In Redline, as with most expandable card games, two players build decks prior to play and sit down for a duel. Decks are 60 cards in size and are comprised of cards a player would expect to find in such a game: units (in this case called efreets, i.e. mechwarriors), upgrades (cannons, lasers, missiles, etc.), resources, and tactics (event cards for one-time effects). Spread out between the players is the 'redline': five locations drawn randomly from a deck of mission cards, each with their own effect or in-game role. The player's goal is to control all five missions, but can also win by entirely razing their opponent's HQ (reducing the deck to zero cards).
In order to take control of a mission, a player needs efreets, something they contruct in their production line and deploy. After deployment, players simultaneously set location dials in secret, one per efreet, and then reveal. They deploy their efreets to the relevantly numbered missions on the redline, and if the opponent has one or more efreets at the same mission a battle ensues. The last man standing at the mission gets the chance to capture it, the chances of which depend on the number and type of efreets left at the location. For light mechs the chances are smaller than heavy, but a group of mechs can pool their chances. And missions can change hands. If at any time a player has captured all five missions, they win.
But efreet combat is not as straightforward as comparing stats given combat is decided by a d12 as well as the fact efreet can be upgraded. Missiles, lasers, cannons, targeting computers, pilots - a player's deck is laced with equipment which influences and manipulates the d12 to the player's advantage. On top of this, the efreets and upgrades often have one or more of a handful of keywords which add flavor. Sharpshooter, Ambush, Precision, and other means that the skirmishes which break out can be quite dynamic. And the Critical Hits. Hitting a natural 12 on the die, or rolling precisely targeted efreet's speed result in a Critical Hit. Borrowing from X-Wing Miniatures game, players draw a card from a side deck which describes some catastrophic bit of damage that must be dealt to an efreet. Overall, this mix of upgrades, critical hits, and manipulable combat feels properly 'battlemech.'
Taking a step back to look at the broader expandable TCG/CCG/LCG market, Redline is a combination of two games with the touch of a third. Take the main concept of Battletech TCG (generate resources to build mechs to fight) but give players the dual win conditions of Warhammer: Conquest (destroy the other player's HQ or capture a set number of locations lined up between the players). Redline also borrows the secret selection of locations on dials seen in Conquest. Add the critical hit deck from X-Wing Miniatures Game and you've got Redline.
Resources in Redline are handled similar to but not exactly the same as Magic, Battletech, and other such games. Resources are cards in players' decks that must be drawn to be used. Randomness is reduced, however, by the fact there are no colors or letters that need to match other card types. The resources, called supply drops, are generic. Despite resources being neutral, they still clog players' decks and create the potential for one player to draw a lot more or a lot less than they need, which is fun for nobody. As a result we have made a house rule in which resources are kept in a separate deck from which players can draw one per round in addition to their main deck. It works better.
Redline is solid fun, but there are two things to critique, one more important, the other less so. The most significant complaint of Redline is the rules, both as they are found in the rulebook (or not) and as they play on the table. The rulebook, while it gets players 90% to the finish line, the last 10%—the devil in the details that helps decide many a situation—is sometimes not there. For players who have years of CCG experience, they can most often agree with their opponent how to proceed and be fair. But there are certainly times it's gray, the truth lying this way or that without players knowing which way to go.
The rules themselves, while structured and organic, do not feel fully tested on every occasion, however. Redline feels like a passion project more than anything. With efreets stomping around, shooting missiles and blasting cannons, it's no doubt fun. And with the idea of controlling the battlefield as player's strategic objective, more thought is needed than just slinging mechs. But for as dynamic as gameplay can be, it can sometimes feel too dynamic, too swingy. There are cards which feel OP, limitations which don't feel reasonable, and an overall sense that another 6 months of group testing would have arrived at a more streamlines product that doesn't eliminate the fun. More than just resources, we have added rule tweaks here and there that even the playing field while offering more satisfying gameplay. It needs to be repeated, the tactics of moving efreets around and doing battle with an arsenal of upgrades is truly fun.
The second critique, and one that I feel is less hindering, is production quality. To state this directly: Redline is a noticeable step down from other famous expandable card games on the market in terms of the quality of card stock. The cards are flimsy. They can be sleeved, of course, but even with such protection they do not lie 100% flat on the table. And the location dials are a bit flimsy, the bits not forming a tight join. To be clear, all the pieces play perfectly fine. It's just that we have been spoiled by the likes of Wizards of the Coast, Living Legend Studios, FFG, and other companies over the years, and now expect such quality card stock from similar games. Redline comes from an indie studio, and the expectations for production need to follow. At our kitchen table, it does not distract from the fun.
But does production effect the art?!?! With so much of a CCG's success dependent on graphics, is Redline's card art also a step down? Mostly no. I disagree with the template used for the efreet cards; rather than being pictured in action (as with Battletech), they are instead pictured like butterflies pinned to a board, specimens rather than active agents. But the remaining art is mostly industry standard—Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, etc. Heat-seeking missiles, cannons, radar systems, supply drops--they look great. If there is an overarching issue with the graphics it would be the wording: it's too small. Increased font size would improve things.
One other thing I will mention that others may find a negative which I do not is the limited amount of content. The core set contains enough cards for two decks plus a few extras for limited deckbuilding (as well as all the bits and bobs players need to play). It's a standard two-player starter set with a little extra but nothing more in terms of a larger cycle of cards to make your deck bigger and badder, or legendary or rare cards to collect. Saving Throw Studios have released a second starter set with the same amount of content (+/- two decks). Those cards can be combined with cards from the first starter set, which makes for some deckbuilding, but it's not at the same level as games which release larger cycles of cards. This is not an issue for me, but for players who care about such things be aware this would be something like a 'limited LCG', content is known and limited, rather than CCG or TCG.
In the end, Redline is a solid expandable card game that, with a couple of house rules, becomes a fun, robots-shooting-lasers-and-missiles-at-one-another-in-tactical-fashion card game. An interesting crossroads of other popular CCGs, it's worth a shot as long as the players who are accustomed to Wizards of the West Coast and Fantasy Flight Games caliber productions lower their expectations regarding quality of cardstock. The bottom line is that it provides that chewy level of expandable card fun that every such game strives for. From a more speciific angle, people looking for an updated version of Battletech TCG with better toys and economy, absolutely try this.
No comments:
Post a Comment