of people when they first encounter it, but usually in a good way. Some people look at the flexibility of Untold and find it to chaotic and disorderly. But many see it for what it truly is, an outlet to give the player more room to develop their storytelling techniques and to develop their own unique character. Many people find this unbelievably refreshing.
Alright, so in my next entry, I'm going to tackle a little more of the nuts and bolts of character building.
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