Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer [Universal] [Storm of Souls expansion]

[sapphire_neo]

Originally Posted by Riotgirl

Re-reading this thread (currently on page 37), and look forward to 4 player multi-player games.

P.s. Am I one of the few who really like the art?

4P games seem to drag-on a bit, 3P seems to be the magic number.

As for the art, I don't really like it... I LOVE IT! The tarot style art is so fresh and unique and Sabee's work on Immortal Heroes is looking appropriately gorgeous.

[currymutton]

Mechana gamebit is about getting high-face-value honors, but it alone cannot win you a game, especially when your opponnet has >30+ lead in the table value. The mechana in the latest SoS is more about combo, but not quite so in the previous one

Ascension is the game about when you should change the gamebit at the right moment.

There are a number of combos here which can raise the hair of your opponent but they are stuffed here and there within this long thread. I am not an expert here so I am not entirely sure what they are.

You learn more by playing against real person. My GCID is griffin611, feel free to send in a game.

BTW, I find 2-player games play very differently from 3- and 4-player ones. Like Camzy, I find myself addicted to 3-p lately.

P.S. I secretly install this on my wifie's Mini, and the experience is pretty as good as the full-size iPad

P.P.S. I may arrange another round of play-by-my-daughter some time soon.

[Riotgirl]

Lost a frustrating game to the AI by 3 measley points: 65-68. One of those games when the centre board didn't recycle until well into the middle game because it was clogged up by high cost rune cards - either the odd construct or Flytrap Witch and Master Dartha (the latter ended up being banished).

Myself and the AI played a similiar game in both playing a card drawing deck, with a balance of runes and power. I snickered to myself when the AI bought Druids of the Stone on the very first turn. Sadly, none of the 1 rune 'draw a card' cards turned up, and the Banish didn't turn up until the end-game (useless).

In the end, the AI won by card acquisition [honour] having 17 Heavy Infantry!

We both played spoilers i.e. banishing the arbiter in case we gave each other advantage.

Have to pencil it down to one of those games; although I'm glad it was fairly tight and could have gone either way.

On page 98 of the thread! Haven't bought the expansions yet as I want to get a better handle on the existing cards - especially Mechana.

Look forward to playing online this weekend.

[Riotgirl]

No time to play MP. Weekend is a mixture of girlfriend (currently asleep next to me), playing 'Werewolves' with my Chinese social group (they are mostly Chinese - I'm not, but speak some Chinese), and sadly, need to jump on the laptop and work today as I need to clear a backlog of work.

I'm still playing base game CotG and from reading strategies and from playing, it boils down to:
1. Early turn card choices (starting hand 8 apprentices and 2 militia: can predict turns 1-2, and get a good feel for turns 3-4 depending on how fast the centre board gets flipped)
2. Centre board
3. Opponent signals

More and more, I'm drawn to the parallels with Mahjong, and to a certain extent da lao er ('Big Two' 大老二) - what signals are you giving to your opponents and what signals are they giving to you. Which makes early turn card choices 'interesting' when you can predict initial turn rune and power for both you and your opponent i.e. knowing what cards you can leave on the centre board, and when they are likely to be picked up.

Mediocre card choices hurt not only because of padding your deck, but flipping the centre board and possibly giving your opponent an advantage. Picking up a turn 2 Arbiter when the board was pretty lacklustre (poor 1 rune cards and 4+ rune cards of middling effect), definitely gave me an advantage to banish militias - I ended up following a Mechana power strategy by giving up early-mid game on table honours (15-20 behind at one point) to take on-table lead in the end game due to Hedron Cannon. Whilst the AI was happy to snag honour with Yggdrasil staff, it allowed me to control the centre board - I was in a position to dictate the shape (banish monster cards). Hedron Cannon + 4 Heavies sealed the AIs fate in the mid-game when I killed Avatar of the Fallen. No surprise that I also crushed the AI on off-table honour acquisition.

Look forward to MP and being exposed to a wide variety of different playing styles and crushing defeats. Then I have the expansions to buy and will have to relearn how to play the game!

[Riotgirl]

Ok! Last post replying to myself because a) bad form, b) monologue, and c) this isn't a blog

Sat on Primrose Hill on a lovely Autumn afternoon, after playing the orange AI on CotG. Played 3: won 1 - lost 2 (68 - 67 / 69-77 and 65-68). Really satisfied with my play in all of the games because they all have been very similar by switching from power to runes with Lifeblood / Enlightened draw card combination. Snapdrgon in first game (loss) and All-Seeing Eye in the next game (loss). Oddly enough, my sole win came without playing a single construction!

