Mystical Empire CCG
From: Northeast Games, Inc
Reviewed by: Ron McClung
Mystical Empire CCG (ME) is a new Collectible Card Game from Northeast Games, Inc.
This CCG looked different from the beginning so it intrigued me. The web site has a simple tutorial video that I went through first and then I went through the beginners scripted demo with a friend. I was only sent enough cards for that demo, so I actually never got a chance to play a full game with designed decks.
From website : “The fastest growing CCG on the market.”
The Cards: The cards include Characters, Creatures, Item, Spells, Effects, and Structures. The general concept is not much different from Magic: The Gathering, at least in terms of cards. The major difference is the Structures. This is an element of the game that is similar to games like Puerto Rico and games of that genre. They are built over the course of the game. A Character is the person you play. Creatures are your minions. Spells are magical effects that you and/or your creatures can cast and are defined by 4 different types of magic.
There are several stats on each type of card. They are represented by symbols, like a shield symbol represents health (or integrity for structures), skull and cross-bones for dark magic, and a trowel for trowel tokens. There are four main areas of stats – magical abilities (usually for characters and creatures), physical abilities (as for magical abilities), building tokens and abilities, and rarity. Effects, magic spells and items have a magic cost, and usually they are a combination of all four magical types.
The art itself is very well-done. Many of the artists are old-tike Magic artists. It is definitely on par with a high quality CCG.
The Rules: The rules are more of a reference because the beginners demo really walks you through the system. This approach is so much better than figuring out what the rules mean. The starter deck comes with a play mat for two players, which is a great reference as you play. It basically has everything you need to know about how to play. The details of game play are in the comprehensive rulebook, also.
Only the character can bring out creatures, items and structures. Spells and effects can be brought out by a collective effort between the character and creatures in play. In the end, it was an effect that did my in going through the scripted beginners instructions.
The one thing that made the game go really fast was the ability for some cards to react to other players’ actions. During the main phase of the turn, the opponent may react to the other players’ actions. In the demo, that tended to bring out more cards, making the game move rather quickly. It in effect gave everyone two chances to bring out cards. The challenge was to hold those cards in reserve for when that opportunity came up and not “engage” them during your regular turn.
From the back cover of the Comprehensive Rulebook: “Experience a new breed of Collectible Card Games …”
Another unique aspect, as mentioned, is the structure and building characters. Inspired by games like Puerto Rico, these are played by engaging your character and are built over time with creatures that have the build abilities. Once built, the structure has considerable effect on the game. The only problem was that I never got one in use in the demo. I got one out, but it was destroyed before I could use it. The few structures included in the demo pack were pretty cool and range from Dark Tower to something as small as Large Wagon. They add interesting options.
The Play: Play is very fast in ME. The aspects that I thought were differentiators (building structures, etc) did not come into play as much as I would have hoped in the demo. That might be indicative of a regular game or it may not. However, I would have thought that it was something they would want to demo a little more. It was very entertaining, about as much as Magic when I played it the first time, and I can see this game becoming just as much of an addiction for some people.
I like having the play mat in front of me to walk me through the turn, but the turn flow is easy enough that after a while, you get used to it. There is nothing out of the ordinary that a veteran CCG player would not understand and it is easy enough for first timers to pick up and play.
In conclusion, I do not normally like collectible card games, but this had its interesting moments. I like the game flow and the options.
For more details on Northeast Games, Inc. and their new Collectible Card Game “Mystical Empire CCG” check them out at their website http://www.mysticalempire.com, and at all of your local game stores.
Mystical Empire CCG
From: Northeast Games, Inc
Type of Game: Collectible Card Game
Game Design by: Keith A. Katsikas Jr.
Art by: Allan Palmer, Andrew Mcintosh, Bill Corbett, Chris Seaman, Delight Prescott, Don Maitz, Fred Fields, Henning Ludvigsen, Ihsan Alnasrawi, Isaura Simon, Jason Engle, Liiga Smilshkalne, Jeff Easly, Lipták László, Mark Poole, Max Humber, Micheal Waters, Miguel Coimbra, Nick Percival, Patrick Keith, Patrick McEvoy, Rafal Hrynkiewicz, Santiago Iborra, Uwe Jarling
Game Components Included: One starter Deck and one booster pack
Retail Price: $ 11.95 (starter), $2.95 per booster (US)
Number of Players: 2+
Play Time: 1 hr+
Website: www.mysticalempire.com
Reviewed by: Ron McClung