Rules Discussion: Deck-Building

Many of my favorite games are considered deck-builders, which means that you build your decks as an integral part of the actual gameplay and then you compete with the deck that you built. Now, games that require players to compile their own cards to construct decks aren't new to gaming; Magic: The Gathering, Legend of the Five Rings, Netrunner (circa 1996), and the old Star Wars and Star Trek collectible card games were the forerunners of deck-builders. However, as time has passed, deck-builders can be differentiated into three basic types: the collectible card game (CCG), which requires a large investment to buy randomly packed decks and booster packs to acquire cards so that you can build your deck BEFORE actual gameplay; the living card game (LCG), which requires a relatively smaller investment in prepackaged decks and booster packs to acquire cards for deck construction BEFORE gameplay; and what I will simply call deck-builders, which involve playing with a shared inventory of cards and building your deck DURING (or as an integral part of) gameplay. Today, games like Dominion, Core Worlds, Eminent Domain, Thunderstone, Ascension, Star Realms, Trains, and even A Few Acres of Snow utilize the deck-builder mechanic in their gameplay, often employing an in-game card drafting method to distribute cards and more mechanics for accelerating draw, trashing/scrapping/removing cards from decks, denying opponents' their card draws, and forcing opponents' to discard cards.

In contrast to LCGs and CCGs, which requires some investment in decks, packs, or singles, deck-builders are much less expensive to play and need just one shared set of cards (and maybe some optional expansions). More importantly, deck-builders present a more level playing field because, unlike CCGs in which the most expensive cards often tip the odds in their owners' favor or LCGs which may require a complete collection to be competitive, all deck-builders require is one person to bring one set of cards and game elements. Wanna play Dominion? All you need is one friend with the game. This doesn't mean that you will win in your first or even tenth game (after all, the more experienced player of any game has greater odds of winning), but you are less likely to get blindsided by an unexpected card or hosed by an overpowered card that costs $200 on eBay to buy a playset of four. In this way, the "modern" deck-builder is more egalitarian than CCGs and LCGs, and are more welcoming to the new and inexperienced player (though you do miss out on the thrill of opening a booster pack, hoping for a prized rare card).

Any thoughts about deck-builders, CCGs, or LCGs? Feel free to offer your opinions and insights.

Rules Discussion: The Flop

A nice little mechanic in any game is the ability to draw from the discard pile. Gin Rummy is a classic example of using the discard pile as a resource, but there are numerous games that actively draw from the discard pile. A few that come to mind are 7 Wonders (which allows you to pull from the discard pile by activating the ability on certain Wonder boards), Magic (which, like it or not, set a lot of standards for modern gaming), and even Twilight Struggle (which allows it with a couple of key cards).

Now, I should differentiate the discard pile from the "flop" because the flop is there for people to draw face-up cards, but the discard pile is intended to be the landing place for played cards or cards that were discarded because of a game effect. Ticket to Ride, Core Worlds, Star Realms, many of the Cryptozoic deck-builders, and Poker are exemplars of games that employ flops for drawing.

Anyway, do you have a favorite game that involves discard pile drawing?

Board Game Cleanup 1: Eminent Domain

As some of my readers know, the focus of RetroBeliever has shifted from video games to board games, mostly because I try to pull my family away from the screen and entice them to the table, but also because I really like board games. Of course, this doesn't mean that I like every game. I do my best to investigate games to determine if they are truly "family friendly," which means that I look for inappropriate images and language, over-the-top violence, the prominence of magic (which is a case-by-case distinction), and for rules that define players as evil characters. As long as my children are involved, I strive to minimize those elements in my house. This has resulted in my having to turn my back on some games that many people consider "classic," such as Magic: The Gathering, Netrunner, or Terra Mystica (all well-designed games with excellently balanced rules, but with elements with which I am not comfortable).

