Week of the Reckoning continues with a journey into the Hunting Grounds to examine the evil that started it all, Raven!
http://pineboxentertainment.com/2017/08/02/week-of-the-reckoning-the-hunting-grounds/
3 Likes
There’s way too much text on those cards.
I wonder, will Raven decks see people playing Tail Between Yer Legs again? It looks to me like a card that would work quite well with him.
1 Like
Putting on my playtest hat: I’ve seen this feedback in a few places and it is something I’m conscious of and will try to feedback to Design for future cards. For the Legends in particular I can see why the text is long, given the disruption some unbalanced Sensei cards caused at times in the Legend of the Five Rings CCG (these were similar starting attachments to your home in that game): qualifiers to balance out a card can add more and more text.
That said, aiming for a balance between fair mechanics and elegant text is best, so I appreciate it when the community raises feedback on this or other issues. 
These are complicated cards, so it is good to have an article on each servitor from experienced players.
4 Likes
By the way, I was discussing that with 2 other players (who, as far as I know, don’t post on this forum). To continue the comparison with other games, AGoT also uses similar cards (called agendas) and FFG manages to keep the text to a more reasonable length (the longest has 7 full-width lines of text).
1 Like
Thanks @Khudzlin, Agendas from A Game of Thrones are a much more up to date reference. 
So far the feeling I get from various places is a clear preference for elegant cards and shorter wording, so perhaps in the future if something can’t be balanced without lots of rules text being added it is best to try a different idea for a given theme?
Appreciate you passing opinions of non-forum goers too.
1 Like
That would be appreciated.
1 Like
The epic amount of text to go with these epic characters is something that while thematic, we don’t intend on repeating with future Legends. For instance, if the winner of the Evil Is A Choice Event happens to name Blackjack, it may be a much simpler ability and therefore require less text. We’re definitely striving to not make DT even more complicated! Raven is certainly the most intricate of the 4 and not overtly obvious on how to include him. Very much looking forward to seeing what people come up with for him for said event, outside the obvious choice of Protection Racket.
3 Likes
The game is naturally wordy. Saying “your dude at a location you control but dont own” doesn’t get much shorter.
It’s unfortunate. We often talk alot about how a card can be worded and try to make them as simple as possible, but some things don’t quite work without lots of words in this game.
2 Likes
I agree. I think at this point, to shorten text, we would need a new edition with a bundle of interaction ques. Things like WHIP = remove a dude from the shootout, boot them if not booted, send them to their controllers home. and CONTROL: have more influence than opponent at this location.
2 Likes
Raven would also be shorter if multiplayer was not a thing.
Putting the length of the card to one side, my view of Raven is that he is servitor of control (in the conceptual sense). If you want lots of bullets and to shoot a man just to watch him die play Stone, Raven is more subtle. He clearly has synergy with protection racket and the 108 bandits, he may also play into a more aggressive spirit fortress build which forts up on an opponents deed.
If they can afford the starting ghost rock I think Grimme may also find a home amongst Hex control decks. If you can boot out your opponents dudes using Leon paralysis mark, phantasm and/or mark of pestilence. Raven lets you claim an extra control point at your leisure. A blood cursed dude is also unlikely to pick a fight with a dude at a deed marked by Raven allowing you exert even more pressure. It will be interesting to see how he develops the meta as the -2GR is a hard hill to climb if you want to start skilled dudes.
3 Likes