Hello, fellow card fiends!

I have to say that I'm thoroughly enjoying the unexpected level of interaction Hive and its adjacent communities are managing to foster. Sure, places like Reddit might have larger raw numbers, but I can definitely say that the sense of community is already vibrant here.

Who Goes There?!

I'm a 30-something gaming enthusiast living in the Pacific Northwest (U.S.) with a penchant for games that challenge me while allowing for creative solutions. I have a strong background in music, photography (something I share with my wife), and graphic design, and I've recently been exploring web/game design and development. A long term goal of mine is to create a small game, produce the music for it, design the graphics, and assemble all the parts needed to sell it online. It might not be practical, but it's a fun thought that motivates me to continue learning, daily ;)

If you're interested in a broader introduction, feel free to check out my Hive introduction post!

I'm Attacking the Darkness!

I relish RPG's with depth, RTS/TBS/4X games with varied paths to victory, and I adore anything that reminds me of the tabletop experience. I learned how to play AD&D from my parents and their close friends as a child, and the adventures shared over the years have never faded. That interest quickly grew into Magic: the Gathering and Warlord: Saga of the Storm before I discovered old board gaming classics like Ikusa (Shogun), Runebound, and Twilight Imperium.

Years later, the isolation of adulting in a pandemic era has made it rather difficult to enjoy my tabletop collection with others. My wife and I also recently moved closer to her family (and away from my gaming family), which means I've had to find creative ways to scratch that itch only tabletop can truly scratch.

In my search, I've tried a good variety of card games. PoxNora was the first TCG/board game hybrid I've come across that successfully embodied the positive qualities of both mediums. I invested in the Kickstarter for Infinity Wars shortly thereafter, and while still struggling to finally launch (and stay launched), the synchronous actions added an element of strategy only possible with digital games.

I bounced around between HEX: Shards of Fate (dead), Might and Magic Duel of Champions (dead), SolForge (dead), Eternal (not dead!?), and Hearthstone (refuses to die), but you're probably seeing a pattern: Most digital card games die, often before they've even really begun. So, as new iterations have rolled out for various video game franchises (Fable, Witcher, The Elder Scrolls, etc), I've remained skeptical.

On to Greener Pastures

My first cryptogame was Splinterlands, thanks to the same friend that shortly thereafter recommended Gods Unchained to me. While I'm not really a fan of Hearthstone, the MTG vibes helped me overlook the fact that the game plays like Hearthstone meets Magic: the Gathering. I've also been particularly interested in what blockchain gaming has to offer with regards to ownership of digital assets. I've hated losing everything to a dying digital card game to the point that I can't enjoy future ones—even if successful—because I refuse to buy in.

At first glance, I'd break Gods Unchained down as follows:

PROS

• Nostalgic gameplay that gives me an MTG feel without dipping too far into Hearthstone.
• F2P is a legitimate option—ignoring ranked controversies—as you begin with decently competitive cards.
• There's enough separation between my collection and "profit" to allow for liberal rewarding of cards without diluting overall card value (locked core vs. minted NFT's).
• Development appears to be transparent with multiple events and partnerships building up the community.

CONS

• The Star store doesn't feel "fun" in the sense that you ignore it entirely until specific cards come along. Perhaps Stars could be used to freely craft any locked core cards to better support meaningful progression?
• Clunky UI compared to similar card games I've played in roughly the same state of development. I'm not sure if this is due to the complexities of integrating blockchain, but I do appreciate that the game works this well while not officially released.
• Purchasing packs is difficult due to multiple hops to IMX.
• The current Weekend Ranked event encourages questionable deranking tactics during the week prior to the wholesale slaughter of less veteran players like myself.

To elaborate, it takes too many clicks to find important parts of the UI:

Also, tell me it's Weekend Ranked without telling me it's Weekend Ranked:

Overall, Gods Unchained is refreshingly enjoyable, and I look forward to its continued development. I haven't settled on a favorite deck in large part to Running the Gauntlet motivating me to frequently rotate for Flux. If not for Weekend Ranked's current shortcomings, I'd consider the Gauntlet feature one of the best current mechanics for newer players. The more players are encouraged to rotate decks for rewards, the more varied (and hopefully interesting) gameplay is likely to be.

If You Like It Then You Better Put Blockchain On It

Looking back at some of the dying games I've played, I suddenly wonder why more developers aren't moving to incorporate blockchain in anything featuring collectible items. PoxNora, for example, is currently working through it's third (fourth?) developer change and reboot of sorts as the game continues to defy Death's embrace. As obnoxious as it can be, opening up the game to "investments" with the IPO-like presales some games do to raise capital seems like a great way to entice gamers to support a game without feeling like they're about to be scammed by another AAA pre-order bundle (of junk).

Infinity Wars is similar in that it actually began with Kickstarter (a platform that feels like a precursor to the play2earn mindset) before it fizzled out. I tossed several hundred into the venture, and I can't help but wonder how different things would be if that value had been preserved in blockchain form. Even as the game currently hibernates between iterations, I'd have better peace of mind and be more willing to actively support the developers in trying to revive their game.

To that end, I find the combination of play2earn through blockchain gaming and post2earn through Hive an intriguing combination. I've never been more motivated participate in a community, yet it's not entirely because of the financial incentive to engage. The monetary aspect feels like a great way to ensure posters feels valued in all of their interactions which is a huge step towards fostering a welcoming, collaborative community.

I'm also very curious to see how a physical/digital blockchain game could work out. The WoW TCG had cards that provided codes for unlocking digital rewards that seemed well-received. Imagine buying a pack of cards that included a code for minting a digital card for the online version of the same game. The possibilities really get my mind going!

A List for Every Occasion

Coming back to me background for a moment, I love organizing information in lists. Not just for the sake of listing things down, but because the right list can communicate information better than a pile of jumbled information. To that effect, I plan to contribute to the community by creating visual lists of various information useful for learning (and remembering) the game.

I'm currently working on Counter card lists for each God (please do critique my first list for Death counters!), but I'll expand that to other aspects of the game I'd want to have handy for quick reference, myself. Hopefully I'm not alone in enjoying lists ;P

I appreciate the time you've spent reading to this point, and I'm looking forward to getting to know more of you during my stay with the community! Here's to hoping it's much longer than the average digital card game ;)

~ Ent