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Wizards of the Coast/FASA;
$8.99 |
Comstar's hulking "King Crab" 'mech.
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Commander's Edition
is the third base set for the BattleTech trading card game. Each partially preconstructed starter
deck includes 60 cards, a packet of metal counters, a rulebook, a quick-reference
guide, and a die and sells for $8.99 each. Booster packs of 15 random cards
are $2.99. Cards in this latest edition are a combination of popular cards
from earlier releases and new cards with as-yet unseen art and text. The
full set contains about 340 cards.
Commander's Edition
is an ideal collectible card game for anyone interested in an exciting sci-fi
strategy game, and might appeal to those less interested in its fantasy
world equivalents. Veteran BattleTech players will appreciate the innovations
and new cards this version offers, and new players will be able to quickly
and easily enter the BattleTech universe. Play consists of putting resources
into play and then drawing upon them to create formations of BattleMechs,
hulking, 10-meter high bipedal armored vehicles that can weigh upwards of
100 tons. Player's must then attack their opponent's in an attempt to destroy
their 'mechs, impede their ability to construct equipment, and, ultimately,
reduce their stockpiles of resources to nothing.
In response to player feedback, Wizards of the
Coast redesigned the Commander's Edition card faces to make
them easier to read and simpler to understand (a few of the cards appear
at the top of the page). Each of the starter decks is keyed to one of the
eight major factions represented in the game: Steiner, Davion, Kurita, ComStar,
Smoke Jaguar, Ghost Bear, Jade Falcon, and Wolf (minor political entities
like Marik, Liao, St. Ives Compact, and Free Rasalhague Republic do not
have their own decks). Each of these specialized factions/decks has its
own special character and abilities, as determined by cards unique to it
and by its "box power," a special ability the user of the deck
can use.
On the surface, this game looks more complex than
other collectible card games (e.g., Magic). However, the rules are clear and easy to understand;
four of us completely unfamiliar with the BattleTech card game system learned
how to play it from scratch in very little time. A quick read through the
rules and then following the quick reference guide was all it took. A typical
game between two players familiar with the rules is likely to last an hour
or more, and less experienced players involved in games with three or more
people can expect a game to last at least twice this long.
Overall, based on ease of play, clarity of rules,
and reasonable price, Commander's Edition decks each rate
either a 5 or a 6 on a 6-point scale.
