Flash Duel, Highest Rated Game Ever from BoardToDeathTV

BoardToDeath reviewed Flash Duel and they gave it the highest rating they've ever given any game. They said we thought of virtually every detail in making it, and they can't find anything wrong with the game at all. So this is the best possible review a game could get, really. Wow!

With this plus the amazing Watch It Played series of videos on Flash Duel and the glowing Penny Arcade post about it, it's been amazing seeing such a positive reaction. Really exciting!

On Cloning Game Designs

I was a guest poster on Penny Arcade today. Tycho asked me about the subject of games that "clone" other games, and you can see my response there. Enjoy. ;)

Introducing: Zane

Captain Zane is head of the outlaw group called the Blood Guard, and he hates authority. While some call him "Zane the insane," there is a method to his madness. Zane doesn't mind the term though, because if people don't know what to expect, it gives him the upper hand.

Zane's purple suit is unusually tailored and it's reinforced with rare green dragon scales, partly for armor but mostly for style. I wonder what Midori has to say about that.

Zane's crew, who he calls the Blood Guard, are a band of outlaws that answer to Zane. One of his main activities seems to be staking out the roads and demanding what he calls a "traveller's tax" to any who would pass. If they refuse, he fights them for the tax, which is why he has skilled fighters on hand such as Vendetta (and someday Troq).

While some see this as mere thieving, Zane does it for much more lofty reasons. He asserts that his power to tax comes from his ability to do so. If no one can stop him, then his law is as good as anyone else's. Or more to the point, why should he listen to Flagstone's law? Why should anyone? It's not like Quince achieved power there legitimately, and even if he had, it's not like Flagstone's laws help the Realm. The Realm is in the worst state it's been in for ages. Resources are draining all over the place, and for what--to produce more of Onimaru's useless clockwork soldiers? Personal freedoms have been sacrificed in the name of "protection," which disgusts Zane. One of Zane's favorite quotes is from the great lawyer Jefferson Degrey: "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little safety deserve neither." So why should we care what Flagstone says? Zane's defiance and infamy has become an increasing embarrassment to Flagstone, which is exactly his goal.

Zane took an interest in Grave after realizing that Grave is one of the strongest warriors in the Realm. That's exactly the kind of person he could use on the Blood Guard. Interestingly, his speech to Grave is almost the same as Rook and DeGrey's: that Grave's inaction and disinterest in politics actually condones Flagstone's actions, whether he likes it or not. Zane trash talks whatever it is the golem and lawyer would say to actually do about it though. Something useless about civil disobedience? That just got DeGrey into Daggerfall Prison. Something else useless about some fighting tournament? How about burning the real problem to the ground so a new age can begin? It's true that Zane happens to enjoy blowing things up and burning them to the ground, but that's beside the point. In this case, it's the right thing to do, says Zane!

In a fighting game, Zane is all offense with no defense. In Flash Duel the Landmine is one of his offensive tools:

He can use his Shoulder Ram ability (or the general push ability) to knock people into the Landmine, which then makes them sitting ducks for the next turn.

There's a certain poetry to Zane's mayhem. He likes to have some fun while he's making a statement and crashing the establishment. He has one of the more playful chips in Puzzle Strike:

Crash Potato is a hilarious chip that Zane can trade you for your Crash Gem. Zane gets your valuable Crash Gem while you get his basically terrible Crash Potato. At least you can trade back later, though that will cost you an action. Zane can try to use this window of opportunity when you don't have a real Crash Gem to try to rush you down and end the game.

Zane keeps people on their toes, and he shakes things up. He questions the status quo and seeks to tear it down so we can all have a better future. People have a lot invested in the status quo though, and they see Zane as a dangerous villain.

And with that, the launch of fantasystrike.com is nearly upon us!

Introducing: Vendetta

Vendetta is an undead assassin from the Dreadlands. Not much is known about him or his origins.

Vendetta moves quickly and silently. He has great acrobatic skill as well as great patience. Giant pincers can extend from his arms, giving him huge range with his attacks.

Captain Zane of the Blood Guard encountered Vendetta on the road where three would-be robbers were sprawled out on the ground around him, bloodied. Zane was impressed, and offered to recruit Vendetta to the Blood Guard. Vendetta didn't say much, but he accepted. Zane is happy to have a badass crypt man on his side who slices up anything or anyone who needs slicing.

