iOS, Android, PC/Mac •
One of 2017’s biggest hits around these parts is a little card game called Age of Rivals. With the mixture of card drafting and empire building, it could be seen as a 7 Wonders replacement, particularly since it’s on the App Store and that oft-delayed title has yet to appear. The problem with the comparison, however, is that Age of Rivals is a better game. It’s more complex, requires more strategy, and, dare I say, is just more fun to play.
For those of you who haven’t picked up Age of Rivals yet, here’s a primer. Each turn you draft four cards and purchase one, handing the remaining three to your opponent. Each of the cards interacts with other cards in your deck, so your trying to draft what you need, but also prevent your opponent from putting together a killer combo. Many of the cards will give you resources or coins to more efficiently build your empire, but there are also cards representing the arts, civic functions, and military might. Over the course of several rounds, you’ll use military to abstractly conquer neighboring cities, and then battle your opponent with the hope of knocking a few of their cards out of the round, preventing them from doing whatever it is they were supposed to do.
Sound complicated? It’s actually not that bad, rules-wise at least. It’s actually quite easy to pick up and play. The hard part comes in figuring out a winning strategy, which is where the fun comes in, as long as you don’t mind losing and losing often. If you do manage to win here and there, you can unlock new cards by buying booster packs. This isn’t a CCG, however, so you don’t have to worry about duplicates. Eventually, you’ll have all the cards, which seems to be Age of Rivals’ only real issue. What do you do once all the cards are unlocked? I’ve contacted Roboto Games about that topic, and will let you know if and when they fill me in on what we can expect in Age of Rivals’ future.
Anyway, a lot of us are already familiar with Age of Rivals, so what the hell am I doing rambling about it? Well, if you didn’t jump on the AoR bus when it was first released, now’s the time to get onboard. The iOS and Android versions just went 50% off, meaning you can grab the full game for $2. If you can’t tell, I think you should pick it up. Now.
- Age of Rivals for iOS Universal, $2
- Age of Rivals for Android, $2
- Age of Rivals for PC/Mac via Steam, $10
The only way to avoid finding yourselves on the front pages is for one of you to kill Wadsworth.
But perhaps a more appropriate Clue quote: “I suggest we take him up on that offer.”
StatelyCon I: undisclosed basement location, dates TBD
“You see? Like the Mounties, we always get our man.”