However, some games slip through the cracks and I have to deal with small instances of elements at which I cringe. My first case in point: Eminent Domain. Based on my research, Eminent Domain is a deck-building game with a variable phase structure much like Puerto Rico, but with a science-fiction theme. By most accounts, Eminent Domain is highly regarded, so I purchased it based on reviews and a playthrough produced by the always top-notch YouTube channel Watch It Played and its host, Rodney Smith (link to his tutorial is here). As I opened the box and its contents and sleeved the many cards that come with the game, I happened upon a card called Artificial Intelligence, which lets a player take any two Role cards from the Central Display into his or her hand. Within the context of the game, this is a useful card that optimizes your Role phase, but the art is what caused me to pause...

Artificial Intelligence... Before mod

Now, from a science-fiction standpoint, I don't see the point in a buxom female-looking robot, but such art is sadly endemic to the genre. By itself, the robot illustration is not that racy, though its chest size is suggestive, but what caught my eye is the expression of the engineer behind the robot. To me, the card smacked of innuendo, which I'm sure my mature readers can grasp. As soon as I spotted this card, my mind jerked into Yellow Alert. I pondered if I really should play with a card that has a voluptuous female robot because I wouldn't want such images to fill my sons' young, developing minds. 

Well, I weighed my options, and I'm sure that some conscientious parents have ruminated on these choices, as well. One option is to sell the entire game outright, which may be the best decision when inappropriate elements are pervasive; I sold and threw away my Magic cards because of various convictions (which I discussed in a past blog post and article). A second option is to remove the offensive card or game piece from the game; I did this with one particular card (The Califf's Favorite) from Expansion 2 of Alhambra because the card portrays a concubine (which opens up a can of worms for my boys). This option is acceptable when elements are minor or unnecessary to the game.

Yet, there is also a third option that I have taken a few times: alter the card or game element. After some thought, I decided to take this route with the Artificial Intelligence card, so I scanned the card and altered it in Photoshop. With some creative use of Clone Stamp, I softened curvature, broadened the waist, and rendered the she-bot a bit more gender-neutral. Then, I printed the card and cut out only the torso of the robot. I pasted the torso over the original card art and I ended up with something like this...

Artificial Intelligence... After mod

In a card sleeve, my patch work is not that noticeable and the card doesn't bulge on the table. Thankfully, this was the only semi-objectionable art in the game, so I only had to alter this card. Indeed, I took a risk with changing the card because a botched change can mar the card, but I think my fix was adequate. Now, I can play Eminent Domain worry-free without wondering how my boys might view this card. (In deference to the original artist, I am merely sharing my modification of the card for my personal use. This is not meant for distribution for personal gain.)

Inspired by this recent modification, I am kicking off a series of posts about other mods I've made in order to minimize uncomfortable content. To you, the reader, I also invite you to contribute in the Comments some modifications or removals you've completed to make board games more family-friendly. Feel free to share suggestions. Of course, there may be folks out there that absolutely disagree with such modification, and there may be folks that feel I am too conservative. To you all, I must say that you are free to have your opinions, just as I am free to protect my kids.

Magic in Games and Media: One Christian's Perspective

Nowadays, more than any other time in history, the concept of magic and magical powers has reached a kind of acceptance among the populace at large. With the popularity of Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter, we see magic playing some kind of role in the plots of those stories and movies. We see magic in table-top gaming in games like Dungeons & Dragons, the much villified role-playing game brand in which players can choose to play a fighter, a thief, a spell-casting cleric, or a magic-user. How about board games? Moreover, board games like Terra Mystica, Dominion, and Tzol'kin feature some form of magic either as a side element or as a central aspect of gameplay. And, of course, you have Magic: The Gathering, which is the granddaddy of collectible card games; it's over twenty years old now, but its pro tournament circuit is stronger than ever and new expansions and sets are released every year. The idea of magic is now a part of the fabric of various pastimes and entertainment.