What Zane doesn't know is that Vendetta is no common foot soldier, and loyalty to Zane isn't exactly Vendetta's priority. Vendetta is actually one of Vandy Anadrose's most elite officers--he serves the Queen of D's. For now, he is her eyes. And as General Onimaru would say, spies are the most valuable asset of any army.

In a fighting game, Vendetta is a poking character who also has fast dives from the walls. In Flash Duel and Puzzle Strike, he actually has exactly the three same ability names: Stun Lock, Acrobatics, and Surgical Strike. Let's look at Surgical Strike in Flash Duel:

Normally, if you attack with a certain numbered card, the opponent must block with that same number. For example, if you attack with a 3, the opponent must block with a 3 or lose the round. Surgical Strike lets Vendetta force the opponent to block with some other numbered card though, and this can really throw them off. Remember that in the 1v1 game, there are only 5 copies of each number, so as soon as Vendetta sees all five copies of a certain number in the discard pile and/or in his own hand, he knows for sure the opponent cannot block that number. Any attack becomes a guaranteed round win at that point, a Surgical Strike indeed.

Here's Puzzle Strike's version:

While discarding a single chip isn't too bad, the Surgical Strike part is that Vendetta chooses exactly which chip that is--for each opponent. He can get rid of his opponent's most important combo piece, or their money, or perhaps most devastatingly...their Crash Gem.

Vendetta is acrobatic, patient, precise, and deadly. Next time we'll meet the final character in the Fantasy Strike Expansion, Captain Zane of the Blood Guard. And that will bring us to 20 characters total, and to the launch of the Fantasystrike.com website!

Introducing: Gwen

Gwen is a former healer who is now afflicted with Shadow Plague.

Gwen grew up helping and healing animals and people, alongside her sister Gloria. They both practiced martial arts together, and travelled the Realm to help others.

While nothing could ever get Gloria down, Gwen was often affected by the personal tragedies they witnessed. They can't save every patient. That said, Gwen was always better in crisis situations because she is the more decisive of the two. Gwen knows that every decision about treating a patient or not treating one is a risk. In a tough situation, one might be tempted to do nothing, or to avoid taking any action that might backfire, but the correct decision is the one that maximizes the patient's chances, whatever that may be. Gwen has a practicality that her more idealistic sister sometimes lacks.

Gwen's understanding of the odds surprised many during her visit to the Pandalands. No one expected the foreign healers to be any good at Pandánte, yet Gwen won quite a bit of gold from Pandas. They were excited by the unexpected turn of events, and they were very grateful for her healing skills as well.

After Gwen's encounter with the undead in the Dreadlands though, she was never the same. There she contracted Shadow Plague. Her skin changed color and her humanity started to fade away, kept in check only by her sister Gloria's healing powers. Gwen grew restless and antsy. At times her adrenaline seems to be in overdrive. Gloria suggested they end their journeys across the Realm, but Gwen insists they keep moving. She isn't always lucid, so it's unclear what she's looking for, if anything.

In gameplay terms, Gwen is dying--she's a character on a clock. During what time she has left, she acts with great speed and desperation. Here's her Shadow Plague from Flash Duel:

Shadow Plague being indestructible means that even Menelker's Into Oblivion ability can't get rid of Shadow Plague. Shadow Plague means Gwen has more cards than her opponents throughout the whole game, but she can never win the final tie-breaker of a match. At that point, her clock has run out.

She has Shadow Plague in Puzzle Strike as well:

Shadow Plague is notable in that it's the worst character chip in the game by far. It's purely a drawback that she must play around. The text on the chip means that she'll add a wound to her deck every turn she draws Shadow Plague (because she'll normally discard Shadow Plague during that turn's cleanup step) unless she spends an action to avoid getting that wound. She can also use the "+pig" icon on other chips to stash Shadow Plague across turns, which means she delays having to discard it.

In exchange for this drawback, Gwen's other chips are incredibly strong. They give her more arrows and more chips than any other character would be allowed to have, and she can cause opponents to discard as well. She's an interesting tension of power with a price.

Gwen is straying close to the boundary between humanity and the undead, and she's ready to rush you down while she still can. Next time we'll cover Vendetta, an assassin who is more calm and more undead than Gwen.