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Important Importables
Jenni Lada brings us information about all of the groovy new gaming imports from around the world.
Geeks are usually considered to be awkward, a bit gangly and often without much tact. They also like to argue with each other, sometimes degrading into what would be a silly looking slap fight. Sounds like the perfect premise for a game, eh?
Diving Dragon Games has taken the humorous idea of a pair of geeks in an awkward slap match to the table in the form of Geek Fight! the trading card game. This indie card game does have love of the game on its side and gets big kudos for decent production value and humor. However, much like the geeks it parodies, it needs a less geeky friend to help make the game a little more newbie friendly.
Gettin’ Decked
Geek Fight! is available online (for now) for $1 per pack with 7 cards in each pack with the entire set costing only $6. The low price is due in part to the low number of cards and the gratuitous advertising on each card. On the right of the information side of the card is a small ad paid for by various and semi-related companies.
The cards are business card size (3.5 in. wide by 2 in. tall) with rounded corners instead of the standard trading card size (3.5 in. x 2.5 in.). The cards are full color, full bleed and made of a thick, well-laminated card stock.
Each card features the name of the card’s object, the card’s number, a thumb-sized artist’s rendering, three status gem icons, a short description and 1.25 x 0.25 inch paid advertisement. The art credit, Diving Dragon URL and copyright are also printed on each card.
In Hand and On the Table
The rules are pretty straight forward, at least to skilled trading card gamers. You play one character at time until defeated, replacing them until all are beaten from your hand. You attack or defend each turn, spending resources (weapons and tactics) and subtracting points from a fighter’s health until defeated. When a player does not have any more fighters left in their hand, they lose.
The relatively low number of cards in the means that you’ll quickly hit all the possible attack combos. Luckily, a second set is already available for pre-order, Geek Fight! Set 2: The Final Battle as two 20-card packs plus two exclusive foil cards when you order through the company’s web site. The company is also tweaking the rules to address complaints about too much “I hit you your turn” gameplay.
Each card, especially the characters, portray the extreme side of gamer stereotypes. While I’m not one to embrace stereotyping, its done with the right humor and enough of a touch of respect (in terms of the stats) to make the cards more comedic parodies than insults. Fighters range from your standard geeks (Unidentifiable Cosplayer, 1337 H4XX012, Overenthusiastic LARPer), tactics (Card Throwing Skill, Under the Table Gaming, Vicious B.O.) and objects (Sci-fi Prop Sword, Bendy Dungeon Wall, 42nd Card of Doom).
The character and object art on the cards runs the gambit from professionally detailed to colored sketches you might find in the margin of a junior high student’s notebook. Many are reminiscent of the art in ye olde Dungeons & Dragons guide books and manuals. Don’t despair since the cards and images are small enough that even the worst art is passable.
The Real Deal?
The instructions are not quite as clear as they could be, especially for TCG newbs. It needs to have a brief walk through of sorts to help knock down some of the verbosity that makes this fairly simply game seem far more complicated than it really it. As mentioned above, a non-geek in the mix might help to make the rules a bit more huh-proof.
As for a game for hard-core TCGers, the rules still need a bit of work to help mix things up a bit and the expansion packs will certainly add more options. The game’s creators do seem to be open to suggestions through the site’s forum and gamers are even drafting their own rules.
Otherwise, this is a must-have set for a collector or straight-up geek. The game’s creator’s are certainly fans which certainly shows in the cards’ designs. That also means the instructions are a little more wordy and seemingly complicated than they need to be, which might scare away newcomer attracted to the game’s humorous theme.
Site [Geek Fight TCG]
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