Muramasa kept me competitive in power in the last game until the AI forced me to discard it at the end game. Unlike the green AI, no wild swings in scoring. Very consistent, tight focused play, with both of us playing banishes to disrupt the other's game (I had to banish the Hedron Cannon to prevent the AI crushing me in power).

After playing 2 dozen games against the [mostly green] AI, but especially after reading 180 pages of this thread and the strategy links, I'm more and more impressed at the balance of the game design, and how little luck plays a role compared with assessing the centre board and the opponent's signals.

Card evaluation and knowing what to flip and when are much more vital than luck. Also, card synergies and card order regularly see 10 cards per turn.

The beauty is that different strategies are all viable, based upon the centre board and different people have different opinions on what to play at a given time. It is telling that the designers are MtG veterans and have avoided the pitfalls of a 'I win' card and/or strategy.

This is just the base game (CotG) with the orange AI! Cannot wait for MP (2, 3 and 4 players), plus buying the expansions once I have considerable MP experience.

Not only has Ascension relegated other games like Avadon, KoDP and Tigris and Euphrates on my iPad, more importantly, I'm going to buy the physical copy to play with my Chinese social group (if I can drag them away from Werewolves).

P.s. GCID is [riotgirl]. Hit me up for either 30 min games (weekend or weekday evenings - arrange in advance so we can play in real time) or 14 day async. Note: I've set-up a 14 day CotG game available on the 'Games List'. Looking to arrange in advance a 30 min 4 player game i.e. real time. I'm on GMT, so Friday evening / weekend is best.

Cheers!

Note: lisapook thrashed me 84-49 in my 1st MP game. I couldn't decide what strategy to play at the start, despite the centre board appearing monster heavy. I stuck to my card-drawing game which initially paid off. But my lack of power killed me. She picked up a couple of Temple Librarians, but more importantly, picked up a couple of Shadow Stars and controlled the board. I had to discard my All-Seeing Eye, which I never got back and then had to discard Snapdragon. It was all over by that point, because she was racking up the points killing monsters and I couldn't kill the critical ones i.e. banish. Killing Avatar of the Fallen was just gravy for her. Good game! Time to lick my wounds and offer her a rematch.

[tecwrtr]

Riotgirl,

I'm always looking for someone to play Ascension with. If you'd like, please add me. GC = tecwrtr.

I also love Nightfall and some SW.

Btw, if anyone else is looking for a game, I have all expansions. Seems as if many have stopped playing. Maybe waiting for the next expansion?

[crunc]

I'd stopped playing, but I'm up for starting again. I love this game, I just got burnt out from playing too much. I'd like to keep games to a minimum, though, to avoid that again. Just 2 or 3 games tops, so any beyond that I'll refuse. I'll probably go nuts when the next expansion is out, though.

[tecwrtr]

Great! Just sent an invite. :-)

[FPE]

Originally Posted by tecwrtr

Riotgirl,

I'm always looking for someone to play Ascension with. If you'd like, please add me. GC = tecwrtr.

I also love Nightfall and some SW.

Btw, if anyone else is looking for a game, I have all expansions. Seems as if many have stopped playing. Maybe waiting for the next expansion?

Yes many have, but few like me comes back once work allows like now.

[Riotgirl]

Thanks tecwrtr. I'll add you.

Currently playing 3 MP games: lisapook (rematch - initial turns already looks ominous), jnt325 (whom I lost the first game 61-71), and now currymutton.

The weakness of my game has been relying on Lifeblood / Enlightened and losing far too much honour through falling behind the power curve in the early game. Also, Monsters banish and discard constructs for the double-whammy. Gives too much board control to the opponent.

I've become a convert to Spike Vixen and Shade of the Black Witch (mixed with card drawers like Temple Librarian). I always find that lack that 1 power to defeat a monster which may help me gain control.

Tried this new strategy against the orange AI, and won comfortably by 15 points. The green AI chooses Druids of the Stone Circle as it's first card; the orange picks Void 1/2 Hero cards with better effects i.e. card draws/ banish. Had to use Shade of the Black Witch to banish my early Arbiter draw! Arbiter is too weak in the middle game.

After these games finish, and when I get more time in December, I'll look into getting one of the expansions - maybe SOS, because it sounds like it adds so much more to the game in its own right, without the need to combine with other sets.