Through personal boredom and a couple of joints, I feel the urge to provide lessons:
1. There are three rows to each side of the board, yours/opponents, 6 rows in total.
2. Each row holds a different type of card simply, swords/bows/catapults.
3. Each sword/bow/catapult card, and therefore row, has a total score.
4. Highest score at end of each round wins. There are three rounds.
Cards can have different properties. This is represented by a symbol. The effects can be read (in miniscule writing) by holding R2. Examples of properties might be.
1. Spy card. The card is played on the opponents side of the board, adding to his score, but letting you draw two extra cards.
2. A 'healing' card. Lets you draw from a list of cards that you've played in previous rounds.
There are special cards:
1. Decoy - removes card from your side of the board.
2. Scorch - burns the highest scoring (non-leader) cards on the board
3. Winter - reduces cards on the sword row to base score 1. (Wind affects bows/Rain - Catapults)
There are leader cards (foreshadowing obvious?!) - these are permanent, use once cards. Their base score cannot be affected. They cannot be 'killed'.
There are four different decks of cards. Each deck is a different, in-game, faction. Niilfgaard/Northern Realms etc. Each deck has multiple leader cards. You can only choose one leader card per game. This can only be used once per game. An example is - the leader card for the Northern Realms clears all weather effects (there is also a special card with the same trick.
At the beginning of each game. 10 random cards will be selected from your deck. You'll have the option to randomly switch any 1 or 2 out. Or none. Then the game begins. As before, it ends when someone has won two rounds.
Tactically - you want to make sure you have enough cards to finish the game. Be careful not to overcommit for a win in the first round. It's usually more important to focus on improving your deck and/or tricking the opponent into playing/wasting stronger cards.
Good combinations can be spy cards & decoys. For example. I have 2 spy cards (play on other side/get 2x cards) within my 10 card hand. Plus a special decoy card and some other stuff. In the first round, I play the spy, I get two more, now I have more cards than oppo. He plays decoy card (this card is exchanged for any non'leader card on the owner's side of the board) therefore taking my spy. I play my other spy. He plays the spy he stole. I nick that with the decoy. I have more cards, used his decoy and can either pass the round and have (hopefully) stronger/better combinations of cards to kick his ass in the 2nd/3rd rounds, or try and finish it early.
Love it. /geek