Now, if you are not a Christian, then the following discussion may not apply to you, but please feel free to read just to get what I feel is a different perspective from some Christian folks out there. However, if you are a Christian, let me share a few verses with you for your consideration:

...Do not practice divination or seek omens. (Leviticus 19:26b, NIV)

Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. (Deuteronomy 18:10-11, NIV) 

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars — they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. (Revelation 21:8, NIV)

As a Christian, you may have heard these verses or something like these verses ever since Sunday School days. Often, these verses were proffered as warning against practicing magical arts, summoning demons, or pursuing any dark art that touches Satan. Considering the intent of these verses in their contexts in the Bible, these verses reflected the wisdom of God as He knows better than anyone of the seductive nature of ill-gotten power. However, starting (I'd say) in the mid-1970s when Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) was released, verses like the ones above were often used to disparage medieval-themed role-playing games (RPGs) and the presence of spells and magic-users. Some conscientious parents would warn their children of the dangers of indulging in such role play and their warnings were justified with such awful occurrences as the deaths of some RPG players in the steam tunnels of the University of Michigan or the suicides of young people whose game characters had died during a (fictional, mind you) campaign. More and more, games like D&D were targeted by Christians.

Yet, D&D didn't go away. In fact, its second edition came out in 1989 and, by then, it had become a beacon of hope for introverted, academically-minded, socially-challenged students everywhere who wanted to escape the reality of school bullying and being disliked for their intellectual prowess. More fantasy-themed RPGs emerged, and then came Magic: The Gathering, which revolutionized card gaming by presenting a customizable game experience: you could build a deck with your own strategy, tactics, and cards and then pit that deck against someone else's deck. When it first came out, acceptance was slow, but then it exploded by its third edition and a secondary market of individual cards flourished as a tournament circuit was established. Other companies attempted to cash in on the collectible card game craze as new games popped up every year. Those games would surge for a short time, and then disappear under the tidal wave of Magic fandom.

As D&D marched on and Magic set its footprint, fantasy computer games became more and more complex and immersive. In the 80s, it was consoles games like The Legend of Zelda and Sword of Vermillion, and PC games like Ultima, Bard's Quest, and the D&D computer games that captivated RPG players when they couldn't get a campaign going. In the late 90s as home computers became faster with improved graphics and sound, even more complex and eye-popping games like Baldur's Gate and (ironically) Diablo were developed, and Ultima went online. Then, Warcraft became World of Warcraft and fantasy-themed gaming not only dominated RPGs and card games, but had a strong influence in online gaming and native-PC (i.e. installed on one's own computer only) gaming. Moreover, fantasy themes and magic are prominent in numerous Euro games, such as the aforementioned Terra Mystica, as well as Mage Knight, Descent, and other popular board games.

Eventually, fantasy fans in their teenage years grew up to be successful businessmen and, interestingly, movie producers and writers. It would be no surprise that the same kids who hid in the metal shop room in high school and rolled characters grew up to be movie makers who loved fantasy-based themes. Of course, with the fantasy themes comes magic, which is an integral part of the all of the previously mentioned games and media. Thus, (and for other reasons, I'm sure) magic seems to not only be present in numerous forms of entertainment, but it's accepted by people. In a strange way, the popular opinion on magic seems to be that there is "good" magic and there is "bad" magic, much like there's the "light" side of the Force and the "dark" side.

So, what's a Christian to do? Before I became a Christian, I was very much interested in D&D and Magic and Ultima. I loved fantasy-based adventures and enjoyed collecting the books and cards that featured swordplay, questing, and magic. When I became a Christian, I stowed away all of that paraphernalia (which wasn't hard to do because I was in Japan and my stuff was at my parents' house) and forgot about fantasy themes and magic. Yet, when I returned home, I unearthed those items, felt the waves of positive nostalgia associated with Magic card game duels, late-night role-playing sessions, and hours of battling monsters in Baldur's Gate and found myself drawn into those worlds again. I had even started rebuilding Magic decks...

