10 x 10 Challenge #11: 100 Swords - Game #5

Following on from my previous post, I got back on the 10 x 10 Challenge this morning; rounding off the last of the 100 Swords games that will include The Red Dragon's Dungeon, whilst breaking out The Darkness Dungeon Builder Set (DBS) for the first time.

In my last post I made a few assumptions and predictions regarding just how I thought the addition of this DBS might affect play. But where they accurate?

How did this Dungeon Builder Set change gameplay?

In short, no. Not even close. Whilst there where indeed a good few cards with the hide effect in this new DBS; none of those cards really seemed to amount to anything in the game that I played. The dungeon was also completely revealed on eight occasions this time! Which was not only completely unexpected but also seemed to throw the theme of this DBS completely out of the window.

In fairness, one of the reveals was as a result of several cards chain reacting; so I can almost let that go. That still leaves me with seven occasions to account for however, which is on par with The Chroma Dragon's Dungeon Builder Set. A set which is geared (or so I assumed it was), to reveal more of the dungeon over the course of a game.

Ultimately this leaves me wondering exactly what these DBS' do. Not to be overly critical of a game that I enjoy but, these two sets played almost identically.. So what's the point in owning both?

I suppose from my point of view there is the completionist aspect of ownership (although as I didn't kickstart this game, I am missing the two cards associated with being a backer); and I also like the idea of owning as many of the available cards as possible for when I build my own custom dungeon decks. If neither of these notions bother you though, I can well imagine you'd be left scratching your head as to what the point in purchasing both was.

So which of the two DBS' would I recomend?

Based upon the two games I played, I would have to hand victory to The Darkness.

Whilst there are no immediate differences (or so it seems) in the gameplay between the two expansions; there are in my opinion more interesting things going on in The Darkness. The Altar of Darkness for example is an obstacle that you almost certainly won't want to clear. There is no real need to! It isn't impassable, so it being in the dungeon isn't going to get in your way; and its ability can be really useful in thinning out your deck.

Then there is the introduction of a "bane item". A one-shot item that can kill the boss outright.

The Darkness Dungeon Builder Set is the first to introduce this concept in the series, and it's a real point in its favor. Having this option makes the boss stand out amongst its peers, in the same way that The Magic Computer being the first boss to be an item instead of a monster set it apart from those I had previously faced. It's small things like this that keep things interesting.

Win, lose, or draw?

I managed to rack up another victory, beating the A.I 56 to 49 Gold.

What's next?

Honestly, I'm not too sure. On the one-hand I am eager to press on with 100 Swords; with a view to ticking off the first game in my 10 x 10 Challenge. On the other hand however, variety is the spice of life.

Hmmmm, maybe I'll just roll a dice or toss a coin and go with whatever it comes up with; as I'll be quite happy whatever game I wind up playing off my list.

10 x 10 Challenge #10: 100 Swords - Game #4

Realising that I was getting behind on the commitment that I had made to the 10 x 10 Challenge, and just how much ground I still had to cover to achieve what I was setting out to achieve; I set aside a couple of hours yesterday to get some quality gaming in.

Picking up where I left off with 100 Swords, it was the turn of The Chroma Dragon's Dungeon Builder Set (DBS) to be combined with The Red Dragon's Dungeon. As with the previous two games where I had added a DBS to the The Red Dragon's Dungeon, I replaced the boss from the dungeon deck with the boss from the DBS. A dragon for a dragon in this case. 

How did this Dungeon Builder Set change gameplay?

Well it did introduce the vaporise effect, which was new to me; but as the A.I took the only card that carried this ability it had no impact what so ever on the game I played.

One bizarre thing that did keep occurring during this game however was the dungeon being constantly revealed in it's entirety. Seven times during this game by my count, which based on my previous experience of playing 100 Swords is almost unheard of.

The theme of this DBS is however light, so I suspect that it is by design that so much of the dungeon is being revealed with such frequency. Well, that along with a few other environmental factors. For example, there are more cards with reveal effects in the dungeon deck I am using than there are with hide effects; so The Red Dragon's Dungeon is by default weighted towards revealing cards (if only slightly).

Then there is the A.I, which reveals the first and last card in the dungeon every turn (if you haven't already done so); which coupled with my aggressive play style would often see at least half the dungeon being revealed every turn as I push on through it, trying to work out which cards I want to target for drafting in the next turn.

So whilst the Chroma Dragon's DBS cannot be said to be solely responsible for the dungeon being completely revealed almost every turn, I certainly think that there is some correlation between its introduction and the sudden increase in the number of times we're seeing only face up cards in the dungeon, at the end of a turn.

Win, lose, or draw?

It was another player win, scoring 49 Gold to the 39 taken by the A.I.

What's next?

Next up is the final outing for The Red Dragon's Dungeon in the 10 x 10 Challenge, where it will be combined with The Darkness Dungeon Builder Set. Something that I am suspecting will be akin to the yin of the Chroma Dragon's yang. More hiding effects are almost a given, but what else will it yield?

Time to get shuffling and to find out!