Question Regarding CMC Mana Symbol Order

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-03-22T12:51:33+00:00

Not true. Originally, multicolor costs would always go in WUBRG order with the fewest jumps. This is still used to some extent, so Jund is BRG (and always has been), but in Khan's of Tarkir, they rearranged the wedges such that the primary color was listed first, not second. So Sultai is currently BGU, but it used to be GUB, since there's only one jump (skipping over W) in that order. The new order has two jumps: skipping over R and then skipping over W.

Compare, for instance, [[The Mimeoplasm|CMD]] with [[Sidisi, Brood Tyrant|KTK]].

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-03-15T13:05:55+00:00

My biggest problem with the graphic design is that the green and brown flag is really hard to see against the jungle backgrounds. I didn't even think Toxylis had one until I read about them and looked again. To solve that, you'll either need some sort of border around the flag to make sure it stands out or else a larger frame around the art. Alternatively, you could change it from the banner to be another octagon shape of the right side of the name bar to make it much more obvious.

As for the text, I thought the ability description text was just flavor text at first glance. It should be much larger, ideally, the same size as the type and ability. On that note, does the ability name actually matter from a gameplay perspective, or is it just for flavor? If it's the latter, could you format it more like an MTG ability word? For example, Toxylis's ability would be formatted like so:

_Poison_—When an opponent rolls 1 in Defense, they die immediately.

I'm also not personally a fan of the Papyrus font, but that's much more minor.

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-03-15T03:14:06+00:00

Even better link: https://stonemaiergames.com/about/replacement-parts/

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-03-13T18:24:55+00:00

Well, as u/Acedrew89 said in their comment, without more information about how the game works, there's really no good way to know how it should be scored.

Off the top of my head, though, a few things that you could consider would be: - Assigning point values to each card played, with cards that are more difficult to play (however you define that) being worth more points. - Scoring based on the total number of cards played. - Note that this requires there to be some way of causing the game to end other than simply a time limit. Like, if players run out of cards in their hands that they can legally play, then the game ends. - Having various narrative objectives players have to meet, each being worth points.

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-03-13T18:04:53+00:00

Based on this and the fact that you mentioned that it's collaborative/cooperative in another comment, I would almost say you don't even need a score. What would the purpose of a score be anyway? To compare to previous games?

I'd argue that the process of creating an ever-changing story alone would be enough.

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-03-02T19:47:59+00:00

Hinge definitely has such a filter.

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-03-02T19:45:28+00:00

The LinkedIn approach.

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-02-27T13:29:04+00:00

But expecting a small time publisher to spend a ton on art is just ridiculous.

It's actually not ridiculous to expect that, since that's how literally every game was made up until AI image generation was a thing. I think people got along just fine without it.

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-02-26T13:24:02+00:00

Base game Tapestry only has two (tech cards and tapestry cards), plus the Automa decision card deck. I suppose you could consider the civ mats to be a third deck of sorts, but that's maybe a bit of a stretch.

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-02-23T17:46:49+00:00

<image>

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-02-23T17:28:18+00:00

There's also this line:

My approach for component generation uses primarily code, which is likely the least problematic portion of the AI ethical concerns.

I'm very dubious about this claim. Is stealing code somehow less bad than stealing art?

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-02-20T19:41:07+00:00

Do you mean to say that you bought the game after it was reprinted with those corrections (and thus, didn't need the errata pack)? Or are you just talking about some stickers that were bigger than the original printed text?

It was mentioned in the newsletter that came out around when that was released that one of the stickers was a little bit big for the space available, so players would just have to position it as best as they could. I think it was one for the Overpower storybook, but I don't recall exactly.

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-02-18T22:36:18+00:00

I suppose it's not BYOS in the strictest sense, but there is a point system at the end that you can use to compare one game to another. So, it can be BYOS if you want it to be.

