Spectromancer

[Fizanko]

Hello,

Looking around wikipedia for derivated entries linked to the Magic the Gathering wikipedia entry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic:_The_Gathering

And following specifically pages tied to Richard Garfield (MtG original designer) i ran into the entry of a card game named "Spectromancer" that i never heard about.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectromancer

What made me interested is that apparently Richard Garfield was the co-designer of Spectromancer.

Links to Spectromancer website in which you can download what is apparently a very large demo (without multiplayer) :
http://www.spectromancer.com/

And what got me to actually try it (as i didn't had to install anything) was the existence of a flash based browser version (latest version of it, as apparently there's a couple of older version, the wikipedia actually link to one of those older ones) :
http://www.kongregate.com/games/fighter ... g-of-power

I have no idea if the regular game (from their main website) plays the same as the flash version, but that one really surprised me in being an entertaining time waster.
While it has some small similarity to MtG as all trade/collectible card game does in the end, the gameplay is different enough so it does not feel like a clone.
The campaign is fun, though a bit repetitive but got me less interested than playing Shandalar.

From my few playtests it looks (at least in the flash version) like it has much much less cards than you can get in Magic, meaning that i'm not sure it will have much replayability, but as i have not experienced much i have no idea if there are cards/packs to unlock or similar.

Anyone have more experience with it ? is it good on the long term (Magic, through Manalink seems a never ending amount of fun, can't get bored of it), and is the non-flash version similar or somehow different ?

[Goblin Hero]

Anyone have more experience with it ? is it good on the long term?

I've played it a bit. IMHO it's not good on the long term.
Try the Ascension Online. It's in beta now and I can wait online play.

[Fizanko]

I played quite a bit with the flash version, and there are some good ideas, but the lack of cards (that may help in balancing the whole concept and lowering the amount of luck involved in comparison to Magic) really shows after a while.

The fun to me in Manalink comes from the immense variety of the decks due to the insane amount of cards combinations that can compose them, allowing very different tactics and strategies that change completely from a match to another.
While Spectromancer with its very limited sets does not offer much on it.

Maybe that's because it's only the flash version and the actual game may have much more content, but i don't feel this one keeping my interest unfortunately.

Don't get me wrong, it's a very good game with some refreshing concept for a ccg , but i simply enjoy Manalink much more.

[VladVoivode]

I have Spectromancer and its expansion. It's a fun game but only if you don't approach it as you would M:TG. While it lacks the insane amount of cards as Magic and it is more creature focused, there is a different set of tactics that make it a unique experience. That said, it feels like SolForge is the evolution of Spectromancer and I am hopeful that it will continue to grow.

Lastly, Infinity Wars is a must try! It's finally on Steam and its attack and defense mechanics are radically different from Magic in that you have an attack zone and a defense zone plue there are cards that transform the playing area into a type of fortress.

Slainte,
Vlad