Is magic in games and movies really that bad? One may answer "no" because these are depictions of magic use and not actual magic use. Just as one acts out Claudius in Hamlet and can finish the play without becoming a murderer, one can play a game that features magic and emerge with zero interest in pursuing it. Likewise, the mere act of, say, playing Magic is not sinful behavior; I have yet to meet or read about a single person who has sought a wicca lifestyle or pursued spellcasting as a result of playing that game. Also, even though some Chick evangelist tracts would suggest that RPGs lead to Satan worship, I have yet to read about or meet a person who became a Satan worshipper as a direct result of playing D&D.

Despite this, I have sought to minimize magic themes in my life and games. It started with the Magic cards. Put aside some of the questionably-clad females on the cards and some of the demon imagery and, sure, you have a game of wonderfully deep strategy and creativity, but you also have to address  an underlying concept: magic is okay. I couldn't reconcile the beauty of the game with how, even indirectly, the game seemed to condone magic. I ended up selling some of the cards and discarding (pun intended) the rest. Next, I dealt with my RPG books. I thought, "Wouldn't it be great to suit up armor again in a virtual sense and go on an imaginary adventure?" Yet, I was confronted with that same question: would I want my boys to play RPGs? I began to remember how I would lose myself in a fantasy world, make characters for hours, and dream about a world that was not real. Indeed, it was (and is) fun to escape reality for a while, and the mere act of playing RPGs didn't bother me, but the idea that "magic was okay" didn't sit well with me, so I sold those books and used the money to buy family-oriented European board games like Puerto Rico and Agricola.

The push to minimize magic in my life and the games I played was borne from a "personal conviction," which, among Christians, means that though there is no direct scriptural reference against playing RPGs or card games, I felt compelled by God to turn my back on magic. Because this is on the level of a "personal conviction," I have to say that I believe it is not a sin to play Magic or D&D or Ultima or World of Warcraft. In a similar vein, it is not against God, per se, to watch a sword-and-sorcery epic. Yet, this conviction has led me to the question, "Would I want my boys to play these games?" What kind of effect could magic in these games affect my boys? The answer to that is what I called "the planted seed."

What does that mean? We all understand the concept of magic: through force of will or the summoning of supernatural powers, a wizard or other form of magic-user casts a spell to turn an outcome in his or her favor. It is the accessing of something apart from God to influence a self-driven outcome. Outside of magic, people seek to do this all the time, whether it be by paying someone to do some work, by striking a deal with a neighbor, or by talking someone into ignoring something wrong someone else did. Magic is a spectacular, supernatural way of making things happen, which works in opposition to God's will because God's will is almost always different from my, your, or anybody's will. However, magic, unlike other forms of influence, is an attractive concept to the powerless and power-hungry, and the acceptance of magic plants a seed in one's mind: it's okay to seek power by whatever means necessary. In other words, by accepting the idea of magic, we accept the idea of our supremacy over nature and over God's will.

Is that a bit too extreme of a view? Consider this: you may have a child who likes Harry Potter. More than the demons and supernatural creatures present in the world of Hogwarts and Harry Potter, there is the idea that magic enhances one's life, makes one stronger, and can be used to defend others. In some ways, Harry Potter is a noble young character, yet he is not submitting to the will of God or even living by a strict moral code that involves sacrificing his desires all the time; instead, my impression of Harry Potter is that the end often justifies the means, that magic is a necessary tool in generating favorable outcomes, and that there is nothing but one's own will that determines whether evil succeeds or fails. For a non-Christian, this is a fine idea: I can overcome obstacles to achieve my ends. However, for a child who is young in his Christian faith, magic represents something that is antithetical to submitting to God's authority and not submitting to the will of supernatural power that isn't from God.

