Special Preview - Etherstone

 

Over the last few days I have been lucky enough to play a Pre-Production copy of the fantastic ‘Etherstone’ from Thundergryph Games which is coming to Kickstarter very soon. Having read a little about the game I was very excited, and suffice to say, those expectations were exceeded…..

 

‘Etherstone’ is a 2-4 player evolving card game in which players take control of a leader and a faction to gain victory points. The game, even in pre-production, looks lovely with superb art work and well designed cards with easy to read text and simple and clear iconography. The premise and set up is quick, and within a few minutes you are ready and able to dive into your first game!

 

The game begins with a drafting system as you assemble your deck, and this adds such a variety and depth to the game, making practice essential as you learn how to combo cards and work towards those victory points. There is a handy guide in the rulebook to advice on starting decks for newer players, and in all this summarises the game well…..accessible for newer players whilst providing a deep and immersive experience for longer term players and card game pros.

 

Each turn you are drafting Ethertsones from the dice pool (the games currency used to summon), carrying out actions listed on cards and ultimately launching battles against the threat cards to win Victory points and extra bonuses. Manging your resources, life and hand is vital to succeed in the game and seeing all of the combinations that can be played and racking up those victory points is very satisfying indeed.

 

The game plays in around 20 minutes, and once the victory conditions are met then the totalling up of points can begin. I found myself wanting to play more and more and really get to grips with the cards. We managed to play at both 2,3, and 4 players and the game works equally well across all player counts (although one or two powers will benefit you more on the larger counts).

 

I must note that the pre-production version contains only a fraction of the content that will be in the main game, so my opinion is based on what I have had.

 

In a nutshell, this is a fantastic evolving card game that I have had so much fun with. The game is accessible, fun, has unique elements that will make it stand out and has a great depth and strategy to it that will have players coming back for more time after time!

 

The Kickstarter is live very soon and the link is at -https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gonab/etherstone?ref=5vvodc

 

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