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Old 01-27-2018, 07:50 PM   #1
ClassicFrog
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Default Munchkin CCG Prerelease Event Impressions

I had the pleasure of attending the prerelease event today at my FLGS.

The event itself:
The entire thing was really great. The store had 3 other events running at the time so it was a little loud in the game room but we were able to clearly hear the event organizer. I was shocked that the event had no cost at all. Thats really classy of you guys. Especially given the fact we were able to take home basically half of a starter box.

The event organizer had 6 starter boxes which he had separated out into baggies of 1 deck with all the tokens/dice for 1 player. We had a good turn out, i think we had 9 or 10 people from the start. Each player grabbed a character baggie (i grabbed the thief because OP card advantage, 'nough said hehe)

the organizer helped us all get our games going simultaneously. You could tell he was very familiar with the game and all the cards. for the first game the first few turns he had one side take their turn together going through the phases of play and then the other side do the same thing. It was a very effective way to learn.

Impressions of the game:
The game is very easy to learn. I have a lot of card game experience (I've played LOTS) so it might have been a bit easier for me. I am a big fan of games that have a well structured but simple set of rules that define how the game plays then let that cards themselves provide the rest. MunchkinCCG does this really well. Theres tons of great decision points in the game even with just the starter decks.

The game has a ton of depth. I think SJG hit the sweet spot here of easy to learn hard to master. The bluffing aspect of the main phase of the game play i absolutely love. it reminds me a lot of netrunner and other similar games with face down cards. You want to bait your opponent to run away from a nothing card so then the choice is harder, take a damage or face the monster. The player must gauge their opponent, taking into consideration the state of the game, whats on the board whats been played, whats been played in previous turns its all great. I could go on and on about this but basically its awesome.

It was fantastic having someone who knew the game so well there to ask questions of. This game may seem simple at first but there are really interesting interactions and things that are easy to miss your first few games. Like:
weapons doing damage FIRST before a monster can attack.

mischief cards can be played whenever, not just on your turn. Theres no "spell" stack but instead a "spell" queue which allows for a flexible game like MTG without the craziness that can come from a stack.

to replace a card like a location or equipment you have to zap it first (some cards come in zapped to prevent a person from immediately squishing the card after they get the effect)

damaged not shielded by equipment goes to the player, but allies will absorb all the damage with no "trample"

the organizer said SJG will be posting a detailed timing breakdown along with a FAQ for some of those less obviously card interactions and possible timing issues.

Overall:
Loved the event and loved the game. I cant wait until I can go out and actually buy the game. Owning one deck is such a tease right now.
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Old 01-28-2018, 08:39 AM   #2
philreed
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Default Re: Munchkin CCG Prerelease Event Impressions

It sounds like you had a great time at the event. I’m happy to hear things went well and you’re looking forward to the release.

Which store were you at for the event?
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Old 01-28-2018, 08:55 AM   #3
crestedskew
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Default Re: Munchkin CCG Prerelease Event Impressions

Totally agree with ClassicFrog here. Having no cost and letting players not only get to play the game but finally taking a deck home in hand was a big win for me. I actually did plan for this as I drug a friend with me who was.. not even close to interested in the game (i.e. knew nothing about it but did me a solid) but genuinely enjoyed it.

I went to Games and Stuff in MD and Hunter was awesome as always. The store was amazing and I am very jealous of how much there was available at the store. My driver and I made a few purchases and my favorite non Munchkin CCG (have we come up with a cool, quirky abbreviation for that yet? The CCG?
MCC? MC? Dunno just spitballing here) thing was probably the open painting area. The fact that there were multiple open stations for you to sit/watch at any time was fantastic. I wish my local shop had the room for something like it.
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Old 01-28-2018, 02:27 PM   #4
ClassicFrog
 
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Default Re: Munchkin CCG Prerelease Event Impressions

Quote:
Originally Posted by philreed View Post
It sounds like you had a great time at the event. I’m happy to hear things went well and you’re looking forward to the release.