Let me state it another way. Most Christians focus on magic being "bad" because it involves conjuring demons or seeking power from evil spirits. This is a well-taken point if one is consistent with it insofar as any depiction is treated this way, even in works by Christian (or Catholic) authors like Tolkien and C.S. Lewis; these authors employ magic as plot devices, as do other authors. Yet, I contend that the more crucial issue to consider is how magic empowers the individual apart from God, as if one has mastery over the elements and doesn't need a Creator to help in any way. It is an idea that is truly un-Biblical. Since even a shadow of the idea of magic is present in games, I am wary not of my children becoming Satan worshippers, joining a wicca quorum, or even dancing around in pagan garb, but of the insidious notion that they don't need God. For a Christian, that's reducing faith to a lifestyle choice unworthy to share with others because it becomes more about societal rules and rosy philosophy and less about the majesty of God and how we are His creation. At that point, we wouldn't need God because we are in control of our own destinies and we don't want to follow a God that restricts us; this is the tenet of every atheist, in my opinion. It is about self-empowerment. Moreover, magic can be seen as an inflation of a fantasy world to negate the spiritual reality of a living God who asks us to live in this world and, more importantly, affect change for the better.

With all of that said, when it comes to the occasional movie, I don't really have a problem with the fictional portrayal of magic. I also don't have an issue with a Christian playing Magic or D&D as long as that person understands that we submit to God and are not driven by our own ambition, but I feel convicted about playing such games because it sets up an example for my sons and could plant a seed in their minds that could grow into full-blown doubting of God. Of course, when it comes to the intentional practice of magic or witch arts, the Bible is clear in its admonition and warnings, but what about Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia, which were written by Christians? Why are those books acceptable? The Bible verses I provided earlier would suggest that these works may be counter to God's word, but the simple answer is that magic and the fantasy milieu of those books are allegorical representations of the antagonism of Satan against God's creation. The lines of good and evil are clear in those books. Just as Christ often used verbal illustrations to convey points even to thieving tax collectors and financial managers, Tolkien and Lewis use allegory and metaphor to convey the spiritual battle between Christ and Satan.

To conclude, I believe that there is no straightforward answer to addressing magic in games unless one pursues the extreme one: to abolish all games that have magic. I don't necessarily believe that such abolishment is demanded by the Bible and in the verses I shared because one is not truly casting spells or divining spirits. Every gamer would tell you that: if anything, magic in games can be like laser guns in a science-fiction-themed game or economics in a European-style board game. The fantasy depiction of magic in games is not THE concern; it is the seed of doubt planted by the depiction and play of magic in games that is the most dangerous part.

For me, I sometimes question why God would ask me to give up such a well-designed game as Magic or to surrender my D&D books to Him, but I remind myself that when I play these games I open myself up to the seed of doubt in God's will as my mind, on a subconscious level, accepts that notion that I can alter reality to meet my ends, not God's ends. Some would disagree and that's fine, but I also remind myself that God has given me two boys to raise and shepherd into manhood. When I die, I will be accountable for what I've done in this life and how I raised them. I am not perfect, which is why I am thankful that Christ died for me and intercedes for me, but I must do my part to not obfuscate God's love and message for my boys. That is why I have turned my back on magic in games and limit the literature they and I read to magic as a plot device or as allegory. It is not a hard and fast rule that excludes every fictional depiction of magic, but I am guided by a personal conviction to ensure that I can do as much as I can to keep that seed of doubt from taking hold in my boys and in me. Therefore, I implore you, the Christian reader, to consider how magic or anything can plant that seed of doubt in your or your family's minds before you fret over the mere depiction of magic in movies or magic as a game element.

As an aside, I happened upon an intriguing verse in the book of Acts, which alludes to a group of sorcerers who eschewed their dark arts to follow Christ. This verse struck me because, just as these ex-sorcerers gave up much to follow Christ, I should give up what I feel impedes my following Christ:

A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. (Acts 19:18-20, NIV)

Even 2,000 years ago, people understood what I had to learn the hard way. Maybe I should read my Bible more.

Netrunner: 1HN Jettisoned Cargo

From my pre-teen years to my college years, I was a collector. At first, I collected baseball cards, but those companies flooded the card market with overprinted sets, so collectors (who believed the hype of the increased collectibility of baseball cards) bought mass amounts of cards only to watch the value of those cards plummet. I then collected comic books, specifically X-Men derived titles; I really enjoyed those stories, but comic book publishers failed to learn from the mistakes of the baseball card companies, oversaturated the market, and values dropped greatly. After that came a relatively new kind of collectible: the collectible card game. Magic: The Gathering was one of the forerunners and not much needs to be said right now about that game (which I may write more about later), but another game came out of the same publisher as Magic called Netrunner.

