Different sets of relics are drawn from depending on the source of the relic (elite, boss, etc). Card choices involve rarities, and the odds of getting certain rarities changes as the game progresses. As far as I’m aware, hardly anything is purely random from a broad set. Why is this the case when I tend to have much less tolerance for randomness in other games? I’ve identified a few reasons.įirst, I’ve got to recognize how fine-tuned the random elements are in Slay the Spire. But the former never bothers me very much (it typically steels my resolve) and the latter is great fun. Other times I get the right relic at the right time and it spirals into easy dominance. On occasion I feel like all of this luck conspires against me to create a near-impossible run. When you enter a shop you get a random display of cards, relics, and potions. In both cases you may or may not receive a random potion. After beating an elite enemy you get a random relic. When you defeat an enemy you get to choose from a random set of cards. The enemies’ attack patterns often involve some randomness (others repeat predetermined patterns). In battles you, of course, draw from a shuffled deck. The enemies you face are randomly selected, as are the winding paths that guide you up the tower. The very first choice in the game, before you even start ascending the titular Spire, is generated from a few semi-randomly determined effects. Slay the Spire has many layers of randomness. The gravitational force of variability pulls it all towards the middle. Plans almost necessarily have to shift and morph based on the whims of the draw, and one rarely feels the joy of constructing a slim, efficient killer of a deck. Compared to Dominion’s strategic gait, where plans, formed at the beginning, violently shoot out into a race with only slim margins for mid-game maneuvering, Clank and Star Realms feel plodding and arbitrary. Two of the most popular deckbuilding games, Clank and Star Realms, suffer from their randomized selection, at least to my taste. It has a randomized card display, but it only refreshes each major phase of the game, giving you multiple turns to plan and scheme with knowledge of what’s available. The one exception I can think of in the board game space is Mage Knight, which kind of sits in between the two extremes. I’ve stated multiple times, both in print and on the podcast, that I think deckbuilding games that don’t utilize a static set of cards to buy are at an inherent disadvantage. I just placed it as my 10th favorite game of all time over on the podcast. If you’ve been following The Thoughtful Gamer for a while you probably know that we’re something of Dominion apologists over here. But I never really understood the implications. I mean, I’ve known that since the first time I played years ago. It’s a game created with such a high level of thought and care that you can be forgiven for not noticing just how good it is.Īfter a string of quick losses led to a rare triumph (thanks in large part to the ice cream cone–if you know, you know), I realized that Slay the Spire is a deckbuilding game with randomized card buy choices. If you haven’t yet played Slay the Spire, you should. It’s as brilliant and brutal as ever, and I’m bumping up against ascension levels that test the limits of my skills. Over the last few weeks I’ve returned to Slay the Spire as my digital relaxation game of choice.
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