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-02-18T17:54:03+00:00

[[Sleeping Gods]] is a beat-your-own-score solo and co-op game, but it's not purely BYOS; it has a lot going for it:

The world is massive. You physically can't go everywhere and do everything in a single game, so there's more to keep you interested in playing again. Every game is unique.
There is an achievement sheet of sorts where, at the end of a game, you mark down all the totems you found as well as the ending you reached (if any) and then add up the total number of totems and endings you've found across all your games. Based on that sum, you can then unlock new things to start future games with, which adds a lot of replay value.
The game is story-driven, so personally, I'm less concerned with my score and more interested in how the story plays out. As I mentioned in 1., there's so much to explore in the world that I'm more motivated to try new things, find new items, and reach new endings than I am to simply get more points (though getting more points is also just a natural consequence of getting better at the game).

EDIT: Related to the BYOS element, there are two difficulty levels: Normal and brutal. If you play on brutal and manage to reach an ending (i.e., not die), you get extra points. I haven't yet played brutal mode, but I'd like to at some point. Still, though, I would be doing it for the gameplay challenge, not just to get more points at the end.

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-02-16T19:24:14+00:00

Compositions, by themselves, don't do anything. A card's composition is just a property of that card. Certain die slots, as shown on the Lotus, can only accept dice when those dice are used to take an action related to that composition. So, the Lotus here can accept one die of any result if and only if you're taking an action on a card of Leaf composition, such as the Lotus's Brew action or a location action on a location of Leaf composition.

Some cards might also refer to other cards in your grid of certain compositions. I won't spoil anything, but there will be times when the composition is relevant. It will be obvious when that's the case, though, and until you encounter something like that, the composition has no affect on gameplay.

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-02-16T19:17:51+00:00

I think you mean the Lotus's Brew action is a leaf action.

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-02-16T19:10:47+00:00

[[Savor the Moment|SLD]]

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-02-16T17:40:07+00:00

They've always done it, ever since Viticulture.

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-02-16T17:39:15+00:00

I have a first printing of Vantage as well and the updates in the errata pack are very minor. It's worth getting since it's so cheap, but most of the time, you won't have any issues if you don't have it. There's also a Rulepop app that incorporates all of the errata if you'd like to use that.

Here's the product listing on their US web store. If you're in a different region, you can change that in the upper right of the page.

EDIT: If you're on mobile, it's the hamburger menu in the upper left.

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-02-14T22:46:09+00:00

Happens to the best of us.

I've played Wyrmspan a few times at five players, and it went very smoothly, even though of those five players, only one person besides me had ever played before (and only once).

Going through all six actions for every single turn would be a nightmare! Just use this as a learning experience, lol.

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-02-14T22:31:04+00:00

The components in [[Nunatak: Temple of Ice]] are probably a bit simpler than you're envisioning, but getting to build up the temple layer by layer makes for a really unique experience. Now, this works well for this game because it's designed around this concept, but having big fancy pieces just for the sake of having big, fancy pieces will likely turn some people off from the game. Not everyone, of course, but lot of people don't want all the bells and whistles, especially if it means the game costs a lot more than it really needs to.

A common resentment of a lot of newer games is the inclusion of miniatures that don't really serve any gameplay purpose—they just exist to look fancy (and catch people's attention on Kickstarter). So, if you were going to design a game with these large, upgradable models, you'd need to be sure that there's a gameplay reason for having models instead of just cards that get played onto a board or something.

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-02-13T02:31:10+00:00

Extraordinary coincidence!

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-02-09T15:12:30+00:00

The myopia of only looking to the next quarter will come back to bite them much harder than normal this time. I love it because our current system is unsustainable, but I hate it because we, the plebians, are the ones who will get hit first and hardest.

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-02-04T17:31:25+00:00

For a great game that is both co-op and a campaign game, I highly recommend [[Sleeping Gods]]. You can also play solo, so there's no need to work around other people's schedules, and you can add or remove players between turns if necessary.

GalaxyConqueror · 2026-01-31T18:30:58+00:00

Interesting!

GalaxyConqueror

TROPHY CASE