For the unitiated, Netrunner was a collectible card game with a cyberpunk theme and what was a novel approach at the time: one player plays as the "Runner," a hacker-like individual whose sole purpose is to extract information from the Corporation, which is played by the other player. The Corporate has its own agendas, literally: the Corporation's goal is to score points by completing agendas while resisting the incursions of the Runner. Both sides have cards that are specific to their roles: Runners can use Hardware, Resource, and Icebreaker cards to assist them in penetrating the Ice, Nodes, and Upgrades of the Corporation. It was first released in 1996 and only one expansion was ever released widely for it. Netrunner was the hot game among card gamers until 1999 or so when Wizards of the Coast (the publisher of Magic: The Gathering) stopped producing it.

As I write this review, it surprises me how Netrunner is still strongly supported even 17 years after its initial release. In 1996, I purchased a few double-deck packs and several Limited and Proteus boosters. Being the collector that I was, I bought enough cards to amass almost 700 cards. But, over time, I packed the cards away and forgot about them... Until three years ago, when I unearthed my Netrunner and Magic cards. Then and now, many "professional" reviewers have pointed at Netrunner as the most well-balanced, well-designed collectible card game out there; no one card is so powerful that it tilts the game in one player's favor and is abused en masse. Based on my observations and readings, I believe that is true. I never got to play against a human opponent (I only playtested decks against myself), but I read enough of the rules and strategy guides out there to see how much more balanced cards are (despite rarity) than Magic cards are and how much more diversity there is with deck strategies than there are with Magic decks.

All of this said, an interesting thing happened regarding the first release of this review. A few weeks ago, I published this review here and at Board Game Geek, stating the following in what was the initial part of my concluding paragraph:

"As a Christian, I rid myself of Magic cards because the motif and imagery was not compatible with my convictions, despite the wonderfully complex rules, strategies, and interactions involved with Magic: The Gathering. Netrunner has a comparable level of complexity, but with only a few objectionable images and even more equality among deck designs, even with a much smaller inventory of existing cards."

After I published this review, I got quite a few replies, even some just criticisms, about my views on Netrunner vis-a-vis Magic: The Gathering and how it seemed like I found corporate espionage and murder acceptable, but not the occult imagery of Magic. I thought about it and realized that those critics were right -- my opinion of Netrunner were inconsistent with my convictions regarding the possible negative influences of games. Thus, I sold my cards, perhaps to someone who does not have the convictions I have (I had already sold off/thrown away my Magic cards).

Many people can compartmentalize their own convictions related to games because they are at peace with the notion that those games are "just games." However, for me, I feel compelled to act on my convictions, which is to say that I don't believe that playing Netrunner or any game is inherently sinful (i.e. fracturing one's relationship with God), but the themes and actions taken in a game must be considered, as well as the intent of those actions, when choosing which game to play and, more importantly, in determining what possible influences that game may have. This process of analyzing the benefits and detriments of each game is an ongoing one and there aren't many firm rules, but I do have some, such as no violence with villainous intent. As I get older and I watch my boys get older, I often ask myself, "Is any particular game something I'd want to see my boys play now?" As I seriously considered Netrunner, I concluded that I wouldn't want my boys playing this game because much of the moral decisions one makes in the game are relativistic at best; for example, as one commenter pointed out, the game glorifies hacking, which is normally a criminal activity (except for "white" hacking, which serves the purpose of testing a company's network and data security). I surmised that I did not want to convey the message to my boys that computer theft was acceptable, which led me to the overdue conclusion that Netrunner was not a game for me or my family. That said, if you, the reader, are an adult and your conscience is clear concerning Netrunner, then you should exercise your freedom to play. If anything, playing Netrunner may allow you to connect with people who would never play games with a Christian otherwise.