Which store were you at for the event?
I attended the event at Games and Stuff in Glen Burnie, MD
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Old 01-28-2018, 02:54 PM   #5
ClassicFrog
 
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Default Re: Munchkin CCG Prerelease Event Impressions

Quote:
Originally Posted by crestedskew View Post
(have we come up with a cool, quirky abbreviation for that yet? The CCG?
MCC? MC? Dunno just spitballing here)
well you know this game, MunchkinCCG, is gonna be so successful and popular that its just going to be known colloquially as munchkin and you will have to add the caveat "the board game" when referring to the old munchkin games.
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Old 01-28-2018, 07:18 PM   #6
crestedskew
 
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Default Re: Munchkin CCG Prerelease Event Impressions

Quote:
Originally Posted by ClassicFrog View Post
well you know this game, MunchkinCCG, is gonna be so successful and popular that its just going to be known colloquially as munchkin and you will have to add the caveat "the board game" when referring to the old munchkin games.
haha love it!
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Old 01-28-2018, 07:47 PM   #7
philreed
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Default Re: Munchkin CCG Prerelease Event Impressions

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Originally Posted by ClassicFrog View Post
I attended the event at Games and Stuff in Glen Burnie, MD
Thanks! That was Hunter and he is very good at what he does.
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Old 01-29-2018, 08:22 AM   #8
Mister Ed
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
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Default Re: Munchkin CCG Prerelease Event Impressions

My son and I attended the event at Guardian Games in Portland, OR. It was great. We are big Munchkin fans, and it was fun to be able to surprise him (he didn't even know that Munchkin CCG was a thing before we walked up to the table. He just thought we were having another Father/Son trip to the game store).

I will second how amazing it was that we got a free starter pack (since there were two of us), as well as getting something I didn't think I'd ever see again, NEW Munchkin Jumbo d6s (we have so many, I thought I'd seen them all, but here was one in a new color combination). Plus we got the pack that came in the starter, and my son was really happy to get an alternate art Gazebo card, in duotone.

He had fun playing even though he lost, too, which is always a reliable sign of a good game, since he can sometimes be a...let's say extremely frustrated...loser.

I will almost certainly get the other two starters when they are available. How many packs we end up buying will depend greatly on how many family members enjoy the game, and how much.

One thought I had, though, is that it will be kind of unusual for a CCG if SJGames sticks to the same policy for this as they do for Munchkin. I've never experienced a CCG before where people weren't allowed to freely quote card text when discussing it, and in fact I've never seen a CCG where IMAGES of all the cards were not available on-line (usually on the company's site), for people to strategize and plan decks in advance before going out and trying to acquire the cards they need to make them. I think that kind of free-flow of information about the available cards may be critical to the success of a CCG (though I admit my "knowledge" on that score is based only on my personal experience with other CCGs, not any kind of experience with making or distributing one).
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Old 01-29-2018, 08:48 AM   #9
crestedskew
 
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Default Re: Munchkin CCG Prerelease Event Impressions

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Originally Posted by Mister Ed View Post
One thought I had, though, is that it will be kind of unusual for a CCG if SJGames sticks to the same policy for this as they do for Munchkin. I've never experienced a CCG before where people weren't allowed to freely quote card text when discussing it, and in fact I've never seen a CCG where IMAGES of all the cards were not available on-line (usually on the company's site), for people to strategize and plan decks in advance before going out and trying to acquire the cards they need to make them. I think that kind of free-flow of information about the available cards may be critical to the success of a CCG (though I admit my "knowledge" on that score is based only on my personal experience with other CCGs, not any kind of experience with making or distributing one).
They did say they'll be releasing the full card list once it's on shelves.
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Old 01-29-2018, 09:30 AM   #10
Mister Ed
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Portland, Oregon
Default Re: Munchkin CCG Prerelease Event Impressions

Card list is one thing. Card images is another. Names of the cards don't help you plan a deck, you need all the info on the cards for that.

But in all the time I've been buying SJGames, I haven't seen them make any serious missteps. They've done things I wasn't crazy about, but they worked out for them so far as I can tell, so I've learned that (unsurprisingly) they know what's best for their products better than I do. I'll assume the same will be true here. I'm just saying that from MY perspective, full information on the cards available makes a CCG much easier to get invested in, rather than just going in blind. (From a play perspective. From a collecting perspective, a card list is really all you need.)

Last edited by Mister Ed; 01-29-2018 at 09:37 AM.
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