Puzzle Strike Rules

As we get closer to Puzzle Strike being done, I can now show you the rulebook. For some reason, rulebooks for a lot of board games are ridiculously long and poorly formatted, so I did my very best on this one to make it look nice and be as short as possible. It's 8 pages total (longer than the 1-page rules for Yomi and Flash Duel), but only 4 of those pages are actually how to play. The other 4 are just a chip-by-chip FAQ for various rules issues you might encounter later. And the first four pages are only as long as they are because of all the graphics and visual aids.

The rulebook is not 100% finished, but it's pretty close. As of this writing, the link leads to version 4.7, but it will updated a bit more before release. Oh, and if you're having trouble viewing it in your web browser, then right click the link and download it, and view the pdf in Adobe Acrobat Reader, or better yet, in Apple Preview.

You can see the latest chip files, too. They are also at version 4.7 as of this writing, but these links will lead to whatever the latest version is at the time:

www.sirlin.net/ps/chips1
www.sirlin.net/ps/chips2 

I'm targeting a summer release here, and unlike with Flash Duel, I think I'll be able to take pre-orders this time. That is going to be pretty critical on my end actually, to even be able to afford to manufacture it, and kind of critical on your end too if you want to actually get a copy, considering the run is pretty small. More details on pre-ordering (both the regular and all-wood deluxe version) to follow in the next few weeks. Oh, and just maybe it will launch in Canada too. Still working on it, and have made some progress!

If you'd like to playtest a (not yet great) online version, stop by sirlin.net/chat and ask around for some help. For questions or comments, try the boardgamegeek.com page. Don't forget to become a "fan" there, too. ;)

Puzzle Strike Boxes

Hey everyone, I'm really looking forward to this one! What if the Fantasy Strike characters were all kids, and played a puzzle game together...and we simulated that with a card game? Except there are discs like poker chips instead of cards so you can shuffle them really easily? That's Puzzle Strike!

If you're confused, don't worry about all that, and just know that it's based around a really interesting mechanic where "almost losing" gives you more comeback power, so there's a lot of back-and-forth action right up to the end. There are also a lot of close calls where you're actually over-the-limit on how much your "gem pile" can hold before you lose, but as long as you clear enough of them out by the *end* of your turn, you're ok. Here's a prototype of the box for the standard version of Puzzle Strike: 

And here's a  prototype of the DELUXE version, with wooden box and all wooden chips:

 Here's a closeup of the back of the box, which tells you a bit more about the game:

 

Like I said, I'm really excited about this one. While Yomi is more of a tournament game, Puzzle Strike supports 2, 3, or 4 players, has an absurd number of interactions and combos, and the puzzle game mechanics make it pretty unusual and exciting to play. Plus, it has kid characters and a pink box. My testing shows this results in girlfriend-approval.

Unfortunately this one will cost more than my other two games, but I hope you'll bear with me on that. Because it supports up to 4-players, you can chip in with some friends, and I really think the unusual gameplay is worth it, not to mention that you get over 300 discs and four bags to hold them. Stay tuned for more info, or feel free to ask the various chatters in sirlin.net/chat if you're thinking about playtesting it before release.

There's also a Boardgamegeek page for it here, for further discussion.

Flash Duel: Deluxe Unboxing

I forgot to post this video a while ago. It's an excited customer opening his Flash Duel: Deluxe.

Yomi version 8.1

Yomi: Fighting Card Game is now up to version 8.1 (more like version 800, maybe I should have numbered these differently). You can get the pdfs to print all 10 decks here: www.sirlin.net/yomi
(There's a link at the bottom of that page to download all 10 at once, too, if you want.)

The game is getting pretty close to final, but remember that this is still a beta version.

Knockdown

This new version adds a bunch of new artwork, some balance changes, and a system-wide change with how Knockdown is handled. Before, knocking the opponent down disabled their dodge and their innate ability next turn. Now, it disables their dodge and weakens their block next turn. Argagarg's innate is rewritten so it still gets disabled if he's knocked down, and Rook's innate was changed slightly to compensate as well.

What does "weakened" blocks mean? It means you can't block odd-numbered normal attacks with even-numbered blocks, and vice versa. You can think of it like the opponent doing a high/low mixup or crossup as you get up from a knockdown.

The effect this has on gameplay is actually remarkably similar to how it works in a real fighting game. The opponent knows his block is more risky than usual, but he can avoid the entire bad situation by doing a reversal, like a dragon punch or a flash kick (Dragonheart or Flash Gear in Yomi). Those will beat out any normal move, and remember that only normal moves become harder to block in this knock down situation, not specials or supers. But you know the opponent wants to do a reversal. A predictable, bad opponent will reversal every time here, and you can either block it (to gain card advantage) or dodge it (to hit back with a single powerful move). A more skilled player knows he can't reversal every time, and he will sometimes block...but that means he is susceptible to getting hit by a normal attack into a full combo.

There's also strategy surrounding whether to use an odd or an even in these situations. Some characters prefer one or the other, so matchup knowledge will help you here. Also, the fastest normal attack is a 2, and attackers will want to use that against a knocked down opponent, but the knocked down opponent knows that and is probably more likely to block with an even numbered card. You can use this tendency against him by attacking with a 3 or a 5 instead.

Setsuki

On another note, Setsuki also got a pretty interesting change in this version. Usually, if she starts a turn with 1 or 0 cards in hand, she gets to draw 4 extra cards. That's still true, but now she also gets to hit back with a full combo if she dodges an attack that turn. Characters can usually only hit back with a single move after a dodge, but Setsuki has a full six combo points to work with here. Remember, it's only on turns where she activated her Speed of the Fox innate (by starting the turn with 0 or 1 cards), though.

Unity

We're testing the Unity version of Yomi right now, and it still needs a bit of work before all of you can join in, but it's getting close. It still has no rules, so you have to know how to play the game already, but it's a nice virtual card table suited specifically to play Yomi, so even in these early stages, it's pretty useful. Stay tuned for more info on that.

T-shirts and Prints

In the meantime, check out the the pics in the sidebar of the various Fantasy Strike / Yomi prints and t-shirts you can now buy. Available immediately, shipping worldwide. Enjoy a classy, framed print of DeGrey's Pilebunker or a simple Yomi t-shirt. Those who like to throw and hold down/back a lot might enjoy the Final Dragon Buster hoodie.