Subject: Re: Joan Of Arc??? From: GREGORY SCHLOESSER Steve Zanini wrote: > Just saw this in the local gaming store, any reviews from the group? Let > me know, at $80 CDN I need more than a whim to buy. If you like Condotierre ... buy Joan of Arc. The card system used is very similar to that used in Condotierre. I, for one, find the system far to luck based. I did not like the game very much, but I have only played it once. I certainly do wish to try it again. What follows is a recap of the Joan of Arc game we played last weekend. JOAN OF ARC After the departure of Mark & Matt Johnson, we eagerly launched into a game of the new Tilsit release of Joan of Arc. This is Ted Cheatham's latest and the game looks wonderful. There are some magnificent castle and fortification pieces which are made of a heavy plaster material and look wonderful. If only the game would have been as good. Actually, I'm probably not being fair. The game uses a similar type of card play system for battle as does Condotierre. If you like that type of system, then you'll most likely enjoy Joan of Arc. I don't, and so I didn't! And, when you see the ratings, Jay Ouzts absolutely loathed this game. The idea is to expand your faction and capture as many prestige points as possible. This is primarily accomplished through the complete domination of provinces within France. Domination requires that you control every city in a province, which numbers from 1 - 3 cities per province. Each turn, players vote on whether there will be war or peace. If there is peace, attacks that turn are limited to one per player. If there is war, each player is allowed unlimited attacks. Following some random events and a possible foreign incursion, players may expand into up to two unoccupied adjacent cities. Then, if they desire, they may attack an adjacent city which is occupied by an opponent. If there is a state of war, they may continue to attack adjacent provinces until they desire to stop or they deplete their cards. Here is where the game breaks down, in my opinion. Players receive either four or six cards each turn, depending upon whether there is peace or war. Further, at the very beginning of the turn, players can purchase more cards and/or castles and/or fortifications, which can be built on their controlled cities. The problem I see with the card play is that there is too much left to chance. Turn order is determined randomly (as in Air Baron). When a player attacks, he may play 2 cards while the defender can play only 1. Certain action cards may also be played, as well as any influence markers (which are earned each turn based on the number of cities a player controls). Cards range in value from 3 - 6. After a modification for the defensive value of the city being assaulted, each player rolls a die, adds the proper modifiers based on the card & fortification differentials, and the player with the high total wins the battle. If the attacker wins, he retains the two battle cards he used (not any special action cards, however), but cannot use them in future attacks that round. If the defender wins, he retains the card he used and can continue to use it in that round for further defenses or attacks. The loser of the battle loses his cards regardless. I just find that a bad hand can cripple a player for a round ... and that can be critical. The luck of the draw can determine one's fate in battle. I'd much rather take my chances with die rolls, because each time I pick up the die, I have the same probability of rolling well or poorly that my opponent does. However, if I was dealt a bad hand, then I'm already at a huge disadvantage regardless. I guess I just don't like systems utilizing cards for battle. After each player has taken his turn, prestige points are earned. For each province that a player controls ALL of the cities within its borders, a prestige point is earned. These are tallied for the duration of the game, which can last from 8 - 10 turns. The player with the greatest cumulative total when the game ends is the victor. The game can be quite lengthy, especially for what it accomplishes. I can't imaging its length if played with a full contingent of six players. After two turns, Jay was already moaning about the game and suggesting that he would even rather play Atlantic Storm (which usually the mere mention of sends him into violent fits of anger). He managed to last five full turns before we opted to call the game. The results after 5 turns: Greg 28, Eric Wood 27, Ted 20, Jay 19 The rankings: Eric 8, Ted 6, Greg 5 (only because I didn't want to slam it too hard without giving it at least one more chance), Jay 2 I certainly want to give the game another go, just to make sure I wasn't missing something. However, it has come off of my 'Wish List'. I just hope Courtesans of Versailles, the other Tilsit import, is better than this one. -- Greg J. Schloesser The Westbank Gamers: http://home.earthlink.net/~gschloesser/